MLBTR Originals

We previously re-lived the 50 biggest stories of the 2015-16 offseason on a looooong Twitter thread. People seemed to like the concept but some were less than enthused by the cluttered Twitter feed. This time, we’ll do it in a post.

If you need a refresher on the 2014-15 market, you can peruse these background materials:

• MLBTR Top 50 Free Agents
• All 12 Players Decline Qualifying Offer
• 2014-15 Team-by-Team Offseason Outlook
• 2014-15 Team-by-Team Offseason In Review

Here’s how the fifty biggest moves (in my view) ultimately played out, with links to the original MLBTR posts:

• 11/10/14 Mets Sign Michael Cuddyer “Essentially, by turning down the qualifying offer, Cuddyer guaranteed himself an additional $5.7MM and a second year.”
• 11/14/14 Tigers Sign Victor Martinez “He was reportedly the Tigers’ top priority this offseason, and the team characteristically struck quickly … “
• 11/17/14 Cardinals Acquire Jason Heyward From Braves For Shelby Miller “A blockbuster in every sense of the word … “
• 11/18/14 Blue Jays Sign Russell Martin “The contract is a major commitment to a catcher who will turn 32 years old in February … “
• 11/19/14 Athletics Sign Billy Butler “A rough 2014 season reduced his value but certainly could not detract entirely from his solid track record and young age.”
• 11/25/14 Red Sox Sign Pablo Sandoval “Sandoval, 28, had spent his entire seven-year Major League career with the Giants, becoming a fan favorite due to his “Kung Fu Panda” persona and his clutch bat.”
• 11/25/14 Red Sox Sign Hanley Ramirez “It’s clear that the Red Sox are looking to amass as many top bats as possible in the increasingly pitching-dominated league.”
• 11/25/14 White Sox Sign Adam LaRoche “Left-handed power has been a priority for the Sox this offseason, and LaRoche will bring just that to the table … “
• 11/28/14 Blue Jays Acquire Josh Donaldson “This deal’s franchise-changing implications are evident on its face.”
• 12/3/14 Braves Sign Nick Markakis “For Atlanta, the move marks yet another fascinating plot point in an offseason of change.”
• 12/3/14 Blue Jays Acquire J.A. Happ From Mariners For Michael Saunders “Both teams have been aggressive in adding talent early in the offseason, and this move seems to set up additional action for each.”
• 12/4/14 Mariners Sign Nelson Cruz “He arguably provides the Mariners with the best power upgrade money could buy on the free agent market.”
• 12/5/14 Yankees Acquire Didi Gregorius In 3-Team Deal With Tigers, Diamondbacks “The Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers have officially announced a three-team trade sending shortstop Didi Gregorius from the D-Backs to the Yankees, right-hander Shane Greene from the Yankees to the Tigers, and left-hander Robbie Ray and infield prospect Domingo Leyba to the Diamondbacks.”
• 12/5/14 Yankees Sign Andrew Miller “Miller will pair with Dellin Betances — an electric breakout story himself — at the back of the Yankee bullpen, giving manager Joe Girardi a pair of dominant late-inning options.”
• 12/8/14 Indians Acquire Brandon Moss “The Indians will gladly roll the dice on a recovery, especially since the club will have a chance to decide whether to tender Moss after the season.”
• 12/9/14 White Sox Acquire Jeff Samardzija “Samardzija was born in Indiana, grew up a White Sox fan, and of course played most of his previous big-league career with the Cubs, so his return to Chicago will represent a homecoming.”
• 12/9/14 Diamondbacks Sign Yasmany Tomas “The 70-grade raw power is the right-handed hitter’s calling card. His other tools appear largely to be average or slightly below, and it remains unclear precisely what position Tomas will play and how his defensive ability will shake out.”
• 12/10/14 White Sox Sign David Robertson “Some observers felt that the White Sox were in need of a rebuild this winter, but they apparently believe very strongly that they can win in 2015.”
• 12/11/14 Tigers Acquire Yoenis Cespedes From Red Sox For Rick Porcello “With generally equivalent contractual situations between the two players — Porcello will cost slightly more, but comes with the possibility of a qualifying offer — this deal is a fairly straightforward talent swap.”
• 12/11/14 Dodgers, Marlins Agree To 7-Player Trade “With the Dodgers reportedly open to dealing Gordon and the Marlins open to trading from their surplus of young arms, the two made sense as trade partners, especially with Miami rather thin in the middle infield.”
• 12/11/14 Dodgers Acquire Howie Kendrick “The Angels were said to be targeting young pitching for much of the offseason, and they’ve now landed one of the game’s top prospects in Heaney.”
• 12/11/14 Marlins Acquire Mat Latos “Though Latos has had some recent arm issues, he is an excellent performer when healthy.”
• 12/11/14 Tigers Acquire Alfredo Simon “Simon comes with plenty of questions as to whether he can repeat his effort.”
