The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Cubs signing Shota Imanaga (1:20)
- The Cubs acquiring for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte from the Dodgers (8:30)
- The Yankees signing Marcus Stroman (13:20)
- The Giants agreeing to sign Jordan Hicks (17:50)
- The Braves extending Alex Anthopoulos (22:30)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Ben Cherington of the Pirates has repeatedly said that he would be active in the market for another starting pitcher and another outfielder. With Spring Training starting in about one month, has he given up on this quest? (25:35)
- Why do general managers not come out and say reports are B.S.? Use the Jays as example. They are not interested in Blake Snell but their name gets thrown in for leverage. Should GMs step in and say this report is false? The endless number of sources is ridiculous and leads nowhere except larger pay days or trade hauls because of fake competition. (27:30)
- I think most of the baseball world is getting really sick of the Dodgers and Yankees buying all the major names. It’s terrible for parity and makes for season after season of “wash, rinse, repeat” storylines. Is the league ever going to enact a salary cap? It’s done great things for the other three major sports leagues. What is the reason for the resistance to it? (31:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Teoscar Hernández Signs With L.A. And The Move-Making Mariners and Rays – listen here
- Yoshi Yamamoto Fallout, the Chris Sale/Vaughn Grissom Trade and Transaction Roundup – listen here
- Tyler Glasnow, Jung Hoo Lee, D-Backs’ Signings and the Braves’ Confusing Moves – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Who made this stupid comment:
I think most of the baseball world is getting really sick of the Dodgers and Yankees buying all the major names. It’s terrible for parity and makes for season after season of “wash, rinse, repeat” storylines. Is the league ever going to enact a salary cap? It’s done great things for the other three major sports leagues. What is the reason for the resistance to it?
Yeah the baseball world is up in arms about the Yankees signing Marcus Stroman!
The universe has a way of balancing itself. I’m a Red Sox fan. For every Alex Rodriguez (or Gerritt Cole), there is a Jacoby Ellsbury (or Aaron Hicks).
Anyone that loses to the Yankees lost because they aren’t very good, not because they didn’t have the money
It’s 12 year olds that are mad their team didn’t get the player.
Fan has a point. Were the pirates, braves or reds ever connected to any of the top teir top money free agents in the past century?
Salary cap – owners wold be for it, union, agents would be against it.
How has it done great things for the other sports leagues? ticket prices have ballooned for those leagues and it limits franchise dynasty years.
“Why do general managers not come out and say reports are B.S.?”
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I submit for your consideration: Understanding they are in the entertainment business, and the need to maximize their footprint, denying the reports cuts off a speculative thread.
Details like that would be clarified behind the scene anyway so leaving the thread open extends their reach.
I thought I read before that if a team did publicly state they had no interest in a specific free agent, the MLBPA could file a grievance for lowering what that player is worth on the open market.
You guys could consider listening to the podcast, just sayin’.
My apologies if I missed it …fell asleep after you finished with Anthopolous
Not your “fault” …long work day
I’ll listen when Trevor Bauer is treated fairly by MLBTR. Extortion is bad. That’s the definitive reality of what occurred by everyone paying attention.
Strangely, others who’ve actually been charged for crimes are given more of a fair shake by both the league and MLBTR, yet Bauer is still persona non grata in both, has MLB asked you to omit him from any semblance of speculating upon? We get our weekly (faux?) Snell stories (or does Boras pay to run them?), yet crickets on the former 2020 CY winner. Why? Bauer had similar numbers to Yamamoto’s career numbers, in his very first season in NPB, actually had success in MLB, no posting fee, no arrests, could be had theoretically on a short term deal, by all accounts his teammates love him. Yet, in the last chat, MLBTR comparing Bauer in 2023 to 2024 tells me MLBTR hasn’t even bothered to familiarize themselves with the revelations that’ve come to light about the situation in-between the two seasons.
If Bauer weren’t talented or had a charge pending, or a criminal trial ongoing, I’d get it. But with all the information out now, one would think a course correction would be in order. CBS Sports had Bauer in their top 50 FA’s, because they seem to understand the situation.
TL;DR: I hope no one here ever has false allegations against them in an effort to extort money.
AR, there’s no Bauer news to report because there’s no interest. He’s similar to Barry Bonds that the talent isn’t worth the headache. It more than the recent allegations, it’s also that he’s a complete @$$hole so often.
bonds was 42 and under indictment for lying to congress.
Bauer is early 30s, was falsely accused and is being rail roaded.
Not quite the same thing.
Bonds had a great year the prior season in MLB.
Bauer was mediocre last year in NPB.
Not nearly the same talent level.
I really don’t get how anyone can think he’s still any good. Three years out of the league. Not gonna be the same. Just history now.
Which elementary school provided the questions this week?
Arguably the most underrated city/sports team/stadium (the White Sox) in all of sports and all of the country, You can ask anybody.
Is Stroman to the Jankees official yet? Just curious if he’s gonna wear double zero for his number.
The death of American Baseball happened because too many people questioned the game or needed to wear depends on the field: No sliding into 2nd, No charging the catcher, Instant replay, Magical Runner on 2nd after 9, 3 batter min, Pitch clock…it only gets uglier in the minor leagues. The game played today is incomparable to Babe Ruth’s time much less Hank Aaron, or roid era Big Mac/A-Rod/Bonds. Please don’t shoot the dead horse again by adding a salary cap.
