7:33pm: The Mets also remain interested in exploring a multi-year arrangement with Wheeler, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s not evident how serious that possibility is — let alone whether there’s any potential for a pact to come together before Wheeler formally reaches the open market.
We’ve seen plenty of on-again/off-again chatter of a deal with Wheeler over recent months. When the Mets acquired Marcus Stroman, it was generally supposed that the club was going to move on from Wheeler, though the door stayed open when he wasn’t dealt over the summer. With obvious budgetary restrains and other needs, it still feels like a longshot.
Meanwhile, those prior trade talks also came up in reporting today. Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets that the Mets spoke with teams right up until the deadline passed, with the Astros pushing hardest and the Yankees, Rays, and Athletics also involved.
That’s mostly of historical interest, though it could offer some clues for free agency. Indeed, the Houston organization is already engaged with Wheeler’s reps, per Heyman (via Twitter). The ’Stros talked shop with Jet Sports today. We can only presume that the outfit’s major free agent starter came up in conversation, among other things.
2:29pm: Zack Wheeler technically has another three days to accept or reject his $17.8MM qualifying offer from the Mets, but there’s never been a realistic scenario in which he takes the one-year deal. The right-hander is widely considered to be among the four best pitchers in free agency this winter — No. 3 behind Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, by many accounts — and should have little trouble cashing in on a lucrative multi-year pact. To that end, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that the Angels, Padres and White Sox are among the teams that have shown early interest in Wheeler. Other clubs have surely checked in already and will continue to do so, of course.
Wheeler, 29, has come all the way back from a lengthy absence stemming from 2015 Tommy John surgery. He’s made 60 starts over the past two seasons and saw his fastball velocity tick up to a career-high 96.7 mph average in 2019 — the second-hardest mark of any free-agent starter on the market (behind Cole).
Wheeler had a rough handful of starts at the beginning of each of the past two seasons, but over his past 55 starts combined, he’s worked to a 3.47 ERA (3.27 FIP) with 9.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.82 HR/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate in 349 2/3 innings. Beyond the high-end velocity, Wheeler possesses above-average spin on his heater and curveball, and he’s excelled in terms of minimizing hard contact against him (90th percentile average exit-velocity among MLB starters, per Statcast).
Each of the three listed teams is a natural fit for Wheeler, though that’s true of the majority of rotation-hungry teams in the league. While the likes of Cole and Strasburg will be wholly ruled out by many clubs due to their expected $30MM+ annual salaries and over the next half decade-plus, Wheeler is quite likely someone most teams will view as affordable — even if he’s at the top end of their budget. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman quotes one team executive expressing a similar sentiment, calling Wheeler the best arm of the market’s second tier (beyond Cole and Strasburg) and adding “and everyone pretty much will believe they could afford him.”
Beyond the listed teams in Morosi’s report, it’d be a surprise if the Phillies, Twins, Braves, Yankees, Rangers, Nationals (if Strasburg departs), Dodgers, Blue Jays and others aren’t in play for the righty. Wheeler could draw the most widespread interest of any free agent on the market this winter and will probably be connected to a dozen or more additional teams between now and the time he finally puts pen to paper.
I find it hard to believe Wheeler is going to get $100 mil. But I think he’s going to anyway.
– I think the market has changed. And I don’t think he’s worth $100 mil. But that being said. Things get crazy in bidding. And he probably will get said price.
Jeff Samardzija Gave up almost 5 runs per 9 in 2015 and the Giants gave him 5yrs/90mil. That’s just what starting pitching costs these days.
That really isn’t much. $18 million AAV when Trout’s contract is close to $40 million AAV.
Trout is in another stratosphere, that’s why.
By the time Trout’s contract is up, $40 million will probably be the norm. I’ve been saying this for the last 20 years since contracts started going through the roof and fans began panicking whenever a big contract went south. Contracts will keep going up on the open market, then that bad contract your team signed 5 years ago won’t be so bad anymore.
Trout’s Neck produces more WAR than Zack Wheeler. Please don’t put them in the same post, let alone the same sentence.
No one put them in the same post or the same sentence. No one is comparing the two. The discussion is how much 5 years / $90 million is compared to the game’s biggest contract as of right now.
Trout’s contract is $35.66 AAV
@RyAn W Krol
But most of the long-term high AAV contracts DO turn out bad.
I’m a met fan and I agree
I’m a mets fan and I agree
Trout plays basically everyday and is a game changer.
Contracts will keep going up for elite starting pitchers but not for the second tier or even the elite position players. Teams are starting to realize that guys like Scherzer, Kershaw and Greinke are worth the big money, partly because their talent is rarer and harder to find but also because they are more tradable. And the reason they are more tradable is because their contracts are shorter, never more than 7 years. The 10 year deals for position players not named Mike Trout will start to disappear or be cut back to a large degree. Almost all of them are disasters that prevent their teams from getting better, partly because the players become unreadable.
Untradable I meant to write. Of course there could still be 10 year deals for some guys like Mookie Betts; but unless Mookie has a career year in 2020, he’s not going to break any records. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the contracts for Stanton, Harper and Machado were unnecessary and may actually prevent their teams from winning.
More than half turned out well. Ran down a list a few days ago on here. Most look bad at the end, but look really good at the beginning so it balances out with the team getting surplus value for the full deal.
Go to Cots Baseball Contracts. Look at list of largest contracts. Then calculate their value to the team by WAR. You will find that more than half of the 40 largest contracts have already provided the team with surplus value including Trout’s first deal, Kershaw, Posey, Scherzer, Verlander, Cano…
A few of the contracts we will have to see how the last few years pan out. But most have turned out well.
“You will find that more than half of the 40 largest contracts have already provided the team with surplus value…”
Depends on how you calculate “surplus value.”
Hard to see how Cano has produced surplus value on $240MM…
That would put him in the other half then, wouldn’t it?
How many games can Trout win and how many games can Wheeler win? A really good pitcher may help his team win 15 games, with maybe 135 innings worth of quality production. Trout gets 700 plate appearances and plays 9 innings on defense. Which one will have a greater effect on his team’s win loss record?
I don’t like that argument that much. Your all star position player get 150+ hits 700 PA and your all star starting pitcher gets 150+ innings 700+ batters faced. Everytime a batter strikes out fielders are useless, besides the catcher, and strikeouts are on the rise.
With salaries going up along with ticket prices MLB is pricing themselves into trouble more and more fans cant afford to go to games
I see your point but he’ll get that money. The formula is changing like you said, look at Corbin. Granted, they’re different pitchers but with the juiced balls and a departure from situational hitting (by most teams) the best thing teams can do is spend money on arms. No one chose the Nats to do a damn thing (especially since Harper left) and they doubled down on pitching (and plenty of people criticized that signing.
we all know it all doesn’t work out but my money is on starting pitching going forward, especially as Manfred tries to turn the MLB into a video game.
Corbin did not have Wheeler’s injury history and he got an extremely back loaded deal with deferred money. Corbin’s contract is worth $128 million in 2019 dollars or around $21.33 million AAV.
The Arte is not know for putting deferred money in deals. Maybe with Eppler he will change his tune on long term deals.
Pitchers with Wheeler’s history of time on on the injured list have received shorter deals and less AAV than similar pitchers. I would think most teams won’t go past 4 years and the one that does will get him at $16-17 million AAV. 5/85??
5/85 is a reasonable estimate but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it got higher in terms of AAV. He’s pitched 185 and then 195 innings in the last 2 seasons. So we may be overblowing the injury history here.
16-20m aav is the going rate for tier 2 starting pitchers. I’m sure Wheeler will get his 70-90m
There are so few options that I would not be surprised to see him get a bit more. I think if he gets more total dollars guaranteed that it will come at the expense of AAV. Like 6/98 or 6/100
Hes not that good. 4 era in the easier NL. Translates to around 4.5 in AL. No thanms.
Nobody should be offering Wheeler 5 years with his history and results. That doesn’t mean some team won’t panic, though. He should get in the neighborhood of 3/40 with an option and heavily loaded with incentives. If he can make 30 starts and survive 200 innings, he is going to be worth every penny. But the reality is that he breaks down and loses some on his fastball just as every pitcher does after age 30. Not everyone is named Verlander or Scherzer.
His agent probably holds out for 5 and settles late for less money. A smart team would front load a contract and load it with incentive money so that, in the event that he remains nothing more than a #4, his new team can move his contract. What is his true worth in 4 years? Not 20 million, that’s pretty certain.
3/$40M? In what world is Wheeler ‘only’ going to get 3./$40M? Eovaldi’s 4/$68M contract is the absolute floor, a guy with more extensive injury history and a shorter track record of performance compared to Wheeler. 5/$80-$90 seems about right, but I could definitely see a team going higher.
agree Wheels can head on down the road he is just a no. 3 or 4 starter I believe he is only worth 3 yrs 27 mil
If there is a bidding war for Wheeler, that might drive up his price.
Z Wheeler just can’t wait to pitch in that bandbox the white Sox play in. And I’m just soooo sure Reinsdorf can’t wait to write that big check. Reinsdorf will get writers cramp after – if- paying Abreu.
It’s crazy. Can you imagine how much Maddux could command in this market!? Even Mike Hampton was a $100mm pitcher
Would be interesting to see Maddux in today’s ml, fastball 89-91, k/9 of like 6. Would managers let him go 3x through the lineup? I think he’d get something similar to what Keuchel gets.
