10:23pm: Rosenthal says that Cespedes prefers to stay with the Mets, who are scheduled to speak with his representatives tomorrow, but is wrestling with the fact that the team is refusing even to begin negotiating dollars until Cespedes agrees to their three-year concept. It’s also still possible that other teams are participating in talks on Cespedes, says Rosenthal, though certainly all the recent public reporting has painted the picture of a two-horse race.
Given that New York is set to meet again with Cespedes’s agents, it certainly seems that the organization still has a chance to bring back their three-month star.
4:08pm: The Nationals are indeed offering five years, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes (Twitter links). Meanwhile, the Mets are standing at three years. It remains unclear to what extent any other clubs are still involved in the bidding, Rosenthal adds.
The Mets have no interest in moving past three years, say Newsday’s Marc Carig and David Lennon, and the team has not actually even reached the point of making a formal offer.
1:25pm: The Nationals are “pressing” to complete a deal with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, reports Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). The Nats are believed to be willing to offer about $100MM over a five-year term (“maybe a bit more,” Heyman adds) with some deferrals — a tactic they used in structuring Max Scherzer’s seven-year deal last winter. Heyman characterizes the talks between the two sides as serious.
Cespedes is an imperfect fit for the Nationals, who already have a crowded outfield scene (as Jeff Todd and I discussed at greater length on today’s MLBTR Podcast). Washington currently has Jayson Werth in left field, NL MVP Bryce Harper in right field and Ben Revere and Michael A. Taylor as options in center field. However, the Nationals have shown in the past that they’re willing to add talent even without a clear fit, as was evidenced by last year’s signing of Scherzer despite an already excellent rotation. Even this offseason, the Nats have pursued Jason Heyward and Justin Upton, and they signed both Daniel Murphy and Stephen Drew even though one could argue that the team already had sufficient middle infield depth.
Ultimately, Cespedes is the type of player that would serve as an upgrade to any roster in the Majors, and Washington may feel that his current market is at a point where they can’t pass on adding a player of this caliber to its roster. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the Nats had made an offer to Cespedes last night, though he noted at the time that the offer was short of the contract that Upton landed with the Tigers.
so Ben Revere and Michael Taylor are available or….?
Werth would be odd man out
Except he can’t be traded.
Any player can be traded, the return may suffer
hmm that full no trade clause may disagree with you
Werth has a full no-trade clause.
A no trade clause simply means Werth has to approve the trade. He can still be traded
That just means Werth needs to accept a trade, especially if he would lose playing time and be a reserve role.
They’ll need to pay 50% of his contract to find a taker……He played 88 games last year and will be 37 in May. $21.5 million x 2 years = $43 million…….That’s a ton of money for that guy at this point in his career
That doesn’t negate the fact Werth will be the odd man out.
That’s a lot money you guys are stuck with him
Taylor can still be optioned to the minors. Werth in LF, Cespedes CF, Harper RF, Revere 4th OF. Werth is going anywhere for the same reason Phillips isn’t leaving CIN. Werth likes it in WAS and would probably ask for either $$$ or extension to accept a trade <—-the same thing Phillips did.
True. Finding a taker is the hard part.
That would be ridiculous and a slap in the face to Revere. He’s exactly what they needed, a lead of hitter and center fielder. It would be stupid to sign Cespedes. I’m not saying he isn’t a good player, just not a good fit for this team. Who leads off? I think this lineup would be fine-
1 Revere
2 Murphy
3 Rendon
4 Bryce
5 Zimmerman
6 Werth
7 Ramos
8 Espinosa
Now if they could replace Werth with Cespedes now we are talking. Just can’t see finding a taker.
Harper wouldn’t be hitting cleanup, he’s got to bat in the first inning every time. I do like Revere at the top of the lineup for them though.
Yeah, you’re right. They could maybe bat Rendon 4. It’s hard to really know with this team with so many question marks on guys coming off various injuries.
What about – 1. Revere (L) 2. Rendon (R) 3. Harper (L) 4. Cespedes (R) 5. Zimmerman (R) 6. Murphy (L) 7. Ramos (R) 8. Espinosa (S). I think batting Rendon 2nd splits up the lefties nicely, and Werth probably isn’t healthy/productive enough to play full time anyway so adding Cespedes isn’t the worst idea. Harper needs protection and Cespedes would be a solid cleanup hitter. The only problem is I wonder if they see adding him as insurance in case Harper leaves.
