2017-2018 Hot Stove

Ex-Slint roadie

Wade Davis to Rockies for 3 years, $52 million

Wow

godspeed to all involved

Damn, ok then

amazing

In his age 25-27 seasons, Eric Hosmer slashed .294/.359/.463 with 68 home runs. In his age 25-27 seasons, Wally Joyner slashed .287/.352/.454 with 63 home runs.

— David Laurila (@DavidLaurilaQA) January 3, 2018

wally joyner was the matthew broderick of major league baseball

ok you can't just leave it like that

http://img.ecomplatform.com/scs/images/products/116/large/wally_joyner_autographed_8x10_photo_padres_psa_dna_certified_p148288.jpg

little big league

Putting it in less vague terms: ZiPS projects 10 pitchers on the Yankees 40-man as relievers. Their projected ERA+ in descending order: 177, 159, 146, 145, 136, 129, 125, 120, 112, 112.

— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) January 3, 2018

yanks bullpen should be good

Eric Hosmer, coveted all winter by the San Diego Padres, now has another surprising small-market team going head-to-head for his services.

Yes, his old team.

The Kansas City Royals have offered Hosmer a franchise-record seven-year, $147-million contract, persons close to Hosmer told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity since negotiations are still undergoing.

Hosmer also has a seven-year, $140 million offer from the Padres, people close to Hosmer say, which is $1 million less a year than the Royals’ deal.

this does not seem like a good small market move

he's been one of the most durable players in baseball since he came in the league so there's maybe a better than average chance that this isn't one of those long term deals where the guy is a shell of himself physically like halfway into it (especially when compared to 1B specifically). but idk how you feel good at all about giving a guy who has put up 2 replacement level seasons in the last 4 years that kind of money. it feels like the sequel to the jason heyward contract waiting to happen.

and even the heyward contract in the grand scheme of how these things can go... i'm still more optimistic about his deal than like jacoby ellsbury or shin shoo choo. nonetheless...

Barves lookin to pick off the last Marlins

https://www.talkingchop.com/2018/1/3/16847768/atlanta-braves-trade-rumors-free-agency-christian-yelich-jt-realmuto-miami-marlins-hot-stove

the nonrush to sign free agents could be here to stay

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/mlb-teams-have-learned-to-wait-on-free-agents/

The best thing I can say about a Hosmer contract is that by the end, it might not look so bad due to continuing salary inflation throughout MLB. But you could say that about all contracts, so...yeah. Take him back, KCR!

I didn’t realize the braves rebuild was already in the go for it stage?

the royals have given LHP richard lovelady a non-roster invite to spring training

I wonder what the point is where the money the owners save through collusion is cancelled out by a loss of fan interest in the sport after a dead offseason

— Patrick Dubuque (@euqubud) January 9, 2018

idk, i don't think fans care nearly as much as writers with nothing to write about do

anyway, the pirates are sending gerrit cole to houston momentarily

yeah, i agree. only the diehards about this stuff, and they'll be raring to go for spring training, regardless

only the diecards ^care^ about this stuff

oh no, don't diecards

i should just go back to bed

not so fast?

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/gerrit-cole-may-or-may-not-become-an-astro/

Weird story

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22027027/mlb-agent-jason-wood-fired-reportedly-filmed-clients-showering

jay bruce back to the mets (3 years, $39 million)

Christ

whatever

i guess the 'transformed' flyball approach is key

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jay-bruce-is-fine-and-so-is-his-contract/

Mets trying to reassemble 2015 team?

https://www.amazinavenue.com/2018/1/12/16883488/mets-lucas-duda-rumors-free-agency-infield-new-york

Cole to the Astros, supposedly for realsies this time. for waaaaayyy less than i would have expected, if this is correct: Musgrove and Colin Moran.

looks like there's two more throw-ins going to Pitt – but those two are the main pieces.

that is a shitty return

ffs

oh good, some 25yo quad-a guys

An array of thoughts on the Gerrit Cole trade from 4 people whose baseball opinions I respect. pic.twitter.com/oSQdt4HAbf

— James Santelli, An All-Nonsense Guy (@JamesSantelli) January 14, 2018

Story Musgrove

oof. at least they didn't deal him to the cubs (who they were apparently talking with re: cole)

what happened to the Bucs and their Big Data?

plus now pirates fans can say "get a brain, moran" after he messes up! you can't put a $ figure on that kind of fan service

McCutchen to the Giants.

idk what the giants are doing

My condolences to Pirates fans, who like us are watching their championship team be scattered to the winds, only without the championship. Or even an NLCS appearance.

— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 15, 2018

From 2013 through 2015, the Royals went 270-216 (.556), with 1 division title and 1 wild card.

From 2013 through 2015, the Pirates went 280-206 (.576), with 3 wild cards (all at home).

There but for the grace of God go us.

— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 15, 2018

selling tickets. xpost

I know the Pirates did not get much from Cole and McCutchen* but what is the situation with prospect/young players? I have been under the uninformed impression that they got some good talent coming up and that they are not too far away from perhaps contending.

*making that assumption because the Giants have nothing in return to give.

Nationals signed Howie Kendrick to a two-year deal.

The Mets have agreed to sign free-agent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, pending a physical, according to USA TODAY Sports.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman also reported a deal was pending. The club has not confirmed an agreement.

Gonzalez, 35, was traded from the Dodgers to the Braves in December as part of a five-player deal, and then released. As a result, the Mets would only need to pay him the league minimum salary of $545,000 in 2018, with the Braves responsible for the rest of the $21.5 million owed to him for the 2018 season under his previous contract.

https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/mets-agree-to-deal-with-adrian-gonzalez/c-264684246

diving deep on the Bucs

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-the-pirates-are-forced-to-value-players/

28 days to pitchers & catchers. No landing spot yet for Darvish, Arrieta, JDM, Hosmer, Cain, Moustakas, Lucroy, Lynn, Cobb, Escobar (x2), LoMo, CarGo, Greg Holland, Chris Tillman, Ichiro and approximately 185 other guys who were on major league rosters in 2017

no collusion, no collusion, you're the colluder

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/37107/rubbing-mud-evidence-price-fixing-far

https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-baseballs-economic-system-might-broken-224638354.html

It definitely does seem like the draft and young player development is becoming more a conversation of fans.

Teams are in on the numbers and just don't want to give up young, cheap talent up for anything. That's where you win or lose. I thought it was interesting even in doing those couple of trades, the Giants still held on to a couple of their top prospects.

If that is all Pittsburgh or the Rays can get for players of that caliber, can't really blame a team like the Reds for not dealing some of their topped out players. You can't get any decent return and it's just cheaper to let them play and maybe try again in July. They got Duvall, Hamilton and Scooter tied up for 2-3 years still to deal them at another point.

The local TV deals pretty much will keep baseball from evening out things money wise. Unless cord cutting causes the contracts to bomb, I don't see any change to this anytime soon.

^^ this

It's been said countless times, but front offices are smarter now and won't pay big money in free agency for one-dimensional players, especially on or near the wrong side of age 30. Mark Trumbo led MLB in homers in 2016 but went unsigned for most of the offseason last year. That would have been unthinkable even three years earlier. Teams don't want to get stuck with the Ryan Howard/Josh Hamilton 4-5 year disaster deals, which is why the market is so cool on JD Martinez and Eric Hosmer.

But I don't think that teams are less interested in winning than ever before, as Passan's article implies. MLB has never been a parity league. Right now the gap between the best and worst teams might be higher than in most years, but multiyear rebuilds are nothing new.

Addison Reed to Twins for 2 years