Marty’s musings: Manny finally signs

Welcome to ‘Marty’s Musings’, my weekly column of numbers summarizing the happenings in the baseball world. I am your guide for taking an analytic look at the news and notes throughout the game.

In today’s Musings, Manny Machado finds a home in an unexpected place, two teams vie for the services for Bryce Harper, spring training brings an introduction to the MLB pitch clock, and the Dodgers ace is already ailing.

All this news and more in this week’s Musings.

News and Notes

300 - Million dollar, ten-year deal the Padres agreed to with Manny Machado. After much hand-wringing about what Machado would command on the open-market, he found a team that is on the rise, and had the cash to dole out to acquire him. The Padres have a top farm system in baseball, and are rebuilding. Rumor has it they were open to talks with Bryce Harper (though that seems to have faded) and are now potentially interested in bringing in Dallas Keuchel.

2 - Teams that are supposedly bidding for Bryce Harper. The Phillies have been in the mix since the beginning, and reportedly are preparing a long-term deal, while the Dodgers are a late-horse bet to land Harper on a shorter, but perhaps higher AAV-deal.

20 - Second-pitch-clock that MLB has debuted this Spring Training. In the first days of Spring Training there will be no enforcement or penalties for going beyond the 20 seconds, but this week umps will issue reminders to both pitchers and batters, with the introduction of balls/strikes penalties should a batter step out of the box too long, or a pitcher take too long to deliver his pitch.

9 - Consecutive seasons Clayton Kershaw has been the Dodgers Opening Day starter. That streak may be in jeopardy, as the Dodgers announced Kershaw is dealing with ‘arm irritation’ and has not felt right in his first bullpen sessions. Losing Kershaw for any significant time would be unwelcome news in LA, though getting his healthy upfront, rather than having him pitch less-than-100-percent is probably best for the team in the long run. We’ll stay on it as this situation develops.

62 - Years of age for late Boston Globe columnist Nick Cafardo, who passed away last week. Cafardo died suddenly at JetBlue Park after suffering from an embolism. Cafardo was a much loved figure in Boston sports writing, and he was a staple covering the Red Sox. You can find NESN’s video tribute to Nick here.

31 - Days until Opening Day!