Rounding up the latest in market chatter . . .
- Per Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi on Twitter, the Padres have “continued talks” with the Marlins on a potential J.T. Realmuto trade and “could move” catcher Austin Hedges for pitching help if the deal were to be consummated. Though the long-suffering Friars could certainly use a near-term upgrade behind the dish, the 27-year-old Realmuto seems an odd fit – he comes, after all, with just two years left of control, during which time the club would need to seriously embark on a frenetic hole-patching effort if it hoped to compete. Catcher Francisco Mejia, acquired in a midseason blockbuster from Cleveland, seems near-ready to contribute (though he does face his questions about his ability to handle the position defensively), and Hedges, though highly unlikely to net a significant mound upgrade via trade, did flash signs of emerging as a potential regular last season, slugging .466 in the season’s 2nd half and posting an overall (.231/.282/.429) park-adjusted line that bested the average MLB mark for backstops in 2018.
- The “word,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, is that neither Bryce Harper nor Manny Machado “particularly likes” the idea of playing in Philadelphia, though whether the reluctance is city- or team-centric (or both) remains an open question. The Phillies, of course, are all set to spend “stupid money” this offseason, though thus far their acquisitions have been limited to just Andrew McCutchen and a trade for shortstop Jean Segura. For their part, MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM hears the same, tweeting that “reports are” neither free agent is enamored with the City of Brotherly Love. If true, the reports may cut deep for the Fightins, who’d likely have to dig far into the blueprints to find an offseason plan not containing either star at its center.
- The Rays, who’d placed Nelson Cruz near the top of their current wish list, remain in the market for a right-handed hitter after learning the 38-year-old picked Minnesota, tweets Sherman, who lists Realmuto and Nick Castellanos as possibilities but says the team is now “more likely” to get a “complementary” bat like that of former Met Wilmer Flores. Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets that the Rays “suggested” to Cruz that their offer could reach $12MM, which obviously fell a bit of short of the Twins’ total. Tampa, of course, seems as prime a target as any to deal for a major upgrade (or two) with multiple years of control remaining, though the club seems loath as ever to deal from its trove of low-level prospects and big-league-ready performers. Given the club’s perennially meager payroll, it stands to reason that hoarding players of that ilk would be a top priority, but with the division at its toughest state in years, calculated aggression may be soon be necessary.
Rays should get Wilmer Flores regardless
I don’t care who gets him, but I definitely he could help a lot of teams. He won’t suddenly become a star, but he’s a solidly decent hitter that will probably sign for really cheap. He’s probably better served as a DH, but he could make a few occasional starts at first, third or even second in a pinch, which is more flexibility than the typical DH anyway.
It doesn’t matter how many positions you can play if you can play none of them well, or even average.
Tell that to Jose Pirela
Few things
Nice deal for the twins for Cruz. no matter what happens they benefit without breaking the bank. I thought Tampa would get him
The padres are more than 2 years away from contention and as such burning prospects due to trading for 2 years of JT would be a mistake #keepthekids
Machado will be a Yankee unless he is blown away by the White Sox or Phillies offer
Ray’s probably prefer to keep that DH spot fluid. Too many guys that need ABs. If Cruz had really been a priority they would of gone 15/1 with the option.
Well said…What about Harper?
I have no idea where he will go. If the Phillies and White Sox lose out on machado they will be desperate. Besides from that the dodgers are more likely. Now if the Yankees don’t land machado however ….
The White Sox don’t NEED either one at this point. The only reason they are in on both is because it is a great opportunity that doesn’t come around often (26yo all star free agents). They aren’t going to get desperate if they miss out on either one. They’ll just let the kids develop and wait til next offseason to go after Arenado and/or some of the high end pitching available.
Philly, on the other hand, will get desperate and offer “stupid money” IMO.
WSox would love to land either, but not seeing your assertion of desperate if Machado first chooses another club.
Right, this is the point many were trying to make. This is a potential FA signing, not a trade. Harper and/or Machado have to actually want to play in these places. It will take more than money.
Philly might still have a chance at one of them, the White Sox have ZERO chance, a team that lost 100 games last year and will probably lose 100 games next year and is a distant second to the Cubs in attendance and ratings in the Chicago market. The Phils finished just 2 games under .500 and their rebuild seems much more likely to succeed than do the Sox.
I still predict Machado to the Yanks and Harper to the Dodgers.
I like Harper to the Dodgers. I think there’s a reason they aren’t as interested in Machado even though though – or, maybe because – they got to see him up close for a while.
As a Padres fan … ugh.
The Sox lost games because they were tanking to restock the farm system. Keep ignoring that if you want to, but I’m sure Harper and Machado are acutely aware of the talent the White Sox have. And there’s more on the way.
Right ChiSoxCity, BUT that is the same clueless front office that claimed to be “All In” just a few short years ago and literally ended up with a worse record than teams actively tanking. When they traded for Shields and the whole Drake LaRoche nonsense. If fans and reporters know they’re that inept, I’m sure Boras knows that. There is no realistic reason to think that the Sox will contend anytime soon. Moncada’s already being called a bust and getting compared to Buxton by many that get paid for their opinion, Giolito, Fulmer, Rodon BUST, BUST, BUST and Kopech’s arm fell off, he won’t even pick up a baseball til 2020.
The Phillies are much closer, so are the Braves, the Padres are even closer to a legit rebuild.
Why would Harper or Machado risk the prime of their career in a losing situation?
“Why would Harper or Machado risk the prime of their career in a losing situation?”
Money dude
Moncada is being called a bust by idiots that don’t know what they’re talking about and/or the giant Cubs homers in Chicago sports media – aka the David Kaplan’s and Danny Parkins’ of the world.
Speaking of busts – How is Yu doing these days? How about any pitcher that Theo has tried to draft/develop for that matter?
Oh yah, almost forgot – thanks for Eloy and Cease too. They have taken some massive steps forward since coming to this garbage organization.
Moncada isn’t a bust yet. Despite all his flaws he’s still nearly a league average player. He HAS to fix his approach at the plate though. There’s just no way for this guy to get any better if he’s striking out in 35-40% of his abs. That’s horrific.
I agree. The Phillies are entering their compete window and they need a superstar to anchor their lineup. This reminds me of Mark Teixeria when the Red Sox were in the prime of their compete window and Teix used us as leverage to go to New York when we really needed his bat in the middle of the lineup. To add insult to injury, they also signed Sabathia and went on to win the 2009 World Series.
It appears the Phillies are suffering that same fate. Teix’s “betrayal” as it was seen at the time set off a chain reaction of bad moves by our front office that almost buried Boston had Cherington not made that deal with the Dodgers. Bringing on too much payroll for the wrong guys in Gonzalez and Crawford. Then having payroll limitations and frugality hinder negotiations with Lester. It all came back to not getting their guy in Teix.
I urge the Phillies not to make the same mistakes. Be patient. Trade some pieces for 2 years. Wait for a Bogaerts next year or a Betts or Trout the year after. Don’t rush and just take anything you can find that’s comparable. Save your stupid money if they don’t want to go or pony up and give them the offer they can’t refuse.
It’s too early to call moncada a bust but I do agree he is trending in that direction. Fulmer is a bust as a SP but when drafted just about every team saw him as a RP except the Sox who thought he could start. Let’s see him in the pen before calling him a bust. Rodon is not a bust just injury prone sadly. If he could stay healthy u think he would be a solid 2/3. He needs to work on command before being considered. Front line guy. I agree 100% on Giolito as I thought of him as a bust even before the bigs with all the struggles in the minors. The front office does suck and that’s what scares me about the rebuild and why I don’t talk about WS Champs in 2020 like some of the Sox fans on here. These opinions might be bias but I think they are fair assments of the team/players even though it comes from a fan of the team.
Moncada is never going to be a contact guy. The indicators are quite weak that he will figure it out anytime soon. He still swings at too many pitches outside the strike zone and watches too many in the strike zone. Hard to get into good counts when you’re doing that.
