Kuzul

The calendar is just days away from turning to 2013. With that, the book will effectively be closed on the 2012 season as we look ahead toward the year to come in MLB.

But 2012 provided several memorable performances that won’t be quickly forgotten.

Obviously, some players were recognized for their achievements with MLB’s individual awards, honoring the best hitters and pitchers in each league. Their place in baseball history is assured.

But plenty of other stars had great seasons, the kinds of seasons that they surely wish would never end. For some, 2012 was a breakout year. For those who already established themselves, this year provided affirmation of their greatness. 

Here are 12 MLB stars who may not want to let go of 2012 and move on to the new year just yet. They might want to savor their great season a bit longer. 

Begin Slideshow

Before a hamstring injury shortened his 2012 season, Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was putting up MVP-caliber numbers.

The 27-year-old finished among the National League’s top 10 batters in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS this year. Had he not been limited to 132 games, perhaps Gonzalez’s home run and RBI numbers would have ranked him among the top in the league as well. 

Gonzalez is the type of player a roster can be built around. He’s the sort of young superstar a rebuilding team like the Rockies should covet, knowing that he could be a cornerstone talent for years to come. 

But should a team far from contention think about trading a budding star like Gonzalez in hopes of getting a load of developing prospects in return? That’s how ESPN’s Jim Bowden sees it. 

In his latest column for ESPN.com, Bowden lists five moves that could be made by playoff contenders. One of them is the Rockies trading Gonzalez to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal and outfielder Jon Jay. 

That would be a curious move for the Cardinals, leaving them without a true center fielder. Gonzalez has played 200 games at that position, however, so maybe the added offense he would bring to the lineup would compensate for defensive shortcomings. 

But there are plenty of other MLB teams with whom Gonzalez might be a better fit. Here are five clubs that should check in with the Rockies to see if their left fielder is available. 

Begin Slideshow

The Philadelphia Phillies still need an outfielder. The Boston Red Sox could still use another starting pitcher. 

While those two situations exist during the offseason, those who follow and cover MLB will try to connect dots and speculate that a trade between the Phillies and Red Sox involving Cliff Lee and Jacoby Ellsbury would be a good idea. 

Curt Schilling—who pitched for both teams in his 20-year major league career—is one such person, suggesting on Twitter that the Phillies give the Red Sox a call and try to make this deal happen. As you might imagine, that stirred up Boston sports talk radio. 

Could this trade really happen? At this point, such rumors look like total speculation, trying to play matchmaker between two teams that could seemingly help each other. As the weather gets colder throughout the country, it’s an attempt to keep baseball’s hot stove season burning. 

Neither side seems interested in making such a deal, though general managers could always be posturing for the media, trying to throw reporters off the trail and placate fans starving for any sort of juicy trade rumors. 

CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury reported that the Red Sox indeed proposed trading Ellsbury to the Phillies for Lee. Boston was told, however, that Lee wasn’t available. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to keep his starting pitching trio of Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels together. 

Salisbury points out, however, that Amaro‘s stance could change by the July 31 trade deadline if the Phillies aren’t in contention. Reporters like to keep the possibility of juicy trade rumors going too. 

For what it’s worth, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says he doesn’t want to trade Ellsbury, according to ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes. Cherington expects the center fielder to be an important contributor for the team next season. 

Of course, if Salisbury’s report is accurate, Cherington might feel that way because the Phillies shot down an Ellsbury-for-Lee proposal. 

Rumors of the Red Sox trading Ellsbury just won’t go away, however. The Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo has been working hard at chasing them down.

One American League executive told him that Boston might be trying to trade Ellsbury so that they can re-sign Cody Ross. The Red Sox could then move Shane Victorino to center field. MLB general managers apparently like to play the trade speculation game as well. 

Cafardo also checked on the possibility of the Los Angeles Dodgers trading Andre Ethier to Boston for Ellsbury, which would give them a needed leadoff hitter. But Cafardo‘s source with the Dodgers put that rumor out with a quick denial. 

Maybe reporters and fellow general managers are trying to do Cherington‘s job for him and put together a deal. But if other MLB teams think the Red Sox are eager to trade Ellsbury, Cherington likely isn’t going to find a very good deal. Thus, he’s publicly keeping his arms folded and insisting that Ellsbury won’t be dealt away. 

Trade speculation isn’t going to die down, however.

