While the Marlins have reportedly been holding talks regarding catcher J.T. Realmuto and outfielder Christian Yelich, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says that four rival general managers expressed doubt” that a trade will actually take place involving these young assets. Whether that opinion is based on the reportedly astronomical asking prices or other factors isn’t immediately clear. There’s some suggestion from some of Rosenthal’s sources, though, that the Fish are concerned with perception and won’t make a deal unless it seems the offer was overwhelming. That seems largely unlikely, but the already less-than-rosy returns on the initial months of the new ownership have been marred further by reports from the Miami Herald about the incoming plans. Most recently, Barry Jackson reported that CEO Derek Jeter stands to receive a $5MM salary with multi-million-dollar bonuses if he can deliver profitability to the ownership group (of which he is a part). PR considerations aside, there’s certainly a compelling case to deal Realmuto and Yelich rather than take the risk of holding them. Rosenthal argues the organization ought to simply follow through on the rebuilding steps it has taken already, using this offseason as the time to cash in both of those quality young players.
Here are some more market notes:
- The Mets are said to be checking in on the market for third basemen, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. The report suggests that the New York organization is positioning itself as a landing spot for Mike Moustakas or Todd Frazier if they reduce their current asking prices. Similarly, the club has checked in on backstop Jonathan Lucroy as well as left-handed-hitting first basemen Adam Lind and Logan Morrison. (Those two potential first base options, of course, occupy quite different market segments given the former’s age and the latter’s breakout 2017 season.) All told, it still seems the Mets are broadly canvassing the market for possible upgrades, but looking to do so with relatively limited financial resources still available.
- Jon Heyman of Fan Rag has a variety of interesting notes in a look at the top remaining free agents and other notes from around the game. Free agent righty Alex Cobb is “willing” to take a four-year deal at a $70MM guarantee, says Heyman. Of course, that’s also a significant amount more than MLBTR, at least, projected he’d earn on the open market. It would appear there’s still some market development left to go between Cobb and his suitors. Of course, there are also a few higher-regarded starters left whose own situations may need to be resolved first. Meanwhile, fellow free agent righty Andrew Cashner is reportedly angling for a three-year pact. While the 31-year-old did manage a 3.40 ERA in 166 2/3 innings in 2017, teams will be wary given that he carried only a meager 4.6 K/9 on the year.
- Years are also at issue for J.D. Martinez, Heyman explains. Red Sox president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski is not interested in offering more than five years, but Heyman suggests that agent Scott Boras could yet try to make his case at the ownership level. The “word is there are other five-year offers,” Heyman adds, though it remains hard to imagine which other reportedly interested club would be able to compete financially with the Sox for Martinez.
- Heyman also checks in on the closer market. The Astros, he notes, remain interested in adding a high-end, late-inning arm. It’s not entirely clear if they are a realistic suitor for Greg Holland, but in theory he’d be an option. Holland is said to have set out in search of five years in free agency. That never really seemed likely, as he’s 32 years of age and had at least a few late-season stumbles in his first campaign back from Tommy John surgery. Of course, Holland is still expected to secure a significant contract, though a three-year arrangement may be likeliest at this point.
- Though the Reds continue to engage in discussions regarding center fielder Billy Hamilton, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes on Twitter that there’s one major potential roadblock. Club owner Bob Castellini is quite hesitant to part with Hamilton, it seems. While there’s no indication that the switch-hitting speed demon is completely off limits, the stance may make it harder to get a deal done.
- As the Royals weigh their options at short, it seems the team is targeting some veterans that figure to be available on lower-cost deals. Incumbent Alcides Escobar remains an option, says Heyman, while Kansas City is also said to be favorably disposed toward Ryan Goins.
Why would the reds consider one of the worst hitters in baseball untouchable ?
Because they are the Reds.
Because when he does get on base he is a threat to cause chaos, not to mention he is one of the best centerfielders in baseball
And…for some reason they feel Schebler is not qualified to handle center. He probably isn’t. But, with them not moving Duvall or Hamilton you’re blocking you 3rd best (Votto /// Suarez) hitter on the team in Winker.