The part that makes this guy so intriguing is that when he does make contact it’s normally medium/hard contact. If he can start to get the barrel on a few more they will soar out, thus I think he’s got a few 30 home run seasons under his belt when it’s all said and done. But he will also have JBJ-esque massive slumps where he’s an automatic out.
He needs the right veteran to sit him down and work on his approach at the plate.
Same exact reason Alex Rodriguez went to Texas
I always said the best piece the White Sox got in the Sale trade was Michael Kopech and you’ve gotten to see flashes of why. This kid is special. He reminded me of Randy Johnson when I saw him in the minors but from the other side. High velocity. Massive control issues. But always gave me that feeling like wow if this guy can harness it, watch out. Well we’ve seen in flashes he can indeed harness it.
It’s easy to look at the centerpiece and call a deal a bust, but sometimes the pieces that appear to be secondary are the real gems of the deal. When he comes back from TJ with a new arm and is firing on all cylinders, I like his “floor” as Nathan Eovaldi with a better fastball (moves more thus higher K potential). That’s a solid pitcher and his ceiling is much, much higher.
He’s also a guy you can turn into a lock down closure if you get stacked at SP. He’s got a great attitude on the mound and I don’t think would have a problem making the transition if need or injury force it. Obviously his value is higher as a SP right now.
Another good example.
@theFenwayfaithful
How does moncada swing at too many pitches out of the zone? His OSwing rate resides in the 23-24% range while league average is 30%. He was 18th best in the league at laying off pitches out of the zone. Now his 49% contact rate on those pitches is ghastly, and it’s possible he could stand to be more aggressive earlier in the count, but the indicators are there for sure. I don’t know if he WILL put it together, but yeah, i could see him peaking in the 120-140 wRC+ range. I’m most disappointed by his poor stolen base skills, the dude had a 70 grade speed rating.
Forget the meaniningless StatCast/Fangraphs numbers. The FACT is that Moncada struck out 211 times in about 580-ish. ABs. I believe he led the league in Ks. No matter how you parse it, it’s not good. And if he’s going to continue to hit .234 with that high of a K rate, he better become a 40+ HR guy.
Just my opinion, because I fear we could have our own Moncada (or two) coming up in the Padres org. We already have the massively over-hyped Margot.
Rodon is far from a bust and I did not know Kopech’s arm fell off? Really that would be bad. But it did not actually fall off. He is just having TJ surgery. Big deal? Not its not.
I think our host needs to run another of his polls, based on how a few free agencies played out a year ago.
Will Harper be signed by the start of spring training? Yes/no
I agree about the Padres going after Realmuto, but not for the reasons you gave. Catching is an organizational strength. We don’t have a burning need for another catcher. What we DO need is a third baseman and starting pitching. We don’t even have (again) a SS!
My faith in Preller is already as close to zero as it can get, and he continues to demonstrate how little he knows about building a Major League roster.
Phillies fans dreams dashed. Machado going to yankees and harper going to dodgers as much as i hate to admit it.
Why would you hate it ? Your dodgers would benefit
Dodger fans like to pretend to be upset about these things. Just like they pretend to be happy that they won 6 straight division titles and pretend to not care that they lost 2 straight WS.
Still dont want harper and how much he will cost.
So you’re just going to be content with running an outfield of Pederson/Bellinger/Whoever you want to slot in RF? (Kike Hernandez???)
Thats not a bad outfield and its not like its not even 2019 yet. Offseason is not over
That outfield would be tied with Cleveland for worst OF on a playoff contending team. I’d take the Padres OF of Renfroe/Margot/Myers over that. Reality is, Harper is good news for them and it’s crazy to see fans not realize that.
Of course they need Harper. Its a no brainer and i expect it. But if it doesn’t they aren’t doomed. That outfield basically won them a pennant minus Puig how much you claim it would stink
Yeah, the Dodgers outfield won them the pennant. Not the infield that consisted of Machado/Turner/Taylor/Muncy, their OUTFIELD was what won them the pennant. The outfield that lost arguably its best component, and a key platoon in Matt Kemp. Not the rotation, arguably the best in the NL, it was their outfield!
That was the outfield on a pennant winning team is what i meant by that. Kemp was dead weight after July and had 1 big hit in the WS. Thats it
That’s not to say it can’t improve. The Red Sox bullpen was on a WS winning team, yet it was arguably the worst of any playoff team. I was replying to the guy saying he wouldn’t want Harper, pointing out that the dodgers OF is borderline terrible and needs an addition.
Do the Dodgers want three LH hitting outfielders though? Seems like they really need a RH power guy with both Puig and Kemp departing. Even though Puig has not been good against lefties. I’ve been wondering if the Dodgers might go for a guy like Pollock instead. Interesting though that neither Harper or Pollock have great splits at Dodgers Stadium. Puig has much better splits … okay, so it was his home park …
1 big hit in the World Series is a pretty significant contribution.
Not really when it’s on the losing team. Unless you’re Rajai Davis taking Chapman deep (?????????) to force extra in game 7. that’s a big hit for a losing team
I still think they are working some kind of deal with the Yankees to get Stanton instead of Harper.
Crazy long shot, but then Yanks could sign Harper and keep Andujar.
Not your money, why should you care?
I liked zobrist big hit better
Machado to the Rays and Harper to the Pirates. Hate to admit it but its inevitable.
Actually, most Phillies fans don’t care for either Harper or Machado. Both are good players, but both have major baggage and are demanding ridiculous contracts. A dream scenario for Phillies fans is somehow acquiring Mike Trout.
So now that neither Harper or Machado arent really interested in playing in Philly, “most” Phillies fan don’t care about them. Thanks for the laughs. ( Although coming from a Braves fan, I wouldn’t want Harper either)
@tharrie0820 First of all, we don’t really know what Harper or Machado are thinking. We can speculate, but taking the word of New York writer about how Machado prefers the Yankees seems a little premature. Sure, there was a contingent of Phillies fans who wanted to sign Harper, or Machado, or both. There is also a contingent of Phillies fans don’t like Harper. He was the star of a rival team, and has a reputation of being a prima donna. Machado also has a reputation of being a lazy, dirty player. Do you want that on your team for 10 years at 300 million? Yes, “most” Phillies fans don’t want that. Don’t laugh too hard, you should know you can’t believe everything you hear in the media.
@tharrie0820 It’s been all about Trout in Philadelphia for a while now. He is a hometown guy, is extremely popular in Philadelphia, and is a guy that could be the face of the franchise for a decade. Although he isn’t eligible for free agency for another two years, Harper and Machado don’t have near the hype in Philadelphia that Trout does, not even close.
Nostradamus, you should know what they’re thinking. You already predicted it! Sorry, I couldn’t resist…
I can see the fascination with Trout, though. I don’t think Angels are shopping him, unless they’re convinced there’s no way he’d sign an extension. It would probably cost the Phils Nola+, though.
phenomenalajs – lol. Now Trout is one I would be ok to trade for. Lots of pieces too.
well said
How does Machado factor into a team that won 100 games last year. The answer is, he doesn’t. The Yankees need better pitching to get past Boston and Houston, not Machado. But when has common sense ever mattered to a yankee fan?
Dude why the snarky comments for anything remotely referencing the Yankees?
Whether the Yanks sign either Manny or Harper I’m sure Cashman would’ve happily have signed a true ace if there were one or the market. I wanted Corbin but I can’t be upset because he felt it was too many years for a guy who’s a borderline ace. And that’s not a knock on Corbin.
I’d rather have Harper for the record.
You may end up being happy you didn’t get Corbin. There’s a pretty good chance he could turn out to be a One-Year Wonder.
I am one of the few Phillies fans who are ok with signing neither. I would rather have spent stupid money on pitching. I don’t want either for 10+ years. I know the business side, but from a fan standpoint, there are other plugs to fill. Plenty. I want a new front office honestly.