I just don’t think a team would ever sit a guy they are paying that much to regardless of whether he should.
So does his 21 mill a year for 2 more years. They’d have to eat a lot of salary. He’s 37 and has been injury prone these last few years. That alone would kill the idea of a trade. Makes no sense to add Cespedes for 100 mill AND eat almost 15 mill of Werths deal IF he agrees to a trade.
Revere’s a nice player and all but Céspedes is on a different level.
They can play Cespedes & Revere at the same time. Revere has played all 3 outfield positions. Revere is a far more reliable player than Werth is at this point. How about Werth to the White Sox in a trade? Werth & his wife are both from Illinois. They’d be going home. The White Sox could use another outfielder. They’ve been linked to free agent outfielders. They don’t want to go longer than 3 years on a deal. Werth has 2 years left. That’s a short-term deal
To be fair to Werth, He did play 147 games in 2014 (5353 AB’s) and 129 games in 2013 (462 AB’s). 2012 was his last true “injury ridden year” when he broke his wrist, I think. In ’13 & ’14 he hit 25 and 16 HR’s respectively, and his OPS was .930 & .849…..His 2015 numbers look dreary, but his 2nd half numbers show that he was at least “serviceable” at .226/.305/.426/.731. The .226 is rather pedestrian, but his slugging and OPS show sign of hope.
I do feel like, the way things have been trending, they’d have to pay 50% of his salary to move him, although a club like the White Sox or Indians might be willing to take him if they paid $15 mil of the $42 mil. The difference is what they would get in return. Rule of thumb is, “the more you pay, the better the return piece is”.
Too bad they didn’t think to trade for Chapman when the Reds were shopping him, and chase Cespedes before they signed Revere…….Mmmm
Not to mention the extra money he would likely get by agreeing to waive it. I think you’re right – if he sees a diminished role or the writing on the wall he will waive.
Werth has a full NTC. He’s not going anywhere.
For $20M thrown in, I am sure you could find a taker for Werth.
More than that. He was gd-awful in addition to being hurt last year. He may be done as a useful outfielder.
True but still produced 12 HRs in the games he played, IF and I know big IF he can stay healthy, could be good for 25-30. $10-11 a year for that potential and 80 RBIs is a decent risk.
Sure Nats can find a taker for Werth if they throw in $20M.
It will have to be 30 mil
Most likely move would be revere
Could simply platoon Werth and Revere and trade Taylor or send him to AAA.
Would cost less to pay someone $10M a year to take worth. Plus Revere gives better potential, not power but average.
I don’t see the problem with the Nats signing Cespedes at all! 1. IT’S NOT YOUR MONEY! The Nats feel they can afford him, fine. 2. Injuries happen. Better to have too much than too little depth. 3. Werth is old and coming off injury. Who would bet on that? 4. They don’t have to give up a top pick for him.
Lance…..You bring up 4 excellent points…..and you’re absolutely right….so relax.
It’s not our money, and it’s not our team. We don’t get to decide what they will do. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. I don’t think anyone feels like they are “In the driver’s seat”. It’s just a discussion………and I think it’s fun to compare notes, see what the other guys are thinking……and maybe (just maybe….lol)…..we’re all enjoying “pretending” that we “know what they should do. Frankly…..some times, guys come up with ideas that I hadn’t thought of, and it’s great to bounce stuff off each other. Some guys do get a little belligerent from time to time…….but for the most part, they don’t (especially the guys who are here all the time).
And remember…….we’re not all die-hard Nats fans here……some of us are just “Baseball Nuts”…..looking to just “talk baseball”……… 😉
When was the last time a teams 3 and 4 hitters both went to a divisional rival the very next year? Only a team as hapless as the Mets could allow this to happen smh.
True, but a full year of Conforto, a healthy d’Arnaud (if there is such a thing) and the upgrade at SS with Cabrera will help offset. Plus a full year of Matz in the rotation and Bastardo in the pen should help.
I appreciate your thinking!
The Mets upgraded at 2B by letting Murphy go and getting Walker. Only a team has hapless as the Nats could panic enough to give up a pick to a division rival to sign a 2 WAR player and then try to blow a ton of money on a guy who they don’t need just to try to catch the current NL Champions.
Hapless? You must not pay much attention. The Mets replaced Murphy with a better player (Neil Walker) and the Nats lost their first round pick by signing him. That’s not “hapless” – it’s sound baseball strategy.
