Adrian Beltre Among Newcomers to Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot

Adrian Beltre is getting his first chance at entering the hall…

The 44-year-old Dominican former professional baseball player, regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time, is among the newcomers to the 26-player Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, as revealed on Monday.

Adrian Beltre Beltre, a four time MLB All-Star. played 21 major league seasons and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award five times. He played for the Los Angeles DodgersSeattle MarinersBoston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

Other newcomers are  Bartolo ColonMatt HollidayJose BautistaAdrian GonzalezJose ReyesVictor MartinezJames Shields, David Wright, Joe MauerChase Utley and Brandon Phillips.

Players must receive 75% of the vote to gain induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with the top holdovers from last year’s vote including Todd Helton (72%), Billy Wagner (68%), Andruw Jones (58%), Gary Sheffield (55%) and Carlos Beltran (46.5%).

It’s the 10th and final year on the ballot for Sheffield, while Wagner is on the ballot for the ninth time.

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, both of whom received PED suspensions during their careers, also return to the ballot.

Beltran returns for the second time after his vote total might have been held down in his initial appearance due to his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.

Here’s a look at the top Latino newcomers:

  • Beltre should be a lock as a first-year candidate after finishing with 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 93.5 WAR while capturing five Gold Gloves. He ranks third in WAR among third basemen, behind only Mike Schmidtand Eddie Mathews. He had his career season with the Los Angeles Dodgersin 2004, when he led the National League with 48 home runs and finished second in the MVP voting, but his best run came in his 30s with the Texas Rangers from 2011 to 2018, when he had four 30-homer seasons and hit .304.
  • Colon became a fan favorite late in his career, and he finished with 247 wins and won a Cy Young Award with the Angels in 2005, but his career ERA of 4.12 is a little high for serious consideration.
  • Bautista had a nice run from 2010 to 2015 as the game’s top power hitter — he led the AL with 54 home runs in 2010 and 43 in 2011, and his 227 home runs over those six seasons were 28 more than Miguel Cabrerato lead all hitters — but he was late bloomer and didn’t do enough on the front end or back end of his career, and Hall of Fame voters tend to reward longevity over peak value.
  • Gonzalez (43.5 WAR) falls into the “Hall of Very Good” category, with just over 2,000 hits, 317 home runs and seven 100-RBI seasons, but the offensive bar is high for first basemen.

Other holdovers are Omar VizquelAndy PettitteBobby AbreuJimmy RollinsMark BuehrleFrancisco Rodriguez and Torii Hunter.

After years of electing multiple candidates, the BBWAA has elected just one each of the past two years — Scott Rolen in 2023; David Ortiz in 2022 — and didn’t elect anyone in 2021.

Earlier, the Hall of Fame announced its Contemporary Era Committee ballot, which this year considered managers, executive and umpires.

The eight candidates on that ballot are managers Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella, Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson; executives Hank Peters and Bill White (who was also a fine player); and umpires Joe West and Ed Montague.

Texas Rangers Star Adolis García Wins First-Ever Gold Glove Award

It’s the golden hour for Adolis García.

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player and Texas Rangers outfielder has earned his first-ever Gold Glove, an award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League. Garcia earned the award as a right fielder in the American League.

Adolis García While his career-high 39 home runs during the regular season and eight in the postseason made headlines, you can’t overlook García’s tremendous defense in 2023. He earned the award, the fourth by an outfielder in Rangers history, due in particular to his cannon of an arm — his average arm strength of 93 mph. García had a team-best 11 outfield assists this season, which was tied for third in the American League. It was his third straight season with 10-plus outfield assists. He ranked third among qualified MLB right fielders in defensive runs saved (seven).

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos is also first time winner. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher, known as “La Makina,” managed to bounce back from his worst season in the big leagues in 2022, when he struggled to a 5.23 ERA, to win a Gold Glove.

In ’23, he was more like the Berríos of old, posting a 3.65 ERA over 32 starts. But Toronto also got stellar defense off the mound from the right-hander, who joins Marcus Stroman (2017) and R.A. Dickey (2013) as the only pitchers in franchise history to win a Gold Glove Award.

Another first time winner… Houston Astros utilityman Mauricio Dubón. The 29-year-old Honduran professional baseball utility player appeared at every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher for Houston in 2023, spending the majority of thetime either at second base or in center field.

He was a slightly below-average hitter, so most of his value came from his defense. Despite spending about half of a season playing second base (616 2/3 innings), he finished with five defensive runs saved at the position and two in the outfield.

