Colorado Rockies: Daniel Bard gets traded at the deadline
Remember when the Rockies made the head-scratching decision to give their closer Daniel Bard a two-year extension last summer? Yeah, we didn’t understand it either.
Colorado is going nowhere fast, and they’ll easily be the worst team in the National League West in 2023. So why bother rostering a good closer like Bard at this point? His contract at $19 million over two years is a remarkable bargain given the rate at which closers are earning money these days. Think of all the suitors that could line up to acquire him, and the return the Rockies could net for Bard.
This seems like a no-brainer for all parties. The question is whether the Rockies will absorb the hit to their ego. And given the Monforts who own the team, that’s far from a sure thing.
Los Angeles Dodgers: J.D. Martinez will be an X-factor in 2023
The Dodgers are never out of the conversation, and nor should they be: their track record over the last decade speaks for itself. Los Angeles didn’t exactly do much to improve last year’s squad, but when last year’s squad won a league-high 111 games, well … that also speaks for itself.
Besides being a good team every year, the Dodgers also tend to get the most out of their players, and that won’t be any different this year. Los Angeles saw Trea Turner and Justin Turner depart in free agency this winter, creating two holes in their lineup behind Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. But never fear, because they signed J.D. Martinez to a one-year deal for the 2023 season. And betting on a resurgence from the veteran slugger would be a smart play.
FanGraphs projects that Martinez will hit 22 home runs in 2023 with a 115 wRC (weighted runs created-plus), which should more than help Los Angeles keep the line moving behind their big boppers. Martinez won’t replace Trea Turner’s speed, but he’ll easily replace Justin Turner’s pop and be a good fix for this lineup at a lesser cost.