With the Dodgers in payroll-trimming mode, they’re probably not legitimate threats to sign free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, observes FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who lists the Giants and Nationals as likelier landing spots (Twitter link). The Giants are known to be in the market for an outfielder, having discussed J.D. Martinez with the Tigers, and the Nats tried to sign Cespedes last offseason before he re-upped with the Mets. Executives around the majors expect big moves from Washington this winter, and signing Cespedes – MLBTR’s top-ranked free agent – would clearly qualify as a significant splash.
Elsewhere around the majors…
- Having acquired shortstop Jean Segura and outfielder Mitch Haniger from the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is content with his team’s group of position players, he told MLB Network Radio on Sunday (Twitter links). Dipoto had to give up right-hander Taijuan Walker in the deal, though, so he’s now looking to pick up a replacement. “We would like to find one more starting pitcher,” said Dipoto. Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton are shoo-ins for jobs next year, meaning the addition of another starter could push Nate Karns or Ariel Miranda out of the rotation.
- Walker’s numbers over 134 1/3 innings in 2016 were respectable (4.22 ERA, 7.97 K/9 and 2.48 BB/9), but the highly talented 24-year-old hasn’t yet emerged as a top-of-the-rotation starter. Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. expects that to change. “There’s so much upside in this guy,” Stottlemyre told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “I know a lot of people have waited for him to kind of come around and put things together. I think he was starting to do that this last month.” After a disastrous Sept. 3 start in which he allowed five earned runs and recorded only two outs, Walker – with Stottlemyre’s help – made changes to his delivery. He then logged five more September starts and recorded a 2.93 ERA with 27 strikeouts against 13 walks in 30 2/3 innings. “When he can find himself, he’s got a chance to be a beast,” Stottlemyre said. “Until then, like all young players, he’s going to have some ups and downs. But I’m convinced he’s headed in the right direction and he can move forward now with his game plan and his approach.”
- The next collective bargaining agreement could feature an international draft, but significantly raising bonus pool allotments and giving every team the same spending limit would make more sense, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. If that were to happen, all 30 clubs would be on the same financial footing and the prospects would be able to negotiate freely with as many teams as they want. Additionally, Badler argues that his plan would make CBA negotiations easier because it would give the union one fewer gripe and take away the need for the owners to make a major concession elsewhere.
What starting pitchers are there for the Mariners to sign or trade for, I think there going to have to trade for one instead of overpaying for hammels.
Detroit has a couple of options, but nothing spectacular. Sanchez, Pelfrey, and some young guys like Kyle Ryan, Buck Farmer.
All could be had for very little return I’d assume. Granted you’d be banking on a bounce back from Pelfrey or Sanchez
My cousins step brother is friends with the brother of the guy that parks DiPoto’s car and he says they aren’t going after Hammels
Lol
this is how mlb trade RUMORS got their start.
My daughters boyfriends aunt teaches his cousins best friends boyfriend who says his uncle knows Hammels kids babysitter who says he will.
sounds legit
Wow, heard same thing from my my grandmother.
I know him!!!
Her??
This is honestly the best thing I’ve heard all day
Liar! My father’s dentist’s stepdaughter was adopted, and she said that the grandmother of her birth mother’s second cousin knows where Dipoto takes his laundry and he said they are going after Hammels
Lmfao
Contradicting stories! I’m so confused. I don’t know which inside man to believe, now. The real question is whose man or grandmother is more inside? WHO????
To the dude who knows DiPoto’s “car Parker:” To clear things up, he parks his own car. I work at safeco and talked to him many times this season. All of the players park their own cars. Then they walk to the clubhouse through the same hallways I and the rest of the Mariners’ employees walk.
So what did he tell you ? Anxiously waiting your answer “LOL”
Any financial ratio requirement can be “adjusted” by the owners deep pockets – IF THEY WANT TO. They can simply increase their capital investment in the Dodgers if they want to drive towards a World Series. Kershaw can opt out at the end of 18 and very well might if he’s not wearing a WS ring by then. Also, we fans will no longer be soothed by hours of Scully stories. We will be more focused on RESULTS. The rest of the Team deserves rings, not promises of “maybe” kids on the farm. Not likely that any of them will be “Seager” level players.
They are in “pay roll training mode” not because they want to it’s because they have to get under a certain MLB debt as it’s the sixth year of ownership, if they don’t get under it the MLB can hand down anything from fines suspensions to forfeiture of picks
This is the second time Ben Badler has pushed this nonsense large market agitprop.
His so called solution would change NOTHING.
The same 6 teams get 98% of the international players worth signing.
You know what would change that? A DRAFT.
The reason he brings this up is there is legitimate concern that an international draft will potentially shrink the number of athletes who play baseball outside of the US. There are many who feel adding Puerto Rico to the draft has had a negative effect on the quality of Puerto Rican baseball. Baseball in Latin American countries is not set up the same way as it is in the US and Canada. They do not have the school infrastructure set up for players like they do here and they rely on the money that MLB teams and local trainers spend to find and train players. If MLB cuts the amount of money spent on the islands, it’s very possible the local trainers stop spending as much of their money on finding the hidden gems. It’s also very possible that if MLB institutes a draft, there is much less incentive for teams to fund their academies and try to find players who they would have little or no chance at signing themselves.
There have been plenty of small market teams that have signed the top international players. The current problem is that MLB obviously have set the limits too low. If teams like the Rays are willing to bust their spending limits twice, MLB needs to raise the limits.
The tradeoff should be that teams shut down their individual academies and pool those resources to develop leagues in those countries. The pooled cost will be lower than what teams spend now to compete for those players.
the difference between Ben Badler’s proposals and yours are that he’s actually taken the time an effort to understand the issues and thought about how to actually fix it.
smaller market teams have already shown themselves more than willing to pay the same big dollars for the time prospects the rich teams are, so giving the ability to match the willingness, combined with much stiffer penalties for the teams who abuse the system, could logically work
especially since 98% if IFA’s don’t, in fact, go to the same six teams.
you know what wouldn’t fix the problem? a DRAFT… that would only destroy the talent flow at the source. it would be ‘leveling the playing field’ by making sure nobody got anything….
but something tells me you have no interest in understanding the issues, just commenting on it…
Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Astros, Rangers and one random team each year. This year it was the Padres.
the two big spenders this year were the Padres and the Braves, so there goes your whole theory.
and if one of your 6 teams is ‘Random’, then by your own admission it’s not the same 6 teams
but as pointed out, the Rays have exceeded their limits twice, the Padres and Braves spent heavily this year. the Rangers aren’t a ‘big market’ team… it’s not just the people with the 200 million dollar payrolls who are players in the IFA market. So if you level the playing field by giving everyone an equal pool, there’s evidence to suggest it’ll help spread the wealth even further.
Let alone the fact that once you spend you’re banned from signings for years also puts a hole in your theory.
Go to a draft!
He signed with the Mets again after 3 seasons of declining numbers. He’ll probably have a Jayson Hayward type season “LOL”