Junior Senior - The 1989 Topps Traded Set

The 1989 Topps Traded Set has some of the more iconic cards in the Traded series of the 80s - and with the exception of the Ripken Rookie, the Ken Griffey, Jr Rookie is at the top of that list. I mean, it´s not even his most easily recognizable rookie card, but this was the card to chase from this set. He was already considered a candidate for all-time greatness, and he did not disappoint.

He wasn´t the only Hall of Fame player in the set - in fact, he wasn´t even the only Mariners Rookie Hall of Fame player! Rickey returns to Oakland, back where he made the biggest impact and where he would again bring greatness and glory to the Bay Area. Eddie Murray and Bert Blyleven both came home to Southern California- with Murray joining the Dodgers and Blyleven heading to the California Angels.

One more Hall of Fame homecoming - Texas born fireballer Nolan Ryan makes his last move and comes to the Texas Rangers.

Pretty good. Doesn´t even have a column for all the no-hitters, but they are still in there mixed in with those 55 shutouts.

Rookies! Omar Vizquel is still getting some Hall of Fame buzz, which I can see from a certain point of view, but right now I feel like there are still more than 10 candidates on the ballot I would rather have inducted first... Tom Gordon has an awesome delivery - he gets so low to the ground and just drives to the plate. Deion Sanders is an NFL Hall of Famer, and he had an eventful MLB career as well -- He played in parts of 9 MLB seasons, missing parts of the regular season for NFL responsibilities. He led the NL in Triples in 1992, even though he only played in 97 games. He also excelled in ¨Prime Time¨ hitting .533 with 5 stolen bases and 4 runs scored in the 1992 World Series against the Blue Jays. Which Kenny Rogers would you say is more famous? The pitcher, or the country singer?

3 Twins in the Traded Set - these guys were all added to the team in hopes that they would rebound from bad/sub-par seasons or breakout to their prospect glory... Long story short, that didn´t happen.

Some of my favorites from the set - I always think of Franco as a Ranger, even though he played seemingly everywhere else. A great candid shot of Bip Roberts, not really sure how he ended up in the Traded set again, he was already a rookie in the 1986 traded set... but that´s cool. Nothing wrong with more Bip! Steve Sax as a Yankee always makes me think of that Simpsons episode. ¨You don´t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you Saxy Boy?¨ I wonder if Jeffrey Leonard was a trendsetter for Griffey.. Hey, it´s Kent Tekulve´s birthday today! Happy 72nd, Kent!

Oh, maaaaan. Nice pinstripes.

Blasting Off - The 1991 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Here they are - the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" following the 1991 season and featured in the 1992 Topps set. 

I have completed the run of these up through 2018, specifically all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy.

Outfield - Luis Gonzalez
Houston (N.L.) 1990 - '95, 1997; Chicago (N.L.) 1995 - '96; Detroit (A.L.) 1998; Arizona (N.L.) 1999 - 2006; Los Angeles (N.L.) 2007; Florida (N.L.) 2008

Luis Gonzalez was the first Arizona Diamondback to have his number retired, having been an integral part of the team´s 2001 championship team. Gonzalez famously hit the game 7, series clinching bloop single off of Mariano Rivera to propel the team to victory. He was known for slightly harder hit balls for much of his Diamondbacks tenure, hitting 224 of his 354 career homers. In his first full MLB season in 1991, Gonzalez had 120 hits, including 28 doubles, 9 triples, and 10 home runs. He was born in Tampa, Florida playing on the same high school team as Tino Martinez, and for an American Legion team (post 248) that had notable alumni such as Tony LaRussa, Gary Sheffield, and Lou Pinella. He would get a homecoming of sorts in his final MLB season, playing for the Marlins. His years in Arizona were by far his best, making all 5 All-Star appearances and his lone Silver Slugger award as a Diamondback. His 2001 season was one for the ages, hitting a whopping 57 homers and driving in 142 runs while scoring 128 runs of his own. His 57 homers still relegated him to 3rd place in the NL, behind Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, who had 73 that year. Sheesh. Gonzalez did win the HR Derby in 2001 during the All-Star festivities, and of course the World Series victory would more than make up for not winning the HR crown during the regular season. He was also a doubles machine - his 596 career doubles rank 18th All-Time. 

Luis´ Rookie Cards are in all the 1991 sets, including card #48T in the 1991 Topps Traded Set.

