Divide between MLB rich, poor evident with Boston signings
With the Boston Red Sox reportedly finishing up a pair of mega-deals with shortstop Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Pablo Sandoval, the divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” has never been more evident in baseball.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the recent happenings, the Red Sox, who are coming off finishing dead last in the American League East Division, are prepared to shell out a combined $183 million over four-plus years for a revamped left side of the infield.
Ironically, the Sox, who won the 2013 World Series with one of the biggest payrolls in the Big Leagues, had openly proclaimed to be changing their wild spending ways. Apparently, that shift in philosophy didn’t stick in Beantown, as Boston has not only rebuilt its infield, but is also reportedly interested in bringing back its former ace, free agent Jon Lester, who was traded at last year’s deadline to Oakland.
In contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates have started their offseason by continuing their recent tradition of trying to turn pitching jalopies into Rolls Royces. Instead of making a run at Lester or other big name free agents like lefty Cliff Lee, the Buccos have reportedly signed former Baltimore top prospect turned Korean major leaguer, Radhames Liz.
Who is Radhames Liz, you ask? Back in 2005, he arrived in the United States as a Class A minor leaguer with a power fastball and an effective curveball. In 2006, he completed his first full season of professional baseball and became one of the top prospects in the Oriole system. However, the righty never really reached his potential with Baltimore. He also never reached stardom with the Padres, the Blue Jays or the Korean Baseball Organization.
Ironically, there are still a lot of questions surrounding two of the Pirates’ high profile reclamation projects in Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez, both of whom could very well be pitching in different uniforms when spring training camps open this spring. Even if Pittsburgh could strike gold again in terms of reviving a player’s career, a projected rotation of Liz, Volquez, Liriano and the recently reacquired A.J. Burnett behind Gerrit Cole doesn’t exactly sound like one that can make it through a 162-game grind.
Moving from the pitcher’s mound to the infield, questions about Pedro Alvarez’s future with the team appeared to have been answered, at least in the short term, with the recent trade that sent first baseman Ike Davis to Oakland for something called international slot money. I attempted to research this mystifying financial term, and I think it means money that players and coaches can use at a casino when on road trips to Toronto. (Insert rim shot here).
With Davis’ departure, Alvarez has been given a chance to reinvent himself at a position that many saw him eventually moving to at some point in his career. Last year’s highly scrutinized throwing issues basically left the power hitter and the organization with two choices: a position change or an address change.
In my humble opinion, the move was the right one for the organization, which still appears to have the talent to make another run at the postseason and beyond. With power hitters in short supply, the Bucs needed to hold onto Alvarez and give him a long leash when it comes to learning how to play first base.
Both the team and the public got a small glimpse of the move last season, when Alvarez made five appearances at the position. Although Gaby Sanchez still has a year left on his deal, the Bucs simply must give the job to El Toro in 2015, barring an injury or an absolute disaster of a spring training.
Not only does it keep the team’s most menacing, albeit inconsistent, bat in the starting lineup, it allows the biggest story of 2014, Josh Harrison, to finally have an everyday position at the third base.
The moves made by Boston and Pittsburgh mentioned above certainly show just how differently things can be on a franchise-by-franchise basis in Major League Baseball. However, with teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City finding spots in the postseason, some applause needs to be given to small market management, which can somehow keep their respective teams competitive in the most uneven financial terrain in sports.