Shohei Ohtani defers 97% of his $700M contract with Dodgers

It comes as no surprise that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the dollar figure gave a lot of observers some sticker shock: 10 years, $700 million.

Previously, the biggest outlay in baseball history had gone to Ohtani's former teammate with the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout, whose contract calls for $426.5 million over 12 years.

This deal obviously blows that out of the water, but it comes with an interesting twist: Ohtani is deferring $680 million of that money.

The two-time MVP will earn just $2 million per season from now until 2033. Then the Dodgers will owe him $68 million annually every year from 2034 until 2043.

Why do this? It's all about taxes -- the competitive balance tax and income tax. The competitive balance tax payroll for each team typically uses the average annual value of contracts, which is $70 million in this case, but there's a discount for deferred money.

I'm not a good accountant, so I'm not sure how we arrive at this figure, but media reports say Ohtani's cost toward the competitive balance tax payroll with be $46 million. Yeah, that's a lot less than $70 million.

If you add up the contracts for Ohtani and other Dodgers stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, they account for about $100 million of Los Angeles' competitive balance tax payroll. The luxury tax kicks in at $237 million, so the Dodgers still have room to work to fill out their roster.

Also, presumably, Ohtani will moved back to his native Japan after he retires. I don't know what income taxes are there, but California is a highly taxed state. There might be some savings there if he defers his income until later.

What's the risk for Ohtani? Well, he's not collecting interest on these deferred dollars. With inflation, $68 million in 2043 probably won't go as far as it will in 2024 dollars. But maybe that's a ridiculous concern, given the absurd figures we're talking about here. And Ohtani is expected to make upward of $45 million per season in endorsements, so he's going to have plenty of income well beyond his base salary.

I've seen a lot of comments online from people who think this is "unfair" and "bad for baseball" and whatnot. I think that remains to be seen. Ohtani is a unicorn player, an elite hitter and an elite pitcher all in one. I'd be shocked if this sort of contract becomes common. Most players aren't going to be willing to accept these kinds of deferrals, and most teams aren't going to be willing to give them.

Mostly, I think the people who are upset are just mad that Ohtani is not on their favorite team. It's clear that Ohtani is structuring his contract to give the Dodgers a better chance to win. He wants to go to the World Series. The Dodgers are trying to win a World Series, and they've done nothing here that violates the collective bargaining agreement.

I wish my favorite team was trying to win the World Series.

Will Lance Lynn get DFA'd by White Sox?

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani combined to hit 1,345 feet of home runs off White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn on Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Trout hit a 461-foot cannon shot in the first inning on a pitch that I would hesitate to call a slider -- it did absolutely nothing. Ohtani's home runs -- one in the third inning and another in the fourth -- traveled 425 feet and 459 feet, respectively.

Yes, it was a rough day for Lynn (4-6), as the Los Angeles Angels routed the Sox, 12-5.

The final line for Lynn: He pitched four innings, allowing eight runs (all earned) on eight hits. He struck out four, walked two, hit two batters and surrendered three titanic home runs. He gave the Sox no chance to win.

His ERA ballooned to 6.55 in 12 starts. His WHIP was an ugly 1.453 coming into Wednesday, and that's about to get worse. His velocity is down -- bad news for a fastball pitcher -- and at age 36, it's fair to wonder if Lynn's best days are past.

In the wake of this terrible game, I've seen Sox fans on social media calling for Lynn to be designated for assignment.

It is true that a roster move is due -- Mike Clevinger is ready to come off the injured list and rejoin the starting rotation. That will probably happen this weekend against the Detroit Tigers.

However, I expect Jesse Scholtens to be optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, even though Scholtens did a reasonable job in relief Wednesday. He worked four innings, gave up only two runs and generally went about the business of getting this terrible game over with as quickly as possible.

Here's the problem with getting rid of Lynn: Scholtens, a 29-year-old who just made his big league debut earlier this season, is the only pitcher in the Sox system who looks credible enough to provide depth in the rotation. 

Say you let Lynn go and install Scholtens in the rotation, and then you have another injury (a very likely possibility with this fragile team). Then what? Cover your eyes when you look at the pitching statistics for Triple-A Charlotte. With Davis Martin out for the season after elbow surgery, there isn't anyone else who can help.

There are 104 games left in the season. That means there are somewhere between 900 and 950 innings left to cover. The Sox are 23-35. They are out of race, but they still have to play these games and somebody has to take the mound and wear it. Might as well be Lynn.

