White Sox Cut Yolmer Sanchez From Team Despite Winning a Gold Glove

Major League Baseball has 750 roster spots. Let's just say the supply of players exceeds the demand despite the fluidity in team rosters with injuries and players not living up to expectations. Roster spots are tenuous. Unless you are in Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg or Anthony Rendon territory, it can be hard for a big league baseball player to know where he stands from one day to the next.


Consider the case of Yolmer Sanchez. He's been a part of the Chicago White Sox organization since 2009 when he signed as an international free agent at the age of 16. The Venezuelan born Sanchez made his big league debut in 2014 and has been an everyday player since the 2016 season. He led the AL in triples in 2018 with 10. In 2019, Sanchez earned a Gold Glove for his defensive work at second base.


You would think that winning a Gold Glove would be sufficient to keep your roster spot. But as Johnny Carson would tell Ed McMahon, "You would be wrong bourbon breath." The White Sox have put Sanchez on waivers effectively cutting him from the team. Although Sanchez would lead the AL in defensive runs saved among second basemen, he also had the lowest slugging percentage in MLB (.321).


Sanchez is eligible for arbitration and the Chisox would have had to pay him at least $6.2 million in 2020 (he earned $4,625,000 in 2019). So the White Sox determined Sanchez's lack of offensive production negated his defensive contributions to speak nothing of his positive presence in the Chisox clubhouse. Sanchez can also play shortstop, third base and the outfield. But I guess the White Sox don't think a utility player is worth $6 million a year.


In an era dominated by the home run, one wonders if today's White Sox would have kicked Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox to the curb. I'm not saying that Sanchez is in Fox's class. Fox hit over .300 six times and led the AL in hits four times in his 19-year big league career. But Fox never hit more than 6 home runs a season. I suspect if Sanchez had hit 30 home runs and had half the defensive efficiency he would still be on the Chisox roster.


I can only hope that one of the 29 other teams can see Sanchez's value be it as an everyday Gold Glove caliber player or as a utility man. Given that there are free agents who will be signed for well in excess of $200 million, $6 million seems a small price to pay for someone who can catch the ball and keep the other team from scoring. Whoever does sign Yolmer Sanchez will see dividends which might have gone the way of the White Sox in 2020.

Free Agent Catchers Grandal & d'Arnaud Find New Teams in Chicago & Atlanta

Two of the most significant signings so far in the MLB off-season have both been catchers.


Yasmani Grandal, who spent 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers after four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed a four year, $73 million contract with the Chicago White Sox on November 21st. Then yesterday Travis d'Arnaud, who was cast aside by the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers after a single game found his footing with the Tampa Bay Rays, signed a two year deal with the Atlanta Braves worth $16 million.


Both Grandal, who turned 31 earlier this month, and d'Arnaud, 30, came off the best seasons of their careers. Grandal earned his second NL All-Star Team selection hit a career high 28 HR and drove in a career high 77 runs in a career high 153 games. Grandal declined his mutual option with the Brewers and opted to test the free agent market. The White Sox liked Grandal's post-season experience as he has played in five straight post-seasons. If the Chisox are to make a move in the AL Central then they will need a veteran catcher like Grandal to guide their young pitching staff.


Meanwhile, d'Arnaud slammed 16 HR with 67 RBI in only 92 games with the Rays. His highlight of the season was a 3 HR game, the third of which was walk off shot off New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to start the second half of the season. The Braves sought d'Arnaud to replace Brian McCann who retired after the Braves were eliminated in the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals.


I suspect d'Arnaud signed with the Braves to get a measure of revenge against the Mets. Although not originally a Met, d'Arnaud had been a member of the Mets since coming to the organization along with Noah Syndergaard in the deal which sent 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays. After finishing seventh in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2014, d'Arnaud struggled to stay healthy missing significant portions of the 2015, 2016 and nearly all of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. His return to the NL East will give d'Arnaud ample opportunity to take out his motivation out on the Mets. This is, of course, provided that d'Arnaud can stay healthy. I suspect this is the reason why d'Arnaud's is more than four times smaller than that of Grandal.


Still, I suspect that both Grandal and d'Arnaud will make significant contributions to their new teams in 2020.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Win 1st Grey Cup Since 1990

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have defeated the Hamilton Tiger Cats 33-12 to win their first Grey Cup since 1990 in front of a capacity crowd in Calgary. Until tonight, the Blue Bombers had the longest Grey Cup drought.

Their triumph was very much Made in Winnipeg. Running Back Andrew Harris, a native Winnipeger, scored two touchdowns rushing for 131 yards. This earned Harris both Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian honors, the first time a single player has earned both accolades in the Grey Cup which has now been played 107 times.

With the Blue Bombers' now in the winners' circle, the Ticats have now inherited the league's longest Grey Cup drought having not won since 1999. Wide Receiver Brandon Banks, widely expected to win the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, left the game in the 3rd quarter with a leg injury.

Overall, it is the Blue Bombers' 11th Grey Cup title.

Are Impeachment Hearings Actually Helping Trump?

Are the impeachment hearings actually helping President Trump?


A couple of new polls seem to suggest this is the case. Two polls (one from Emerson and another from Morning Consult-Politico) indicate a double digit drop in support for impeachment among independents since the hearings went public. Over this same period, Trump's numbers have gone up modestly among independents.


Mind you these polls were taken before Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony on Wednesday in which he stated there were was a "quid pro quo" and that President Trump, Vice-President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry were involved in a scheme to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless they announced investigations into the Bidens and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. With this in mind, it will be interesting to see if these numbers flip back yet again.


But if the number don't flip then it will mean the impeachment hearings will have backfired on Democrats. It will also mean that the country is in a whole lot of trouble. Because what we will have is a lawless President and a public that does not care or is at the very least prepared to look the other way. It could be the case that the public has been desensitized to corruption. It could also be the case that the public doesn't like Trump's conduct but don't believe Democrats are any better in their behavior.