More than likely the Angels sign Wheeler they said they will spend afterall their GM signed Matt Harvey to an 11 mil deal last yr Cole wont sign with Angels he doesnt want to play in another Pittsburgh situation now if the Angels had say Wheeler- Odorizzi – Dallas Kechuel in their rotation then its possible Cole might sign with them but they dont so Cole will go to the Yankees or Dodgers
They can all have him. He’s easily the most over rated pitcher in the free agent class. I’m not sure what he’s done at the MLB level to command the kind of numbers being floated around.
I’m pretty sure it was this that was in the article, if you bothered to read it 3.47 ERA (3.27 FIP) with 9.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.82 HR/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate in 349 2/3 innings
why bother reading when you can just comment and make yourself appear stupid?
I’m stupid because I don’t think Zack Wheeler is worth a $100 million contract? LOL that’s funny, almost as funny as as calling someone stupid who you don’t know. You know what those numbers in the article mean? Absolutely nothing at all. Zack Wheeler is NOT a $100 million pitcher and yes I read the piece did you? Do you really think Wheeler can be plugged into a rotation on a true contender and be counted on to succeed? I surely don’t in fact I don’t think he’d stay healthy long enough to matter one way or the other.
Stupid is harsh and unnecessary; however, failing to read the article that clearly points out his well above average statistics leaves you open to criticism. If you don’t believe stats, what are you using as your measuring stick? Having watched him pitch for a while, I can say the eye test says he should be far better than his stats have been – not worse. The spin rate and nasty factor on his breaking ball coupled with the velocity and movement on the fastball say he has plenty good enough stuff to warrant a multiyear contract in the $18-20 million ranger per year, especially when looking at contracts of Arrieta and Corbin in recent years.
Wheeler had great stats this year, and is a good asset for any Fantasy League team.
However, I watched at least 75 Mets games this year (the most for any team other than the Nationals) and saw the man be – yet again this year – inconsistent. He was sensational the least 6-8 weeks of 2018. He reverted back to the pitcher he’s always been in 2019.
TheTrotsky noted Jeff Samardzija’s salary above. He could have noted that Samardzija is a great comp for Wheeler. Unless lightening strikes, some team’s fans thinking they’re getting a #2 starter, will find instead that they’ve just paid top dollar for a #3 – in good times, and #4 most of the time……as Wheeler has done with the Mets for years now. And that’s assuming he doesn’t have injury issues. Again.
K.
@bryan c;
What you wrote is correct….
He has a great “spin rate” and a “nasty factor on his breaking ball coupled with the velocity and movement on the fastball”.
But bryan, he’s not that good of a PITCHER. The results against major league hitters are not upper tier. He’s like a guitar player that can do runs up and down the neck, but when he plays songs with a band they’re not really anything outstanding. Or people that do well on college test scores, but in the working world don’t produce much more then average.
Maybe Wheeler will be like Rick Porcello – a guy that the Tigers thought would be an TOR starter for them for 6 years. He never was. He went onto Boston. Struggled in 2015. Suddenly won the Cy Young in 2106! Then he reverted back to not-so-hot for the last 3 years.
Time will tell.
I mean Noah Syndergaard has had less than elite numbers against MLB competition to date so far. As did Gerrit Cole before coming to Houston. They’re paying for the arm and the untapped potential that we haven’t seen. You give wheeler the right coaching and information to use; you might see a really good pitcher.
Samardzija didn’t have his arm. It’ll be a bit of an expensive gamble to take but a team will take it. He’s still been a pretty good pitcher at his current level. We’ll see what happens when he gets himself to a new organization this year.
Not sure what you consider upper tier, so I can’t comment on that. Wheeler was inconsistent during the year but ended up 15th in WAR, 16th in FIP, and 34th in ERA. The difference between his ERA and FIP and his BABIP indicates he was snakebit by bad defense behind him. The Mets infield defense was among the worst in baseball this season.
He is a #2 starter type pitcher.
Porcello was never a great pitcher. He had a good year and then got lucky in 2016 when the Red Sox scored 6.8 runs per start for him. Really no comparison between the soft tossing Porcello and Wheeler. .
I owned him on my fantasy team and he drove me insane!
Yeah I agree. Even with the injury history he’s better overall than Porcello and especially Samardjia. Samardjia didn’t really have a good year until he was 27. No problem with being a late bloomer but Samardjia’s career has been all over the the place. Porcello has been a solid pitcher from a very young age but overall a mid rotation guy. Apart from the injury Wheeler has certainly been more consistent, most of career having a FIP under 4.
Still Porcello has been a workhorse his whole career, logging a lot of innings for 10 years now, something you can’t say about Wheeler when Porcello is only a year older than Wheeler.
Maybe, but the numbers arent there era wise. That’s how it should be judged- how many runs did you give up in however many innings that were earned. you know, the pitchers fault
Wheeler isnt worth 100 mil I agree
@mysteryteam
Read the article and you will see the answer to your question
Wheeler is in a good place in this market. High end but not at the top, he should have a lot of teams in on him.
Big Wheeler fan and since he won’t be back I hope he ends up with the White Sox
Same here. As much as I like Cole, he’ll be way out of the Sox comfort zone in terms of spending.
Only because of the most greedy self serving snake of an owner that we are unfortunately stuck with for decades more.
Not going to happen – QO on him. Draft picks more important.
Sox will be on Dallas K.
I don’t want Wheeler. Sox could pay both Strasburg and Cole and have money left over. Time is wasting.
Tell Reinsdorf times awaisting. He gets writers cramp when he writes a check with 7 figures.
Yeah uncle Jerry will pay Abreu and Wheeler and Grandal and and and ha ha ha.
Andy the clown just smiled
Fat chance Sox are even cheaper than the Mets
I certainly hope the Yankees stay away from him! AJ Burnett 2.0! With a 43.1% ground ball rate, he stands to be homer prone in Yankee stadium! Plus the guy is a headcase! If the FO or manager pisses him off he will throw meatballs or just go to the doctor and lay out until they give him what he expects! Stay far away from this dude!
AJ Burnett 1.0 & 3.0 were both very good. It was just the Yankees that he has a problem with. That being said – it’s not a bad comp. Wheeler is a #2 pitcher on a lot of teams, no two years removed from his injuries and just entering his prime.
Not sure what everyone is hating on. He’s definitely a breakout candidate and would have more hype if he wasn’t pitching behind deGrom and Thor (and even Harvey) in NY.
Just curious how he’s a headcase?
Where are you getting this made up information, baseballfreak? What evidence do you have to back up your terrible opinion?
Cole/Wheeler is my dream scenario for the Angels.
Gerrit is going to Philly.
In fact Boras should just rent an apartment in Philly since he reps Rendon too.
Rendon is more likely than Cole, in my opinion. To land Gerrit they’d have to overpay to beat out the Angels or Yankees. 7/230 is around what he’ll receive, but the Phils would probably have to go 8/260 for him to sign there.
Naw, hes gonna be an Angel. The only way he doesnt become an Angel is if he makes a huge offer with a “take or leave it” as he has done historically and Boras convinces Cole that its bad for him to go early.
With teams potentially like the Dodgers, Yankees and Phillies in on Cole, there is ZERO chance Cole signs early, let alone before the market is gauged for his services…if you think Boras is going to let SoCal tempt him to go early to the Angels, there’s a fault line running through your thinking!
Zero chance? I disagree. If Cole gets what he is looking for and Cole has a preference, then why wouldn’t he sign early?
I don’t know if Cole has a preference, but if he does, then it’s more like 80% 20% he’ll sign early.
Its not up to the agent, its up to the player. All Boras or any agent can do is advise their client. Most listen to him because he gets them top dollar but as Strasburg’s last deal shows that the players often choose to sign where they want to play regardless of whether they are leaving a few million on the table.
Interesting idea Forest. Philly has to do something big, maybe 2 big signings. Harper was a neat idea on paper but it’s telling how well the Nats gelled after he left. They need at least two starters, no matter how much they think they have some young arms. I can’t see Rendon hooking back up with Harper though, Rendon’s energy is too good. No idea where that guy lands. If I’m Washington, I am not letting him leave the building. He’s a class act, clutch, and just a badass ball player.
LOL. Boras Corp. operates out of Newport Beach. Dude has cemented himself in Orange County as he has a suite at Anaheim Stadium and owns private property throughout Southern California. Granted, many people can’t stand the guy (myself included).
I don’t see how that has any bearing on where his client sign/go.
It was in response to above that said Boras should just rent an apartment in Philly. I agree, Boras’ location means little to the client.
Don’t sell yourself short. Cole/Strasburg/Wheeler.
Hmm, greedy. I like that!
Greed is good!
Great idea but the Angels need to actually build a team. Their aversion to pitching is just plain odd. Trout is amazing and the OC is beautiful but he isn’t kissing any trophy unless he somehow gets out of Anaheim.
The Angels need starting pitching…full stop. How do you suggest they build a team with that single need?
There are some good starters coming up, Griffin Canning among them. But the team can win now if they add two quality pitchers and they have the budget to do it.
I salute your guys optimism but the formula is changing because all of the sudden the HR is going to carry this whole game again. Manfred seems addicted to turning this thing into a video game. The Nats figured it out- adding a third ace in the rotation. Sure, none of that could have worked out but if you’re dropping massive contracts, focusing on starters is going to be the formula going forward. And agreed, the Angels have the money.
I agree with Thurman about adding two quality arms but this isn’t a world-series bound club, there isn’t enough there. Sure, add two top starters, are you going to be ahead of the teams in the Central and East for the Wild card? Maybe but I wouldn’t bet on it.
I just feel like they throw money in some crazy places. Ohtani was genius, Pujols was just plainly a dumb idea. The guy got off HGH, lost 30 pounds and all of his bat speed. Upton has never been a great hitter, just a good one, so why pay him like that? They saddle themselves with expensive guys who linger. Those guys stay in the way of these prospects that many claim are coming.
