tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Nov 11, 2019 11:53:52 GMT -5
I'll start with the Cubs. They could be very active. Its time for Theo to "break up the band" after three consecutive years of diminishing returns.
I say first up is trying to trade Kris Bryant. This team has like, well, a few #3 or #4 starting pitchers (Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and one that's likely not to be re-signed in Cole Hamels). Jon Lester has had quite the career, but is finally hitting the wall. Yu Darvish is the best of them and that's not a good scenario for any team hoping to rebound.
So clearly this team that is historically unable to select and develop pitching, is in dire need of some. MLB Trade Rumors says trading Willson Contreras is the likeliest scenario.
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A Willson Contreras trade won’t do the Cubs any favors in 2020, but it’s more preferable than moving any of the team’s other star players, opines Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic. Some rival organizations believe Chicago will indeed make that move this offseason, and there would surely be ample interest in the 27-year-old catcher if the Cubs put him on the market. Contreras is one of baseball’s best offensive catchers, and the Cubs maintain that he’ll improve as a pitch framer, although as Sharma notes, he continues to rate near the bottom of the league in that category. Parting ways with a franchise catcher isn’t ideal, but the Cubs do at least have a strong internal replacement available in Víctor Caratini. The same can’t be said for shortstop, third base, or first base, so a trade of Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, or Anthony Rizzo is tougher to envision. The Cubs don’t have to trade any of those players, Sharma points out, although ownership seems unlikely to green-light a major payroll increase and the MLB pitching staff and minor-league system both need augmenting.
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tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Nov 11, 2019 11:56:17 GMT -5
Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors speculates on what will become of late-blooming A's shortstop Marcus Semien.
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Marcus Semien emerged as a true star in 2019. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs despite playing in a pitcher-friendly home park (137 wRC+). Semien’s walk rate spiked to a career-high 11.6%, he cut his strikeout rate to a career-low 13.7%, and easily set career marks in every power metric. The baseball traveling further than ever certainly helped, but Semien also set new career highs in hard contact rate and average exit velocity.
He was also as reliable as they come for manager Bob Melvin. Semien started 161 games at shortstop and rated as one of the league’s most valuable defenders, reaping the rewards of an elite work ethic which the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal chronicled in June. Those well-rounded contributions (he was worth 7.6 fWAR, fifth-most in MLB) have Semien alongside Mike Trout and Alex Bregman as finalists for the AL MVP award.
This offseason, though, could present an interesting question for A’s president of baseball operations Billy Beane and general manager David Forst. Semien has 5.118 years of MLB service, meaning he’s entering his final season of team control. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects Semien to land a $13.5MM salary in arbitration this offseason. That’s a huge bargain for the production Semien brings to the table, even if one is skeptical he’ll maintain his superstar level numbers next season. That said, it’s not inconsequential for an A’s team that ended last season with a $94MM payroll, per Roster Resource, but is currently projected to exceed $111MM in 2020. A big class of potential non-tenders, as explored by MLBTR’s Connor Byrne in his A’s Offseason Outlook, will surely cut that number down, but Oakland doesn’t figure to have a ton of financial flexibility this offseason.
That could lead to some speculation about Semien’s long-term future. By all accounts, player and organization remain extremely fond of one another, but at last look, there seemed to be little movement on extension talks. That’s not to say the sides will give up on hammering out a long-term agreement, but one coming together seems unlikely. After all, the 29-year-old has little financial incentive to give a hometown discount (and it would truly be a hometown discount, as Semien is from the Bay Area and attended college at UC Berkeley) being so close to free agency. The A’s, of course, aren’t typically ones to top the market on star players.
While Oakland no doubt hopes to contend in 2020, the AL West will be formidable. The Astros will again be heavy favorites coming off a 107-win season, and the Angels are widely expected to pursue the market’s top free agent starters. Perhaps the time is right for the A’s to gauge Semien’s value on the trade market, particularly if they don’t anticipate coming to an agreement on an extension. A Semien trade would be unpopular among A’s fans, but it wouldn’t be the first time Oakland traded a star player in his prime.