Unexcited either way, sadly.
I was starting to worry. It had been a whole 45 minutes since I last heard a Harper/Machado update.
Phillies could easily just sign Mike Moustakas to fill the void at 3rd and sign Avasail Garcia for an extra OF bat and they’d likely be better off than spending 300 M for Harper.
Moustakas could be a decent plug and play option, but Garcia is subjectively terrible
Garcia is not terrible. He’s major league quality. As a bench bat/4th outfielder, he’d be good. Just no huge contract, something like 2/6 with incentives.
I’m not sure he’s not terrible… but I’d be shocked if he signed for that. If he doesn’t get at least $5-6 million AAV I’d expect him just to want to sign a one year deal to rebuild his value.
I don’t know if he’d get that at this point he’s just a bench bat. Terrible defense, above-average bat in a market with many of those around. At most id seen him get 1/4. He wasn’t set to earn all that much when the White Sox nontendered him anyway.
He’s only had a full season of above average hitting once, and that was 2017 when his BABIP ridiculously high. He’s basically a replacement level player.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that he’s a bench bat and that he’s not good, but I just think he’s signing a 1 year deal to rebuild value with a non-contender as a starter rather than commit to 2 years at only $3 million per. I believe he thinks he’s better than that and would prefer to rebuild his value.
How is there a “void” at 3rd? Franco is young and talented and still putting it together. I’m hoping they hang on to him even if Machado comes into the fold. Don’t see where Moustakas does anything for the team to warrant moving Franco to open 3rd for him.
I guess not a void, but they’ve been actively trying to shop Franco, and he’s had his inconsistencies. I’m guessing they add some form of 3B depth this winter whether it’s Machado, Moustakas, or some minor league signing like retaining Plouffe or going after Flaherty or Headley.
Gotcha 1600…Phils do seem down on Franco since the trade deadline last year…irritates me every time I hear moustakas brought up. Franco was at times the best hitter they had last year. He was rushed up very young and I think people forget just how young he still is. I just have a gut feeling about him being an above average third baseman and I hope it happens in a Phillies uniform….
Philadelphians like to blame someone for their failures and Franco has taken the majority of blame. He put up descent numbers on a few horrible teams but they focus on what he is not. He is a better 3B than what the Phillies had during their pennant seasons.
He has only played for the Phillies.
Franco will be better than moustakas this year. I think if they don’t get Harper or Machado, they’ll put a big trade together for an outfielder and/ or third baseman.
Phillies could get away with just bringing in minor league depth for the outfield. McCutchen,Herrera,Williams,& Altherr gives them a good top 4,and Quinn or Cozens could get the 5th spot.Quinn could give them speed,Cozens could be a lh power bat,and either one of them can push for 1 of the top spots,if anyone struggles.
The Yankees should have signed Corbin and Ottavino, then traded for Greinke or Ray. That gets them closer to Boston and Houston in the AL.
I don’t think Greinke’s anxiety disorder would gel with the fish bowl atmosphere of NY
What’s wrong with Philadelphia? I am not a Phillies fan but I don’t see what makes it much different from any other east coast city. They have money and fans. Maybe just the team outlook?
Fans are rowdy sometimes. Just look at Eagle fans.
So Philly is the only team with rowdy fans? Didn’t Dodgers fans beat a man into a coma because he was wearing a SF jersey? But we’re rowdy, yea ok.
Philly isn’t the only team with rowdy, and I never said they were. But they are among the “big city” teams with rowdy fans. LA, NY, even the Red Sox fans and their up-down relationship with David Price, or the racist remarks made to Adam Jones. Every team has them, Philly is among the worst. I remember an incident with a fan yelling at Rhys Hoskins for sucking in the middle of the game.
The attack happened at the parking lot of dodger stadium. I don’t know what you’re going on about. He literally was attacked from behind. google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5642671
I take it you have never been in the Dodger stadium parking lot at night. Its dark.
You throw batteries at players, boo Santa and cherr at injuries to opposing players..
Oh so Dodger fans get a pass because he got beat up by Gangstas? Gotcha.
Oh so the action of 2 people represent millions? Gotcha.
If Phillies fans ever threw batteries at players, it wasn’t recently. Braves fans threw batteries onto the field during a post season game 7-8 years ago… The Santa booing incident happened 40-50 years ago..
Yes. Dodger fans make threats at Petco Park all the time.
Oh that’s right that never happened to any other star before.
But never beat anyone into a coma for wearing an opposing jersey. Read about the Santa incident that happened in the 60’s. I’m against the battery throwing and cheering for an injury .
Well then why is ok to lump philly fans together then?
Baseball1600 is an idiot.
Philly fans are so bad…. they slice the tires on wheel chairs…. they rip the arms off Tickle me Elmo…. they rub peanut butter all over their bodies to get their dogs to lick them…
Rowdy? I heard that their fanbase once threw snowballs at Santa Claus! Have you guys heard about that? Like .. it happened yesterday … and the LAD & SF fans that killed one another over a baseball team fandom … happened over 60 years ago … so nothing for BH or MM to consider there …
fans don’t have the best reputation, the market may be big, but you still get overshadowed by other major cities in the region, The team itself is probably not as good as others in the division at this point, so it’s not exactly a clear contender you want to be saddled to for the next decade.
i really don’t want to sound like i just irrationally hate Philly, all that stuff is just unfortunately true. When you’ve got other teams with clearer roads to the playoffs offering comparable money and better media markets, it leaves the Phillies hard pressed to make a good impression.
“When you’ve got other teams with clearer roads to the playoffs offering comparable money and better media markets, it leaves the Phillies hard pressed to make a good impression.”
This problem is solved how?
With lots of “stupid money”.
What happened to all that stupid money? Must have ended up in Palm Beach where John Middleton has a 50,000 square foot mansion or out in Hollywood where his college dropout son bills himself as a “movie producer”.
When John Middleton signs his name to two contracts that pay Harper and Machado “stupid money” they will happily appear at a joint press conference talking about how much they love Philly and can’t wait for opening day at CBP.
Good analysis.. Very edgy town. Big City–goes on forever. Great BallPark. Knowledgeable fanbase.
Doesn’t have the cache’ of a NYC or L.A..
Those two players think they’re iconic game-changers and are used to people blowing smoke up their asses–that isn’t Philly…
Could be the manager. Doesn’t seem like kapler is a players manager. Analytics first guy
Kapler is an awesome human being. Met him at Driveline a couple years ago when he was working with the Dodgers. Definitely the type of guy who players would like. Excellent communicator.
I am concerned that Kapler could be a negative in bringing players here. His type of personality can rub people the wrong way. I’m not a fan and wish he wasn’t the guy chosen last year. I do think however, that if you give him a young team that doesn’t know any better, his schtick could work. Guy’s that have been around awhile might call BS….
He is a fraud and will be gone this summer.
Remember when Kapler was hired? They basically said it was because he was willing to do what the analytics people told him to do.
Remember Sam Fuld? He works for the Phillies as a “special assistant.” On MLB Network he said his job is to carry “suggested” line-ups, situational analyses, and other data to Kapler before every game.
Kapler is more of a babysitter than a Major League Baseball Manager.
Plus the weather is nice…I heard it’s always sunny in Philadelphia
Dayman does his best to keep nightman away
You gotta pay the troll toll
Nothing wrong with the Philly sports culture. Passionate fans that actually care about the teams that represent them. Yeah, it can be a double edge blade if you put out a poor effort, but if you win in Philly you become lore and legend. I know Yankee fans would tend to say the same, but it comes from a different place. In New York it comes from pride and vanity. In Philly it comes from the heart……
If I would have ever had any talent worthy of playing professionally in any sport I would have chosen to play in one of three cities…Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia
The fans are as knowledgeable and passionate as they come. But people only like to point out the negative. We want our players to give 100% every night and get on them when they don’t. Who wouldn’t that out of their players? Machado wouldn’t be able to hack it in this town and Harper would pretend he could until he hits his breaking point and demands a trade. Save the money for Trout.
