Detroit duo bound for Hall of Fame
Winter meetings get going today
ORLANDO — The wait is over for Alan Trammell and Jack Morris.
It took them much longer than anticipated, but the two members of the 1984 champion Detroit Tigers have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The former Tigers teammates were elected by the Hall of Fame Modern Era Committee, which voted them in on Sunday night at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings.
They will become the 21st and 22nd players in Tigers history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next summer and the first from the 1984 championship team, which is only represented in Cooperstown by manager Sparky Anderson.
Morris was selected on 14 of 16 ballots and Trammell was selected on 13 of 16 ballots.
Trammell was a model of consistency throughout his 20-year career — all with the Tigers — and served as the consummate professional at shortstop, both offensively and defensively.
Trammell, 59, hit .285 with 185 home runs and 236 stolen bases. He was a sixtime All-Star with four AL Gold Glove Awards, three AL Silver Slugger Awards and was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1984.
Trammell was worth 70.4 Wins Above Replacement during his career, according to Baseball-Reference. com, and ranks 93rd alltime in that category, ahead of many current Hall of Famers. Though he never received more than 40.9 percent of the vote in his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot — well short of the 75 percent required for election — Trammell’s numbers compare favorably to shortstops inducted in the past, like Ozzie Guillen and Barry Larkin.
Trammell is currently a special assistant to Tigers GM Al Avila.
Morris, 62, came closer to the Hall of Fame in his stay on the BBWAA ballot, with a high-water mark of 61.5 percent, but still had to wait for the special election.
In 18 seasons, the righthander went 254-186 with a 3.90 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 2,478 strikeouts. He is a three-time World Series champion, once each with the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays.
Morris was worth 43.8 Wins Above Replacement during his career, according to Baseball-Reference. com. That metric, along with his high career ERA — a statistic which is often overlooked in today’s age of sabermetric advancements — are thought to be the reason he was not inducted by the BBWAA.
With his election, Morris has the highest ERA — 3.90 — of a starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame. WINTER MEETINGS: Now that Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton have picked their new places to play, baseball bosses have checked into the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., primed to make moves that had been bottled up for weeks.
The market for relievers quickly warmed Sunday, even before many teams got down to business.
Luke Gregerson found a spot in the St. Louis bullpen, and Brandon Morrow could be closing for the Cubs. Still available: free agents Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Brandon Kintzler.
“There are a lot of guys out there, a lot of teams looking for relief pitching,” New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
Plenty of top hitters are in play, too, a list topped by J.D. Martinez and Eric Hosmer. Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta are among the starters listening to offers.
Stanton is expected at the resort hotel near Disney World today. As workers finished putting bright red poinsettias around the lobby, the New York Yankees prepared to unveil their big holiday present.
Having turned down chances to slug for the Cardinals and Giants, the big-bopping Stanton got a trade he liked. The NL MVP who led the majors in home runs and RBIs was ready to move from the Miami Marlins and put on pinstripes.
That deal, set to send All-Star second baseman Starlin Castro to the Marlins, could have a domino effect — Miami might flip him fast to the Mets.
Ohtani, the prized pitcher/hitter from Japan, chose to join the Los Angeles Angels and was presented over the weekend by his new club.
The Cardinals got busy, reaching a deal with Gregerson. The Associated Press reported he will get an $11 million, two-year contract.
The Cubs anticipate losing Davis, but seem to have filled the void with Morrow. Multiple reports have the 33-year-old righty joining Chicago.
Morrow was 6-0 with two saves and a 2.06 ERA in 45 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He notably then pitched in all seven World Series games.