González and Latino stars on the move

By César Augusto Márquez

Even during the holidays, baseball doesn’t stop. Teams have been Christmas shopping the past couple of weeks and a number of Latino stars will be wearing new uniforms in 2018. Meanwhile, the players have been taking well-deserved rests, starting their offseason workouts or giving back to their communities. In this final edition of El Bullpen for 2017, we span the world through baseball.

New destinations

The Marlins, under new management, continued cleaning house. After trading NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees, they sent Dominican All-Star leftfielder Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals. El Oso Grande (The Big Bear) — who hit .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs — promised to make the Redbirds fans smile next season.

Dominican first baseman Carlos Santana, 31, who was granted free agency after eight seasons with the Indians, parlayed 23 home runs and 79 RBIs into a three-year, $60 million contract with the Phillies, one of the worst slugging teams in the major leagues last year. It’s the biggest contract of Santana’s career.

The Phillies are officially in rebuilding mode. They traded Venezuelan shortstop Freddy Galvis — a leader in their young clubhouse who was scheduled to become a free agent after 2018 — to the Padres in exchange for Dominican pitching prospect Enyel de los Santos, a skinny 6-foot-3 right-hander with good control. Last season, de los Santos went 10-6 with a 3.78 ERA for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He tallied 138 strikeouts and 48 walks in 150.0 innings.

Closing a chapter but not the book

In a whirlwind week, five-time All-Star Adrián González waived his no-trade clause with the Dodgers, was traded to the Braves as part of a five-player deal and then designated for assignment. Assuming that González clears waivers, the 35-year-old first baseman will become a free agent.

Born in San Diego to Mexican parents and raised on both sides of the border, González became one of best run-producers in the game and was a favorite among the SoCal Latino fans. But age, injuries and the emergence of Cody Bellinger, the NL Rookie of the Year, made El Titán expendable. Calling it the hardest decision he’s ever made in his career, González wrote an emotional letter expressing his gratitude to the team and the fans for their support.

Hidden warrior

Francisco Lindor, the Indians’ Puerto Rican shortstop, is taking advantage of the offseason to travel. He was in Tokyo last week to practice Aikido, a modern martial art that also incorporates philosophy and religious beliefs. Think of Mr. Smile as an all-around athlete. But as evidenced by the video, he’s not yet an All-Star in Japan.

Yadi, yadi, yadi

Yadier Molina has had quite a busy offseason. After helping relief efforts in Puerto Rico and managing the national team in the Pan American U-23 tournament — which qualified for the 2018 World Cup — Molina accompanied Cardinals teammate José Martínez to Venezuela for a series of youth clinics at César Nieves Stadium in the coastal city of Catia La Mar, just north of Caracas. Like Yadi posted, Puerto Rico and Venezuela united for youth.

All-Star horsemen

Miguel Cabrera and José Altuve share much more than the fact that they are the only two Venezuelans to win the MVP Award. Close friends, last week they traveled together with their families, showing off their shared passion for horses. Come think of it, Altuve could probably be an All-Star jockey if he wanted to focus on horse racing.

Featured Image: Adrián González Instagram