Then, when the season ends, you decline Lynn's option for 2024 and regroup.

Japan beats U.S. in championship of thrilling World Baseball Classic

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Mike Trout at the plate. Two of the greatest baseball players you will ever see. Two outs in the top of the ninth inning, a one-run game ... and a full count.

These are the moments we want when we watch baseball, right? Ohtani and Trout are, of course, teammates during the regular season with the Los Angeles Angels.

But on this night, they were competitors, playing for their countries. Naturally, the World Baseball Classic championship would come down to this matchup.

Ohtani struck out Trout on a well-placed 3-2 slider, giving Team Japan a 3-2 victory over Team USA.

Full credit to Japan. They went 7-0 in the tournament, becoming just the second team to run the table in the WBC. (The Dominican Republic went undefeated on its way to the 2013 championship.)

The Americans were the defending champions, but they fell just short in this tournament -- ending with a 5-2 record.

Team USA scored nine runs in its quarterfinal victory over Venezuela and 14 runs in a semifinal win over Cuba. However, the Americans managed only two solo home runs -- Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber -- on Tuesday against Japan.

It wasn't for lack of scoring opportunities. Team USA put 13 runners on base -- nine hits and four walks. That should be a recipe for more than two runs, but the Americans went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, grounded into two double plays and stranded nine runners.

In fact, Ohtani walked Jeff McNeil to lead off the ninth inning, but Mookie Betts followed with a momentum-killing double play. That left it up to Trout, and Ohtani slammed the door with the strikeout.

This was a great game that capped a great tournament. Team Mexico and Team Venezuela also showed very well. The Mexican team defeated the Americans in pool play, and took Japan to the wire in Monday's semifinal. In fact, Japan rallied from behind twice and needed two runs in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a 6-5 win.

The Venezuelan team made a surprising 4-0 run through pool play, taking down the powerful Dominican team, as well as Team Puerto Rico. Venezuela had a 7-5 lead against Team USA in the quarterfinals, before Turner hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to lift the Americans to a 9-7 win.

I've been baffled by some of the criticism of the World Baseball Classic. Some have called these games "meaningless" or "exhibitions," especially after New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz was unfortunately injured while celebrating Team Puerto Rico's win over the Dominican Republic.

I disagree with that assessment. These games obviously mean a great deal to the players who participated, and even grizzled veterans -- like U.S. pitcher Adam Wainwright -- have said they've never played baseball in a louder environment than the one in Miami this week.

As a matter of fact, I'd like to see more of the top American players step up and play. In particular, I'm talking about pitchers. As far as position players go, Team USA had a tremendous group. It featured former MVPs such as Trout, Betts and Paul Goldschmidt. The American roster included the best third baseman in baseball (Nolan Arenado) and the best catcher (J.T. Realmuto).

Turner is a former batting champion who hit five home runs in the tournament. Schwarber is the reigning National League home run king. Heck, McNeill won the NL batting title last season, and he had to share playing time at second base with Tim Anderson, another former batting champion. 

That's an embarrassment of riches.

On the pitching side, Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Nick Martinez and Merrill Kelly made starts for Team USA. Nothing against these four men, because all are good pitchers. Wainwright, 41, and Lynn, 35, have enjoyed long careers in MLB for a reason, but if you were selecting a 1-2 punch for American-born pitchers, I don't think you would choose them at this stage of their careers.

I'm not going to call out individual guys who I think should have played. The regular season is important, and everybody has the right to prioritize what they wish. I just hope we see some American-born aces sign up to pitch next time this tournament is held in 2026.

Dylan Cease pitches better than he ever has

Dylan Cease

Here's my hot take for the day: Dylan Cease, not Eloy Jimenez, is the most productive player the White Sox acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs.

While Jimenez (torn hamstring) is injured for the third season in a row, Cease is the best starting pitcher the Sox have right now. The right-hander has made five starts this season, and the Sox are 4-1 in those games -- given that the team is 9-13, almost half their wins have come in Cease starts.

On Monday, Cease (3-1) had the best start of his career. He worked seven dominant innings against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing only one hit and two base runners in a 3-0 victory. He struck out 11 and walked nobody, including three strikeouts of the best player on the planet, Mike Trout.

Cease threw 93 pitches, 64 of them for strikes. And given that he had 11 strikeouts, you would think he would have gotten a ton of swings and misses, right? Not really. The Angels swung and missed 11 times. However, they took 20 called strikes and seemed totally off balance, as Cease had all four of his pitches working.

