Headlines

  • Astros Sign Martin Maldonado To One-Year Extension
  • No Extension Negotiations Between Braves, Freddie Freeman
  • Adrian Morejon To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Neil Walker Announces Retirement
  • Yasiel Puig To Sign With Mexican League Team
  • Starling Marte Suffers Fractured Rib
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • Last 100 Comments
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Giants, Cubs, Free Agents

By Tim Dierkes | April 23, 2019 at 2:43pm CDT

Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with Tim Dierkes.

Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

MLBTR Chats

Hanley Ramirez Elects Free Agency
Main
Carlos Martinez To Return As Reliever
View Comments (38)
newest oldest

Comments

  1. padresfanaticfan

    2 years ago

    Where did Jon Lester say that the Red Sox trading him hurt their chances of signing him? Everything I can find says that he said he was open to returning to Boston. Besides, Lester ultimately got $20m more from the Cubs than what the Red Sox were offering. I doubt he takes a $20m paycut if the Red Sox didn’t trade him.

    Like
    Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      2 years ago

      From Lester’s Dec 2014 press conference:

      When Bob Nightengale of USA Today asked Lester whether it would have been a lot harder to leave Boston had he not been traded, the lefty replied, “Yeah, I think so. I think there’s always that unknown when you are traded. Obviously that’s the unknown of going to a whole different coast, a whole different organization, a whole different philosophy. I think going there prepared us for this time. I think if you finish out the year in Boston and you get down to this decision, I think it would be a lot harder. Not to say it wasn’t hard as it was. But I feel like that broke that barrier of, ’Well, I wonder if I can play for another team.’ And I think we answered those questions.”

      mlbtraderumors.com/2014/12/lester-epstein-hoyer-on…

      2 Like
      Reply
      • padresfanaticfan

        2 years ago

        He also said “Yeah, why not? I mean, this is what I know, this is what I love. Like I’ve said many times, this is where I want to be. If they trade me, I completely understand. Like I said, no hard feelings. I know what they have to do for their organization. If that involves me, so be it. If it doesn’t, I’ll keep running out there every five days, pitching, and like I said, hopefully November we’ll get something done” when asked about re-signing in Boston even if traded.

        espn.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/11266717/jon-lester…

        Anyway, $20m is more money than most Americans make in their life. And you could argue that getting trading out of BOS for the last two months of 2014 was the best case scenario for him (get to pitch in postseason, can’t be QO’d). And it’s also not a given that the Red Sox still offer him $135m if they have an extra first rounder to gain by letting him walk.

        Like
        Reply
        • jbigz12

          2 years ago

          You posted lester’s Thoughts before the trade. The article Tim cited was his thoughts after. At the time he might’ve thought that was true but then he went out to oakland and realized it wasn’t that bad to pitch elsewhere and there was no reason not to take the money. You leave him in Boston and the story could’ve been completely different. It’s the risk you take.

          4 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          Not $20m different. That’s one or two of his grandchildren that he’s setting up for life. And trading him didn’t change his opinion of the city of Boston or the Red Sox organization.

          Like
          Reply
        • jbigz12

          2 years ago

          No two guys are the same. These aren’t computers. They’re human beings with feelings. Like it or not. You want everyone to be Jeurys Familia or Aroldis Chapman. And many may feel that way. Other guys might feel slighted or be unhappy because they have to go out and find an apartment in another city for the next 3 months. You don’t know. It’s an unknown in the equation. To some people a trade could be nothing to others it could be a factor despite what their opinion was before it happened. You open up a box of uncertainties when you trade a guy away.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          Name one player whoever went on record as saying he did not want to play for any organization. Derek Holland said he’d love to return to the Rangers, and his case is as typical as one can get. Because of that, Lester’s statement before free-agency is less illuminating than what he said later. What players say publicly is going to be different from what they’re thinking.

          In Lester’s case, he did not want to sour any potential Red Sox offer by publicly saying before free-agency, what he said later. The $20M difference clouds the evidence, but it’s reasonable to assume, based on his statements, had the offers been equal, that the trade by the Sox would have tipped his decision in the Cubs’ favor.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          @jbigz12 I don’t “want” anyone to be anything. I just don’t see him taking a $20m paycut if the Red Sox had held onto him. Especially considering trading him allowed him to pitch in the postseason and not have a QO attached, both of which are objectively beneficial to the player.

          Also, you mention Aroldis Chapman. The Marlins offered him more than the Yankees in FA.

          Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          @tad2b13 if the offers are equal he signs with the team that drafted and developed him and that he has said he enjoyed his time with over the team that he has no loyalty to. Tim even said Lester probably would have taken a slight discount to return to BOS even with the trade. But evidently not $20m.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          The $20M is irrelevant. You’re missing the nuance. Being traded doesn’t have to make him completely change his opinion of Boston or the Red Sox organization for it to tip the scales in the Cubs’ favor. Had the Sox offered $20M more he undoubtedly returns there. We would have no doubt had the offers been equal, and based on his comments, even though being traded didn’t have huge impact, I think he still picks the Cubs.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • jbigz12

          2 years ago

          Well, yes you do “want” it to be that way. I’ve seen plenty of posts from you about how trading a guy away has no effect on whether you can sign him back. Did you say that in this article? No, but that is your opinion. Which is not always going to be the case as I said.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          No it doesn’t matter to me as I am not a fan of either the Cubs, the Red Sox or a team in either of their divisions.

          How many players can we confidently say would have stayed with their original team if they weren’t traded, ceteris paribus?

          Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          @tad2b13 Your comment is a little hard to follow but I see no reason why Lester would have picked the Cubs if the Red Sox had matched their offer. He wasn’t traded to the Cubs.

          Like
          Reply
        • jbigz12

          2 years ago

          I’m not saying I wouldn’t take the gamble that it doesn’t piss the guy off enough to matter. If you play the %’s on that I’m sure the odds are in your favor. I don’t think it’s a particularly bad gamble but it’s still a factor. You can’t just trade a guy away and expect them all to see it one way. That will never happen. It’s going to be a case by case basis and you have to determine how much the additional risk of losing him is worth.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          A guy who was offered $20m more from someone else isn’t a good example though.

          And hard to be too pissed off by getting to pitch in the postseason and not having a QO attached like the two other big free agent SP’s that offseason did.

          Like
          Reply
        • xxtremecubsguy89

          2 years ago

          Here we go…

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          @xxtremecubsguy89 Yeah, that totally contributed to the discussion…

          Like
          Reply
        • xxtremecubsguy89

          2 years ago

          As did every comment of yours after Tim proved you wrong. But okay, I gotcha.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          He did no such thing but sure.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          “…he signs with the team that drafted and developed him…”

          The GM who drafted him and others from the Sox org were working for the Cubs.

          And no offense to Tim, but his opinion is as much conjecture as your’s or mine. But I think you’re both losing sight of how much Lester was bothered by the trade, as evidenced by answering in the affirmative, when asked if it bothered him. Players are reluctant to say anything negative about any organization. I think most players, when asked if being traded bothered them, would have said no even if it had. Lester’s comments are out of the norm, so it’s reasonable to believe the trade upset him enough to pick the Cubs, and the GM that drafted him..

          1 Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          “He wasn’t traded to the Cubs.”

          That’s irrelevant. It’s not about who he was traded to, It concerns negative feelings about the team that traded him away.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          “… so it’s reasonable to believe the trade upset him enough to pick the Cubs, and the GM that drafted him..”

          … and the Cubs offering him $20m more than what the Red Sox offered. That’s one or two of his grandchildren who he’s setting up for life.

          Oh and he never said it bothered him. He said that he wasn’t sure before he got traded if he would be able to play for another team but realized afterwards that he could and that other teams weren’t so bad.

          “That’s irrelevant. It’s not about who he was traded to, It concerns negative feelings about the team that traded him away.”

          What negative feelings? To this day Lester has only positive things to say about the Red Sox organization and the city of Boston.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          How is saying that the Red Sox trading him hurt their chances of re-signing him not a negative reaction?

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          Because what he actually said had nothing to do with his opinion of the Red Sox and everything to do with increasing his comfort with the idea of playing elsewhere.

          In the end, the only way your argument works is if you can confidently say that Lester would have signed with the Red Sox over the Cubs if the Red Sox hadn’t traded him, all other things equal.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          You keep bringing up the $20M like it meant something other than the obvious. If the Sox offered $20M more he would’ve been in Boston. The $20M made his coice easy. But the question is where would he be if the offers had been equal? It’s seems your being obtuse in denying the trade would have had no effect on his decision. He said it hurt their chances. What more do you need?

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          “You keep bringing up the $20M like it meant something other than the obvious.”

          TIL that $20m means nothing.

          “But the question is where would he be if the offers had been equal?”

          Boston. The team he said he wanted to play for.

          “It’s seems your being obtuse…”

          It seems my what is being obtuse?

          “He said it hurt their chances.”