I wanna see Trout downgrade by going from the Angels to the Phillies. Not happening.
Downgrade? The angels are blowing trout’s best years. Hoskins, kingery, Nola, segura., a good farm system, but yea we’re a downgrade .
Angels are a joke and they’re wasting the best player in baseball by holding him hostage on their roster. Phillies have way more promise to them. Trout will be a Phillie for sure.
I’ve been on here writing about the Phillies situation for 2 months. It’s a combination of things……
1. The President MacPhail sold the owner on the kid GM, and the GM sold both of them on a high-tech manager that had no/zip/nada experience managing people.
2. The “rebuild” has been a joke. They have a few very good players, maybe a half-dozen above average guys, mostly pedestrian players that are overpaid, and some dogs. The same thing can be said for the 10th to 25th ranked MLB teams.
3. The team plays poor – and dumb – baseball; the manager is incapable of running a game.
4. The punchline……
As I’ve written – money is only so green. The idea that 2-4 highly paid FA’s are going to turn a below average team into a pennant contender in the sport of baseball is nuts. Batters only hit once every 9 guys. Pitchers only start once every 4-5 games. Relief pitchers may pitch 4-5 times a week…but only for an inning.
Everyone in that organization has been sold on the idea that some FA’s come in….wahla! – it’s instant winning time!! In turn they sold this to the media and fans. FA’s – meaning they played in the majors for at least 6 years – KNOW that those expectations are very probably not going to be met with that roster and by that FO and manager. And they know the history of FA’s signing long-term contracts with so-so clubs where expectations are unrealistic; then having them and their families subjected to hounding everywhere they go as they’re blamed for the teams shortcomings until their agent can get them out of the city. And when Philly sports fans and media turn on athletes, it’s as bad as it gets.
I’ve been writing that the Phillies role this off-season is to drive up the price for FA’s. That’s what they’ve done. No one was going to offer a deteriorating McCutchen anywhere near the money the Phil’s paid. He grabbed it. A few more will. But it’s a bad, bad situation, and players with other options will not get caught up in it.
Washington had a much better team that Philly has, and look how many postseason wins Harper got them
If all you’ve been doing is writing about them the past two months, I’d say you have secret crush on them.
The Yankees offered Cano $175 million. The Mariners offered $240.
240
-175
—–
65 million
There’s the answer for the Phillies. $130 million in “stupid money” and both Harper and Machado are Phillies teammates.
You are correct about that if the Phillies will seriously outbid their competitors it will happen. Corbin wanted to be a Yankee too but those dollars in Dc were very real.
It’s Mid/Small market hatred. Machado And Harper only think there good enough to Play for the Dodgers or Yankees. Even MLB Network was looking for a loophole for Manny not to play with the White Sox in case they offer the most money.
The 5th biggest city in the US is not a mid market.
Comments like that answer why they may not eant to play there.
Largest single team market. Phillies blew it by not staying more competitive. This is not a market to tank in (like they did) if you want to attract talent. New ownership may change that but they resisted overspending by eating bad contracts and by overspending on international prospects when that was possible — things the Yankess, Red Sox and Dodgers do (did) to stay competitive.
They’ll have to hope that paying the most gets it done.
That’s not the Point. The only teams the Media and casual fans and Bandwagons care about are the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs. Even the Giants get the shaft sometimes.
Chicago is the 3rd biggest city and the 3rd largest TV market. San Diego is the 8th largest city and the 29th largest TV market.
worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/
nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20f…
TV drives MLB revenue, not population.
SanDiegoAgaintsTheWorld – bingo. Philadelphia may be the 5th largest city, but its market is sandwiched between New York and DC. Plus, a history of losing. Until the Phillies make the right moves and win like the Sox from 2004 on, it won’t be taken seriously. But your point is dead on.
Would rhat loophole be winni ng?
I’m not hating on the White Sox. I hope he’s forced to sign there. That would piss off the Media and the fans. And probably Manny himself.
I’d like to see Machado go to the White Sox. Can you imagine Hawk going ballistic on the air the first time he doesn’t hustle? I’d pay to hear that, and Hawk is the only broadcaster with the stones to do it.
Hawk just retired
Dang! I will miss him. I can’t think of another announcer that could be the biggest homer ever one inning, and then call out the team and/or the manager for poor baseball in the next inning.
It’s more about endorsements. Harper and Machado can land much bigger, national endorsement deals in New York or LA than Philly. Even if their contracts hit $300 million, they can make at least that in endorsements over 10 years, on a major market team that perennially challenges for the Series.
Harper does not fit in Philly and Machado’s attitude Sux!
So maybe this is a blessing in disguise
Whoever gets Machado can have him and deserves him!
My gut feeling says the Pads will acquire Realmuto. Adrian Morejon and Francisco Mejia plus a flyer? Or maybe Hedges, Morejon and a flyer?
No.
Not gonna get JTR unless there are two really good prospects involved.
We know that. Now why don’t you try pushing him on a team that isn’t already set at catcher and actually has a decent shot at winning a championship in the next 2 years?
You’re logic makes sense but the report DOES say the Pads are interested in him. The Astros and the Dodgers are the teams that need him the most but the Padres have splurged in a big way in recent history. Just look the acquisitions of Hosmer, Upton, Myers, etc. Whether it’s in dollars or prospects, they have a history of spending a lot to acquire in their prime players.
Just makes no sense to me. As far as I can tell, the Padres trading for Realmuto means two things:
1. They have given up on Austin Hedges and Frankie Mejia
2. They are betting all their chips on the next 2 seasons
Realmuto makes no sense for the Padres. Of course, neither does A. J. Preller, so who knows.
Morejon and Mejia are two really good prospects
One trade does not equate to betting all their chips. There are a hell of a lot of chips
Trading for JTR does. Why else would you trade for a guy with only 2 years of control left when you have the top prospect in the game at his position and a graduated top prospect at that position who has already established himself as one of the best defenders in the game at that position?
Going after Realmuto is stupid.
But it’s unrealistic to think you’re going to build a roster full of guys with 4+ years of control. If you have a position of need, you fill it. Even if it means filling it with a so-called “rental” or a guy with “only” two years of control. To not do anything to improve is to admit defeat; to quit; to admit you have no interest in winning.
There are valid reasons why trading for Realmuto is stupid for the Padres, but “control” isn’t one of them.
Absolutely control is a valid reason to not trade for Realmuto! Rebuilding teams trade established players on expiring contracts for potential long-term building blocks, not the other way around.
Why would the Padres want Realmuto!?!?!?!?!?!? They’re not going to contend in the next 2 years then he will leave and they already have two good catchers on the roster plus depth in the farm system.
I vaguely remember a statement about the Braves last year along the same lines…. funny how fast two years disappears
Even if the Padres were to contend in 2019 they already have two quality catchers on the roster. If they wanna trade prospects for established talent it needs to be guys who can pitch or play the left side of the infield.
We are the Padres. Nothing ever goes our way. We won’t contend for a while.
No, we won’t contend for a while. The predicted year keeps getting pushed out, and our fan base not only tolerates it, but seems to rejoice in it.
As if all of our prospects are sure things, they’re all going to develop at the same time, they’re all going to be all stars, so we don’t have to try to improve the Major League product one bit. Who cares about trying to win games now? We’ve got the future, and it’s etched in stone!
And then the Kool-Aid wears off …
Trading for JTR doesn’t make the team better. He would be a band-aid. His production would just have to be replaced after 2020 or the team will regress.
Nobody said JTR makes the team better, but it’s not debatable his bat would definitely be an improvement. The point is we have more immediate needs than another catcher. Third, SS, starting pitching.
And who cares that he will be a FA AFTER 2020? Two full seasons down the road? Is that the newest prediction? That’s irrelevant. We could make better use of our resources elsewhere. We have plenty of good catching depth in the organization.
