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We have a Hall of Fame class! We also take a look at the Royals’ search for a closer, an all-time baseball story and Rhys Hoskins’ new home. I’m Levi Weaver and I’m here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to Windup!
Beltré, Mauer and Helton elected to the HOF
In the end, everything went as expected: one who did not hesitate and a handful of guys hovering around the 75 percent threshold for induction into the baseball Hall of Fame. When all the ballots were officially revealed on Tuesday, three (Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer) were in, and three others: Billy Wagner (73.8 percent), Gary Sheffield (63.9) and Andruw Jones (61 ,6) fell short.
I had the privilege of covering Beltré during his last three seasons with the Rangers. I did my best to describe what it was like to watch one of the all-time greats, and one of the game’s most unique personalities, ply his trade day in and day out. Spoiler: it was inspiring
Mauer was the big surprise this year. There was some initial feeling that he would eventually get in, but few guessed that he would be elected on the first ballot. He cleared the margin by four votes, 76.1 percent, joining Johnny Bench and Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez as the only catchers elected in their first year on the ballot.
Helton had trailed Mauer for most of the initial tracking, but ultimately overtook him, earning 79.7 percent of the vote. Helton is the first member to play for the Rockies in his entire career and, as Tyler Kepner points out, “… only Stan Musial and Ted Williams can match him in all of these critical categories: batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.414) and slugging percentage (.539).“
For Wagner and Jones, their chances of getting in next year look…somewhat hopeful? Jayson Stark has more context here (and a lot more analysis), but 2025 will be Wagner’s 10th and final year on the ballot. As was the case with Sheffield this year, if he doesn’t get the writers’ votes, a vote from the veterans committee will be necessary to get him in. More Hall of Fame: Tyler Kepner breaks down the World Series winners who don’t have For all the Hall of Famers, Grant Brisbee uses Mauer’s pick to defend Buster Posey, and why don’t we take a look at the picks from 2025?
Ken’s notebook: Royals looking to trade for closer
The Royals have spent $105 million on six free agents this offseason, most notably right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. But they remain open to adding one more piece: a closer.
With the free agent market all but chosen, the Royals’ preference is to make a trade, according to a source briefed on their thinking. The problem? That market also has few possibilities.
It seems unlikely that the Brewers will trade Devin Williams, the NL reliever of the year in 2020 and 2023. On the off chance that the Guardians will move Emmanuel Clase, the major leagues’ leader in saves over the past two seasons , they probably wouldn’t send him to an American League Central rival. And the Red Sox’s Kenley Jansen, who will make $16 million in 2024, is almost certainly too expensive for the Royals’ tastes.
Williams, who recently agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with a $10.5 million club option for 2025, was a better fit financially. If the Brewers had signed Aroldis Chapman, a free agent in whom they had “serious interests” according to Robert Murray of FanSidedperhaps they would have felt comfortable using Williams’ two years of control of the club for other needs.
But when Chapman signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Pirates, a Williams trade apparently became less viable. The Brewers lack an obvious internal candidate to replace him as closer. And their subsequent signing of free agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a two-year, $34 million contract was the strongest indication yet that they plan to compete.
Class, guaranteed $13 million over the next three seasons with a pair of $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028, is even more affordable than Williams. But while the Guardians’ modus operandi is to listen to all players, they are almost certainly setting a high price for a cheap, accomplished closer they will control for five more seasons.
So for now, the Royals’ top candidate to close remains Will Smith, whom the team signed as a free agent to a one-year, $5 million deal earlier this offseason.
Smith, who will turn 35 in July, has won three consecutive World Series titles with three different teams. He made 22 of 27 save opportunities last season, with an expected ERA of 3.35 well below his actual figure of 4.40. But the Rangers grew closer to Chapman and José Leclerc late in the season and then to Leclerc and Josh Sborz on the march to their first World Series title.
By acquiring a closer, the Royals could shift Smith into more of a setup role, strengthening the back end of their bullpen. It will not be easy for them to carry out such a movement. But they still don’t consider their offseason over.
The chicken (Craig Counsell) runs at midnight
You may have heard this story before (the magic moment occurred in 1997), but you had forgotten that the Cubs’ new manager, Craig Counsell, was “The Chicken.”
Okay, maybe you haven’t heard it yet, so let’s recap. It begins with Rich Donnelly, who was the third base coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, talking to his 18-year-old daughter Amy during the 1992 National League Championship Series. She asked him what he was saying when he covered his face. mouth with his hands to talk to the baserunners, and joked that he must have been speaking in code: “the chicken runs at midnight”, he improvised.
No wonder the Donnelly family remembered the phrase. Amy was battling a brain tumor at the time and she passed away the following January. In circumstances like that, those small moments of joy become precious. The Donnellys even had Amy’s coded message engraved on her tombstone.
In 1997, Donnelly was with the Marlins, who, in the 11th inning of Game 7, were one run away from winning the franchise’s first World Series. The runner on third was Craig Counsell, who some had called “The Chicken” because of his batting stance.
When Edgar Rentería retired, “El Pollo” aired at midnight (technically at 12:05, if the score is to be believed, but we’re not going to let that ruin this story).
Jon Greenberg has the details, and from a new angle: Radio announcer Danny Parkins, who works at 670 The Score (the Cubs’ radio home) is the younger brother of the late Brad Parkins, Counsell’s best friend since childhood .
Hoskins signs with Brewers and leaves a legacy in Philadelphia
Last spring, Rhys Hoskins was set to be the Phillies’ first baseman, entering the final year of his contract before hitting free agency. Those plans fell through a week before Opening Day when he tore his ACL, costing him his entire final season with the team that had drafted him in 2014.
Now he’s headed to Milwaukee, with a two-year contract worth $34 million. The signing gives the Brewers a right-handed bat with great power; He has 148 home runs in 667 major league games. Yes, the swing and miss are real (689 strikeouts), but they are mitigated by his keen eye: He has 388 walks (119 of which came in 2019, when he led the league in the category). His career on-base percentage of .353 is perfectly passable for a guy with a slugging percentage of .492.
That adds up to a career OPS of .846 (don’t @ me because the two numbers don’t add up, it has to do with the fourth digit rounding up), which should go a long way toward helping a team whose home runs last year was Willy Adames with 24. Hoskins has only hit less than 27 twice since his debut in 2017: during his rookie year, when he hit 18 in just 50 games, and in 2020, when he hit 10 in a season of 60 games. That still feels more like a post-apocalyptic fever dream than reality.
While the Phillies might miss his offensive performance, others in the Delaware Valley will miss Hoskins for an entirely different reason. Matt Gelb put together a nice story about Hoskins’ work with children with muscular dystrophy.
Handshakes and high fives
If you’re confused about the direction of the Boston Red Sox, you’re not alone. Britt Ghiroli lays it all out here, arguing that leadership in Boston must choose a message and stick with it.
When Josh Hader signed with the Astros, it was his second time to join the organization. Houston acquired him from Baltimore in the Bud Norris trade in 2013, then sent him to Milwaukee as part of the package for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez in 2015.
Katie Woo takes a detailed look at Oli Marmol’s future as Cardinals manager and the challenges that await him in 2024.
On April 8, the moon will block the sun. It’s the first total solar eclipse in Cleveland since 1809, and it’s also the day of the Guardians’ first home game. What’s the plan?
Some more notable free agent signings: James Paxton to the Dodgers, Matt Moore (back) to the Angels and Joey Gallo to the nationals.
Ryne Sandberg revealed that he has been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.
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(Top photo by Adrián Beltré: Jennifer Buchanan/USA Today)