They should trade Duvall back to the Giants. Perfect landing spot for him since it’s his former team and they have the need.
Winker gets to play…..finally…..so we can see “what he can do”.
That makes great sense for the Giants, but do they have anything good to offer the Reds?
The Reds will roll with a 4 man outfield, short of some team way overpaying.
Giants have Ramos who appears great only becuase he is all they have that projects to be an MLB player and crap. If they won’t part with Ramos, they won’t be making any trades for a few years. No one wants the rest of those prospect fillers.
go die
No one except Votto is untouchable on the Reds. That doesn’t mean you have to or should trade a player just because someone has an interest.
Cobb should fire his agent if there really was a 4 year 60 Million offer from the Cubs that he passed on
Didn’t see that in the story above. I did see a different report he rejected a 3 year deal for 42 million from the Cubs.
Why? He shouldn’t sign until Darvish and Arrieta sign. Some team will have been left out in the cold on the big guys, so they’ll scramble to sign Cobb, overpaying him in the process.
I did not realize how durable Alcides Escobar is. Great signing for any rebuilding team in need of a stop gap at short.
Meh. Declining defense last season and never really could hit. Can’t see how anybody but the Royals would want him. And I’m not even sure why we do.
Is a “stop gap” ever a great signing?
Esky is very durable but other than that, not that great. Mediocre defense and below average offense. He doesn’t run the basepath like he used to either. It’s time for the R’s to let him go somewhere else and give Mondesi the reigns.
Cobb is average. What’s that worth?
If I signed Cobb for three years for $45 million I wouldn’t feel good about it.
The team that signs him will regret it. Wouldn’t touch the overrated injury prone guy. Huge regression coming
I agree. Can’t even count on the guy to throw 180 innings let alone 200. If you’re paying a guy 15+M per season I think he’s has to be someone who can log 30 starts at least. He’s great when he’s out there but he’s not out there often enough. Anything over 3yr/33M with maybe an option year to make it 4yr/45M is an overpay. I think he will land more than that though.
Hamilton is exciting only if you don’t care if you win or not.
Not true. He would be a fine addition to teams that can put him at the bottom of their lineup. His elite CF defense would be a great help to some teams that already have lots of offense.
Agree with Gocincy. He has to be on the right team, BUT if a contender has two good hitting LF/RF that aren’t that good defensively, adding Hamilton between them is PERFECT. You also have to have a manager that isn’t so stupid as to bat Hamilton outside of the 8th or 9th spot in the lineup. His defense is VERY, VERY good, and some teams, that lack of good OF defense keeps them from contending.
Boras is smart trying to go to Red Sox ownership for more years on a contract. But as Heyman said “though it remains hard to imagine which other reportedly interested club would be able to compete financially with the Sox for Martinez.” It seems as the smartest thing to do is truth to extract every last penny the Red Sox are willing to offer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tweaks his approach within the coming days.
I am amazed how slow the MLB off-season has been to develop. If the Red Sox do in fact sign JDM where the hell does he play? I am more than happy going to war with the team we have in place right now. Most of the players had subpar years.
I am amazed how slow the MLB off-season has been to develop. If the Red Sox do in fact sign JDM where the hell does he play? I am more than happy going to war with the team we have in place right now. Most of the players had a subpar year.
DH, and it is sounding more and more like Boras is trying to get the Red Sox to bid against themselves.
That would leave HanRam without a spot in the lineup. It should be interesting to see if the Sox would try and trade JBJ or release Hanley to make room for JDM.
Well taking Hanley out of the lineup might be the point of signing Martinez. Hanley didn’t exactly light things up last year and needs to only have 500 plate appearances to activate his option for 2019. Signing Martinez and benching Hanley could be a financial hit for 2018 but be a potential money saver for 2019.
Boras’ specialty is getting teams to bid against themselves.
There’s no question that Hanley sits (becomes a bench bat) if they sign JD. That’s probably not what the holdup is. They’ll probably trade an OF and let JD play OF. Worse defense, more offense. If they don’t, JD is the new DH.
