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“You Had a Good Season–But”

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Baseball completed a fabulous season late last week.

The “Houston Strong” story as the Astros won after 55-years in business..and won for all those who suffered thru the floods.

It was a great celebration…that World Series parade, yes honoring the team, but the city residents and the first responders.

And yes the Dodgers had a legendary season, 104-wins and the push to the 7th and final game.

They Yankees won over 100-and got to the finals of the ALCS.

Washington likewise had a tremendous run thru all the injuries they had.

But like always, it might have been just last week, or last month, but it surely is now last season.

And the new baseball year, the important off season has begun.

Here comes free agency. In weeks, here comes the winter baseball meetings. And here now, the market flooded with players not offered contracts.

The Yankees fired manager Joe Girardi.

Washington did the same to manager Dusty Baker.

The Dodgers are now making changes too.

They’ve bought out OF-Andre Ether. They are putting power hitting C-Yasmani Grandal the trade block.

They have a painful decision to make on 1B-Adrian Gonzalez, his season wiped out by a herniated disc, that blocked him from playing in the post season.

What do they do with his 23M-contract? Eat it and say goodbye? Shop him for a possible deal and pay piece of the salary? Hope he gets healthy and can give you a good final year?

And then there is Yu Darvish, his in season successes scarred by this post season failure, and the burning question, does a rich Dodgers team lavish 20M on this pitcher?

The Angels made their big move, re-doing the contract of Justin Upton, adding a 5th year for an additional 18M-quite an investment for what will be an aging outfielder by the time he reaches the big payday years of the 5-year deal. But at least they keep the bat they liked.

The Padres will go bargain basement shopping for pitching,and hope the young kids in the farm system will arrive sooner that later. Free agency for this franchise is too expensive to fit their blueprint.

In every major league city, painful decisions are going to made for high priced players too.

Miami is trying to trade Giancarlo Stanton and the remaining 10-years and 280-M left on his Marlins contract. How do you deal a guy who hit 59-homers and is the face of your franchise?

Kansas City may lose all 3-of their veterans stars to free agency, and though they will get draft picks to Eric Hosmer-Mike Moustakos and Lorenzo Cain, that won’t help ease the pain when they put a 100-loss team on the field.

What do the Yankees do with CC Sabathia who wants to come back?

And who gets into the bidding war for Japanese slugger and superstar pitcher Shohei Omani, about to be posted by the Nippon Ham Fighters?

The shine of Octobret is about to be replaced by the gloom of November in some major league cities.

For front offices everywhere, ‘you had a good year, but’….that was last year. We have to move on to next year beginning his week….and it is just starting.

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