Free agency is finally here, and several of the elite players in the game will be wearing different uniforms once spring comes around. The Red Sox won the bidding war on a Japanese superstar, the Dodgers have a new leadoff hitter and the Jays now have a new everyday DH. It's a time for new beginings.
In this edition of Inside the Numbers, we’ll take a look around the league at the biggest headlines from the past couple weeks.
Howard tops Pujols in MVP race
Phillies Ryan Howard was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player on Monday, edging Cardinals Albert Pujols. Howard, who led the majors in HR (58) and RBI (149) while batting .313, received 20 first-place votes with 388 points and Pujols got 12 first-place votes with 347 points. After winning the NL Rookie of the Year last season, Howard set the franchise record for home runs by a Philly, beating Mike Schmidt’s previous record. "It's definitely a relief. It's a good birthday present," said Howard. He turned 27 on Sunday.
In the second half of the season when Philadelphia made a serious run at the NL wild-card spot, Howard hit a sizzling .355 with 30 long balls and 78 RBI. Pujols, on the other hand, came in second place in voting for the third time in the past five seasons. He finished the year batting a strong .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI. Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran and Miguel Cabrera finished third through fifth in the balloting.
Soriano heading to the Cubbies
Free agent Alfonso Soriano and the Cubs have reportedly agreed to a eight-year contract worth about $136 million, an inside source has revealed. Soriano just needs to pass a physical, but the deal would be the fifth largest in MLB history, behind Alex Rodriguez ($252 million for 10 years), Derek Jeter ($189 million for 10 years), Manny Ramirez ($160 for eight years) and Todd Helton ($141.5 million for 11 years).
The 40/40 member will play center field and bat leadoff bat leadoff with the Cubbies. Last season with the Nationals, he batted .277 with 46 homers, 41 stolen bases, 95 RBI and 41 doubles. After going through the minor league ranks primarily as a shortstop, he started his career played second base with the Yankees. However, with Jose Vidro entrenched as the Nationals 2B, he was converted to a left-fielder last year, and will make his third position change in the same amount of years with the Nationals.
With Sweet Lou taking over as manager, the Cubs could be using a lineup of CF Soriano, 2B Mark DeRosa, 1B Derek Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, RF Jacque Jones, C Michael Barrett, LF Matt Murton and SS Cesar Izturis. If they can only stay healthy, they should be able to improve by leaps and bounds over last season’s last-place 66-96 record. The Cubs have also expressed some interest in signing Cliff Floyd to man left field.
Jays nab The Big Hurt
The Blue Jays and Frank Thomas agreed to a two-year, $18 million contract this past week, including a $10 million option for 2009. The 38-year-old Big Hurt led Oakland with 39 homers and 114 RBI to go along with a respectable .270 average in 2006. The 17-year veteran, who is 13 long balls shy of the exclusive 500-home run club, will be Toronto’s every DH.
Boston wins the Bidding War
Red Sox nation has to be elated to hear that they won the bidding war to negotiate with 26-year-old Japanese pitching phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka. Boston out-bided the likes of the Yankees, Angels, Mets and Cubs, among a few others for the total sum of $51.1 million. Matsuzaka compiled a 108-60 career record with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games overseas. He went 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts for the Lions this year. He’s regularly clocked in the high-90s with good off-speed pitches, and also features a deceptive “gyroball.”
Matsuzaka turned a lot of major league scouts last March when he led Japan to win the inaugural World Baseball Classic title, earning MVP honors in a win over Cuba. With agent Scott Boras representing him, Matsuzaka has 30 days to come to terms with the Red Sox or the bid will not be paid. With fellow 26-year-olds Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon, to go along with veterans Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, Boston is going to have one of the deepest rotations in baseball. After seeing surrogate starters like Kyle Snyder, Kason Gabbard, Kevin Jarvis, Jason Johnson and Devern Hansack last season, 2007 has a ton of promise for Boston.
Dodgers re-sign Nomar
Nomar Garciaparra and the Dodgers agreed Monday to an $18.5 million, two-year contract. The NL Comeback Player of the Year will receive $17 million the next two seasons, to go along with a $2.5 million signing bonus. The two-time AL batting champion made the move from shortstop to first base with relative ease for L.A. In fact, he committed just four errors in 1,124 chances for a .996 fielding percentage. Last season, he hit .303 with 20 home runs and 93 RBI despite missing the first three weeks of the season with a rib injury.
Juan Pierre heading to L.A.
The Dodgers have reportedly signed speed demon Juan Pierre to a five-year, $45 million deal on Monday. The deal is just contingent on Pierre passing a physical. The center fielder led the National League with 204 base hits and finished second in stolen bases with 58 last season while playing for the Cubs. With Soriano’s signing, Pierre became expendable. The past six seasons, he’s swiped 318 bases, tops in all of baseball, while registering four 200-hit campaigns. The lightening-quick leadoff hitter will make a fantastic table setter for Rafael Furcal, Jeff Kent, Garciaparra and Andre Eithier.