Second Base - Chuck Knoblauch
Minnesota (A.L.) 1991 - '97; New York (A.L.) 1998 - '01; Kansas City (A.L.) 2002


Knoblauch was the 1991 AL Rookie of the Year, and helped the Twins win their second World Series Title. He joined a veteran team filled with Hall of Fame talent as well as savvy role players that provided leadership and guidance that would show Chuck the ropes early on. As a rookie he hit .281 with 159 hits and 25 stolen bases. 

As Knoblauch gained confidence and experience, his game improved in all facets - by his final season in MN, he was hitting for power and average to go with blazing speed and solid defense. 1996 was probably his best season. He hit .341 with 140 runs scored, 35 doubles, a league leading 14 triples, 13 homers and 45 stolen bases. All 4 of his All-Star nods came as a member of the Twins, but the team had fallen on hard times after the retirements of Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett. Knoblauch was forced to be the team´s clubhouse leader, a role to which he was not well suited. Instead of teaching the young players how to win, he chastised them for losing, and was more than willing to heap the blame and point fingers everywhere else. Certainly, he had the numbers again in 1997, 62 stolen bases, 10 triples and his only Gold Glove. But it was clear that the losing was wearing on him. The Twins, for their part, were not going to pay him once he became a free agent, so they looked to trade him to New York, a situation that would work out (at least at first) for all parties involved. The Twins got Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman, the Yankees got a tremendous second baseman to pair with their young superstar Derek Jeter at Short. Knoblauch would win 3 more championships in New York, and hit well - notably hitting .375 in his first Series with the Yanks against the San Diego Padres. He went through a very tough case of the Yips in 2000, first moving him to DH, then to left field. For his career, he stole over 400 bases, drove in over 600, scored 1,132 runs, and amassed over 1,800 hits.

Chuck´s Rookie Card is in the 1990 Bowman set, Card # 415. 

Catcher - Iván Rodríguez
Texas (A.L.) 1991 - '02, 2009; Florida (N.L.) 2003; Detroit (A.L.) 2004 - '08; New York (A.L.) 2008; Houston (N.L.) 2009; Washington (N.L.) 2010 -'11
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA in 2017


13 Gold Gloves, 14 All-Star Games, 1999 AL MVP, 2003 World Series Champion with the Marlins - Iván has seen it all. In the late 80s and early 90s, catching prospects were like rock stars. Benito Santiago, Sandy Alomar, Jr, heck, even Tom Pagnozzi were lauded as future stars. Iván surpassed them all, both with his rifle for an arm, and his bat, which developed over the course of his career into a middle of the lineup threat. As a Rookie in 1991, Rodríguez knew he had to wait to make his debut - playing 50 games in AA with Tulsa. He ended up skipping AAA entirely, however, and made his MLB debut on June 20th. He went 1-4 with a pair of RBI, but the hitting was just considered to be gravy. The Rangers were enamored with his defense behind the plate. In his rookie year, he threw out 34 baserunners in just 88 games. By his second season, Iván was the league´s best at throwing out runners. He would lead the league in caught stealing pct 9 times, to the point where teams just stopped trying to run on him. For his career, he threw out 661 runners for a 46% caught stealing rate. He was also incredibly durable, leading the league in games caught 5 times, and he is currently the All-Time leader in games caught with 2,427. His 1999 MVP season combined his stellar defense with a powerful bat. He had 35 homers and drove in 113 runs-- he also had a career high 25 stolen bases of his own. He rarely walked - in fact he had fewer walks (24) than steals in 1999! Despite the low walk rate, he was adept and making solid contact, with over 2,800 career hits. His years in Texas prepared him to become a leader in the clubhouse, and his demeanor and experience proved to be the missing piece for a piecemeal group of players in South Florida in 2003. In the NLDS, it was his dramatic play at the plate, holding on to the throw and the ball through a bone crunching collision with J.T. Snow (6´2¨ 200 lbs), to record the final out of that series. 

Iván´s rookie cards can be found throughout the 1991 sets, including card # 101T of the 1991 Topps Traded Set.