Once again, the Nationals are living beyond their means. Already have a crowded outfield yet they want to add more money to payroll and sign YET ANOTHER outfielder. Its just like last year when they already had a great rotation and they signed Scherzer. How dumb can their front office be, honestly?
Eventually some of these contracts for older players will seriously hinder the Nationals ability to field a sustainable team.
You forget that the Nationals are a rich team! and ive read they are 30 million under last years payroll.
Scherzer being on the team looks pretty good now without Zim and Fister. He has also made up a ton of the contracts value for the team just from the marketing/merchandising of his two no hitters.
One of the outfielders, probably Werth, will be hurt at some point this year and Werth needs days off as well. Having Werth platoon with Revere isn’t the worst. The Nats can afford a $20 mil platoon player this year.
Might be a luxury but its one the Nats most certainly can afford and could use.
Since when can Werth or Cespedes play a comfortable center field? If this goes through, either Werth is going to spend most of his time on the bench, or their outfield defense is really going to suffer.
you are forgetting Bryce Harper in your scenario. Platooning doesnt mean they have to play the same position.
If Werth is out then Revere plays center, Harper right. Werth in, Revere out, then Harper center, Werth/Cespedes left/right.
You can mix and match, It works quite well and gives tons of options for rest, injury, matchups, etc.
Exactly, and it’s also possible that Werth sees some time at 1B because there is no way Ryan Zimmerman is going to be able to stay healthy and on the field for the entire season.
They just need to go to the jewelry store. It will be a lot cheaper to buy their ring there. I hate teams that think they can buy a championship. Needless to say it hasn’t worked for them so far.
Well they do 43 mill coming off the books. And some will spend insane money on Stras that I don’t think he’s worth next offseason. Plus the are 30 under last years payroll. I would say they have spent crazily this offseason.
Didn’t they get the short end of the stick for TV money? That should at least be considered. Of course, they are no NY Mets and their Bargain Bin or Bust…so maybe they make decisions based on baseball needs and not banking terms.
What the heck are they up to? If they sign Yo and trade Revere that will be very very dumb IMO. Not that Revere is a better player, but he is a legit CF and a leadoff hitter, two things Cespedes is not. This is really weird, unless the Nats are doing a favor for Cespedes’ agent to try and drive up the price elsewhere.
Well, the Orioles could use Revere,
However, these two teams are not getting together for a trade.
As for doing a favor to Cespedes, who else is wooing him?
No one is going to overpay for him at least I don’t think they will and quite frankly he still would be an okay fit for the O’s, but I don’t think they can afford him
I’d be shocked if this isn’t just a ploy by Roc Nation to get the Mets to give Yo their best offer. I’m not really a big proponent of giving Cespedes a five-year deal, but the Mets really can’t afford to let him go to their main division rival.
Agree. Just another way teams force each other into financial oblivion. You can saddle a potentially competitive team with an albatross of a contract by serious limiting payroll flexibility if you manage to compete longer than your expected window.
CBA will not allow Revere to be traded until June 15th at the earliest. If they sign Cespedes, they have 3 reasonable choices:
1). Play Cespedes in CF and platoon Werth and Revere in LF. Werth is expensive, but he’ll be 37 in May. Werth is virtually untradable right now (37, injury prone, $21.5 mil salary)
2). Send Taylor back to the minors – He didn’t hit well last year and could use some extra time at the plate. It would be a crime to keep in the Bigs and have him get 150-200 AB’s…..not good for the kid. That move allows Harper to go back to CF, Werth back to RF and Cespedes in LF. Revere becomes the 4th OF and he fills in all over……unless Werth gets hurt again, then you have Cespedes-Revere-Harper regularly
3). Trade Michael Taylor to a rebuilding team (or a contender) with an SP to get in return that would help the rotation out……either right now or next season.
they traded for revere, there are no restrictions on when they can trade him.
Sorry…..You’re right!…………..I forgot that they did that…..
Your #2 is probably what they have in mind. It’s not awful, especially considering Werth is a near lock to get hurt again. But that’s not a $100m improvement.
When I read this story I felt your Option 2 is what they would do.
Yet I could see Werth not get the starting job and have Cespedes(LF)/Rever(CF)/Harper(RF) w/ Werth as an expensive 4th OF
That’s looks like a good OF there
Not to mention Werth would get AB’s as the DH when they play in AL parks.
A favor? I think you meant collusion, which is illegal.
I hope they sign him, then proceed to lose the division and not make the playoffs during the duration of the contract. Also, dont feel like Cespedes is going to age well. A 2 or 3 year deal would have been perfect, anything over that, not going to be good.
