The Royals and Giants were among the previously unreported teams that were on hand for free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber’s well-attended showcase on Wednesday, per reports from Alec Lewis of The Athletic and Mark W. Sanchez of KNBR. Most of the league’s clubs showed up to watch Kluber, a two-time AL Cy Young winner who’s coming off a pair of rough years because of multiple injuries. Kluber reportedly looked healthy during his throwing session, though, and could sign with someone in the near future.
- Righty Julio Teheran will hold his own showcase for teams Tuesday in Miami, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The former Braves innings eater typically did a nice job keeping runs off the board in their uniform from 2011-19, which led the Angels to sign him to a one-year, $9MM guarantee last offseason. The move didn’t go well at all for the Angels, however. The 29-year-old Teheran threw 31 1/3 innings with the team and finished last among all pitchers with 30-plus frames in ERA (10.05) and second from the bottom in K-BB percentage (2.7).
- Kluber’s event also included Anthony Swarzak, Steve Cishek and, as Cishek revealed on MLB Network Radio on Thursday, AJ Ramos. The right-handed Ramos was an excellent reliever with the Marlins earlier in his career, especially from 2012-16, but has struggled in the bigs with a couple of other teams since then. After missing a large portion of 2018 and all of 2019 with shoulder problems, Ramos returned last season to spend time with three different organizations in the Dodgers, Cubs and Rockies. The 34-year-old returned to the majors as a Rockie in late September and threw 2 2/3 innings of one-run ball and a strikeout, though he allowed four hits and three walks in that short span.
- The Mets have not bowed out of the race for free-agent reliever Brad Hand, Andy Martino of SNY tweets. As of earlier this week, Hand was discussing multi-year deals with teams, but the Mets were hoping to reel in the lefty on a one-year contract worth less than $10MM. With Hand as one of the standout relievers on the open market, the Mets may have to up their offer if they’re going to land the three-time All-Star.
Why I do feel like I read this all 4 times already this week?
Temporal displacement?
I love reading the comments section more than I like reading MLBTR
Royals would be an interesting team to watch this summer if they sign Kluber to their other additions.
Mets will sign Brad Hand.
Nope.
Yep.
Nope. Should have placed a claim on waivers, he wants multiple years over 1 year high salary
Mets could not have placed a claim on Hand due to timing as he hit waivers as the ownership sale was closing.
Maybe
Possibly?
Indubitably
Damn it kirk! Fine! you win the thesaurus challenge! >={
id like to see Philly take a look at Ramos
Do you mean discovery id?
Troll. I believe this is your third incarnation. You are obsessed with DarkSide. So boring.
I think Ramos would be a good buy low, high upside kind of player though I believe some Mets fans may have misgivings about his work behind the plate. Haven’t really looked to deep into it though.
I know you probably don’t want to get your hopes up to high but really the Phillies look like the front runner for JTR. Realmuto went into this offseason with the wrong strategy and now it looks like Philidelphia is going to give him the largest paycheck at this point.
His defense is borderline unplayable. Pitchers are tentative about putting one in the dirt.
Mets can potentially build an elite pen with real solid starting pitching in front of it.
And a top 3 lineup. They are going to mash this year. Can their BP and #4/#5 starters do enough to hang…those are two of my biggest concerns.
On paper, it certainly looks that way. I will say I’m not sold on some hitters, especially in the clutch, but I think it’s more likely that things go very right as opposed to very wrong.
It’s why I want them to sign springer.. he’s historically hit well w RISP… with all the Mets talent on offense, that hasn’t been a strength.. if they do, they’ll be dangerous
Mets should give Hand , 2yrs 15 mill. The need a solid lefty in the pen!!!!
What happened to that elite bullpen of Diaz, Familia and Betances?
Diaz is elite but your not even naming are best RP lugo may and Diaz are the main 3… and who said the Mets had a elite bullpen?
Ahem…do I really need to answer who are among those that were squawking about how that trio made the Mets bullpen the best in the NL East and among the best in MLB?
Our*
Who? Definitely not me.
Okay, if you say so.
I do have to ask because you didn’t answer before, so I assume you missed my question.
I’m curious because you mentioned that you’re in your 20s.
What position do you play in college?
What positions(s) did you play in high school?
What positions did you play in travel ball?
What positions did you play in rec league?
Betances was coming off injuries. I don’t think anyone thought he would be elite. We knew what we were getting with Familia. Tons of walks. I think Marlins might be the Mets obsessed delusional one.
Betances velocity was amajor concern. I think he’s toast. Diaz on the other hand, looks elite again. Will fans in the stands change that? Maybe.
Does that matter?
I asked because I’m curious.