But I doubt they sign Martinez to DH. Hanley has been fairly productive in his 3 years with Boston. In 2016 he went .286/.361/.505/.866 with 30 HR’s and 111 RBI’s…and played 147 games (most as a 1B). Nothing wrong with those numbers. The numbers fell off a bit in ’17, but he was primarily a DH for the first time in his life. He still hit 23 HR’s in less than 500 AB’s.
I agree with your comments and mention it was the first year without Ortiz. If you slip JDM into the lineup with a healthy Moreland, Xander, Hanley. Betts, Benentendi, Vaz/Leon, Devers and Marco Hernandez/Pedroia/Holt @ 2 B or Nunez that’s fairly formidable. The Pen will be improved and the rotation should be able to handle the long season.
I like the Sox chances in ’18–they will move JBJ if JDM is signed.
Dombrowski and Cora will have to sit down and make sure they’re on the same page where Hanley is concerned. There needs to be a specific plan in place on their end because if Cora benches him in an obvious effort to prevent Ramirez’ 2019 option from vesting, that situation will become a major distraction for the team. Trading him would be difficult not only due to that vesting option, but Hanley can really only play 1B/DH though some team may want to see what he can do at 3B.
Let’s not use War analogies with sports eh? Some of us have actually been to war and it’s not as fun as batted balls
I don’t think he meant any harm by his comment but you are correct in that a game is no comparison to bloodshed. And thank you to all have served for our freedom and safety.
I actually haven’t been to war. I’m actually an insecure 20 year old who still lives with his parents. I enjoy trolling people and lying through my teeth.
My Password is actually Password
Wow, this has to be a first. This guy’s password really IS “Password”
EVERYONE POST UNDER THIS NAME!
Break the pill in half next time dude
There are laws against that sort of thing! That is not cool at all!
No history in Epstein/Cherrington ever being bypassed before in Boston by Boras for any of his clients and not like they have not signed any before.
Just because Heyman wants to make it so with nonsense in his article doesn’t make it so in boston.
Boras has no one or at least not the big spenders bidding against Boston and their GM Dave knows that
Yeah well Boras has played his game so long, the clubs have wised up. Sooner or later someone is going to blink…. wanna guess who?
“the Mets are broadly canvassing the market for possible upgrades, but looking to do so with relatively limited financial resources still available.”
The Mets have the revenues to pay taxes on the payroll every year. Why is Fred Wilpon allowed to steal tens of millions of dollars every year? It’s easy to make a case that Wilpon is stealing in excess of a hundred million dollars every year.
What does Fred Wilpon do that he should be allowed to withdraw even fifty thousand dollars from the Mets each year? Why is Derek Jeter taking five million per year and given further financial incentives to raise the profit margin anyway he can?
Who pays for the ballparks of the Mets and Marlins? What do Derek Jeter and Fred Wilpon bring to the table? If the fans are paying for everything why don’t the fans control where every dollar is spent?
The MLB owner serves exactly the same function as Sammy Gravano running a skim operation or his “family”running a protection racket. As a baseball fan I’m sick and tired of their skim operations and I don’t need their “protection”.
That’s ridiculous, they are owners of a business. They are entitled to run it and take the revenues that they want. It is not stealing. If you owned a business and made say $1 million but stayed at home while you made the money, would you not take any of it and give it back to the customers that gave it to you? No, you wouldn’t. Nobody is forcing us to spend our money on them, you can stay home and watch it on TV if you want and not buy 3 beers for $25.
There’s that old saying “the problem with the sport is that it’s a business and the problem with the business is that it’s a sport”. Owners are entitled to do whatever they want (within the rules) and fans are entitled to root for another team. I know that sounds callous and it is because it sucks if you’ve been a lifelong fan and your owner is screwing the team.
OK, I want to open a business. I want to open a car dealership. I’ll go down to the local city council and contact my state representatives and they’ll give me the money to buy a dealership and automobile inventory from tax dollars?
Feel free to move somewhere else.
I’m where I’m supposed to be. I can’t move anywhere else.
Supply and Demand. Free market. Hate it, start supporting political parties that align with your views.
