Marty’s musings: MLB news and notes

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, and highlighting this week’s key pitching matchups.

This week, Mookie Betts sets a record arbitration, the Brewers extend their skipper, and the Red Sox are implicated in more sign-stealing drama.

News & Notes

27 - Million dollar arbitration deal the Red Sox and Mookie Betts agreed to for the upcoming 2020 season, the largest-ever one-year salary for an arb eligible player. Although Boston is rumored to be in trade-talks for their star outfielders, Betts will be cashing-in the year before he is an unrestricted free agent.

2 - Players and two compensation picks being swapped by the Cardinals and the Rays in one of the oddest exchanges of recent memory. The Cardinals acquired Rays’ prospect Matt Libertore and low-level catcher Edgardo Rodriguez, and in exchange sent the Rays first baseman / outfield prospect Jose Martinez, and outfielders Randy Arozarena. St. Louis also swapped a Compensation Round A pick for the Rays’ A pick. Supposedly

2023 - The year in which Brewers manager Craig Counsell is signed until thanks to a new deal inked last week. Since taking over in 2015, Counsell has overseen much success in Milwaukee, including one division title and a wild card berth. Milwaukee came within one game of the World Series in 2018, and overall during his tenure, the team has gone 405-281.

108 - Wins for the 2018 Red Sox, who were implicated in a similar sign-stealing scandal as the Astros. According to Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of ‘The Athletic’, “Three people who were with the Red Sox during their 108-win 2018 season told The Athletic that during that regular season, at least some players visited the video replay room during games to learn the sign sequence opponents were using.” MLB is supposedly going to bring the hammer down on the Astros (we’ll see what that really means), but it’s bad news for the Red Sox, who hired former Astro Alex Cora as their manager heading into the 2018 season.

80 - Days until Opening Day.