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January 28th, 2025: Fried, Hernández, Braves, Winans, Contreras, Rivera
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 11:00:08 +0000 UTCHere’s a thing I did not know until recently: Joe DiMaggio did not get into the Hall of Fame until his fourth year on the BBWAA’s ballot. DiMaggio lost his age 28-30 seasons to World War II and played only 13 big league seasons, but still. A three-time MVP who had a career 155 OPS+ and was an All-Star literally every year he played had to wait four years to get into Cooperstown. Crazy, man. For all the grief about Ichiro not being unanimous, the voters were way stingier back in the day. Anyway, here is my annual non-roster invitee preview and here is today’s post as Luis Gil and Oswaldo Cabrera look dapper picking up their hardware at the annual BBWAA awards dinner (Gil won AL Rookie of the Year, Cabrera won a local BBWAA community service award).
1. We’ve spent so much time talking about Juan Soto and the infield search and changeups the last few weeks that I’ve kinda ignored that hey, the Yankees signed Max Fried. A guy with a career 140 ERA+ and some of the very best contact management skills in the game. Over the last four years Fried has the sixth highest ground ball rate (54.5%) and the sixth lowest average exit velocity (86.4 mph) among 156 qualified pitchers. He is really, really hard to square up. During an MLB Network Radio interview earlier this month (video), Matt Blake said the Yankees pitched a few ideas to Fried during the recruiting process – “I think our process can help tighten the screws on some of these pitches,” the pitching coach said – something he’s said at various times throughout the offseason. Basically, the Yankees have a few ideas to help Fried improve, and I’m curious to see what those are. The sinker stands out. It’s been more effective than his four-seamer the last few years but the four-seamer is his most used pitched. Fried excels with his secondary stuff (curveball, changeup, slider), and leaning more into the sinker could be one avenue to improvement. And improvement doesn’t have to mean “get better.” It could mean maintaining a high level of production into his 30s. Gerrit Cole has not been as good with the Yankees as he was with the Astros, but he has been really good with the Yankees, partly because he has made adjustments (the new cutter in 2023, the return of the sinker in 2024, etc.) that have helped him stave off Father Time. Fried’s very good and the most impactful addition the Yankees made this offseason. As long as he stays healthy, I expect him to be the Yankees’ best starter this season. (That doesn’t mean I think Cole will be bad. I just don't think it's crazy to believe 31-year-old Fried will outperform 34-year-old Cole in 2025.)
2. Last year the Yankees seemingly threw their load management strategy out the window. We saw more consistent lineups than at any point in the Aaron Boone era, particularly early in the season, before Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton got hurt. I wonder how they’ll handle things this year. Aaron Judge no longer has to run around center field every night, Jasson Domínguez and Cody Bellinger are young enough that they won’t need regular days off, ditto Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe. Paul Goldschmidt has been supremely durable throughout his career too. He’s started at least 150 games every full season since 2015 (58 starts in 2020), and his only career injured list stint came when an errant pitch broke his hand in 2014. He is 37 now, so maybe he needs a DH day now and then, though indications are Goldschmidt is built to play every game. The Yankees could stick with the “screw load management, you’re all playing” strategy we saw last year that, frankly, was refreshing. I get it, the load management is done with good intentions, but it was nice to know who was going to be in the lineup every day. It meant the last guy on the bench (Jahmai Jones) didn’t play a whole lot, but so be it. I wonder if last year was an outlier because the Yankees had Juan Soto and were coming off their worst season in three decades, and they’ll go back to their heavy load management approach in 2025? They have three off-days in the first 16 days of the season, so it might not be until late April or even May that we get a read on their rest schedule.