On fastballs, Cease got seven called strikes and seven whiffs. His slider produced eight called strikes and one whiff. His knuckle curve produced three called strikes and three whiffs. He also got two called strikes on his changeup.

All total, 31 of his 93 pitches produced either a called strike or a swing and miss. That's 33%, and at the major league level, anything over 30% qualifies as dominant. No Angels player reached third base against him. Cease's season ERA is down to 2.48.

There was more good news for the Sox on the pitching front Monday, as Liam Hendriks looked like his former dominant self for the first time all season.

Hendriks earned his fifth save in six opportunities, striking out Taylor Ward, Brandon Marsh and Trout in succession to close the game. He needed only 12 pitches to retire the side.

He threw fastball-fastball-slider to Ward, who is batting .390 and has been one of the league's best hitters so far. But in this at-bat, Ward was out on three pitches and basically had no chance.

Marsh struck out on four pitches -- fastball, fastball, slider, slider -- and he was lucky to check his swing on a 0-2 slider. On the 1-2 slider, he swing and missed.

Trout stayed in there for five pitches, but he also fanned on a Hendriks slider. In previous outings, Hendriks was a one-pitch pitcher; it was fastball or bust. When opposing batters have to worry about his slider, that's when he finds his dominant form. We saw it Monday; the Sox need more of that.

 

Mike Trout, Cody Belllinger win 2019 MVP awards

Mike Trout

Over the past eight seasons, here are Mike Trout's finishes in the MVP voting:

2012: 2nd
2013: 2nd
2014: 1st
2015: 2nd
2016: 1st
2017: 4th
2018: 2nd
2019: 1st

I used to be one of the people who thought the MVP should come from a playoff team, but even though the Los Angeles Angels stink, Trout is so far and away the best player in the American League that he shouldn't be denied the award.

This season, Trout batted .291/.438/.645 with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs and had very little help with the Angels. He missed the last 19 games of the season with an injury, and even that didn't matter in the voting.

Trout got 17 of the 30 first-place votes, while Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros got the other 13 first-place votes to finish second. No doubt, Bregman garnered the votes from the guys who want the MVP to come from a playoff team.

Former White Sox infielder Marcus Semien, now with the Oakland Athletics, finished in third place.

In the National League, Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers got 19 first-place votes to win the award. He beat out last year's winner, Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers, who got 10 first-place votes.

The other first-place vote went to third-place finisher Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals.

Yelich had a higher batting average than Bellinger (.329 to .305), a higher on-base percentage (.429 to .406) and a higher slugging percentage (.671 to .629). Can you tell I was partial to Yelich in this race? I don't think he had as much help with the Brewers as Bellinger had with the Dodgers.

But, to be fair to Bellinger, he had more homers than Yelich (47 to 44) and more RBIs (115 to 97). It's also true that Bellinger is a superior defensive outfielder, and he was healthy for the whole season.

Yelich missed the Brewers' last 18 games with a fractured kneecap, and voters apparently were not as forgiving toward him as they were to Trout. Bellinger played it out to the end, and his team won a league-best 106 games. That was enough to push him over the top.

Remember when Mike Trout got called up late in the season?

Mike Trout

Here is some food for thought for the "7 > 6" segment of the White Sox fan base -- those folks who apparently believe manipulating service time and not calling up Luis Robert in September is a stroke of genius.

Remember when the Los Angeles Angels called up Mike Trout late in the season? I'll bet you don't, because he did make much of an impression.

Trout played in 40 games and had 123 at-bats at the tail end of the 2011 season. He batted .220/.281/.390 with only five home runs and 16 RBIs. He struck out 30 times and generally took his lumps.

But you know what happened the next year? Trout learned from the ass-kicking he received in 2011 and came back strong in 2012. He won the American League Rookie of the Year, batting .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs, 83 RBIs, a league-best 49 stolen bases and a league-best 129 runs scored.

Trout made the All-Star team that year, something he's now done for eight consecutive years. Do you suppose Trout learned anything from those 123 struggling at-bats in 2011? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess he did.

This does not mean Robert will become Trout, but I think this example is just one that defeats the whole notion of "Robert won't learn anything if you call him up for 30 games in September."

Really? Who says?

If Robert were to be called up (he won't), I wouldn't even care if he struggled, because it would teach him what he needed to do in order to hit the ground running for the 2020 season.

Unfortunately, the Sox are going to sit on their hands and make Robert go through struggles next season, much the same way they sat on their hands last year and made Eloy Jimenez go through struggles this season.