“The guy got off HGH”
Proof?
Study physiology, anything. Trapezius muscles, muscle density and texture, body mass. The guy was juiced. Or, just look at advanced stats. His body underwent a massive change about a year or two before he got to Anaheim- coincidentally so did much of his metrics. This was around age 30 by the way, not 35 or 40. If you spend any time around athletes, it’s always painfully obvious who is popping and injecting and when they stop.
Sorry to put that out there. The human body always grows and develops and degenerates in predictable patterns when it is healthy. It does very different things when a hormone is introduced. I could be wrong about the HGH of course, animal hormones are also still floating around. My bet is on a synthetic male supplement.
That is speculation, not proof.
@Show Me Your Tatis
If there was ever a specimen of PED use ascertainable by observation and logical deducation alone, Albert Pujols is it.
Albert Pujols is one of the finest MEN I know. Claiming someone like Albert that is so vested in the integrity of the game would cheat is beyond low.
That you are making baseless claims shows what kind of person you are.
Albert was 32 years old when he came to the Angels and all players decline in their 30s. instead of making claims that are completely unfounded, look at the reality of human physiology.
Koamula. Please spare us the bleeding heart. Only the naive would defend Pujols. you can be a fine person and do PEDs at the same time. Pujols was the poster boy for steroids.
And only a jerk claims something like that without evidence.
macstruts- I don’t why you feel the need to refer to Koamalu as a jerk. He is only expressing his opinion. If he thinks Pujols is a fine man, then thats okay. He doesn’t need to bring forth evidence to prove Pujols is a fine man. Why the name calling?
I can’t even even count how many times I’ve heard people try to say that a team isn’t “World Series bound” and then it happens, including your Padres. And the Angels are no more saddled with expensive guys than any other high market ball club. It’s investing in the farm system that counts no matter what. Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers have all been strapped with a lot of dead weight money, but are still dominating the league because the rebuilt their farm systems. And the Angels have finally committed to the latter again over the last few years, which can make them dangerous if they get the starting pitching they need this winter.
So in other words you have no proof.
I’ve known Albert for years and to suggest he’s a HGH user is asinine. He one of the the most standup people I’ve ever met. If you looked at his body type and the injuries he has sustained throughout his career anyone with any knowledge of the human body could see he was on a downward trajectory. The Angels wanted to do something big and it failed. I suppose that Miggy is also a user since his contract hasn’t worked out. Big bodied players don’t age well and if HGH is some wonder drug, why isn’t he still using it and putting up MVP numbers?
He got old. He was 32 when he got to the Angels and at that point all players are at least 2 years into decline.
Why do you think its so hard for guys that are 30 and over to get big free agent contracts. Why try to throw shade when you really have no evidence one way or another? Just makes you look bad, not the player.
Pujols gained weight once he left St Louis and his feet and knees suffered. Pretty much the opposite of what you are trying to say. Just because you are jealous of how good he was at one time is no reason to try to say he was on PED. .
There is no aversion. They built a full rotation of young starting pitchers earlier in the decade who all succumbed to career threatening injuries. That would throw every organization off the rails unless they were able to spend on replacing that with as starting pitching off the free agent market as possible. The Angels have more youth and bench depth to supplement Trout, Ohtani, Upton, and Simmons than they’ve had in several years. If they’re successful in landing top starting pitching off of this market, their window will be opening up a lot earlier than it was expected to. The Angels have far more capability turning things around than most clubs do.
Sure I agree in principle Ryan but every club has to be ready for that eventuality. Pitchers get hurt. But there are plenty of clubs that seem to sustain themselves when their rotation goes through hell. The Dodgers have certainly done that. Ryu gets hurt, Kershaw is a walking injury, Hill is like 90, Jansen has issues. Same goes with the Yankees. The Angels can have around the same budget as either and they tend to hover at a mediocre level. Just my opinion but depth has always been misunderstood by that organization, at least post 1980’s…
Neither the Yankees nor the Dodgers had even remotely the amount of injuries the Angels have had to their starting rotation over the past 4 years. Neither team has the depth to counter losing an ENTIRE starting rotation. No team has. It’s impossible. The Yankees and Dodgers got 25+ starts out of most of their starters. Not even comparable to the Angels’ injuries. The Yankees and Dodgers have mostly sustained their success with veteran starting pitching, effective and durable bullpen arms, and bringing up a lot of good young position players from their farm system.
Rich Hill will die a ground ball machine.
Cole, Ohtani, Wheeler, Heaney, Canning as the starting rotation is an exciting thought.
What would you think if Eppler signed Wheeler, Hamels, and Rendon and didn’t get Cole?
I kind of expect Wheeler to accept the QO and see if his 2020 will be better than his 2019.
Then again, I see all of the reasons in the world to not accept the QO.
I disagree. That is a big risk, a ton of money he is putting on the line to bet on himself. A pitcher who had dealt with the injuries that he has, I see him cashing in this year
You’re crazy if you think he’s going to take the QO. He’ll easily get 4/80 or 5/100. Probably more!
Everyone in their right mind should be interested. When the music stops, a lot of teams are going to end up with out a chair. He’s clearly the 3rd best pitcher on the market.
Ryu makes a strong argument for 3
I think you can make a case for Ryu, just not a strong one. You can make a strong case Ryu will be the best bargain.
You can make a strong case for Ryu being on the DL.
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind Ryu on the Sox, but only if they were getting another pitcher as well to help soften the blow for Ryu’s inevitable DL trip.
I honestly think the Halos will steer clear of any pitcher with a spotty injury history. That’s why you don’t hear much of them on Strasburg. I don’t blame them…
We’re entering another era of high powered offense, which, just the like the steroid era, has weeded out a lot of starting pitching very quickly. The few teams that had and/or could afford a lot of starting pitching back then were the same teams making the playoffs year after year. I see that same pattern beginning to happen in this era.
The PED era lives on!
yes and hell yes macstruts.
White Sox should try to avoid giving up draft picks this year. Give the youngsters another year to develop before further depleting another avenue of talent acquisition.(like they have with J2 signings)
Eh, not every prospect pans out. If you could guarantee the production that you would get with a top pitcher, just get him and don’t worry about a what if pick.
You OCD or what? The Sox have more important things to worry about than a comp pick.
To make an omelet you must break some eggs.
I don’t see a problem with signing a player issued a qualifying offer as long as it isn’t Odorizzi or Ozuna. If your paying the extra cost, why not go big? Cole or Strasburg!
I agree and would also be just fine with the White Sox sacrificing a QO to secure Zack Wheeler. Of my whopping 7 free agent predictions for the White Sox, only Wheeler has been tagged with a QO aside from Jose Abreu who is their own FA.
I always love these posts. It’s like clickbait for fans of desperately bad teams. The Padres apparently show interest in everyone. It’s a good bait-and-switch tactic to take our minds off of exactly how effed-up Preller is running things. Well, sure though, he’ll spend a bunch of money before he gets fired, so bring on Wheeler…. whatever. At least the White Sox have a good manager so they have a shot at being average this year. Not our SD boys.
The bad news for us Padre fans is that Wheeler’s ERA is too good for Preller’s interest. The Pads are infatuated with those 4.50- 5.50 ERA guys. Keep your WHIP up and have bad advanced stats, then all are welcomed.
It is true most fans covets every talented free agent that their team might acquire, but any team that tries, and has some talent, can get a wild card.
I mostly agree because they’ve expanded the whole wild card thing so much. That “In the hunt” thing misleads a lot of us though. The Padres were “in the hunt” and really, it was going against every statistic in the book and we had no chance.. It was nice to be excited for a month in June- but really, we’re in the hunt in June???? Great if the season ended in July…..
.Anyway. to your point., there are a lot of teams that fit that and you’re right. The Jays come to mind, the Twins and Indians continue to do it. The D-Backs may have a shot. The White Sox might get there. (No point mentioning teams like the Cards, who simply understand how to do things. Our SD boys have so many missteps, they could even spend 300 mill on Manny and not eclipse 70 wins. There’s plenty of those teams out there- the Angels come to mind. Who knows. The wild card does make the game more exciting though
LOL
MLB has pulled it off like the other pro team leagues.
1/3’rd of MLB teams – 5 of 15 – make the playoffs. Is that an achievement? Maybe. But of the 15 teams, 3-5 in each league are in stages of rebuilds where winning takes a backseat to developing their young players. Then there are inevitability a few teams that lack depth, so that when injuries hit they fall out of contention for a playoff spot. What that leaves are maybe 5-9 teams contending for 2 spots…..and with 19 games between teams in each division, many of those teams knock one another out so that come September, 3-5 teams can say they’re within striking distance of a Wild Card spot, but in fact it’ll take a miracle for almost all of them to get in.
Happens every year.
You get it my friend. It’s a great trick. It’s a bummer most people don’t get basic illusions.
The nationals just won the World Series from the wild card. What’s the solution? I don’t think taking that away is good for anyone. And I’ll add to that if Yelich wasnt injured I think the Brewers could’ve been contenders also. Maybe they push the trade deadline back?
I watched a good portion of the Nationals games in 2019. They started extremely slow the first 35-40 games. But then they stabalized the pitching with a new coach, Rizzo made some personnel moves, Rendon and a few others came back from injuries – and for the rest of the season the Nats played as well as any team in the NL.
To compare the Nats to teams such as the Phillies, Mets, Cubs, and D-Backs is just silly. The Nationals, Braves, and Dodgers were simply on a different plane then the other teams.
