Tag: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after pitching against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at Oakland Coliseum on Wed Oct 5, 2022. Ohtani will be a free agent after the 2023 season (AP News photo)

MLB: Big Winter Free Agents Signings

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

The $500 Million man?

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Nobody so far has signed a $500 million contract in Major League Baseball, yet, but hold under your hat, because LA Angels Japanese mega-star Shohei Ohtani will be a Free Agent after the 2023 season and he might be the first ever to sign such a contract,

However, Othani’s teammate and good friend in Anaheim Mike Trout did sign a $400 million deal a few years ago (below). Ohtani, a superstar pitcher, and hitter is going to get an out-of-this-world offer. Rumors have been circulating that Steve Cohen, owner of the NY Mets wants Othani to be wearing a Mets uniform in 2024 for at least a decade. The Mets will pay a luxury tax larger than the actual total payrolls of team like the A’S and Pirates.

The Past: The $400 million man:

During Spring Training in March of 2019,m Mike Trout signed a 12-year, $426,500.000 contract with the LA Angels including a $20 million signing bonus. $426,500,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $35,541,667. In 2023, Trout will earn a base salary of $35,450,000, while carrying a total salary of $37,116,666. The LA Angels are currently for sale.

Big Winter Free Agent Signings after 2022.

Right after the Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego in December. The biggest signings were made by teams in the east; Yankees, Mets and Phillies, followed by some other teams closing their deals.

1-The biggest signing was by the New York Yankees as they kept slugger Aaron Judge the 2022 AL MVP in the American League and AP Male Athlete of the Year. and new home run champion with 62. Hal Steinbrenner owner of the Yankees gave Aaron Judge a 9-year $360 million contract and also make him the 16th Captain team’s history.

He will spend the rest of his baseball career with the Bronx Bombers. The Yankee deal was challenged by the San Francisco Giants, who went hard after the man born in Northern California and offered the 6’7″ outfielder also $360 million.

However, it was learned later the San Diego Padres offered Judge $400 million, but at the end he chose to stay with the Yankees. Ex-Giants lefty Carlos Rodón also signed with the Yankees for 6-years and $162 million, Rodón struck out 237 batters, third best in all of baseball.

2-The New York Mets Owner Steve Cohen dealing with Carlos Correa’s super agent Scott Boras offered Correa a 12 year deal with the Mets estimated to be $315 million, but that deal (at the time of this article) is on hold for medical reason. Days before, the Giants were just a couple of hours away from announcing Correa’s signing in a Press Conference at Oracle Park, which never took place because a physical examination of Correa showed a “medical situation”.

There was a disagreement between Correa and the Giants, who then withdrew the offer. The Giants who were looking for a superstar to please their fans struck out twice, with Judge and Correa. Not what the Giants had in mind this off-season. More on the Giants below.

The NY also Mets signed to an 8-year extension outfielder Brandon Nimmo of $162 million, and extended their closer Edwin Díaz to 5-years for $102 million, the largest contract extension for a relief pitcher in history. Mets signed Japanese import rookie right handed pitcher Kodai Senga for 5-years and $75 million.

3-Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent shortstop Trea Turner, who was a Free Agent after playing the last two seasons in LA for the Dodgers. The National League Champions Phillies gave Turner 11 years and $300 million.

4-San Diego Padres signed free agent shortstop Xander Boagerts for 11-years and $280 million.

5-Texas Rangers. Signed free agent pitcher Jacob d’Grom to a 5-year $185 million and also starter Nathan Eovaldi for 2-years and $34 million

6-Chicago Cubs signed free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson for 7-years and $177 million.

7Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Masataka Yoshida for 5-years and $90 million.

8-Atlanta Braves, two weeks after trading for A’s regular catcher Sean Murphy extended his contract for 6 years and $73 million

9-World Champion Houston Astros signed José Abreu ex-first baseman of the Chicago White Sox for 3-years and $58.5 million.

By the Bay:

San Francisco Giants looking to improve their defense (overall Giants were 23rd among all 30 teams) signed ex-Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger for 2 years and $43.5 million. He has been often injured, with his best season of his previous six years in Seattle in 2021 when he hit .253 with 39 home runs and 100 runs batted in.

The Giants also signed ex-Mets Michael Conforto on a 2-year deal worth $36 million (with an opt-out option after 2023) why the opt-out option? Conforto did not play last season and in April underwent right shoulder surgery. Giants also signed ex A’s and Padres left-handed starter Sean Manaea as well as Ross Strippling a right-handed pitcher for two years with Toronto, giving the Giants more depth on their starting rotation since they lost lefty Carlos Rodón to the Yankees during December. Giants also acquired reliever Taylor Rodgers to a 3-year $33 million contract who now joins his twin-brother Tyler in San Francisco’s bullpen.

Oakland A’s signed Jace Peterson, a veteran who played for nine years with teams in both leagues to a 2-year contract for $9,5 million, he can play infield and outfield. Free Agent Aledmys Díaz, previous with Houston signed a two year $14.5 million; just like Peterson he is a utility player.