Assuming Semien doesn’t settle for less than he’s worth on the open market to stay in Oakland, how should the A’s proceed? Get a deal done with Semien at all costs and build around a likable, hometown star? Make the unpopular move to send him away after he’s fully blossomed, but perhaps at peak value? Or play it out, make a run for a third straight postseason appearance and recoup a compensatory draft pick if/when Semien leaves in free agency?
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tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Nov 13, 2019 11:44:04 GMT -5
Even as the Astros fend off yet another controversy, they’re working to tweak an exceptionally talented roster. And GM Jeff Luhnow says that a key focus for the winter is to buttress a rotation that stands to lose key pieces to free agency, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.
That’s not exactly surprising; it was obvious that something would need to be done with ace Gerrit Cole and sturdy veteran Wade Miley departing, to say nothing of Collin McHugh and (likely) Aaron Sanchez. Even with Lance McCullers Jr. slated to return — with Brad Peacock, Jose Urquidy, and Josh James also options to join Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke — there’s a dearth of reliable innings on hand. But it was not entirely clear just how the ’Stros would go about filling in.
Luhnow made clear that the organization would like to come away from the hot stove season with multiple veteran additions to the rotation mix. “I’d prefer to have two because more options is better,” he said, “but it’s going to come down to what we can actually get done and what our value proposition is.”
It doesn’t sound as if the Astros necessarily feel a need to add a pair of surefire starters. Luhnow spoke of a “need to build that list” of “eight or nine guys competing for five spots.” And he noted that some additions could be promised a starting spot, while others might be brought into compete for one.
As Rome highlights, there’s an interesting question here for Luhnow — or, perhaps, for owner Jim Crane. The team has expressed a desire not to move past the luxury tax line, but that doesn’t leave much free payroll to work with. And Luhnow again emphasized a desire to avoid tying up too much future spending capacity, saying: “In general, the more flexibility we give ourselves in the future, the better off we’re going to be as an organization.”
There are numerous directions the Astros could take here. It’ll obviously depend upon the opportunities available — the “value proposition,” as Luhnow frames it — along with the team’s willingness to spend and decisions on investing in other areas of need. Landing the next Miley or Charlie Morton would surely be ideal, though that requires both the identification of an undervalued asset and the ability to reach agreement before another team swoops in. There are quite a few notable hurlers entering free agency this winter. It’ll be fascinating to see how the ’Stros end up engaging the rotation market.
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tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Nov 13, 2019 12:23:02 GMT -5
With the annual general manager meetings underway, the lull between the end of the postseason and the hot stove period should be concluding in the near future. Top executives are actually starting to acknowledge possible offseason free agent targets or their intent to make an impact on the trade market -- though they can't list targets currently employed by other teams.
Let's run down the latest from the MLB rumor mill.
Indians expect to keep Lindor
Indians president Chris Antonetti said Tuesday he expects the team to keep star shortstop Francisco Lindor, reports MLB Network's Jon Heyman. "My expectation is Frankie will be the shortstop Opening Day next year," Antonetti said. Lindor is one of several high-profile trade candidates this winter.
The Indians are expected to at least listen to offers for Lindor because he is two years away from free agency and it is unlikely they can afford to sign him long-term. Antonetti & Co. wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't at least listen. That said, Cleveland was always going to say it expects to keep Lindor. Coming out and saying you plan to trade him hurts leverage and angers fans.
Cubs could trade from core
Cubs GM Jed Hoyer indicated to reporters, including MLB Network's Jon Heyman, that the club will deal from its core this winter. "We've had a stable core for five years ... We're going to have change," Hoyer said. There have been rumblings catcher Willson Contreras could be available this winter.
Contreras, Kris Bryant, and Kyle Schwarber are the cornerstone Cubs most likely to change addresses this offseason. Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez could move as well, though that would surprise me. Rizzo is he unofficial team captain and Baez is Chicago's best player, and one of the most exciting players in the sport. Chicago is looking to shake up its roster following back-to-back disappointing seasons.
