Year Eleven and the more things change the more they stay the same. Impact rookies making names for themselves, dramatic trades reshaping the landscape of the league, and some good ol' Dan bashing. Here's a look at three of the biggest headlines of the young 2017 season:
#3 James and the Giant Fastball
After three games in the books the number one pitcher on the player rater is a Megalomaniac... Ervin Santana. But I hate that guy so I want to talk about his Mega-teammate, the #9 pitcher on the player rater, James "As long as I'm not hurt, I'm blow up" Paxton. #9 on the player rater may not strike you as particularly article worthy, but it's worth pointing out that 6 of the 8 players above him are also pitchers. Meaning he's been more valuable then nearly every hitter in the league. Who are the pitchers above him you may be asking? Two keepers(Sale, Bundy,) the 3rd pick overall(Carrasco,) a pitcher taken 3 spots before Paxton(Keuchel,) for some reason Jason Vargas, and the aforementioned Ervin Santana. The long winded point here is besides those last two clowns, these other guys were drafted and/or kept with the expectation of dominance. Paxton has been dominant as well but is doing it at a fraction of the cost, with just as much upside as the top guys mentioned. Long story short, the Megas may not be thrilled with their 1-2 start, but they have to be thrilled with the dominance and keeper potential of James "I once traded him in my deal for Chris Archer" Paxton.
#2 MITCH-A-PALOOZA
Remember when I was rambling a minute ago and I said Paxton was #9 on the player rater, with only two hitters above him? One of those hitters above him is obviously Mike Trout(my boy!) The other? Mitch-Fucking-Haniger. Or as I like to call him for obvious reasons- Mitch HAMiger. This spring training beast turned April star actually looks legitimate, which means despite his youth and monster start he should be on another team by the time this post is up. He's already been offered to me and I'm Dan's most bitter rival! *sigh* Anyway, Ham-hating-aside, Mitch was an excellent draft choice in the 12th round... but he's also not a Yankee so he'll be traded or benched soon so he can start one instead (good ol' Dan bashing!)
#1 BOLD NOTES
Finally, the big daddy dog of surprises, the blockbuster trade between the Ham Sandwiches and Cold Notes. Feast your eyes on the picture above, as it's the last time you'll ever see George Springer in a Cold Notes uniform. Who am I kidding, he's on Dan's team now, anything can happen! I meant to lead this blurb with "OF COURSE DAN TRADED MIGGY ALREADY" but evaluating a Dan-trade is a sensory overload of WTF. In case you need a refresher, here is the trade in it's entirety:
COLD NOTES RECEIVED: Max Kepler RF | MIN - Traded from Ham Sandwiches Garrett Richards SP | LAA - Traded from Ham Sandwiches Yoan Moncada 3B | CHW - Traded from Ham Sandwiches Miguel Cabrera 1B | DET - Traded from Ham Sandwiches Ken Giles RP | HOU - Traded from Ham Sandwiches Jonathan Schoop 2B | BAL - Traded from Ham Sandwiches
HAM SANDWICHES RECEIVED: Huston Street RP | LAA - Traded from Cold Notes Aaron Sanchez SP | TOR - Traded from Cold Notes Ian Kinsler 2B | DET - Traded from Cold Notes Albert Pujols DH | LAA - Traded from Cold Notes George Springer RF | HOU - Traded from Cold Notes Rajai Davis CF | OAK - Traded from Cold Notes
As you can imagine, a 12 player trade with 12 players that are actually worth a shit is rare, and impossible to evaluate without at least a few weeks of games following it. But I'll evaluate it anyway! The Cold Notes side of the deal wasn't helped by the fact that Garrett Richards was recently and unexpectedly transferred to the 60 day disabled list; making his acquisition more of a roster eating space in the short term than the potential impact arm he's supposed to be. While no one was happy to see Dan acquire George Springer, Brandon managed to get both a phenom of old and a phenom of new in Miguel Cabrera and Yoan Moncada. That upside and steadiness is countered by Aaron Sanchez and Ian Kinsler going back to the Hams- two players many thought would be career Cold Notes. GM BCov did manage to pry away a closer in a year where they are a rare commodity, while the Hammies proved they do have a heart by reuniting with recent Wombat Hall of Fame inductee, Albert Pujols. Regardless of who "wins" the trade, it is undoubtedly the biggest headline in the early going of the 2017 season. Let's see what craziness happens next!