Inside Baseball: Cuban pitching phenom will ignite a bidding war
While the big games continue on the field, there's a huge one playing out off the field as well. You've probably never heard the name Aroldis Chapman but by this time next year, you may know all about him.
Chapman is a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher from Cuba who defected during the summer while the national team was playing a tournament in the Netherlands. With a 100-mph fastball, he's universally regarded as the best international pitching prospect so he's likely to get Daisuke Matsuzaka numbers without even throwing a pitch in the big leagues. Figure $40-$60 million. After defecting, Chapman established residence in Andorra so he could become an international free agent and not be subject to the draft.
Chapman's representatives list him as 6-foot-4, 185 pounds and with a career-best fastball of 102 mph. They say he can also throw a curveball, slider, change-up and forkball.
The commissioner's office, meanwhile, has approved Chapman as a free agent but advised teams to do their own due diligence to confirm his age.
Chapman met the Mets on Friday in New York and will stay there to talk to Cardinals officials on Monday. Then it's on to Boston to meet the Red Sox on Wednesday. The Yankees were going to meet with him over the weekend but the session was postponed due to the American League Championship Series.
The free-agent pitching crop, which is led by Angels ace John Lackey, is wafer-thin this winter. Some scouts say Chapman is big-league ready while others point to his 5.68 ERA in 6⅓ innings during the World Baseball Classic as a sign he'll need some minor-league time.
Because of Lackey's impending free agency, the Angels may get involved as well. There is also talk of the A's, Giants and Dodgers having interest.
Oct. 25 redux
So today is Oct. 25 and we're three days away from the start of the World Series. Most years, we're at the end of the Series.
On Oct. 25 in past years, we've had events like this: the Buckner Game in 1986 between the Mets and Red Sox; the Indians-Marlins game in Miami in 1997 in which Chad Ogea (two months removed from the Bisons), doubled home two runs and pitched five innings to get the win.
Also, Derek Jeter's first-pitch home run off Bobby Jones in Game Four of the 2000 Subway Series; Josh Beckett's five-hit shutout in the Marlins' 2003 Game Six clincher in Yankee Stadium; and the White Sox's 14-inning marathon win in Game Three in Houston in 2005.
A year ago tonight, we were all in Citizens Bank Park in Philly watching it rain. And rain. And rain some more. Amazingly, we started Game Three between the Phillies and Rays at 10:06 p.m. and it lasted until 1:47 a.m. until the Phillies won it, 5-4.
The point of all this: Let's get this thing started already! Too many off days in this postseason. Some year — hopefully not this one — we're going to be dealing with a delay of 3-5 days due to snow. And then we'll have a real disaster.
Ugly Dodger divorce
Things could be heading down a very nasty road in Los Angeles as the McCourt family ownership team is heading to a divorce. Owner Frank McCourt and estranged wife Jamie sat apart during the NLCS and Frank then fired the first major salvo the day after the Dodgers lost to the Phillies by firing his wife from her CEO position.
They bought the team for $430 million in 2004 but there are fears it might get caught up as a major asset in the divorce proceeding. A similar situation happened earlier this year in San Diego, where owner John Moore and wife Becky divorced and the Moores cut the payroll and then sold the franchise as part of the couple's asset division.
Frank McCourt's attorney, however, said his client will remain in charge of the Dodgers and will not let the team slip into a San Diego-like situation.
Frank McCourt continues to run the operation, including giving GM Ned Colletti a new long-term deal Wednesday. But the Los Angeles Times is reporting that his wife may be planning a coup and is lining up investors to buy him out, as well as initiating discussions with baseball executives to plan the team's future. Keep in mind, Joe Torre's contract as manager runs just one more season.
They said it
• Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, on the wild ALCS: "I've got to tell you, my little boy is at home right now, he's probably got gray hair. He's only 14."
• More Hunter, on how the Angels and Yankees are perceived: "Those guys are King Kong. We're the Smurfs."
• Torre, on small things like Manny Ramirez's ninth-inning shower becoming a big thing in the postseason: "... here you are in October, and every little thing makes news — like Manny showering or not showering — then you realize that you're in the spotlight, which is a great place to be. There's nothing like it."
• Boston Globe reporter Pete Abraham on Twitter: "All the baseball writers should travel by Mylar balloon between NYC and Philly next week. CNN can follow our progress."
Dice-K dilemma
On their way out the door for the winter, the Red Sox made it clear to Dice-K they expect him to come to spring training in shape next year. They feel his poor conditioning last offseason led to his injury plagued season in 2009 as he slipped from 18-3 to 3-6 and threw just 35 innings.
"The time to do it is throughout the winter," said GM Theo Epstein. "That's been clearly communicated. There will be follow-up. There are strong expectations that he shows up in February in fantastic shape on day one of spring training next year. I see it as a necessity, not really an option."
Around the horn
• I'm pegging ex-Nationals skipper Manny Acta the favorite to replace Eric Wedge as Indians manager. Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo and Bobby Valentine have also interviewed, with Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly and Angels bench coach Ron Roenice also expected to be in the mix. Despite the Nats' woeful record, many observers feel Acta was hamstrung by poor talent and think he'd do well with the Tribe's young team and especially with its Latin contingent.
Naturally, I'm rooting for Lovullo but the Tribe went the Triple-A route with Wedge and may not want to travel that road again. And Wedge's Triple-A time with the Bisons in '01 and '02 was outstanding; Lovullo has had four straight non-playoff years in Buffalo and Columbus.
• Speaking of the Indians, they closed the season with a club-record 15 straight road losses. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the most consecutive road losses to close the schedule since the NL's Cleveland Spiders dropped their last 15 way back in 1899.
• A pair of former Bisons have interviewed for the manager's job in Houston. Interim manager Dave Clark, the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer who took over for Cecil Cooper for the final 13 games, and bench coach Al Pedrique were first up with GM Ed Wade.
Former Astros manager Phil Garner is interested in his old job back and will get an interview. Acta is also involved.
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