Cain and Votto to Stay Put

On the cusp of the beginning of the 2012 season, there are cheers of joy from the cities of San Francisco and Cincinnati. It was reported today that San Francisco starter Matt Cain would be signed to a 6-year $127 Million dollar contract to remain with the San Francisco Giants. There was grumblings that Cain might have tested the free agent market if he wasn't extended this season. In doing so, Cain becomes the highest paid right-handed starter in the majors. According to sources of Bob Nightingale of USA Today, Cain will also will have a full no-trade clause and there is a vesting option for 2018 that could bring the deal to $141 million. This is impressive since the Giants have seemed a bit hesitant (and with good reason)to spend big money and a long contract on a starter since they signed Barry Zito to a free-agent contract.

Moving East to Cincinnati, rumors have it that the Reds will sign their first-baseman and 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto to a contract extension. With the defections of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols to the American League this past offseason, Votto arguably becomes the premier first-baseman in the National League.

So what do I think about these moves? Its good for the game of Baseball. I have no issue with players choosing to exercise their right to explore free-agency. Look at the example of Pujols, I believed that he had nothing to prove in staying in St. Louis. He did everything a player could have done there and in moving to Anaheim, he keeps his proverbial Baseball juices flowing. A move to the American League means new challenges in a virtual unconquered venue.

I also have no issue with players choosing to stay their whole career with one team. There is something romantic of the notion of players like Tony Gwynn, Craig Biggio and Derek Jeter starting as kids with their respective teams and retiring as elder statesmen in the same uniform. It harkens back to yesteryear when players basically played for one team (though there is nothing romantic with the reasons why since there was no free agency and could not leave the team unless facilitated by the owners, but that's a conversation for another post).

I've always said it that teams like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox shouldn't always sign the best players on the market. Teams should be able to keep their best players so that their fans can have connections with players on their teams instead of asking like the guys at the coffee shop in the movie Major League: Who the "F" are these guys. More talent that is distributed around the league, the better the league is. Bravo San Francisco and Cincinnati in looking out for the best interest of your respective teams and fanbases.

FH

For Further Reading:

- Click Here for Bob Nightengale's article from USA Today entitled Matt Cain signs $127 million deal; Joey Votto close, too dated April 2, 2012
- Click Here to Access Matt Cain's career statistics from Baseball-Reference.com
- Click Here to Access Joey Votto's career statistics from Baseball-Reference.com

NL Triple Crown and MVP Races

Pete and I were working together this past Thursday evening when he asked me who I thought was going to win the NL Triple Crown. He caught me off guard by his question. Then I realized that I never noticed the NL Triple Crown race. Back in July I highlighted the possible AL Triple Crown winners in my post called Possible AL Triple Crown and NL ERA Dominance, which to be honest none of the players I profiled will win this year's Triple Crown. On the other hand, the NL is another story. It would be the first time in 73 years that a National League player has won the Triple Crown since Joe Medwick achieved the feat for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. Let's see who's who in the NL Triple Crown race.

- Carlos Gonzalez
The man affectionately known as "CarGo" in Denver seems to have come out of nowhere for the Colorado Rockies this season. In his first full season (he played in 85 games with the Oakland A's in 2008 and 89 games with the Rockies in 2009), Gonzalez has exploded at the plate. He leads the NL with a .332 batting average, is currently fifth in hommers with 31 (four behind leader Albert Pujols) and is third with 93 RBI (four behind the leader Joey Votto). Having watched some of the Rockies games while at work, I can tell you that Carlos Gonzalez is an amazing player. Not only has he emerged as a potential Triple Crown winner, but he has also played himself into potential MVP consideration.

- Joey Votto
Building upon the success of the last two seasons, Votto has shown that he is only getting better with each passing year. In his fourth season Votto is currently second in batting with a .325 average (seven points behind Carlos Gonzalez), tied for third in homers with 32 (three behind Albert Pujols) and is the league leader with 97 RBI. Votto is one of the main reasons why the Cincinnati Reds are the NL Central Division leaders with an eight game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.

- Albert Pujols
Perennial NL MVP is the odds on favorite to qualify for the Triple Crown each season though I have to say that he is the longshot to win the award. Pujols is currently fifth in league batting .313 average (nineteen points behind leader Carlos Gonzalez), he leads the league with 35 homers and is second in the league with 95 RBI (two behind Joey Votto). Though it would take Pujols to go on a major tear to reach both Gonzalez and Votto in terms of average. It can be done. Pujols is like a machine when it comes to his at-bats and he is only getting better as he enters his prime years.

I believe that one of these three players will also win the NL MVP. Maybe whomever wins the Triple Crown will take both awards home. September will prove to be an interesting month in Baseball.

FH