Agree with you on that front. But the fact that he is 2 years out from free agency compounds the issue. It’d be even worse than the Galvis trade.
In 2015 they said the same thing about the Cubs and Lester. And about the Astros and all their acquisitions in mid 2014 and the 2014-2015 offseason.
The Cubs and Astros didn’t trade for a guy who they had the top prospect in the game who was major league ready at his position and another guy who was the top prospect at that position before he graduated from prospect status who had since gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the game at that position with some possibly untapped potential with the bat.
Who did the Astros add? No one was as significant as Realmuto. Their biggest add was Carlos Gomez and he came after they started winning ball games not prior.
Ugh, I really hope they don’t acquire Realmuto. It makes no sense for them to acquire him given their current catching situation.
Or his current club control situation and reported unwillingness to sign an extension.
He only said he was not willing to give the Marlins a discount for an extension.
No, he said he wasn’t willing to sign an extension with the Marlins period. He clearly wants out of Miami. I doubt whether it would be any different if he gets traded to another non-contender.
Jeters a moron
Someone that goes by Rumncoke called Jeter a moron on the internet, God that’s gonna ruin 2019 for Jete.
I bet he knows how to use apostrophes.
Boring padres rumor
Keep your chin up Philly
still is. Machado is still gonna follow the money to Philly. Sherman’s non-story doesn’t change the fact that Manny will have to turn down millions of dollars to play for NYY, and he simply will not do that.
The bottom line is the Phillies organization appears unstable including the GM and maybe more importantly the on-field manager. I was hoping for Harper but this team is really at the bottom of the division when it comes to talent. Sad that six years of abysmal baseball has the team no closer to competing than 2012.
Unstable? Bottom of the division in talent? So the Marlins have more talent then the Phillies? Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, Jake Arrieta, wouldn’t make the Marlins better? They were in 1st place in August, then had a collapse and finished 3rd, which is far above the bottom of the division.
Did you watch the games? The team quit. One publication quoted two different scouts as saying that their minor league system’s position players were basically a collection of super utility players. Their high minors are a joke, their GM is a joke and their manager is a clown.
“One publication quoted two different scouts as saying that their minor league system’s position players were basically a collection of super utility players.”
— –
@ Pax vobiscum;
I studied their top minor league position prospects as best as I could as a fan – no one stood out. And most of their top prospects are from Latin American countries – overwhelmingly Venezuela. Nothing wrong with scouting there, but drafting high they can’t find some quality American kids? Other teams seem to.
At all times some teams are always rebuilding. Most rebuilds pretty much fail. But I don’t recall a team getting so much pub while turning over so little. The Braves just WON the NLE, yet they have more quality prospects still being developed in the minors then on their ML team. But all I read is that they need ace and a RF. From what I see, the Phillies need 2-3 SP’s, a decent 2B, 3B, LF, CF, Utility player……and their RF doesn’t start on more then half of ML teams. The 1B looks decent – hitting fly ball HR’s on an “Arena Baseball” field (tip of the cap to Mike Schmidt). Their 2 young Catchers look like they can develop if a Scioscia or Gerardi or Pena were brought in a consulting contract to work with them. They badly need a quality GM, a major league manager, and a different team President.
This is a powerhouse team about to explode?
…….and their Bullpen is suspect.
lol
Don’t give the Braves too much credit. Acuna and Freeman maybe stars but Swanson sucks Albies is suspect and the pitching staff overachieved last season. Philadelphia and Atlanta will be fighting with the Marlins for third fourth and fifth place.
Yes, every single game since I live in Philly. Only quoted two scouts? Ok then, they are right. Those two scouts have it nailed down. I don’t know why people call the Phillies about their farm system then. Why did Seattle want JP Crawford then? You know nothing about the Phillies.
“Why did Seattle want JP Crawford then?”
___
@ Anthony Holmes’;
Uhhhhhh…………
To dump salaries?
His 2 years in the bigs he hit .214. His last 2 years in AAA he hit .244 and .243. And he isn’t a gold glove SS.
Oh, and Arieta is done. Thanks
I honestly believe you know nothing about baseball or even Phillies baseball.
Philly is a dump, so no surprise that neither guy wants to go there
I’d rather be in Philly than your overcrowded sh*thole.
Philadelphia is the 3rd dirtiest city in America behind only Fresno, CA and Bakersfield, CA. New York is 11th
(And Milwaukee, WI where you possibly are from, is 10th)
forbes.com/pictures/mef45jidl/americas-dirtiest-ci…
lol what angry trash you are
right, and all the FA stars are lining up to go sign with the Yankees’ red-headed stepchild in Citi field
Padres need to be trying to sign Marwin Gonzalez or Mike Moustakas to play third base not trading for JT Realmuto.
Sign both of them. Gonzalez multi positional player
Yeah Realmuto doesn’t really make sense because they have Mejia. I was thinking they should go after someone like Dylan Bundy or Marco Gonzales. Makes sense for them to go after pitchers with high upside.
Maybe they’re just making calls for “due diligence” purposes to get a good idea of their prospects’ values. Either that or maybe Fowler is getting impatient with the rebuild again and is trying to force Preller to make a move.
Why not do both? It’s not like they have a payroll crunch. They spent $130 million last season and are at $82 million now. Plenty of room in the budget. They are rumored to be in on Kluber which would add $17 million. Kuechel would be another $20 million. Moustakas would be around $8 million. Realmuto is about $6 million in arbitration. Adding those two arms at the top of their rotation and those two bats to go along with Kinsler brings them very close to being a contending team for the WC. They can have their cake and eat it too.
That’d be a great way to ruin this rebuild they’ve spent so much time and resources on. You really think this team can trade for Kluber and Realmuto and that fixes all their problems? You still don’t have a 3B and none of your prospects have been anything more than an average regular at this point. If you deal for Kluber and Realmuto your taking away let’s say 5 of your top 10 prospects and you aren’t there yet. It makes 100000% more sense to suck for one more year and let these guys play. I’d rather have that then add another future deal you wanna get out of (Keuchel) and lose half your top chips when you might be good enough for 85 wins.
“Ruin the rebuild.” By winning? By winning too soon?
I joke about some of our fan base being happy with losing, but I seriously don’t understand the logic of that argument.
By trading guys who would help them win during the contention window for a guy who will help them win a few extra games (but not enough to make the postseason) for the next two seasons, block two of their quality young players and likely hurt their development and build bad blood in them if they aren’t traded and then leave and hurt the team’s draft position in the process.
Ruin the rebuild by giving up significant young prospects to briefly be more competitive but not a WS contender. Yes, that is what I would define as “ruining a rebuild.” The padres have far and away the best core of prospects in baseball. I’d much rather see them come up and flourish before axing half of them to temporarily make the team a WC contender if everything goes right. And I mean everything. You could have a long term division champion on your hands if you don’t mess things up now.
Honestly don’t put any stock in anything Sherman says. If he were allowed he’d probably report that everyone prefers that cesspool New York over anywhere else.
Franco will be better than moustakas this year. I think if they don’t get Harper or Machado, they’ll put a big trade together for an outfielder and/ or third baseman.
I’m just not going to take any of the rumors linking the Padres to anyone seriously unless and until a trade happens. They seemed to get linked to every major trade candidate this offseason, regardless of how good of a fit the player is or (especially in JTR’s case) isn’t.
You’re clearly uneducated as to the way trading works. Realmuto is far superior to Mejia and Hedges.
He’s also a free agent in two years, has explicitly said he’s not signing an extension, the Padres aren’t likely to contend during the next 2 years and the prospects he would cost would create a greater positive ripple effect being traded for someone who can pitch or play the left side of the infield.
By your logic the Padres should trade for Mike Trout because he is way better than any of the Padres current outfielders. Regardless of the fact that he would cost their entire farm system, the Padres probably aren’t going to contend during his two remaining contract years and they have no chance of keeping him beyond that.
If they are moving Hedges and a bunch of really young guys does that change things?