This will kick the rebuild can down the road another year, and we'll have to listen to another year of general manager Rick Hahn's crap about "patience." After seven consecutive losing seasons and 11 years with no playoffs, I've waited long enough, thank you very much.

We all know the main reason the Sox will stash Robert in the minors is so they keep the extra year of service time, which means they don't have to pay him until after the 2026 season.

As a fan, I don't know why I should care about 83-year-old Jerry Reinsdorf's 2026 payroll. In fact, I don't care about Reinsdorf at all. He has more money than I'll ever see in my life.

What I do care about is the Sox putting good players on the field, and winning more baseball games than they lose for a change. Sadly, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

The front office's defenders tell me I'll be "happy" about all this in 2026 when Robert is still on the team.

But, here's the thing: If Robert is called up now, why does that mean he won't be on the team in 2026?

You know who Mike Trout plays for? He's still with the Angels. You want to know why? It's because the Angels' ownership group paid Trout fair market value -- before he ever reached free agency. Trout is the best player in the sport, and he's paid as the best player in the sport. There was never any thought that Trout would leave the Angels, because the team showed him the respect he has earned.

See how that works. That's how it is supposed to work, no?

If Robert does what all Sox fans hope he will do, eventually the team will have to pay him. And they should pay him. What do I care if that day comes in 2026 or 2027?

Most of the rebuild proponents seem thoroughly convinced that the Sox will be contending for the World Series by 2021. (Wishful thinking, if the organization is going to continue to bury talented players in the minors, draft poorly and not spend on the best free agents.)

But if the Sox truly do have a championship window from 2021-25, there should be more than enough revenues to keep the players who brought the city and the fan base those hypothetical championships.

It's time to stop defending these lame strategies by the Sox front office. Remember, Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito only have four years left of team control after this.

The clock is already ticking, whether we like it or not.

It was a bad day for the 'Lucas Giolito can't beat good teams' crowd

The Minnesota Twins had scored 84 runs in their first 12 games against the Sox this season -- that's an average of almost 7.5 per game -- so shutting them out is quite a feat.

Lucas Giolito was the man to do it Wednesday, as he turned in one of his best performances of the season. He improved to 14-6 with a complete-game, three-hit shutout as the Sox beat the Twins, 4-0, to secure a series win.

Giolito struck out 12 and walked nobody, and his performance came the afternoon after the Sox got crunched, 14-4, by Minnesota on Tuesday night.

It was Giolito's third complete game and second shutout of the season, and both shutouts have come against division-leading teams (Houston and Minnesota). It's odd that I still see comments on social media claiming that Giolito "can't beat good teams."

I'm pretty sure that stems from two of Giolito's six losses being against the Cubs, but if you look at his numbers carefully, you'll see that both of his starts against the North Siders just happened to occur during his roughest stretch of the season -- a period during which he was bad against almost everybody.

Let's take a look at Giolito's numbers:

Before June 15: 10-1, 2.22 ERA in 13 starts
From June 15 to July 25: 1-4, 6.38 ERA in 7 starts (including two vs. the Cubs)
Since July 25: 3-1, 2.12 ERA in 5 starts

Yes, Giolito had a cold streak, but now he's hot again. He's struck out 11 or more men in each of his past three starts, totaling 36 strikeouts against only four walks over 21 innings.

Who have those starts come against? Oakland, the L.A. Angels and Minnesota. The A's and Twins would be playoff teams if the season ended today. The Angels were three games below .500 entering Wednesday's play, so they are neither great nor terrible, but they do have the best player on the planet in Mike Trout.

So, I would say Giolito is good against everybody right now. He's not just bum-slaying. He's got two wins over the Yankees, two wins over the Twins and a win over the Astros this season.

He's good, and I'm optimistic that this breakout is for real. The Sox are 16-9 when Giolito pitches, and this is a team that is 57-69 overall. What does that tell you?

Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich win MVP awards

Christian Yelich

The MVPs this season are both first-time winners, and neither of them is a surprise: outfielder Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox in the AL and outfielder Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL.

At the halfway point of the season, Yelich was not the front-runner for the award. But from July 8 on, he hit .367 with a .444 on-base percentage. His .770 slugging percentage after the All-Star Game was baseball's best in 14 years, and over 74 games, he totaled 25 home runs, 22 doubles and a 1.171 OPS.

