Tuesday morning's baseball wonders about the Cole Hamels market, Yoan Moncada's future, and looks at Jose Bautista's peak.
Listen, we know it's tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day, and trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk isn't easy. It's OK, though, we're going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end.
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The Red Sox could use Cole Hamels, and please do not suggest otherwise. Hamels would be the ace Boston's rotation lacks, and he would make the team better in 2015 and likely beyond that. Whether the Red Sox need Hamels, though, is more up for debate. They already have five starters in Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson, and Joe Kelly. The middle three have all produced number two starter quality seasons in the past, and so long as their health and the Sox' defense is in order, that type of production could occur once again. Buchholz struggled in the first half of 2014 while recovering from a shoulder injury and dealing with a meniscus issue, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he's in line for a quality 2015.
Let's not forget, either, that Boston's lineup projects to be wonderful: it will have Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, and newcomers Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval all in a row, with promising kids like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts flanking the group. Rusney Castillo, who posted a 928 OPS in limited late-season action after signing out of Cuba in August, is there, as is Shane Victorino, who is still a tremendous player when he's healthy. The lineup is realistically promising enough that the Sox don't need an ace to join in October fun.
It has never been anymore evident that the Sox themselves believe this than when it's reported that their offer for Hamels leaned heavily on the major league side. The Phillies want impact prospects as part of their rebuild, and the Sox mostly wanted to see if they could get Hamels without them -- they have their own plans for their kids. They can't get Hamels without giving up on the future of Betts or Blake Swihart, considered by many to be the best catching prospect in the game, so while conversations can always be opened up anew, nothing is close at the moment and no one should expect them to be close anytime soon. The Sox will likely see how their rotation pans out, and if their lineup is as productive as advertised. Maybe in July they'll need Hamels, but there are quite a few baseball games to be played before then.
And hey, the two can always meet in the middle to shift Cliff Lee and what's left of his contract instead.
- Monday was Presidents Day, so with that in mind, here are the five greatest Presidential baseball names of all time. All time being the last like, 100-plus years, anyway. There are only so many presidents and so many years of baseball, okay?
- You've analyzed Yoan Moncada in his Under Armour shirt, now analyze his baseball skills as they compare to other major prospects.
- Jason Giambi finally called it a career after 20 years, and on the same day his old teammate Barry Zito rejoined their first team, the A's.
- Non-closing relievers are finally starting to get paid, even if they don't have any experience closing at all.
- Okay, maybe the Red Sox do need Cole Hamels, but only because they need the assistance of anyone who could help them shovel out Fenway Park before Opening Day.
- Jose Bautista's peak is basically unmatched in Blue Jays' history. They haven't been to the playoffs since 1993, but the Jays have had enough high-quality hitters for that to be impressive.
- Which rivals do Royals' fans hate the most besides Robinson Cano, who they definitely are still mad at because of a Home Run Derby snub?
- Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez took in WWE's Monday Night RAW, and even managed to capture a photo with one of their up and coming stars.