Hot Stove 2023-2024

BREAKING: Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN.

News on the monumental deal with full details, including opt-outs and a club option, free to read at ESPN: https://t.co/CooPBe69Du

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2024

Witt Jr. deal is for $288.7M With a 3 year club option at the end to take it to $377,777,777. Total of 14 years!

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 5, 2024

Adames being shopped...

Didn't realize Witt finished 7th in MVP voting. He had a good season, for sure, but seems a little high to me--he finished ahead of Henderson, Rutschman (vote-splitting there, I guess), Cole, and Alvarez.

He improved a lot from his rookie season and he’s a five tool guy who’s only 23(?), made a lot of sense to me. Also, it’s a total joke he didn’t get nominated for a gold glove (gold gloves themselves being kind of a joke notwithstanding). Honestly he’s very very very very good.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/bobby-witt-jr-677951?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

Statcast ranked him (on the basis of outs above average) as the best AL shortstop bar none. Definitely the best young ss in the league IMO.

Statcast ranked him (on the basis of outs above average) as the best AL shortstop bar none.

*2x World Series MVP Corey Seager just shruggin' from the sidelines*

https://i.postimg.cc/rFZQsZ1J/IMG-4913.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Z51HF9Dv/IMG-4911.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/htJMd8Mq/IMG-4912.jpg

Royals rocking the highest payroll in the AL Central as of this off season

Ryan brasier resigning with the dodgers; on the cheap imo. Went from 7 to .7 ERA jumping ship from Boston to LA last season. One of the more egregious "wtf did they do to that guy?" moves from LA in recent history. 3 earned runs in 39 games obviously not a sustainable pace, but I'm a believer that he's going to stay "fixed"

xps clemenza I saw this on Instagram just now and I felt you would appreciate…he looks paler than in his heyday!

🗣️ What they said! pic.twitter.com/7gE7pB3roT

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) February 5, 2024

That is really sweet

Nice (is he still involved in KC operations?). Had to immediately look up how he hit agains Witt's father:

38 PA, 1 HR, 9 K, .250/.368/.406. Second half of Brett's career, but as much as anybody could, Witt definitely had the upper hand. Brett was very difficult to strike out: 54 K per 162 games.

Yes he’s still VP of Baseball Ops.

Fantastic (abridged) list of the guys who homered off Witt Sr the most

https://i.postimg.cc/2SL7ND5h/IMG-4914.jpg

kershaw back

wouldn't bet against him being the best SP they have this season

Bitter-sweet hypothetical

Barring horrific circumstances, Kershaw will be hitting the 3000 strikeout mark this year. Gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling to think about

Second baseman Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a five-year, $125 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Altuve was set to hit free agency after this season but will remain with the team for which he has played since his debut in 2011.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 6, 2024

wouldn't bet against him being the best SP they have this season

Bobby Witt Jr., KC
$288,777,777/11

Bonus - $7,777,777

$2M  - 2024
$7M - 2025
$13M - 2026
$19M - 2027
$30M - 2028
$35M - 2029
$35M - 2030

Player option 2031, 2032, 2033, 2034 -$35M
Club option 2035-2037 f$33M-2035; $28M-2036; $28M-2037 (all decided at same time). Full No Trade

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 6, 2024

Jurickson Profar’s deal with the San Diego Padres, per source: one-year, $1 million with $1.5 million in incentives based on plate appearances.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 12, 2024

Jorge Soler to SFG - 3yrs/?$

career: .317/.417/.512 @ SFG

That’s a great get, the lineup was so bad last year. The roster has improved so much this offseason.

He has only 41 at-bats at Oracle Park, but has hit .317 with a .929 OPS and two homers in 41 at-bats there and is considered to have enough power to reach McCovey Cove, something no right-handed batter has ever done.

Soler was sort of the odd man out as far as the Cubs peak era a few years ago, vs the likes of Bryant, Baez, Schwarber, Contreras, Rizzo. I always liked him and he's been great in the postseason his whole career. i was happy to see him succeed elsewhere, especially that epic WS performance with the Braves.

My only question is do they intend to actually play him in the outfield cos Tom Murphy is surely going to DH a majority of the time when he plays? In that case they might move Conforto as rumoured.

Superutilityman Whit Merrifield and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year, $8 million contract, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 16, 2024

Destroys my theory that the Jays were trying to hoard every single utility infielder in the game so that, come deadline time, they could essentially hold whichever of the other 29 teams needed one hostage. Kind of like Homer Simpson and his sugar pile.

Interesting post from Baseball Reference's FB feed: Merrifield is one of only seven players ever with two seasons of 40 doubles and 40 stolen bases (Brian Roberts, Hanley Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Sisler/Speaker/Cobb the others). I wouldn't have thought that was so rare.

The seems like easily the best move the Red Sox have made this winter, I do not understand why KC would do this.

— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) February 17, 2024

Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander David Sandlin, sources tell ESPN. Royals get an arm for a pen that needed it, Sox get a pitching prospect with strikeout stuff.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 17, 2024

RIP Schreibs you were good but I also remember you getting cooked last season

Liam Hendriks deal with Red Sox:

$2M salary in 2024, $6M salary in 2025.

$12M mutual option or $2M buyout for 2026.

$10M on incentives in 2025. None in 2024.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 20, 2024

I love him I love him I love him

Liam Hendricks lives up to his billing. Says he picked Boston in part because his wife loves the area and “everyone speaks like my (Australian) accent - no one pronounces their ‘ahhhs.’ “

— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) February 20, 2024

News: Shortstop Tim Anderson and the Miami Marlins are in agreement on a one-year, $5 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 22, 2024

i'm glad they went ahead w/ this. seems like a very worthy gamble to me

With Urshela signing, that’s all the serviceable free agents 3b off the market now outside of Champman. I would think something has to give soon with spring training starting (for Chappy and the other boras holdouts)

that's a great signing for the marlins. he was dogshit last year but $5m is nothing at all

Robert Murray said on Twitter that none of the “Boras four” are close to signing. This is an absurd situation. Are the players themselves not getting anxious? They should be getting familiar with their new teams by now.

Missing a couple of weeks of spring training is nothing compared with the big picture view of 6/150 or whatever they're asking for.

journalists get so petulant when no one provides grist for their mills. why didn't ohtani turn his free agency into a circus?! why is the stove so chilly, or the lead-up to the trade deadline so quiet?! these things are Bad For the Game!

(i suppose i might get pissy too if, in the absence of actual news, i had to write 'knowing what we know now, let's redo the 2014 draft!!')

probably also explains why every four years they keep talking up 'brokered convention'

in the absence of actual news, i had to write 'knowing what we know now, let's redo the 2014 draft!!'

I love "history revisited" stuff like like this! I'll take it over manufactured rumours posing as news any day.

revisiting history is cool! but coming to the conclusion that, in hindsight, mike trout should have been taken first overall in 2009 is no more insightful than reading off a b-ref page

if you want to explain *why* the pirates took tony sanchez at no. 4 instead, that might be interesting (although i won’t want to read it for personal reasons)

it was because Tony Sanchez is due for a big hit

BREAKING: Centerfielder Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a three-year, $80 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Bellinger will receive opt-outs after each of the first two years of the deal. Bellinger, 28, returns to the Cubs after a prolonged free agency.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 25, 2024

Wow

Cody Bellinger's salary on his deal with the Chicago Cubs will pay him $30 million this season, $30 million in 2025 (if he doesn't opt out after Year 1) and $20 million in 2026 (if he doesn't opt out after Year 2).

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 25, 2024

Good for the Cubs, not as good for Cody but still ya know, what are ya gonna do at this point? Allows him to keep his options wide open, and it seems clear that there weren't many buyers looking into him so you've got to take what you can get.

Mlbtr, who are not normally far from the mark, were predicting 12 years! Seven would have felt appropriate to me. Surprised to see just three tbh, but having opt outs every year helps make more sense. Wondering how disappointed Bellinger has to be and also wondering if this means the jays could bring Chapman back on a one or two year agreement

I’m not sure the Jays wanted Chapman back, but the Giants could still pick him up, he’d do well there.

Bellinger always a risk for a longer contract because the two good years preceded by two terrible ones, the AAV is pretty high & if the Yankees let Soto walk (doubtful but who knows who’ll be in on him) then you imagine they’d give Belli another look

this is a pretty amazing deal for bellinger imo, before last year it looked like he might never get another multi year contract in his life so guaranteeing $80m with the option to cash in beyond that if his resurgence is real is a pretty great outcome imo. i’m not sure i would’ve offered him much more than what he had to take last year tbh

Think most of the big free agents remaining have at least one obvious fit that doesn’t want them at the current price; the trick is getting them at the price that’s just a bit higher than the point rivals start calling again I guess. If he had been willing to accept $25m/year you’d certainly see other suitors drop back in.

Yeah he’s only 28, it’s a good deal for both. At worst, Wrigley is very kind to his hitting profile and he’s a superb glove, I’d imagine his floor is very very high for the Cubs compared to other teams in terms of risk.

I disagree that it’s an amazing deal. Beli had 1 bad year and 1 bang average year, both attributable to injury. He just had as good as a “prove it” year that one can get and he ends this off season with 80mil 3 years while Rafael Devers ends it with 313mil 10 years.

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/rafael-devers/17350/stats?position=3B
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/cody-bellinger/15998/stats?position=1B/OF

I see nothing in those stats to indicate there should be a $233 million dollar gap between these two players. Belli even edges him out in war(yes yes by a margin of error).