Casey’s Partner……You are welcome to try that methodology. The flaw is in your statement “….they’ll give me the money…”
They won’t. Probably
But if they DO……..”More Power To You”.
Business owners……OWN the business. They can do whatever they want. Sometimes it’s unpopular, and the general public chooses whether or not to spend their money at that business. That’s the glory of being a business owner.
Baseball Teams are NOT a Publicly Owned Business. If it was, it would be different.
Business 101…………Owners Get To Make The Decisions
” They can do whatever they want.”
That’s a psychopathic thought process. Anyone who agrees with it needs to be locked up and deeply accessed by psychiatrists as to their fitness for rehabilitation.
Yeah it’s ugly when a pro team holds the tax payers hostage over a stadium…. but that’s exactly what they are doing!
Don’t blame the owners, blame the corrupt local city councils, county leadership, etc, that take bribes and sellout the tax payers…ROUTINELY.
I do like it when referendums are used and taxpayers at least get a chance to vote (usually vote DOWN if huge expense and owner gets the rewards).
Is that all 3 beers cost over there?
Haha I wish.
At least they still have Syndergaard and de Grom to take them to the playoffs. They are still better than the Phillies Braves, and Marlins, but they are an anoying team to follow.
3 beers for $25??? I wanna watch a game where u live
They got ripped off by Madoff and borrowed a ton. The interest on the team’s debt, plus debt balloon payments, had exceeded the Mets’ payroll in recent years. Tough luck Mets fans. Go across town and wear pinstripes if you want rich.
Marlins owners just can not afford the team. Thats on Manfred.
Owners of corporations have more rights than citizens. Thats just Capitalism in todays world. Fans and consumers are just there to fill their pockets
They shouold have been forced to sell their shares. They’d be wealthy (still) even after all the Madoff loses after selling their controlling interest and the team would have a shot at being relevant. That said, that stud pitching staff sort of got clobbered by injuries. Had they been a bit more healthy, they’d be a contender just with that pitching staff.
why do you whine non-stop? loser virgi n.
I’m frustrated too but not to that level. In fairness Wilpon did overspend on Wright and Cespedes and may be reluctant to do so again especially with so many options still available.
I just hate to see such a talented nucleus that made the playoffs twice may go to waste if they are not surrounded with a little more talent
Mets? Who cares. Horrible organization.
Yelich for alex verdugo , yusniel Diaz and Jordan Sheffield.
Jeter has been financially incentivized to insert Chen’s contract into any Yelich deal.
There have been numerous reports saying that in a yelich deal the Marlins arent concerned in a salary dumpesque move. that itll take talent to get Yelich.
Take Chen’s contract and Jeter will give you Yelich and he;ll autograph a bat and glove for you.
Nah, they’ve cleared enough payroll now and apparently already project to profit $70 million next year. (not sure how with a bad TV deal and not many fans going to the ball park)They need to get better prospects back for Yelich and not diminish the return by adding Chen’s salary into it.
You should read the article above that goes with this. The more profit the Marlins make the bigger cash bonus (million$) that Jeter gets.
When Jeter gets down to 25 players making the minimum Jeter hits his financial ceiling.
Marlins, as well as the other 29 teams, will pocket $50 million from MLB’s sale of BAMTech to Disney next year.
$50 mm from the sale of BAM.
Source?
Marlins projected payroll figures have been all over the news for weeks.
Was asking for the source of this:
“Jeter has been financially incentivized to insert Chen’s contract into any Yelich deal.”
Except that Jeter is just the CEO
Michael Hill is in charge in Miami!
Marlins would probably ask for Buehler or Alvarez to headline the deal. For the last 5+ years they’ve needed pitching more than anything else.
No, Jeter will ask that Chen’s worthless $20mil per year contract headline the deal and Derek Jeter will score a fat multi-million dollar bonus.
I would hope Jeter has the best interest in the team he owns/works for than to get a couple million extra. You could be right, just hope not.
Dude, take a break. We get it, you’re the worlds biggest D-Bag. Congrats.
