As we hit February, some pre-spring (training) cleaning

What a winter for baseball. Barely a day went by this offseason without the sport getting talked about in some capacity. And while that’s always been MLB’s dream scenario, this certainly is not how commissioner Rob Manfred imagined it, because most of the conversation has been dominated by illegal sign-stealing scandals involving the Astros and Red Sox — two of the last three world champions.

On the positive side, Manfred did get a more robust free-agent market, momentarily putting to rest the saber-rattling of the previous two winters. Unlike a year ago, when Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were left hanging into February, this offseason’s Big Three — Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon — all signed by Christmas.

Through Friday, 191 free agents agreed to new deals totaling $2.12 billion, for an average salary of $11.1 million, according to Spotrac. Last year, 233 free agents signed for a total of $1.86 billion, at an average of $8 million. As usual, this year’s group also was top-heavy, with Cole ($324M), Strasburg ($245M) and Rendon ($245M) accounting for a whopping $814 million.

Spring training 2020 won’t carry the same free-agent suspense as a year ago, but there are plenty of other unresolved issues, many because of the cheating fallout, with the Red Sox investigation still open.

We’ll get to those eventually. Because pitchers and catchers officially report during the second week of February, however, we figured this would be a good chance to catch up on a few items before baseball begins anew in Arizona and Florida. Call it a bit of pre-spring (training) cleaning.

Hall of Mirrors

As everyone knows by now, Derek Jeter missed out on a unanimous election to the Hall of Fame by a single voter, the lone dissenter from the 397 ballots cast by BBWAA members. So of course much of the attention was directed toward that person, who still remains anonymous, as the Hall of Fame does not require voters to identify themselves.

Jeter himself acted unfazed by the inexplicable snub, apparently satisfied — at least publicly — by the 99.7 approval he did receive. However, we’re left wondering why that one holdout (we’ll call that person Voter No. 397) did what he or she did. The controversy sparked the annual shouts for complete transparency, and the Hall again was left to reiterate that it wants the anonymous option for those who prefer it (Cooperstown officials get the last word — it’s their museum).

I understand the transparency argument. As media members, we push the people we cover to be accountable, so wouldn’t it be hypocritical to not expect the same from ourselves? But making ballots public, often long before everyone has completed the voting process, also has its drawbacks for an election of this sort.

The practice of openly displaying the ballots, especially through social media, can influence voters — consciously or not — to court the approval of the masses rather than check boxes (or make omissions) that could invite a backlash. It’s a real phenomenon, and some voters do mention the ever-increasing level of vitriol that accompanies the Hall of Fame process each year. The choice then becomes whether to cast an anonymous vote (and be flogged for dodging your civic responsibility) or make the ballot public (and be hammered in that arena instead, if you buck the prevailing trend).

Over the past two years, I’ve tightened up my ballot to include only three selections. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens made their usual appearance for the eighth year, with Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter the only other slam-dunk HOF candidates in my mind (of the non-PED suspended group). Based on the feedback, my voting practices tend to be very unpopular.

Nothing against Larry Walker, who will be inducted with Jeter this July, but you have to wonder how much the voters ultimately bent to the public drumbeat for his election. Four years ago, Walker appeared on only 15.5% of the ballots. Last year, he was at 54.6% before making a 22-point jump that got him to 76.6 — clearing the 75% threshold by a margin of only six voters.

Good for Walker. But how many voters cast a ballot thinking they didn’t want to be publicly ostracized for being among those who kept Walker from Cooperstown? According to the on-line ballot tracker operated every year by Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs), Walker showed up on 83.1% of the public ballots (as of Friday), so the early indication is that he had a significant drop among the anonymous crowd. Also, only 59.1% of the electorate has revealed their ballots (courtesy of the tracker) so far. The BBWAA site will provide the full public list in the coming week. Last year, 353 ballots were made public out of 425 (83%).

Ideally, the HOF election probably would be more authentic if ballots were not revealed until after Dec. 31, the deadline for submitting them. But the Hall of Fame likes the added attention as an extended ramp-up to the unveiling, and they owe a debt of gratitude to Thibodaux for his meticulous efforts in doing so.

Ultimately, the BBWAA has consistently produced deserving Hall of Famers — despite a flawed process — and that’s the goal, after all.

DH creeping closer?

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden — a former general manager himself — raised eyebrows this past week when he tweeted that some National League GMs believe the designated hitter could be instituted as soon as the 2021 season. While momentum for the universal DH has been increasing in recent years, with commissioner Rob Manfred suggesting a pending (yet murky) arrival, it would seem more logical for MLB to wait until the current CBA expires after the 2021 season, giving him the ability to use it as a chip in those negotiations.

The Players Association obviously would love the universal DH, which has the potential to give older players more opportunity as well as create another high-salaried position. MLB already agreed to expand rosters to 26 players for the 2020 season in last year’s round of mid-CBA negotiations, and a universal DH fits nicely into that development.

Traditionalists have railed against the DH for the NL, but it’s been long overdue, as nearly every level of the sport, worldwide, has moved away from pitchers hitting. While a select few are skilled at the plate, it’s mostly a useless exercise and an unnecessary injury risk for the most expensive commodity in the game. In our view, the sooner we see the universal DH, the better.

The Bronx is laughing

Did anyone have a better winter than the Yankees? Their offseason basically involved signing Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million contract — satisfying their most pressing need — followed by Derek Jeter getting elected to the Hall of Fame, the second Yankee in as many years. In between, they got to watch the Astros and Red Sox — their two biggest rivals and the only teams that beat them in the playoffs in the past three seasons — go through an embarrassing, debilitating three months.

The Astros were decapitated as owner Jim Crane fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, the two architects responsible for building Houston into one of baseball’s most successful franchises. Not only that, but the Astros have plenty left to do in trying to dig out from their humiliating sign-stealing scandal, and it will be interesting to see how much it haunts this still-talented roster going forward.

At least the Astros got Dusty Baker to replace Hinch, a smart choice for their impossible situation. As of this weekend, the Red Sox had yet to hire a manager to follow the fired Alex Cora, are still being investigated by Manfred for their own cheating scandal and were in the process of trying to trade Mookie Betts — the 2018 MVP and one of the sport’s best players — because he reportedly is asking for too much money to stay. The Red Sox are aiming to get below the $208-million luxury tax threshold — just as the Yankees did in 2018, when it was $197 million — and need steep cuts to do so.

Dealing Betts, who will earn $27 million in his walk year, would greatly helps Boston in that mission. But the Red Sox undoubtedly will be weakened by his departure, and that is more reason to smile in the Bronx.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.