Ellsbury has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining and, as a Scott Boras client, isn’t going to agree to a new contract without testing out the free-agent market for maximum possible value. That has most people thinking that the Red Sox will try to get something in return for Ellsbury before he skips town for a rich contract elsewhere. 

This is why the Phillies aren’t going to take Ellsbury in a trade for Lee.

Lee still has three years on his contract, with a club option for 2016. Though it would give Philadelphia some payroll flexibility to trade Lee and the $87.5 million remaining on his contract (which would go up to $102.5 million if his option is picked up), Amaro isn’t going to trade one of his best players for someone who will likely leave as a free agent after the season. 

Sure, the Phillies could use Ellsbury. He had an MVP-caliber year in 2011, hitting .321 with a .928 OPS, 46 doubles, 32 home runs, 105 RBI and 39 stolen bases. He was also one of the best defensive center fielders in MLB, according to FanGraphs‘ Ultimate Zone Rating, saving nearly 16 runs more than the average player at that position.

If Ellsbury is capable of putting up that kind of performance again, any team would want him. He would obviously be a tremendous addition to the Phillies outfield. 

Even if Philadelphia already traded for Ben Revere, the team could move him to right field, where he played most of his games last season. Amaro could probably live with Darin Ruf or Domonic Brown in left field with Ellsbury on his roster. 

Again, however, it’s not going to happen. Lee isn’t going to be traded for one year of Ellsbury. He definitely isn’t going to be dealt at the trade deadline for what would amount to a three-month rental of Ellsbury if the Phillies aren’t a contender. And if the Red Sox are in the chase for a playoff spot, they probably wouldn’t want to trade Ellsbury either.

That won’t stop reporters and analysts from trying to connect the dots, of course. Trade speculation will follow Lee and Ellsbury throughout the season. The match between the Phillies and Red Sox is just too enticing to ignore. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets don’t have a lot of money to spend this winter. 

Though the team has one to two openings in its outfield, general manager Sandy Alderson hasn’t chased a big-name free agent like B.J. Upton or Nick Swisher. Trading for a player like Justin Upton won’t happen because the Mets are in the position of acquiring prospects, not dealing them away. 

Without spending much money or giving up prospects in trade, how are the Mets supposed to get a outfielder? The best option for them might be taking a chance on a player who won’t cost much because he hasn’t played since Sept. 29, 2011. 

Grady Sizemore showed some promise in 2011 after recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee. He hit 10 home runs with 32 RBI in 295 plate appearances for the Cleveland Indians, showing glimpses of the player who averaged 25 home runs and 80 RBI in his prime and was one of the best center fielders in MLB. 

Optimistic about his health, the Tribe re-signed Sizemore for one year and $5 million. Three months later, he underwent back surgery and was only projected to miss eight to 12 weeks. But while he was working his way back, Sizemore developed a knee injury in August. By then, it was so late in the season that the Tribe decided to shut him down for the rest of the year. 

According to The Plain Dealer‘s Paul Hoynes, the Indians might be willing to bring Sizemore back this year on a minor league contract with the hopes of earning a major league roster spot in spring training. It’s difficult to imagine another team offering anything more than that.

Enter the Mets. Meet the Mets! Step right up and greet the Mets!

According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, this could actually happen.

Heard the #Mets are very interested in Grady Sizemore. He’s coming off microfracture surgery, but I would def take a shot w him.

— Kevin Burkhardt (@KBurkhardtSNY) December 20, 2012

At this point in his career, if Sizemore is able to come back healthy, he’s probably better off as a right fielder. Sizemore has only played center field in the major leagues. But according to FanGraphs‘ Ultimate Zone Rating, he was a below-average defensive player over his last three seasons. 

That works for the Mets, who will probably play Kirk Nieuwenhuis in center field next season. Nieuwenhuis was called up from Triple-A Buffalo after Andres Torres suffered a calf injury on Opening Day and was impressive for the first two months of the season.

He played like an NL Rookie of the Year candidate, batting .268 with a .730 OPS, seven home runs and 25 RBI during the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Nieuwenhuis fell off the table in July, batting .105 with a .322 OPS, and was sent back down to the minors for the rest of the season.

There really aren’t that many better options for the Mets. As reported by the New York Post‘s Mike Puma, the team has shown interest in Cody Ross. But he’s seeking a three-year, $25 million contract and Alderson doesn’t want to go over two years for any free agent. 

