Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day, and trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end.
Say hey, baseball: Max Scherzer and Jon Lester are gonna get paid
Your Wednesday look at the game includes more on the free agency of Lester and Scherzer, extension talks for Bryce Harper and Jose Fernandez, and a majestic beard.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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Neither of Max Scherzer or Jon Lester has ended their free agency and signed yet, but once one of them does, the rest of the market will start moving again. Lester is likely to go first, with Scherzer holding out possibly until 2015 as per Scott Boras’ policy, and it sounds like the southpaw is expecting $150 million. Is Lester worth $150 million to his former team, the Red Sox? If they want him, they better be prepared to pay that much, as Peter Gammons is reporting that a mystery team has entered the fray. If Gammo is using that phrase, you know things are happening.
As for Scherzer, word of the Tigers’ failing to lure him back might have been premature: don’t count Detroit out as a Scherzer suitor just yet, even if it’s going to take more than the $144 million they offered prior to this past season.
Not every bit of pitcher news is about hundreds of millions of dollars, by the way. The six-year extension the Marlins offered young ace Jose Fernandez is for $40 million, and it’s also perfectly reasonable and fair of the Marlins to extend, regardless of the whining you might have seen on this here Internet. If anyone else but the Marlins were the ones submitting this extension offer, certain baseball fans would be jumping at the opportunity to commend the team in question.
If Fernandez signed a six-year deal, by the way, he would still be younger than both Scherzer and Lester when it ended. Dude is going to get a monster deal in 2020 or whatever, if he can stay healthy and Fernandez-like from here on out.
- Speaking of extensions, one between the Nationals and Bryce Harper isn’t happening, not even if they give in to his contract clause demands. Harper has the potential to be an A-Rod-esque free agent in a few years if he keeps developing, and he’ll seize that opportunity for everything it’s worth.
- MLB umpire Dale Scott has come out as gay, and is the first active umpire to do so. It’s a lovely story worth your attention.
- The Braves and Astros have been talking about a swap of Evan Gattis and Dexter Fowler for months. The Braves keep trying to dump Worst Contract Candidate B.J. Upton on Houston in the process, though, and that’s just rude.
- Josh Donaldson has been traded and A’s fans are now in a funk. That’s life rooting for Oakland, though, says their own fans. Speaking of Donaldson, he reportedly got into it with Billy Beane -- or Billy Boy, as he apparently likes to call him -- over the summer, and it might have helped lead to his exit. Curious!
- The Diamondbacks were horrendous in 2014, but that doesn’t mean they’ll never make the playoffsagain.
- A writer at our Royals’ site has a chance to go to journalism school with a little help from you, the dear reader.
- The narratives are plentiful and mostly negative, but dammit, the Mariners got their guy in Nelson Cruz. Probably. There’s a chance, anyway.
- The Blue Jays traded Yan Gomes to the Indians a few years back for very little, and just signed Russell Martin for $82 million to plug the hole that created. The Indians don’t need to find their own Martin, because they’ve got themselves a Yan Gomes.
- If you’re into PITCHf/x, this look at pitchers who fail to utilize their breaking stuff is intriguing. Or depressing, if those pitchers are on your team of choice.
- Joey Votto doesn’t always have a beard, but right now he has a majestic one worthy of his Canadian heritage.
- Torii Hunter is back with the Twins. The last time he played for Minnesota featured Julian Tavarez starting and Jon Lester coming out of the bullpen for the Red Sox. We’ve all come a long way since then.
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