Cubs jump Red Sox, other suitors to sign top international free agent
After the Red Sox expressed interest in the top player on the international market throughout the offseason, it was the Chicago Cubs that signed him in the end.
The Cubs signed outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year contract worth $85 million on Wednesday, according to Ken Rosenthal. The deal comes after Suzuki was rumored to be closing in on a deal with the San Diego Padres earlier this week before he took to Instagram to reject those rumors.
https://twitter.com/EthanPorciello/status/1503498615045640198
The Red Sox were interested in Suzuki throughout the offseason to fill a corner outfield spot following the trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Suzuki had a standout season at the plate in 2021 in Japan, hitting 38 home runs on top of a .317 batting average and a 1.069 OPS. The Red Sox will now look elsewhere for a starting corner outfielder to join Alex Verdugo in left field and Kiké Hernandez in center field.
MLB takes big step toward actually improving on-field product
MLB games are poised to look dramatically different in 2023, based on the rules that the players union has agreed to allow clubs to implement. Here are the three big rule changes to know about on the baseball diamond.
Pitch Clock
Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in between batters during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 31, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
According to Jesse Rogers at ESPN.com, MLB plans to institute a 14-second pitch clock with the bases empty and 19 seconds with runners on base. Recent experiments in the minor leagues helped baseball ultimately land on the two numbers.
According to Baseball Prospectus data provided to The Ringer, 82 percent of major league pitchers averaged 15 seconds or fewer between pitches with the bases empty, while only 15 percent of pitchers averaged 17 seconds or fewer with runners on base. The pitch clock did prove successful in the Low-A West League, where the average game length dropped by 21 minutes.
That makes the pitch clock an obvious choice for a change that will shorten the overall length of games and improve pacing, especially if batters continue to walk and strike out at the rate they have in recent years.
No Defensive Shifts
Cole Irvin #19 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 9, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
It’s unclear what this rule change will look like and how it will be enforced. But you can presume that teams simply won’t be allowed to overload the right side of the infield to induce pull hitters into easy ground balls. It’s possible that infielders won’t be able to line up in the outfield, which is a hallmark of the shift.
While obviously effective, defensive shifts have only served to make games less exciting, forcing power hitters to try bunting or slapping the ball to the opposite field. Banning the shift is akin to offside rules in every other major sport. You can’t cross the line too early in football or hockey, and in basketball you can’t spend too much time in the paint. It’s the same principle.
The change will certainly lead to more ground balls sneaking through the infield, while more base hits will land safely in right field without a second baseman there to gobble them up. But it’s still more important to up the pace between pitches and at-bats, which is why the pitch clock is still the most impactful change.
Bigger Bases
Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves steals second base as Trea Turner #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers fields the throw during the 5th inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The idea here is to give runners less distance to cover when attempting to steal bases or reach safely. Steals are often among the most exciting plays in the sport, so more of them in the mix with all the walks and strikeouts should improve the overall entertainment value.
Despite this and the other rule changes, baseball fans still have to wait another year before they actually happen. But it’s still a huge development for the game itself that players and the league are agreeing to evolve. The only downside here is that George Carlin’s old “baseball & football” bit becomes a little more dated (“We don’t know when it’s gonna end! We might have EXTRA innings!”).
Baseball has really been testing fans’ patience in recent years. Finally, it looks like they’ll be rewarded.
Click here for complete Boston Red Sox coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.