He is an employee. There are 5 guys ahead of him in ownership stakes. They want to show a profit early ao they can dunp some shares on other investors at a profit and pay off debt. His role is a PR one to capitalize on his reputation so gullible fans and the baseball world will think all is well, or at least not blast the new ownership like they did Loria.
Yeah and what’s more crazy about this, is what the heck does Derek Jeter need an extra 5 mil for moving the payroll or whatever the real amount is. Say it’s 20 mil even. You’re Derek “bleeping” Jeter!? You’ve made enough money and your rep is worth more than 20 mil in endorsements!?
Will take more than that. Verdugo, Alvarez, White, Peters. Lots of different combinations possible. With Heredia, Ruiz, and a few others as a mix and match
Realmuto and yelich for verdugo, yusniel Diaz , jordan Sheffield, will Smith and grandal .
No. For both Realmuto and Yelich it would take: Verdugo, Alvarez, Ruiz, White, Heredia and Edwin Rios.
Annual value doesn’t seem to a negative factor, but It’s starting to seem that teams are being much more cautious about length of contract, especially for non-superstars.
I was thinking the same thing…I think AV will go up and years will shorten…nobody over 30 will get more then 5 years it seems…which I think is smart
I think pitchers over thirty, unless they are at a Kershaw-type level, are going to be lucky to get more than 3.
All the unsigned players would make a hell of a team combined.
Yep, still roughly 125 free agents to be signed and around 40 days until Spring training, the pace needs to pick up, there should be an average of 3 signings per day.
There may be 125 free agents left, but how many are worth signing. Because of the salary cap the middle of the pact guys are getting screwed. Teams aren’t going to pay the luxury tax when they can sign younger guys or promote younger guys on the cheap.
ESPN just did an article on making a team out of the remaining free agents and if they would make the playoffs, and I believe they calculated that their combined WAR would fall around 10th in the league.
Would take Holland on a 3-year deal to the Astros. team option for 4th.
I think the only reason the Rockies didn’t sign Holland is Boras wanted a guaranteed fourth year. I doubt he’s going to back off now and settle for three and a team option.
You’re probably right about that fourth year, though that WS championship and the competitive lineup HOU will continue to field could sway Holland.
Then he can go play for a bottom dweller. Or, he can take the 4th year option and play for a team which has a great chance to repeat.
I really hope the Astro’s do NOT do that deal. They should be saving their money for Correa, Springer, Altuve, etc not blowing it on replaceable bullpen pieces.
3-year reliever contract hurts them zero percent in signing guys long term.
owners are finally realizing the long term deals don’t usually work out
The Mets are a joke and for the good of the sport the commissioner should step in. But he won’t.
For not overspending on mediocre free agents? Cain going into his decline years? Moustakas off a career year with till no OBP? Lucroy off a 6-hr season? Todd Frazier to his an empty 25 HR?
What should the commissioner do in this situation? Force them to sign guys for the hell of it?
What a sham. Derek Jeter and Co. main line is to make a profit for the team and himself. How did this new ownership get through MLB owners and the commmisioner?
You do realize that they most likely have to win for that to happen right….
was stated, only profitable
“How did this new ownership get through MLB owners and the commmisioner?”
Derek Jeter and Co. sold themselves as a scam willing to run the Marlins as a bloodsucking profit machine for himself and the other 29 MLB crime families.
Understood, but my question still remains…
a business is trying to make a profit, what a sham! who let this happen??
my team? only those who value heart, soul, and grit to the detriment of everything else need apply
What business hires an executive and says, “Now, go out and lose as much money as possible.” Making a profit is good. That said the Ozuna trade was embarrassing. The best left fielder in the game returned four marginal prospects that will never likely contribute. I think the deal was arranged during Stanton talks and Ozuna wasn’t properly shopped to other teams. If he had been, we would have heard of other offers. Jeter has to be feeling like an ass clown after everyone panned the deal.
