The Weekly Rundown: 1/22/23 - 1/28/23
Scott Rolen to the Hall of Fame, Red Sox stay active, and more.
Good morning!
We’re back with another Weekly Rundown. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting these in your inbox over the last couple of months. They’ll get even better when the MLB season begins, I promise.
February and March will be huge months here at The Ledge. You can expect a boatload of baseball content to get you ready for Opening Day. But even before the MLB season, I’ll be all over the World Baseball Classic and spring training storylines. Next week I’ll give you some dates to look forward to for baseball content.
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Now grab your coffee, sit back, and catch up on the big stories in baseball from the last week…
Rolen To Cooperstown
Seven-time All-Star third baseman Scott Rolen will join Fred McGriff in the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Rolen earned 76.3% votes and was the only player on the 2023 ballot to cross the 75% threshold. McGriff was voted into Cooperstown unanimously by the 16-person Contemporary Era Committee last month.
The top five vote-getters were as follows:
Scott Rolen: 76.3 percent
Todd Helton: 72.2 percent
Billy Wagner: 68.1 percent
Andruw Jones: 58.1 percent
Gary Sheffield: 55.0 percent
No argument here against Rolen getting in. He’s one of the best defensive third basemen of all time and was an outstanding hitter who never was connected to performance-enhancing drugs. That said, I’ve got some gripes.
Helton, Wagner, and Jones should be in. They’re every bit as deserving as Rolen, as I detailed in my “If I Had A Hall Of Fame Vote” piece. Sheffield should be in too, but his connection to PEDs seems to have all but ruined his chances.
Anyway, congrats to Rolen. Hopefully the out-of-touch BBWAA comes around on the aforementioned legends next year. The 2024 ballot will be an interesting one as it’ll feature newcomers Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Chase Utley. Beltre is a no-brainer.
Bloom Still Building
Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox are slowly but surely building an intriguing roster for 2023. Not a roster I’d pick to win the World Series or even make the postseason, but at the very least it’s a roster that will be worth your attention. That’s really all Red Sox fans are asking for at this point.
On Tuesday, they acquired speedy middle infielder Adalberto Mondesi — yes, Raul Mondesi’s son — from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever Josh Taylor. Boston also landed a player to be named later in the deal.
On the surface, the trade looks like a dud. Mondesi played in only 15 games last season due to a torn ACL and injuries have plagued him throughout his career. The 27-year-old has played in only 50 games since 2020.
While there’s a chance Mondesi doesn’t make much of an impact, this is as much of a low-risk, potentially high-reward move the Red Sox could have made. When healthy, Mondesi boasts a rare blend of speed, power, and defensive prowess. Plus, Taylor was on the verge of not making Boston’s bullpen for 2023 anyway. He missed all of last season due to a back injury.
Mondesi might not be ready for Opening Day, but there’s no reason to rush him back into the mix. With Adam Duvall in center field, Kiké Hernandez is set to move over to shortstop while Christian Arroyo serves as the primary second baseman. When Mondesi returns, we could see him fill in periodically for both Hernandez and Arroyo. A part-time role is perfect for a talented albeit injury-prone player like Mondesi.
Later in the day, the Duvall signing was made official. To clear room for him on the roster, veteran right-hander Matt Barnes was designated for assignment.
Barnes has been in the Red Sox organization since he was selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. The UConn product was one of only four players left from the 2018 World Series roster. Rafael Devers, Chris Sale, and Ryan Brasier are the others.
DFA’ing Barnes instead of Brasier is a head-scratcher. While Barnes hasn’t been good since signing his two-year extension in mid-2021, Brasier was horrendous out of the bullpen last season. Nonetheless, Bloom believes Brasier will figure it out.
"(Brasier’s) obviously been through some ups and downs, but finished the season really strong and showed a lot that when you project it out ahead is really encouraging,” Bloom told reporters in his press conference Tuesday.
Alrighty then… if ya say so.
Next up on the Red Sox’ to-do list probably is finding a left-handed reliever. With Taylor gone, Joely Rodriguez is the only southpaw in the bullpen. Matt Moore is a name they’ve reportedly shown interest in.
Another Twins Trade
A week after sending Luis Arraez to Miami for Pablo Lopez, the Minnesota Twins swung another deal. This time, they acquired veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor from the Royals in exchange for pitching prospects Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk.
Taylor gives the Twins much-needed outfield depth with star center fielder Byron Buxton’s extensive injury history. The 31-year-old doesn’t offer a ton of upside at the plate, but he’s an exceptional center fielder. He won the Gold Glove award with Kansas City in 2021 and leads all outfielders in defensive runs saved since 2020.
With Taylor, Buxton, and Gallo, Minnesota has arguably the best defensive outfield in the game.
New Sheriff In Town
The Houston Astros have their James Click replacement. They announced Thursday that Dana Brown will be their new general manager.
Brown had served as vice president of scouting for the Atlanta Braves over the past four years. His résumé speaks for itself. In 2019, he was responsible for the draft picks of 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II in the third round, Vaughn Grissom in the 11th round, and Shea Langeliers (the centerpiece of the Matt Olson trade) in the first round.
