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
Phillies fans dreams dashed. Machado going to yankees and harper going to dodgers as much as i hate to admit it.
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?
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?
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.
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