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez won his second consecutive Gold Glove award. The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman led American League second basemen with 18 outs above average and 23 defensive runs saved.

 

Giménez is the second Cleveland player to win multiple Gold Glove Awards at second base, joining Roberto Alomar, who won three straight from 1999-2001.

 

Gabriel Moreno has become the first Arizona Diamondbacks catcher to win a Gold Glove award.

The 23-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher led MLB backstops in defensive runs saved (20) and Statcast‘s caught stealing above average (nine) in 2023. And with only 19 Major League games played behind the plate entering the season, only two non-rookies (excluding pitchers) — Ramón Urías (10 games at third base entering 2022) and Pokey Reese (11 games at second base entering 1999) — played in fewer games at the position for which they won the Gold Glove Award. At 23 years and 229 days old, Moreno is the sixth-youngest catcher to win his first Gold Glove honor.

San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. has won his first Gold Glove.

Tatis took home the National League award in right field ahead of finalists Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lane Thomas of the Washington Nationals.

When Tatis was moved from shortstop to right field to begin 2023, we wondered how he’d fare out there. He was a revelation defensively, leading MLB with 29 defensive runs saved, and his average arm strength of 96.6 mph trailed only Rockies rookie Nolan Jones in the NL. Tatis’ 24 career games in the outfield before the ’23 campaign were the fourth fewest played at a position for which a non-rookie won a Gold Glove Award.

The Toronto Blue JaysTexas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs tied for the high among clubs with three winners each, Rawlings announced Sunday.

Berríos, and Giménez earned $50,000 bonuses in their contracts..

Voting was conducted among managers and up to six coaches from each team, who can’t select players on their own club. Since 2013, voting has been factored with a Society for American Baseball Research defensive index, which comprises about 25% of the total.

The utility category is based on a SABR formula and additional defensive statistics.

Carlos Correa Agrees to 12-Year, $315 Million Contract with New York Mets

Carlos Correa is changing course…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop has agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with the New York Mets, snubbing a previous agreement with the San Francisco Giants, according to ESPN sources.

Carlos CorreaCorrea had originally agreed to terms last week with the Giants and was set to sign a historic 13-year, $350 million contract, tying Bryce Harper for the longest free agent deal in baseball history and setting up the star shortstop to become a new central figure in the Giants’ decorated history.

But the deal fell apart Tuesday over what Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, told the New York Post was a “difference of opinion” concerning Correa’s physical. The Mets swooped in, led by uber-aggressive owner Steve Cohen, who told the Post that he negotiated the new contract with Boras in Hawaii.

“We need one more thing, and this is it,” Cohen told the Post. “This was important. … This puts us over the top. This is a good team. I hope it’s a good team.”

In a statement issued Wednesday, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi wouldn’t disclose what the “difference of opinion” was concerning Correa’s physical, but he did wish the shortstop well moving forward.

“While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination,” Zaidi said in his statement. “We wish Carlos the best.”

Correa was scheduled to be officially introduced by the Giants on Tuesday, but the team announced that morning that the news conference was postponed without providing a reason. Despite the differences on Correa’s physical, sources throughout the industry who spoke to ESPN still believed the deal with the Giants would be finalized.

Boras told The Athletic on Wednesday that San Francisco had “reasonable time” to still move forward with the deal, but that the team was dragging its feet on “things in his medical record that happened decades ago.”

“We reached an agreement. We had a letter of agreement,” Boras told The Athletic. “We gave them a time frame to execute it. They advised us they still had questions. They still wanted to talk to other people, other doctors, go through it.

“I said, ‘Look, I’ve given you a reasonable time. We need to move forward on this. Give me a time frame. If you’re not going to execute, I need to go talk with other teams.”

Boras told the Post that the Mets seized the opportunity to resume negotiations with the two-time All-Star, adding another superstar player in their aggressive pursuit of a championship.

Cohen told the Post that the agreement with Correa and Boras came together quickly because the Mets had initially fallen just short of a deal last week before Correa’s pending deal with the Giants.

“We kind of picked up where we were before, and it just worked out,” Cohen told the paper.

With Correa’s deal, the Mets have committed more than $800 million to free agents this offseason, and their competitive balance tax payroll now projects to be approximately $384 million. The fourth and final threshold of the luxury tax, commonly referred to as “the Steve Cohen tax,” sits at $293 million for the 2023 season, which means the Mets could be in for a tax bill in the neighborhood of $100 million next year.

