With spring training just a few weeks away, here are three things we'll be keeping an eye on throughout the baseball world today:
1. Who receives the call from the hall?
The results of this year's Hall of Fame voting round will be announced tonight at 5 p.m. CT and will determine who, along with former Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers manager Jim Leyland, will be inducted on July 13 in Cooperstown . Third baseman Adrian Beltre It seems all but certain that he will join Leyland in this year's class. As Ryan Thibodaux's Baseball Hall of Fame Vote Tracker shows, Beltre has currently received votes on a whopping 99% of publicly known ballots. With 53.4% of the ballots known, Beltre would need votes from less than 60% of the remaining ballots to secure his seat in Cooperstown. Next to Beltre Twins catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman for the Rockies Todd Helton With 82.9% and 82% of known ballots respectively, both appear to have a good chance of getting the call tonight.
Southpaw closer Billy Wagner (77.6%) and hitting outfielder Gary Sheffield (75.1%) are both also on track to clear the 75% threshold and land a plaque in Cooperstown, although the chances of either player doing so are uncertain at this point. This year's results are particularly important for Sheffield as this is his tenth and final appearance on the ballot. In contrast, Wagner is in his ninth year of eligibility while Helton is in his sixth year. Mauer and Beltre only took part in the vote this year. At the other end of the spectrum is the left-hander Mark Buehrlethird baseman David WrightRight-handed closer Francisco Rodríguezand outfielder Torii Hunter All were selected in 4 to 8% of public elections. Players need at least 5% of the total vote to remain on the ballot the following year.
2. Paxton headed west?
The Dodgers appear to be on the verge of adding a third starter to their rotation this winter, as reports suggest the club is close to signing veteran southpaw Southpaw to a one-year deal James Paxton. If the deal goes through, Paxton would join other offseason acquisitions Yoshinobu Yamamoto And Tyler Glasnow as well as inner arms Bobby Miller And Walker Buhler in the club's likely starting lineup. The Dodgers have an open spot on their 40-man roster, so no move will be required to bring in Paxton if the deal is completed. With Big Maple's likely exit from the free agent market, another mid-rotation arm will be eliminated from the board and depart Mike Clevinger, Michael Lorenzen and Hyun-Jin Ryu are among the best remaining options.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
With just three weeks left until spring training, there are still a lot of things left unchecked on the offseason shopping lists of clubs across the league. Are you wondering what's next for your favorite team, or perhaps you're curious about what the market looks like for a particular free agent? If so, tune in this afternoon when MLBTR's Steve Adams hosts a live chat with readers at 1 p.m. CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and you can use the same link to join the chat when it starts or read the transcript after it's finished.