MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Cubs parade breaks records for attendance for a gathering in the US with over 5 million people estimated at parade. Wow.

 

Cubs decline Hammel's option. Not a shock. He was at a reasonable cost at $12mil, but he was inconsistent and felt he was due more of the benefit of the doubt than Joe gave him. He was not on the playoff roster.

While the Cubs could have accepted the option and then traded him, he can make more money as a free agent and they allowed him to do so.

You have to think Mike Montgomery gets first cracked at the rotation. Expect the Cubs to trade Soler for a young arm this off season.

They have some talent in the minors at the A level - Trevor Clifton at high A and Dylan Cease at short season A. They will mostly likely lose Lackey and Arietta at the end of next year. They are needing to bridge the gap between those guys and any young arms that may be ready 2018-2019.

I think letting Hammel walk is proactive to try to replace 1 this year and 2 next year rather than 3 at once.

 

My younger son is moving to Chicago at the end of the week for his job.......

 

DENVER, Colo. -- Bud Black sat in the visitors dugout for the greatest game in Rockies history. He watched in disbelief as Colorado riddled San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman in the play-in game. Outfielder Matt Holliday scored the winning run, his slide providing the Rockies' version of John Elway's The Drive in Cleveland. The mystery remains on whether Holliday touched the plate.

Black, 59, returned to Coors Field on Monday trying to solve another mystery -- how to make the Rockies winners again. Colorado hasn't finished above .500 since 2010, and is asking a third manager to solve the riddle in the past six seasons.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/spo...-bud-black-as-seventh-manager-in-team-history

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2016-mvp-cy-young-manager-rookie-of-the-year-finalists-announced/

MLB AWARD FINALIST !

people were up in arms of Britton not being up for the Cy Young this year. I kind of agree. And no Kershaw either...

Will Trout lose another MVP this year, when he's clearly the best player in the league?

 

The finalist list doesn't mean Britton and Kershaw weren't up for it, it just means they finished 4th or lower in the voting. They haven't changed the voting process, they've just "Hollywood-ed" up the announcement process.

 

I was surprised that Maddon ended up in the top 3. I would have had Roberts and Collins 1/2. Not sure I would have had Dusty over Maddon, but I think they would be 3/4.

 

well don't ask Harold Reynolds about it. He thinks Britton not in the top 3 is the worst voting decision he's seen!

 

Generally speaking, I wouldn't ask Harold Reynolds for a recipe for ice. That said, while I don't think it's the worst decision evah (as dominant as Britton was he did only pitch 67 innings, after all), I do think he was pretty clearly one of the three best pitchers in the league this year. We may be in the midst of a bit of an overcorrection of the voters now relying too much on advanced stats.

 

well his manager wasn't happy about it either. 1 reporter thinks MLB needs a reliever award that is voted upon by the BBWAA and not some panel. There is a reliever award for each league, but it has little value. THis writer wants a major award like the others to be voted upon like the others and handed out on the schedule like the others. In Britton's case, he's getting hoses and was Verlander that really worthy of being a finalist? The voters seem to think so, but it's hard to overlook Britton's body of work this year.

 

I'd agree about Verlander being nominated. But who the hell does Britton pitch for?

Edit: Never heard the name before. Must be the A.L.? Which I don't follow closely.......

 

ugh - like you think the Star Wars Prequel was on TV or something.

He plays for Baltimore! The city in Maryland. It's below Delaware and next to the big Ocean!

 

Edwin Encarnacion?has received a contract offer from the Toronto Blue Jays, but it?isn't good enough to get him signed.
?
Encarnacion's agent Paul Kinzer?told?Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto the offer is "not where the camp wanted it to be."

Kinzer also said he is hoping to the 33-year-old slugger will sign prior to MLB's?winter meetings, scheduled for Dec. 4-8 in National Harbor, Md.
"I think we could possibly have something done before then," Kinzer?told the radio station, repeating that the Jays remain?Encarnacion's first choice.

 

Blue Jays sign Cuban defector Lourdes Gurriel for 7 years and $22M.

 

DH Kendrys Morales to Blue Jays, three years, $33M, pending physical.

 

They signed Bartolo Colon, too. Guess Phil Niekro wasn't interested.

 

Phils get Howie Kendrick. Eh, not the move I wanted, but he could be traded at the deadline for some help..