They’re still a wild card team. That doesn’t really change much of anything. I live in MASN country also. The Brewers with Yelich could’ve been trouble too. They were almost in round 2.
Yeah and the Braves lost to those cardinals despite being on a different plane. I don’t think taking the WC postseason slot away improves anything. I think Indians could’ve given teams a lot of trouble if they would’ve snuck in also.
It’s easy to be pessimistic and say how wrong it is but I don’t see how taking it away entirely makes it better.
@ jbigz12;
Enough. This has been going on for a while now. You’re officially my ‘ankle biter’.
The discussion was about how realistic it is for fans to think that teams with massive holes in them, but due to parity below the top teams, can sneak into the 2nd Wild Card and then somehow run the table. And that if in 2019 the Phillies, Mets, D-Backs, or Cubs in had simply had a few breaks they COULD have made the Wild Card and then they COULD have gone to the WS and then they COULD have won it.
The Mets, Phillies, D-Backs, and Cubs were never serious WS contenders in 2019. Period. But MLB can use the fact that they CONTENDED for the 2ND WC spot as reason to get their fanbase to believe that they are anything other then ordinary mid-range teams, and with just a FA signing here or big trade there, they’ll run the table in 2020.
There was never any discussion of “taking the Wild Card away”. YOU made that up as a discussion point, and you’re attributing that to me – which is what you’ve been doing to me for a month.
Tired of it.
Buddy it wasn’t about you. PadrePauly said too many teams were involved in the wild card now.
I was replying to him. Didn’t reply to you til you replied again. But hey Have a good day. Shouldnt have interjected here.
Doesn’t mislead me. They say “in the hunt” in June because that’s when the pennant races begin. In the hunt just means there’s a reachable target at that particular time, should that team maintain their position or climb from there. There are different terms for later stages of the pennant race if that team is still in it.
Preller is amazing. Look at the farm.
Please understand that I am trying to be friendly about this, so just hear me out:
Yes, in ways he is: then look at player development and transitional talent to the majors. We look amazing on paper but apart from a couple of preternatural baseball talents (who were not Padre produce- Tatis and Paddack), we are not developing players who succeed in the majors. Take a look at the difference between SD and teams like the Rays, Twins, Indians, Cardinals, and Dodgers. Our guys don’t flourish- not even the bulk of our young trade pieces we pick up.
The Pads do a very good job of managing public opinion (I’ve worked with local writers and reporting is very tightly controlled). They always feed us a lot of promise; they use key words like “rebuild”, as if we were ever built in the first place…. (1998, maybe?). They say “contention” while every classic and advanced stat in the world says we are in massive trouble.
The reality is that so far, Preller is showing that he can amass low-A talent and nothing more. There is little AA or AAA talent that is coming in and ready to break out. Preller doesn’t understand coaching, management, or team chemistry- just look at the constant turnover and/or poor results. He even traded away the emotional heart of the team for a AA centerfielder with a LF arm. The team sunk like the Titanic after Franny left- a player who was cheap, exciting, controllable, kind, and worked his butt off.
Preller was duped three times into overpaying for Myers, Hosmer, and Manny. He is the “mark” at the poker table if you understand that reference. He offered Panda 80 million and Shields something similar. Both were at the end of their careers. (sure he gets a pass on Shields because Preller is really a talent scout for youth, not a GM).
He spends money oddly, (Kinsler), he ignores the basics of coaching and player development. He is amazing yes, at acquiring very young talent. How is it working out so far? He’s spending tons on the international market and so far we maybe have Bolanos.
Winning minor league championships are great but they don’t count. Having a top ranked farm system is great, but it doesn’t count if it doesn’t transition to major league success.
I thought calling Tatis and Paddack up early was supposed to improve team chemistry????
Certainly. I think it did. It was a little curious though that neither touched AAA and Paddack had TJ. Both belonged there but I hope their bodies hold up since the MLB season is so long. Team chemistry in terms of bringing in Wil, and dropping guys like Franny is a little odd though…. imo
So what will you say this year if the Padres perform and compete for the playoffs this year? The Padres were never supposed to make the playoffs or even sniff a wild card spot in 2019. 2020 has always been the target for their window to open. With a few key (and planned) pieces being added, they are likely exactly in the position they planned to be in at this point in the rebuild. Paddack will have no restrictions on his innings next year. Tatis will hopefully be healthy and ready to be the heartbeat of this team for a full year. An OF, frontline starter, and some bullpen help will all be added. I expect major strides to be made by many other young contributors like Mejia, Urias and some of the other young talent on the team. Yes, it has been a LONG time since we have been competitive but we have actually built it the right way this time with a solid mixture of homegrown talent, prospect acquisitions and now some key veteran additions on the way. I will give this team a chance to succeed within the window they said they would before I start cursing the moves Preller has made.
I’d be the happiest Padre fan in the world.
But I don’t see that having any weight. We can’t seem to develop talent- Preller has carried that tradition on far too well. We have a farm system supposedly better than the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, and Cards and yet they churn out quality major league ready players at a far better rate. I feel like we have little to represent the idea that they are anywhere better than .500 next year- if a lot goes right.
Our OBP and RBI numbers are abysmal, as are the advanced stats. How do you finally talk Wil Myers into going opposite field? Or Hunter Renfroe to make contact? Or Manny to hit the ball after the 6th inning? Or Hosmer to hit lefties? We are depending on a lot of pieces who have large holes. Tatis, great, I hope he stays healthy.
Tingler has to go through his learning curve and that will cost some wins but, I guess we have to wait that out. I think Preller is insane, not for the choice but for his lack of ability to adapt. He believes in himself but he is not showing a capacity to learn- just stubborn confidence. Maybe he just needs to get into politics.
But, let’s say that they do everything you’re saying- great. We really need two OF’s but that’s my opinion- is Steve Finley available? I would also add that they choose either to pick up a 2B or a Catcher. France and Mejia have a lot of promise but we desperately need a professional player who can get on base while those two develop. We need a #2 hitter more than anything. We also need a line-up that doesn’t give away the 7-9 spots as automatic outs.
So say Paddack is an ace, we add a pitcher of some note, even a big name. Lamet continues to grow, Lucchessi learns to pitch inside and we jettison a bunch of the refuse. Where are we? Much better, but this team still has to learn how to hit, and that’s the scary part. I’ve never seen so many home runs and so few RBI’s- I didn’t even know numbers like Renfroe’s and Franny’s were possible.
I guess if we do all you said (or I added), we still have to contend with the Dodgers, and suddenly the D-Backs who figured something out with an actual rebound, and we need to figure out how to beat Colorado. And hell, no matter what, the Giants will give us hell. Not sure my friend, I feel like the ship is sailing. You have good points, what do you think?
@padrepauly;
LOL
I read comments here a lot. 90% are ‘look at this statistic…so there’.
I had Preller pegged his first year. You remember – when he was going to make the bad Padres into an instant pennant contender through trades (even Brodie did better this past year). I thought his moves were incredibly dumb. GM’s were lining up to make trades with him when Rizzo dropped some ordinary guys on Preller for Trea Turner. Think face palms went on in all MLB FO’s on that one. When that predictably failed, Preller morphed into a master farm system builder – which is a good gig because you don’t actually have to produce anything for 3-5 years. The guy is worse then Mark Shapiro. .Yes, he belongs in politics….always making new promises and trying to get people to forget the old ones…when not blaming it on anyone but himself.
I though Ron Washington could save his hide and coach some of those young players up. Instead Preller picked a guy that should be working outside of MLB teaching advanced techniques to pitchers and hitters, based on scientific theories and using advanced technical equipment to measure progress.
The Dodgers have too many smarts and too much money to go backwards any time soon. The Giants need a few years, but they’re coming. I doubt that Preller is causing Friedman or Zaidi to lose any sleep. Nor Hazen in Phoenix.
Well if it did help their chemistry it sure didn’t show considering there were multiple reports that the team pretty much gave up 2/3 of the way through the season despite them calling up Tatis and Paddack early.
@vandals
Thanks for your words- haha I was waiting for you to rip me a new one as many Padre fans do when I choose to actually get on these forums. Sometimes I deserve it but really, just looking at patterns and politics, this stuff is pretty basic.
It is pretty damn scary how Preller either has a job or got this far. It does prove all of that “New Age” or “belief in self” stuff. though: he obviously had a vision, and achieved it, regardless of his deficiencies.
With your comments, yep, I agree about 900%. He proved his limitations in that first season and damn right, they seized the day with the whole farm system thing. All the classic narratives and catch-phrases emerged and we hear them over and over.. It is incredible how long they’ve been riding that. I mean, wow, kudos: you have a terrible product with no brand identity, a vague plan, and a utopian future. Adding in their low overhead, I think owning the Padres is basically the perfect business.
My favorite move in this regime was signing Manny. Maybe it sounds like BS but that occurred right after they “opened the books” to Kevin Acee of the UT, when they attempted to try to prove to the fans that they had no money. Forbes of course, had a massively different story released prior to that and reported as usual. as they do every year. The Pads were making huge jumps financially. Sadly, I think that the ownership forgot that google existed and people have the interweb. Funny stuff…. But hey, how do you cover up that snafu? Make a PR move. Ownership already saw the Stanton deal go down so they know they can move Manny.
Essentially, you have a business-salvaging move, by just spending 30 million a year. The population was about done after the Chargers move and the Pads are awful…. make a splash that you can eventually dump. I guess the other side effect was that Kevin Acee kept his job. With Manny, twitter stopped reminding Acee of all the things he was and wasn’t. They saved their business and their Minister of Communications, all for 30 mill per.