Honestly, is a deal with him worth it to crowd up that outfield even more, and then have even less money to spend for Harper? They’re gonna want all the money they can to lock him up.
Word is the Nats are structuring the deal with a lot of deferred money after 3 years, so that it doesn’t interfere with a Harper extension……if that’s even possible with Boras as an agent.
Orioles deferred 42 million of the Davis contract, and the Nats deferred a significant chunk of the Scherzer deal, both boras clients. Boras doesn’t seem to care about the deferals, as long as he can say I got more money for player x.
I think the Nats are trying to build in some depth this year. I’m sure they can live for some of the year with a Werth/ Cespedes/ Harper outfield. That would produce a lot of offense and Revere would serve as a defensive replacement and insurance against the inevitable Werth injury. Taylor can help fill that role also OR he can sit on the AAA express and go back and forth from the minors to the majors.
Last season, they were stuck when injuries hit their lineup hard. With Murphy, Espinoza and Turner, they seem to have the infield covered. Signing Cespedes would go along way to covering the outfield. The Cubs/Nationals NLCS should be epic.
I feel Werth would spend more time pinch hitting/DH(when in AL parks)/4th OF to keep him healthy all season.
It’s hard to envision a Cubs/Nats NLCS with the Nats missing the playoffs again.
No big deal. Taylor can start the years in AAA and work on his offense.
I will have to see the contract but last year Rizzo counted on a bunch of injury prone players to stay healthy. I like the fact that he is not doing that. Werth isn’t going to play a full season Cespedes and Harper is a great 3-4 combo for at least 3 years
I would imagine if this deal gets done, that would spell the end of Taylor in the OF for the Nats unless they flip Revere again. I also imagine this means Cespedes will be the everday CF. Revere would make for a very expensive bench bat.
Cmon mets,don’t let him go to the nats.
If Cespedes does actually sign with the Nationals I have a strong feeling in two years you will be very glad he isn’t on the Mets payroll.
100MM with deferrals is seriously the best anyone is going to do for him? I realize he has major faults but nobody was guessing this small of a contract at the start of the off season. Like his agent said, it’s a hard knock life.
MLB is going to have to intervene with deferred money. Here you have a 91-year old owner deferring money past the point of any possible life expectancy. This money is going to ultimately be pushed off to the next ownership group, and the existence of it on the books will lower the franchise value.
To be fair he’s only 90.
How is it different than just a regular long-term contract, which would also “lower the franchise value”? Deferred money is fine. It’s just letting the team instead of the player invest the money before it’s due to be paid. Whatever. If the league is going to address anything, it’s the rampant opt outs all of a sudden.
Agreed. And if anything, deferred contracts are more attractive to players since they still get paid past their playing days.
The owner is 90′ but his son basically runs things and I don’t think the family has any plans on selling the team and
Y time soon.
I think Mike Rizzo sits in his office and gets bored and goes hmmmm who can I sign today just cause I can. Its ok though, the Gnats can have him. All these contracts will hinder them in 2018 and beyond IMO
They have 60 committed for 2018 so it’s not crippling. The only contract that would hurt them would be Scherzer if he gets hurt. Other than that murphy’s a free agent after 18 and Zimmerman after 19.
Mystery Team time?!
Yes it is!
I wonder if this is a precursor to a trade for Lucroy, who the Nats are rumored to be interested in. Would the Brewers have any interest in Michael A Taylor for Lucroy?
Good thought, although Michael Taylor would only be a potential piece going back in a trade for Jonathan Lucroy.
The Nationals have the money and it’s also a “shot across the bow” of division rival Mets. There is no reason not to sign him.
Cespedes/Harper/Werth with Revere in a reserve role to pinch hit/run and replace Werth when he gets hurt or let him DH in inter-league makes the most sense.
It’s hard to see Taylor being worthy of a full time or reserve job in 2016. He caught fire in AA in 2014 and has been pretty mediocre otherwise yet the Nats seem hesitant to trade him.
Do Nats fans really dislike Werth or something? Until last year he had put up two seasons that grabbed him MVP votes.
I think this would be a very interesting depth move. the Nats window for success is closing pretty quickly, no matter how good Rendon and Harper are. I’m really not sold on their rotation this year. Even if Joe Ross breaks out, Gio and Roark are pretty big question marks thanks to declining peripherals and Strasburg seems to have rediscovered his durability issues.