The Brewers overtook the Cubs in the NL Central in a Game 163 and finished with a league-best 96 wins. Obviously, they do not accomplish that without Yelich's red-hot second half.

Yelich won the batting title with a .326 average. He finished tied for third in the league with 36 home runs, and his 110 RBIs ranked second.

Really, he was darn close to a Triple Crown, which made this vote obvious.

Yelich earned 29 of the 30 first-place votes -- the other went to New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. The Cubs' Javier Baez had 19 second-place votes and finished second. Colorado's Nolan Arenado, who led the NL with 38 home runs, placed third.

As for Betts, he became the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in the same season in which he also had at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The right fielder's slash line was .346/.438/.640, and simply put, he was the best player on the best team -- the 108-win and World Series champion Red Sox.

Betts finished with 47 doubles, 32 home runs, 129 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. He's also the best defensive right fielder in the game, earning his third consecutive Gold Glove at the position this season.

Twenty-eight of the 30 first-place votes went to Betts. Runner-up Mike Trout appeared first on one ballot, and he got 24 second-place votes. Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez placed third.

Gold Glove winners announced: White Sox CF Adam Engel didn't win

Adam Engel

Major League Baseball announced its Gold Glove winners for the 2018 season Sunday night, and White Sox center fielder Adam Engel did not win.

In fact, I'm pretty sure Engel finished third among the three finalists for center field in the American League -- Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. won the honor, and Los Angeles' Mike Trout was the other contender -- but there's really no shame in it for Engel.

I've often felt as though a player has to hit well in order to get consideration for a Gold Glove, which I know sounds completely ridiculous, but rare is the case when a player gets much publicity for being a defense-only guy -- especially on a 100-loss team such as the Sox.

Engel is a defense-only player. He finished the 2018 season with a .235/.279/.336 slash line, and that actually was an improvement over the .166/.235/.282 line he posted as a rookie in 2017.

And heck, Engel didn't even play his best defense the first couple months of the season. His error total (7) worked against him, and he only had five outfield assists all season. However, he gained attention in August when he made three spectacular catches to rob opposing players (Greg Bird, Kyle Higashioka and Yonder Alonso) of home runs in the same week. Each catch was better than the one before it, and it didn't hurt that two of them came against the high-profile New York Yankees.

In that context, it was a nice accomplishment for Engel to be named a finalist. His weak bat likely will knock him out of the Sox's everyday lineup at some point, so being in the Gold Glove conversation this season probably will go down as a career highlight for him.

Here is the list of Gold Glove winners from both leagues:

American League

Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel, Astros (fourth award)
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals (fifth award)
First base: Matt Olson, Athletics (first award)
Second base: Ian Kinsler, Red Sox (second award)
Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Angels (fourth award)
Third base: Matt Chapman, Athletics (first award)
Left field: Alex Gordon, Royals (sixth award)
Center field: Bradley Jr., Red Sox (first award)
​Right field: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (third award)

 

National League

Pitcher: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (fifth award)
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals (ninth award)
First base: Freddie Freeman, Braves (first award) and Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (second award)
Second base: D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies (third award)
Shortstop: Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks (first award)
Third base: Nolan Arenado, Rockies (sixth award)
Left field: Corey Dickerson, Pirates (first award)
Center field: Ender Inciarte, Braves (third award)
​Right field: Nick Markakis, Braves (third award)​

White Sox manager Rick Renteria admits he stuck with Mike Pelfrey too long in loss to Angels

Mike Pelfrey

White Sox starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey has made it through the fifth inning only once in his first five starts of the season. Once the opposition begins its third time through the batting order, Pelfrey falls apart.

Case in point, Monday's 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Pelfrey worked effectively through four innings, and the Sox (17-19) took a 3-0 lead into the fifth inning -- thanks to a two-run homer by Jose Abreu and an RBI triple by Tyler Saladino.

But in the fateful bottom of the fifth inning, Pelfrey walked both Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa. Then, he gave up a long fly-ball out to No. 9 hitter Martin Maldonado.

It was decision time for Sox manager Rick Renteria. Two on, two out in the bottom of the fifth, Sox up by three, Pelfrey clearly tiring, but one out away from being eligible for a win. Left-hander Dan Jennings was ready in the bullpen, and the Angels were sending their left-handed hitting leadoff batter, Kole Calhoun, to the plate.

Calhoun also represented the start of the third time through the batting order, which has been poison for Pelfrey all season.

What's your move, Rick?

He stuck with Pelfrey, and Calhoun hit a three-run homer on a 1-0 sinker to tie the game. The next hitter was the best player in baseball, Mike Trout.