Third Base - Leo Gómez
Baltimore (A.L.) 1990 - '95; Chicago (N.L.) 1996 

As a minor leaguer, Leo Gómez had the look of a future slugging star. He hit for power all the way up the Orioles´ system, including 26 round-trippers in AAA in his final minor league campaign. He was an All-Star in AA and AAA heading in to his 1990 September call-up. His first full season in the big leagues he had decent slugging numbers, hitting 16 homers in 118 games. He struggled to hit for much contact at the big league level, hitting just .233 his rookie season. His career high? .274 in 1994 as a corner infield super sub. Gómez would go on to play in Japan following his MLB career, and over 6 years with the Chunichi Dragons he clubbed 153 homers, including a career best 36 in 1999 teaming with Kosuke Fukudome and Kenshin Kawakami. The team finished 1st in the NPB Central, but fell in the playoffs to the Pacific Champ, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who featured Kenji Johjima as their catcher. Gómez hit a homer in Game 5, but the team would lose the Japan Series 4 games to 1.

Leo´s Rookie Card is in the 1990 Bowman set, Card #262

Shortstop - Andújar Cedeño
Houston (N.L.) 1990 - '94, 1996; San Diego (N.L.) 1995 - ´96; Detroit (A.L.) 1996

Cedeño was the number 2 overall prospect for the Astros in 1991, a decent hitter but a tremendous defensive talent. He showed power in AA in 1990, 19 homers over 132 games, but also had 11 Triples. He only hit .240, which should have been a cause for concern. Remarkably, he raised his average in AAA in 1991 to .303 over 90 games, and would get his first extended taste of the big leagues, getting 61 hits in 67 games. It was good enough to make him the Topps All-Star Rookie selection at shortstop. He would spend 1992 split again between AAA and the Astros- he hit for the cycle in August, and would return for his best MLB season in 1993. Playing 149 games, he recorded career highs in pretty much every offensive category. Like Gómez, Cedeño never really caught fire at the plate at the major league level, and the Astros opted to move on from Andújar to a platoon of Ricky Gutierrez and Orlando Miller. He was traded to the Padres in a mega deal that brought Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, and Derek Bell to the Astros. Cedeño would continue to play in his home country of the Dominican Republic. In 2000, Andújar was killed in a car accident following a game in the capital city of Santo Domingo.

Andújar´s Rookie Card is in the 1990 Bowman set, card #77

Outfield - Ray Lankford
St. Louis (N.L.) 1990 - '01, 2004; San Diego (N.L.) 2001- ´02

Lankford is one of a long list of Cardinals outfielders to combine power and speed. He hit for the cycle in his rookie year, and was poised to become a great player for years to come. He excelled at both baseball and football in high school, and continued to play both sports while attending Modesto Junior College in Southern California. Lankford was inserted into the Cardinals´ lineup to take the place of Willie McGee in 1990, who had just been traded to Oakland in the Felix José deal. Lankford and José would pair together in the St. Louis outfield for several seasons. 1991 would be his first full season, and he would show the NL exactly how complete a player he would be. He led the NL in triples, stole 44 bases, and hit .293 with 9 homers. He would improve those power numbers as well, and in 5 different seasons he hit over 20 homers and stole over 20 bases. That combo would set a Cardinals' record. He would also set the record for most homers all-time at Busch Stadium (Busch Stadium II, replacing Sportsman´s Park), and retired in the top ten in Cardinals´ history in Homers, Runs Scored, Steals, RBI, and walks. He is, astonishingly, the only St. Louis Cardinal to have more than 200 Steals and 200 Homers. Injuries would derail his career in the early 2000s, capping him at just over 1500 career hits.

Ray´s Rookie Card is in the 1990 Bowman Set, Card # 192

First Base - Jeff Bagwell
Houston (N.L.) 1991 - '05; 
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA in 2017.

The 1994 NL MVP probably could have had several more had he not played as a contemporary of Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols. Bagwell was also the 1991 NL Rookie of the Year, with a solid campaign hitting .294 with 15 homers and 82 RBI. His MVP season resulted in a league leading 104 runs scored, 39 Homers, 116 RBI, and a very impressive slash line of .368 / .451 / .750 . Remember that 1994 was a strike shortened year, he was projected (by Topps Cyberstats) to finish with 47 homers and 140 RBI had the season not ended prematurely. Who knows if he could have sustained that .750 Slugging percentage, but the season that we did see was tremendous. He would start a run of several seasons of punishing baseballs with regularity. He had 8 seasons of 100 or more RBI, 9 seasons scoring 100 or more runs, and 9 seasons of at least 30 home runs. In 1999 he included a career high in stolen bases to his resume, swiping 31 bags to go with 43 homers and 135 RBI. For his career, Bagwell scored over 1500 runs and drove in over 1500 RBI. He stole 202 bases and ripped 449 homers. There were rumors swirling around Bagwell (and Iván Rodríguez) with regards to steroids, which may have delayed Bagwell´s induction in to the Hall of Fame, but his stats over the course of his 15 year career could not be denied.

