Free agent right-hander Collin McHugh will throw in front of interested teams on January 16, reports Jake Kaplan of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 33-year-old opted out of the 2020 season after failing to recuperate as hoped from a December 2019 elbow surgery. However, McHugh is again drawing interest from teams after recovering from that procedure, Kaplan notes. The former Astro had plenty of success from 2015-18, working in both a starting and relief role.
Some more notes on the open market:
- The Tigers are hoping to sign another free agent pitcher, general manager Al Avila told reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive). Detroit already added former Marlins right-hander José Ureña on a one-year deal this offseason. Ureña joins fellow rebound hopefuls Matt Boyd and Michael Fulmer in a rotation mix that also includes Spencer Turnbull and a handful of very highly-regarded pitching prospects. That wouldn’t make the rotation a seeming area of need for the Tigers on paper. However, with a projected significant increase between 2020 and 2021 in the number of innings teams will need, the Tigers are looking to stockpile pitching depth. Avila noted the organization is considering adopting a six-man rotation at points next season to help shoulder heightened workloads.
- Star NPB pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano made the decision to return to the Yomiuri Giants yesterday, agreeing on a four-year, $40MM contract (with three opt-outs). Obviously, no major league team put forth an offer big enough to woo Sugano to MLB. At least a pair of clubs did put a formal proposal on the table, though. The Padres and Blue Jays each offered Sugano a contract before the right-hander made the decision to stay in his home country, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).
- While the Red Sox were among the teams that liked Sugano, they are “uninterested” in offering any pitcher a four-year deal this winter, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. They are, however, willing to offer two-year or three-year terms to certain hurlers. As Speier writes, that dovetails nicely with the team’s ongoing Jake Odorizzi pursuit. Arguably the second-best free agent starter remaining on the market, Odorizzi is expected to land a three-year deal in the $36MM — $42MM range.
Walker is a good fit for Boston I’d say
As a Red Sox fan, nah
Agreed with Rhyde
Will he take a 1 yr-1.5 million deal?? If not he is not a fit for Boston. Bloom is simply going to wait it out and take the cheapest option left out there along with the several BBB pitchers he will add just like he did last offseason. Sox will finish 4th in the AL East in 2021
Lamet must be cooked if the Padres are still going after starting pitcher
that may have been before they made the trades that they offered him the contract
Wonder if Sugano was just using MLB as leverage for a bigger contract.
Joe:
The timing isn’t right for that to make sense. If the Yomiuri Giants were waiting to see the MLB offers I could see that. But with their offer on the table, and Sugano waiting until the last day to decide, it’s pretty clear he would have signed with an MLB club if the offer had been good enough.
And there’s a possibility that the offers he got from the Jays and Padres were as good or even slightly better than the NPB offer. He needed the MLB offers to exceed that of the Yomiuri Giants significantly enough to make it worth it for him. Clearly they weren’t.
I am sure Big ‘Al’ and the tigers will make another huge signing of a pitcher who has been hurt 8 out of the last 9 years or a AA pitcher with a walk rate if 10+….If you are rebuilding, find some talent to put around the young talent coming up…not stiff after stiff
Easier said than done. Which young prospects are you willing to trade away for genuine MLB talent? It will have to be prospects because the cupboard is bare when it comes to current MLB “talent” on the Tigers, except maybe Candelario and Turnbull.
A better plan is to sign guys to bridge the gap until the youngsters arrive and get seasoned, and to look at a marquee free agent signing or two as the team comes together. I had hoped that would be the 2020-21 offseason, but “Big Al” must think it is the following offseason.
Yeah the youngsters haven’t arrived (I’m including Greene & Tork, Mize & Skubal are still arriving far as I’m concerned). I think Al should spend more now than he has been, but it’s definitely too soon for real money to be laid down. Develop develop develop. It’s going to be another losing season.
Avila is on the phone with Bartolo Colon as we speak.
I wish until Covid was over the league got back to normal, more focus would be put on players that are in crucial development years and less on established players. If I’m a GM I’m looking at keeping young guys trying to make rosters more than I am big names. From a fans perspective it’s only exhibition baseball anyway, at least until fans are back!
For example, I don’t care if my team wins a World Series while Covid is still keeping fans away. No real fan cares about a World Series right now. Build baby build, so when things are back to normal, you’ve got a real foundation instead of waiting money on washed up old players for one year deals!