They better really root for Giolito being everything people make him out to be.
Maybe Revere was a deal they made for insurance in case they couldn’t get a Cespedes, and then if they did then perhaps they plan on flipping him?
They won’t flip Revere. He’s their only true leadoff hitter, and with Taylor presumably in AAA, Revere would be their only true CF. He’s on the team. He’ll be 4th OF at first, getting time at CF 3 or 4 time a week, then full time when Werth inevitably gets hurt.
what makes Ben Revere a true leadoff hitter? because he’s fast and has no power?
How about a 2015 season where he hit .306 with a .342 OBP…..and 31 SB?
With Manfred coming out today and saying essentially that the NL could get a DH as early as 2017, shouldn’t that make either the Mets or Nats all the more interested in Cespedes?If you only had to survive one year of him in CF, that has to drive the price up.
A lot of Cespedes’ value is in his corner D. He’s no DH. Besides, by then Werth will have one year left and he can be just cut or benched.
You raise an interesting point baymen, and it’s one I hadn’t considered from the Mets side of things. I’ve been wondering why the Mets don’t just sign Cesp and then trade Granderson. The difference in salaries won’t be THAT much for the first two years, it gets you the power hitter the lineup really needs, and puts him in the position to succeed as well (not CF). You move Granderson while he’s been playing better and the team is better off for it.
That said, if you really think the DH is coming, and you really weren’t worried about the money (the Mets are definitely worried about the money) they could keep them both for a year and Grandy would be the DH during the final year of his contract.
From the Mets POV, it just seems like they have the opportunity to upgrade LF from Grandy to Cesp for very little cost up front. They get younger and better defense, plus whatever trade value they can extract from Grandy. And it keeps him out of a Nats uniform.
If they want to give him some opt outs and he leaves, we can always use the extra draft pick and can just use his money on somebody else. It just seems like the Mets could be missing a pretty nice opportunity here.
For one, Granderson has been consistently better. Granderson was actually the Mets’ best position player in 2015. It would be completely ludicrous to sign Céspedes and then trade Granderson. That’s a sidegrade and possibly a downgrade. Céspedes is clearly better than Lagares; he is not clearly better than Grandy.
If Cespedes does indeed sign:
Jayson Werth for James Shields straight up?
Bad contract swap, but fills holes for each club. Thoughts?
Not bad, but I think Shields has more value than Werth at this point. Might have to throw in a B level prospect or send some cash.
I could see the Nats trading Werth eating some money and moving him to the Angels or Padres. The Shields for Werth idea is not that crazy.
I know Arizona wants to move Aaron Hill quite badly and knows they will have to eat a lot of money or take back a bad contract in the deal. Perhaps an Arizona/Washington trade could be in the works?
Murphy can play all over the infield, which could help them find some PT for him and they could finally be rid of Werth.
Who knew that would turn out to be such a bad contract??? (said no one the day it was signed)
I mean, the deal is probably going to end up as a loss, at least from a $/WAR perspective, barring some nice seasons in the next two years. But a lot of that is because of the injuries. And those really have been freak incidents.
He’s had his down spots, for sure, but Werth has a .272/.364/.441 bating line in D.C. And he was at least serviceable at the plate in the second half last year.
the Nats will sign Cespedes and trade Werth and prospect to the Brewers for Braun. ha. who knows…..maybe the ASTROS will swoop in and steal Cespedes from both the Nats and Mets.
Ryan Braun? So, the Nationals replace Jason Werth with another injury prone and more expensive long term contract…and still retain their glut of outfielders.
Catcher Jonathan Lucroy would be the sensible target from Milwaukee going to Washington in any trade scenario. Ryan Braun would make more sense as a potential trade option for an A.L. team (White Sox?) that might lose out in the Cespedes sweepstakes. Carlos Gonzales would make even more sense for the pale hose as a left-handed power bat with less years and dollars attached to him.
Astros would be the perfect fit.
Cespedes does two things positive, he helps the Nats win the East, and by getting him he hurts the Mets, their rival. Makes sense to me. I would think the Nats would look to move Revere.
Come on, mystery team. Make this interesting.
Hows this for a mystery team – Cubs. Sign him to 4 yr deal – trade Soler, Almora, Mckinney and maybe a few others for Carrasco. Cespedes plays CF 70% of the time – plays LF when Schwarber plays DH or C.