3. Been wondering about Enrique Hernández the last few days. The Yankees were the runner-up for him last offseason and could circle back now given their infield needs. The Dodgers could still re-sign him and probably will – they didn’t re-sign him until Feb. 27th last offseason, so it doesn’t mean much that they haven’t re-signed him yet – but the longer he sits unsigned, the greater the opening for the Yankees. Is he worth it though? Hernández has hit .230/.287/.356 (76 wRC+) in over 1,300 plate appearances the last three years, including .237/.292/.371 (81 wRC+) against lefties the last two years, so he’s not even a good platoon bat anymore. The Dodgers could live with him as a super utility guy who started three out of every five games last year because they have three future Hall of Famers atop their lineup and depth through the middle. I’m not sure the Yankees can do that. Also, Hernández’s value stems from his versatility, something you’d be giving up if you make him a full-timer at second or third, which is what the Yankees need right now. I mean:
Hernández in 2024: .229/.281/.373 (83 wRC+) with 12 HR and +1.3 WAR (393 PA)
Mystery Player in 2024: .247/.296/.365 (88 wRC+) with 8 HR and +1.3 WAR (326 PA)
The Yankees already have Mystery Player. His name is Oswaldo Cabrera. Do they really need another Oswaldo Cabrera? Also, Cabrera is 25. Hernández is 33. I know which one I would rather have moving forward. Hernández is more reputation than production. He is exactly what he was for the Dodgers last year: a role player. Nothing more, nothing less. The Yankees need a legitimate starter at second or third base, not another utility guy masquerading as an everyday player. There is certainly room on the roster for Hernández as a bench guy. I just don’t see it as a starter. You would be expecting too much of Hernández at this point in his career.
4. The Braves signing Jurickson Profar may have eliminated a possible Marcus Stroman suitor. It raised their luxury tax payroll to $235.4M, per Cot’s. The threshold is $241M and all indications are Atlanta will stay under that and reset their tax rates after paying luxury tax in 2023 and 2024. They declined their affordable club option on Travis d’Arnaud, salary-dumped Jorge Soler, and restructured Aaron Bummer’s contract in a way that guaranteed him more money down the line and lowered his luxury tax hit. The Braves are staying under $241M and they’ll need that last little bit of room they have after signing Profar for in-season call-ups and the trade deadline. They had one salary bullet to fire and used it on Profar. The Braves were never reported to have interest in Stroman, but their fans were thinking about it, and the rotation is looking a little thin with Spencer Strider still rehabbing from UCL surgery:
1. LHP Chris Sale
2. RHP Reynaldo López
3. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (set new career high by 58.2 IP in 2024)
4. RHP Grant Holmes (converted reliever)
5. RHP Ian Anderson (hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2022)
6. RHP Bryce Elder (5.70 ERA since being selected to 2023 All-Star Game)
7. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
8. RHP Hurston Waldrep
López and Sale combined for a 2.21 ERA (2.45 FIP) in 313.1 innings last year and I’m gonna take the over on that in 2025. The Braves lost Max Fried and Charlie Morton, and have replaced them with no one. You don’t have to try hard to see how late career Stroman could have helped the Braves as a back of the rotation option. And if they do decide to go over $241M to add to their rotation, they would likely sign Jack Flaherty or Max Scherzer before trading for Stroman. The Profar signing likely closed whatever little window the Yankees had to trade Stroman to Atlanta. So it goes. The Stroman market probably won’t pick up until similar back-end veterans like Kyle Gibson and Jose Quintana sign.
5. The Yankees made two waiver claims last Thursday. The first, righty Allan Winans, came over from the Braves. He has an interesting enough backstory. The Mets drafted him in the 17th round in 2018, he was a reliever in their system from 2018-21, then the Braves grabbed him in the minor league phase of the Dec. 2021 Rule 5 Draft, and turned him into a starter. Now 29, Winans has a 7.20 ERA (4.99 FIP) in eight big league starts and 40 innings scattered across 2023-24. He had a 3.30 ERA (4.52 FIP) with okay-ish peripherals (20.8 K%, 6.5 BB%, 44.7 GB%) in 114.2 Triple-A innings last year. Eric Longenhagen had a fresh scouting report last June (here’s video):
(Winans) has grown into a viable spot starter. A lanky, strike-throwing changeup artist, he has had success at Triple-A but not yet in the big leagues. Sudden acceleration in the middle of his delivery can catch hitters off guard, but mostly Winans succeeds because of the sinking action of his mid-80s changeup. He’ll likely serve as a depth starter during his option years and has a chance to shift into a Trevor Richards style relief role down the line. Even though he’s 28, Winans is a limber gent with a relatively fluid delivery, the sort of pitcher who could have greater athletic longevity than his barrel-chested peers.