“While the Red Sox were among the teams that liked Sugano, they are “uninterested” in offering any pitcher a four-year deal this winter”
So the Red Sox, coming off the worst pitching performance of my lifetime, have decided that they will only offer 2-3 deals?
Well, look for their ratings to plummet further.
calltothepen.com/2020/10/06/boston-red-sox-nesn-ra….
(they were down 54% in 2020)
i mean so are the ratings of most teams that decide to rebuild to some degree. its not that shocking and i would be shocked if those fans dont come back when they are inevitably contending again within 5 years.
0 chance of the sox competing in the AL east with Bloom
I’ll take the over on that. Chances are definitely greater than zero. They might even have a chance in ‘21 if Bloom signs a couple of SPs and RPs (which is still likely) and if Sale is back by midsummer.
Granted not this year. Be patient. He will have success in a couple of years
ALL ratings were down in 2020. Stop it.
forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2020/10/04/mlb-sees-lo…
MLB ratings were up 4% across the board
The ratings for the Sox were down 54% in 2020 as their product was unwatchable.
Sale is hurt and may, possibly, come back at the end of 2021. Don’t count on him this season.
Let’s hope ERod is available for the start of this season.
The staff was total garbage (both starters and relievers) in 2020, except for the last week of the season when the Sox dropped from the 2nd pick to the 4th pick in the draft.
They need to sign actual, MLB quality pitchers this offseason (Bloom already said that he is not trading for a quality one).
Odorizzi was ghastly in 2020. If the Sox sign him .(I am not convinced of this), then let’s hope he can bounce back in 2021.
With people staying at home, and not attending games in-person, 4% is low.
@surefire
The drop just shows how many bandwagon fans the Red Sox have.
Well, ownership:
1) Traded the game’s 2nd best player for Verdugo, Downs and Wong
2) Didn’t spend any money
3) Knew they didn’t have a team that would compete, but didn’t care
The Red Sox had such poor pitching that the games were unwatchable.
I can’t blame the fans for not tuning in last year.
Now, they have money to spend but it doesn’t seem like they want to.
Why not take a flyer on Morton? 1 year deal and he wanted to come to Boston. Nope, he signed with the Braves.
I know they don’t want to lose their 2nd round pick (no Lemahieu, JTR or Springer), but why not Ozuna?
The offseason isn’t over, but certainly doesn’t look promising.
Surefly – the Red Sox were “in on Morton”, and he chose a different team. It’s called free will! You can offer, but you can’t make them sign. Dah
I am a diehard RS fan since the 70s and only sporadically watched the games. This truncated season was never going to receive my, or many fans full emotional support.
Covid caused all the people I know a complete change in their usual Holiday plans… so the fact many abandoned, what after all is just a game, is no great shock.
I can understand not going to the games because of Covid. But why would it cause people to abandon the game?
Some people realized that they don’t need sports in their lives
Die Hard Red Sox fans since the 70’s as well. I lost interest in baseball last season including all of my fantasy leagues. I just wasn’t interested in a 60 game season with no fans.
Lets not act like COVID didn’t play into ratings getting lower across the board. And lets not pretend like sale and erod won’t be back this season. Or that Taylor and Hernandez won’t be healthy and in the back end of the pen. Or that Hauck didn’t look GREAT in his debut last year.
Hauck was awesome down there stretch, good point
They won’t compete in 2021 so I am fine with not offering 4 year deals…however, I would like to see some progress this offseason before the fire sale at the deadline
IIf Eduardo Rodriguez rebounds and pitches effectively, the Red Sox will try to extend him. If he does not sign an extension he will be traded for prospects! Great!! I would prefer he stay, but i rather get prospects than nothing.
The absolute worst thing teams can do is sign pitchers to 4 years when they’re awful. Anyone who thinks the Redsox should be signing pitchers to long term deals absolutely has zero idea on how to build a sustainable winning team
John Henry will NOT care until fans are back in Fenway. He has totally lost interest in the club. There is NO plan to put a competitive team on the field in 2021. Probably 2023 until the Sox contend for a post season berth again and that is ONLY IF Bloom doesn’t blow the high draft picks like he did in 2020.
They’ll be more competitive this year
Tigers should go with a 162 man rotation. That’ll keep em fresh.