“What the heck’s the difference?” Cohen told the Post in response to the Mets’ historic spending. “If you’re going to make the move, make the move.”

The Mets already brought back center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz on nine-figure contacts, and signed starting pitchers Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana, relievers Adam Ottavino and David Robertson, and catcher Omar Narvaez.

If Correa’s deal with the Mets is finalized — this one, like his prior agreement with the Giants, is also pending the completion of a physical — he will team up with good friend and fellow Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor, who signed a 10-year, $341 million extension in April 2021. Lindor is expected to remain at shortstop, and Correa would move to third base, a dynamic that would undoubtedly remind fans of the pairing between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the Bronx.

“This really makes a big difference,” Cohen told the Post. “I felt like our pitching was in good shape. We needed one more hitter. This puts us over the top.”

Odds on the Mets to win the World Series improved from +900 to +750 by Wednesday morning, per Caesars Sportsbook. That is the third-best odds behind the Houston Astros (+400) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (+600).

Correa was one of the headliners of this year’s free agent class, alongside Aaron Judge and three other star-caliber shortstops in Trea TurnerXander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, the five of whom have now attained a combined $1.4 billion in total guarantees.

Correa is a Gold Glove Award winner who has batted .285/.366/.476 with 48 home runs and 156 RBIs in 284 games with the Astros and the Minnesota Twins over the past two seasons.

Correa battled injuries to his thumb, back and ribs from 2017 to 2019, a three-year stretch in which he averaged just 98 games per season. But he has nonetheless accumulated 31.3 FanGraphs wins above replacement since his shortened American League Rookie of the Year campaign in 2015, 16th-highest among position players. A former No. 1 overall pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Correa spent his first seven major league seasons with the Astros, evolving into one of the leaders on a star-studded team that was tarnished by the sign-stealing scandal that tainted its championship in 2017.

Unable to land the long-term deal he coveted last offseason, Correa shocked the industry by signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins, who also provided him with two opt-outs. Correa, who hired Boras as his agent at the start of 2022, exercised the first of those opt-outs after a solid 2022 season, venturing out into the free agent market once again.

Eric Chavez to Serve as New York Yankees Assistant Hitting Coach

Eric Chavez is headed to the New York…

The New York Yankees have finalized manager Aaron Boone‘s staff for 2022, with the 44-year-old Mexican American former professional baseball third baseman joining the team.

Eric ChavezChavez, who won six Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger Award during his professional career, will serve as an assistant hitting coach alongside Casey Dykes.

Other new coaching staff members include hitting coach Dillon Lawson, third-base/outfield coach Luis Rojas, first-base/infield coach Travis Chapman and assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel.

Bench coach Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Matt Blake are back for their third seasons in pinstripes, while bullpen coach Mike Harkey returns for a 13th year.

New York fired hitting coach Marcus Thames, third-base coach Phil Nevin and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere after the Yankees went 92-70 and lost the American League Wild Card Game against the Boston Red Sox. First-base coach Reggie Willits left to coach at the University of Oklahoma.

Chavez had a 17-year MLB career and spent the past five seasons as a special assistant with the Los Angeles Angels.

 

Rojas was fired by the New York Mets in October after two underwhelming years as manager. The 40-year-old Latino baseballer was with the Mets organization for 16 years. He was replaced in Queens by Buck Showalter, who held his introductory news conference Tuesday.

 

Chavez, 44, who played third base for the Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks, was in the mix for Rojas’ old job with the Mets, before they ultimately hired Showalter.

Houston Astros Agree to One-Year Contract Extension with Martin Maldonado

Martin Maldonado is staying put…

The Houston Astros have reached a one-year contract extension with the 34-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher, according to general manager James Click.

Martin Maldonado

Under terms of the deal, Maldonado will make $5 million in 2022, according to sources. The deal, which includes a $500,000 buyout, also has a $5 million vesting option for 2023 that becomes guaranteed if Maldonado plays in 90 or more games this season.

Maldonado has served two stints with the Astros and has emerged one of their core vocal leaders over these last couple of years. He’s making $3.5 million in 2021, the second season of a $7 million, two-year contract.

He’s off to a slow start offensively this season — with only three hits and 17 strikeouts in 34 at-bats — and has batted only .216/.291/.352 throughout an MLB career that spans 11 seasons. But his value comes in his handling of the pitching staff and his defense, particularly his arm strength.

Maldonado won a Gold Glove Award in 2017 and ranks as the game’s best pitch-framer in 2021.

He would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.