For now the jury is still out on the impeachment hearings. If there is a silver lining is that if independent voters can change their minds once then they can change them again.

Democratic Debate Anti-Climatic After Sondland's Impeachment Testimony

Last night, I went to the Black Sheep on Third Avenue near East 38th Street to watch the Democratic Debate which took place in Atlanta and aired on MSNBC. The event was sponsored by the New York City Political Forum.


Upon my arrival, House impeachment proceedings were still going on with the testimony of Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs and United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale. Cooper revealed that Ukrainian officials were aware there was a problem with U.S. military assistance the day of President Trump's call to Ukrainian President Voldymor Zelensky. Her testimony followed that U.S. Ambassador to the UN Gordon Sondland who confirmed there was "quid pro quo". Zelensky's meeting with President Trump and ongoing military assistance was conditional upon Zelensky announcing an investigation into the Bidens as well as alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Sondland implicated President Trump, Vice-President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. With Sondland's testimony, Republicans lost their key talking point that all the previous testimony by William Taylor, George Kent and Alexander Vindman was second hand and hearsay.


Given the explosive nature of these revelations, the Democratic Debate seemed anti-climatic and it showed in MSNBC anchor Brian Williams' presentation. Unfortunately, much of the debate lived up to their low expectations.


Oh, there were moments here and there as when Cory Booker suggested Joe Biden was high on marijuana when he said he opposed its legalization, when Amy Klobuchar said she raised $17,000 in campaign donations from her ex-boyfriends or when Andrew Yang declared he was not insane. But for the most part, the 10 Democratic candidates had little to say and did not inspire confidence that they could defeat Trump in a year's time even if he were to be impeached by the House of Representatives.


Perhaps the only exception to this would be Pete Buttigieg. Klobuchar and Tulsi Gabbard tried to knock Buttigieg off his game by challenging his lack of experience and foreign policy credentials and Buttigieg handled them with ease. When Kamala Harris was given an opportunity to go after Buttigieg she demurred. Harris was more interested in settling scores with Gabbard who knocked Harris off her pedestal in the July debate and has been unable to climb back. Biden was fine when he kept his answers short, but bizarrely went after Tom Steyer over his commitment to climate change. Rachel Maddow and company lobbed softball questions at both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and will likely remain where they have been. Booker had a nice closing statement during which he invoked Congressman John Lewis who was sitting in the audience, but he also had to beg to be included in next month's debate. As of this writing only six candidates have qualified (Buttigieg, Biden, Bernie, Warren, Klobuchar and Harris) to say nothing of former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.


As for the crowd at the Black Sheep, it was quite hostile to Biden as was the case when I attended the September debate on the Lower East Side. While Warren did not get the raucous reception she got back in September, she was warmly received as were Bernie and Yang. The NYC Political Forum is ostensibly a non-partisan organization, I get the sense its orientation is fairly left-wing. However, this was a slightly older crowd and a little more low key than when surrounded by SJW NYU students. Perhaps I will attend future debate watch parties or other events.


The question remains if future debates will continue to be overshadowed by impeachment proceedings. The next debate is also scheduled to take place six days before Christmas. Given that the Iowa Caucus takes place in February it would have been more sensible to have this debate in January. But politics and sensibility seldom align. In which case next month's debate will very likely be as anti-climatic as the one which occurred less than 24 hours ago.

Obama is Right To Say Democrats Are Going Too Far Left; He's Also The Wrong Messenger

Late last week, during an appearance at Democracy Alliance, former President Obama told a group of Democratic Party donors the dangers of veering too far to the left:

The average American doesn’t think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that. There are a lot of persuadable voters and there are a lot of Democrats out there who just want to see things make sense. They just don’t want to see crazy stuff. They want to see things a little more fair, they want to see things a little more just. And how we approach that I think will be important.


You know what. I agree with him. Medicare For All, The Green New Deal and reparations will keep voters with the devil they know in Donald Trump. Democrats should focus on being a viable alternative to Trump rather than changing the world and reinventing the wheel.


The problem is Obama is the last person who should be telling this to Democrats. After all, this was the President who fundamentally overhauled the American health care system and much chaos and craziness ensued.


As much as anything else, if Medicare For All were to be passed it would effectively supplant Obamacare and with it his domestic policy legacy for whatever that was worth. In this respect, Obama's remarks are self-serving.


Needless to say, Democratic presidential hopefuls like Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker have dismissed Obama's intervention. It is a shame. Because the advice is good. It's just that person imparting the advice is in no position to impart it.

Pirates Hire Cherington as GM; Will John Farrell Board Buc's Ship?

Upon learning the Pittsburgh Pirates had hired Ben Cherington to be the team's new GM, I immediately pondered if he would hire John Farrell to be the team's new skipper.

After all, it was Cherington who hired Farrell to manage the Boston Red Sox in 2013. All Farrell did was guide the team to a World Series title. Two last place finishes followed and Cherington would resign after the Red Sox brought in Dave Dombrowski to oversee the club. Farrell remained the Red Sox manager as they rebounded to back to back AL East titles in 2016 and 2017 before Dombrowski dismissed Farrell in favor of Alex Cora. Like Farrell, Cora got a World Series ring in his inaugural season at Fenway before coming back down to earth in 2019. The Red Sox decline cost Dombrowski his job. What comes around goes around.

In the meantime, Cherington joined the Toronto Blue Jays' front office late in 2016 and has been biding his time before another GM job came along. Cherington's first task in Pittsburgh will be to name a new manager and Farrell has made no secret his desire to return to the dugout. Now an opportunity has presented itself for a reunion.