Even if the Mets did sign Ross, Sizemore is worth taking a chance on. He could compete with Nieuwenhuis and the recently acquired Collin Cowgill for the starting center field spot. If he loses out there, he could back up Ross—who hit .256 against right-handed pitching—in right field. 

This is exactly the sort of low-risk/high-reward move the Mets should be making in their current financial state. 

Last January, the Mets cut their payroll by $50 million, going from $143 million in player salaries to $94 million. That didn’t figure to change very much this year, though the team picked up contract options for David Wright and R.A. Dickey. 

Wright was signed to a seven-year, $122 million contract extension in late November. But that didn’t mean that the Mets had suddenly opened the vault again. The entire deal is actually an eight-year, $138 million package, yet calls for Wright to defer $15.5 million through 2018, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. 

The team’s tight payroll situation is why Alderson was haggling with Dickey on a two-year contract extension. Though the Mets likely weren’t going to contend with Dickey anyway, re-signing him seemed like something of a no-brainer. The pitching staff needed him at the top of the rotation. He was one of the team’s only selling points with fans. 

However, Alderson should be praised for the haul of prospects he received from the Toronto Blue Jays for Dickey. The Mets have their catcher of the future in Travis d’Arnaud and another promising prospect for their starting rotation in Noah Syndergaard. 

A team building for the future needs some stopgap players to fill out the roster until its minor leaguers develop. Sizemore is the perfect sort of player for that role at this point.

Signing him isn’t the only move the Mets should make. Alderson shouldn’t clap his hands and declare himself done after that. An outfield of Lucas Duda, Nieuwenhuis or Sizemore and possibly Mike Baxter isn’t going to draw more fans to Citi Field next year. 

But some team out there is going to take a chance on Sizemore. It may not work out, but the financial risk shouldn’t be significant. Why shouldn’t that team be the Mets? 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers began the offseason with one of the most baffling signings in MLB. Two months later, the transaction is still one of the most curious—and potentially terrible. 

Soon after the World Series ended, the Dodgers re-signed reliever Brandon League. That in itself wasn’t an objectionable move.

League compiled a 2.30 ERA in 28 appearances for the Dodgers after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners. He also struck out 8.9 batters per nine innings, nearly the best rate of his career. 

But perhaps because the Guggenheim Baseball Management ownership group is just overflowing with money, the Dodgers gave League a generous three-year contract worth $22.5 million. That’s $22.5 million for a reliever who was only the full-time closer for one season in Seattle. 

As a point of comparison, R.A. Dickey just signed a two-year contract extension for $25 million with the Toronto Blue Jays. Jonathan Broxton, who’s been an established closer, received a three-year, $21 million deal from the Cincinnati Reds. 

The Dodgers also already appeared to have an established closer in Kenley Jansen, which is another reason signing League seemed odd. The 25-year-old right-hander notched 25 saves this season while striking out 13.7 batters per nine innings.

Unfortunately, Jansen went on the disabled list with an irregular heartbeat and had surgery to correct the problem after the season. The Dodgers were thus likely worried and wanted some insurance at closer, so the team decided to move Jensen to a setup role and give the ninth-inning duties to League.

Utilizing Jansen as a setup man arguably allows Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to use his best reliever in a variety of situations, rather than tie him to the customary save opportunity in which a closer pitches. Perhaps Mattingly will decide to keep Jensen restricted to the eighth inning, as many MLB skippers do.

But Jansen could be used for whatever is judged the most important, high-leverage scenario late in a ballgame. If it’s a situation in the seventh inning with runners on second and third and one out, and a strikeout is needed, Mattingly could call upon Jansen then.

However, some teams prefer to have their best strikeout pitcher in the closer role, looking for a guy who can come in, mow down three batters and call it a night. Jansen seems best suited for that imposing sort of figure.

Yet general manager Ned Colletti was impressed by the job League did as closer, telling the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez that his performance in the last two to three weeks of the season convinced the team that he could do the job. 

League was indeed outstanding in September, posting an 0.55 ERA and six saves in 15 appearances. He allowed one run and seven hits in 16 innings, while also striking out 13 batters. 

If League can be that kind of pitcher throughout a full season, then Colletti‘s faith in him would be justified. But that’s the question, one which makes the Dodgers’ investment such a head-scratcher: It’s a risk. Colletti is taking a gamble that League can be a dominant closer when he’s never really demonstrated he’s capable of that.