Jeff´s Rookie Card is in the 1991 Topps Traded Set, Card #4T

Outfield - Milt Cuyler
Detroit (A.L.) 1990 - '95; Boston (A.L.) 1996; Texas (A.L.) 1998

A second round pick in the 1986 draft, Milt Cuyler would make his way to the big leagues on the strength of his legs. Twice in the minors, he stole over 50 bases. As a rookie in 1991, Cuyler would steal 41 bags, finishing 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. 1991 would end up being a career year for Cuyler, and despite being a favorite prospect of Sparky Anderson, he would not get nearly the same amount of playing time since his rookie season. Cuyler would have to share time in the following seasons with Juan Samuel, Eric Davis, and Tony Phillips among others in Center Field, then had a couple attempts to get a regular gig in Boston and in Texas. Following his retirement, he´s gone on to provide coaching and personal training independently, and he worked with the Minnesota Twins as a hitting coach and outfield instructor with the Gulf Coast League Twins.

Milt´s Rookie Card is in the 1990 Bowman set, Card #358

Right Handed Pitcher -  Mark Leiter
New York (A.L.) 1990; Detroit (A.L.) 1991 - ´93; California (A.L.) 1994; San Francisco (N.L.) 1995 - ´96; Montréal (N.L.) 1996; Philadelphia (N.L.) 1997 - ´98; Seattle (A.L.) 1999; Milwaukee (N.L.) 2001 

Mark Leiter´s career is a story of perseverance and determination. Leiter was drafted in 1983 by the Baltimore Orioles, and was making steady progress through their system. In spring training 1986, Leiter suffered a serious shoulder injury which required multiple surgeries. He would miss the entire 1986, 1987, and 1988 seasons. In 1989, he would return to pitching with the New York Yankees A squad in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He would be promoted to AAA by May of ´89, and was again invited to Spring Training in 1990 for the Yankees. He would make his major league debut in July of 1990 at the age of 27. Leiter would be traded that off-season to the Tigers, and as a 28 year old rookie would make his way as a starter and a reliever. He had a 9-7 record for the Tigers in 1991, and struck out 103 batters in his 143 innings of work. He would go on to an 11 year MLB career, winning 65 games. Leiter would face adversity again in 1993- his son Ryan was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and while Leiter was once again recovering from another shoulder surgery, his thoughts turned often to his infant son. Ryan Leiter would pass away on April 4, 1994, just weeks after Leiter had signed a deal to join the California Angels. Leiter would continue to pitch until 2001 for 8 different teams. His little brother Al and his son Mark, Jr have also pitched in the major leagues.

Mark´s Rookie Card is in the 1991 Bowman Set, Card #138

Left Handed Pitcher - Al Osuna
Houston (N.L.) 1990 - ´93; Los Angeles (N.L.) 1994; San Diego (N.L.) 1996

Lefty hurler Al Osuna pitched in 6 MLB seasons and finished with exactly 0 Wins Above Replacement. In his rookie season of 1991, Osuna had 12 Saves and a 3.42 ERA. He appeared in 71 games that season, 6th most among NL pitchers. He was a decent middle reliever over the rest of his MLB career, and was used as a lefty specialist, often facing just one batter to take advantage of lefty on lefty matchups. He also pitched as a reliever in college for Stanford, appearing in the 1987 College World Series. He actually came in with just one out in the first inning against Texas -- after the starter allowed 3 quick runs -- and proceeded to shut out the Longhorns for the remaining 8.2 innings.

Al´s Rookie Card is in the 1991 Topps Set, Card # 149

The 1956 Topps Boston Red Sox Team Set

One of the fun things about a completed set is deciding how you want to organize it. I have the 1956 Topps set in a binder, sorted by team, in the same order that the teams finished in the 1955 Standings. In 1955, the Boston Red Sox finished in 4th place in the American League with an 84-70 record.