The Redsox MUST start making moves to improve the club NOW.. Archie Bradley, Liam Hendriks & Corey Kluber should be Chaim Bloom’s first priorities & stop acting like the Redsox organization can’t afford these players & more.. Next they MUST sign Kevin Pillar because he’s an excellent outfielder.. Then sign Marcell Ozuna for the next 5 year’s but most likely the next decade as the Redsox DH.. If they need to free up more money trade JD Martinez with Andrew Benintendi so we can get a great player in return..
You’re going to trade JDM with Benni and get a great player in return?
You won’t get anything. Benni would be the payment for taking on JDM’s underwater contract.
You MUST be kidding.
Yo dude…you sound as versed in baseball deals as a Kardashian does in relationship advice.
Try less caffeine.
Kardashian, what a zinger! Hilarious! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
How TF is trading JD Martinez one of their best hitters going to improve the Red Sox? Not to mention he’s owed over 40 million over the next 2 years and has negative defensive ratings. Sign Ozuna? another defensively challenged outfielder who is not much better than JD really? You’re out of touch with actual baseball trades.
Bloom will do whatever he can to shed JDM’s salary but there is NO CHANCE he is interested in Ozuna at what he will cost. Think 1-2 yr and MAX 2 million deals for Mr Bloom as per John Henry’s ORDERS !!!
twitter.com/bradfo/status/1347258403710709768
Rick Porcello seems like an obvious fit for both the Sox and Tigers.
He’s obviously familiar with both organizations, and even though his last couple of years have been rough, he’s still proven capable of taking the ball when needed.
The Tigers could use a stabilizing veteran at the back of their rotation, and it wouldn’t hurt the young guys to have a an experienced pitcher like Porcello around.
As for Boston, we all know the story there — they need any kind of rotation help they can get.
Red Sox can have Porcello. Rather go for Fiers.
Fiers wouldn’t be a bad option either, given he’d offer a similar purpose.
As critical as Fiers was about the whole Astros cheating scandal i can’t imagine joining Hinch in Detroit tops his list of destinations. For that same reason i can’t see him wanting to join Cora in Boston either.
We don’t need Porcello back. If we are going to tap that well then just bring Jon Lester back.
Porcello has been awful the last two years.
If Porcello will take a 1 yr- 1 million dollar deal let Mr Bloom know otherwise the Sox are NOT interested.
Red Sox hurt them doubly because they own 80% of NESN…that’s lost ad revenue. Moreover, the “brand” suffers dramatically when they’re behaving badly (i.e. not winning); Sox fans have become too used to being in contention to be satisfied with any type of rebuild.
OTOH John Henry might be following the business model of the Cubs, a similarly well healed franchise that’s going to be stripped down, charging full price in 2021 for a product that MIGHT be good in 2025. Of course, all your losses during those times are sunk money; you never get it back.
The REAL danger for the Sox is that with a poor performing team, those cute inefficiencies of Fenway might not be considered “cute” anymore. And tax payers just ain’t coming across for new stadia these days.
It’s been a great run since ’04 when Henry came on board. But it very well could be over.
I don’t think the situation is that dire in Boston. The Red Sox have been to the postseason 13 times in the wild card era (or half the time) every few seasons they need to reset. Its been like that since the 80’s. ’86-’90 they won the AL East three times, were mostly awful from ’91-’94 and have been mostly competitive since with a few resets along the way. Its way too soon to call a time of death here
I could see McHugh reuniting with Hinch in Detroit. Wouldn’t mind him coming back to Boston since we never did get to see him pitch last year.
Odorizzi is a better option at this point than Porcello. Yes Odorizzi was terrible last year and had his first real stint on the IL but Porcello was terrible too. In Porcello’s five seasons in Boston he had two good years, two terrible years, and one “meh” year. Been there done that, bring in someone new
Remember when all the MLBTR keyboard GM homers were clamoring for the Angels to acquire Mathew Boyd for Brandon Marsh. And how stupid they were for not pulling the trigger. Same goes for that Corey Kluber trade that ended up biting Texas in the ass and that nixed Dodger trade for Pederson & Stripling whom both had the worst seasons of their careers lol. Funny how the Halos get soo much crap yet they ended up coming out unscathed on all 3 of those lol.
To be fair, all Texas lost for Kluber was Delino DeShields Jr. Who was awful in Cleveland and Emmanuel Clase who missed the whole season serving a PEDs suspension
I’d rate Tanaka and Walker ahead of Odorizzi as far as SP FA.
