Jake Odorizzi is the top name left from MLBTR’s Top 50 free agent rankings, and it’s still not clear which (if any) team will meet the right-hander’s reported multi-year asking price. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes in his latest Q&A with readers that the Cardinals’ interest in Odorizzi is legitimate but not aggressive. Goold likens the Cards’ interest to their interest in Kyle Lohse more than a decade ago, when Lohse signed a one-year deal during Spring Training 2008 at a much lower rate than he’d initially sought in free agency. Of course, other teams would surely jump into the mix were Odorizzi to eventually settle for a one-year pact, and there’s no indication yet he plans to do so.
- James Paxton is headed back to the Mariners on a one-year deal worth $8.5MM, but he drew interest from numerous other clubs before landing that deal. The Mets offered Paxton $6MM in guarantees, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes that the M’s at one point expected the lefty to be out of their price range because of how impressive he looked during an offseason showcase. However, Divish adds that Paxton also had a desire to return to a Seattle setting where he’d previously felt comfortable and had success.
- The Red Sox were among the teams in attendance for free-agent righty Chaz Roe’s bullpen session over the weekend, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. The 34-year-old reliever spent the previous three-plus seasons in Tampa Bay and is familiar with Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who used to be a Rays executive. Roe threw only 9 1/3 innings in 2020, but he was overall a solid bullpen option as a member of the Rays, with whom he pitched to a 3.54 ERA/3.73 SIERA in 119 1/3 frames.
- The Tigers added Jose Urena to their rotation mix earlier in the offseason, but they might not be done yet. “We’re definitely looking for more pitching as we speak. I think at least one more starter would be ideal,” general manager Al Avila said Tuesday (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com).The right-handed Urena was mostly a starter as a Marlin from 2015-20, but he could wind up in a bullpen role with the Tigers, Avila noted. For now, Urena’s a candidate to join Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Michael Fulmer in Detroit’s starting staff. Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander are also among in-house possibilities to rack up starts this year.
End of the day I just hope everybody has a good time
You too! And great username
I do wonder, if it becomes a battle for a one-year deal, how much the hometown aspect (Odorizzi grew up in the STL area) would factor in with a potential lower deal.
I’m surprised pax didn’t take the Mets offer at least they are gonna try and contend
He doesn’t want that. He knows the success he;s had in seattle and will try to rebuild his value for a multi year deal. Plus who wants yo join the Mets dumpster fire
he doesn’t wanna contend must be the only pitcher in all of baseball then huh !!!
Keep an eye open for the Mariners to be a surprise contender in a weakening AL West. They were in it almost to the end in the short season last year. They may be closer to contending then people realize.
I don’t see Seattle contending. If Paxton, Kikuchi, Haniger, and Seager are good, they’ll all likely be shopped in July.
It would be funny if Paxton ended up with the Mets. The backtracking here would be priceless.
@Steveil
I agree that all four could get shopped, but Seager with that poison pill will hard to move. Haniger for sure is probably on the block if he does well. There’s enough youth for the OF where they may have that luxury. Kikuchi is probably the one I would question moving if he does well. But moving any of those four I don’t think removes you from contending. Mostly because I don’t see them moving all four. Maybe one or two.
That player option becomes less of an issue with half his ’21 salary covered by Seattle, plus whatever relief they might throw it. He’s probably the least likely to get moved, but many teams have checked in on him.
It is unlikely all four get moved, but subtracting any immediate, productive talent wouldn’t help Seattle’s already slim chances.
I’d love to see the drought end this year, but I recognize that the focus is still development and penny-pinching.
For the record, I think they should have done more this offseason.
He wasn’t getting the multi year offer he wanted so he went home, where he started and may even still own a house.
If you can’t win with Griffey, ARod, Edgar, Johnson, and Ichiro, what makes you think they can compete with the ringers they have now”
I don’t disagree with the general point as Seattle is lacking stars. But to be fair, Ichiro came after most of that core was gone and Seattle’s best season came when it was just Ichiro and Edgar from that list of names, along with a number of newcomers.
@Luc 2
Who? – Let’s ask all the players and staff who love being Mets and want to stay long term..
Let’s ask the new owner who’s lifelong Mets fan..
And the GM who opted to return.after several years away.
And the manager who worked his way up through the system.