A changeup pitcher? You don’t say. That fits the offseason pattern. Winans threw almost exactly as many changeups (38.6%) as sinkers and four-seamers combined (38.8%) in Triple-A last season (also 22.6% sliders), so yeah, the changeup is his thing, and changeups are the Yankees’ thing these days too. A match made in waiver claim heaven. With a 112 Stuff+, Winans had the eighth best changeup in Triple-A last year, a few spots behind Brandon Leibrandt, who the Yankees signed to a minor league deal a few weeks back. The updated rotation depth chart, give or take:
1. RHP Gerrit Cole
2. LHP Max Fried
3. LHP Carlos Rodón
4. RHP Luis Gil
5. RHP Clarke Schmidt
6. RHP Marcus Stroman
7. RHP JT Brubaker
8. RHP Will Warren
9. RHP Allan Winans
Maybe it’s Winans eight and Warren nine, but that far down the depth chart, the call-up decision is often based on who’s available to pitch that day, not who sits where in the pecking order. Winans does have a minor league option remaining, so the Yankees can shuttle him up/down as needed this season. He is a Cody Poteet replacement, basically. A pitchability guy with a good innings base underneath him who can give you spot starts, and maybe hold down a rotation spot for 2-3 weeks when there’s an injury. Maybe Matt Blake & Co. can coach Winans up, though the Braves are pretty good with pitchers, so he might be close to maxed out already. Either way, the Yankees added a new body to the rotation depth chart and I like it. It cost nothing, Winans has an option, and perhaps the Yankees find a way to get more out of his changeup. Good use of the 38th or 39th spot on the 40-man roster.
6. The second waiver claim: Roansy Contreras, a former Yankees prospect. They sent him to the Pirates as the headliner in the Jameson Taillon trade. Contreras, 25, had a breakout 2021 season in the minors with Pittsburgh and threw 95 innings with a 3.79 ERA (4.38 FIP) in the big leagues in 2022, and it looked like the Yankees would regret trading him, but nah. Things have gone south since then. Contreras had a 5.47 ERA (5.17 FIP) in 136.2 MLB innings the last two years and he’s moved into the bullpen full-time. The Angels claimed him off waivers last May, and this offseason he’s gone from the Angels to the Rangers to the Reds to the Orioles to the Yankees on waivers. I wonder if the Yankees claimed him a bunch of times earlier this winter, but teams ahead of them on the waiver priority order keep beating them to him? And now he got all the way through? I dunno. These days Contreras is a fastball/slider/changeup pitcher who also has a sinker, curveball, and sweeper. Other than the slider, Stuff+ says “meh.” He is out of options now, so it’s big leagues or waivers (again) for him. I’m not sure Contreras makes it through Spring Training with the Yankees. Last year they claimed Diego Castillo, Jordan Groshans, and Bubba Thompson in the weeks leading up to Spring Training only to put them back on waivers during camp. Maybe Contreras getting all the way to the Yankees on waivers this time (only the Phillies and Dodgers are behind them on the waiver priority order) means he’ll clear next time and stick with them as a non-40-man roster player? That would be cool. He’s at the bottom of the 40-man and I don’t think Roansy’s second stint with the Yankees will last very long. Now watch him throw 65 innings this year and be a trusted leverage guy in October.
