MLB Roundup 12/11: Jack Morris and Alan Trammell make the Hall of Fame

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell are heading to Cooperstown

On Sunday, the Veteran’s Committee announced the results from their Modern Era ballot, a ballot that former Red Sox great Luis Tiant was a part of. The Cuban star from the 1970’s didn’t get enough votes to make it, but a couple of former Tigers did. Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were the only two who made it. There are a lot of opinions on this, and while I certainly share most of them regarding Morris, I am past the point of caring about the Hall of Fame. The voters clearly no longer care about telling the story of baseball and including even some darker moments. The museum as a whole is a really great place, but the room of plaques has been tainted by voters taking themselves too seriously and feeling the need to be the morality police. I’ll begin caring about this process again when they decide to acknowledge the era of baseball on which I grew up. Worse than Morris making it was Marvin Miller not getting voted in. Every year in which Miller does not have a plaque in Cooperstown is a stain on that section of the museum. There may not be more than five more important people in the history of the game.

The Mets might trade Matt Harvey

Once upon a time, the Mets had the most fearsome young rotation in baseball with Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. They still have loads of potential, but injuries have derailed the progress of all four of them at one point or another. Harvey has been affected the most in recent years and it’s been a while since he’s pitched as well as he’s fully capable of. Now, it seems as if New York is ready to move on. According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, the Mets have discussed the righty with at least two teams and could even be willing to trade him for a reliever. Harvey’s stock has fallen quite a bit in recent years, and it’s startling to see. There is still some potential here, but as for the Red Sox there is no reason for them to take that chance. Anything beyond depth starters who will sign minor-league deals is probably a waste of time.

• The reliever market got moving a little bit on Sunday. The first deal was between the Cubs and Brandon Morrow. The former starter has seen a career rejuvenation in relief and he really put himself on the map this past postseason. The deal between the two sides is not done yet, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time.
• The Cubs’ rivals in St. Louis also signed a back-end arm, taking on Luke Gregerson for two years and $11 million. Gregerson doesn’t have the upside possessed by Morrow, but he’s been a really strong setup man for a long time now and could be a total steal for the Cardinals.