Yes, League had 37 saves in 2011, the one season in which he was the Mariners’ designated closer. But he only struck out an average of 6.6 batters per nine innings, hardly the flamethrower that most teams prefer to pitch in the ninth inning. League also allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings, putting more runners on base than a reliever should in late innings. 

But League showed the potential of being a more formidable reliever during his late-season stint, displaying a capability for the role that Colletti obviously feels will make him a good closer for the Dodgers over the next three seasons. 

As mentioned above, League’s strikeout rate during his 28 appearances with the Dodgers was the second-highest of his career. His rate of 5.6 hits allowed per nine innings was also the lowest of his nine major league seasons.

Perhaps League is just better suited to pitching in the National League after working virtually his entire career in the American League. That could be something else Colletti is banking on. 

Ultimately, the Dodgers might look smart for investing in League. The market for closers wasn’t great this offseason with relievers like Jose Valverde, Brett Myers and Matt Capps on the market. Rafael Soriano is seeking to be paid like a starting pitcher. And Brian Wilson is coming off the second Tommy John surgery of his career. 

Taking a chance on a reliever who will turn 30 before the 2013 season begins and has prior experience as a closer was clearly the best option for a team that needed stability in the ninth inning after juggling those responsibilities among Jansen and Javy Guerra this season. 

If it turns out to be a bad investment for the Dodgers, that’s one luxury of having such a large, deep payroll. A franchise with a lot of money can afford to make some mistakes along the way without such misjudgments setting the team back. 

But if Colletti is willing to take a chance on League and he doesn’t work out, can his judgment be trusted on the next reliever he might tab to be the Dodgers’ closer? 

Grade: C

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One of the prevailing questions of this offseason has been “Where are the New York Yankees?”

In past years, the Yankees presumably would have pushed stacks of money across the table at free agents like Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez. They would have chased down R.A. Dickey, instead of watching him go to a division rival in Toronto. 

The same goes for the Boston Red Sox, who were spending almost as much as the Yankees. But in an attempt to correct a payroll that had become bloated and a roster that was growing stale and entitled, the Red Sox purged $260 million in player contracts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Yankees and Red Sox have been among the top five payrolls in MLB dating back to 2003, according to USA Today. (Of course, the Yanks are always on top.) From 2004 through 2007, the two AL East rivals ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in team salaries. 

Oh, how times have changed.

The Los Angeles Angels have snatched the role of American League superpower over the past two years, shocking the baseball world by signing Albert Pujols and Hamilton in successive seasons.

Owner Arte Moreno expanded the payroll to accommodate Hamilton’s five-year, $125 million contract, and according to Cot’s Contracts, the Halos are already down for a $114 million payroll in 2013 with plenty of younger players and arbitration-eligibles to re-sign.

General manager Jerry Dipoto might even have one big trade left in him, as the Angels seek another starting pitcher and have a surplus of outfielders to spare. 

The Detroit Tigers nabbed the other big prize last winter in Prince Fielder. This year, prompted by owner Mike Ilitch, the Tigers got the second-best starting pitcher available, re-signing Anibal Sanchez to a five-year, $80 million deal. 

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is still on the lookout for an outfielder and reliever. As reported by CBS Sports’ Danny Knobler, starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly are on the trade block to help get the players Detroit still needs. Detroit is committed to a $110 million payroll thus far.

But the offseason’s biggest surprise has been the Toronto Blue Jays. After years of letting their AL East rivals pass them by, ownership has finally decided to go for it.

GM Alex Anthopoulos acquired three star players in a blockbuster deal with the Florida Marlins. The Blue Jays followed that up with a deal for National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, signing him to a two-year contract extension in the process. 

Anthopoulos paid a dear price for his new talent, surrendering several of the organization’s top minor league prospects. This is the quintessential “all-in” move, sacrificing the future for a run at championship glory in the present. The Blue Jays payroll sits at a nice, round figure of $100 million at this point.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman have been acting like a small-market operation this offseason, under principal owner Hal Steinbrenner’s mandate to get the payroll under the $189 million luxury tax threshold for 2014. 

Not only have the Yanks not pursued superstars like Hamilton, but they’ve also lost out on lower-tier free agents such as Jeff Keppinger and Nate Schierholtz. Even Eric Chavez, who was a Yankees reserve for the past two seasons, decided to blow town and play with the Arizona Diamondbacks instead. 

But the Yankees may have found their footing recently. Kevin Youkilis was signed to a one-year contract. Ichiro Suzuki was inked to a two-year deal. Pitchers Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera are all coming back for one more season. 

