Commitment issues a real player problem
As summer days drift away, temperatures plunge and romantic loneliness emerges faster than the winter sunset, singles no longer able to mingle begin striving for a long term partnership, or at least one to last them between solstices.
On Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline, however, front offices around the league decided whether or not they’ll maintain a committed relationship with their homegrown regulars or initiate a conscientious uncoupling in search of what usually amounts to a younger, worse, but ultimately cheaper replacement. With the pandemic being used as a purse-tightening pretext, all but the bonafide stars — and even some of those — were at risk of getting cut.
Fifty-nine major got hit with the swipe right once the deadline passed. (Don’t worry, guys — it’s not you, it’s them.)
We l c o m e to Uncuffing Season: the sixth volume of the column formerly known as Good Stuff. leaguers
Just last week, I was very high on the Atlanta Braves’ chances of becoming title favorites after signing Charlie Morton, but it was contingent on one thing: keep the band together. So naturally, they cut Adam Duvall, an underrated regular that had come into his own over two seasons. He’s a competent defensive left fielder that improved at the plate .248/.307/.545 since 2019, with 26 home runs in just 98 games.
Maybe the Braves are prioritizing retaining Marcell Ozuna, who just missed an NL Triple Crown, as a potential left fielder and think they can’t find that kind of play elsewhere.
Duvall wasn’t alone. A number of starting-caliber outfielders were cut, including the Twins’ Eddie Rosario and the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber. The most egregious blood-letting, however, happened in Colorado when the Rockies tossed David Dahl aside. Dahl was bad in 2020
— like a .183 batting average, no-homers-despite-playing-inCoors bad. But, 99 terrible plate appearances during the weirdest season of all time shouldn’t distract from his strong 2017-2019, a .297/.346/.521 line and offensive production FanGraphs measured to be 11% above average even when accounting for the thin mountain air.
KYLE SCHWARBER
Despite the Yankees likely need for a left-handed bat, Schwarber (38 home runs in 2019; all-encompassing void of nothing in 2020) is not the Yankees fit you might want to think for four reasons:
Not only is his outfield defense bad, but, as a corner bat, a Schwarber start would also replace good defense either in Aaron Judge’s consistently elite RF glove or 2020 Gold Glove finalist Clint Frazier’s much-improved defense in both corners.
Last season aside, Schwarber’s good enough to want a real, everyday job so he can test free agency in a better position for long term money. He’s so thoroughly blocked on the current depth chart.
RAYS PUNTING?
The Tampa Bay Rays would sell the pennant hanging from their rafter on Craigslist if it came back with two relief prospects and a platoon bat. (Pre-arb, of course.) They would probably trade Sean Gilmartin for a face mask, but he might retire in protest.
Despite only being two wins away from a championship, the Rays are moving in the wrong direction.
The team declined Charlie Morton’s one-year, $15 million option. Less than a month later, they watched him sign with the Braves for the exact same amount.
Then, Blake Snell, a 28-yearold former Cy Young winner on a well-below contract, was also rumored to be on the trade block.
When the goal is cost-controlled contention instead of championships, what can you expect besides a sudden step back?