This year, the unis. Stupid and brilliant. Consider, you have a massively strong brand identity from the 80’s, an incredible visual color scheme, a reminder (sadly) of better times and you spend years ignoring it. All the while the western world has been running on “retro” for at least a decade. My guess is they met sometime last year and had an open session: “What is the best gimmick we can come up with to try to polish this turd? Funny enough, they disregarded the bulk of the historical themes, added yet more foreign colors and abandoned font and colors. That screams PR, not branding.
Anyway, you are spot on in regards to Ron Washington- it wasn’t an exciting choice but it would represent some sliver of growth and maturity. It also would challenge Preller’s addiction to experimental mathematics which are exclusive to the Padres. I imagine he sees some sliver of himself as the next Brad Pitt, but, people don’t make movies about San Diego.
You already explained Tingler to a ‘T” and that is all that can be said about him. The articles surrounding his hiring only reinforced my own limited experiences in dealing with the local media- It is just unfortunate that there are so many fans who actually believe what they read about a poorly packaged and executed product.
Your comments about the other teams, oh yes. The Dodgers might be great for another decade for all we know. It’s massively bizarre how Preller hasn’t decided any level of imitation or observation is necessary. Simple case studies in how things run in other places teach us tremendously. In the cases of the Twins, Indians, Rays you have plenty of info. I suppose even the D-Backs for that matter. Their recent moves were poetry, although at the moment they looked like suicide. No coincidence KT headed that way. .
Well, long winded as usual. I enjoyed your comments and had fun writing
@padrepauly
“Well, long winded as usual.”
Ya think?
Print this out and send it to Ron Fowler!
I think Preller is a first-class grifter.
I think you need to take more of a look at the organizational development side of being a GM. Yankees, Dodgers, Astros all took the time to bite the bullet and put up with some down time to rebuilt their farm systems.
Correction: Dodgers skyrocketed their payroll into outer space while rebuilding their farm system, and eventually had to fall back under because of the amount of money they wasted on dead weight contracts combined with luxury tax penalties. That’s why bringing up a good farm system with money to spend cures all of that.
Maybe getting those 4.50-5.50 ERA guys has more to do with filling holes to avoid rushing the deep pool of talented young prospects they have, knowing they’re not really ready to make a run yet. Adding someone like Wheeler would really help to successfully supplement any team’s core that has the amount of young talent the Padres have.
San Diego’s new pitcher is…
Rick Porcello
Rally, that was flat out awesome 🙂
The Padres are the pattern I hope the Angels follow. Sign one of the top two FA on the market for 2 straight years. Cole plus another quality starter this year and then another top FA next offseason and we are contenders for the next 4-5 years.
Probably not the best idea Koamalu. If you mean spend a lot of money on low-WAR players and not build a pitching staff then yes, they’re following us.. The Angels are closer than the Pads to success but don’t look for our prospects to rescue this club. Our coaching and development in the minors and majors has been bad for a very long time. Now we are clogged with expensive low-WAR players who can’t make contact or run the bases, journeymen who can’t produce, and young, potentially decent players who don’t quite have a position on the field. I hope your GM is smarter, Ours is just buying time and trading back. In your guys case, this would mean Trout will be watching the WS from his couch.
Machado is not a low WAR player. Kinda stupid to even try to claim that. 3.1 WAR last season is above average and his career average is 5.0 WAR.
One of the best rookie starting pitchers in baseball. Paddack
Strasburg ERA 3.32 Paddack ERA 3.33
Next season Paddack has no inning or pitch count limitations.
One of the best rookie players overall in baseball. Tatis
2 of the best rookie relievers in baseball. Baez and Munoz.
The #1 and #10 rated pitching prospects in baseball are expected to see time in the majors in 2020. Gore and Patino.
Padres had 4 starting pitchers that pitched better than league average in 2019 with Richards returning full time in 2020.
Money and a ownership mandate to go after top starters.
Farm system that rated #1 in plate discipline. OBP, SO rate, BB rate, and chase rate. They were 3rd the season before. The Padres have GREAT player development in the minors. Its been the majors that have been an issue. That issue is one Preller moved to solve in firing Green and bringing in a new coaching staff.
How you can both be so negative about a team you claim to be a fan of and so clueless of the progress being made is mind-boggling.
Rick Renteria is one taco short of a combo platter who will be microwaved by July.
Let’s discuss the likely outcomes with each of those three teams for Wheeler.
Angels – misses the season with elbow injury
White Sox – pitches well for a 70 win team…no one notices because he is not a prospect
Padres – same as White Sox, but his games will start two hours later
That’s comedy gold right there folks.
Love it!
Sorry though, the Padres probably aren’t interested. Spending money on a guy who has had good numbers recently is not our style. Also, the last time I checked, Wheeler is not 35. We have parameters in SD. If you are under 30, your ERA needs to be near 5.00. If you’re over 30, you need to be two-three months from coaching high school baseball.
The rebuild is over buddy. They are spending money. You sound ridiculous.
You’re referring to the Padres Wolverine?
Given his floor earning power, Wheeler was going to make a lot of money this off-season regardless. However, with so many teams in need of starters–and the fact that Cole and Stras are realistic only for a few select clubs–I think there’s going to be a legit bidding war for Wheeler that drives his price up into surprising territory.
Angels need Wheeler, Hamels, Grandal and Kendrick.
Don’t know why anyone had the Angels down for Cole when the Angels have so many holes to fill.
Kendrick… no chance. Two pitchers, one catcher and maybe one bullpen arm.
But there are plenty of combinations that include Cole. There are plenty of combinations that don’t.
But I would imagine the Angels will get two pitchers and one catcher.
Forest, the Angels are the the rich kid that gets on amazon and just starts clicking. You’re right, lots of holes to fill, and then some.
They need to end their aversion to pitching and somehow trade and sign for about ten young and ready arms, hoping three will work out- you know, like actually try to build a pitching staff? They need to pay out Pujols and boot him. They also may want to consider not paying large contracts to guys like Justin Upton, a guy who can’t seem to reach the outer 6 inches of a standard major league dish. You guys have the best owner in baseball in terms of business but your team just does baffling things over and over. I’m happy Trout is rich and happy and loves living in OC but if he was ever interested in winning, he would have had ten options better than the Halos.
Lots of holes to fill? Best outfield in baseball. Yes Trout has a lot to do with that, but still. They have Simmons at short. LaStella made the all-star team, Fletcher and Altuve almost had the same WAR. People don’t know how good Fletcher is. Ohtani at DH. 1b is a hole, but that hole had 93 RBIs last year and 23 HRs, so the hole at least has some value.
Justin Upton’s OPS+ the previous two years was better than Brantly’s last year.
The #1 pitching prospect in baseball two years ago, Ohtani. Another pitcher who is more highly rated than Puk. And Heaney.
They have a top 100 prospect, who is a pitcher, who wont make the rotation. When they add two pitchers and a catcher, they wont have any holes.
Best OF in baseball is a stretch. They were 4th in OF fWAR last year, and Trout made up 67% of that. The outfield is really bad without Trout. If Adell comes up and produces right away, your argument might have some merit.
I’m assuming you got that 4th from fangraphs. Look again. Look at games played and ABs. Compare apples to apples.
And that was without Upton, who again has a better OPS+ the previous two years than Brantly did last year and perhaps the number one prospect in baseball.. Adell. Neither of whom anyone in their right mind can consider a position that needs to be replaced, or upgraded.
There is no top 100 pitching prospects still coming. They either came and flamed outlast year or their name is Canning.
Well heck mac, you must be right, I was just curious why they haven’t been over .500 since what, 2015?
Just curious too- do you really think Ohtani is going to pitch for any length of time? Sure, he’s the litmus test but I wouldn’t exactly etch that in stone. And yeah, prospects are great, but look up the word, it doesn’t mean they’re gonna make it, just look at the Padres. Prospects are potentials, not guarantees.
Didn’t mean to offend you but the Angels aren’t doing so hot. Thought that was pretty obvious. 72 wins and the best outfield in baseball. What else is going on then?
Yes and no. Last year Suarez was the 79th prospect in baseball. (Fan Graphs) I do not know where he will be ranked this year or who will rank him.
I’m looking forward to prospect lists coming out. Go to to Roster Resource.
I would but I really don’t put much stock in Prospect Rankings, they’re sort of a fun game that doesn’t mean a lot. The game is played on the major league field and rankings can often be subjective. Besides, guys like Altuve (or Tom Brady for that matter) show up all the time.
Koamalu
I was not aware Suarez exceeded the rookie limits. Fangraphs had him at 79 last year. He’s 21 years old, but now he’s not longer a rookie.
padrepauly
When it comes to young players, it’s the only tool I have to evaluate them. It’s not like I get to scout them. 🙂
I’m high on Canning, not so much on Suarez. But I don’t know. I’m not a scout.
I hear you, just poking fun at the process- I guess I just get sick of seeing so much of that thrown in our faces like it’s supposed to mean our team is going to be good because of these ideas. It’s a crafty marketing tool but in the end, who knows. I get frustrated because our guys get ranked over the years and then nothing happens: bad record of that in SD. Or- they get traded to the Yankees and end up getting caught stealing Derek Jeter’s stuff to sell. I hope Ruben Rivera is running a successful pawn shop somewhere….
And just an FYI, I tried to adopt the Angels when I had to move as a kid in the late 80’s and it didn’t quite work but I’d still like to see them get it together. They have the best player on the planet and that dude needs a championship.