Though all of those names have had prominent major league careers—two of them being core Yankees—they’re serving as temporary stopgaps, rather than long-term solutions. 

In Boston, the season had spiraled so hopelessly downward that GM Ben Cherington essentially dropped to his knees and let the Los Angeles Dodgers bail them out. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto were jettisoned from the roster to lighten the load of a payroll that sank the Red Sox to the bottom of the AL East. 

One of MLB’s perennial contenders over the past decade raised the white flag and waved its flares as we’ve never seen before. It was the end of an era in Red Sox Nation. 

With flexibility restored to the payroll, some wondered if the Red Sox might go right back to the same high-rolling approach that got the team in trouble to begin with. Would Boston pursue Hamilton or Greinke? Maybe Nick Swisher or Anibal Sanchez?

Well, not quite. But the Red Sox did have several holes to fill on the roster and plunged back into the free-agent waters. This time, however, Cherington stayed in the safer, shallow side of the pool rather than cannonball into the deep end like his predecessor, Theo Epstein, did. 

Rather than a mega five-to-six-year contract that could tie up the payroll once again, the Red Sox handed out nearly identical three-year, $39 million deals to Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino. Ryan Dempster was signed to a two-year contract and reliever Koji Uehara inked a one-year agreement. 

All of these players should help Boston get back to its feet in the AL East race, but the shorter, low-risk contracts demonstrate the new way of doing business at Fenway Park. 

The newly conservative, cautious approaches by the two teams that have taken turns asserting themselves over the AL during the past decade have left a considerable opening for other teams in the league.

Perhaps the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays had already taken advantage. But the bold, aggressive moves by the Angels, Tigers and Blue Jays seem to indicate that there’s no longer the same fear of the Yankees and Red Sox—especially from a financial standpoint—that existed in past seasons.

Rival teams know that they can outspend and outbid the AL’s East Coast formerly fearsome twosome. 

The competition should enjoy the opportunity while it lasts, however, and establish a foothold atop the AL. After the Yankees get past 2014’s luxury tax threshold, they’re free to spend as much as they want again. The Red Sox might also get to that point once they’ve regained their equilibrium. 

One thing is for certain: For at least the next two years, the AL is going to be extremely competitive. The balance of power could tip in any number of directions. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

During MLB‘s winter meetings last week (Dec. 3-6), rumors of a three- or four-team trade buzzed throughout the Opryland complex. But no deal was consummated. 

Since baseball’s annual December pow-wow ended, however, we’ve seen plenty of action on the free-agent and trade markets. That continued with a three-way deal between the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks featuring outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, pitcher Trevor Bauer and shortstop Didi Gregorius. 

With the multi-team trade, the Reds now have a leadoff hitter (and possibly a center fielder), the Indians have a potential ace starting pitcher and the D-Backs got the shortstop that has taken nearly five months to find.

But which team came out as a winner from this deal and who looks like a loser?

The argument could be made that all three teams did well in this trade, but upon a closer look, that may not quite be the case. Also, which team not involved in the three-way action ended up losing the day? Here’s how we see it. 

Begin Slideshow

For a five- to six-year span, Sammy Sosa was one of the best home run hitters in MLB. 

With Sosa eligible to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time, the question is whether or not he belongs with the greatest players in the history of the game.

Could Sosa be part of the 2013 Hall of Fame class? Does his career home run total warrant a near-automatic bid ticket to Cooperstown?

Or will voters hold suspicion of PED use against him, as they surely will with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and other names associated with baseball’s steroid era? And even if those players eventually get in, does Sosa have the sort of career numbers that simply cannot be denied?

Sosa has 609 career home runs. That is eighth on MLB’s all-time list, ahead of legends like Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt and Mickey Mantle. 

There was a time when that many home runs by a player would have guaranteed his entrance into the Hall of Fame.

Reaching 500 homers was considered an incredible achievement. It still is, of course. Only 25 players in the history of the sport have reached that milestone. But 600 home runs is another level. Eight players are on that pedestal. 

But career home run totals have to be viewed differently now because of the influence of PEDs and their perceived affect on the game. (I say “perceived,” because we don’t know exactly how or how much these substances help players. It’s all speculation, though there certainly appears to be some convincing evidence.) 

The six best single-season home run totals in baseball history all occurred from 1998 to 2001. Five of the top 10 career leaders in home runs played from the 1990s to the 2000s. 

