The Moonshot: Hall-of-Fame picks, new MLB awards and Juan Soto exile locations
Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
If you’re a fan of a team who knows they have no hope of signing Juan Soto, where should you be hoping he signs?
Terrence Jordan: Somewhere far, far away. The Dodgers and Padres would love to see him stay in the American League if they can’t land him. The Mets and Yankees will each be devastated if he turns them down, but triply so if he signs with their crosstown rivals. Soto is going to be a top-10 player for a long time to come, so every team should be hoping that he goes somewhere that can’t hurt them until a potential World Series matchup.
Mark Powell: The Detroit Tigers will not sign Juan Soto, sadly. I'd love to see Scott Harris and AJ Hinch pitch him, but that's a pipe dream. Unlimited Little Caesars pizza will only go so far. Soto should sign in the National League. The Mets is a fun destination, not only because Yankees fans would be forced to watch him daily, but because the seven-line army deserves this. The Mets haven't won a World Series since 1986, which is just two years after the Tigers last triumphed. Plus Soto and Grimace make for an elite combo in any lineup.
Zachary Rotman: If I were a fan of a team with no hope of signing Juan Soto (thankfully I am not), the Toronto Blue Jays would be my pick. First of all, it’d be pretty cool to see a superstar of Soto’s caliber choose to go to Toronto when most do not. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it feels as if that’d be the landing spot that’d hurt my favorite team the least. Sure, they’d improve considerably by signing Soto, but how good will the Jays be when taking into account that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are in contract years, their farm system is subpar, and their rotation is older? Toronto finished in last place in the AL East this past season, and without many exciting long-term building blocks locked in, how much of a threat would they be even if they got Soto?
Robert Murray: I don’t have a favorite team but I’d want him as far away from my division, and my team, as possible. Soto is an electrifying, franchise-altering player who can change any game with one swing of the bat. Soto going to a division rival would be what nightmares are made of.
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Ichiro Suzuki seems like a no-brainer, but which of the other new inclusions on the Hall of Fame ballot most deserve to get in on their first ballot?
Terrence Jordan: CC Sabathia made it to 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, so he seems like a lock, but I always had just as much love for Felix Hernandez. King Felix was one of the most exciting starters in the game for a long time, but voters will have to decide if his peak was enough to forget about a very forgettable final chapter of his career. Hernandez’s ERA rose in each of the last five seasons he pitched, but he still finished with a better career ERA (3.42) than Sabathia (3.74). Hernandez also gets bonus points for staying with one team his entire career and pitching a perfect game. I don’t know if he’ll make it in Year One, but I hope he’s enshrined in Cooperstown eventually.
Mark Powell: I am pro-Cooperstown chaos. It keeps the offseason storylines alive, and in our profession, that is just perfect. A-Rod is on the ballot, and while there is absolutely no way he receives enough votes, we all know he was a Hall-of-Fame caliber player before he ever gave in to the juice. From a pure chaos perspective, A-Rod or Ben Zobrist are my winners. They don’t deserve it, but let’s cook. Yes, chef!
Zachary Rotman: In terms of who deserves it, the answer is CC Sabathia. 19 seasons, 251 wins, over 3,000 strikeouts, a Cy Young winner, a six-time All-Star, a World Series winner, what hasn’t he accomplished? The longevity is there, the winning is there, and the statistics are there. He should be a first-ballot lock.
Robert Murray: I’ll go with CC Sabathia as well. I saw up close the type of impact he had in Milwaukee, guiding the Brewers on a stunning postseason run. He had a similar impact with his other teams and is absolutely deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
MLB Award Week ended yesterday with the MVP announcements. If the league was going to extend it one more day, what made-up award should they add and who would win for the AL and NL this year?
Terrence Jordan: How about the Five Tool Player Award? We can even have Home Depot or Lowe’s sponsor it. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge had the MVP award locked up long ago, but I’d like to see players in each league rewarded for the well-roundedness of their games. Ohtani was a DH and didn’t pitch this year, so even though he hit for power and average and stole 59 bases, he’s out. Same for Judge, who cost the Yankees with his defense in the World Series and has never been much of a base-stealer. This year, our Five Tool Player awards would go to the MVP runner-ups, Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr. These two did it all at the plate and on the bases, and are two of the best defensive shortstops in the game. Ohtani and Judge are larger than life, but Lindor and Witt deserve their flowers too.
Mark Powell: How about the most underpaid player in baseball award? There is no way executives would be in favor of this, but it'd help agents and, frankly, the BBWAA doesn't owe front offices much these days. The winner of this award should get an immediate incentive added to their contract. For once, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays (among far too many others) might actually have to pay up. Gunnar Henderson was fourth in WAR and made less than $1 million. You're welcome, America.
Zachary Rotman: Clutch moments make or break games, so how about an award that rewards the player who comes through most in the clutch? Something as simple as looking at WRC+ with runners in scoring position can help decide who wins the award. In this case, Aaron Judge and his ridiculous 223 WRC+ would win the AL version, and Bryce Harper’s 192 WRC+ wins it in the NL. For those interested, Jake McCarthy would be a top-10 finisher in this award, which is always fun.
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