I’m curious why your Tummy LaGorda Dodgers are usually over .500 but choke in the postseason, especially the WS. Under .500 teams are losers. Any team that DOESN’T win a WS title in any given season is by definition also a loser. So, what’s your point, Quickdraw? Come back when your boys have won a WS title. BTW – My Padres will win a WS title before your Dodgers. Remember who your daddies are (other than the last team that gave your boys their lunch in the playoffs).
Upton had an injury filled year. He will rebound without a doubt. .245-.255 30 HR .800 OPS.
Without him the Angels OF was still outstanding. fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=of&stats=bat&#…
“Without him, Mike Trout was still outstanding.”
Fixed for you
Yeah putting up a teams aggregate outfield stats when you have Mike Trout as one of your outfielders is misleading at best.
2 of 3 OF were above league average. Several other young players were outstanding in the short time they got to play. Upton will return and the Angels OF will again be at the top of the league.
Maybe JUps is a 32 year old with a declining skill set. And Jo Adell is a mystery. It could be very good or it could be Trout and 2 other guys. We‘ll see.
even if the Angels get all those guys, they still finish behind the Astros/A’s.
Cole needs to be their number one priority. Having Cole going game 1 of a postseason series is a hell of a lot better than a combo of Hamels/Wheeler.
Hamels looks like a complete shell of himself-he was hideous most starts last year for the Cubs.
Hamels had a better ERA than Wheeler last season. He was 17% better than the average MLB starter for the year. He had a 2.98 ERA when he went down with that injury at the end of June. His numbers were top 10 in baseball in ERA and WAR in the first half.
After he returned he had 3 bad starts out of 10, all on the road, and 4 where he gave up 3 or fewer runs. He also had a couple of 4 inning starts where he only gave up 1 run between the two games. He was inconsistent after returning, not “hideous.”
If we get Garrit Cole, we still need a 2nd quality starter and Hamels would be a good fit. He is also from SoCal so Anaheim is close to home.
I have the Angels getting Wheeler, Grandal, and Miley in the contest. I think they sign Wheeler early.
What holes are those? Other than C, 2B and starting pitcher, where are the holes?
I’d love to see the Angels go for Rendon + Wheeler. Or Rendon + Odorizzi/Pineda/Gibson…etc
Everyone wants them to go for Cole. But I can see Ohtani,Heaney, and Canning form a solid basis for a rotation. Their infield can’t hit a beach-ball and is empty after this season.
Yap – horrible infield. Angels might be in on Bryant. Say Bryant, Chatwood, Bote and Quintana for Adell.
Where do you get this evaluation that their infield can’t hit a beach ball? They have David Fletcher who flirted with .300 all season. Tommy LaStella was on pace for a .300/30HR season when he went down with his injury. Simmons in a normal season is going to .280-.300 with 10-15 HR’s. Albert is still giving them about a 25 HR/90+ RBI pace as a part time player. Their young utility player Luis Rengifo look promising. They don’t need a major acquisition in their infield, unless they plan on putting sprinkles on top of that, while signing top starting pitching and busting through the luxury tax.
Do you not follow the Angels? Can’t hit a beach ball?
Fletch, Simmons, La Stella. Solid players. Pujols is Pujols. He will be back at 1B in 2020. Smith is a solid backup catcher. The infield is just fine. That is not an issue for the Angels.
Honestly, I don’t think White Sox are making long term deals on the 4th or 5th best FA pitcher.
Eh, I dunno. They tried for Machado last year and then wound up dumpster diving on one year deals, but this might be the year they try and make the leap. I could see them going after Wheeler, MadBum or Odorizzi and then getting Castellanos. They won’t push for Cole or Rendon or anyone in the top tier, but I could see them pushing for a player or two in that second tier. Now, whether Jerry opens his wallet, swats the flies and cob webs away and actually gives Hahn enough to land a few fish well… That’s another story.
A common fallacy, since they missed last year they will surely pay up now. We took a good shot at a guy who is likely a future HOF. Now spend on a bunch of so-so’s? Money will mostly go to the core, and some one or two year FA deals or trades. No sense in finding ourselves in similar predicaments as most teams who jump when they don’t have their base set up.
The GM already said adding talent via free agency is a priority this offseason. And why wouldn’t it be. Any other team in their position would add a free agent pitcher and a bat. It’s a new normal on the southside—let’s wait and see before we keep dismissing them.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but I get the feeling some prospectors around here are either really living in the past, or holding organizations to expectations from a victimized perspective. Nobody is rooting for giant contracts coming to town. They’re rooting for the young guys and hoping we can keep them. Look what’s happening at Wrigley? They’re losing people fans care about, trying to bring guys back to coach and smoothen over the story. We can’t follow this futile path.
I can see the White Sox being on Wheeler or Strasburg over Cole. Cole is going to the highest bidder! Strasburg is coming off a World Series victory while looking for a contract to make him one of the highest paid pitchers in the MLB. Both Cole and Strasburg have a history of injuries to coming off big years on contracts year so it’s buyer beware. Wheeler might be a better signing since he won’t be as expensive and will be pitching with some young taken on the White Sox pitching where they can be competitive for years.
I know what you mean, and maybe Wheeler is a good choice. I just watched this:
youtube.com/watch?v=dBgPd4vQsqk
I know we gotta get some guys, but it’s different now. The stadium is sold out for Kopech on Saturday, then Giolito and soon it’s gonna be a yoga pants parade for Cease. Anyone joining this staff is coming to a pretty tight group.
Kopech will be coming out of the bullpen for the first two months! That’s just guess! The White Sox are going to monitoring him in April and May since pitching in Chicago during these months can be challenging with young pitcher coming back from an elbow surgery. Let’s not forget that a pitcher that comes out of the bullpen has to face the minimum of three batters.
Well, if that’s Herm’s recommendation, we should take that advice. Could make him hungry too. Deep down, I think Kopech really just wants to smoke some dudes, and he should be given every possible chance to do just that.
RallyShirt don’t forget that Kopech is coming back from Tommy Surgery so he has to get the feel of throwing against live batters and more importantly he needs to establish a change up to become a starting pitcher. A pitcher can not rely on high heat pitches to sliders since that puts on a lot stress on the elbow.
Hoping Arte has not ruled out going after Cole this early. Wheeler is not the guy we need to anchor the staff. Canning and Heaney are good but not Ace good and neither is Wheeler. Ohtani can;t be counted on. He is more of a #2 anyway. Getting Cole and Wheeler or another good quality starter is what this team needs to put this team in a position to contend for a WC. Cole, Wheeler, Ohtani, Heaney, Canning is an outstanding rotation. As we saw this year, once we are in the playoffs anything can happen if you have great pitching.
My guess is the Angels will go hard after Cole, but don’t want to play the Boras waiting game. Wheeler is their second choice (I think Strasburg’s injury history scares them), so this is a loud warning to Boras Corp that the Angels are not placing all their pitching hopes on his client. I’d be shocked if the Halos got Cole and Wheeler; I don’t think that’s in the cards.
If we get Wheeler early my hope is that that does not take us out of the Cole sweepstakes. Angels are not going to win make that leap from also rans to a wild card playoff contender without some big improvements in the starting pitching and we can’t count on Ohtani being part of that improvement after his injury.
As a Phils fan, I’m hoping they land Wheeler. Love his upside and his swing & miss stuff. TJ out of the way. A rotation of Nola, Wheeler, Hamels, Arrieta & Eflin with Pivetta as the swingman and VV as the closer would make me feel good going into the season
I hope so too. I think he makes a great fit there because he has proven to thrive in the NL East. The Angels have seen Cole pitch dominantly in the AL West. I get nervous when big money is spent on a guy who switches leagues; especially going from the NL to the AL. Going from facing pitchers in the 9th spot in the order to consistently seeing bigger DH bats is a huge difference. Obviously it can be done (Cole started in Pitt), but Cole was acquired via trade and the Astros were only on the hook for a couple years if the trade failed.
Phils might need to really try to grab Stras or Cole, Arrieta and Hamels are living on borrowed time and they still need the younger guys to stay healthy. I’d go the Dodgers route and add a couple big arms. Right now, they might have 3rd place locked up.
Glad Wheeler is in the market. He is a good distraction while the Braves snag Bumgarner. Let the other teams target Wheeler, while the better pitcher comes to Atlanta.
Please don’t take four months to sign!
Hes a Boras client, you will see over 50 more posts on this website before any serious offer is considered. This will be Harper/Machado 2.0
Agreed. It’s going to be a brutal winter.
Wheeler is not a Boras client
Wheeler has accrued some solid experience and, at age 29, should be entering his best years. This guy is a hard thrower. So let’s get with it Hahn & Co. The Chisox #1 need is pitching-both starters and relievers.
Man, I have GOT to stop reading the comments.
Why do you just make things up
Whoops this wasn’t meant as a comment. Sorry I’m dumb
no youre not, I make things up all the time 😉
Now that the Padres are back into their Brown… Why not sign all three of the top free agent pitchers? They can afford it!
Woohoo!
[Sarcasm]
They actually can afford it. I think there’s a better chance they have Paddack pitch every day, or Matt Strahm eats more eggs and fills in at #5- both are terrible ideas but hey, we’ve seen weirder things happen.
Paddack has no limitations, so he’ll be good in a regular rotation. MacKenzie Gore will be sticking it to atodas (and they’re gonna like it!) this year. Hopefully Strasburg gets signed and your Draft Dodgers trade their postseason bum Kershaw to San Diego for Myers, Hosmer and a RP (straight salary swap). It’ll be doctors Strasburg, Kershaw, Paddack, Gore and Richards authorizing the opposition enemas.
