Around Baseball 2014

[King]

Not sure if good source, so for now this will go in Around Baseball

 

Ooooh

 

[Deadpool]

Not sure if good source, so for now this will go in Around Baseball

 

Ooooh

 

 

A's are rebuilding... Gotcha.

[King]

A's are rebuilding... Gotcha.

 

And on top of that...........

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/athletics-braves-discussing-justin-upton-evan-gattis.html

[Deadpool]

And on top of that...........

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/athletics-braves-discussing-justin-upton-evan-gattis.html

 

What?

 

Okay... A's are f***ing disjointed... That's what I'm getting here...

[Spoonovic]

And on top of that...........

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/athletics-braves-discussing-justin-upton-evan-gattis.html

 

Billy Beane doesnt play around.

[King]

Lol!

 

- A's trade Donaldson to Jays for Nolin, Barreto, Lawrie and Graveman

 

- Chicago dude (Sportswriter for The Pantagraph in Bloomington, IL. Covers Illinois State basketball, Ill Wesleyan football, HS sports and golf. Top 25 voter in AP hoops poll.) reporting A's will finalize trade to send Samardzija to White Sox this weekend

 

- A's reportedly talking to Braves about Upton and Gattis

[Angrioter]

Tigers offered Porcello for Cespedes

[Angrioter]

Shark to WSox?

[King]

Shark to WSox?

 

It all lines up, Shark for Anderson +

[RealAccountant]

So Athletics are rebuilding again.

[jaysfan2014]

The Rays organization is mentioned in this story of a homeless program being exploited by sports teams in Tampa/St. Pete to get free labour:

 

http://www.tampabay.com/news/specials/tampa-homeless-program-uses-unpaid-destitute-residents-as-steady-labor/2208350

[jaysfan2014]

S-Rod to the Pirates for $$ and a PTBNL, Gaby Sanchez DFAd:

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/12/pirates-acquire-sean-rodriguez-designate-gaby-sanchez.html

[jaysfan2014]

Does anyone have ESPN Insider? An article about the AL East was written.. all I know is that the Yanks are considered the worst in the AL East:

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11963210/as-now-new-york-yankees-worst-team-al-east

 

What's it say about the Jays, Red Sox, O's or Rays?

[guylaroche5]

Does anyone have ESPN Insider? An article about the AL East was written.. all I know is that the Yanks are considered the worst in the AL East:

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11963210/as-now-new-york-yankees-worst-team-al-east

 

What's it say about the Jays, Red Sox, O's or Rays?

 

On Friday, the Josh Donaldson trade woke us from our tryptophan-induced slumber. But more than putting the Blue Jays in prime position to have a great 2015 season, it raised an interesting question: Are the Yankees suddenly the worst team in the American League East? It sounds odd to hear that question, but if you take stock of the AL East right now, it's a fair one.

There is obviously a lot of offseason yet to unfold. As mentioned in Buster Olney's column Sunday, only one free-agent pitcher has signed. So it's obviously too early for such bold proclamations that the Yankees will definitively be the worst team in the division. But as we stand here today, the Yankees look like they are certainly in a dead heat for it, if not pulling up the rear.

Name,              Team	PA	WAR
Josh Donaldson, TOR	630	5.5
Evan Longoria, TB	630	5.4
Jose Bautista, TOR	637	5.2
Manny Machado , BAL	595	5.1
Dustin Pedroia , BOS	595	4.4
Russell Martin, TOR	553	3.9
Edwin Encarnacion, TOR	644	3.8
Adam Jones, BAL	665	3.6
Pablo Sandoval, BOS	560	3.6
Jacoby Ellsbury , NYY	595	3.5
Ben Zobrist, TB	560	3.5
Hanley Ramirez, BOS	525	3.5
Brian McCann, NYY	588	3.4
Steve Pearce, BAL	595	3.2
Brett Gardner , NYY	630	3
J.J. Hardy, BAL	630	2.9
Matt Wieters , BAL	489	2.9
Mike Napoli, BOS	560	2.7
Yoenis Cespedes, BOS	490	2.7
Jose Reyes, TOR	595	2.7
Kevin Kiermaier, TB	560	2.6
Mookie Betts, BOS	399	2.6
Chris Davis , BAL	595	2.4
Wil Myers, TB	595	2.4
David Ortiz , BOS	595	2.4
Martin Prado, NYY	630	2.3
Ryan Hanigan, TB	416	2.1
Shane Victorino, BOS	420	2.1
Christian Vazquez, BOS	384	2
Matt Joyce, TB	525	1.9
James Loney, TB	616	1.9

The FanGraphs depth charts, which combine both playing time and performance projections, have the 2015 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) totals for the division as follows:

Red Sox: 40.1
Blue Jays: 37.4
Rays: 36.4
Orioles: 34.0
Yankees: 32.9

At this stage, playing-time projections are not going to be as airtight as they will come March, when the bottoms of rosters fill out and we see what injuries each team has entering the season. But it at least gives us a pretty good picture. And the picture isn't exactly encouraging for Yankees fans.