The Yelich trade is hard…What is 5 years of a young, awesome, cheap outfielder worth in Prospects…I don’t think he will get traded this year…I’m a cardinals fan but if I’m the marlins I wouldn’t even talk to the Cardinals unless Reyes was in the deal plus flaherty also…and there is no way the cardinals do that…so I don’t think any team would be comfortable dealing away the prospects to get Yelich
The thing about Yelich is that he has enough control that it wouldn’t have to be an obvious contender to acquire him and he’s cheap enough to fit in a small market teams budget. Do the A’s have the pieces to pull off a Yelich trade without prematurely dismantling to much of their future core? Do the White Sox want to get an established star to kickstart their way back towards contending? Not likely that either of those teams end up getting him but it’s plausible.
Agreed, it’s just to difficult and to much of a gamble in prospects for any team right now, imo. But you never know there might be another Rizzo type Gm willing to do it
Define awesome. He is a good hitter but not elite.
He’s a 5 tool player that can hit anywhere in the lineup
He drives most every ball right into the ground, so he’s not really a 5 tool player. He is merely okay defensively, modest/meager HR power. He does make tons of contact and has above average (not great) speed.
He is a very good hitter and by not striking out, quite valuable, but hardly a 5-tool player or stud.
Agreed, there are at least 25 teams that are lined up for Yelich and Realuto. They are both top five controllable players at their positions.
We have a very good idea what Yelich is worth. We saw a very similar player with 5 years of control moved last offseason and the return was two 55 FV SP and a 50 FV SP.
Yelich 2015-2017: 124 OPS+, 122 wRC+, 12.7 rWAR, 11.4 fWAR, 5 yr/$58 million contract remaining
Eaton 2014-2016: 119 OPS+, 118 wRC+, 15.4 rWAR, 13.1 fWAR, 5 yr/$38 million contract remaining
Many here thought that the Nationals overpaid for Eaton last year. Will a similar package for Yelich be as panned on this site?
Eaton was a bit more injury prone than Yelich, but I do see a similar package as they’re similar players. Niether with great power, Yelich is a ground ball machine, but rarely Ks and has good, not great speed. Neither is anything more that average defensively, but great hitters for top of the lineups (first or second spot).
Perhaps Eaton was slightly more injury prone, but he was coming off of two full seasons and had played 433 games with 1933 PA in the 3 seasons preceding his trade to the Nats. Yelich is coming off of two full seasons and has played in 437 games with 1879 PA the past 3 seasons.
Still think darvish first on cubs list but if he signs elsewhere they pay close to Cobb’s asking price . If they paid 12.5 mil a year for Chatwood what’s 5 more a year for Cobb? Rotation of Hendricks , Quintana , Lester, Cobb in playoffs is solid.
Boras whispers in DD’s ear, give JDM 7 years and I will give you Arrieta for 4
Why wouldn’t you just get another burrito Todd ?
Seriously, it’s JD Martinez? The Sox don’t need this flash in the pan! Keep your Money Boston and let Boras and JD twist in the wind!
He’s been a great hitter for about 5 years now, so hardly a flash-in-the-pan.
He is however very, very injury prone, so I wouldn’t even consider a deal beyond 3 years or without significant injury clawback (if you meet the demands, they should allow for some salary recovered if missed games reaches a certain amount).
Earlier in the off-season, there were reports that Martinez wants to play the outfield & not be a full-time DH. That could be an issue with the Red Sox. They are pretty set in the outfield and there is little playing time available there. This could be coming into play in the negotiations. It would be interesting to see what happens if no team goes above 5 years and there is another team, say the Giants for argument’s sake, that offers Martinez less money, but gives him the chance to play the outfield. Does Martinez take less to play the field or does he take the highest offer like most Boras clients do?
This is just posturing by the rival GMs, I think both players will be gone before spring training. They are pefect fits for a lot of teams. Most teams would rather trade for Yelich and Realuto than sign the free agents on the market. This has been the trend this winter. All the good GMs are doing it.
So True…….But it sure seems like…even with Trades…..GM’s have become incredibly tight with their assets/resources. Prospects have become “more valuable” (probably because of the financial freedom that comes with putting them on the field).
“Belts are tightening”. I’m not sure how much of that has to do with the new rules in place…..and how much has to do with Next Year’s FA List. I believe that most are “saving for next year”…..without completely giving up on 2018.