Traded catcher Sean Murphy to Atlanta in a three-team swap in which they acquired catcher Manny Piña and pitching prospects Kyle Muller, Freddy Tanok and Royber Salinas from Atlanta and outfield prospect Esteury Ruíz from Milwaukee. As of this article, the versatile Chad Pinder still a free agent.

The Crums left: The LA Dodgers signed veteran DH JD.Martínez to a 1-year $10 million contract…Corey Kluber, who won two Cy Young Awards for Cleveland signed a 1-year $10 million with the Boston Red Sox…After playing five years with the Giants, the team opted out to pay him the $5 million buyout, instead of picking up his $13 million club option, Longoria signed a 1-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for $4 million. Yankee utility player Marwin González signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal to play in Japan with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball.

As we begin the New Year there are still players available, not the super star kind of players but some good players with experience like Giants first baseman Brandon Belt who still a Free Agent; however Belt who has been with the Giants for the past 12 years is in a difficult situation after he underwent another right knee surgery (number three for him) in early September which ended his season.

Happy New Year!

Amaury does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Former San Francisco Giant outfielder Barry Bonds swings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Thu Jul 19, 2022. On Sun Dec 4, 2022 Bonds did get enough votes for Hall of Fame induction from the Contemporary Era Committee. (AP News file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, how much of a message does it send when the Contemporary Era Committee voted to keep former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds out of the MLB Hall of Fame?

#2 Only former Atlanta Brave Fred McGriff was elected to this year’s Hall of Fame class with a amazing 100% of the vote. The 100% vote is a clear message by the 16 member committee that they will not vote for players who used steroids to achieve the records that they did.

#3 Bonds getting four votes is telling, he failed to get elected in the Hall since being on the ballot starting 2012. Ten years later a special committee was Bonds only chance to get in the Hall but he only got four votes well below what he needed for elction.

#4 Amaury, Bonds was noted for talking smack to the media, telling the reporters to get out of the locker room, giving condescending answers to reporters and having just a hostile relationship with the media would you say that played a huge part in Bonds not getting elected to the Hall even though it was an unspoken reason?

#5 Amaury, One player who never made the ballot for a shot at the Hall of Fame but was definitely an unsung hero and will remain that way was former three time champion Oakland A’s shortstop Bert Campaneris whose performance and numbers are well deserving of Hall of Fame induction. It’s a shame he’s overlooked.

Join Amaury for News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A proposal to tear down the Rio Casino pictured above and replace it with a Chase Field Phoenix type ball park with a retractable roof on the Las Vegas strip (Las Vegas Review-Journal photo)

Major League Baseball: Expansion is coming – But on Hold

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González.

Expansion in baseball is coming. However, it has been now “on the on-deck circle” for a while because the office of the Commissioner and the powers to be are focused on the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays building new stadiums. 1998 was the last time MLB added a team it was their 29th (Arizona Diamondbacks) and then the 30th was the Tampa Bay Rays. It is over 20 years and the A’s and Rays have been holding the line of a total of 30 teams in major league baseball.

There are no timetable to tell us when the expansion will take place, however these cities are on the waiting list: Nashville, Tennessee, where a group that includes ex-A’s pitcher Dave Stewart is involved, also Austin and San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Charlotte and a decent chance that Montreal, Canada, will be back as a major league town.

I also have to mention Portland Oregon, because they have shown interest in the past and in this crazy business of baseball, we cannot count anybody out. For the record; Portland is the #21 Media Market in the US and for your information, Las Vegas is #40.

In the MLB plans for expansion, Las Vegas is not listed as an expansion city, although even if Sin City doesn’t land the A’s, they still will have a good shot because that city keeps growing and pro-sports leagues are planning and showing interest to have a team there in the future.

For now Las Vegas is ‘rolling the dice’ on the A’s. One important thing to keep in mind. Las Vegas, Nevada is mostly desert, the building regulations there and politics are not that complicated, unlike here in the Bay Area. It is easier and cheaper to build anything in Las Vegas than in the Bay Area – as simple as that.

How about the A’s? It is December 2022 and no news from the City of Oakland or the Oakland A’s. A’s Present Dave Kaval has maintained that if by December of this year there is no “green lit” plan in Oakland for the A’s project at Howard Terminal, they are gone. In a Twitter Kaval tweeted: “It is Howard Terminal or Bust”.

Winter Meetings: For the first time in three years (none last two because of Covid) they will take place from December 4 to December 7 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California. After these meetings are over, baseball is on vacation for Hanukkah and Christmas, so it is anybody’s guess what’s is going to happen, what news we might hear on the Oakland A’s.

But the focus is on the big name free agents available and possible trades, the #1 Aaron Judge and others like Justin Verlander, Carlos Rodón, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and A’s catcher Sean Murphy are some of the high profile names in the menu.

For now I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and see you in 2023.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com