In DC, Todd Dybas wrote the free agent class this offseason was "supposed to epic," but "ongoing shrugs and muted exuberance have met this market." That means next year's class has a "chance to deliver comparative heat," as Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado, Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez, Astros Ps Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole and Red Sox P Chris Sale "could all be available." That grouping would be "more well-rounded than the current top-heavy one" headlined by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. However, it also "could suffer from the same lack of investment occurring now" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 1/22).
A NEW ERA: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote under the header, "Baseball Has Taken A Turn For The Worse In Casting Aside Scouts." MLB is in a transition period in which "analytics are now driving the way teams do business." Cafardo: "You’re seeing some of the craziest titles for executives and you wonder sometimes, is this baseball?" Back in the day, GMs "didn’t make a move without first consulting with a scout." Scouts have said that sometimes they "go an entire season without communication" with their team’s GM because analytics are "more important to them." There are some "big names in the scouting world that don’t have jobs" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/20).
GONE COUNTRY: In Nashville, Tommy Deas noted venture capitalist John Loar moved to the city from S.F. about six months ago with a vision for an MLB franchise "playing in a 42,000-seat stadium located on the East Bank." Loar said, "Major League Baseball is going to expand, and it's going to be either Charlotte or Nashville." Deas noted this "isn't Loar's first attempt to acquire a major league ball club." In '12, he worked with Baseball HOFer Tony La Russa as part of a group's "failed bid" to buy the Dodgers. Loar said that the next step for a franchise in Nashville is a "feasibility study." He has "assembled an advisory board" that includes former MLBer Dave Stewart (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/20).
