Toonstruck 1 » LAS VEGAS (AP) —

Before the weekend there probably wasn’t a bookie in this gambling town who would offer any kind of odds on Harold Baines making the baseball Hall of Fame.Way too much of a long shot after not even being remotely considered by the writers who get first crack at the voting. They dismissed Baines year after year until he fell so far off the Hall of Fame ballot that his name was removed.Yet there Baines was at a podium Monday inside the Mandalay Bay resort http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-nolan-ryan-jersey , standing in front of many of those same writers with a big grin on his face. There he was choking up when thinking about his father and how proud he would be that his son was a member of the most hallowed of all the halls in all the sports.And in front of him were a lot of people wondering — at least quietly — why Baines is going into the Hall of Fame after being considered not worthy for so many years.“Well, they can’t take it away from me now,” Baines said later, “even if they don’t think I should be there.”No they can’t, even if Baines took a back door into the Hall that seemed to be unlocked when no one was looking.His numbers alone — both traditional and new-age — don’t make a case that Baines is a Hall of Famer. Neither does the fact he was a DH most of his career, and in 22 years never finished in the top eight vote getters for MVP consideration.But he played a lot of games and had a lot of hits, though he didn’t reach the 3,000-hit mark that is considered a Hall of Fame measure.And, after a long career he had some influential friends on his side.“You look at his record and it can’t be denied,” said Tony La Russa, who managed Baines in Chicago and in Oakland. “He was in the top four or five of every offensive category for 20 years, he was just a little too quiet.”La Russa was part of a 16-member, Hall-picked committee put together to make sure no deserving player gets left behind. Those members took a big swing and voted for Baines and Lee Smith to join others the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will vote next month to induct in next summer’s ceremonies.Yet while Smith was a unanimous pick of the committee, Baines got the minimum of 12 votes to join him in the Hall. And he was as surprised as anyone to get the call he was joining a rarified club.“I wasn’t sitting around thinking about it, to be honest,” the 59-year-old said.That Baines was mostly ignored by baseball writers during the time he was eligible — his biggest vote total was 6.1 percent when 75 percent is needed for induction — was partly because his candidacy was hurt by an inherent bias against the DH position by many writers. Smith also was hurt in voting because relief pitchers traditionally didn’t get the votes starters did.Baines didn’t play defense, didn’t hit well against lefties, and never had 200 hits or 30 home runs in a season. His new-age metrics weren’t that good, either, with a career 38.7 Wins Above Replacement by baseballreference.com that is behind other players who haven’t been voted in by the writers, and his 2,866 hits in 22 seasons qualify more for a longevity award than anything.But the committee of second chances — formally called Today’s Game Era Committee — had La Russa and Joe Torre as members advocating on his behalf. The committee also had Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox owner who a decade ago had a statue of Baines unveiled outside the team’s ballpark, as a member.“In my mind with the game on the line that’s who you wanted up Cameron Maybin Jersey ,” Reinsdorf said.Reinsdorf was among those pushing for Baines and it’s hard to blame him. Baines was a good player for a long time, and a nice guy without any hint of controversy.Indeed, baseball could use more players — and more people — like Harold Baines.But to be in the Hall of Fame requires even better credentials. And baseball writers carefully studied those credentials over the years, only to find Baines lacking.Now that he’s in, the debate begins anew over his qualifications.And the biggest one, perhaps, was that he had good friends in high places.____Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Paul Goldschmidt and Robinson Cano have already switched teams this offseason, going to the Cardinals and Mets in major trades.As for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper — the jewels of the free agent market — they’re still waiting.Patrick Corbin and Josh Donaldson are already signed, but there are plenty of significant free agents still available heading into the winter meetings this week. The market appears less sluggish than a year ago, and Machado and Harper will remain focal points.Here’s a look at the top free agents — broken down by position — who are still available. Players are listed with their most recent teams, with their ages in parentheses:LEFT-HANDED STARTERDallas Keuchel, Astros (30)With Corbin off the board , Keuchel may be the top remaining starter on the market. He slipped a bit after his Cy Young-winning performance of 2015, but this past season was encouraging from a health standpoint. He made a career-high 34 starts and posted a 3.74 ERA.Other options: J.A. Happ hasn’t had an ERA over 3.65 in any of the past four seasons. At 36, he’s a risky bet for a long-term deal, but he could be a helpful addition for a contender if the price is right. Drew Pomeranz had a rough 2018, but he’s still only 30 and went 17-6 two seasons ago.LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERZach Britton, Yankees (30)The question here is: Who