Baseball is a business. Revenue for the business is down. Most reasonable business people are not increasing payroll at this time. There are too many unknowns going forward to spend on a team that finished in last place. No matter how much money you throw at the red Sox, they will not leapfrog the AL EAST. Building from the bottom in order to compete in 22 or 23 makes more sense in a year that may not have live fans once again. They have a plan. We’re not privy to the internal machinations therein. They’re not showing their hand either. It will take time. Bloom is quite capable. I hope.
Great comment….a real rarity on this site as most advocate spending like drunken sailors and making terrible team decisions by management..
Spike 13:
Baseball is business, but it’s also more than just a business. I can guarantee you that Steve Cohen didn’t spend $2.4B to buy the Mets to make money. The guy is worth $14.6B, and doesn’t need baseball to supplement his wealth. Guys like Cohen don’t buy sports teams to make money, which is the purpose of running other businesses. They can make more money in better ways than owning a baseball team. They buy sports teams for the status and prestige. Regular businesses don’t spend money to win something like a baseball team owner will to win a WS title.
A baseball team does need to be run fiscally responsibly, and factors like loss of revenue due to the pandemic, and possible labor issues with a new CBA to be negotiated, like a strike or lockout, need to be considered. But to characterize baseball as just another business, is a narrow view.
Don’t get me wrong, otherwise, I agree completely with you about the RS and their approach. I also think Bloom is capable, and they will be back in the not-to-distant future. And I’m not a RS fan.
Tad2b13: I never stated that it was just a business. My sole point was throwing money into players will probably not allow them to climb into 1st place in the AL east. Considering that their deferred payments and benefit obligations allow them approximately 27 million additional payroll to remain under the luxury tax, re-stocking the farm and being fiscally responsible during these trying times would seem prudent. Steve Cohen is worth 7x more than John Henry. I don’t think Mr. Cohen bought the Mets to lose money. I could be wrong. I welcome your comments
I think Bloom’s contributions to TB’s achievements are OVER-RATED. He has done NOTHING in Boston EXCEPT SLASH payroll which is what John Henry hired him to do.
I wouldn’t spend 36-42 on him. If they can get it down to 27-30 then yes.
The Red Sox might go as high as 5 million/yr on a 3 year deal for Odorrizi but that is likely their limit. Mr Bloom is looking in the BBB bins for the next Colton Brewer !!!
I disagree with all of the Tiger fans posting here about this “timetable” and when to spend money. (And by spend money I mean pay the entertainers for the job they do and put on a good show.)
You have to grab opportunity wherever and whenever you see it. That’s how you get good.
NOW IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
Boston should do what they can to re-sign McHugh and give him another chance. Worst case, he ends up as the long guy in the bullpen for a $1M salary. Best case is that he proves to be a capable #4 or #5 starter for short money. Boston has some interesting pitching prospects close to the majors, Bryan Mata (SP) being their best one. He’ll be ready no later than 2022. Tanner Houck looked great last year but I don’t expect him to be much more than a #4 starter as best. Mata has the ceiling of a legit #2. So if Boston can get a couple of short term starters this off season (McHugh, Kluber, Paxton), add 2 real pieces to their bullpen and grab a good 4th OF, they could compete for a wild card this year and have a lot of prospects ready for 2022 (Mata, Duran, Downs, Casas, Ward). Pivetta is a wild card for them this season too but I don’t expect him to be much better than he was in Philly. If Sale comes back healthy in May and E-Rod is unaffected by his COVID symptoms, the Sox may be much better than people expect them to be. JDM & Benny need to rebound as well, but that shouldn’t be too hard. The Sox will spend this year but will do so judiciously.
Mantooth: that is an interesting observation. One thing to consider is the possible extension for Devers. Although they could wait, it might be wise to do so sooner than later. If he’s willing to sign a deal in the Boegart’s range (team friendly), payroll flexibility would allow them to add pieces w/o surpassing the luxury tax. I’m confident that they will spend more when this team can again compete but doubt it until then.
Good old Chaim Bloom county! He is just the biggest BS artist! He is slicker than a TV evangelist dipped in olive oil!!!! The red Sox are gonna be aggressive he says! We’ll search for the best players available! What in double A??if fans are available this season unless we see a spending spree late,it’s gonna be the same lame joke like it was last year! If this is gonna be the effort there gonna put in, we gotta send a message by not going to the games!!
I apologise to Al Avila and to all the other readers/posters for the constant harassing and negative posts.
I like Al Avila. He has gotten the Tigers through some rough and tough times.
True, Al Avila has gotten the Tigers through some rough times.