Right-hander Anthony Swarzak was ready in the bullpen. What's your move, Rick?

He stuck with Pelfrey, and Trout hit a 1-2 splitter out of the park to give the Angels the lead. That's your ballgame. After the Trout homer, Pelfrey (0-4) was removed from the game. Some might say he was removed two batters too late.

Interestingly, one of the people who believes that Pelfrey was left in too long was the man who made that decision: Renteria.

“I thought Pelf gave us a nice four-plus innings,” Renteria said in postgame remarks on CSNChicago.com. “Really, he gave us enough to do what we needed to do. I had those guys out there ready to pick him up, and I didn’t. I went against my better judgment. We had (Dan Jennings) ready for Calhoun, and we had our righty (Swarzak) ready. So that’s not any of their faults but mine. At least it would have given us a better chance. I couldn’t guarantee that the outcome would have been what we wanted, but I think the matchups would have been better, and pretty much that’s it.”

Isn't that refreshing? No excuses. No blaming of the players. No "tipping of the cap" to the other team. Just an acceptance of responsibility from a manager who realizes that he left a pitcher in too long. Robin Ventura routinely made mistakes such as this as a manager, never learned from them, and never changed his ways.

That said, I can defend Renteria's decision to stick with Pelfrey. Just last week, I criticized the Sox manager for overusing Jennings in middle relief. We're in the middle of May. There's still a long season ahead, and you want Jennings and Swarzak healthy coming out of the bullpen for the duration. You can't run them out there every day just because starting pitchers are not doing their jobs.

For long-term thinking, it wasn't unreasonable to try to squeeze one more out from Pelfrey in Monday's game. But, for purposes of trying to win Monday's game, sticking with him was the wrong move.

Oh, and with those home runs by Calhoun and Trout, opposing batters are now 9 for 12 with two home runs, two doubles and a triple when they face Pelfrey for a third time in a game.

Ugly, isn't it?

Sooner or later, a starting pitcher needs to work into the sixth or seventh inning, and if he cannot do that, then he needs to not be here.

Tuesday thoughts: Matt Davidson, Brad Penny, David Robertson

I was on board with the move last offseason when White Sox GM Rick Hahn traded closer Addison Reed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for third base prospect Matt Davidson.

In theory, it's a trade I'd still endorse today. Closers have a short shelf life, and while Reed is a solid relief pitcher, he is not All-Star caliber. It's not a bad baseball move to trade a player like that for someone you believe will at some point play every day in your infield.

That said, it's hard not to be discouraged about what we've seen since Davidson joined the White Sox organization. 2014 was a terrible year for him. His slash line at Triple-A Charlotte was .199/.283/.362. His 20 home runs and 55 RBIs hardly made up for the 164 strikeouts in 539 plate appearances.

You'd like to believe it was just a poor season -- it can happen to any player -- and that Davidson will bounce back this year. Maybe he will, but it's been an ugly spring for him so far. He's 1-for-12 with four strikeouts in the Cactus League, and he committed errors on back-to-back plays Monday that opened the door for the Diamondbacks to score four unearned runs in their 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Davidson continues to struggle both with the bat and with the glove. He turns 24 next week, so you can still say he counts as a prospect, but it will be hard for the Sox to keep him in their plans if he doesn't show anything this year.

Penny getting a long look

Quick quiz: Name the pitcher who has logged the most Cactus League innings for the White Sox this spring.

It's not Jeff Samardzija or Jose Quintana. It's veteran right-hander Brad Penny, who is in camp on a minor-league deal.

Penny has worked 7.2 innings thus far. His results have been mixed. He's allowed three runs on 11 hits, and opponents are hitting a robust .355 against him. But, he has struck out six men, and he's only walked one. Unlike some other pitchers who are trying to make the roster (Daniel Webb, cough, cough), Penny is throwing strikes.

He's been a starter for most of his career, and there is obviously no room for him in the White Sox rotation. But team brass is giving him a long look this spring, perhaps considering whether he can be the 12th man on the pitching staff -- the guy who works in long relief or makes a spot start when needed.

Because of service time rules, five days before opening day, the Sox have to either add Penny to the major league roster, cut him, or give him a $100,000 bonus for staying on the minor league roster.

Every team needs a staff saver. Could Penny be that guy? He hasn't pitched himself out of contention yet.