No cuz JTR would then block Mejia for two years. He only has one option year left so the Padres basically have to know what the plan is with him by the end of the upcoming season.
And then they will lose realmuto to free agency. Now they suddenly need a catcher
Seems like a move we have seen before. Take him on for a year while they figure out what to do with Mejia. If they want to keep him they shop JTR next off season for prospects
I don’t like the move but it smells familiar
Padres system is pretty deep at C. There are a few guys a couple years away
Hedges and Mejia are blocking them. Someone has to go….either the kids or the two bigger names
And Realmuto’s trade value will drop like a rock over that one year as he moves closer to free agency and the false hope of an extension is further squashed.
Couldn’t agree more Rooster!
his value may go down a bit, but there will be no shortage of teams lining up for a chance to get his bat into their lineup for 2020. There will no doubt be a few impressive prospects dangled and could possibly fill any holes left
I don’t like it, but Preller has been able to find value in these deals. The man got something back for Shields! 1 year of JTR will definitely be valuable next offseason. And there’s always the chance that a contender gets desperate in July
“his value may go down a bit, but…”
But nothing! There is ZERO point in the Padres trading for a depreciating asset that doesn’t fill a need! The smart thing to do is use 2019 to decide which of Hedges and/or Mejia they wish to keep.
Your lack of knowledge of farm systems is showing. The Padres have two outstanding catching prospects on their 40 man roster and the player that BA said is the best defensive catcher in the minors in Campusano. That does not include Torrens who was considered the best defensive catcher in the minors before his injury in 2015 and subsequent Rule V pickup by the Padres.
Errr… what? I knew all that. All the guys you mention make a Realmuto addition completely unnecessary.
Why would you trade realmuto then look to move him next offseason? So he can provide “veteran leadership?” that makes no sense whatsoever.
He said he wasn’t going to sign an extension with Miami (because they lowballed him). Not saying he’s a sure bet to sign one with sd but that’s not what he said
It wasn’t because they lowballed him. It was because he doesn’t want to play for the Marlins.
The Padres aren’t contending either so what reason do you have to believe it would be any different for them?
@jbigz12 Well they did think that one year of Freddy Galvis would provide “veteran leadership” like apparently the memory of him at shortstop will make them play better after he’s gone…
Yeah I mean the galvis deal was bad for the same reasons but this is way worse. I’m surprised he cost so much but Realmuto is going to cost 10x as much. Makes absolutely no sense to do that. They must be afraid of the dodgers acquiring realmuto, I can’t even believe they’d be considering him for any other reason. Obviously not saying I agree with that reason but I can’t really see any other way they can come to this conclusion.
Galvis at least filled a need on the diamond, even if only for one year in which they lost over 90 games even with him. Realmuto would add to a logjam.
I want the Dodgers to acquire Realmuto. It will make them better for the next two seasons but the Padres aren’t going to contend in those years anyway and then it will make them worse f0r the seasons after that when the Padres actually have a shot.
Well, I think preller is worried about his job at some point here. If the dodgers add Realmuto and this padres team stagnates the next 2 years he might be looking down the barrel of a gun. It’s like the politician who makes a poor long term decision to try and swing some votes his way for the upcoming election.
Torrens was considered a bat-first catcher per all the scouting reports I read when the Padres plucked him out of A-ball. And he’d been there for how long???
IIRC Torrens was a glove-first catcher
That doesn’t make him a good fit.
Hey stretch, you must be “uneducated” re how years of control work. Hedges is under contract/ team control for 4 yrs, Mejia for 7 yrs. Meanwhile Realmuto has ONLY 2 more yrs until he becomes a free agent.
Cue the asinine comment about how “They can extend him!”
I’m well aware how control works but, thanks anyways. Control does not change the fact that Realmuto is the better catcher RIGHT NOW and has superior value to Hedges and Mejia… If Preller thinks he can win now or the following season, he will trade for JTR.
Everyone has their price.
Again, the ripple effect caused by trading those prospects for a shortstop, third baseman or starting pitcher would be much greater than the ripple effect caused by trading them for yet another catcher. And in any event, the Padres are trying to build a long-term contender. So unless they have changed their mind and decided to push all their chips in on the next two seasons, I don’t see a JTR-to-the-Padres trade happening.
The Padres could get more for one year of Realmuto than the 6 years of Mejia or 3 of Hedges.
And would have to give up even more to acquire two years of Realmuto
How does this make any sense in your mind. “yeah let’s go buy realmuto now with 2 years of control left. We’ll give up our top catching prospect for him plus some other top guys but hey we can sell Realmuto next year for a lesser package! If you think the padres and that sorry rotation can win now you’re just wrong. They might be competitive this year if the kids start playing well. But we’ve yet to see an impact player on the padres roster. I have no doubt there’s multiple on their farm but they haven’t made it to the majors
The Phillies management appears unstable including the GM and the field manager. Additionally they are at the bottom of the division when it comes to overall team talent. I would have liked to see Harper here but the clown show would turn any sane player off.
Philly’s not terrible if you have money. Don’t get me wrong, both Philly and Baltimore are kinda dumpy (not classy either). Philly grows on you after awhile if you spend enough time there. There are better cities to live in/near, though. Machado played down the road from Philly with the Orioles. Harper played with the rival Nationals. I’m sure both players are quite familiar with the Phillies, and most likely came to the same conclusions I did. Just not their cup of tea.
Rather be in Philly then Chicago.
So your preference is to live in Philly first then move to Chicago afterwards?
I do that when I fly to China with American Airlines…Philly, then Chicago, then Shanghai.
Phillies are going to really have to up the ante to have a shot at either player. That “stupid money” is going to come in handy, but ironically might not land them a star
Lmaoooo they don’t want to play for the Phillies that’s amazing
The Mets are amazing.
is that what they both told you?
Who would want to go to Philly anyway when you can go to New York!
I’d rather go to Cleveland.
South Philly is 5 stratospheres above The Bronx or Queens. Only borough in NYC that can compete with Philly is Manhattan.
BS
I’m a fan of the city of Philadelphia but there’s literally nothing in South Philly where the stadium is. There’s The Live! Venue and the stadiums. The center city of Philadelphia is a very happening place but there’s absolutely nothing to rave about in south philly.
Great . Just what I needed Ernie Urban giving us the scoop.
Ernie urban is a new one, how bout it LT Dan? What gets you going about South Philly? The run down storage lots? The gigantic Uhaul building? Or is it the vacant Holiday inn? All that really makes for a great argument why South Philly is better than all the boroughs in NY. Why don’t you come up with a decent reason to back your claim up. Because you look like an absolute clown with nothing to back up your garbage.
That holiday inn isnt vacant. That whole area is basically an industrial area. Where the stadiums are is a small part of south Philly, obviously you never ventured away from that area to notice other parts of south philly.
Holiday inn was vacant at my last trip up there a year ago. Stayed there about 2 years ago couldn’t believe it was shut down considering it’s the only hotel near the stadium. I’ve been to South Philly plenty. They’re building up the Navy Yard area as well. It’s an alright place but to suggest it’s nicer than New York is laughable. You haven’t been to any decent part of NY if that’s the case. Like I said though I’m not a Philadelphia hater by any means but when someone says some ridiculous shtt Im going to disagree.
Phillies are not going to end up with either Harper or Machado and will have to end up explaining they have nothing to show for “stupid money” but McCutchen, Segura and some bullpen arms they will inevitably sign. On to the pipe dream pursuit of Mike Trout.
The explanation is the players picked another team.
yep. pretty simple, really. You offer each guy 350 but they choose to play for LA and NY for 300, can’t fault Middleton on that. Well, I’m sure Casey’s Partner/Scott Rolen would find fault as he always does, but a non-idiot would easily realize that the Phils did their best and put out the best offer by far and the guys simply didn’t take it. It rarely, rarely happens this way so I’m not going to put too much stock into this “don’t wanna play in Philly” narrative; we knew from the beginning that places like LA and NY were going to be more attractive and so Philly would likely have to produce the best offer in order to get the deal done. Nothing new here..
