Your 2016 National League Cy Young Champion: Jose Fernandez

The Miami Marlins donning the number 16 in Monday's win against the New York Mets was an impressive gesture toward the memory of Jose Fernandez. In the past few days, I have wished that this was some sick, twisted joke. But as the hours slowly tick away, and baseball remembers the potential Hall of Fame career lost at just 24 years of age, my mind wants to properly express its feelings. 

Laying in bed on Tuesday night, I wondered if a pitcher had ever won the Cy Young Award posthumously. If not, Jose Fernandez had an impressive case for the award so far this season. In the transition from counting stats to sabermetrics, Jose entered the conversation with his 6.2 WAR rating in 29 starts this season. I admit, this is not the perfect tool. 

Nor is a win-loss record combined with ERA, which in Fernandez' case, was 16-8 and 2.86 this season. 

You know what? Forget about arguing whether or not Jose Fernandez deserves the 2016 National League Cy Young Award. 

Think about Dee Gordon's first at-bat on Monday against the New York Mets. A left-handed batter, he took the first pitch of the game with the same batting stance as his teammate. Later in that same at-bat, he crushed a ball to the second deck at Marlins Park. In a post-game interview, Gordon stated "if you don't believe in God, you might wanna start." 

Think about Aledyms Diaz' grand slam Tuesday night. The twitter accounts of the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins had an interaction that starts the water works for pretty much everyone. 

Think about the family of Jose Fernandez. His mother, who he saved from drowning when he defected from Cuba. Think about his grandmother, who the Marlins arranged a visa for, and surprised Fernandez and reunited their family.

The next part hits me pretty hard. Fernandez and his girlfriend, Maria, who were expecting a baby. 

While it is unlikely that Fernandez will win the Cy Young Award, I think that it would be the comfort his family requires. It may even help the baseball world heal. Unfortunately, from a statistical point of view, there are more qualified candidates. 

I am certain that, in time, Major League Baseball will properly pay homage to the life and legacy of Jose Fernandez. May his joy for playing baseball be replicated.

Bring Yoenis Cespedes to Houston

A year ago today, or maybe not even that long ago, I would have laughed if you wanted Yoenis Cespedes on the Houston Astros. "There are prospects on the way!" I may have exclaimed to discuss Preston Tucker, Kyle Tucker, Derek Fisher, and Daz Cameron as part of the Houston Astros future.

But a lot has changed in the past few months. The 2016 Houston Astros season has been a massive disappointment. Dallas Keuchel regressed heavily; Tony Sipp had the worst season of his career; the closing job has been a rotating door thanks to an inconsistent manager. We learned that Carlos Correa has difficult hitting left-handed pitching. Lance McCullers season has been cut short by shoulder soreness/fatigue.

2016 has been a difficult year for the Houston Astros.

Some things have gone right. Jose Altuve is making an attempt to lead the American League in hits for the third consecutive season, though, Wednesday night's early exit has him in doubt for the opener in Seattle this weekend. Alex Bregman ascended quickly from Double-A Corpus Christi, making a pit stop in AAA Fresno, before coming to the Major Leagues and defining himself as a quality top-of-the-order hitter.

The signing of Cuban infielder Yullieski Gurriel has shown early signs of being a great deal. Through his first 21 games, the 32-year-old Cuban superstar is slashing .338/.360/.521 with three home runs.

Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (23), Yuli's younger brother, recently held a showcase for MLB teams and is likely to contend for the 2017 Rookie of the Year award.

Yoenis Cespedes signed a three-year deal last offseason with the New York Mets worth $75 million. That deal, however, includes an opt-out after this season. With $47 million left on the table, many writers and executives in MLB think he will walk and test free agency again. As well he should. In 117 games this season, Cespedes has hit .288/.358/.557 and driven in 79 runs. Among Astros' with at least 200 plate appearances, Cespedes would have an OPS superior to all but Jose Altuve (.952, .915).

Jon Heyman believes that Yoenis will earn a 4-year deal worth $100 million this winter. If I were the General Manager of the Houston Astros, I would definitely make a competitive offer for Cespedes' services for the 2017 and beyond seasons.

The Astros window to win is now. With a quality lineup that adds Yoenis Cespedes as a left fielder and retains Luis Valbuena as a first baseman, the offense would compete with any team on any day.

Completing the Rangers-Astros Rivalry

Bud Selig is an absolute genius. Not only did he orchestra one of the greatest acts of extortion in MLB history, but he has created the rivalry of the 21st century. Jim Crane is already a benefactor of Selig's criminal nature. Now, he can benefit from phase 2 of the plan.

So far, this story is pretty one-sided. The Texas Rangers have OWNED the Houston Astros. During the Astros' 111-loss season, the Rangers claimed 17 of 19 victories. Things were above-average in 2014, with the Astros actually taking the season series, with 11 wins against 8 losses. In 2015, both teams made the playoffs, but you could say that the Astros 6-13 record against Texas was the difference in losing the division versus winning.

The 2016 campaign is much like the 2013 season, at least with the competitiveness between the Rangers and Astros. Or, lack of competitiveness. But their current 1-9 record is not as abysmal as the 2013 season for one reason. The Astros 2013 performance against the Rangers was a -57 run differential; the equivalent of trailing in 19 games by 3 runs. This season, however, has seen the Astros kind of be on the same run pace as the Rangers, with a margin of 1.7 runs per game.

So how do the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros become a rivalry for the ages? Well, as we approach the All-Star Break, the Rangers have a 53-34 record. That mark leads the Astros pace by 6.5 games, with the Houston club owning a respectable 46-40 win-loss despite the horrendous start to the season.

The answer to making the Rangers-Astros rivalry significant comes with the Houston Astros winning the 2016 World Series. Not only does the recipe require that to happen, but the Astros must trade either Carlos Correa or Jose Altuve to the Rangers in the upcoming offseason. On exactly January 5, 2017.

Trading Jose Altuve makes the most sense. He has been with the Astros since the 2011 season; the year the rebuild really kicked off. He isn't even a Luhnow draftee! How can he possibly be a member of the Astros future? The best part of trading Altuve is his tremendous present value. He is ridiculously cheap for the next 3 seasons. In 2017, he will earn $4.5 million dollars. With team options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Rangers would only have to pay $12.5 million dollars for those two seasons. Since a $1,251,455.02 (2016 worth of $100,000 in 2020) auction price is a little low, the Rangers will probably be fine with sending their entire High-A roster to the Astros system.

Every piece of the puzzle is falling into place. Hell, even Scott Boras has entered the charade, as he has become Jose Altuve's agent. With Altuve's value only rising as he reiterates his status as the best second baseman in MLB, the clock to trade him is ticking.

The winner of this sweepstakes will be the Texas Rangers, because Bud Selig's plan to make the Astros and Rangers rivalry the game's best will soon come to fruition.