Robertson working on command issues

Speaking of closers, David Robertson hasn't been sharp in his first few spring outings. He allowed two runs in 2.2 innings pitched, while walking three and striking out just one.

Cause for alarm? No.

I watched Robertson work an inning Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels, and by my unofficial count, he threw nothing but fastballs and cutters during his 23-pitch outing. Robertson has a put-away breaking ball in his arsenal, but he didn't use it even once -- despite facing both Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in that inning.

Robertson walked two, but got out of trouble when Pujols grounded into a double play.

It was clear from watching the outing that Robertson doesn't have command of his fastball yet, so that's what he was focusing on when he stepped on the mound Sunday -- results be damned.

That's why it doesn't make sense to put too much stock in spring training numbers. Guys might be working on specific things, and they may not be doing things the same way they would in a regular-season game.

It's an important thing to remember as a fan, even though it is sometimes hard not to draw grand conclusions from what you're seeing in spring ball.

Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw win MVP awards

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout on Thursday was named the unanimous MVP of the American League.

The 23-year-old received all 30 first-place votes and finished with 420 points. Detroit's Victor Martinez took second with 229 points, while Cleveland outfielder Michael Brantley placed third with 185 points.

Let me say this: I do not disagree with this vote. But what's funny about this is Trout didn't have as good a season in 2014 as he had in 2012 or 2013:

2012: .326/.399/.564, 30 HRs, 84 RBIs, 49 SBs
2013: .323/.432/.557, 27 HRs, 97 RBIs, 33 SBs
2014: .287/.377/.561, 36 HRs, 111 RBIs, 16 SBs

Sure, Trout's power numbers were up in 2014, but he also struck out a league-leading 184 times. The batting average, on-base percentage and stolen base totals, while good, took a noticeable dip. I feel like his best year was 2013, when he finished second in the MVP voting to Miguel Cabrera. Trout also finished second to Cabrera in 2012.

Frankly, Trout has been the best overall player in the American League for each of the past three years. What was different about this season that swung the vote in Trout's favor? For one, Cabrera regressed to the point where he was no longer the best hitter on his own team. (Martinez was.) And two, the Angels won a league-best 98 games and made the playoffs.

The Angels did not make the playoffs in either 2012 or 2013, and there is always that subset of voters that believes the MVP *must* come from a team that qualified for the postseason.

Again, Trout deserves the award. It's just funny that he finally received his recognition in his weakest season of the last three.

Clayton Kershaw wins NL MVP

It's been a good week for Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw, who won the NL Cy Young Award on Wednesday and the NL MVP on Thursday.

Kershaw went 21-3 with 1.77 ERA, a 0.857 WHIP and six complete games in 27 starts this year. There's no denying he's the best pitcher in the league. The debate surrounding him was whether a pitcher should win the MVP award over an everyday player.

Here's why I think it's OK for starting pitchers to win MVP:

Dodgers record with Kershaw on the mound: 24-3 (.852 winning percentage)
Dodgers record with all other pitchers: 71-64 (.526 winning percentage)

The Dodgers are a decent, but not great team when Kershaw doesn't pitch. But with him on the mound, they rarely lose. I'd say he's pretty valuable, and you can justify voting for him for MVP on that basis.

Eighteen voters agreed and named Kershaw first on their ballot. He totaled 355 points. Miami's Giancarlo Stanton got eight first-place votes and 298 points for second place. Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 winner, finished third with four first-place votes and 271 points.

Does anyone want these five MLB free agents?

Ubaldo Jimenez

Does your favorite team still need a starting pitcher? Well, there are two free agents out there who might interest you. Both of them had ERAs of 3.30 or better last season -- in the American League, no less.

How about a middle-of-the-order hitter? There are two free agents available who can almost certainly give your team 20 home runs and about 75 or 80 RBIs.

Need defense? The starting shortstop from last year's World Series championship team is available, too.

The Super Bowl is over, and it's almost time for spring training to begin. However, pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana are without contracts. Also without a job are first baseman Kendrys Morales, outfielder Nelson Cruz and shortstop Stephen Drew.

All five players were given qualifying offers to return to their 2013 teams on a one-year, $14.1 million deal. All five declined and elected free agency. Here on Feb. 4, the waiting game continues for each player.

Why? Phil Rogers explained it in a recent column on MLB.com. Any team that signs one of these five guys would have to give up a first-round draft pick to that player's former team.

These days, teams are a little slower to part with those draft picks. Remember when the St. Louis Cardinals lost Albert Pujols in free agency? Don't cry for the Cardinals because they used the compensatory draft pick they received from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to select pitcher Michael Wacha, who was last seen helping the Cardinals to the 2013 NL pennant.

