Doolittle: How many MLB teams have their face of the franchise active now?
From Bradford Doolittle at ESPN.com on January 30, 2018:
In a baseball winter defined by free-agency necrosis, it has been a rough run for franchise faces.
Despite the overall paucity of moves, two teams have lost their all-time WAR leaders. First, the Marlins gifted Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees. Later, the Rays traded Evan Longoria to the Giants. Both moves left the fan bases in Florida stewing. Just as much animosity was stirred up when Pittsburgh sent Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco. McCutchen ranks “only” 12th on the Pirates’ all-time WAR leaderboard, but none of those ahead of him played for Pittsburgh this century.
Perhaps there is no way to quantify it, but there are ancillary effects in these kinds of transactions. You could look at the negative impact in the areas of marketing and branding when a franchise unloads a long-standing fan favorite, but it would be tough to pin down an exact number. All we know is that it sucks for those jilted fans.
Read the full article here: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22255717/how-many-mlb-teams-face-franchise-playing-right-now
Originally published: January 30, 2018. Last Updated: January 30, 2018.