Changes In the 2017 Baseball Season That Will Take Some Time For Most Fans To Get Used To

Pittsburgh has reportedly been trying to acquire Chicago starter Jose Quintana, news that seems to indicate the Pirates hope to compete rather than rebuild in 2017. The White Sox, who in their current rebuild have already traded left hander Chris Sale and lead off hitter Adam Eaton, would demand at least two Pittsburgh prospects in return.

The interest in Quintana most likely means that center fielder Andrew McCutcheon will remain in Pittsburgh. A perennial All-Star as well as the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player, McCutcheon had been the subject of trade talks throughout the winter meetings last month.

Seeing “Cutch” in a uniform other than the Pirates would have indeed seemed a strange way to begin the 2017 season, not unlike the sight of Albert Pujols donning the jersey of the Los Angeles Angels in 2012 after over a decade with the St. Louis Cardinals. It took nearly the entire year before I finally began associating Pujols with his new team.

Changing uniforms for certain this spring will be Ryan Howard, who remains unsigned after becoming a free agent. The former M.V. P. who led Philadelphia to two pennants in the 2000s should cause a lot of baseball fans to do a double take when we behold him for the first time in something other than a Phillies uniform.

In addition to Howard, another former N. L. M. V. P. could very well be leaving the only organization he has played for throughout his entire career. Outfielder Ryan Braun has been the subject of trade talks since last year’s deadline, when a deal involving Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers fell through. Since then Los Angeles has renewed its interest in acquiring Braun, as have the San Francisco Giants.

Another change that will be difficult to envision once the new season unfurls involves Boston, where for the first time in fifteen years David Ortiz will not be in the Red Sox lineup. “Big Papi”, the designated hitter and heart of two World Series Champion teams, retired at the end of last year.

Besides the departures of players from their long time clubs, also missing from the new season will be an iconic voice. Listening to the broadcasts of Los Angeles games will seem odd without Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully, who had been synonymous with Dodgers broadcasts since before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier almost seventy years ago.

Perhaps the detail that will be the hardest to get used to for the 2017 season is rooted in history nearly twice as far back as Robinson’s historic debut in Brooklyn, as incredible as that might seem. For the first time in 108 years, the Chicago Cubs will be referred to as the defending World Series Champions.

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