The Braves have been a model of how to run a franchise over the last few years, and Brown is partially responsible for that. I’m still confused why the Astros parted ways with Click right after winning a World Series, but Brown should fit in seamlessly.
Mike Clevinger Under Investigation
Major League Baseball is investigating Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger following allegations of domestic violence involving the mother of his 10-month-old daughter and child abuse.
The mother, Olivia Finestead, recently posted an Instagram story alluding to the allegations.
“I hope the @MLB does what they should and puts him in required therapy maybe even a small suspensions (sic) so he can take time out to really think about why he abuses his kids and their mothers,” the story read.
According to The Athletic, Finestead alleges Clevinger physically, verbally and emotionally abused her. She detailed one specific incident from last June in which she claimed Clevinger choked her, and another two weeks later when he slapped her in a hotel room and threw used chewing tobacco on their child.
Clevinger’s lawyers released the following statement on the matter.
“He has never harmed Ms. Finestead or his daughter. We will not comment on Ms. Finestead’s motive for bringing these false allegations. Her baseless threats and accusations over the last few months have regrettably escalated, culminating most recently in deeply disturbing threats toward Mike and Mike’s family. Her threats and her pattern of abusive behavior are well documented. The simple truth is that Mike has done nothing wrong.”
Clevinger spent the 2022 season with the San Diego Padres. He was signed in free agency by the White Sox this winter. From 2016-19, he was in Cleveland’s starting rotation alongside Trevor Bauer, who has been in a mess of his own over the last year.
Rays Getting Paid
The Rays signed two of their standout relievers to extensions: left-hander Jeffrey Springs (four years, $31M) and righty Pete Fairbanks (three years, $12 million).
Springs initially was acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez in 2021. That now looks like a steal for Tampa Bay as Springs has posted a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances (51 in relief ) since the trade.
As for Fairbanks, he’s been one of the Rays’ more reliable relievers since 2020. He pitched only 24 innings last season due to injury but had a 1.13 ERA and 0.67 WHIP.
Shortly after locking up two of their top bullpen arms, the Rays shifted their attention to one of their sluggers. Yandy Diaz reportedly is close to signing a three-year, $24 million deal to stay in Tampa Bay.
Diaz, 31, is coming off his best season at the plate. The corner infielder slashed .296/.401/.423 with nine homers, 57 RBI, 33 doubles, and 78 walks to only 60 strikeouts.
The Rays often find themselves being the butt of jokes due to their history of not paying players, but give credit where it’s due. They’ve been locking up their premier talents and it’s paid dividends with their perennial success in the competitive AL East division.
Aguilar to A’s, Irvin to O’s
The Oakland A’s announced they’ve signed first baseman/designated hitter Jesus Aguilar to a one-year contract worth $3 million. The former All-Star spent the 2022 season with the Miami Marlins before playing his final 16 games of the campaign with the Baltimore Orioles. In 119 games, he hit .235 with 16 homers and 51 RBI.
Aguilar, 33, has had an up-and-down career but should at least add some pop to Oakland’s lineup. The pitching staff, however, shed some talent with the subtraction of left-hander Cole Irvin.
The A’s sent Irvin and minor league right-hander Kyle Virbitsky to Baltimore in exchange for No. 16 ranked O’s prospect Darell Hernaiz. Last season, Irvin posted career-bests in ERA (3.98) and WHIP (1.16). A fine addition to an Orioles pitching staff that needed some help. Kyle Gibson had been their only other pitching acquisition this winter.
Rapid Fire
Jeff McNeil signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the New York Mets on Friday. The 30-year-old has brought plenty of value to the Mets since 2018 with his versatility and ability to hit for contact. He led the major leagues with a .326 batting average last season while posting a .836 OPS and only striking out 61 times in 148 games.
The Detroit Tigers inked veteran infielder Cesar Hernandez to a minor league contract. Hernandez, 32, hit .248 with one homer and 34 RBI in 147 games for the Washington Nationals in 2022. He’s past his prime, but a solid depth option.
Cole Hamels could be making a comeback. According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the four-time All-Star threw for teams Friday in Arlington, Texas, and was said to look “insanely good.” Do what you will with that Heyman report, but perhaps the 39-year-old could help a team in desperate need of pitching next season.
The Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension through 2025. Snitker has served as the Braves skipper since 2016 and led them to a World Series title in 2021. Atlanta also earned the NL East title with 101 wins in 2022. Well-deserved.
The Rumor Mill
Prized Red Sox prospect Triston Casas says he’s open to contract extension negotiations, though there haven’t been any discussions to this point. Perhaps Boston can take a page out of the Braves’ playbook and sign Casas to a team-friendly extension, but I think it’d make more sense to see how he fares in his rookie year rather than committing to him after just 27 big-league games.
The Royals aren’t done dealing. After trading away Mondesi and Taylor, they reportedly are exploring trades involving infielder Nicky Lopez and utility man Hunter Dozier. Lopez has been linked to the White Sox.
The Rays are looking for an impact bat, which comes as no surprise given they haven’t addressed their offense yet this offseason. Jurickson Profar, Miguel Sanó, Franmil Reyes, Luke Voit, and David Peralta are the top free-agent hitters left. Not the most exciting list.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading and get ready for a lot more content going forward!