While the baseball offseason is just heating up, there has already been a lot of chatter and no shortage of subjects to chatter about; there’s only more to come as the free agency period gets rolling. Chances are some of today’s major storylines are really going to take off between now and mid-February when pitchers and catchers report to sunny Florida and Arizona for spring training.
Toronto native Joey Votto was the near-unanimous pick for National League MVP. The Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman has terrorized opposing pitching by leading or being at the top of most major offensive categories. It’s a feel-good story all around because as recently as a couple of years ago, Votto was best known for spending time on the disabled list for mental health issues.
Over in the American League, Josh Hamilton took the MVP prize for his dominant offensive showing this year. His story is also one of battling demons — he was out of baseball for several years due to an alcohol and cocaine addiction, and has finally realized his potential.
Former Blue Jay Roy Halladay captured a well-deserved National League Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher. ‘Doc’ truly deserves it, having tossed a regular season perfect game and a playoff no-hitter.
‘King’ Felix Hernandez triumphed in the American League, in a rare victory for stats-geeks. Despite posting a mediocre 13–12 win-loss record, the baseball writers voting on the awards recognized that Hernandez’s other statistics were superb. His win-loss record only reflects how poorly the rest of his team played around him, and it’s nice that the voters separated that from his personal performance.
With the awards dished out, all eyes are now squarely on the free agent pool. The New York Yankees are leading the charge to acquire star left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee, who beat them in the playoffs as a member of the Texas Rangers. Look for him to get a contract in the range of five to seven years for about $20 million per year. The Rangers want him back, but the Yankees have the biggest chequing account.
Derek Jeter, however, might not be as sure a bet as Lee to be a Yankee in 2011. He just finished a 10-year contract that he signed at a far younger age, and the Yankees are hesitant to pay him what they once did because, as his age increases, his skill set goes south. Don’t expect to see a nasty divorce in the end, but it could take these two a while to reconcile.
To bring it back home, our very own Toronto Blue Jays have also found themselves in the thick of the rumour mill recently. In the most unexpected story of this offseason, the Jays have been linked to aging slugger Manny Ramirez, who wants to play for their new manager, John Farrell. Whether or not the Jays actually pull the trigger and bring Manny to the Rogers Centre remains to be seen, but it’ll sure be fun to watch this develop.