All I’m going to say is that I wasn’t born with the talent of Soto or Thor. I’m sure you are the same way. None of us will be MLB players.
That’s obvious because neither of us are MLB players. That was not what I was asking. I was asking about the following:
What position do you play in college?
What positions(s) did you play in high school?
What positions did you play in travel ball?
What positions did you play in rec league?
This is all I was asking out of curiosity. I’m not sure what the problem is.
Why is it a problem that he doesnt answer. You going to try to analyze the type of person he is by the positions he played?
He was an ace pitcher in rec league so he was mr popularity?
He played catcher in college so he was a smart guy or big guy that is not popular?
he was 1b in high school because he wasnt athletic?
Does knowing any of that have anything to do with the Mets potentially signing Hand or anything to do with this forum. Im not a fan of Metsfan22 but there is no reason on this forum he has to answer that or the question needs to be even asked multiple times in multiple threads.
Why are you getting involved, Roll? You can’t tell that MetsFan22 and MarlinsFanBase have a grudge with each other? Stop trying to get between this because MetsFan isn’t innocent in it. You aren’t coming to the rescue of some defenseless maiden.
Agree with roll
let’s don’t start badgering people for personal info on here. How would you even know it was true if he responded? He should say his position was doggy, right behind your mom.
@Roll
The reason I ask is because someone else asked him his age out of curiosity. He answered that he was in his 20s. So, I got curious and wanted to know, since this is a baseball board, what positions he’s played. It wasn’t on this particular article that I asked this first on. It as originally on the article that the other poster asked him about his age. He answered that. I figured to continue the conversation since I became curious too. I figured he answered that first question that it wouldn’t be an issue to answer this other question about baseball talk related stuff.
If anything, I personally think that the question about his age was more of a problem. I don’t understand what is the problem with asking a guy on a baseball board about what position he played in the various levels of baseball.
I think some of you are a little too touchy about questions related to playing baseball. Am I allowed to talk about the actual play of the game that we all are here talking about?
@Riking
How am I badgering him? I asked him a question that is far less personal than the question that someone else asked about his age. He answered that question. How is asking about positions he played in the different levels of play a problem? He already answered one that was far more personal and more in line with judging someone. He answered in his 20s. I became more curious based on that.
As for the determination of truth part, lying about playing certain positions is not so simple. Baseball has so many nuances when playing that sooner or later a person that lied would be discovered. The fact that you wonder how a person would know kind of reveals a bit about you. It’s kind of the ‘bag of sand’ scene in the 40-Year Old Virgin. The snarky, childish defensive remark clinches your self-revelation. Good job, so you don’t have to worry about me asking you the same question.
Thank you @SalaryCapMyth
At least you know the rivalry. Honestly though, I was just curious in this instance. I didn’t know asking what positions a guy played in the various levels would cause such a problem…and on a baseball board!
Is baseball conversation limited to just stats? Can we talk about the aspects of playing it? Wow!
Giants have enough right-handed reclamation projects already.
Except Kluber has a lot more upside than the other reclamation projects..
I expect a ton of teams to try and steal his upside from someone else. He has been on my wishlist all off-season. Paxson could be interesting, but I consider Kluber the best balance of risk and upside.
Gimme a milk ………………………. chocolate.
You are my density.
Xabial with yet another pop up on the infield. Not Funny! But he’s so good at not being racist. We should all learn from how wonderful he is! Now THAT is funny! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
You keep a horse in the basement?
I love watching all of Dynamite Drop’s puppets argue with each other. 10/10 would highly recommend.
ROFL! tom, you crack me up!
UBet
Hand will be a good batting practice pitcher in the NL East. He will be cream, demolish by teams like the Braves, Nationals,Phillies and Marlins. And 15 million is a lot.
if you think Hand is bad your standards much be very high
It’s like you are typing in Cookie Monster’s voice.
Lol now that was funny.
You really need to review Hands resume again. Are you sure you aren’t thinking of someone else?
Teheran going to throw batting practice hoping someone signs him
Tigers will give him 10mil
Angels gave him $9 million last year so thats probably not that far fetched
Kluber will sign with Indians
The who?
Everybody’s doing a showcase. It feels like The Price is Right around here.
Please help control the pet population & have your pet spayed or neutered.
Kluber will sign with a team such as Kansas City or Oakland. Low pressure and a history of injured playing rebuilding themselves there.
It all depends on who’s interested. The market also should tell what we can expect because they all sent scouts to watch. No major interest indicates most saw something wrong. Major interest means he looked good.
KC is no pressure. Oakland is medium pressure.
