Cespedes Seeks Free Agent Contract Of 6+ Years
2015/09/cespedes-seeks-free-agent-contract-of-6-years.htmlIf you're interested in hearing a bit more on where Cespedes stands at this early stage, check out the analysis…… That's a relatively minor consideration at that level of the market, but could move the needle somewhat.
AL West Notes: Iwakuma, Samardzija, Astros, Angels
2015/07/al-west-notes-iwakuma-samardzija-astros-angels.htmlIwakuma's name -- and the Mariners' likely reluctance to sell -- are both topics that came up on today's edition of the MLBTR Podcast. … With a string of three consecutive strong starts under his belt, Hisashi Iwakuma would make for an interesting trade candidate, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Pitching Notes: Hamels, Cueto, Kazmir, Haren
2015/07/kazmir-cueto-haren-hamels-trade.html(Jeff Todd and I have previously discussed that very trend in Beane's trades on the MLBTR Podcast.)… For what it's worth, Bradford writes that despite Hamels' recent struggles, he isn't injured.
Heyman’s Latest: Dodgers/Hamels, Braves, Frazier, Price, Brewers, Upton
2015/07/cole-hamels-dodgers-trade.html(Frazier has one more year of arbitration following his current pact.) Jeff Todd and I have discussed Frazier's situation on the MLBTR Podcast in the past (and will do so again this afternoon), and I've personally taken the stance that given the significant commitments to Joey Votto and Homer Bailey, the Reds could have a difficult time affording Frazier, whose 2014-15 breakout has hugely inflated his price tag. … One NL exec called him the best player he's seen in the minors this year, while another comped him to Francisco Lindor, but said Arcia is better.
Angels Attempting To Keep Jerry Dipoto As GM
2015/07/angels-attempting-to-keep-jerry-dipoto-as-gm.htmlIf you're interested in getting some more insight on Klentak, give a listen to his appearance on the MLBTR Podcast back in October. … Whatever the long-term prospects are for Dipoto and Scioscia to deliver harmonious and successful leadership for the Angels, it is obvious that this is not an opportune time to make a change in the GM seat.
AL Central Notes: Buxton, Twins, Sox, Ramirez, Royals, Santana
2015/06/al-central-notes-buxton-twins-sox-ramirez-royals-santana.htmlRosenthal wonders if Carlos Santana may eventually be made available -- a topic on which Jeff Todd and I have speculated regularly on the MLBTR Podcast (including just last week). … Specifically, Ryan said that Miguel Sano's bat is well ahead of his glove, adding that while that's OK, he does need to continue to improve his fielding and all-around game.
NL West Notes: Castillo, Olivera, Jansen, Peralta
2015/06/nl-west-notes-castillo-olivera-jansen-peralta.htmlThat deal is a subject that Steve Adams and I tackle in today's podcast, which will be available in a few hours. … Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable last night for unknown and somewhat mysterious reasons, as Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports.
Cubs Among Teams Showing Interest In Rafael Soriano
2015/05/cubs-among-teams-showing-interest-in-rafael-soriano.htmlThe bullpen was one of many Cubs-related issues that Mooney discussed with Jeff Todd in a guest appearance on yesterday's…… James Russell has looked solid since re-signing with the Cubs shortly after his release from Atlanta, and the return of Justin Grimm from the disabled list is expected to be a boost.
Cubs Notes: Baez, Bryant, Russell, Maddon, Castro
2015/05/cubs-notes-baez-bryant-russell-maddon-castro.htmlEarlier today, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago appeared with host Jeff Todd on this week's edition of the MLBTR Podcast, and the two discussed a variety of Cubs topics, from the Welington Castillo trade to Starlin Castro and the team's rotation. … Via David Kaplan of CSN Chicago (on Twitter), GM Jed Hoyer said that the Cubs "...want to take our time on Javy Baez.
Amateur Notes: Draft, Fulmer, Kolek, Martinez
2015/05/amateur-notes-draft-fulmer-kolek-martinez.htmlAgent Joshua Kusnick discussed the draft from an advisor's perspective in a podcast with Ryan Sullivan (draft talk begins around the 24:00 mark), sharing his thoughts on the slotting system and the possibility of a worldwide draft, among other issues. … You'll need to read the piece to understand the concept, but McDaniel uses that classification for a subset of players…
Shields Can Opt Out Of Padres Contract After 2016 Season
2015/02/shields-can-opt-out-of-padres-contract-after-2016-season.htmlAs Jeff Todd and I discussed on yesterday's MLBTR Podcast, Shields didn't end up on a one-year deal, and it's hard to call a contract that handily tops the deals inked by similarly aged peers such as Ervin Santana and Mark Buehrle a failure or a misstep. … That said, it's puzzling to see the criticism for Shields when both he and Odle have adamantly refuted the notion that he ever received/rejected a five-year, $110MM offer.
International Notes: Tejada, Ibanez, Kang
2015/01/international-notes-tejada-ibanez-kang.htmlThe transition from playing in one country to another can be difficult on many levels, as Ryan Sadowski -- now the first-ever full-time international scout for the KBO's Lotte Giants -- explained to me on a recent episode of the MLBTR podcast. … All said, he is a better prospect than Roberto Baldoquin, who just landed $8MM from the Angels, in Badler's estimation.
Pirates Sign Jung-ho Kang
2015/01/pirates-jung-ho-kang-agree-to-terms.htmlLikewise, former MLB and KBO pitcher Ryan Sadowski, now with Global Sporting Integration, said that he feels Kang can absolutely be a regular player and hit about 20 homers per season at the big league level when he spoke with Jeff Todd on the MLBTR Podcast. … Kang has said that his preference is to play third base if he has to move off shortstop, per Jeeho Yoo of Korea's Yonhap News Agency (Twitter link), as he's more familiar with that position.
