MLB Week in Review

1/16/21–1/22/21

Saturday 1/16/21: No significant news on this day. On this day in MLB history in 2003 Gary Carter became the first player to have the Montreal Expos logo on his hat in the Hall of Fame. Also in the same year the owners of baseball teams come together to add a competitive edge to the All Star Game that is still in play today. Whichever league wins, NL or AL will get home field advantage for the World Series.

Sunday: 1/17/21: No significant news on this day. On this day in MLB history in 1970 Sporting News names Willie Mays the 1960’s Player of the Decade. Willie Mays played for 22 seasons and finished with a career .302 batting average.

Monday 1/18/21: A 3 team trade between San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Padres acquire RHP Joe Musgrove from Pirates. Mets receive LHP Joey Lucchesi from Padres. Pirates get C Endy Rodriguez from the Mets, OF Hudson Head, LHP Omar Cruz, RHP David Bednar, RHP Drake Fellows from the Padres.

The San Diego Padres get Joe Musgrove who has pitched for the Pirates since 2016. Musgrove’s numbers do not jump off the page however, he is a good Major League pitcher and seems to be improving the more he is on the mound. When healthy he can pitch well over 100 innings in a season. Musgrove throws a good number of pitches; his fastball is around average at 92 mph, a slider in the low 80s, a low 80s curveball, a mid 80s changeup, along with a top 80s cutter. Musgrove leaves hitter guessing as he has a number of pitches he can throw at varying speeds with excellent movement. With this trade the Padres pick up a solid 5th guy in the rotation as they will need in the upcoming season with Mike Clevinger sitting out after getting Tommy John surgery. The New York Mets receive Joey Lucchesi (jow·ee loo·kei·see), a 27 year old left handed starting pitcher. Lucchesi has a jerky windup. Along with his fastball and cutter he throws in the low 90s he has a slow curveball which can be deceptive to hitters coming from his jerky motion. His Major League numbers are not crazy good but he has potential in him. During his minor league career he pitched very well. The Mets pick themselves up a solid option to add to the depth of their pitching staff. The Pittsburgh Pirates get in return a group of young potential talent. Headlining their acquisitions who was ranked the 7th prospect in the Padres system is Hudson Head. Head is a 19 year old outfielder. Head has good offensive potential. Head has a low track record facing competitive pitching, however he has plenty of time to improve. He appealed to scouts eyes with his above average bat speed and quick snap of his wrists. On the defensive side scouts say that with his plus speed and solid arm he could grow to be a good centerfielder upon the improvement of his reads and routes to the ball. With this trade the Pirates get a very solid prospect for the future of their organization. Another prospect the Pirates receive is C Endy Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a 20 year old catcher who has showed great potential playing corner outfield and first base. Rodriguez is a switch hitter and scouts say that he has good bat to ball skills. Meaning he is a solid contact hitter who spreads the ball to all fields. Scouts believe that he will continue to improve on his power at the plate. Rodriguez shows to be an agile catcher behind the plate with solid catch and throw skills. For the Pirates this is a good acquisition for potential talent behind the plate as Rodriguez has plenty of time to improve. The Pirates also get themselves LHP Omar Cruz. Cruz is a 21 year old starting pitcher in class A ball. Scouts say that Cruz doesn’t have overpowering pitches, although he can hit the strike zone with his 3 pitches. He locates well and is not afraid to work inside to right handed hitters. Cruz’s breaking pitches have good top to bottom movement. Scouts say that currently they believe that Cruz has bottom of rotation potential in the Major Leagues. They believe that if he can find an increase in velocity he could be more than that. With this pick up the Pirates add depth to their farm system pitching potential. The Pirates also get David Bednar. Bednar has thrown 17 innings in the Majors all from which are out of the bullpen. In his minor league career Bednar had really good pitching stats in relief. His ERA in the minors was a low 2.70. The Pirates receive an average bullpen guy that they can help use to add depth. Lastly the Pirates get Drake Fellows, a 6'5" right hander who went to Vanderbilt. His tall frame helps him pitch at a downward slope. At age 22 Fellows has good velocity with plenty of time to improve. With this prospect the Pirates get a big right handed pitcher who has potential to be dominant out of the bullpen or potentially a solid power starting pitcher. Again the Pirates are able to add more depth to their farm system.