A salary cap would cause too many to stop watching the game altogether as it destroyed the NBA, NHL, and NFL along with its dei counter piece. Trades magically vetoed by an arrogant, power hungry commish. It’s hard enough already, entertaining the idea of never watching my favorite team again, after what the despicable dodgers did this past summer at Chavez Ravine. “I know what you did last summer…”
Also, every team in baseball “should” be handing out backloaded contracts like popcorn, to secure World Series runs for a decade while loading up minor league talent. Ask yourself why are low budget teams not doing this??? Hint hint, they make more money losing with lowest payroll possible. If anything, a “salary basement” should be necessary in order to compete in MLB. They would ask this from any new prospective team attempting to come into the league, why would it be different season to season for every team…especially when ticket/merch/food prices only increase regardless of payroll?
Will not be going back to Chavez Ravine until complete new ownership change and pos corrupt McCourt is gone from the parking lot…cannot continue to support evil.
For now, I’ll reluctantly tune in for Orel H. And Joey D, and hopefully more 92 ROY Karros on the broadcasts!
Scully Out!
I actually like instant replay. Too many egregious missed calls over the years. I’m not sold on the pitch clock, though I’m open to giving it a shot. Baseball is never going to be a fast paced game like basketball, or even a quick start/stop game like football. Agree on all other game alteration points, as well as the salary cap.
The sliding into second and the hand comes off via a hard tag and the guy loses contact for a fraction of a second(only visible on camera) gets called out. Takes 5 minutes for the booth to view it. They need to fix that, it’s horrid. But the calls at first that are missed, I like that aspect. Seem quick, mostly. Too many bad calls there. Roboumps seem inevitable. The check swings at the discretion of the ump, the inconsistency on them is pretty bad too. I detest the pitch clock and the new 3 throws rules. I don’t recognize the game anymore.
silly, the death of baseball has been foretold for at least a century yet the game goes on…
Share local TV revenue equally among all teams.- then we’ll all talk salary basements. You are aware that the Yankees and Dodgets routinely make more in profit than about 15 markets make in total REVENUE? I get it, you’re from a large market, so you’ve never been forced to actually study the economics of baseball in any detail, you just parrot back the lines from the media and player’s union as gospel – when the reality is that most of that is a bald-faced lie.
The MLB is a dying sport because it doesn’t attract younger audiences. It’s a hard game to learn, even harder to be good at, kids aren’t interested in playing it. Many professionals don’t even understand fundamentals of the game, let alone have the knowledge to execute a fundamental play effectively (most can’t slide to save their lives, for example).
*I think most of the baseball world is getting really sick of the Dodgers and Yankees buying all the major names*
Can we stop with the narrative with the Yankees, it isn’t nearly true. Low hanging fruit, click-baity, and immediate loss of credibility. Something ESPN would post.
Would it have been nice to sign Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell, Montgomery, and Hader? Sure.
A lot of speculation about about Morel and Mervis and Busch. I think Hoyer brought in Counsell to answer those questions.
As a Giants fan, it can be frustrating. But chances are that some of those contracts aren’t working out. And it is all the more gratifying ducking the fodgers. And dead money is never a good thing. We will be heard from again.
Sooner than you may think.
If they get lucky on a few more of their prospects they will have an exciting young team evolving.
The premise of the last bullet item & last point of discussion is stupid. Let’s take a look at some of it’s moronic “points”:
1) “the baseball world is getting really sick of the Dodgers and Yankees buying all the major names.”
The Yankees bought ONE notable player this year, a pitcher who might be their 4th starter, and likely won’t be more than their #3 starter. WOW, what a major buy, eh?! They brought back Judge, their player last year, and Carlos Rendón, which they now likely regret.
And how many World Series have the Yankees been IN or WON the past 14 Years? N-O-N-E !
The Dodgers, who did go on a spending spree this year, have WON ONE World Series & LOST TWO since 2009. An Impressive display of dominance, eh?
2) “the Dodgers and Yankees (have been) buying ALL THE MAJOR NAMES”
Yes, who can forget when the Yankees & Dodgers signed:
Bryce Harper, Justin Verlander, Manny Machado, Max Scherzer, Jim Thome, Cliff Lee, Adrián Beltré, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramírez, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Aaron Nola, Trevor Story, Vladimir Guerrero, Yoenis Céspedes, José Bautista, Edwin Encarnación, Zack Greinke, David Price, J.T. Realmuto, Jayson Werth, Chris Davis, Jason Heyward, Hanley Ramírez, Robinson Cano, David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Nelson Cruz, George Springer, Anthony Rendon, Marcus Semien, Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts
OH, WAIT, MY BAD, NONE OF THOSE STARS SIGNED SIGNED WITH THE YANKEES OR DODGERS.
Wow, I guess the whole premise of this podcast was Complete B.S.!
3) Why aren’t they asking Why There’s No Salary Floor, so past & current tanking teams, like the A’s, Orioles, and others, can’t screw their fan base by fielding Triple-A teams while charging MLB prices for tickets & $10 for crap beer?
Mantle, it was a reader question, not a statement by MLBTR, and it’s not like Darragh and Tim said, “Yep, we agree 100%!”
As Tim commented above, maybe listen to the podcast. Otherwise, your ill-informed comment looks like “Complete B.S.!”
Why address a moronic topic, gbs42? We see enough of the in politics today. Do we really need to see or hear it in a podcast?
AND THAT’S WHY I DIDN’T LISTEN TO A DISCUSSION OF A STUPID SUBJECT!
It’s like listening to Trump talk about windmills causing brain cancer. Why listen when the subject matter itself is stupid?