do you trust more, Britton or Andrew Miller? Both lefties have dealt with recent injury troubles. Britton is the younger of the two, but he has a long way to go if he’s going to return to his 2014-16 peak.Other options: The 33-year-old Miller had a 4.24 ERA in 37 appearances this year and spent time on the disabled list. His track record remains impressive, but 2018 was not a great note to enter free agency. Oliver Perez posted a 1.39 ERA in 32 1/3 innings for Cleveland this season, but that was easily his best showing in years.RIGHT-HANDED STARTERCharlie Morton, Astros (35)Morton has a chance to cash in on two impressive years in Houston, in which he made 55 starts and went 29-10 with a 3.36 ERA. At his age http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-reggie-jackson-jersey , he’s not an ideal long-term pick, but neither is anyone else in this group.Other options: Lance Lynn went 10-10 with a 4.77 ERA for the Twins and Yankees this year, but he averaged over a strikeout an inning for the first time since 2012. Prior to this season, he’d never posted an ERA higher than 3.97. Trevor Cahill went 7-4 with a 3.76 ERA this year, but he made only 20 starts — and that was his most since 2013. Matt Harvey hasn’t turned 30 yet and showed some signs of rebounding during a serviceable stint with Cincinnati.RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERCraig Kimbrel, Red Sox (30)Kimbrel isn’t as dominant as he was toward the beginning of his career, but after a 42-save season for the champion Red Sox, he’s the biggest star among the available relievers. Kimbrel turned down a qualifying offer, so his free agency has compensation attached.Other options: Jeurys Familia did not receive a qualifying offer, and he’s a year younger than Kimbrel. There are plenty of other familiar names available too, such as David Robertson, Kelvin Herrera, Adam Ottavino, Cody Allen and Bud Norris.CATCHERYasmani Grandal, Dodgers (30)Grandal had a difficult postseason — and he turned down a qualifying offer after the season — but it’s hard to ignore his productivity with the bat. He’s hit at least 22 homers for three years running.Other options: All-Star Wilson Ramos was hurt for a bit last season but hit well after being traded to Philadelphia. Jonathan Lucroy’s on-base percentage plummeted to .291 in 2018, but at age 32, he could bounce back.FIRST BASEMatt Adams, Cardinals (30)Not a terribly inspiring group at this position. Adams hit fine for the Nationals last season but batted only .158 in 27 games after returning to St. Louis.Other options: Logan Morrison’s 38-homer season in 2017 looks like an outlier right now. He hit only 15 in 95 games this year and battled hip problems. Lucas Duda managed only 14 home runs in 107 games last season.SECOND BASEBrian Dozier, Dodgers (31)It was an uncharacteristically poor year with the bat for Dozier, but he remains the player with the most upside among a deep group of free-agent second basemen. He hit 104 homers from 2015-17.Other options: There are plenty. DJ LeMahieu is relatively young at age 30, although his home-road splits in recent years suggest a move from Colorado could hurt his production. Daniel Murphy, Jed Lowrie and, at the older end of the spectrum, Ian Kinsler are all available. Asdrubal Cabrera and Josh Harrison get points for versatility.THIRD BASEMike Moustakas Andrelton Simmons Jersey , Brewers (30)With 66 home runs in the past two years, Moustakas stands out in a market that’s a bit underwhelming in terms of corner infielders now that Donaldson is taken .Other options: Well … maybe some team can convince Adrian Beltre to change his mind on retirement ? Otherwise, it’s hard to say who is next on the list behind Moustakas. Teams desperate for help at third base might want to consider acquiring someone like Harrison or Cabrera and putting him there.SHORTSTOPManny Machado, Dodgers (26)Machado obviously would also top the list of third baseman if he went back to that position, but he played mostly shortstop this year. At 26, he’s very much in his prime and coming off a stellar season in which he hit .297 with 37 home runs and 107 RBIs. He is at worst the second-best free agent available.Other options: The well runs pretty dry here after Machado. Jose Iglesias offers slick fielding and can hit a decent number of doubles. Iglesias, Adeiny Hechavarria and Freddy Galvis haven’t turned 30 yet. Alcides Escobar offers impressive durability after playing a full 162 games in 2014, 2016 and 2017.OUTFIELDBryce Harper, Nationals (26)Michael Brantley, Indians (31)Andrew McCutchen, Yankees (32)Along with Machado, Harper is the cream of this free-agent crop. Last season was a struggle at times, but he still ended up with 34 homers and 100 RBIs. Brantley enjoyed a nice rebound this year, hitting .309 with 17 home runs. McCutchen has slipped from his MVP-level peak, but he still managed to extend his streak to eight straight seasons with at least 20 homers.Other options: A.J. Pollock hasn’t played close to a full season since 2015, but he can be a valuable center fielder when he’s in the lineup. Adam Jones and Carlos Gonzalez are intriguing but are getting into their mid-30s. Marwin Gonzalez couldn’t repeat his excellent 2017 season at the plate, but he played every position except pitcher and catcher this year.DESIGNATED HITTERNelson Cruz, Mariners (38)Cruz is still going strong, with five straight seasons of at least 37 home runs. Seattle is undergoing an offseason overhaul after trading Cano, Edwin Diaz and James Paxton, but Cruz figures to draw interest somewhere in the American League.