Pirates Nearing Four-Year Deal With Jung-ho Kang
2015/01/pirates-nearing-four-year-deal-with-jung-ho-kang.htmlLikewise, former MLB and KBO pitcher Ryan Sadowski, now with Global Sporting Integration, said that he feels Kang can absolutely be a regular player and hit about 20 homers per season at the big league level when he spoke with Jeff Todd on the MLBTR Podcast. … Pittsburgh won the bidding for Korea's top player last month with a $5,002,015 posting fee.
Pirates Win Bidding For Jung-ho Kang
2014/12/pirates-win-bidding-for-jung-ho-kang.htmlRecently, Ryan Sadowski of Global Sporting Integration appeared with Jeff Todd on the MLBTR Podcast and discussed Kang in detail. … While his numbers are undeniably incredible, it should be noted that KBO is an extremely hitter-friendly environment, somewhat diminishing the impact of those eye-popping numbers.
Nexen Accepts Jung-ho Kang Posting Fee From Unknown MLB Team
2014/12/nexen-expected-to-accept-jung-ho-kang-posting-fee-from-unknown-mlb-team.htmlBe sure to give a listen to this week's podcast for great insight on Kang from former MLB and KBO…… Otherwise, the team would owe that $5MM on top of whatever contractual terms it reaches with Kang.
AL Notes: Donaldson, Moss, Markakis, Tigers, Twins, Smoak
2014/12/al-notes-donaldson-moss-markakis-tigers-twins-smoak.htmlWe'll take a closer look at Oakland on today's podcast, which features beat reporter Jane Lee of MLB.com. … What Detroit would ask for in return for these starters remains a mystery, Rosenthal adds.
Padres Notes: Kotsay, Bats, Headley, Everth, Johnson
2014/12/padres-notes-kotsay-bats-headley-everth-johnson.htmlFree agent starter Josh Johnson is still weighing offers from multiple teams, agent Matt Sosnick told MLBTR in last week's podcast (around the 18:00 mark). … "He's a pretty loyal guy," said Sosnick, such that "the chances are he probably goes back to San Diego." Johnson's representative explained that the righty was drawing "a ton of interest" from other clubs, but valued many things about his relationship with the Padres.
Latest On Cole Hamels
2014/11/latest-on-cole-hamels-2.htmlMLBTR's Tim Dierkes discussed Hamels' value on today's podcast (at about the 27:50 mark), arguing that Hamels would probably take down a bigger contract than Jon Lester were he on the open market. … In a follow-up to his piece last night analyzing the Phillies' options with regard to a possible Cole Hamels deal, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark provides a series of interesting notes, all via Twitter.
Trade Deadline Links: Price Trade, Red Sox, Phillies
2014/08/trade-deadline-links-price-trade-red-sox-phillies.htmlTigers GM Dave Dombrowski joined ESPN.com's Buster Olney on his podcast (audio link) to discuss the David Price trade. … In his podcast today (audio link), Jonah Keri of Grantland spoke with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports about the trade deadline and what it means the rest of the way.
Quick Hits: Prospects, Hoyer, Sabathia
2014/07/quick-hits-prospects-hoyer-sabathia.htmlJed Hoyer discussed several Cubs topics with David Kaplan and David Haugh on their podcast this morning, including how the general manager believes the offseason will be a busy one for his team. … "I expect us to be far more active this winter than last winter," Hoyer said.
Trade Deadline Notes: D’Backs, Price, Zobrist, Lee, Cubs
2014/06/trade-deadline-notes-dbacks-price-zobrist-lee.htmlIn today's Baseball Tonight podcast (audio link), ESPN's Buster Olney says that hears the Cubs will approach this year's deadline as they did in 2013, dealing one pitcher early as they did with Scott Feldman last year and waiting until later to move a second, as they did with Matt Garza. … After what he described as a "light throwing session," Lee said that his elbow was feeling "better." Of course, he would need to make it back for at least a few starts to allow Philadelphia to recoup anything close to maximum value were they to shop him.
Draft Links: Astros, Gordon, Howard, Top 5
2014/05/draft-links-astros-gordon-howard-top-5.htmlLaw appeared with ESPN's Buster Olney on today's Baseball Tonight Podcast to discuss a host of draft-related topics (Law appears from the 23:00 mark to the 45:00 mark). … One agent tells Heyman that he thinks Houston will look to cut a deal, with a second agent telling him the Astros are "all about the deal" and rival executives expressing that they simply can't even guess what the Astros and GM Jeff Luhnow will do.
AL East Notes: Morales, O’s, Francisco, Yankees
2014/05/al-east-notes-morales-os-francisco-yankees.htmlOrioles executive VP Dan Duquette appeared on Buster Olney's podcast today and discussed a variety of topics, including Kendrys Morales (Duquette appears around the 27:00 mark). … "I like Chris and Matt on the ball club, but having said that, we've already made that effort, and I'm not really going to be discussing that this year during the season with those players." Both Wieters and Davis are Scott Boras clients, which makes the task of hammering out a long-term deal a more difficult one, as Boras typically encourages his players to go year-to-year and test the open market.
AL Notes: Angels, Tigers, Baker
2014/05/al-notes-angels-tigers-baker.htmlIn his podcast today (audio link), ESPN.com's Buster Olney touched on several topics relating to the Tigers. … He indicated that Detroit's evaluators seemingly placed a higher value on Ray than did other teams around the league, saying that Ray "projects to be at least a number-three starter." Though the club does not expect him to reach that level (let alone his potential ceiling) during his first call-up, Dombrowski said that Ray has thrown well enough at Triple-A to earn a chance to fill in at the big league level.