By Lauren Woode
Follow her on Twitter: @LaurenIsLive
I looked forward to watching coverage of Major League Baseball’s winter meetings. I really didn’t get into this until my cable provider gave me the MLB Network and they do a great job of hyping it up. All 30 teams in the same place, huddling up, making deals.
This year, like last year, proved to be ALL hype. In 2011 the new look, new stadium, new manager Marlins were the big splash. As of this moment they are a harpooned dead fish. The only thing left in the carcass is Giancarlo Stanton. You can’t mount that above your mantel! This year the deal making espionage was really non-existent with every reporter having a Twitter account.
Big names this year still on the board:
-Josh Hamilton: I love his story, but will the Rangers stick with him?
-Zack Greinke: To be honest, I don’t understand all the hoopla.
-R.A. Dickey: He still has 1 year left on his contract with the Mets… and he’s 37 years old.
-Justin Upton: What’s the deal here Diamondbacks? Young 5 tool player with upside, like his brother B.J., and you want to get rid of him?
The biggest story for me was the A-Rod excuse for why he sucked in the postseason, a right hip injury that no one knew about. Hmmm…interesting. The Yankees lost their platoon for 3rd base in Eric Chavez and Jeff Keppinger, so who’s going to fill in while Alex Rodriguez is recovering from surgery? Rumor has it the Yanks have offered former Red Sox 3rd baseman Kevin Youkilis $13 million for 1 year. Journalists were shocked that the Yankees were quiet at the winter meetings. Oh, the other Yankee story is that Derek Jeter is recovering well from the ankle injury, not sitting around getting fat. Come on Yanks! Don’t tank now, I just got the YES network.
Biggest signings
-Rangers Mike Napoli to the Red Sox. 3 years, $39 million.
-Dodger and former Philly Shane Victorino to the Red Sox. 3 years, $39 million.
My thoughts: Napoli and Victorino are good character guys for the Red Sox to pick up for their locker room. But, for these guys to be the biggest splash at the winter meetings, meant not very many jumped in the pool.
Biggest resignings
-Angel Pagan resigns with the Giants. 4 years, $40 million.
-Marco Scutaro resigns with the Giants. 3 years, $20 million.
-David Wright resigns with Mets. 8 years, $138 million. (The largest deal in Mets history.)
My thoughts: David Wright has been with the Mets through thick and mostly thin. His numbers stand up to any 3rd baseman out there. He just plays for the Mets, so people ignore him. Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro stole my heart in the postseason. I’m happy the Giants stuck with them.
My favorite part of the winter meetings on the MLB Network is the interviews with GMs, managers, current and former players. Here are links to my favorites:
-Intentional Talk with Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (funny):
[mlbvideo id=”25515823″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]
-MLB Tonight with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski (straight shooter):
[mlbvideo id=”25516885″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]
-MLB Tonight with Giants manager Bruce Bochy (funny and informative):
[mlbvideo id=”25516929″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]
-I can’t find the video, but Cubs manager Dale Sveum talked about getting shot in the ear and back with BBs while quail hunting. Hilarious.
I’ll mention one last story that was under reported. A group of baseball Hall of Famers is considering protesting the 2013 ceremony because of the alleged roided list of first year ballot eligibles: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, Sammy Sosa. What do you all think about the hall of fame controversy?
Does anyone even care about the winter meetings? Post your comments here or tweet me @LaurenIsLive.
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