Brewers want to keep Grandal and Moustakas, and add pitching
According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Brewers would like to retain free agents Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas, as well as add pitching this offseason. Milwaukee capitalized on the market last offseason and signed Grandal and Moustakas to affordable one-year contracts. Moustakas could take another one-year deal again. Grandal figures to get multiple years.
As for pitching, the Brewers have Brandon Woodruff and Zach Davies due to return next year. Jimmy Nelson could figure into the mix as well. Ideally, Adrian Houser and Freddy Peralta would be depth options rather than Opening Day rotation members. Milwaukee could also use bullpen help just to lighten the load on Josh Hader and Junior Guerra, who worked an awful lot in 2019.
Phillies want 'at least' two starters
The Phillies want to add "at least" two starting pitchers this offseason, reports The Athletic's Jayson Stark. They plan to stay in the mix for Gerrit Cole in hopes of another Jake Arrieta situation, where he lingers on the market into spring training and becomes available at a relative discount. That seems unlikely, but hey, they can hope.
Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin, and Arrieta are locked into the rotation spots heading into next season (Arrieta is expected to be ready for spring training following August elbow surgery). Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta were unable to seize rotation spots last year and figure to get pushed out of the mix by offseason additions. They could move to the bullpen or even wind up on the trade block.
Rangers to spend big?
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has indicated they intend to increase payroll and that might even include a run at Gerrit Cole and/or Anthony Rendon with all the other big names (Stephen Strasburg, Josh Donaldson, etc.) in play, via the Dallas Morning News. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com adds that the Rangers are "expected to be a big player" in free agency.
I'm not sure they could fit two of the huge names on the payroll -- obviously, this is always dependent on ownership -- but there are serious considerations here we should keep in mind. The Rangers' opening day payroll in 2017 was over $165 million, per Cot's. It's estimated at just under $110 million right now for 2020, so there's certainly room to get to where they've been before with this same ownership group.
Further, the Rangers are moving into a new home ballpark next year. Surely, the owners would be starry-eyed picturing unveiling the ballpark with Cole or Strasburg on the hill while Rendon hits in front of Joey Gallo. Talk about getting the home crowd excited.
I'd say the Rangers are a big team to watch this coming offseason.
Donaldson's market seems robust
Given that there is only one Rendon, several contenders ready to spend could use a third baseman and that Josh Donaldson is coming off a major bounce-back season, there's a market for the third baseman. Feinsand reports that the Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Nationals and others have been in contact with Donaldson already.
Padres looking to trade for big-league help
Pressure is mounting on Padres general manager A.J. Preller to finally get this thing turned around, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. While the Padres will once again likely be active in free agency, the report indicates trades from prospect currency to stock the big-league team are more likely than hitting a free agency home run like Strasburg. Top-flight pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore is mentioned as an untouchable, but few other prospects are thought to be off limits.
A separate Union-Tribune report said a big addition to the Padres this offseason "almost certainly won't be" Strasburg or Cole. The report does mention Zack Wheeler as a possible signing, who would be a really nice arm to sit at the top of the rotation along with Chris Paddack and Garrett Richards.
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tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Nov 20, 2019 10:39:23 GMT -5
Francisco Lindor...
We may be in for weeks of speculation centering on Indians superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s a potential trade candidate because he’s running out of team control and unlikely to sign an extension. For instance, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com runs down reasons to trade Lindor now that he’s down to his second-last year of arbitration eligibility, while Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com names potential in-house replacements for the long haul should the Indians deal the 26-year-old. The team is indeed “receiving a lot of trade calls” for Lindor, Jon Heyman of MLB.com tweets. As you’d expect, though, the Indians’ public stance is that Lindor is likely to stay put. “My expectation is Frankie will be the shortstop Opening Day next year,” president Chris Antonetti said.