When the Yankees have been at their best in the past two decades, it was because they had a few pillars to rely on. And while Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury are good players, they fall short of "pillar" status, both in feel and statistically. At this moment, Ellsbury is projected to be the 10th-best position player in the division, as the table to the right shows. That is tops for the Bombers. In fact, only four Yankees position players rank in the top 30 players in the division.

New York will be relying on bounce-back seasons from three of the players who appear just underneath this top 30: Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez. No one really knows what to expect from A-Rod. Can he play all season? Do the Yankees even want him to play all season? Will he play at all? Did his year in exile do his body good, or will his swing be so rusty that it won't matter at all? He's really one big unknown.

Beltran also is hard to peg. If his elbow injury truly hampered him all season, he might get back to mashing next season. Last season was Beltran's worst at the plate in a decade, so that's a supportable argument. Beltran was 37 last season, though, and now that his trademark good defense and baserunning seem to have gone by the wayside, he is nearly a replacement player unless he gets back to mashing.

While there is some hope that Beltran can get his groove back, such hope has all but evaporated for Teixeira. Tex hasn't played more than 123 games in any of the past three seasons, and heading into next year at 35, the 2015 campaign probably won't be much different. And after posting a 141 wRC+ from 2005 to 2009, he has posted a more mortal 117 wRC+. Teixeira can still be an above-average hitter and fielder, but his baserunning and playing-time issues leave him as a decidedly below-average player overall. At least he and the Yankees will always have 2009.

Name,              Team	IP	WAR
Marcus Stroman, TOR	188	3.2
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY	188	3.2
Alex Cobb, TB	188	2.9
Clay Buchholz , BOS	188	2.3
CC Sabathia, NYY	188	2.3
Michael Pineda, NYY	162	1.9
Drew Hutchison, TOR	166	1.8
Chris Archer, TB	179	1.8
Koji Uehara, BOS	65	1.7
Mark Buehrle, TOR	191	1.5
R.A. Dickey, TOR	188	1.5
Joe Kelly, BOS	188	1.5
Jake McGee, TB	65	1.5
Drew Smyly, TB	122	1.5
Wei-Yin Chen, BAL	169	1.5

Looking at the division's pitchers, the picture is a little more enthusiastic. But there are, of course, a few caveats here. One, as mentioned above, the pitching landscape is going to change. There's little chance that the Red Sox roll into 2015 with their starting rotation as currently constituted. Second, the three Yankees who find themselves in the top 15 here are all injury risks moving forward. All pitchers are, technically, but the trio at the top of the Yankees' rotation all battled injuries last season. Will Masahiro Tanaka have more elbow trouble? Will CC Sabathia have more knee trouble? Will Michael Pineda have more shoulder trouble? If they do, the drop-off could be significant.

The Red Sox and Rays collapsed in 2014, and between them and the Orioles' surprising run, plus Derek Jeter's retirement, the Yankees' performance as a club wasn't as big a story as it might have been otherwise. But next year, the team is out of longtime players in their final seasons to fete, and the Blue Jays and Red Sox spent November splashing the pot and raising the stakes. The Orioles and Rays have been relatively quiet thus far, as have the Yankees.

If there isn't some noise from the Bronx soon, though, it's possible the Yankees might not only be looking at a third straight year of October tee times, but also a last-place finish for the first time since 1990.

[JaysRap]

I wish we could poach Ben Zobrist out of Tampa.

[Laika]

Gordon Beckham expected to get non-tendered.

 

Not very interesting anymore but I could see the Jays bringing him in to bridge to Travis.

[Dr. Dinger]

I'm kinda curious why an otherwise terrible Chi sox team is interested in giving up (presumably) young, controllable assets for one year of Samardzija.

[Laika]

I'm kinda curious why an otherwise terrible Chi sox team is interested in giving up (presumably) young, controllable assets for one year of Samardzija.