Reaching 500 or 600 home runs during that era, regardless of whether or not you believe many players were doing so with pharmaceutical help, doesn’t appear quite as special as it did during the 1970s or earlier. 

Consider also that Sosa was reported to have tested positive for PEDs in 2003, according to The New York Times. If Hall of Fame voters are keeping Jeff Bagwell out of Cooperstown for being suspected of taking steroids, actual proof doesn’t help Sosa’s case. 

But Sosa will certainly be remembered for the 1998 season, during which he and Mark McGwire grabbed the attention of baseball fans, sports fans and the popular culture with their race to break Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 home runs.

It was a reminder of how fun following baseball could be. We love to see records chased, especially a mythological achievement like the most home runs in a season. 

Sosa actually did break the record, hitting 66 home runs that season. But McGwire hit 70, achieving a mark that looked as if it may never be surpassed—or at least hold up for more than 30 years, as Maris’ total did. 

However, this wasn’t just a one-year aberration for Sosa. Of those top six seasons on the all-time home run list, he has three of them.

Sosa is the only player in MLB history with three seasons of 60 or more home runs. We spent 37 years wondering if anyone might hit that many homers again. He did it three times in a four-year span.

Over a six-year period, Sosa hit at least 40 homers. Not even Bonds or McGwire can say that. 

Sosa is unquestionably one of the best home run hitters MLB has ever seen. But was he one of baseball’s best players? Does hitting a whole lot of homers make someone a Hall of Famer?

Maybe this is the baseball equivalent of Buddy Ryan’s infamous dismissal of receiver Cris Carter when he was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles: All he does is catch touchdowns. 

Did Sosa only hit home runs? He had 160 RBI in 2001, making him only the second National League player to accumulate that many in a single season. (The other was Hack Wilson, who holds the record of 191 RBI.) Four seasons earlier, Sosa drove in 158 runs. 

Sosa also has 2,408 career hits, which seems like a surprisingly high total for a slugger. McGwire, for instance, has 1,626 for his career.

But if you look at the all-time hit leaders in MLB history, Sosa’s total puts him in the company of players like Todd Helton and Bobby Abreu. With all due respect, I don’t think we’ll be debating their Hall of Fame chances in the years to come. 

In a previous article, I wrote that Barry Bonds deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. So why Bonds and not Sosa?

Bonds was worthy of Cooperstown in the 13 seasons before he reportedly began taking steroids after the 1998 season, according to the book Game of Shadows. He has nearly 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI. He has more than 500 stolen bases. His career OPS is over 1.000. 

Oh, and Bonds’ 762 home runs are the most in MLB history. He was capable of hitting 40 home runs in a season even before he supposedly began using PEDs.

Sosa was a fringe major league player in the first four years of his career. Then something appeared to click. Perhaps it took him that long for his game to come together. 

But Sosa jumped from eight home runs in 1992 to 33 in 1993. Was that because he played in nearly twice as many games? Or was something else going on? Sosa made an even bigger jump from 1997 to 1998, going from 36 homers to 66.

Even Bonds didn’t have that large of a spike when he hit 73 homers in 2001. It’s certainly worth raising an eyebrow over. But again, maybe Sosa had a breakthrough with his swing. 

Did we mention that Sosa was once caught using a corked bat? That seems worth noting. 

Sosa has a compelling case for the Hall of Fame for all of the reasons mentioned above. He also has an MVP award and seven All-Star appearances on his resumé. At one point, he was perhaps the best home run hitter in baseball. 

But was Sosa truly one of the best players of his era? And should the notable spikes in his home run numbers during his career raise suspicions? Those questions will likely be enough to keep him out of Cooperstown. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Trade rumors involving R.A. Dickey have generated plenty of buzz during the first two days of MLB‘s winter meetings. But there also seems to be the sense that the New York Mets won’t trade him until after Zack Greinke signs with a team. 

Could both Dickey and Greinke end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers? According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the two pitchers aren’t necessarily an either-or proposition for general manager Ned Colletti. 

The Dodgers could try to get both pitchers, providing their rotation with a top three of Cy Young Award winners that would rival the Philadelphia Phillies‘ trio of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels and make Los Angeles a favored playoff contender in the NL. 

If the Dodgers were to lose out on Greinke, presumably to the Texas Rangers or the Los Angeles Angels, then Dickey would certainly be a fallback option, giving the rotation the strong No. 2 starter Colletti is looking to acquire. 

