We’re less than a week out from the Hall of Fame announcing its full 2024 class, so as is tradition, I’m going to try to predict who gets in! But, because there’s a lot of little baseball stories that came up in the news recently, I figured I’d leave the last two-thirds of this post for that. Here we go!
Beltre, Helton, and Wagner squeak into Cooperstown
Your 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class will include Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Billy Wagner. Beltre is the shoo-in, while Helton and Wagner are long overdue for induction. The other fringe guys, like Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield, will barely miss the mark. Other than those guys, I don’t think anyone else will crack 50%, besides maybe Carlos Beltran. Joe Mauer, Chase Utley and David Wright will definitely be on the ballot next year (you need over 5% to remain eligible for induction), but with the way the process works, they’re far from induction, unfortunately. I’ve personally always been a Torii Hunter guy and would have him on my ballot, but he has never gotten the love he deserves from the BBWAA.
Josh Hader and the Houston Astros
The Astros just signed Josh Hader to a 5-year, $95 million contract, securing one of baseball's greatest closers in Space City for the next half-decade. I initially thought Hader would command a contract north of $100 million in total value, but 95 big ones still places him in the Edwin Diaz category of, what I would call, overpaid relievers. Bullpen pieces can come from anywhere; as a Yankees fan, I’m well-accustomed to that (Clay Holmes, anyone?). I understand the Astros' urgency, trying to replace Kendall Graveman, who will miss all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery, along with several Astros relievers who could be leaving in free agency, but there have to be cheaper options out there, both financially and in trade packages, right? Listen, I’m all for the Astros tanking their future in favor of competing with a now-very strong Rangers team in the AL West, but I'd also love to be proven wrong by a genuinely good pitcher. Value is weird in baseball, and relievers just don't have a lot of it. I know this is going to bite me in the ass when Hader strikes out Aaron Judge to win the 2024 ALCS, but October is a long way away, thank goodness.
A's to Utah?
In an interesting turn of events, it looks like the A’s are looking for more cities in the Western United States to either ruin or enhance their love of baseball. Sacramento and Salt Lake City were floated around as possible homes for the A’s following the expiration of their Oakland Coliseum lease following the 2024 season. They will eventually settle in Las Vegas in 2028, but for the three years in between, the A’s need a home. Sacramento, California is home to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento Rivercats, while Salt Lake City, Utah is home to the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels’ Triple-A team. To add even more intrigue to this situation, the former owner of the Utah Jazz is looking to add an MLB team in Salt Lake City, as announced last April. The A’s success in Utah could inspire expansion into the state, or it could switch the A’s plans entirely and have them permanently located there. Both Sacramento and Salt Lake have strong attendance records, so we shall have to wait and see for what ultimately happens here!
Comments