I agree that belts are tightening. I think it is much deeper than new rules in place, or next years list of free agents – although I agree that those are most major factors.
In addition, I think we are seeing the windfall from the huge tv contracts finally being maximized. A few years ago, many teams started getting the multi-billion dollar regional tv deals. That spurred a land grab of big splashy moves. Many teams added $50M plus of payroll. The payrolls of most teams have now hit their ceilings. They can’t add another massive contract without getting rid of an existing massive contract. Hence the salary dumps we are seeing.
Additionally sports teams often follow the trends. The last WS teams have been built with young superstars, complemented by a few seasoned veterans. The likes of Pujols aren’t winning WS, rather it’s the Byrants and Altuves of the game.
Then you take a look at the trends of massive free agent signing since steroids have mostly been removed from the game. You’d be hard pressed to find more than a couple hundred million dollar plus contracts that have been worthwhile for a team. Most have become giant albatrosses.
So lots a reasons why free agency might be changing. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing.
The Marlins’ incredibly weak return for Ozuna may have impeded future bargaining position. The Fish are now viewed as a pushover.
For only 2 years of control for Ozuna I believe it was a very fair trade for both teams.
Why is that? Do you believe that Alcantara will learn to throw strikes and Sierra will learn to draw walks and steal bases?
Ozuna could also regress back to a rather average outfielder. He won a GG despite have a defensive WAR below 1. Last year was the first time he ever hit over .280, and he has never been a great on base guy.
The more I hear about the Marlins and Jeter, the more I hope they lose for the next 10 years. It’s a shame how they might be the only step down from Loria
Losing is the plan for the Marlins. When you wish losing upon the Marlins you are wishing Jeter well. Losing makes Derek Jeter richer.
I feel like the Mets rumors should just stop altogether. They only want to pay significantly below market in years and dollars for every player. Like the McCutchen rumor from the other day, they’re interested in him but not at his current salary so a trade is unlikely. So…then they’re not interested in him. They can say that about every player in baseball. They want players at prices that the market doesn’t support and so they won’t get any of those players. Let’s just assume they always have interest in good players, and that they will always balk at the price. Other than the Wright contract they have no one locked up for any significant money other than Cespedes so spending market money on one decent player in the offseason shouldn’t be that complicated.
1. I think the hold up this winter has to do with the fact that all the top FA have question marks and could easily become toxic assets. Well see how this effects the next 6 weeks and next year.
2. I hope the Astros sign another top pitcher on a good deal. I’d love to add a Darvish or a Davis, but only for the right number of years. If not, hard pass.
I got some bad news for you if you want them to sign Wade Davis
Oh … uhhmm … Wade Davis has been off the market for weeks …. you do not actually pay attention to baseball do you?
I’ll take 4/$70M in a heartbeat. Unfortunately no one wants to give me that for my flat knuckleball and 55mph heater. Something is wrong when a guy that’s never pitched 200 innings in his career is getting that kind of years and dough.
Yelich may be the most overrated player in MLB. He’s solid, but not spectacular. Not a difference maker. Any team that empties the top end of their farm for him is foolish. Nationals? Robles will be a better player than Yelich.
Cardinals should offer Cobb the 4th year and steal the Cubs thunder.
I don’t get the hype on Hamilton. Sure the guys fast but he can’t hit. To make him untouchable is irresponsible
Reds fans are split on him. He tracks down so many deep fly balls that other CFs might not reach, saving young pitchers longer innings, more runs, etc.
As a Reds fan, I am ready to trade in a bit of defensive range and ability for improved hitting and OBP. I hope the owner isn’t meddling and I hope the GM realizes Hamilton is not the answer in CF. That said, if they can’t get a decent offer, keep him but force the idiot manager to bat him last in the lineup. Maybe THAT will wake up Hamilton to his awful taking walks ability.
The Pirates are looking for a salary dump. The Royals are looking for a shortstop as a filler until Mondesi Jr. is ready. Jordy Mercer to the Royals?
what’s the return
Two donuts and a bagel (cream cheese extra).
The New York Mets are all talk and no action. The Wilpons are good at that. The best thing is to sell the team and make the fans happy.