What's that sound you're hearing?
It's a rumbling...
Something's about to happen...
Oh, I recognize that. That's Cody Ross' asking price skyrocketing.
And you're hearing it because 37-year old outfielder Torii Hunter has agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. It's not actually a bad deal for Detroit, despite Torii's advanced age. While he's fallen off in the field (already an issue with much of that team), Torii hit well last year, batting .313 with an .817 OPS. He's still got a little pop. And he's notoriously a great clubhouse guy, if that's something that matters to you.
Some Red Sox fans (like our own Ben Fountain) were supportive of Torii coming to Boston, but I think most of us are comfortable staying out at that price. Detroit's championship window is like, right this second, so to splurge a little for an extra piece like Hunter is fine. The Red Sox have a ways to go, and while Hunter might have been the difference between, say, 80 and 82 wins next year, that's not really worth spending $26 million.
Meanwhile, as I indicated with my brilliant introduction to this piece, Cody Ross is somewhere smiling. Cody is turning 32 next month -- that's five years younger than Hunter -- and put up an .807 OPS last year. He doesn't have the track record of Hunter, of course, but his agent can certainly make the argument that for the next two or three years, he'll be as good or better. Anyone hoping we'd get Cody for two years, $12 million or some similar pipe dream can now forget that. I think we're looking at a three-year, $36 million minimum for Ross now.
To which I say, hey, Ryan Kalish, enjoy right field.