The Washington Nationals sign free agent LHP Jon Lester.

Jon Lester is a well established left handed pitcher. Lester has been a part of 3 World Series Champion teams; 2007 and 2013 with the Boston Red Sox, 2016 with the Chicago Cubs. Lester has pitched in the Majors since 2006 and had been a consistent performer pitching up to 200 innings a season when in full health. With a career ERA of 3.60 Lester gives the Nationals an experienced guy who can still pitch well and has the experience to share with the rest of their pitching staff.

Toronto Blue Jays sign free agent RHP Tyler Chatwood.

Tyler Chatwood is an experienced MLB pitcher who has been in the league since 2011. He has a career ERA at 4.40. Chatwood provides teams with innings in the bottom of the rotation. I think with his age he is pitching better out of the bullpen as the Cubs began using him from the Pen in 2019. For the Blue Jays this signing may prove beneficial for them by using Chatwood out of the bullpen and as an extra starter in the case they need a starter for a couple of games.

Tuesday 1/19/21: Toronto Blue Jays sign free agent RHP Kirby Yates.

Kirby Yates has pitched out of the bullpen in the MLB since 2014. Entering his 34 year old season Yates can most likely max 60 innings in a season out of the bullpen. He has solid numbers pitching out of the bullpen with a 3.54 ERA. Yates was an All Star in 2019 and provides the Blue Jays with a reliable bullpen pitcher for the 2021 season with a deal of 1 year for $5.5 million.

Wednesday 1/20/21: Toronto Blue Jays sign free agent OF George Springer.

George Springer was one of the biggest free agents on the market this offseason. Springer has put together a good career now entering his age 32 year old season; Springer won the AL silver slugger in 2017 and 2019, and won a World Series with the Astros*. Springers batting average at .270 does not show how well he is with the bat. Springer gets on base and has a high OPS., along with great advanced stats such as high hard hit %, very good xwOBA which takes into account launch angle and exit velocity. For the Blue Jays Springer offers them a great addition to their outfield as well as one of the best bats in the league. The Blue Jays and Springer came to a 6 year $150 million dollar agreement which is the largest in Blue Jays franchise history.

Minnesota Twins sign free agent RHP J.A. Happ.

J.A. Happ signed a 1 year $8 million dollar deal with the twins. Happ is a starting pitcher who has been in the big leagues since 2007 and with experience improved as a solid quality starting pitcher. Happ is able to give teams good starts despite having a higher ERA just below 4 on his career. As of late in his career he has kept his ERA closer to 3.5. As his career continues Happ is still a good veteran pitcher to have on any pitching staff and has continued to improve on his number of quality starts. For the Twins this signing is a very good experienced starting pitcher who will play a good role in the middle or top of their rotation.

Thursday 1/21/21: No significant news happened today. On this day in MLB history in 1969 Stan Musial is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Musial played 22 season (1943- 1963) in the Major Leagues with one year of interruption in 1945 when he was serving our country in the Military. Musial’s career batting average in these 22 season was a whopping .331. Musial won 3 MVP awards, and went to 24 all star games; which was possible when MLB would play 2 all star games a year. Stan Musial was an incredible Baseball player.

Friday 1/22/21: Los Angeles Angles sign free agent LHP Jose Quintana.

Jose Quintana has played in Chicago his entire career with two different teams. From 2012–2017 Quintana played on the south side with the White Sox and from 2017–2020 he played on the north side with the Cubs. Quintana is a well experienced pitcher who can pitch a lot innings, throwing 200 innings between 2013–2016. He pitches to contact with opponents batting averages in the mid .200s. For the Angles they pick themselves up a solid left handed starting pitcher who they look to give solid innings possibly in the mid to lower part of their starting rotation.

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