ISTM he’s done as an effective everyday player anyway. At least I hope so.
Toronto traded away Adam Lind, a decent lefthanded bat, for a replacement level pitcher, and then got Justin Smoak, who is a first baseman like Lind except he can’t hit righties OR lefties.
I’d like to say it was a cost cutting measure but the team
A) Is already saving a fortune on options they’re not picking up, and
B) Smoak eats up half of Lind’s salary anyway, and the pitcher (Marco Estrada) will eat up most of the rest, so they’ve saved almost nothing.
I’m mystified.
Local news is reporting the Tigers resigned Victor at 4 years for 70M.
I like it, I think getting him back was the key move they could make this off season. 4 years for a guy that old certainly has it’s risks though. They have a lot of salary already committed about that time, for guys who may not have it anymore, so what’s one more 
Cy Young Awards go to Clayton Kershaw and, perhaps surprisingly but quite deservedly, Corey Kluber.
Clayton was the unanimous choice, too.
In other news, the Dodgers have indicted their desire to trade an outfielder. Puig is off the block, but Ethier, Kemp and Crawford are all up for grabs. My money is on dealing Ethier.
Holy crap KKKKKKluber!! How awesome is this?
He was such a dream to watch this year. But being in Cleveland loses him points - and he STILL manages to bring home the award!
Let us please learn from our mistakes and continue with this trend of locking up awesome players (and managers) and please, Kluber 4 Life!!!
Well, recall that Smoak was, once, a VERY highly touted prospect. Maybe Toronto thinks they can straighten him out to get back to what he was once projected as?
Report from the Dominican Republic on Oscar Taveras’ death:
That’s more than three times the legal limit in just about every American state, and in many countries, including the DR, it’s almost six times the limit.
The more technical term for .287 is “pretty much shitfaced.” It was higher than his career OBP.
Fun fact of the day:
Kershaw’s OBP-against this season: .231
Kershaw’s OBP as a hitter this season: .235
I’m not at all convinced that the best use of money for the Cubs is signing Russell Martin. Sure, he’s an upgrade over Wellington Castillo, but Castillo is serviceable.
Nothing’s impossible, I guess. The comparison made here is Edwin Encarnacion, who has become one of most reliable power hitters in baseball in Toronto. That said,
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Edwin Encarnacion put up some consistently decent numbers in Cincinnati, actually, and
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Reclamation projects usually fail. It’s always a long shot, an inside straight draw. Acquiring a reclamation project while dumping a legitimately decent hitter just doesn’t present you with an odds-on chance to improve your team.
I’m not saying trading Lind breaks my heart; he can kill righties, but he can’t ht lefties and he gets hurt every year, back problems that never really go away. But I’ll be damn surprised if he’s surpassed by Smoak.
I dunno… ask the Yankees how valuable Martin is ;).
He’s apparently very good in pitch framing as well. Though, it may be the first of a number of moves.
Kershaw wins NL MVP. Not bad for missing 6 weeks of the season due to injury. Not bad at all.
He deserved it. Trout was a good pick too.
Toronto trades CF prospect Anthony Gose to Detroit for 2B-OF prospect Devon Travis, which is probably a good trade for both teams. Gose is, IMHO, a long shot to ever hit MLB pitching, but he is an outstanding outfielder and very fast, skills that are more valuable in Comerica Park, which is huge, than Rogers Centre, which has a smallish field. Travis, conversely, is less physically gifted but seems to have more of a knack for hitting, and can play a position where the Blue Jays need some prospects; conversely, the Tigers really could use a guy who can play some outfield, and Gose is that.
“Reports”, from, you know, “sources”, have Giancarlo Stanton staying in Miami for a total contract of $300,000,000 over 10 years. Maybe the wet dreams by Boston sportswriters about trading for him are finally over and they can move on now?
Paging Rickjay
Toronto Bluejays sign Russell Martin.
I really liked him during his short stay with the Yanks. Cashman was an idiot to let him go.
Yeah. Huh. Not the signing I would have made.
Martin is good but the team had a catcher. They still have no major leaguers at second or left field. Acquiring a 32 year old catcher coming off his best season to replace a guy who was already decent, when you have gaping holes elsewhere… I hope they have other moves coming.
A season where his BABIP was also a full 47 points above his career average.
I guess it’s possible that he’s made some changes in his approach that might account for some of that, but if you asked me to bet on his performance next season i’d be more likely to bet on him producing a career-typical OPS+ of about 100, rather than the 136 he produced in 2014.
This is fine if you don’t already have a catcher who produces at about league-average level, but Toronto do.
Edit:
I didn’t realize that Martin was Canadian. Maybe they want to bring him home!
Reading about the Martin signing, I hadn’t realized that:
So…Pablo Sandoval has signed with the Red Sox.
Unless he hasn’t signed with the Rest Sox. But a deal is close to done…unless it isn’t.
Stay tuned to this station for more information and/or wild speculation.