Heyward – rf
zobrist – 2b
rizzo – 1b
bryant -3b
cespedes-cf
schwarber -lf
montero – c
russell- ss
Pitcher
not a bad lineup to go with a rotation of
Arrieta
Lester
Lackey
Carrasco
Hendricks
with Warren, cahill and wood capable of starting
yes… I stopped by for happy hour lol
I can’t see them doing that, they do want to extend arrieta down the road, so they need to have money
angelsfan…….Arrieta is a Boras client. Cubs are probably resigned to the fact that it’s going to be difficult to extend him. That’s probably why they are trying to trade Soler and/or Baez for a stud SP now. They’ve got an enormous farm system, filled with talent……that being said…..there’s no way they give up Soler, Almora, McKinney and others to acquire Carrasco. Way too high of a price, for that package, they might as well go after someone like Jose Fernandez (but he’s another Boras client). If they trade those 3 young OF’s, the Cubs will split them up , and each will be part of their own package for 3 different players.
Arrieta will be traded next winter, so the new team can get the draft pick when he leaves for FA after 2017 (and remember……Arrieta is no kid…..He turns 30 on March 6th…..Yikes!)
In that scenario I think they would still be better off with Heyward in center and Cespedes in right. But I’m not a Cubs fan at all, so if a mystery team does emerge I would hope it isn’t them.
Cespedes said he wants no part of RF and does not feel comfortable playing there. At least that’s what he told the Mets when they acquired him. I do agree that Heyward is a better CF than Cespedes.
That’s a lot of effort for something that has zero chance of happening.
The Cubs would be better off just re-signing free agent Dexter Fowler to play CF, move Jason Heyward back to his accustomed RF position, keep Kyle Schwarber in LF and as a once a week catcher. Jorge Soler could then be used as immediate trade bait to help acquire that solid upgrade at #3 or #4 starter in the rotation or even kept to platoon in LF or RF when Heyward needs a day off or moves to CF or give Fowler an occasional breather.
We all know how manager Joe Maddon loves to utilize his roster. A foursome of Schwarber, Fowler, Heyward and Soler might mean a few less plate appearances for each but they will be all be guaranteed of playing at least 140-150 games, if healthy. Keeping Soler, who has tremendous potential in his own right, might free up a trade for a valuable commodity like versatile Chris Coghlan who could bring the Cubs added depth in their bullpen. Javier Baez is expected to be Maddon’s next super utility player anyway, in the mold of Cubs new regular second baseman Ben Zobrist, who will also still find himself playing multiple positions throughout 2016 because of his manager’s incessant need to micro-manage. (lol)
Here’s your “Wild & Crazy” long-shot at a mystery team…….that’s not so far fetched…..
Marlins lower their demand for Ozuna and trade him (plus a couple low level prospects) to the Padres for Tyson Ross (or another team who needs a CF and has young stud pitchers to trade away)……The Marlins move Christian Yelich back to CF………and sign Cespedes to a 6/$125 million cautiously back-loaded contract to play LF, with an Opt-Out after 3 years. They are making adjustments to the Park there right now…..lowering the fences in LF & LC……bringing them in closer in CF & RC (by about 11 feet)
Miami certainly has the ethnic culture for him, he has Barry Bonds to help him learn how to “take a pitch when it’s a Ball, and smack it when it’s a Strike”……resulting in better stats for his next contract. the lineup would be awesome, although he’d be at the plate with the bases empty a lot…unless Stanton walks (which he’s getting much better at).
The lineup would probably be: Gordon, Yelich, Stanton, Cespedes, Bour, Prado, Realmuto, Hechavarria, SP. Prado could bat 2nd, pushing everyone else down 1 slot.
Loria just needs to open the checkbook…..
It’s a feint. Not going to happen.
If they sign Cespedes , they can forget about giving Harper a long term extension
Why? I think Harper is gone, regardless, but Werth’s deal is up before Harper is a FA… that’s 20M right there w/o adding any payroll at all. The kid will require 30 per, for sure, but why couldn’t they come up with that???
Werth and Murphy come off in 2019, freeing up about 40M… so why would signing Cespedes rule out getting Harper extended?
I think he’s going to play for NYY, but just wondering why you say that?
Total commitments is at 55 when Harper is a FA and that’s for both Scherzer and Zimmerman. Zimmerman is going to get his 20 option declined. They’ll be fine if they want to resign Harper. Scherzer’s 35 mill might not look so bad especially after the Grienke contract.