The pitching coach who once pitched for the Mets and is thrilled to be there now in this role.
The hitting coach who signed extension and is so glad to return in person after having to stay away in 2020 due to Covid.
@Luc 2: You say that Paxton (or anyone else) wouldn’t want to play for the Mets because they’re a dumpster fire, yet in the same breath you extol playing for the Mariners, who haven’t made the playoffs in 19 years and have a grand total of 4 playoff appearances in their entire 44 year existence. Sheer stupidity.
He probably wanted The Most $
let me tell ya yus dodged a bullet not getting him anyway I hated watching his starts for the Yankees in the 1st inning he would always toss up a meatball always started 1 down with him on the mound
Paxton is from Lander BC, raised in the PNW. Not at all surprised he doesn’t want to be in New York-money is nice but so is way of life.
Mostly agree but I don’t think the metsies offered 9 million. It would have been just as attractive to pitch in the NL than going closer to home again. Plus, he would be able to throw more fastballs instead of all the sliders in the dirt the Yankees demand.
Violet- let’s see, …play for the team that developed you, the team that is your ‘hometown team’ where the stadium is 2.5 hour drive from where you grew up. Or play for NY for roughly 30% less money, with incentives almost 40% less money. It’s surprising alright haha
haha ur an egg dude !!!
Seattle returns nearly the entire team from last year’s club that featured baseball’s youngest Opening Day roster.
And last year the Mariners registered the ninth-best record in a league that sent eight teams to the postseason … and posted a better record than the Mets.
why the hell does everyone here reference 2020 to base everything on it was a 60 game season it’s not even a allstar weekend in a full season 2020 was a joke in the baseball world well really a joke full stop
A pandemic is no joking matter, Everyone affiliated with Major League Baseball should be commended for getting in any season at all. If only our Federal Government has worked that hard in responding to COVID. But we all know what happened there.
Really? You don’t know? Recency! It may have been short, but it did happen.
Muskie73-Last season matters but it’s hard to count it as a normal season. The Mariners were 68-94 to the Mets being 86-76 in 2019. That’s a huge gap. The Mariners have improved since then. But so have the Mets. I know it’s all on paper. But I think the Mets are better built for a full season and a possible playoff push. I just don’t see that yet with the Mariners. They have lots of young talent. But I think they are a few years away from contending for a play off spot.
Mets were over $2 million less- that is why he chose Seattle
Oh pluuuueeeze not another ex Tampa player in Boston!!!!!!!!!!
What the “Bloom BoSox” need is to get busy to get Odorizzi, Walker, JBJ & some bullpen help. Gotta compete or Bloom will be hung out to dry…being at the bottom of the barrel doesn’t keep his job long, he isn’t working for a small market team any longer!
You guys need to understand Blooms plan. He’s not going to go out and spend big bucks. This team is in such a better position than it was a year ago. The farm system is growing and the 4th overall pick is gonna help with that. If the team doesn’t do well this summer than all the guys we signed will be traded for more prospects. Think of this offseason as a depth year and next year you’ll prob see some bigger moves. Blooms making the Dodgers in Boston which is what the Rays are just without a high payroll.
That small market team made it to the WS without Chaim. They didn’t have a problem with David Price, an ex-Tampa player, taking them to the WS.
LOLMETS
Guys like Odorizzi, Porcello, JBJ, even Taijuan Walker are probably going to have to resign themselves to the fact that they are only likely to get one year contracts at this stage of the offseason. I don’t see teams giving out multi-year deals to any of them
Now that Brody is out of the business, Porcello isn’t get $10mm. Maybe 2. Mets need Walker or Odorizzi.
Odorizzi is the one out of these that I still see getting a multi year deal. The word was that he wants a 3 year, $45 million dollar deal. I doubt he’ll get that, but there are still plenty of teams who need pitching and he’s easily the best option still out there. My prediction is that he gets 2 years, $30-35 million.
I pretty much agree. One thing I’ll say is that I don’t think Walker has earned a multi-year commitment anyway. The 2.70 ERA is really suspect (.243 BABIP, 4.56 FIP, 4.82 xFIP, 4.60 SIERA) and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t fall somewhere around his STEAMER and ZIPS projections.
I can understand why teams have been reluctant to sign Taijuan Walker. But he is still young and I don’t see why a team couldn’t at least take a low-risk deal on him.