• 12/12/14 Cubs Sign Jason Hammel “Signing Hammel would help them stabilize the middle of their rotation, but presumably would not preclude them from continuing to pursue an ace like Lester.”
• 12/12/14 Red Sox Acquire Wade Miley “While Miley isn’t the durable lefty the Red Sox were hoping to land during the Winter Meetings, Miley is at least younger and far cheaper than Jon Lester … “
• 12/12/14 Astros Sign Luke Gregerson “The deal may be surprising at first glance, but only if you have not been paying attention to how good Gregerson has been.”
• 12/14/14 White Sox Sign Melky Cabrera “The move continues an offseason transformation for the White Sox … “
• 12/15/14 Twins Sign Ervin Santana “By acting more quickly this time around, he was able to secure the multi-year pact he was looking for.”
• 12/15/14 Yankees Sign Chase Headley “Even if Headley’s 2012 was the offensive peak of his career — and his numbers since that time suggest that it was — the switch-hitter can still bring plenty of value as an average to above-average bat capable of playing elite defense at third base.”
• 12/15/14 Pirates Sign Francisco Liriano “For an organization that has seen its fortunes change over the last two years, the investment in a major free agent represents both a continuation and departure.”
• 12/15/14 Astros Sign Jed Lowrie “The 30-year-old Lowrie will serve as Houston’s shortstop in the early stages of the contract — presumably until top prospect Carlos Correa is ready to take over the position.”
• 12/16/14 Cubs Sign Jon Lester “In Chicago, Lester will front the rotation of an emerging Cubs team that was on the lookout for top-level pitching to complement their outstanding core of young hitting.”
• 12/16/14 Dodgers Sign Brandon McCarthy “A four-year guarantee would’ve seemed like a fantasy for McCarthy as recently as last summer when he had a 5.01 ERA through 18 starts with Arizona.”
• 12/18/14 Padres Acquire Matt Kemp “The trade was just one of several major transactions for the Dodgers during a frenzied Winter Meetings.”
• 12/19/14 Padres Acquire Wil Myers In Three-Team Trade With Rays, Nats “Unpacking this deal is not easy, but it certainly begins with Myers — not only the marquee piece of this trade, but also the key player in the deal that sent James Shields to the Royals two years ago.”
• 12/19/14 Padres Acquire Justin Upton “New Padres GM A.J. Preller has completely reshaped his club’s offense in about one week’s time … “
• 12/19/14 Marlins Acquire Martin Prado ” The Marlins will receive Prado, Phelps, and cash in exchange for Eovaldi, Jones, and German.”
• 12/23/14 Giants Sign Jake Peavy “While the level of production he showed in the season’s second half is very likely to come back down to Earth, there’s no doubt that a full-time move to AT&T Park and the NL West will be of benefit to Peavy’s numbers.”
• 12/31/14 Dodgers Sign Brett Anderson “Anderson is still only 26 years old and has generally been quite effective when healthy. But he has not thrown over 100 innings since 2010 … “
• 1/10/15 Athletics Acquire Ben Zobrist“The Rays’ haul is considerable, as one would expect given Zobrist’s considerable talents.”
• 1/14/15 Astros Acquire Evan Gattis “By adding Gattis, the Astros are adding another big right-handed bat to a lineup that already features two of them … “
• 1/16/15 Pirates Sign Jung Ho Kang “Some scouts do think that Kang can be a regular in the Majors.”
• 1/19/15 Rangers Acquire Yovani Gallardo  “In terms of performance, Gallardo has had his ups and downs but is undoubtedly a quality arm.”
• 1/19/15 Cubs Acquire Dexter Fowler From Astros For Valbuena, Straily “It’s a win-now move for both teams, with the Cubs trading from depth to upgrade their outfield and the Astros getting a new third baseman and adding rotation insurance.”
• 1/22/15 Nationals Sign Max Scherzer “The Nationals have officially agreed to sign the market’s top starting pitcher to join a rotation that already ranked among the league’s best.”
• 2/11/15 Padres Sign James Shields “The deal continues an enormous offseason makeover for the Padres … “
• 3/12/15 Red Sox Sign Yoan Moncada “Moncada, a 19-year-old switch-hitting infielder, is the most sought-after international prospect in recent history.”
• 3/24/15 Dodgers Sign Hector Olivera  “The Dodgers outbid several teams for Olivera’s services, as the Padres, Marlins, Braves, Giants, Mariners, Yankees, Twins and A’s were said to have varying degrees of interest.”
• 4/5/15 Padres Acquire Craig Kimbrel, Melvin Upton “The Padres are beginning the 2015 season with yet another blockbuster trade … “
• 4/27/15 Rangers Acquire Josh Hamilton “Today’s trade brings to a close a tenure with the Angels that was marred not only by this most recent controversy, but also by injuries and a failure to live up to the lofty expectations that came along with his hefty five-year, $125MM contract.”