And don't cry for the Angels either. When they lost Mark Teixeira in free agency after the 2008 season, they received a compensatory draft pick from the New York Yankees and used it to select outfielder Mike Trout, who is probably the best young position player in the sport today.

So, if you're wondering why decent major league players like the five listed above are still looking for work, look no further than the rules about compensatory draft picks. GMs are now figuring the loss of a valuable draft pick into the "cost" of signing these free agents, and accordingly, they aren't willing to give as much money to guys like Ervin Santana. Clubs are going to wait until the last minute to sign these players, once the price comes down to bargain levels.

Eventually, these five players are going to get a contract with somebody. You won't need to cry for them either, because they won't go hungry. But they probably aren't going to get the money they believe they're worth, and they may not even get the $14.1 million they could have had by staying with their 2013 teams.

Most -- if not all -- of these players would already be signed if they weren't tied to draft pick compensation. But this is the gamble they took when they refused those qualifying offers, and here they sit on Feb. 4.

No surprise: Miguel Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen win MVPs

I don't have any brilliant analysis to offer about this year's MVP awards, but since we've been talking about postseason honors on this blog this week, I should probably note that Detroit third baseman Miguel Cabrera and Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen have been named the MVPs of their respective leagues.

Neither vote was a surprise. Cabrera led the American League in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.442) and slugging percentage (.636). He ranked second in home runs (44) and RBIs (137) behind Chris Davis of Baltimore.

Cabrera got 23 of the 30 first-place votes and finished comfortably ahead of Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout. Davis took third in the balloting.

McCutchen won in a landslide, picking up 28 of the first-place votes in the National League. He batted .317 with 21 home runs, 84 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He also played an excellent center field in leading Pittsburgh to its first winning season and first playoff appearance since 1992.

Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt finished second, while St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina took third.

I can't get on board with this whole 'rooting for draft position' thing

It's my understanding that a lot of the cool White Sox fans are rooting for the team to lose these days, hoping to secure a more favorable draft pick for next June.

In my world, such a thought process is stupid.

Folks, this isn't the NBA. This isn't the NFL. LeBron James (pictured) will not be awarded to the MLB team that finishes with the sorriest record in the league. Andrew Luck is also not available, nor is .133-hitting uberprospect Mike Olt.

You see, the baseball draft is a complete crapshoot. It is less predictable and more volatile than drafts in other sports.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, aka the best young player in the game today, was selected 25th overall in his draft year. Chris Sale, the best young player on the White Sox roster, was chosen 13th overall in 2010. That goes to show you do not need to be drafting in the top 10 to get All-Star talent.

It's also true that the overall No. 1 pick is no sure thing. The Tampa Bay Rays have a track record of drafting quality players and stocking their MLB roster with homegrown talent, but ask them how that No. 1 overall selection of Tim Beckham in 2008 is working out for them. Five years later, Beckham still hasn't seen the bigs and is toiling at Triple-A Durham for a third straight season.

People need to understand, in baseball, you are not assured of getting any sort of franchise savior by securing the top pick or the second overall pick. I'm not going to root for the White Sox to land in a certain draft position, because I have no idea what I'm going to be getting when the Sox finally do make their first-round selection next June.

I'd much rather cheer for the guys who are currently on the team, especially younger players like Sale, Jose Quintana, Hector Santiago, Andre Rienzo, Avisail Garcia, Gordon Beckham, Dayan Viciedo, Josh Phegley Addison Reed and Nate Jones. These are the guys who are still going to be around once GM Rick Hahn finishes the veteran purge that's going on right now. You want them to finish out the season strong, so they have a good feeling going into next year.

Take a look at the last White Sox team to finish in last place. You have to go all the way back to 1989, but understanding what that team did can be constructive. That season, the Sox were a godawful 32-56 at the All-Star break. But the second half of the season, they played much better. They went 37-36 after the break. Young players learned some things about playing in the big leagues. They finished with just 69 wins, but guys improved their games and came back the next season with the right attitude. In 1990, the Sox went 94-68.

Now, I don't expect the Sox to bounce back and win 94 next season. However, a good finish over the next 43 games can set the table for a much more competitive year in 2014. Personally, that's what I'm going to root for. I see no point to cheering for some nameless, faceless future draft pick. There will be plenty of time to root on that individual, whoever he may be, once that player joins the Sox organization next summer.