Casey’s partner is unstable, yes. But I find fault with Klentak. I do agree that the Phillies would have to overpay, but at least Middleton is making a statement and at least one person has fire. I see zero fire or urgency from anyone else when there are many holes. So I will find fault, but not for Harper or Machado as I don’t want either.
Middleton had best pay both Harper and Machado whatever it takes to get them to sign.
If you don’t listen, you have to feel.
No player will walk away from, $50 million dollars…
Endorsements more than make up for that
Really? Do you consider Kershaw a superstar with endorsement power? Price? Stanton? Trout?
Kershaw – $800,000
Price – $650,000
Stanton – $3.2M
That leaves Trout, the guy that some have said isn’t as marketable as a guy like Harper. 2018 Trout made $2.5M outside of baseball. In 2016 Harper signed the largest MLB endorsement deal. a 10 year extension with Under Armor. Details were never released but the money in MLB endorsements isn’t like tennis or the NBA. In 201 Trout passed Harper and Bryant as most marketable and still only brings in $2.5M with deals with Nike, BodyArmor, Rawlings, J&J Snack Foods and Zepp Labs.
Endorsements in MLB do not rely on location as much as people think.
One step closer to signing 29yo Trout in 2021. Theres other options for the Phillies, dont have to force hand here.
Surprised there is so much ignorance on this issue regarding Philly + Free Agents.. When negotiating with agents everything that gets leaked is more than likely the anti-truth. Everyone thinks Machado wants to go to NYY and hates Philly but in reality its Philadlephia that’s the target. NYY are being used as a decoy. This is just basic negotiating you learn in a high school business class. You will see this shortly when Machado or Harper signs with the Phillies.Philly was always the target for both Harper + ,Machado.
… or maybe that’s exactly what they WANT you to think…
Exactly
If Machado wanted to go to NYY, Lozano would be pumping up Philly so highly to get NYY’s attention. Come on snap out of the stupor. You’ll see soon enough.
By that logic, the three teams listed have no chance and they both wind up in Japan.
The logic behind it would be to get the Phillies to overspend,to outspend the others. Nobody in Japan would be doing that.
Machado also has Orioles ties in the Phillies front office. That could help. Personally, I think if you give Machado the biggest offer, he’ll come to Philly. The trick is not being played to get the Yankees or another team to go higher. The Yankees have a good enough infield — except for the time Gregorious will miss — that I tend to think they’ll stop at some limit on the Machado bidding. But maybe not …
the dodgers absolutely need Harper for their outfield. For comparison our third best offensive outfielder (hicks) had a higher OPS than all three of the dodgers outfielders last season. Harper would give them that strong middle of the order presence they desperately need. Keke has versatility so he could be moved around
All Yankees hitters benefit from the sophisticated cheating that goes on in their dugout.
How creative
Harper will hit a ton in Dodgers Stadium – a ton of warning track outs. What a colossal waste of money. His offensive numbers will take a big hit playing in LAX.
The balls fly out of GRF in Chicago. He can prolong his career by playing 1B and DH in addition to the outfield. And the Sox can pay him AND Machado.
That’s nonsense. Last season was an outlier for him and he isn’t even in his prime yet. He has a lot of power to all fields and can hit anywhere
By that logic, the outlier? He’s had a average player or worde WAR 3 out of 7 years.
All three were in the last 5 years
You might want to look at how the park factor has changed over the years. Dodger Stadium has become very HR friendly. But let me guess if he was a Giant he would do just fine with that canyon in left center
In regards to Philly report: This is generic vague wording from Sherman. Sources? Quotes? Need a saucy headline in the cold bleak watching-paint-dry winter? Here, use this one.
Its more than that. Its a planted leak to get Phillys stupid money. The Phillies are the rulers of this offseason. That’s who the big boys are after. Don’t believe the rhetoric in fact believe opposite what you hear.
So, the opposite of your comment?
I’m looking forward to when Machado or Harper signs with Philly . Then all the NY,LA,Chi fans who were laughing at Philly will finally learn how negotiations work. .
Or not.
It’s the “inner circles” stuff getting rehashed….
Harper to the Cubs and Machado to the White Sox.
It’s possible. Neither team wants to be upstaged this offseason. 2020 WS matchup?
No one likes the truth, Machado and Harper think they are going to wheel in 10 year 400 mill contracts but team management has better plans then that. I think 6 maybe 7 years with opt outs and front loaded contracts is what’s going to happen. Any team that pays more then that are fools like the Stanton deal, and Greinke deal.
Yea its probably city centric…. bc the money they have the team could end up being great.
I must say, my free agent predictions are going horribly this winter
AJ Preller is confusing us Padres fans
They have a farm with great potential but one wrong trade can set back the rebuild (kluber,realmuto). Preller might be sending mixed messages but nothing has happened yet. He’s staying the course for now
I see at as a sign that the Padres are going to try to compete and be worth our time again finally.
Win or Lose at least they are trying to make something happen. The last 10 years have been rough
Fair enough but if this rebuild is botched it will set them back years. They have to be careful who they trade for (if any trades are made)
Agreed
I like what A.J. has done for the system so far and am excited about what is coming next. These are big names, its starting to feel like the late ’90s. I remember when Vaughn, McGriff, Sheffield were all laughable suggestions and how good that felt to see them actually coming to play in SD
God I loved Sheffield. If only he came to the Yankees a few years sooner
That guy was intense!
As a Phillies fan, I would prefer they sign Machado over Harper but I would be completely fine if they did not sign either so long as that money was used to sign Arenado next season (obviously a big “if”).
I know they aren’t that strong in OF but having to use Cutch, Odubel, Nick Williams, Altherr and Roman Quinn doesn’t really strike me as a situation that necessitates spending 300 million for Harper when you could sign AJ Pollock for less.
Only thing is… Arenado is 3 years older when his contrac would start. Want to give 10 year +300M to a 29 yr old or a 26 yr old? Manny turns 27 in July, Bryce in October.
Arenado has a under 780 career ops outside of coors too
Yeah, I was interested to see his stats at CBP (Philly) and his OPS in 16 games is .582 but he had a BABIP of .192. I was under the impression that CBP was hitter friendly but after some perusing of Google articles they’re just outside the top-10 of parks.
Thanks for the interesting POV on the numbers though.
+1
That’s a good point. I suppose if you’re going to ensure that Arenado will sign then you’re going to give him an offer he cannot refuse so it definitely has a chance to rival that of the other two even though he’s a little older.
+1
So, a writer for THE NEW YORK POST writes an article slamming the city of Phila.. I’m sure both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper called him up and told him, we’re not enamored with that city.
I call BS!
Scratch out a big enough check, and they’ll love the city!
Which happens all the time… as if Sherman doesn’t know this. I bet he said Corbin was going to sign in NY as well … what happened? O yeah, suddenly he became a Nationals fan after a life long allegiance to the NYY … lol.
JOSE MARTINEZ, please TB. Send a couple RP’s for this guy
Prefer the Phils wait two years and bring Trout back home.
He probably won’t leave the Angels, but if he does, Philly has a decent shot. The window to win with him will be short, though.
Trout isn’t playing for the Phillies unless Harper and Machado are already there.
Here is to hoping Phillies sign both Harper and Machado to huge money so they have none to offer Trout.
Padres all winter just doing whole lot of nothing but talk
As a Phillies fan first and then a baseball fan I say fine. Let them sign elsewhere. 10 year deals are ridiculous and the athlete has the club by the balls. Doesnt have to perform and contracts that size hamper a team from getting other players and locking up a couple of your own stars and if they get hurt early in the contract then what?
The Phillies don’t have any stars.
The Phillies rebuild is a failure. They tanked for the top pick and failed. Give Harper and Machado their “stupid money” and fix the problem.
