Are Joe Mauer and C.C. Sabathia future Hall of Famers and how much money will Bryce Harper earn during free agency?
These are the three individuals that we'll talk about in this story.
Minnesota Twins first baseman and catcher Joe Mauer retired Friday after 15 seasons. He played his entire career with the same team which is uncommon these days. His career is refreshing because he played for his hometown team.
Unfortunately for Mauer, his career was derailed by concussion issues.
Mauer, 35, was drafted No.1 overall in 2001.
He won an MVP in 2009, three batting titles, appeared in six All-Star Games, won five Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves as a catcher and had a career slash line----.306 average, 2,123 hits, 143 HR's, 428 doubles, 923 RBIs in 1,858 games.
So the question remains is Mauer a future Hall of Famer?
I'd say he's borderline because his numbers are good but are they enough to give him a plaque in Cooperstown, NY?
The Baseball Writers Association of America could take his injury situation into consideration and if they ask what if he'd been healthy would his numbers be substantially higher?
Mauer never had any off the field issues and I understand he was polite to the media.
But what do you fans think?
Please send me your comments and I'll mention them on The Sports Exchange (an Internet Radio Sport Talk Show http://www.weinetwork.com/) which runs Tuesday's and Thursdays from 5-7 pm.
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New York Yankees Pitcher C.C. Sabathia announced that he will retire after the 2019 season.
During his 19th campaign, he'll earn $8 Million from the Yankees in what will be his 11th season playing in the Bronx.
Sabathia's other stops include seven plus years with the Cleveland Indians and he was a rental for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.
He won a Cy Young Award with the Indians.
Sabathia currently has a lifetime record of 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA.
He's the majors active leader in strikeouts with 2,986, walks 1,060, complete games 38 and innings pitched 3,470.
There are some milestones he's looking to reach during the upcoming season.
He's four wins away from 250.
He's 30 innings away from 3,500.
He's 14 strikeouts away from 3,000. He will be the 17th player to reach 3,000 strikeouts.
Sabathia also has 12 shutouts and has won a World Series with the Yankees.
What chance does Sabathia have to reach baseball immortality?
In an age of specialization, I would say he has an excellent chance.
Playing in the largest Media Market in the county referring to New York City will definitely enhance his chances considerably.
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Finally, where will Bryce Harper land in Free Agency?
After turning down a 10-year contract worth $300 Million to stay with the Washington Nationals, the question remains which teams would be paying the potential asking price of up to $400 Million that Super Agent Scott Boras could potentially ask for?
The only teams that I think could be possibilities would appear to be the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees or the LA Angels.
I don't think the Chicago Cubs would ante up the coin since they snapped their 108 championship drought, thus there is no desperation to make a big splash of this kind. In fact, I see the Cubs ultimately cutting payroll to stay below the luxury tax threshold.
Adding Harper to the Phillies would be an indication that Philadelphia is ready to win now and he'd sell a lot of tickets.
The Giants have an excellent history and San Francisco has treated their superstar players well. They've even endorsed the pseudo Home Run King Barry Bonds, who hit his HR's with Performance Enhancing Drugs.
It's hard to rule out the New York Yankees and pitchers would have nightmares if Harper was in the same line-up as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
The LA Angels would be my dark horse if he's paired with Mike Trout in the lineup.
If teams decided the asking price was too steep, and the market dried up, then I could see the Nationals bringing Harper back to Washington.
Washington had a chance to land Yasiel Puig in a trade with the LA Dodgers but now it's inevitable they'll get nothing.
It's important to note that Harper has never played in a full season nor has he won a playoff series.
The most games Harper has played in a season is 159, at bats are 550, his career batting average is .279, has 184 HRs and 521 RBIs.
Judge for yourself and let me know on the Sports Exchange.
I wouldn't pony up that amount of coin based on seven years worth of work.
Despite being 26-years old, that seems to be too high of a risk for me.
Yet, there is always an owner that would take on such an investment.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.
He's a member of Detroit Sports Media and is host of the Sports Exchange which can be heard on weinetwork.com.
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