A salary swap for Myers for a SP is the best possible scenario. I like it
I actually picked SP Zack Wheeler to sign with the White Sox this offseason. He was among 7 total free agents I had the White Sox signing in MLBTR top-50 contest which needs to be submitted by 11:00 pm CT tonight.
The easiest pick was 1B Jose Abreu re-signing with the White Sox. In addition to Wheeler and Abreu, I also had Chicago landing C Yasmani Grandal, SP Dallas Keuchel, RP Pedro Strop, RF Yasiel Puig and DH Edwin Encarnacion. Needless to say, I would be shocked if all of these FA’s wound up on the southside of Chicago but each make sense depending on how GM Rick Hahn fares in the trade market this winter which is harder to predict at this point in time.
I suspect Hahn will first prioritize finding a controllable left-handed bat through a trade, likely a right-fielder. I have Puig as a fall back option in free agency since the picking are slim for lefty hitting RF’s in this winter’s FA class.
I do expect the White Sox to add two veteran SP’s this winter. Wheeler and Keuchel are shooting for the moon but they along with the rest of my FA picks would be a better use of dollars than spending it all on a SP like Garret Cole or Stephen Strasburg.
The White Sox only have about $20MM in guaranteed contracts currently committed for the 2020 season. With expected arbitration raises and minimal contracts for pre-arb players, that figure should rise to about $55MM. This leaves the White Sox with a whole lot of potential money to spend in free agency which means they could easily win a bidding war for the likes of Wheeler, Grandal and Keuchel. The other FA picks could all be had for lesser deals in terms of years and dollars. A cascade effect could also come into play here. If the White Sox are proactive in signing Wheeler or Grandal, it could then make it easier for them to secure some of the other veteran FA’s since it would show them Chicago is serious about competing as soon as the 2020 season.
I think you’re on target. The Sox will make some good moves. The Indians might start to fizzle finally and outside of the TC, that division is a joke. I say they go for it, plan for a multi-year run. You never know.
Eh, all I know is if they shy away from adding adding premium talent again, nobody will show up to watch this team. Wheeler is maybe a #3 starter on a good team—that’s not enough.
Which would suck because even I hate the Cubs. One of the best baseball towns, I’d like to see the Sox get serious.
I believe you are undervaluing Zack Wheeler. He’s one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in MLB with an average velocity of 96.7 mph this past year on his fastball. Wheeler also possessed a high curveball spin rate and produced low exit velocity and hard-hit percentage rates.
I believe Wheeler has ace potential. He was overshadowed in a Mets rotation that featured Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. Wheeler along with the other two suffered in 2019 with FA acquisition Wilson Ramos catching most games. All three were better in 2018 and Wheeler could benefit immensely with a move to the White Sox were James McCann did wonders in his prep work with Lucas Giolito last season. Adding FA Yasmani Grandal to the White Sox catching mix in 2020 and beyond would be the cherry on top of their MLB sundae.
I personally think Keuchel is the likely pickup for the Sox. He will command a lower contract, no qualifying offer attached, and is also left handed. Should the Sox go after a better pitcher….sure. Will they…..I’m skeptical.
I agree with the likelihood of this outcome. Many of my White Sox FA picks were hedge bets against trades that can’t be predicted or other FA signings.
I decided to bet on both Zack Wheeler and Dallas Keuchel with my SP selections. I believe each will be considered as the White Sox top choice for the two spots they would like to fortify in their rotation for the upcoming season.
I believe Wheeler will be their top priority with Keuchel as the fall-back option for a veteran ‘TOR’ on a multi-year deal. If they are fortunate to sign one of the two, chances are the White Sox will then target a lesser veteran to compete for the #5 spot in their rotation. That signing would likely be a one-year deal for somebody like Ivan Nova who was a regular in the White Sox rotation last season.
I certainly don’t envision the White Sox landing two SP’s with multi-year deals this offseason. They probably wouldn’t want to commit 2 of their 5 rotation slots to long term veterans with so many promising and talented young arms already on their staff or knocking at the door. Lucas Giolito would already occupy a co-ace role based on his 2019 season. Other young power arms like Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez might also make a comparable leap as soon as 2020.
The White Sox also have two additional arms in Carlos Rodon and top prospect Dane Dunning who are still recovering from TJ surgery. Each could be ready to take the mound in July with Rodon a clear candidate to step into the White Sox 2020 rotation. Dunning has been a stud throughout his minor league career but has yet to pitch above AA. He would likely need some additional seasoning at AAA before seeing his MLB debut, hopefully one that will occur as soon as 2021.
‘Cascade effect’ …
I like the feel of this phrase.
according to the top 50 with salary predictions on this site, the Sox could sign Abreu, Wheeler, Grandal, Castellanos, and Pomeranz……and still be under $110m if I’m figuring correctly. Let’s Go JR!!!
Nicholas Castellanos was predicted by this very site to sign with the White Sox on a four year, $58MM FA contract. They had him pegged as their next next RF.
I like Castellanos’ bat but not his glove. The White Sox already have a defensively challenged LF in Eloy Jimenez and I don’t believe Castellanos would be a good fit in RF. Uber prospect Luis Robert will debut as the White Sox CF in 2020 and they should not burden him with poor defensive corner outfielders in his rookie year.
I believe the White Sox will agree with my assessment. I don’t believe they will shell out those kind of years and dollars for Castellanos to play RF or DH, not when they can sign a true RF like Yasiel Puig and an accomplished veteran DH like Edwin Encarnacion for much less.
Trey Mancini
I would like to see the White Sox make a deal with the Pirates for Starling Marte before trying bringing in Puig. There is a lot of potential in the White Sox’s farm system with Basabe, Adolfo, Rutherford and Walker that can be ready in 2022 once Marte’s hit the market.
Who the heck are you trading for Marte?
Starling Marte is a fine ballplayer, just the kind of young veteran the White Sox might seek to help in their transition from rebuilders to contenders.
There are two problems with Marte being targeted by the White Sox.
The first is the direction the Pirates will take once they decide upon their next GM to replace Neal Huntington. Chances are they will choose to rebuild by making Marte available in the first place. I don’t believe the White Sox are prepared to cough up the necessary package of prospects that would be needed to acquire Marte.
Secondly, Marte bats right-handed and has never played an MLB game in RF. I believe if the White Sox target an outfielder in a trade it will be for a proven RF who provides a strong left-handed bat. If the White Sox are willing to pony up a package of prospects and/or young MLB talent to acquire their next core RF he will have to meet that criteria.
A RF I would like to see Rick Hahn pursue this offseason in a trade would be Alex Verdugo of the Dodgers. If the price is too steep I would then fall back to a short term FA option like Yasiel Puig and continue to monitor my other OF prospects or just wait until Mookie Betts hits the market next winter.
Trey Mancini RF solves that problem he’s a Notre Dame guy which pushes season tickets as the Golden Dome is 30 minutes away.
It will take McCann, Rodon Mendick.
Trey Mancini is a corner OF/1B with limited experience in RF. He also bats right-handed which doesn’t solve the White Sox need for a lefty bat.
From the rebuilding Orioles perspective, why would they trade their arguably best asset for that package? C James McCann is 29 with only one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining in 2020. SP Carlos Rodon has two more years of arb-eligibility left and will miss at least half of 2020 as he continues to recover from TJ surgery. Danny Mendick is a 26-year old fringe prospect who profiles best as a versatile MLB utility player, a role he will likely occupy with the White Sox this coming season.
Btw: The last time the White Sox traded for a big-time Notre Dame alum was Jeff Samardzija who also grew up a Southside Chicago fan being a native from nearby Merrillville and Valparaiso, Indiana. I’m certain the White Sox would love to have Marcus Semien back from that disaster of a deal.
I just imagined Encarnacion donning the White Sox home run necklace. I think this is good for the sport, but it might make his former team fans very upset.
Who cares?
You’re right, maybe it doesn’t matter. I do have some reservations about bringing in guys who are pretty old. We’re just so young, anyone over 32 is probably in for a shock.
I think Wheeler likes New York and as long as the Mets offer is competitive…he stays
Unless a team like the Angels, White Sox or Rangers go nuts (5yr/$120mil) i think the Mets can get him withh a 4yr/$90mil contract
After this year..Cespedes..Lowrie and Ramos ?come off the books (almost $50 mil)
If im the Mets…id try for Lindor..
Say..Rosario,Ramos,D.Smith and Vientos to start…sigh Grandal. 4yr/$66mil)
Mets need to sure up the defense and bullpen
No player is leaving $30M on the table to sign with the Mets.
4/90 is crazy. 5/90 is probably the high end of what he will sign for. The QO will dampen his deal and his injury history will also lower his contract.
White Sox have “go nuts” taste but “cheez it” pockets.
Wheeler was a guy who I definitely thought Balsley could help unlock another gear, like the Astros did with G. Cole. Now I like the odds of that happening quite a bit less.
Balsley may still be able to help Wheeler when both are with the Angels.
@Pads Fans 1. The Angels already brought in Mickey Callaway 2. If the stuff Balsley said in the UT is any indication, I don’t think he wants to take a job in another city 3. I’ll take the field over Wheeler signing with the Angels
Not a Padres fan per se, A former employee, but my heart has been with the Angels since that photo on my profile. Its 90 minutes from Petco to the Big A. About an hour from his home to here. Pitching coaches are not in any one city for 100 days a year, so OC is just fine. He could still sleep in his own bed when the Angels are home. And a major league coach is home more than a minor league roving instructor, Every major league team has two coaches that work with pitchers, What other excuses can you come up with that he was fired after you said he absolutely, positively would not be?