7. And finally, we have to discuss the Mariano Rivera situation. The short version: Rivera and his wife own a church and LLC that are defendants in a lawsuit alleging a teenage girl (a minor at the time) was sexually assaulted by an older church member multiple times at various church functions, including a barbecue at Rivera’s house in Westchester. The lawsuit, which you can read here, alleges Rivera and his wife “isolated and intimidated” the girl into keeping quiet. They’ve denied it through their attorney. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and the Riveras have until next week to officially respond to the summons. Sexually abusing children is heinous, and covering it up is every bit as bad. This should be a zero-tolerance item and the Yankees should distance themselves from Rivera. They don’t have to make a big show of it and announce it to the world, but don’t invite him to any team functions, don’t have him throw out the ceremonial first pitch, etc. It doesn’t matter how good you are at throwing baseballs. There is a line and this is well beyond it. Innocent until proven guilty only applies in a court of law. It does not mean the Yankees must continue to associate with Rivera or recognize his legacy as a player. You can always welcome him back if there’s a trial and he and his wife are shown to be innocent, but right now, Rivera should be persona non grata. The Yankees are willing to look the other way with domestic violence, though I’d like to think the alleged sexual abuse of a minor is too much even for them.
(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)
Comments
Brian
Not a good look for God, being involved in this sort of stuff with Mo.
DocBob
Ted Williams was much, much better than Joe D? I think not. Better, but not much, much better.
Gregory B
I appreciate your thoughts even though I do not completely agree with them. While I believe that the Riveras and anyone accused of any misdeed deserve a thorough vetting of the facts before we even discuss a response, I still think your stance is well-reasoned, thoughtful, and formed without ill-intent towards any of the parties involved. I just have a different conclusion than you about how to proceed with the little information that we have, and that's okay. I would counter to you that the impulse that people should be pushing back on right now is the one where we assume the worst of the people with whom we disagree (not that I think that you are doing this, but certainly others have and I've been guilty of it myself in the past). I've seen multiple people express disappointment with others having opinions and beliefs that run counter to their own. My disappointment stems from the inability of people to politely disagree on something. Some people here tilt towards prioritizing justice for the accusor. Others, such as myself, tilt more towards ensuring the rights of and justice for the accused. What both sides have in common is a desire for justice, period. Although 99% of what we read about and discuss here is Yankees baseball, unfortunately these topics that stray outside of the field of play come up every now and then. I hope we can focus on what we have common when divisive topics come up again in the future. Thank you again for your comment.
Joshua Wilson
As I am sure I have in common with everyone who subscribes to Mike's Patreon, I have deep affection and admiration for Mariano Rivera, the baseball player. Because of that we all have some work to do to push back our own impulses to want to believe that these allegations are false. Mike's words may have sounded harsh to many of us, but he is absolutely correct. No one is suggesting his number be taken out of retirement or his plaque be removed form monument park, but if for no other reason than out of respect for the victims of sexual violence, there should absolutely be a halt on honorifics for him at the stadium and by the organization as we wait for this situation to come into clearer focus. That being said, after reading more about this situation and learning that the alleged assailant was both female and, more importantly a minor, I do feel somewhat differently about it. All evidence suggests that adolescents who sexually abuse younger children are almost always the victims of sexual violence themselves. Given that, it is not unreasonable to wonder how much of the Riveras' response (or lack there of) to the situation was related to a legitimate desire to protect a victim of sexual violence (meaning the alleged assailant).
Alex G
What exactly is the Yankees plan at 3B? It was an absolute joke to see Boone say that LeMahieu could even have a chance to start there. He shouldn't even be on the team anymore but since Hal is worried more about the Dodgers spending and trying to extend Aaron Boone (lol) than actually fielding a team that can win a World Series, we're screwed.
The Original Drew
Lol of all the ridiculous comments here, this one gets first place.
The Original Drew
THIS
Chris Hall
Please, in the future, let everyone know in advance exactly how you think so that all paying member responses can be tailored accordingly to your biases in order to avoid disappointing you. Cmon. I appreciate Mike bringing this to attention - I was not aware - but an allegation does not change my opinion of him as a man or as a Yankee at this point. The alleged victim is entitled to due process and fact finding, as is the alleged victimizer - it does nobody good to jump to conclusions without direct knowledge. Haven’t we learned by now to stop groupthink and rushing to judgement? This allegation came from an attorney - not police or a prosecutor. Whether it is true or false is absolutely not for you or for us to decide, it is for the courts - otherwise we are all victims. Thank you again Mike for bringing this up. However, your rush to judgement and moral conviction seems completely unnecessary. You can ban me but I will no longer be tipping you, and I am sad to see this type of reckless knee jerk judgement - regardless if that judgement was for Rivera, or for the alleged victim. I have read your articles for long enough to know that you should know better.
