MLB Roundup 11/2: Astros win the World Series

Astros take Game Seven, win first World Series in franchise history

Sports Illustrated is famous for its cover curse, but back in 2014 they made a bold prediction that the then-rebuilding Houston Astros would win the championship in 2017. A lot has changed since that cover was put out, but the Astros stayed on the same path with their high-quality players received from years of rebuilding (read: tanking). This was one of the better World Series of all time, and while Game Seven was a bit of a letdown in terms of excitement, we’ll remember this series for a long time. To make matters even better, the champion Astros aren’t a team that just went on a fluke run. This is a legitimately great team that will be around for a while. Clearly, that is bad news for the Red Sox. George Springer, Connecticut native and Matt Barnes’ college teammate, took home the Series MVP. And with that, baseball is officially over until next spring.

J.D. Martinez switched representation, is now Scott Boras client

With the baseball season officially coming to a close, it’s time for the hot stove season to really begin. We’re going to start hearing rumors about trades and free agents and just about everything. This is a fun time of year, but also the worst because so much won’t come to fruition. As for the Red Sox, we can expect J.D. Martinez to be one of their top targets as he fills a huge need in the lineup and can easily slide into the DH role if they determine that Hanley Ramirez can play first base everyday. Even if Martinez has to play outfield and the Red Sox need to make another move to make room, he’ll be a target. Things probably got a little more expensive for every team looking at Martinez, as the slugger just changed agents and is now represented by Scott Boras. As we all know, Boras is going to get everything he possibly can for his client, and he’s fantastic at doing so. This isn’t great for the Red Sox, but it is great for Martinez.