Ian Stewart just might get another shot at third base after all. This point was driven home last week while watching the National League playoffs.
Placido Polanco, Ryan Roberts, Jerry Hairston Jr., David Freese. Those were the respective starters in the postseason. Polanco is aging in dog years, Roberts will have to prove he’s not a one-year wonder, Hairston is a role player and Freese is an intriguing, if not oft-injured, kid. None of those players has hit 25 home runs in a season like Stewart. You could argue none is a better defender.
It illustrates how few teams have solutions at third base.
Last season was a lost cause for Stewart. He was hurt and a ghost in a uniform. I have repeatedly said trading him made sense because he needed a change of scenery. But if the Rockies aren’t going to get anything for him — and they won’t right now — then they are better off bringing Stewart to spring training.
If the Rockies can acquire David Wright, Kevin Youkilis or Chase Headley, then Stewart will be understandably relegated to Triple-A or shipped out.
Stewart’s offseason isn’t off to a great start. He remains in Denver rehabbing inflammation in his left wrist. Winterball in Mexico under Vinny Castilla’s watchful eye is in jeopardy.
“It’s feeling like it’s getting better, but I won’t know until I start hitting next month,” Stewart said Friday.
Stewart is 26. He hit 18 home runs in five months in 2010. Even if Stewart returns, the team can’t count on him. But his career is hanging in the balance.
This is the exact position where you want a player (especially, and only, if he has his best offseason). Giving Stewart another shot would be easier to sell if the team signs Michael Cuddyer or Rafael Furcal. The Rockies are facing the possibility of timeshares in right field, second base and third. They can’t win like that regardless of how much they improve pitching.
Faced with a third-and-long situation, I’d rather see a Hail Mary with Stewart than a trifecta of platoons.
Theo, O, Theo.
Let the Curse be with you. Could general manager Theo Epstein actually leave Boston for the Cubs? The likelihood increases every day the Red Sox don’t give him an extension, new title or vote of confidence.
Terry Francona leaving was not a surprise. Without his option picked up, he was a dead man walking. Epstein, however, is all about Boston. He grew up there, and the thinking was he wouldn’t want to leave such a mess. That said, if he constructs a Cubs team that wins a World Series, he might punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame.
A-Lightning Rod.
The problem isn’t Alex Rodriguez’s postseason, it’s everything after. He is owed $143 million over the next six years, and profiles as a full-time DH. Rodriguez sits 133 home runs shy of Barry Bonds’ record of 762.
Given his health issues, that’s no longer a lock. And the contract has no real value without him breaking the mark as joyless as is it might be. Rodriguez said he has a lot to prove next season. If he stays off the disabled list, he will hit. But that’s not exactly a given for a guy with shoulder, thumb, knee and hip problems. Watch how this plays out Twins fans, this could be Joe Mauer in two years.
Footnotes.
For baseball junkies wanting a better understanding of the sport’s finances, check out . Terrific information. . . . Robin Ventura was a shocking choice as the White Sox’s new manager. He was the consummate professional as a player, one of manager Jim Tracy’s all-time favorites.