For a team that finished 14 games above .500 in 1955, the Red Sox had some positive momentum heading into 1956. But the fact is that the 1955 season was one filled with anxiety, disappointment, and tragedy that extended well beyond the intimate confines of Fenway Park.

As Curt Gowdy narrates the 1954 season, Ted Williams has returned from military service in Korea. He'd now missed 5 MLB seasons to serving the country, but at 35 years old still had contributions to make to the game. Ten years his junior was the fellow Korean War vet and football hero from Boston University, Harry Agannis. The Lynn, Massachutsetts born son of Greek and Polish immigrants was adored by all of New England. But 1955 would prove to be one of the saddest chapters in Red Sox history. The season started without Ted Williams, who had announced his likely retirement, telling reporters in March his mind was "so filled with other things I can't think of returning to baseball right now." By the time he did decide to come back, the Red Sox were already a dozen games back in the standings. His return came not long before another blow to the team. Harry Agannis suddenly passed away from a pulmonary embolism - a blood clot that form while suffering from complications stemming from a prolonged bout with pneumonia.  His death was a crushing blow to the whole region - for decades afterwards, people would recall where they were when they heard the news.

The Red Sox's best hitter was also the American League's best hitter, Baseball's best hitter, and quite possibly the greatest hitter who ever lived. Ted Williams missed the first month of the 1955 season, ostensibly retired, dealing with the conclusion of the legal complications of a divorce from his wife, and re-adjusting again to civilian life. The retirement is now referred to as "strategic" related to his divorce proceedings, and he signed a one year deal to return to Boston on May 13th. He would only play in 98 games in 1955 - but he still led the team in homers, and his .356 average would have led the American League had he reached the minimum required plate appearances. He was named Comeback Player of the Year for 1955 for his un-retirement.

Williams had 6 batting titles, and had he played full seasons in 1954 and 1955 would have had 2 more. He won the Triple Crown (Avg, HR, RBI) twice, was a 19X All-Star, 2X MVP, and is the All-Time leader in On-Base Percentage in MLB history, reaching base at a mind-boggling .482 rate. He was of course a first ballot Hall of Famer,  combine his baseball career with his prowess as a hunter and fisherman, his military service,  and you have an icon of 20th Century American Masculinity.

The best Red Sox pitcher of 1955 was Ace Starter Frank Sullivan. The 6'6" Righty hurled a league leading 260 innings and won 18 games, best in the AL as well. He recorded 3 shutouts, and made his first of two straight All-Star appearances.

Sullivan had an 11 year MLB career, 8 of those spent in Boston. He would settle down his control issues - the 100 Walks in 1955 were a career high. He would lead the AL with the lowest WHIP and fewest walks/9 innings in 1957. He had a career record of 97-100 with a 3.60 ERA.

Ted Williams was the 1956 Topps Red Sox Team Set's only Hall of Fame member, but Jackie Jensen was certainly a star for the Sox in the 1950s. Jensen led the AL in RBI in 1955 with 116.

The 1958 AL MVP led the league in RBI 3 times in the 50s, all after coming to the Red Sox from the Washington Senators in 1954. Jensen was known as a reluctant star - while he was good enough to play professional baseball at a high level, he was often quoted in interviews showing distaste for the travel, the time away from his family, and the pressures of playing professional ball. He retired twice - once after the 1959 season, then again after the 1961 season, having returned to the Red Sox for one more season.

In addition to Jensen and Ted Williams, the Red Sox had power hitting Norm Zauchin (who replaced the late Harry Agannis) hit 27 homers, and Jim Piersall hit .283 with 13 homers just above league average with a 105 OPS+. Second Baseman Billy Goodman scored 100 runs to go with 99 Walks and 176 hits.

Outside of Frank Sullivan, the pitching staff was roughly league average. 24 year old righty George Susce, Jr. worked out of the pen and as a starter, and had a decent strikeout to walk ratio while allowing just above 3 runs per nine innings. Journeyman reliever Johnny Schmitz recorded victories against all teams in both leagues in his career.

The Cubs were known as "Lovable Losers," and while the Red Sox seemed to find themselves in position to win many times over the years, their losses seemed to come in more creatively agonizing ways. Despite having one the greatest players of all-time in Ted Williams, they managed to make it to just one World Series during his storied career. The 50s saw the team lose ground to rivals in New York, as the team passed on opportunities to sign Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays after holding tryouts they attended, and in fact were the last team in the majors to break the color line that had been a stain on the game for decades. Not considering all possible avenues to sign and develop talent put the franchise at a disadvantage and in the 1960s and 70s the team's success was no doubt tied to their expanded recruitment efforts.