Just a Little Guy
Joe DiMaggio was right on the cusp of when the 5 year waiting period was created. He was eligible for induction the first year after he retired, but that was the year they created the waiting period. Although DiMaggio was grandfathered in and not removed from the ballot, a lot of voters didn’t vote for him until his 5th year.
Christopher Law
Thanks as always Mike. Pretty disappointed in the comments here.
Michael Millan
'Innocent until proven guilty' is most certainly NOT strictly a legal principle.
W.B. Mason Williams
There are plenty of other threads picking apart the minutiae of the moral question underpinning Mo's alleged role in this situation. Important to remember: not being allowed to throw out a first pitch does not constitute his life being "ruined", and a reduced/removed status as a role model in the sport does not resemble anything like legal consequences. His reputation has held up to this point. Should be easy enough to demonstrate gather enough evidence to substantiate whatever alibi he and his wife have. In the meantime, keeping the accused predator enabler away from the team is in no way harming Rivera to any substantial degree.
Gus G
I agree with this. If a company employed me for 20 years and I was one of the best employees they ever had, I expect them to stand by me until there was evidence suggesting they shouldn’t.
pkmuldy
Mariano Rivera has spent decades in the public eye with never a hint of a misdeed. He has donated millions of dollars of his own money to restore a church and congregation that ministers to underserved, minority communities in New Rochelle, Port Chester and White Plains. He, his wife, and his family have devoted their lives to selflessly giving back to these communities, with their money and with their time. And all that immediately goes out the window based on what some ambulance-chaser says? Many of the children the Riveras strive to help come from troubled and abusive backgrounds with troubled and abusive parents. Isn't it at least as likely that this girl's mother and her grifter attorney see the Riveras as an easy payday? Let the thing play out for chrissakes and pray that if you're ever falsely accused of something, people around you will show more sense than some on here.
Gregory B
Any amount of irrefutable evidence would have me adopt a completely different position on this topic. The reality is that there is no evidence that anyone has been able to present, with the notable exception of the fabricated evidence that the one woman is being charged with concocting in Arizona. Rhetoric and hyperbole from the media are not evidence. A suspension is not evidence. The unwillingness of teams to offer him a contract is not evidence. All of these are supposed to be *consequences* that would normally follow a conviction of guilt, but at the very least should follow a presentation of credible, irrefutable evidence. The league and the media decided to skip the part where anyone has to prove anything. The presumption of innocence is supposed to an inaliable human right in liberal democracy. Trevor (and now Mariano) should have no obligation to prove their innocence. It is the responsibility of the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I do not understand why people are so quick to abandon this today.
Kevin Parlato
Funny how the press never (to my knowledge) gripes about Steinbrenner & Associates never using the deferred salary strategy for an "over the top" player. Such BS.
Kevin Parlato
Before burning the Riveras I wish that some of you would do a deep, deep dive into the Salem witch trials. If you don't get the allusion then you need to do some research.
Kevin Parlato
What about the other three? How does a person really defend themselves from this type of allegation? Especially a person that has money. Show me the evidence, but man, fraud is rampant.
Spookie
Innocent until proven guilty shouldn't just be the standard in a court of law but everywhere. Give the alleged victim every opportunity to make her case, and if she can't, tolerate no retribution from anyone. Treat her with dignity and decency throughout the entire process, but I am not ok with destroying someone's life because of an accusation. I don't understand how so many people are unaware of all of the false accusations that have been made against people over the years.
The Original Drew
What about the other 3?
Nick Fugitt
The only example I can think of - and this is on a significantly smaller scale in many ways - is the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame having a recall vote on Chris Benoit after his crimes.