If they want to re-sign Harper, they’re going to have to do some fancy footwork. They have way too many players who have Boras as their agent…….Harper, Rendon, Strasburg, Taylor, and Espinosa just to get started. That’s a problem, because Strasburg is a FA’ after 2016, Espinosa after 2017, Harper after 2018, Rendon after 2019, and Taylor after 2020…..and he doesn’t like to have his “Good” players sign extensions.
They’re going to need a ton of money to re-sign Harper…..and Scherzer is due $86 Million over 3 years starting in 2019 (Harper’s 1st FA season)…..including $30.2 million in 2019. Good Luck with that…….Yikes!!!
They also have Werth and Gio coming off the books in the next 2 years. That’s not a ton of money but somehow WAS is always flush with cash every offseason and they add 1 top tier FA almost every winter out of nowhere.
You’re right about all of that.
Harper’s going to command more money than anyone has ever thought about…….probably asking for $500 million contract over about 15 yrs (maybe 12 years, but he’ll be 25 by then…..so I’m guessing 15). With all the deferred money the Nats already have on the books (Scherzer), and they are talking about that same kind of deal with Cespedes…..Harper will need to be surrounded by a bunch of arbitration eligible players for the Nats to make it work. (Rendon is a Boras client and needs to be re-signed also….Yikes).
The numbers have become so staggering, those of us who have “been around baseball for quite a while” (yes, you can read that as “I’m over 50….lol)….it’s really tough to tell what they will do….where they find the money…..how they balance the checkbook (and I fully understand about TV contracts and other revenue streams).
Why would they trade a guy they just got? Revere and Werth will platoon and Ces and Harper will take up the rest of the spots. Taylor might be a bench bat or they could TRY and trade Werth although he has a no trade clause and platoon Taylor/Revere. Either way someone will be platooning if Ces goes to WAS.
If it happens Werth for CJ Wilson is gonna be talked about quick
Werth has too much left on his contract
Either Michael Taylor is getting demoted or they’re shipping off Revere. Werth is staying right there no one wants an 37 year old outfielder who is injury prone … a 20 million dollar platoon player? PFFFTT
Why would they trade a guy they just got? Revere and Werth will platoon and Ces and Harper will take up the rest of the spots. Taylor might be a bench bat or they could TRY and trade Werth although he has a no trade clause and platoon Taylor/Revere. Either way someone will be platooning if Ces goes to WAS.
or a Taylor/Papelbum package???
Imo, Yoenis Cespedes was the best option for the White Sox among the free agent outfielders this offseason. If he signs elsewhere, switch-hitting Dexter Fowler would still be a nice upgrade who would come considerably cheaper. If the savings in signing Fowler over Cespedes allows the White Sox the financial flexibility to also upgrade at another position of need, either shortstop (Ian Desmond?) or right-handed starting pitcher (Yovanni Gallardo?) then it may actually be the best course of action among the available FA’s.
Their are also potential trade scenarios that might benefit the White Sox even more than free agency, pending the necessary return in assets. A power hitting left-handed hitter like Carlos Gonzales might be the ideal fit for the White Sox, not just because he can play RF as well as LF, but because he would provide the ideal bridge in the middle of their lineup between the right-handed power hitters Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier. Gonzales would cost less in terms of dollars than Cespedes with a $38M ($17M in 2016+$20M in 2017+$1M trade bonus) guaranteed commitment over the next two seasons. If “Cargo” could be acquired without the loss of a substantial 2016 roster contributor or any of the White Sox top 3 prospects (Tim Anderson, Carson Fulmer or Spencer Adams) his acquisition might trump that of any FA, including Cespedes.
Spencer Adams wouldn’t be considered un-tradeable. Flumer and Anderson. Yes not available. But
I would guess a trade of Avi-Adams-Danish(maybe) or beck. Could get it done. I would think. Maybe even Adams-Danish-and some other low level minor leaguers for CarGo.
The Rockies want high end pitching. Keeping in mind a single year of Heyward got the Braves Shelby Miller, they’d start at Quintana or Fulmer+. It wouldn’t make sense for the White Sox, whose best bet might just be signing Fowler and losing the 2nd round pick.
Rockies have clearly asked that Fulmer be included in any trade for CarGo. They are not giving him away…..there’s too many places that he could go and be an excellent fit (and certainly Chicago is one of them). But if the White Sox want him, they’ll have to pony up. It’s not a “Fire Sale”, they don’t care if they keep him until the deadline, or possibly until next winter.