 

I think it's likely that they overrate their own roster, and don't realize that players like LaRoche, Gillaspie, Viciedo, Garcia, Danks, Flowers, and some of their top RP are complete f***ing plugs.

[Dr. Dinger]

They don't even have a decent farm, so I don't know what they could even offer for Shark. Rodon isn't eligible to be traded yet, and even if he were, it would be completely moronic to give him up for one season.

 

I have to think Tim Anderson would be the principle piece.

[Laika]

They don't even have a decent farm, so I don't know what they could even offer for Shark. Rodon isn't eligible to be traded yet, and even if he were, it would be completely moronic to give him up for one season.

 

I have to think Tim Anderson would be the principle piece.

 

Alexei, Semien, or Anderson. Alexei for Shark is actually pretty fair.

[Angrioter]

Does anyone have ESPN Insider? An article about the AL East was written.. all I know is that the Yanks are considered the worst in the AL East:

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11963210/as-now-new-york-yankees-worst-team-al-east

 

What's it say about the Jays, Red Sox, O's or Rays?

 

Wins above RL

Red Sox: 40.1

Blue Jays: 37.4 <------------------------- f*** yeah !!

Rays: 36.4

Orioles: 34.0

Yankees: 32.9 <----------------------------f*** yeah !!

[jaysfan2014]

On Friday, the Josh Donaldson trade woke us from our tryptophan-induced slumber. But more than putting the Blue Jays in prime position to have a great 2015 season, it raised an interesting question: Are the Yankees suddenly the worst team in the American League East? It sounds odd to hear that question, but if you take stock of the AL East right now, it's a fair one.

There is obviously a lot of offseason yet to unfold. As mentioned in Buster Olney's column Sunday, only one free-agent pitcher has signed. So it's obviously too early for such bold proclamations that the Yankees will definitively be the worst team in the division. But as we stand here today, the Yankees look like they are certainly in a dead heat for it, if not pulling up the rear.

Name,              Team	PA	WAR
Josh Donaldson, TOR	630	5.5
Evan Longoria, TB	630	5.4
Jose Bautista, TOR	637	5.2
Manny Machado , BAL	595	5.1
Dustin Pedroia , BOS	595	4.4
Russell Martin, TOR	553	3.9
Edwin Encarnacion, TOR	644	3.8
Adam Jones, BAL	665	3.6
Pablo Sandoval, BOS	560	3.6
Jacoby Ellsbury , NYY	595	3.5
Ben Zobrist, TB	560	3.5
Hanley Ramirez, BOS	525	3.5
Brian McCann, NYY	588	3.4
Steve Pearce, BAL	595	3.2
Brett Gardner , NYY	630	3
J.J. Hardy, BAL	630	2.9
Matt Wieters , BAL	489	2.9
Mike Napoli, BOS	560	2.7
Yoenis Cespedes, BOS	490	2.7
Jose Reyes, TOR	595	2.7
Kevin Kiermaier, TB	560	2.6
Mookie Betts, BOS	399	2.6
Chris Davis , BAL	595	2.4
Wil Myers, TB	595	2.4
David Ortiz , BOS	595	2.4
Martin Prado, NYY	630	2.3
Ryan Hanigan, TB	416	2.1
Shane Victorino, BOS	420	2.1
Christian Vazquez, BOS	384	2
Matt Joyce, TB	525	1.9
James Loney, TB	616	1.9

The FanGraphs depth charts, which combine both playing time and performance projections, have the 2015 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) totals for the division as follows:

Red Sox: 40.1
Blue Jays: 37.4
Rays: 36.4
Orioles: 34.0
Yankees: 32.9

At this stage, playing-time projections are not going to be as airtight as they will come March, when the bottoms of rosters fill out and we see what injuries each team has entering the season. But it at least gives us a pretty good picture. And the picture isn't exactly encouraging for Yankees fans.

When the Yankees have been at their best in the past two decades, it was because they had a few pillars to rely on. And while Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury are good players, they fall short of "pillar" status, both in feel and statistically. At this moment, Ellsbury is projected to be the 10th-best position player in the division, as the table to the right shows. That is tops for the Bombers. In fact, only four Yankees position players rank in the top 30 players in the division.

New York will be relying on bounce-back seasons from three of the players who appear just underneath this top 30: Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez. No one really knows what to expect from A-Rod. Can he play all season? Do the Yankees even want him to play all season? Will he play at all? Did his year in exile do his body good, or will his swing be so rusty that it won't matter at all? He's really one big unknown.