If the Angels don’t get Cole. Wheeler or Ryu have to go there I would imagine. Can’t see them leaving free agency without one of those 3. They’ll still need about 2 more starters after that though.
Mickey Callaway was a great hire for pitching coach though. He certainly did a good job in Cleveland. LAA desperately needs that.
@Koamalu/Pads Fans For one, you are not a former employee of any team. For two, if you were an Angels fan as opposed to a Padres fan, you would be all over the Angels threads rather than the Padres threads. For three, as I said before, if Balsley being replaced as pitching coach was anyone’s decision but his own, that person needs to follow him right out the door. Finally, as you so deliberately ignored, the Angels already brought in Mickey Callaway to be their pitching coach and it’s a fool’s errand to predict Zack Wheeler going to any one team over the field.
@jbigz12 They’d do well to stop pushing the hometown narrative and just pay Cole what he wants.
And yes, Callaway wasn’t great as a manager, but as pitching coaches go he’s one of the best.
They may be better off spreading that Cole Money around to Wheeler, Ryu, a Keuchel type and a catcher.
But yeah the hometown discount to Cole is about as likely as it was for Corbin to NY.
For me, I’d say that my Padres should go after the pitcher that will provide the most surplus value on their contract. Cole will likely provide the most WAR, but he’ll be at an immediate disadvantage in the surplus value department because he’s about to get the biggest contract ever given to a pitcher.
Why you are addressing me in your argument with him is beyond me. But then much of what you say makes no sense.
Balsley said in a couple of interviews that he was relieved of his duties, In other words fired. Canned. Given his pink slip. He was offered a consolation prize of being kept in the Padres organization in the minors, but he was fired as pitching coach for the Padres. The person that fired him is still the GM regardless of your opinion.
Oh hi Koamalu!
It wouldn’t be the first or even second incredibly stupid move Preller has made. I mean, what exactly has he done in 5 years as GM besides find a couple of diamonds in the rough in Fernando Tatis Jr and Chris Paddack and be decent at drafting? (and even the second one will likely take another year or two of data for us to say for sure). The consensus appears to be that he will be gone after 2020 if the Padres aren’t at least within striking distance of a wild card.
He was fired.
“A significant test case came to light Friday morning, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reporting that the Padres have chosen to replace longtime pitching coach Darren Balsley with former Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Balsley, who had been the longest-tenured pitching coach in the National League, is beloved by players, instructors and others throughout the organization because of his knowledge and personality. Moreover, he did not want to step down.
“Am I disappointed? Of course. But 17 years as a big-league coach in one place, it’s pretty cool,” Balsley said when reached Friday by The Athletic. “And I just want to say this: I’ve been treated fantastically since I’ve been with the Padres. Gosh, no sour grapes, no ill will. I want this team to win a World Series or heading towards it. I wish the best for the Padres.”
Balsley, who became San Diego’s pitching coach in 2003 and is under contract for 2020, has expressed an interest in remaining with the organization. He and general manager A.J. Preller have spoken about a special assistant role in which Balsley could rove around the farm system and work with minor-league pitchers and coaches. His likely reassignment will be the biggest staffing change under Jayce Tingler, the second consecutive rookie manager hired by Preller.”
You are seriously delusional Ryan.
Like I said, if that is indeed the case then Preller needs to follow him right out the door. That and the fact that in 5 years as GM, all he really has to show for his efforts is Tatis and Paddack.
It about time for you to get another new username yet Koamalu?
I see Wheeler as a long-term road warrior. He’s tough away from home. That’s just added value for a future world series winner which no doubt he will be.
The Chicago White Sox need lefty veterans to help their incredibly talented youth gain the winning mentality. Could have had the other Zach but let him slide south.
Rich Hill fits the bill along with gio Gonzalez.
The white Sox will be all in on Didi Gregorius lefty power for a empty DH spot in the lineup. Also Didi doubles as tutoring/mentoring Tim Anderson plus eventually guidance counselor to Nick Madrigal when he arrives.
Trey Mancini is worth going after either before the season or come July.
Why would the White Sox sign one of the better shortstops in the league to be a DH? What a waste.
Because they like to do dumb things
Yep low hanging fruit sentiment.
Anderson’s 30 errors a year if not improved sends him to the outfield and He’s been injury pron. Lefty power is non-existent in the lineup.
The more i think of it, I hope the Angels are not really “in” on Zack Wheeler. I mention as a quick reply above, but there’s a notable history of pitchers going from the NL to AL with limited success. One example is Anibal Sanchez. On the Tigers, he’s a 5 ERA innings eater. On the Marlins and Braves, he’s a 3.5 ERA solid starter. On the Nationals, he’s a World Series Champion. I hope Eppler uses Wheeler as leverage against Boras’s Cole demands, but ultimately, I hope he goes to the Phillies.
@dirkg. Cole went from the Pirates to the Astros.
Correct, I elaborated on this more on an above reply. The Astros played it safer because as a trade, they were only on the hook for a couple years if Cole didn’t pan out (as opposed to a multi year contract that Wheeler is about to acquire). I think we can all agree Pitt Cole and Stros Cole were different pitchers because of the Astros superior metrics. For every NL to AL pitcher successes, there are 2 or 3 failures. For a small year trade, maybe,l…for a 5+ contract, I’ll pass.
Wheeler is more effective than Syndergaard. Mets should lock him up, pair Syndergaard up in a trade with Cespedes or Cano for some salary relief.
Good luck with finding a taker for Cespedes’ salary for next season after coming off that injury. I say the White Sox are an idea team but there is no way that they take on his entire salary.
True but the White Sox could afford to pick up a chunk of it and would be one of the few teams willing to do so. So if the Mets make it worthwhile to the White Sox I can see it happening?
Michael Pineda returns from PED bust in May which makes perfect sense for the White Sox because they don’t know how Kopech Cease Herrera will be.
Don’t see it happening. The way I look at it is he’s not likely to play, so I divide his salary by 2 (Thor’s years left) and add that to Thor’s salary. Thor’s good, but he ain’t worth that. Mets would have to eat half or more of that salary to make it worthwhile.
Mets should not offer $100M for Wheeler. If anything invest that money into a contract extension for Conforto.
Angel’s should stay away from a Cole contract, get Wheeler, Keuchel, maybe Hamels, then get Moose and try for Grandal. would rather have multiple quality players then one stud
Wheeler has been durable and anywhere from awesome to very good over past two years. And that’s with a Mets defense behind him that’s among the worst in MLB.
Pretty obvious that with pitching at a premium even compared to the game’s history and Wheeler getting remarkably high grades for “the guy who isn’t Strasburg or Cole” He may get near that kind of money. I could see 5 years/$130M or 6 years/$150M for Wheeler if things keep going this way and the funny thing is- a slight overpay for a good pitcher is more cost effective, in my mind, so a $26M AAV for Wheeler over 4-6 seasons seems like money well spent if it’s a club in contention. Craziness.
No, he won’t get that much. I think $22M AAV is his absolute limit. The injury history and the fact that, despite the talent, he has yet to have a dominant year will keep him from a really huge payday. I think he settles for somewhere around $19M AAV.
Please Cashman, make a move. Wheeler and either Cole or Strasburg. Open the checkbook. This is what they need for a title
He turns 30 this May, has 44 career wins behind deGrom and Syndergaard and has had two TJ surgeries. Sure, his agent is going to try and cash in big with one contract. If he gets it, that team is really going to regret having a 20 million dollar 33, 34,35 year old #4 starter that you hope and pray doesn’t blow up…again.
I like Wheeler, I really do. As a Mets fan I hope he takes the QO and they work a 2 or 3 year extension and continues as the Mets #4 or 5. But if another team gives him 5 or 6 years and expects him to be #1 or 2, they will really be disappointed, especially in the AL against dh’s instead of pitchers.
Remember, he has 44 career wins as an NL #3 starter facing all the other teams’ #3’s. 44 wins at age 29.
1. He has one Tommy John surgery
2. Don’t cite pitcher wins if you want anyone to take you seriously
You’re ridiculous to think he always faces other teams’ #3’s. For the first couple of weeks, yeah, but after that, you don’t know who you’ll get. Rained out games, travel days, etc., can easily pit a #4 against a #1.
As a White Sox fan, I’ve all but given up on them signing Cole or Strasburg. They’ll “check in” I’m sure, but Jerry loves diving through the gold in his vault too much. I’d rather have MadBum than Wheeler because the goal is the playoffs and MadBum is arguably the best playoff pitcher ever. That said, Wheeler wouldn’t be bad as far as 4th options go. I’m predicting 5 years, $94M.
As for other FAs, I think (hope) they wind up with Castellanos. I get what people say about the bad defense, but it improved from 2018 and Eloy’s defense looked better at season’s end than at the beginning. They’ll never be Jason Heyward out there, but I believe they can at least be mediocre instead of bad. With their bats, they’d still provide a ton of positive value and Robert’s plus defense can hide their poor defense a little.
Much as I’d like Grandal, I don’t see that one. I also don’t think they really need him, tbh. He’d be an upgrade, sure, but McCann seems to be loved by the pitching staff and the Sox seem determined to give Collins a long look.
No idea who they get for DH, but I hope it’s only on a one-year deal or they just struggle through another in-house option. Next year, JDM’s salary drops over $4M and I highly doubt he opts in then. I’d just as soon they wait as opposed to signing someone significantly worse, like Kendrick, just to be better for this one year.
TL;DR
Wheeler not bad as an option, guessing 5 years, $94M
Predicting Sox get Castellanos, but not Grandal
Hope Sox wait a year and try to sign JDM then rather than going for a different DH now.