Maybe this is the White Sox’ chance to steal Werth away from the Nats? Get Wash to pay 20 of the 42 million owed to Werth and have a solid bat who can play RF for $10 mil/yr? You won’t have to give up much from the farm……and he’ll cost half of what CarGo would. Look at Werth’s slash lines before you reject him as “washed up”. He has something left in the tank, albeit not a ton (but probably 2 years worth)
CO has already said Cargo is going nowhere. If the Rockies were trying to trade him, Parra (Cargo’s best friend) wouldn’t have signed their.
They have said that. Do you think they trade him at the deadline? Next winter? Or do you really think that they’re going to pay him to stay in Colorado, then just get a draft pick for him when he leaves??? I don’t……it’s just not a “sound business plan”.
Or do you think they’ll actually try to extend him in Colorado? He’ll be 32 when he hits FA, so he’s in for a huge Pay Day…..and (of course….) He’s a SCOTT BORAS client……which is already working against him. Rox are screwed if they don’t trade him now, or at least at the deadline……IMHO
Werth isn’t going anywhere but Michael A Taylor might just be heading to Pittsburgh in a package deal for Melancon. Taylor offers some backup to the eventual departure of McCutchen and allows the Pirates to shop their crown jewel in the event they can’t sign him to yet another contract extension. Imagine what the Pirates could get at the trade deadline!
I don’t see any way the Nationals give up Taylor for one expensive season of Melancon.
The one thing the Pirates don’t need is outfielders. Taylor for Melancon makes no sense from their side.
I think they like meadows more. Especially since Taylor’s bat look a year away.
I don’t know if the Nats and Os could put aside their differences long enough to talk trade but I see a fit with them sending Werth to the Os. They would have to eat a fair amount of money and not get much back but it would allow them to free up an outfield spot and get Werth out of there. It would fill the Orioles right field hole without costing a draft pick or high prospect just some cash and a low end prospect. I think Werth may agree to the trade knowing he’s not going far, he wouldn’t be stuck as a fourth outfielder, and the Os are a semi-contender in a good hitters park. Thoughts?
Would Taylor get traded? No way they trade Werth unless Nats eat a huge chunk.
How high did the Tigers go with Cespedes?
It may have been higher than any other team offered.
Could be that Upton got Cespedes’s money.
And I think the Tigers got the better all around player (counting on and off the field).
Nats Payroll Strategy: Defer ALL The Money!
Mets not acting like there is a competitive bidding process . Diivision rival in on Cespedes, and a much more favorable tax environment in DC than NY.
Hard to imagine more teams are not in on Cespedes at this price.
,
Mets are negotiating hard. They know Céspedes wants to stay in New York and are trying to get him to concede years.
At what price? He hasn’t signed so we have no idea what it will take. I am guessing he will want Upton dollars (per year).
“Rosenthal says that Cespedes prefers to stay with the Mets, who are scheduled to speak with his representatives tomorrow, but is wrestling with the fact that the team is refusing even to begin negotiating dollars until Cespedes agrees to their three-year concept”
That sentence is blowing my mind. Cespedes is totally being dominated by the Mets but he prefers them to the Nationals..who are offering him a better contract. So strange
The Nats should sign ces and then trade Harper to the mets for I don’t know, maybe some low a minor leaguer. Then I will be happy lol. Seriously though, mets better not mess this one up. He does to Nats, u can count this season done. Don’t know where or how they would play him but they would figure it out to have murph ces and Harper in the same lineup. Mets now have two reasons to sign him. To make the mets better and now to keep the Nats behind them.
Negotiating tactic? Either way, take the money, Cespedes. Don’t overthink it.
Take the money or just go to the Mets for less money.
You can’t have both so choose already.
I’d guess if the Mets offered enough money at 3 years, he might take it…..like 3/70. It’s a higher AAV than 5/100 and if he is still performing in 3 years, an AL club would love to DH him. Maybe he gets another 3/60 out of it?
This is his big pay day, he goes to the Nats. What would you do. The Nats have a better chance of winning in the next 5 years because their owner is trying to win, the Mets owner is tight with his money!
A three deal with an opt out after one year is really a one year deal with an players insurance policy.
At that level, I would think 10+ teams would be interested.
At least there is still hope that the Mets are being considered.Lets Go Mets!
Nats should platoon revere and werth with harper moving between right and center and keep taylor as an extra outfielder/insurance for a werth injury
revere
murphy
harper
cespedes
zimmerman
rendon
espenosa
pitcher