 

 

Here’s a fun exercise during a time without much real baseball: Imagine you’re an expansion general manager who can take one player from 26 of the game’s 30 rosters to build a full major league team. You can’t steal any prospects, though, so someone like Wander Franco’s off limits, and there are going to be occasions where you’ll have to draft for need instead of talent. That might mean passing on someone’s superstar for a comparatively nondescript player at a different position. For the most part, you also have to take affordability and team control into account. Here’s what I came up with…

National League East:

• Braves – Ronald Acuna Jr., outfielder: A 22-year-old superstar who’s signed to a team-friendly contract through at least 2026 (and possibly ’28 depending on club options)? Don’t mind if I do.
• Nationals – Juan Soto, outfielder: I’ve quickly filled my starting corner outfield with Acuna and Soto, 21. The spectacular Soto brings five years of team control to the table.
• Mets – Jacob deGrom, starting pitcher: He’s on the wrong side of 30 (he’ll be 32 in June) and owed $120.5MM through 2023, but I’m OK with spending big on a back-to-back National League Cy Young winner. I’ve got my ace.
• Phillies – Aaron Nola, starting pitcher: Nola will probably be a back-end starter on this team, which is not a knock on him. The soon-to-be 27-year-old’s a proven righty who will make roughly a guaranteed $35MM through 2022. That’s not much relative to his value, and Nola’s also controllable in 2023 by way of what currently looks like a reasonable $16MM club option.
• Marlins – Brian Anderson, third baseman/outfielder: He’s overqualified for a bench spot, but that’s a role Anderson will fill on this roster. He’ll be in the mix for four years, including one more pre-arbitration season.

National League West:

• Dodgers – Walker Buehler, starting pitcher: There are certainly multiple appealing options in LA, but I’ll take the budding ace in Buehler, who’s 25 and won’t become a free agent until after 2024.
• Diamondbacks – Ketel Marte, middle infield/outfield: This is an easy pick, as the versatile 26-year-old is fresh off a near-MVP season and will continue to play on a bargain contract for a few more seasons. He’ll make a combined $14MM over the next two years, and comes with a pair of affordable club options totaling $22MM.
• Giants – Pass.
• Rockies – Scott Oberg, reliever: Kind of a strange pick when the likes of Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Jon Gray and German Marquez are on the roster, but I’m picking for need here and trying to keep the budget down. Oberg, 30, put up his second straight terrific season in 2019, and having inked a three-year, $13MM deal in December, the hope is that he’ll continue to provide plenty of surplus value.
• Padres – Emilio Pagan, reliever: Passing on Fernando Tatis Jr. looks insane, but I feel OK about finding a high-end young shortstop later. This is another need filled at a low price – Pagan, 29, is quietly excellent and under control through 2023.