          He said that it increased his comfort with the idea of playing elsewhere, which he apparently wasn’t comfortable with before. That does not = wanting to punish the Red Sox for trading him or suddenly changing his opinion of the Red Sox organization from good to bad.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          “Because what he actually said had nothing to do with his opinion of the Red Sox and everything to do with increasing his comfort with the idea of playing elsewhere.”

          So, how would it have “hurt (the Red Sox) chances” of them re-signing him. if that was all it was that. That makes no sense.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          Because being more comfortable with the idea of playing elsewhere than he was before doesn’t mean he likes the Red Sox any less than he did before.

          Here’s an analogy. I’ve always preferred steak over seafood. Yesterday I tried lobster for the first time in my life. It actually was alright, but it doesn’t mean I like steak any less than before.

          Like
          Reply
        • tad2b13

          2 years ago

          Nothing you’ve said makes his statement, about the chances being hurt of his re-signing, is consistent with your rationalizations.

          Everything said by everyone on this subject is conjecture. Whether you know it or not, and it appears you don’t, you have absolutely no idea if what you’re stating so confidently is true or not. I accept the possibility that my opinion is incorrect. Do you?

          “It seems my what is being obtuse?”

          Fine. If you want to reduce the discussion to that, when I obviously know the difference between “your, and “you’re then my participation in this discussion is over.

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          “Nothing you’ve said makes his statement, about the chances being hurt of his re-signing, is (sic) consistent with your rationalizations.”

          You’re right. They already were consistent.

          “I accept the possibility that my opinion is incorrect. Do you?”

          I don’t know what Lester would have done if the two teams had offered him the same contract. Nor do I know that their offers wouldn’t have changed if Lester hadn’t been traded because he most assuredly would have had a QO attached meaning signing him would have cost you a draft pick on top of the $. But no. Holding onto Lester would not have convinced him to take a $20m paycut. Especially because a trade was arguably the best case scenario for reasons already mentioned above (pitch in postseason, no QO).

          Like
          Reply
        • xxtremecubsguy89

          2 years ago

          Annnnnd, scene. (As Ryan waits for more ways to be proven wrong by the head honcho of this site)

          1 Like
          Reply
        • padresfanaticfan

          2 years ago

          You should change your name to xxtremecuck89

          Like
          Reply
  2. jorge78

    2 years ago

    Tim, can you bring up MLB requiring teams to place players names on the back of uniforms? Humbug tradition! I find it annoying watching on TV.
    And that’s all that matters!

    Like
    Reply
    • ChiSoxCity

      2 years ago

      Really? Baseball is just so petty.

      Like
      Reply
  3. DarkSide830

    2 years ago

    ye of little faith in Arrieta. and im tired of the hate in players calling each other out. maybe he learned something from Montero’s chiding.

    Like
    Reply
    • ChiSoxCity

      2 years ago

      Yep… publicly complaining about teammates/front office is classless act. That said, Jake’s assumed a leadership role in their locker room, and he’s sending the whole team a message about being selfless and poised. That’s what champions do.

      Like
      Reply
  4. Pickle_Britches

    2 years ago

    I love lamp

    Like
    Reply
    • padresfanaticfan

      2 years ago

      You a moth?

      Like
      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Astros Sign Martin Maldonado To One-Year Extension

    No Extension Negotiations Between Braves, Freddie Freeman

    Adrian Morejon To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Neil Walker Announces Retirement

    Yasiel Puig To Sign With Mexican League Team

    Starling Marte Suffers Fractured Rib

    Jay Bruce Announces Retirement

    Nationals Place Stephen Strasburg On Injured List, Select Paolo Espino

    Cody Bellinger Has Hairline Fracture In Left Leg

    2021-22 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

    Recent

    Phillies Sign Greg Garcia To Minor League Deal

    Padres Place Dinelson Lamet, Keone Kela On 10-Day IL

    Cubs Place Joc Pederson On 10-Day IL

    MLBTR Poll: Struggling 2020 Playoff Teams

    Dinelson Lamet Leaves Start With Right Forearm Tightness

    Brewers Designate Jacob Nottingham For Assignment

    Blue Jays Acquire Jeremy Beasley

    Pirates Select Todd Frazier, Designate Dustin Fowler, Place Chad Kuhl On IL

    Ke’Bryan Hayes Suffers Setback In Rehab From Wrist Injury

    East Notes: Braves, Smyly, Sale, Orioles, Kjerstad

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Kris Bryant Rumors
    • Francisco Lindor Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Indians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version