Says Scott Rolen, who’s opinions have meant absolutely nothing to Philadelphia in almost two decades
Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola sound like stars to me.
I’ll give you Nola… Hoskins can hit, but I definitely wouldn’t call him a star yet.
Perfectly OK with the Phillies not overpaying for either guy and getting creative. BUT this is very sloppy reporting. Nothing backed up from a factual standpoint. Sherman puts a half a sentence in and article and people RAN Usain Bolt fast with it.
It makes logically ZERO sense for that to be given as any public indication even IF the players feel that way. If Philly backs out of the bidding both these guys years and total $ goes down. They both know that. Manny was very high on Philly at the trade deadline (of course he wants to go to the Yanks more), and Harper and Hoskins are close. Manny also spent 5 hours with Phillies Brass which is much more then he did anywhere else (can’t read to much into that other then it was more then a ‘Hi Manny, were going to give you a ton of money type meeting’. Both these players agents were probably on the phone with Sherman –and the Phillies– shortly after this broke. Expect the agents to refute this report in the next 48 hours.
What if the rays offer Harper a 1 year 30 mill contracts? Fan based incentives which could accelerate to a 45 mill 1 year contract
On Philly not being a preferred city to live/play for BH or MM…. yeah but guess what? Both those guys are going to get the most money from the Phillies … and they know it! If the yankees actually opened the vault, then he’d be signed already right? Why wouldn’t he have signed NYY offer yet? Hmmm … bur These pundits are telling us they don’t prefer Philly…
Well then why aren’t they signing with NYY or LAD then? Hmmm … cause they all know Philly is where the money is at … What’s the highest offers record vs anything else? O … that’s right .. it’s about the same as Father times’ record.
One of them is signing in Philadelphia, no way the highest offer loses out on both these guys. The Pundits can beat whatever drum they want, I just hope they don’t act as surprised as CNN on the last presidential race. It is so obvious that one of them
Signs in philly. Ain’t nobody hate Philly that much to walksway frlm alll that money. It ain’t happening. All these NYY homers are cracking me up. Seriously. Calm down, money will smooth over any bumps the City has. Just ask Corbin.
You know what Philly has that NYC and LA don’t? You can actually drive your car, not sit in 2 hrs of traffic daily commuting to a grocery store … and you can actually park your car … within 2 miles of where you live … for under $30. O … and Philly taxes their athletes a lot less than NYC, probably LA as well.
I wonder how much Sherman got from Boras to plant this bullturkey story
Rays can have Jay Bruce or EE from Seattle.
Honestly, if they really feel that way, then we really don’t want them. I don’t care how much talent a player has, playing in Philly is difficult and you have to have a certain personality type. I know for a fact that Philly fans would hate Machado by the end of the second year of the deal simply based on the fact that it seems as though he’s always been about himself: Needing to play shortstop for the O’s last year, the move on Aguilar, honestly, just listen to any of his post game press conferences. In Philly, you need to be “Johnny Hustle”- there’s a reason Chase Utley is literally the equivalent of Jesus Christ around here. Even with all of the A.I. stuff, screw practice, because he left it all out on the court after every game as a guard generously listed at 6″ going up against guys like MJ, Kobe, Shaq etc.
Philly is a different city and it has always been that way and honestly, we take a lot of pride in that. If you come in here thinking you’re the man, like Chip Kelly did a while back, we’re gonna cut you down quicker than Joe Buck tries to dismiss us on every broadcast.
I’m good with Cutch anyway
Some wide eyes news in this. It’s surprising if Harper/Machado actually said or even implied that they would rather play somewhere else. It undermines there efforts to get the most they can by casting shade on possibly the highest bidder. For that reason, in fact, I have a little doubt about this report. Just makes no since.
The Padres are a little confusing if all the reports concerning Kluber and Realmuto are true. If they go for this it’s going to remind me of 2015 all over again when they traded for Upton, Kimbrel and Myers. Yes, I know they have the best, deepest farm in baseball, but those two will still exact a heavy price and they would still have other needs if they are going to compete. Why not let your farm do the last bit of development, see which of your roster holes it can fill for you and then start thinking of FA’s and trades with what’s left which would still be a pretty impressive list of prospects.
All well. We will have to see if Preller actually repeats is 2015 mistake. For now, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Knowthemarket………..
“Some wide eyes news in this. It’s surprising if Harper/Machado actually said or even implied that they would rather play somewhere else.”
This is from the article…..”Word is neither player particularly likes Philadelphia and both would have preferred the Yankees,” That’s it…that is the only mention in the article. The rest of it is where will they sign, NY, Chi, Philly or will LA offer a monster 4-ish year deal to Harper” One sentence, without sources or quotes spawned this whole thing.
I wish I knew what the Mets offered Miami for Realmuto prior to the club signing Wilson Ramos. If they offered Wheeler or Matz + prospects, miami may have made an error not taking that deal. The way Zack Wheeler pitched the whole second half last season could have easily justified the swap. My guess is Realmuto opens 2019 with the fish, has a good but not great start to the year and gets dealt for less at the deadline.
Why would the rebuilding Marlins want Wheeler the rental?
Hey Red—Wagon Wheel only k owe how to shake over the hill players with bloated contracts away from their teams.
There’s no way he can justify a trade that will cause the owners to have to pony up to the bar for a big contract.
Remember, who is the big bag behind Cano? Realize it’s no longer Nelson Cruz. Don’t forget that Ces will be on the DL for a good chunk of the season and then will need lots of time to get into game shape without injuring himself.
Cano is a ‘roid using cheater. He and New York deserve each other.
Isn’t Wheeler a free agent after this season? I know the Marlins want “MLB talent” in return for Realmuto, but depending on the prospects being offered, I would not be particularly surprised if they had turned down that offer. That being said, I think most people would be shocked if we had a list of various teams’ offers for Realmuto since last off-season that were turned down by the Marlins. I’ll bet there was some serious talent (MLB players and prospects).
This is surely coming from Boras and Lozano to try to get the Phillies to spend more. If the money was equal or close, I imagine they’d both prefer NYY or LAD, but they’ll ultimately go where the big money is. The agents are just trying to get the Phillies to bid against themselves.
Hold up, I thought HARPER tweeted that he was a BIG FAN of Philly Cheese-steaks!!!!
Only way Phillies can save face is to overwhelm Angels with an offer for Trout if they don’t get Harper or Machado
A note about the Guppies..I get they want a nice package for Realmuto. I’d love to see him in a Phillies jersey.. But somethings being played wrong there…
Seems to me the Mets had the biggest need and might have offered the Guppies the best group of prospects and ML players….while we don’t know the names involved, clearly the Mets are not the goats here…ASSuming the Fishies do move him which I now think won’t happen, it will be to save face..If they wait till July, the pieces coming back won’t come close to whatever the Mets offered…to sum up, the Guppies look like they have over played their hand..
Dads, I agree, if Miami really wanted to move him, they messed up with the Mets. While I would like him in Philly, I am content to see how Alfaro develops this season, hopefully with a bat or two to lessen the importance of his hitting so he can concentrate on his backstop skills…I think he has it in him to do that.
By the way, it’s good to see your posts here…I miss the old phillies.com comment section and it’s nice to see opinions of people i’ve “known” over the years…I rarely ever go to that site anymore, I get irritated by Zolecki and without the comment section don’t get anything from the place….
modish, I wrote Todd and he did reply..There is no explanation why MLB did this..He claimed which I have a difficult time believing, that he didn’t know anything about it..Yea, right….he said he’d get back to me..I also contacted the Phillies and they too said they’d get back to me..I’m not holding my breath…it’s been weeks…
If it is true the harper doesn’t like philla then I would say he would most likely go to LAD but I still think the dark horse here is obviously the cards I think theyears will go down on his contract from 14 to 10-12 year deal. this when I think the cardinals interest peaks and they sign harper 10yr/400m.
WOULD DO YOU THINK MLBTR????
plz reply I always reply back thx