National League Central:

• Cardinals – Jack Flaherty, starting pitcher: Sign me up for a front-end rotation piece who’s 24 and won’t be eligible to hit free agency until after 2023.
• Brewers – Josh Hader, reliever: Christian Yelich is the best player on the Brewers and maybe the best player in the NL. However, I already have my corner outfield set with Acuna and Soto, and I have a certain someone in mind for center. That leaves me with the two-time reigning NL Reliever of the Year in Hader, another star who’s not slated to visit the open market until after 2023.
• Cubs – Willson Contreras, catcher: I’ve got my starting backstop, a big-hitting, cannon-armed 27-year-old with three seasons’ control left. That sounds good. I’ll have that.
• Reds – Pass. Many talented players on the Reds, but no one who fits on this particular roster.
• Pirates – Bryan Reynolds, outfielder: Like the aforementioned Brian Anderson, Reynolds is ridiculously overqualified for a bench role, but he’ll nonetheless be a sub on this club.

American League East:

• Yankees – Gleyber Torres, shortstop: A Marte-Torres middle infield sounds pretty appealing. Torres is still just 23, and he won’t become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.
• Rays – Nick Anderson, reliever: He’s not the best or most valuable player on the Rays by a long shot, but the 29-year-old Anderson’s yet another major threat out of the bullpen – one who fits this team. MLBTR’s TC Zencka recently wrote about Anderson’s ascent.
• Red Sox – Rafael Devers, third baseman: The infield’s almost full now. Devers is a 23-year-old who nearly put up 6.0 fWAR in 2019 and still has four seasons of control remaining.
• Blue Jays – Ken Giles, reliever: It would be easy to grab Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette here, but I don’t have starting spots for either one. Ergo, with relief help still a need, I’m taking the one-year rental in Giles.
• Orioles – Pass.

American League West:

• Astros – Yordan Alvarez, outfielder/first baseman: I’m picking the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, 22, as my designated hitter.
• Athletics – Matt Olson, first baseman: The infield’s now complete. The 26-year-old Olson’s a power-hitting defensive standout who can’t be a free agent until after 2023.
• Rangers – Jose Leclerc, reliever: This is another selection that puts need and affordability at the forefront. The flamethrowing Leclerc has four guaranteed seasons and less than $20MM on his deal, not to mention a $6.25MM club option for 2024.
• Angels – Mike Trout, outfielder: Who else but a living legend? And who wouldn’t sign up for an outfield of Acuna and Soto flanking Trout?
• Mariners – Tom Murphy, catcher: Contreras’ backup, and as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote last month, someone who was really effective last season.

American League Central:

• Twins – Taylor Rogers, reliever: This is another example of addressing a need over choosing a team’s top player, but that’s not to say Rogers is a slouch. The 29-year-old lefty has kept runs off the board with aplomb throughout his career and still has three years of control left.
• Indians – Shane Bieber, starting pitcher: This soon-to-be 25-year-old workhorse comes with a half-decade of control.
• White Sox – Aaron Bummer, reliever: In a vacuum, this is a bad pick. After all, the White Sox have the likes of Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Lucas Giolito on their roster. Again, though, this is an example of mixing need with long-term affordability. Bummer, 26, was lights-out last season, and he signed a club-friendly extension after that.
• Royals – Whit Merrifield, second baseman/outfielder: The All-Star will be coming off the bench, which is a testament to how good this roster is.
• Tigers – Pass.

There you have it. Here’s an overview of the roster …

Starting Lineup:

• Catcher – Willson Contreras
• First baseman – Matt Olson
• Second baseman – Ketel Marte
• Shortstop – Gleyber Torres
• Third baseman – Rafael Devers
• Center field – Mike Trout
• Right field – Ronald Acuna Jr.
• Left field – Juan Soto
• Designated hitter – Yordan Alvarez

Bench:

• Brian Anderson, Bryan Reynolds, Tom Murphy, Whit Merrifield

Rotation:

• Jacob deGrom, Aaron Nola, Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, Shane Bieber

Bullpen:

• Scott Oberg, Emilio Pagan, Josh Hader, Nick Anderson, Ken Giles, Jose Leclerc, Taylor Rogers, Aaron Bummer

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Based on the criteria I followed, that’s my 26-man team. It was enjoyable and challenging to construct. Feel free to put together your own roster.