Kluber has said he wants to pitch in the North East. I think it’s more likely he’s on the Mets with Lindor and Carrasco (and soon to be Hand) but Yankees and Red Sox are also high on his list.
A KC overbid for Kluber on a 1+1 would be savvy.
Gives them an option for a 2 yr Ace best case scenario or good trade bait for 2 yrs or worst case scenario they eat a semi large 1 yr AAV
I could see Sf going this route as well – I want that +1 team option in there tho at the expense of a couple mill if Im the team
They will underpay if anything
That’s a good idea. Small market teams need to get creative like that to try to compete.
Julio Tehran: the cheaper Trevor Bauer. They’re about the same in almost every stat. I realize Julio had a bad year this year, but that shouldn’t sway you from giving him a chance. I say pay him whatever Bauer gets.
You should do standup
I think he is. Try the veal…
You forgot to mention Ramos’s brief disastrous Mets career!
I don’t think the Mets should go too far out of their comfort zone with Hand, although he would obviously make their bullpen that much stronger. I generally just don’t like big multiyear deals for relievers, and the relief market is probably going to have some good value plays as the season gets closer.
Was Tehearan’s fastball velocity or stuff way down last year from seasons prior? I know he’s never been considered a Frontline starter but the magnitude of his struggles last season are really quite shocking for a guy who previously had been able to consistently maintain an ERA under/around 4.00. As long as there were no physical limitations or drastic changes to his stuff… he’s a guy I wouldn’t mind seeing the red Sox sign. They could certainly use a solid innings-eater and if he could return to the 3.82 ERA type pitcher he was in 2019 then that would be a tremendous addition to their rotation. That is of course assuming they aren’t going to make a bigger acquisition for their rotation. Obviously I’d actually rather see them sign/acquire a legitimate #2/3 starter… but for whatever reason based on their current level of activity, or lack thereof, and recent rumors of trying to deal Benintendi… I don’t see them making any significant pushes to sign a top starter. So with that off the table… I see Teheran as a guy who could definitely bounce back and potentially provide them with a VERY solid 175+ innings of 3.80-4.00 ERA ball. And with how strong their lineup still is despite no longer having Betts… I think that a SP with a 3.80-4.00 ERA could actually wind up being a 12-15+ game winner with the Red Sox which of course would be VERY valuable.
Julio was living dangerously his last few years with the Braves. He was constantly bailed out of jams by the defense. He threw so many pitches and allowed so many base runners…somehow he would always get a ground ball or pop up to end the inning. His last year in Atlanta he never went through the lineup a third time. He was constantly pulled in the 4th or 5th. He needs to be in the bullpen.
Time for Julio to become a lock down closer. That is where I always saw his OG stuff. Can focus on a two pitch mix with (FB & Cutter) with an occasional Change.
If so, he’s gonna have to enter to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Me and Julio”.
Yanks should kick the tires on Kluber and Teheran
Sandy stated if he was President of the Mets when Hand was available on waivers, he would have claimed him for 1 yr/$10M. Hand is likely going to want an AAV of $10M per year so why harp on getting him for less. Hand would have been a good fit for the current Mets pen. They should have offered Hand a multi year deal
I misread the article. I thought it said the Mets have ‘now’ bowed out.
Teams are sending reps to these “showcases” as if they might actually sign someone.
I think it’s window-dressing. It’s looking more and more likely that there will be little or no attendance allowed. So, if there is no pro-rating of salaries because of a 162 games schedule, teams will just field cheap players.
For once I agree with Boras. Most teams didn’t lose money. They just made a lot less. Not all, but most.
Borass is only speaking with his pocket right now. It’s gotten lighter this off-season and thanks to Gerrit Cole’s contract last year, Borass still relevant during these times. I think first couple of months in the season, stadiums will have a small crowd before the league officials make it fully functional and at full capacity. I say, July will be the time fans can sit in the seats and enjoy the smell of baseball again
Kluber seems like he’d be an interesting upside low cost option for the Ray’s. Not too often they could be in on what his upside would cost in a normal season.
Mets must get Springer before Hand
Given there’s palpable interest from more than half the league, I’m curious to see what Kluber ends up getting. Despite coming off the two “lost” seasons, I’m have a feeling he’s going to cash in more than initially thought.
F IT KLUBER COME TO SF
How does everyone feel about Kluber. Does he still have it?
Does he still have it?
===============================
I have no idea. No one in this forum has any idea. None of the writers, clamoring that the local teams to sign him, have any idea.
So far, all I know is that his velocity was 88-90. This feels a bit like a ‘pay him to rehab’ type contracts. A bit maybe like the Richards signing by SD.
AJ Ramos has the Orioles written all over him.