Jeffrey James
He most certainly was as far as what the girl was claiming. She literally bragged and boasted to friends about trying to get him for his money!
Bart Sutton
I really hope that Mo is innocent but if he and his wife are not , they need to be dealt with as using a church like this smells just like the Vatican priests. I am curious though - is there a way to have somebody kicked out of the HOF once they are in?
Gregory B
If his innocence relies on either the accusers recanting their allegations or Trevor having to be found not guilty in court (which cannot happen because there isn't enough evidence to put him into court in the first place), then how does he manage to achieve this? This is an impossible expectation in my opinion as he has no control over either of these things. To get him in court there would need to be more evidence of his guilt, which seems an unreasonable requirement to prove one's innocence. If the allegations are in fact false, then justice for him requires three who are already willing to lie to all do the right thing, recant their allegations, and expose themselves to criminal and civil penalties for their scheme. I don't think this would be a reasonable standard of determining guilt or innocence for anyone accused of anything. I'm sorry you feel that this discussion is in bad faith. I can only give you my assurance that it is not. Yes, I do feel that the accusations were a convenient excuse for the league to crush Bauer disproportionally relative to what had been done to other players under similar circumstances who had more concrete evidence against them. Based off of historical precident, I think *some* kind of a suspension would have at least been consistent, even if I don't agree with doling out punishment before establishing guilt. If Trevor had been suspended for 81 games, I still wouldn't like it, but I wouldn't be suspicious of the true reason. The length of the suspension and his subsequent blackballing from the league leads me to believe that, yes, there was more to this than MLB having some altruistic view of justice. I'm not expecting you to agree with this assessment, but I sincerely hope that you can accept that it is in good faith, as I accept your position to be in good faith and reflective of what you believe to be just and fair. We may disagree, but I hope that we can be amicable about it. I appreciate the time you spent explaining your position.
The Original Drew
So the whole crux of your argument is that he's the victim because he was a whistleblower on sticky stuff? Sheesh dude. Also being a jerk and outspoken + the suspension and numerous accusations + questions on his actual ability to play doesn't mean he is guilty of DV, but it does make him very undesirable to have for any team. Nowhere does it say that he has to be given a job in baseball. It's a privilege to be able to play in MLB, not something that is handed out. It's not being railroaded, it's about taking accountability for your actions. I have no desire to continue this clearly bad faith debate, but I will answer your question. I will personally believe his innocence when either 1) The four women recount their accusations or 2) somehow proven in a court of law that Bauer did not commit the acts he is being accused of.
Gregory B
Also, you never answered my question, which I asked in good faith. I was (and still am) genuinely desiring to know your response to it as I've found your comments posted in here over the years to be interesting and thoughtful, even when I disagree with you. What would it take for you to be convinced of Bauer's innocence of the accusations of DV?
Gregory B
-The other three women: Again, he has not been arrested or charged with anything. That matters. -Prosecutor not feeling comfortable of having sufficient evidence to convict: Maricopa County feels they have sufficient evidence to convict at least one of the accusers of fabricating the entire thing to defraud and extort Bauer and at least one other player. -Ignoring the fact that Bauer is a jerk/clubhouse cancer: Perhaps he is a clubhouse cancer. Some players say he is, some say he is not. Based off of the childish nature of his arguments with people on Twitter back in the day, I'm comfortable agreeing that he's probably a jerk and not someone I would want hang out with personally. However, my reason for not bringing any of that up is because none of this is relevant to whether or not he is guilty of domestic violence. -Use of sticky stuff: Again, not relevant to his guilt with regards to domestic violence, however his exposure of this practice might be why the league railroaded him. -Ignoring the fact that he served the longest DV suspension: No, the crux of my argument is an acknowledgement that he did serve that suspension *but that it was unjust.* MLB didn't like that he called out cheating, which he started doing himself as an act of protest. They have motivations outside of justice. I have no reason to believe that MLB gives a damn about the victims of alledged domestic violence. They wield this policy, which was only created to combat bad PR, in a wildly subjective manner. -If Bauer was actually good at baseball: He is, and to try argue that he is not is intellectually dishonest. His ability to play baseball is a non-factor is his unemployment. It is 100% driven by PR as a result of the vindictive actions of the media and the league. -Die on this hill: Damn straight I will die on this hill. Bauer might be a jerk. I don't agree with him on very much. I think he has made very poor choices, some of which warrant a certain level of consequence in his personal life. However, being principled means defending the rights of even those whom I dislike and with whom I disagree if the facts and the evidence (or lack of evidence) suggest that I should.