Run Sophie Run

March is Women's History Month. I don't have many cards featuring women that played or contributed to the history of baseball, but I'll make a few posts as the month goes on highlighting some of the women that have been a part of baseball's story over the years.

She was called "The Flint Flash" and "Tina Cobb." Sophie Kurys was born in Flint, Michigan in 1925, and excelled in track and field, basketball, tennis, swimming, and was an avid equestrian. Participating in the Flint, MI Pentathlon in 1939 (she was 14), she scored 4,693 points out of a possible 5,000.  From a young age, Sophie was also the best softball and baseball player in Flint. In April of 1943, she heard about a tryout being held in Flint by a scout from Chicago, looking to form a new women's baseball league. Even though the cold and snowy conditions confined the tryout to a small gym, Kurys was able to demonstrate her hitting and fielding skills. She was invited to Wrigley Field in Chicago to attend the final tryouts. This time, there was room to run.   

Kurys was far and away the greatest base stealer in professional baseball history. Rickey Henderson may have a valid argument for the greatest of All-Time, but before he came along it was Sophie by a country mile. Take 1946, for example. Sophie stole 201 bases in 203 attempts, a record for all professional leagues. That season, Sophie led the league in steals, obviously, but also set the all-time record. She also led the league in walks, runs scored, and fielding percentage at 2nd Base, leading to an MVP season. Her .286 batting average was 2nd best in the league. The balls used by the league were smaller than a softball, and would be modified each year. By the 50s, it would much more closely resemble a major league baseball. Until this time, the ball had a plastic core instead of cork, meaning that it did not travel as hard or as fast. This limited batting averages in the league throughout the 40s.

Her career record of 1,114 stolen bases is surpassed only by MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who played 25 seasons. Sophie stole hers in just 8. Only 3 people in the world have stolen over 1,000 bases - Henderson in MLB, Yutaka Fukamoto in NPB, and Sophie Kurys.

She led the AAGPBL in Runs Scored 6 times, stolen bases 7 times (every year except her rookie season), and is the All-Time Career leader in both categories in league history. She finished 3rd All-Time in Hits and 2nd in Walks. She was a 4-time All-Star (they only held 5 All-Star Games during her playing career), in 2013 she was elected to the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame.

Talking Stupid Money

The news broke yesterday on what was one of the least suspenseful free agent courtships - the marriage between 26 year old Rightfielder and big pile of "Stupid Money." The Phillies had been connected to Harper first and foremost throughout the off-season. 

26 year old free agents don't come along that often, and the two big name position players in this year's free agent class were destined to hit one or both of two big numbers - $30MM per season, $300MM total contract.

Pitchers may be out of luck looking for a 13 year or 10 year contract, especially the way pitchers are used these days. But per year? $30MM has been reached, and there's little question that top dollar per season will be the focus for true free agent aces. These 4 guys have the largest deals of all-time for pitchers. Aaron Nola and Luis Severino both signed fairly team friendly extensions this off-season, and the big name, Patrick Corbin, will be joining Max Scherzer in Washington this season. Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are still looking for their next uniform.

Stanton's $325MM extension in Miami set the bar for future deals, even though in hindsight the Marlins may have gotten themselves caught on too big of a hook. Arenado was set to make a big free agent splash next year, but the Rockies made sure that their franchise player would remain in the rarefied air of Coors Field for years to come. Manny Machado found the 10/$300+ deal he had been seeking all along, and Bryce Harper has found his (he hopes) last major league team.

So the next big landmark free agent deal may be coming sooner than you may think. The Red Sox have the reigning MVP and several contracts that will be ending in the next few years, how many can they keep? Cleveland has been the top of the AL Central by keeping their homegrown talent. Keeping Lindor will be tough for a team that doesn't self-identify as a "big market." Aaron Judge doesn't have to worry about that, but how much will he be after? Then there's Mike Trout, who's Average Annual Value on the last two years of his contract already surpass Harper and Machado... He's said he doesn't want to negotiate contract extensions during Spring Training or during the regular season - meaning the Angels' last chance to sign him before hitting free agency will be next season. Will he make $40MM per year?