Spring training means nothing, and that depresses me. It feels like baseball is back, but then I realize it’s not really back, and I have to fill out March Madness brackets that never come true to waste my time until early April.
Well, hardcore baseball fans do have something to look forward to every four years (even though it was three between the 2006 and 2009 games). This is the World Baseball Classic, and the 2017 installment begins this Monday. The United States, which has never placed higher than fourth, has its best roster to date, despite the fact that it’s missing some of the country’s best stars. Regardless, a strong showing from the U.S. squad in the games could help the WBC’s ratings in the states, something that has been a concern to Major League Baseball for the past three games. The first pitch of the tournament will be thrown on Mar. 6, and many big-leaguers are representing their countries for the next few weeks. Yes, these Major League Baseball players are giving up a couple of weeks of their Spring Training time in order to participate in higher-stakes play in different parts of the world. This leads some observers to argue the WBC can harm players who participate. One such observer, Orioles manager Buck Showalter, told the Baltimore Sun this past week that he believes the WBC disrupts an internal clock players have... Click here to read more on Beyond The Box Score.
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Looking at and charting every single Major League guaranteed signing over the past five offseasons is not easy. In fact, it makes you exhausted. I speak from experience.
I just built a spreadsheet that has all that data. Lucky for me, it was pretty easy to find, thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com’s transaction tracker. But now, I have to put it to use. Since I began to cover baseball seriously a few years ago, free agency has always interested me more than just about anything else. In no other sport (perhaps excluding the NBA, but even still, the max contract hinders that) do the best players get to truly choose their destination. Money flies everywhere. Teams open their pocketbooks to extraordinary heights. Over the past five offseasons, teams have spent almost a combined $10 billion on Major League free agents. That could buy the New York Yankees three times over, according to Forbes. And it could buy the Tampa Bay Rays 15 times over. I have always wondered, though, what the best time is for a free agent to sign. Read more on Beyond The Box Score by clicking here. |