Beltran also is hard to peg. If his elbow injury truly hampered him all season, he might get back to mashing next season. Last season was Beltran's worst at the plate in a decade, so that's a supportable argument. Beltran was 37 last season, though, and now that his trademark good defense and baserunning seem to have gone by the wayside, he is nearly a replacement player unless he gets back to mashing.

While there is some hope that Beltran can get his groove back, such hope has all but evaporated for Teixeira. Tex hasn't played more than 123 games in any of the past three seasons, and heading into next year at 35, the 2015 campaign probably won't be much different. And after posting a 141 wRC+ from 2005 to 2009, he has posted a more mortal 117 wRC+. Teixeira can still be an above-average hitter and fielder, but his baserunning and playing-time issues leave him as a decidedly below-average player overall. At least he and the Yankees will always have 2009.

Name,              Team	IP	WAR
Marcus Stroman, TOR	188	3.2
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY	188	3.2
Alex Cobb, TB	188	2.9
Clay Buchholz , BOS	188	2.3
CC Sabathia, NYY	188	2.3
Michael Pineda, NYY	162	1.9
Drew Hutchison, TOR	166	1.8
Chris Archer, TB	179	1.8
Koji Uehara, BOS	65	1.7
Mark Buehrle, TOR	191	1.5
R.A. Dickey, TOR	188	1.5
Joe Kelly, BOS	188	1.5
Jake McGee, TB	65	1.5
Drew Smyly, TB	122	1.5
Wei-Yin Chen, BAL	169	1.5

Looking at the division's pitchers, the picture is a little more enthusiastic. But there are, of course, a few caveats here. One, as mentioned above, the pitching landscape is going to change. There's little chance that the Red Sox roll into 2015 with their starting rotation as currently constituted. Second, the three Yankees who find themselves in the top 15 here are all injury risks moving forward. All pitchers are, technically, but the trio at the top of the Yankees' rotation all battled injuries last season. Will Masahiro Tanaka have more elbow trouble? Will CC Sabathia have more knee trouble? Will Michael Pineda have more shoulder trouble? If they do, the drop-off could be significant.

The Red Sox and Rays collapsed in 2014, and between them and the Orioles' surprising run, plus Derek Jeter's retirement, the Yankees' performance as a club wasn't as big a story as it might have been otherwise. But next year, the team is out of longtime players in their final seasons to fete, and the Blue Jays and Red Sox spent November splashing the pot and raising the stakes. The Orioles and Rays have been relatively quiet thus far, as have the Yankees.

If there isn't some noise from the Bronx soon, though, it's possible the Yankees might not only be looking at a third straight year of October tee times, but also a last-place finish for the first time since 1990.

 

Thanks. And boy, New York is going to need a lot if they want any chance of contending.. and they still need a SS.

[reedjohnsonfan]

I'm kinda curious why an otherwise terrible Chi sox team is interested in giving up (presumably) young, controllable assets for one year of Samardzija.

 

They have one of the lowest payrolls. Apparently they'll be aggressive this offseason, I could see a few bigger acquisitions.

[labadee]

 

that was short lived

[Laika]

Jesus Christ the Cardinals are annoyingly smart. Matt Belisle for 1 year, $3.5M. Guy has been very stellar for a half decade in Colorado and his FIP and velocity were just fine last year.

[Laika]

Holy f***, Braves non-tender Beachy AND Medlen.

 

Medlen could probably get a f***ing multi year deal right now. It was just TJS.

 

Beachy a bit different because the TJS came while recovering from an initial TJS, so he'll just get a flyer contract from someone.

[Spanky__99]

Holy f***, Braves non-tender Beachy AND Medlen.

 

Medlen could probably get a f***ing multi year deal right now. It was just TJS.

 

Beachy a bit different because the TJS came while recovering from an initial TJS, so he'll just get a flyer contract from someone.

 

Didn't both of them have TJS twice?

[Ziggyy108]

Yea Medlen is a 2 time TJS guy now.

 

Still would be an interesting pickup. Im sure there will be a a fair amount of interest in him though ...

[Laika]

Didn't both of them have TJS twice?

 

Yeah but Medlen's came two years later. He was perfectly healthy in 2012 and 2013.

 

I just cannot for the life of me understand why a team that itself publicly states that it needs pitching won't just give Medlen a few million. But, maybe they have an agreement to sign him back for some tiny incentive laden contract or something.

[Ziggyy108]

This rebuild in Atlanta is looking real though haha