Speaking of low-revenue clubs, when is the appropriate time for the Indians to market Francisco Lindor? That question is explored by ESPN’s Buster Olney, who argues that a Lindor trade is a question of ’when,’ not ’if.’ Lindor is unquestionably one of the game’s best talents and its most marketable personalities, but there’s no indication Cleveland believes they’ll keep him in the fold long-term. Lindor will take home hefty arbitration sums each of the next two years; MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects a $16.7MM award this offseason, with another raise after next year almost certainly to follow. As Olney notes, the Orioles were underwhelmed with the offers they received on their superstar infielder, Manny Machado, when they shopped him in the 2017-18 offseason with one season remaining of team control. Perhaps Cleveland would be better suited to jump the market and trade Lindor while he still has two seasons before reaching free agency, although doing so would obviously be a massive blow to the team’s chances of contending in 2020.
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Mr mastodon farm
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Post by Mr mastodon farm on Nov 20, 2019 11:28:47 GMT -5
Francisco Lindor... We may be in for weeks of speculation centering on Indians superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s a potential trade candidate because he’s running out of team control and unlikely to sign an extension. For instance, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com runs down reasons to trade Lindor now that he’s down to his second-last year of arbitration eligibility, while Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com names potential in-house replacements for the long haul should the Indians deal the 26-year-old. The team is indeed “receiving a lot of trade calls” for Lindor, Jon Heyman of MLB.com tweets. As you’d expect, though, the Indians’ public stance is that Lindor is likely to stay put. “My expectation is Frankie will be the shortstop Opening Day next year,” president Chris Antonetti said. Speaking of low-revenue clubs, when is the appropriate time for the Indians to market Francisco Lindor? That question is explored by ESPN’s Buster Olney, who argues that a Lindor trade is a question of ’when,’ not ’if.’ Lindor is unquestionably one of the game’s best talents and its most marketable personalities, but there’s no indication Cleveland believes they’ll keep him in the fold long-term. Lindor will take home hefty arbitration sums each of the next two years; MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects a $16.7MM award this offseason, with another raise after next year almost certainly to follow. As Olney notes, the Orioles were underwhelmed with the offers they received on their superstar infielder, Manny Machado, when they shopped him in the 2017-18 offseason with one season remaining of team control. Perhaps Cleveland would be better suited to jump the market and trade Lindor while he still has two seasons before reaching free agency, although doing so would obviously be a massive blow to the team’s chances of contending in 2020. maybe they can get clint frazier back from the yankees |
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tigertowner 68
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Post by tigertowner 68 on Dec 17, 2019 16:09:00 GMT -5
The Los Angeles Dodgers have engaged in exploratory trade talks with the Boston Red Sox about former MVP outfielder Mookie Betts, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
The officials spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the talks publicly.
The Dodgers’ top priority remains Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, but if the two sides can’t agree on a package for the All-Star, the Dodgers could turn its attention to Boston.
The Red Sox are much more inclined to trade Betts – who’s projected to earn $27-30 million in his final year before free agency – than Cleveland is with Lindor. The Red Sox, who had baseball’s highest payroll at $244 million, and will pay $13 million in luxury tax penalties, want to slash their payroll to be under the $208 million tax threshold in 2020.
The 27-year-old is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, winning Gold Glove awards each of the past four seasons.
Los Angeles has included shortstop Corey Seager in trade talks with Boston and Cleveland, but are much more reluctant to part with prized prospect Gavin Lux, their shortstop of the future. Potential trade partners also covet Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who impressed as a rookie in 2019, hitting 15 homers with 42 RBI in 54 games.
The Dodgers outfield has been mix-and-match for years, but NL MVP Cody Bellinger is the only outfielder with an everyday spot locked down, despite A.J. Pollock signing a five-year, $60 million contract last winter. If Los Angeles was to acquire Betts, the club could turn around and flip other outfielders like Alex Verdugo or Joc Pederson.
Betts has a 39.7 bWAR since 2015, second in baseball over the past five seasons, trailing only Mike Trout. He won the American League MVP award in 2018, batting .346 with a 1.078 OPS, 32 home runs and 30 steals as the Red Sox went on to win the World Series
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