I think of Thomas as a first baseman, too. When he was at the height of his powers (winning two MVPs, all five of his All Star appearances) he was primarily a first baseman. But the next dozen years after that he was primarily a DH.
Well, Frank was certainly a very…* memorable* first baseman. Not in a good way, but it sure stood out.
I think it fair to say that Frank Thomas is in the running with Dave Kingman and Greg Luzinski for the most games played at DH while standing in the field.
Aside from Big Hurt, Baines and, this year, probably Edgar, the DH-est Hall of Famer I can think of is Paul Molitor. Molitor played fewer than half his games at DH - more than forty percent - but far more than at any one other position, and moving to DH is the reason he’s in the Hall of Fame. Molitor was perpetually hurt when he played the field; after becoming a DH most of the time, he instantly became healthy and played almost all his team’s games for ten years. It was in that stretch he amassed at least half his career value and the numbers to get to the Hall, had his monster 1993 season with the World Series ring and WS MVP award, got to 3000 hits, and so on.
They’ll let him in posthumously.
Andrew McCutchen gets a 3 year deal with Philly for $50m.
Jays pay Troy Tulowitzki 38m to go away.
Ivan Nova traded from the Pirates to the White Sox, Pirates are expected to receive a young pitcher & international slot money.
That seems like a lot to pay for Cutch.
I think so. It also seems like it might be setting something else in motion. Maybe trading a young OF as part of the deal for an Ace.
Baltimore has named former Cubs bench coach/1B coach Brandon Hyde as their new manager.
Does Philly signing McCutchen mean anything for their chances to get Harper?
The Reds and Dodgers are discussing a trade that could involve Homer Bailey and Yasiel Puig. Two guys their respective teams are ready to be rid of.
It was inevitable this would come. Given his health history the odds he’d be on the team for the remainder of his contract were never good.
Many, many Blue Jay fans today are engaged in public demonstrations of their ignorance of the concept of a sunk cost.
ESPN says that McCutchen’s deal sets Philly up for either Harper or Machado.
Reports are coming in from many sources that Yanks are close to signing **Happ **for 2 years with a 3rd year that locks in based on innings pitched for the first 2 years.
Hopefully it is announced tomorrow with more details.
Meanwhile Lance Lynn to Texas for 3 years and $30m total.
**Morton **is close to signing with Tampa, I’m a little surprised. I’m seeing 2 yrs for $30m.
I know he’s got some health issues, but I’d much rather have had Charlie Morton than Happ. At least it’s only for 2/3 years.
And I guess this means we’re not trading for Kluber/Thor/Grienke…
*(my bolding & color) *
Look deeper into Morton and Happ. Check their splits at Yankee Stadium & Fenway and against the AL East in general. Happ is a better bet and generally pitches more often.
Happ was probably the best free agent fit for the Yanks.
Cashman did not rule out a trade for an Ace, though sub Bumgarner for Greinke. I’ve seen no mention of Grienke to the Yanks and he seems like a poor fit with a bad contract.
Dodgers sign Joe Kelly for 3 years at $25M. They definitely do need to improve their bullpen. I’m a little surprised the Red Sox didn’t at least match that and make him the new closer. Craig Kimbrel apparently thinks he’s worth $100M. I would disagree with him.
I don’t know, I would be worried as the Red Sox using Joe Kelly as my closer. In 21 games and 40 innings he has a 4.95 ERA vs. the Yanks and he has never been a closer.
I hear tell that the Red Sox face other teams besides the Yankees (and vice versa). It’s true though that Kelly, while very effective on occasion is not exactly a shut-down closer type.
In other reliever news, the Mets decided it would be a good idea to bring back Jeurys Familia for three years and $30 million. With Diaz on the staff, Familia will probably be loading the bases in the 8th inning or earlier in his new role.
But they are each others biggest foe and if they end up in a tight pennant race, it would suck if your closer is the reason you don’t win the division.
According to this logic, the Yankees should dump Aroldis Chapman as closer in favor of Zach Britton (Chapman had a mediocre record against Boston in 2018, allowing opposing hitters a .281 average, while Britton held them to .067). Never mind that Chapman had his first All-Star season since 2015, converted 32 of 34 save chances and led major league relievers in strikeout ratio (16.31 per 9 innings).
GMs tend to pick players based on how they can help the team overall, rather than catering to fans’ obsession with a perceived chief rival.
And maybe he wanted to go home to Cali.
I’m not. They’ve seen for years how inconsistent he is. That said, they do need another arm or two out of the pen. That was a weak spot all of last year, and it’s now weaker. That had a lot to do with using starters in relief in October.
Gotta start the negotiations somewhere. Can’t hurt to ask.
Or we can go back to the fact that Kelly has shown little sign that he is a closer and it is just some fans’ pet idea. His ERA is pretty high for someone you want to close games on a team with nearly the highest payroll, don’t you think?