The presumption is that the Dodgers won’t have to make a choice because they can just pay more than any other team. 

That is certainly true for Greinke and it’s why the Dodgers have always been considered the favorite to sign him. The Texas Rangers or Los Angeles Angels aren’t going to win a bidding war with the free-spending Dodgers.

But principal owner Mark Walter has expressed a reluctance to sign a pitcher to a long-term deal, telling the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez, “Pitchers break.” That might indicate that the Dodgers won’t give Greinke the six-to-seven year deal that he’s reportedly seeking. 

If that’s the case, then perhaps Dickey is a better fit for the Dodgers. He’s signed for next season after the Mets picked up his $5 million option for 2013. 

However, to make a trade for Dickey worthwhile, Colletti will almost certainly have to agree to a contract extension before finalizing a deal.

The Dodgers didn’t trade for Ryan Dempster because Colletti wasn’t willing to give up top prospects for a two-month rental. Dickey would be with the Dodgers for a full season, so perhaps Colletti would be more willing to part with his young talent. 

According to the New York Daily News‘ John Harper, the Dodgers have made such an offer to the Mets for Dickey. Harper tweeted that Los Angeles proposed a deal involving top pitching prospect Zach Lee and shortstop Dee Gordon. 

Lee is the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect, according to Baseball America, and that is surely the sort of player the Mets want in exchange for Dickey. Gordon has the potential to be a starting shortstop as well, but he lost that job with the Dodgers because he doesn’t hit or get on base enough. Without that, his speed can’t be utilized. 

So that package probably isn’t enough to interest the Mets. As Harper points out, the Mets want an outfielder in any prospective deal and probably would like a catcher as well. MLB.com beat writer Anthony DiComo doesn’t think Lee and Gordon can made a trade happen either. 

These are the sorts of concerns Colletti doesn’t have to deal with in regards to Greinke. He’ll just cost money. A lot of money. But the Dodgers don’t have to give up any players they project as future stars to get the top pitcher on the free-agent market. 

However, as I’ve written in another article, giving Greinke $150 million could cost the Dodgers even more money down the line when Clayton Kershaw’s contract comes up after next season. Kershaw is even better than Greinke, coming off two outstanding years for Los Angeles. He could very well get a $200 million contract. 

But if Greinke doesn’t get a mega-deal with the Dodgers and ends up signing for less money with another team, perhaps Kershaw doesn’t break that $200 million threshold. Could that enter into the Dodgers’ thinking at all? Do they want to avoid paying $350 million to two pitchers? 

Even if the Dodgers sign Dickey to a two-year contract—or the three-year deal that ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports the knuckleballer is seeking—he would likely cost around $12 million per season. That’s half of what Greinke is seeking. And a three-year deal might be more in line with what Walter believes is appropriate for a pitcher. 

Dickey would also perhaps slot in more comfortably to the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Kershaw and in front of Josh Beckett.

That might not seem like a big deal from a baseball standpoint, but it might be a concern in terms of payroll. Greinke could be getting paid like an ace, yet be the No. 2 guy in the Dodgers rotation. This wouldn’t be an issue with Dickey, who would clearly be the second starter with a shorter contract. 

Yet such matters just don’t seem significant to the Dodgers, especially if their ownership is serious about building a championship contender and becoming the next superpower in MLB. Adding Greinke to their rotation is an impact move that could affect the balance of power in the National League.

The Dodgers have to go big to overtake the World Series champion San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Trading for Dickey would be a good move. Signing Greinke would be a great one. From all accounts, the Dodgers are looking to become great.

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets took care of their biggest offseason question late Thursday night, one that would have dogged them through the winter, spring training and the regular season had it not been addressed. 

Third baseman David Wright agreed to a seven-year, $122 million contract extension with the Mets. Including Wright’s $16 million option for 2013, the total package works out to an eight-year, $138 million deal that is the richest in team history. 

The deal reportedly won’t be officially announced until next week, but the Mets no longer face the dilemma they had last year with shortstop Jose Reyes. 

But should a team that has been struggling financially, one that had to trim more than $50 million off its payroll before this season, have committed to pay Wright nearly $20 million per year through 2020? Would the best thing for the franchise have been to disperse that kind of money throughout the roster?

I realize that’s kind of an unfair question. If you’re a Mets fan, maybe you’re yelling at the screen right now. What else was this team supposed to do? 

