hot stove 2018-19

wonder if/when harper and boras will blink. supposedly he rejected 10/$300m from the nats already; would he take that now? is he willing to sit if he doesn't get $40m or whatever a year?

Dodger's have had pretty good run of talent coming up out of their minor leagues the past couple of seasons, so I got to figure they might have someone they are eyeing to make the jump to Chavez Ravine to play outfield.

pollock is older and a worse hitter (even OBP-wise) than puig,

Puig is definitely going to love hitting in Cincy. The Reds will be fun this year.

Alex Verdugo is the guy they're trying to make room for, their #1 prospect according to BA. He hit reasonably well last year in the majors, but hasn't shown any power.

I wish the Reds could have gotten Joc Pederson instead of Kemp. Joc could handle CF in GABP and probably hit 40 dingers playing there 1/2 his games instead of in the Ravine.

former pirate great justin wilson to the mets

former pirate/met great oliver perez returns to cleveland

the padres are gonna bring back the brown unis in 2020

so i see

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-padres-brown-official-mlb-uniforms-0125-story.html

love it

i liked the all-yellow ones

the twins have signed jordany valdespin to a minor league deal for no earthly reason i can fathom

from the 2015 BP annual:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dxyawj4VAAADwyV.jpg:small

btw i quizzed a couple of alleged Twins fans last weekend who had not heard of Willians Astudillo

re the Dojers

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2019/1/22/18192483/los-angeles-dodgers-slow-offseason-yasiel-puig-bryce-harper

Of such little interest, it was hard to find a link:

http://www.athleticsnation.com/2019/1/25/18197886/oakland-as-sign-marco-estrada-free-agent

He was pretty solid in '15/16, especially in the postseason--not much left, I don't think.

lefty reliever Justin Wilson to Mets, 2 years $10 M

Whit Merrifield (MLB leader in hits and SB last year) gets 4 more years from KC

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/whit-merrifield-and-royals-seek-safety/

Where's Adam Jones gonna go?

Rumors are the Reds are still in on trying to get JT Realmuto from the Fish. Reds first round pick/Florida Gator Jonathan India seems to be the name being one player of interest.

sandy alderson has been named a senior advisor to the oakland a's

guess i don't really understand the details of his departure from the mets

looking like NL Central is gonna be the most fun division by far

well Alderson was just reported cancer-free

he said he thought he had not earned a return

(to Queens)

If we've learned anything these last couple of offseasons, it's that the only real answer is to get all $1 players and pocket the other $22 https://t.co/jBlLItH8fv

— Patrick Dubuque (@euqubud) January 29, 2019

brisbee to the athletic

FUN FACT: I got him to post here once (twice?)

The Athletic, OTOH, is garbage.

all the good baseball writers disappearing behind a paywall, cept for Fangraphs holdouts

pittsburgh's own neil walker to the marlins (one year/$2m)

freddie galvis to the jays (one year/$4m)

The Nationals hired Jack McKeon as a (very) senior adviser.

Jimmy Rollins is returning to the Phillies as a special adviser.

Jenrry Mejia agreed to a minor league deal with the Red Sox.

https://deadspin.com/mlbs-luxury-tax-became-a-salary-cap-because-of-decades-1832200596

wade miley to the astros for a year

Normandin is way off in his reasoning there, the problem has little to do with the tax threshold. For the first fifteen years or so, only the Yankees paid any luxury tax and only a handful of other teams have since then. Most teams are so far under the threshold that it doesn't affect their decision making at all. Analytics have shown exactly how overpaid most free agents are, and how to find talent more efficiently through other means. This has completely upended the unwritten salary structure that's been entrenched over the past thirty years of labour agreements, and the strike to correct it is going to be really, really ugly I'm afraid. (if the players choose to go that route)

dunno how to read into Miley's surprisingly fine 2018 season (only 80 IP, but still), especially given how cooked he looked on the Orioles, but 4.5m seems like a good deal

rumours

When I checked on this, I did not get the same information Hunter did. https://t.co/M4uGTRTDFk

— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) February 1, 2019

as a perpetual 15-year-old, i don't know if i trust this 12-year-old with this rumour

https://i.imgur.com/8IsFZIn.png

Gio Gonzalez is apparently on the Mets’ radar.

Player movement is at its lowest since the mid '90s.

https://tht.fangraphs.com/roster-movement-is-decreasing-and-teams-are-becoming-more-homogeneous/

curtis granderson minor-league deal with the marlins

The Atlantic League's Sugar Land Skeeters have signed 1B/LHP James Loney (not a typo). Plan is to have him pitch and hit as a two-way player for the Skeeters. Loney was considered by many scouts to be a better P prospect than hitter in HS (back in '02).

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) February 5, 2019

so are harper and machado (and keuchel) going to end up missing some of spring training? this shit is lame

nothing really new here, but a look at the granderson signing vis-a-vis the free-agency crisis:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/46963/transaction-analysis-curtis-grandersons-nri-and-baseballs-problem

I'm perfectly fine with teams waiting the market out on these guys...hard to get up in arms about Manny Machado having to wait out the winter *only* to pull down a couple hundred million dollars

this isn't exactly Curt Flood territory

Harper's thing is taking awhile because they want that monstrous contract and there are real questions about what Harper will bring to the table, he's had exactly 1 1/2 full seasons where he was worthy of such a deal. i don't doubt he would likely come through with some massive numbers but the days when people would seriously put him on par with Mike Trout have been over since sometime in 2016.

i really want to see him put up 2015 numbers for ten straight years going forward but he could also just be a very expensive version of Grady Sizemore.

And Machado isn't A-Rod or anything. I mean neither of these guys have shown the exceptional consistency you'd want when giving a guy a monster deal (and i mean even prior consistency didn't work out with Pujols...)

idk what these guys have been offered or what they may have turned down, but machado (whom i personally dislike) is a 26yo shortstop who hits 35 homers a year and might have had three top-five MVP finishes in the last four seasons had he played 2018 in one league. he's not a-rod, but he's *extremely* good, and MLB revenue has gone from $4B to $10B a year since a-rod signed his deal. if you gave machado a ten-year deal right now, he'd be robinson cano's current age at the end of it, and cano put up 3 WAR in 80 games last year

flags don't fly for financial efficiency, and as a fan i'm not sure why anyone should be excited because the owner saved money -- unless they're using the saved money on other good players, which they simply aren't

The 1/3 of clubs who are tanking aren't. But between their four free agent signings and the Paxton contract NYY spent $43 million this winter. You can certainly argue that with their revenue they shouldn't hesitate to go over the LT threshold...but so long as they choose to a Machado signing would seem to preclude acquiring those other players.

I just don't buy that there is anything remotely like collusion going on....advanced metrics have probably forever altered player valuation w/ greater weight given to roles like super-utility and middle relief. And why pay for the albatross years 8-9-10 on any contract considering the risk?

ftr I’d sign Machado before Harper, he has been more consistent and certainly less prone to injury.

One thing about Machado is that a lot of his value is in his defense and the metrics seem pretty sure that he's an all-world 3b and a basically average shortstop. Machado has insisted that SS is his position and if he holds to that, I think he goes from being a perennial MVP contender to being more on the "consistently very good" side.

sounds like realmuto to philly is approaching. jorge alfaro/sixto sanchez/others in return