The Original Drew
What about the other 3 women? A prosecutor not feeling comfortable of having sufficient evidence get a conviction at trial (which is a incredibly common thing in DV cases because it is he said vs she said) does not equal him being innocent. Doesn't mean he is guilty either, btw. Also you're "coincidently" (note: this isn't a coidencide) ignoring the fact that Bauer was a clubhouse cancer and all around jerk that only was able to pitch at an above average clip with the use of sticky stuff. Also ignoring the fact that he served the longest suspension in history under MLB's DV police and clearly MLB found something that they didn't like and found him in violation of. All things aside, if Bauer was actually good at baseball, he would have been given another shot (see Jose Reyes, Aroldis Chapman etc). There's nothing that baseball teams love more than cheap labor with any hint of upside. All 30 teams decided that there is zero upside with Trevor Bauer. It's so odd for people to continuously die on this particular hill. Weird, even.
Gregory B
The woman who accused Trevor has yet to be proven guilty of the felony charges she is facing for fraud and theft against him in Maricopa County. She will have her day in court to defend herself. Trevor never required this day in court because there was never sufficient evidence to arrest him or charge him with anything in the first place. If this is insufficent to presume that he is not guilty, I would like to know what the bar is for achieving this.
chuangeUp
Their ballots were 13 years apart. The voting backlog issues weren't there for Williams, who was of course also much much better.
kyle
Hurston Waldrep is made up i don't believe you
kyle
Joe waited 4 years to get in but Ted Williams was first ballot? Odd I thought the media hated ted
I'm Not The Droids You're Looking For
Here's a hot take: I can absolutely positively imagine it (again) being impossible to be voted in unanimously ever again. Someone can and probably will say, "Remember Rivera? First guy to get voted in unanimously and look what happened."
The Original Drew
Trevor Baurer was not proven innocent. Jesus Christ.
Gregory B
In the past I may have been more inclined to agree with your take on the Rivera situation, but the Trevor Bauer situation changed my perspective on things like this. Trevor was similarly accused of henious things and was banished from the game for it. He was treated by the league and the media as being guilty until proven innocent. It turned out that not only was he innocent, but that he had the receipts to prove that he was the target of an extortionist. None of that mattered in the end because of the damage done to his reputation as a result of the media coverage. The press and the league either have too much pride to admit their mistake, or Trevor was hung out to dry for other reasons such as his willingness to expose cheating (which pissed off Manfred), his politics (which pissed of the press), or both. Inoocent until proven guilty is not just for a court of law. It's a bedrock principle of Western values and decent society. An accusation being more henious does not mean that we should abandon this principle. If anything it increases the need for the thoughtful scrutiny to verify *before we act on it.*
Mike
Kudos to your take on Mo. Hoping it’s not true but man if it is it’s horrific and he should be persona non grata with the Yankees
The Original Drew
I don’t know if they would, but if he’s guilty I think that they should. The character clause has artificially kept out deserving players because of PED’s. If they want to strip the character clause from the whole thing and make it about what you did on the field and only that, then that’s a different story. But even then, it would feel pretty gross.
Kelvz Rodriguez
You think they'd remove Mo from the HoF?
The Original Drew
Rivera was the one guy I was willing to play the "love the art, not the artist" game with, but sheesh. If what he’s accused of is true then I don’t think there is room for him in the HOF anymore. Not sure how the HOF can shield itself from people who took PEDs and be cool with that. The fall from grace would be absolutely unreal.