If they didn’t sign Wright to a contract extension and lost him to free agency after the season, general manager Sandy Alderson and owner Fred Wilpon would have been skewered for that decision as well. 

Depending on how you view the situation, this was a no-win scenario for the Mets. Either they overpaid for a player who may have already had his best seasons, or they were cheapskates for letting the team’s cornerstone player go because of money. 

Wright certainly helped himself by having a strong season one year removed from free agency. With questions about whether or not he could stay healthy over a full season after struggling with a back injury during the 2011 season, the Mets third baseman came back to put up MVP-caliber numbers.

With a .306 average, Wright finished seventh in the National League this past season. He also ranked among the league’s top 10 with a .391 on-base percentage and .883 OPS. Had the Mets not finished fourth in the NL East with a 74-88 record, perhaps he would have received more support for the NL MVP award.

But for his own purposes, Wright showed he could still be a star hitter and excellent defensive third baseman. According to FanGraphs‘ Ultimate Zone Rating, Wright had the best third base glove in the NL. He saved 15 more runs than the average player at the position and was credited with 16 defensive runs saved, second-most among MLB third basemen. 

Coming through with a season like that only increased the pressure on the Mets to sign Wright to a contract extension. The market was also going up with the six-year, $100 million extensions that Ryan Zimmerman received from the Washington Nationals and Evan Longoria got from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Those contracts set a benchmark for Wright to surpass with his deal. It’s probably not a coincidence that the Mets initially offered those same terms to Wright. On one hand, it was a demonstration that the team would pay market value. But on the other, the Mets had to know Wright would turn that down and push for more. 

Had the Mets risked letting Wright go to free agency to find a richer contract, he likely would have received it.

Both the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies could use a star third baseman, and sticking it to a division rival would make the transaction even sweeter. Other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels could have gotten involved as well.

It would have been an embarrassing loss for the franchise. The Mets are trying to win fans back after falling out of contention, cutting payroll and flirting with bankruptcy, as Wilpon was involved with the Bernie Madoff fraud scandal. 

Mets fans showed how much they were willing to support the team as they competed with the Nationals and Braves for the NL East lead during the first half of the season. The appetite for a winning team in Flushing is voracious. 

How could the Mets follow that up by letting perhaps the best reason to watch the team play a ballgame go to another team? The backlash and outrage—which would eventually lead to apathy—is something the Mets would have fought against for years to come.

Winning a fanbase back after losing it can be a long process. The Mets had to sign Wright, lest they risk irrelevance both to Mets fans and MLB at large. 

The question now is whether or not Alderson can build a winning team around him.

The roster needs one to two outfielders for next season, depending on whether or not Kirk Nieuwenhuis can be a full-time contributor. Shortstop is an uncertainty, though Ruben Tejada showed he could play the position well. The Mets could also use some help at catcher, where Josh Thole doesn’t appear to be a long-term solution. 

On the pitching side, the Mets should have a strong rotation. NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey is the No. 1 guy and could be for the next three years, if he and the team can agree on a contract extension. Johan Santana, Jonathon Niese and Matt Harvey fill out the rest of the top four. The fifth starter could be Dillon Gee or perhaps top prospect Zack Wheeler at some point. 

Other than with Dickey’s extension, Alderson shouldn’t have to worry about investing money into his starting rotation. He could even free up some payroll by buying out Santana’s $25 million option for 2014 at $5.5 million. He could also trade Dickey before next season, as CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman suggests. 

But the Mets do have to be concerned with their bullpen. Frank Francisco is signed for next season and will probably be the closer, but finding a backup and/or eventual replacement should be a priority. Even if Alderson re-signs Jon Rauch as the setup man, the relief corps probably needs at least one more arm. 

That gives the Mets quite a few holes to fill, a project that could take a couple of years to properly address—especially with the team committing so much money to Wright now. 

Wright presumably believes in the Mets’ plans, since he signed up with them for seven more years after next season. But since he’s getting paid superstar money during that span, perhaps he’s not the most objective judge at this point. 

Depending on what moves the Mets make in the weeks and months to come, it might not be a better team than this year’s 2012 edition. It’s possible this team could be worse, losing more than 88 games. 

But signing Wright is certainly a strong move for the present and future of this team. Without him, it’s difficult to imagine the Mets being competitive, let alone interesting to watch, for the next few seasons. At the very least, this is a big start in the right direction. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com