@mlb1225
Yes, I agree. I’m not saying that he lacks upside, just that it would be unwise to give him 2-3 guaranteed years at this point.
he simply hasn’t reduced what he thinks he is worth just yet. Soon,
Tigers should go scoop up Odorizzi even on a two-year deal. Could really help stabilize and help the young kids learn the ropes.
Could you repeat that?
Porcello would be a better choice. He’ll be less expensive and has the kind of presence and pitching know-how that young pitchers can benefit from. Bad numbers the last couple of years, but if I had to take one of the remaining SPs he would be my choice. And yes, I watched him pitch for the Mets.
I would agree, plus Porcello has a history of being durable and the one thing the Tigers need is a guy who can take the ball every 5th day and give them 6=7 innings and Porcello is that guy, even with the bad numbers. Not like the Tigers are a contender or anything. Plus who knows, maybe Fetter can work some magic with him and get him back on track.
None of the remaining choices are ideal. Porcello is the feel good pick. Don’t expect more than 5 or 6 innings though. Walker fits better but Avila keeps getting burned by injury on his pitcher signings.
Is Taijuan Walker still out there? To me, he would be just as good, if not better….and cheaper….than either Porcello or Odorizzi….or Anibal Sanchez.
They should trade what they have as a package deal, then basically have an open camp by letting agents have their best shot at pitching unsigned clients to a MLB team. IT’S THE AGENTS’ JOB. If his player comes through, builds credibility. We get that diamond in the rough, the player gets a job. If you think about it, the best scouts are agents.
Think dolenz unit, Boras, wants to sell you a dud?
All contracts should have team options, soit becomes valuable in trade. Al is the best.
Jake deserves a multi-year deal and I still think he gets one. These owners ain’t playing though. Money’s down. Year’s down. On the bright side, as I look outside at the foot and a half of snow blanketing my yard, pitchers and catchers are reporting this week…..
Tigers need to scoop up Odorizzi to help stabilize and team the young kids the ropes.
Atta boy. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.
Bundy, Heaney, Cobb, and Quintana are set to leave after 2021. Pujols contract is off the books too.
Don’t see why a 3 year deal for Tanaka or Odorizzi wasn’t a top priority. Aces? No. But a little stability and a solid arm would’ve been great.
While it seemed like Bauer was never really in the cards after all, I agree it would have been nice if they had signed one of those guys as well. They are still lacking that higher upside type of guy to lead the rotation. Quintana wasn’t a terrible signing, but they really should have been trading for a Darvish or a German Marquez instead of Alex Cobb.
Yeah, I never really believed Bauer was in the cards.
But if the Angels add Tanaka/Odorizzi along with Quintana that’s a much better off season, especially with Iglesias on the back end.
And it eliminates a hole next year.
No, the Cards never were in on Bauer!
No kidding. They’ll have a lot of work to do next offseason as things currently stand.
I think the Angels are in a wait and see mode on Shohei. Yesterday Maddon said Shohei can and should be their ace if he’s healthy and they’re going to evaluate him in Spring Training. If that eval is not as desired, they may see if a guy like Odorizzi is still available.
Red Sox should be in on Aaron Sanchez long before Chaz Roe who’s slider will end up off the monster or over it far too often at this point in his career.
Sanchez is injury prone and hasn’t played in a year.
Paxton showed players go after money anyways most of the time.
Right, Paxton was the one that showed us that…
Not the guy making 40m this year & 45m in ’22, or the 31-year-old outfielder who got a 150m deal.
The Mets weren’t the only players. For all we know, another team may have offered more than Seattle. But the extra day of rest between starts, the staff’s knowledge of him, his comfort and being close to home all likely weighed in on his decision.
They’ve done studies, you know. 60 percent of the time, it works every time.
The Tigers are going to add another starter. I can’t wait to see which 34 + sore armed 6+ era with a pathetic SO:BB ratio ends up taking another OF place on the roster.
Fulmer will do much better this year. He will be ready after a full year off after TJ.
Still young
Well,, I can certainly understand how people could be turned off by the Tigers recently, but come on, today was just the first day of Spring Training. Now if they start the season off at 0-1 then I say burn them. Burn them all ….
Fair weather fans are always the loudest.
Where is Al Avila?
Where is Chris Illich?