Around Baseball 2018

[Dick_Pole]

Any chance the Royals do Hammel for Morales? Maybe if the Jays eat up half of the 2019 salary? There has to be something between the two teams that doesn't involve Ian Kennedy's s*** contract going to the Jays.

 

I'd take Kennedy plus whatever prospect in a heartbeat. The Jays don't have a salary issue they have a roster construction issue. Morales is redundant, the Jays could always use an extra arm. The team is light on multi-year commitments to starting pitchers so Kennedy nailing down the #5 role (or #6 if the Jays build enough SP depth) for the next three years is not such a bad situation.

[Olerud363]

They have Freeman locked up for four more years. That is how many years Jose and Edwin had left when AA went bonkers over here. I'd be shocked if he continues to rebuild beyond 2018. My guess is by this time next year he will start trading off a bunch of prospects for short term help. But again, maybe he's changed.

 

And the Jays were not close after 2012. They had like 90 losses and wasn't that the year every starting pitcher had to have surgery simultaneously? They were bad, man.

 

I believe it was Monday (Morrow in middle of Cy Young type season out for 3 months with lat? issue)

Wednesday - Kyle Drabek leaves in 4th inning or so to go have Tommy John surgery for second time

Friday - Drew Hutchinson (in middle of dark house Rookie of the year campaign) leaves in 1st inning to go have TJ surgery.

 

And...

 

1 month later - Jose Bautista, on track for 3rd straight homerun crown, busts wrist hitting (almost) homerun... hooks foul at the end to add insult to the injury.

 

some time after that (can't remember exact date) -> Brett Lawrie, 3rd best young property in game (really he was at that moment) after Trout and Harper dives head first into Yankee Stadium camera bay. That was really the end of Brett Lawrie. Never did much after that moment.

 

Then -> Travis Snider/Eric Thames, former best left handed hitting prospect, and really awesome left handed hitting prospect traded for relievers after value tanks.

 

Oh yeah, at some moment before all that Adam "Sweet Swing" Lind, once thought of as a potential batting champ, has to go to minors.

 

What else?? Henderson Alvarez, thought of as potential "Pedro Lite" has incredibly bad season.

 

Yunel Escobar where's antigay eye black and must be traded for nothing.

 

I am sure there was more... Colby Rasmus, once thought of as potential all star craps out...

 

Finally manager John Farrell decides to leave (wouldn't you?)

[Olerud363]

Escobar wasn't traded for nothing, he was part of Marlins trade, but kind of a weird part, as he was essentially traded for a guy (Reyes) who was about the same, but flashier and way more expensive.

 

Weird. If Escobar doesn't where the eye black, the "big" move of that offseason could of been something completely different.

[Terminator]

I'd take Kennedy plus whatever prospect in a heartbeat. The Jays don't have a salary issue they have a roster construction issue. Morales is redundant, the Jays could always use an extra arm. The team is light on multi-year commitments to starting pitchers so Kennedy nailing down the #5 role (or #6 if the Jays build enough SP depth) for the next three years is not such a bad situation.

 

No thanks. Morales has something like 2 years, 22 million left. Kennedy is near replacement level now and has 3 years and 49 mil left.

[Ehjays]

Kevin Towers Passes away

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/01/kevin-towers-passes-away-cancer.html

[Brownie19]

Article on Brandon Nimmo - simply because I once was suggesting we should trade for him (which I still think is a good idea, although we have a lot of OF options now).

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-could-brandon-nimmo-become/

[G-Snarls]

[JaysAllMighty]

 

The gravy train is over.... about time.

[Dick_Pole]

Boras is whining, but I agree with his principle at the very end of the article. You should reward winning, not losing.

[bones10]

1946 logo looks like some well-timed Nazi propaganda....ah the good old days if mid-20th Century America #MAGA

 

Hitler respected Native Americans im pretty sure.

[Abomination]

Boras is whining, but I agree with his principle at the very end of the article. You should reward winning, not losing.

 

You should also reward current and expected future performance, not past performance. Bet he doesn't like that one though.

[Dick_Pole]

The gravy train is over.... about time.

 

Baseball revenues are still increasing. Team values are increasing. The gravy train is very much alive.

[GreekFatAss]

Boras is whining, but I agree with his principle at the very end of the article. You should reward winning, not losing.

The irony of the stupid out of control contracts forcing teams to invest in analytics to finally properly value free agents is satisfying.

[Brownie19]

The gravy train is over.... about time.

 

How will this effect WAR/$ projections? I suspect teams have curves they use to evaluate player value. I wonder if any predicted this apparent downturn in FA value.

[G-Snarls]

Baseball revenues are still increasing. Team values are increasing. The gravy train is very much alive.

 

It is

 

But teams that anticipate finishing 4th and 5th in their divisions know its not worth spending money on the first and second tier of free agents. The win increase isn't worth the expenditure. Those teams now tend to re stock their farms and look for value buys.

[G-Snarls]

How will this effect WAR/$ projections? I suspect teams have curves they use to evaluate player value. I wonder if any predicted this apparent downturn in FA value.

 

Teams are being more realistic about where they stand (except for Baltimore of course, which is great)

[BTS]

How will this effect WAR/$ projections? I suspect teams have curves they use to evaluate player value. I wonder if any predicted this apparent downturn in FA value.

 

I don't know that we're actually seeing a significant change in the price teams are attaching to a projected win in free agency. We've seen a bunch of relievers sign for a ton of cash, back end starters like Chacin and Chatwood get solid commitments, and the two biggest fish (Cain 5/80, Santana 3/60) get paid. It's really just been the Alonso and Kendrick deals that have looked like steals IMO. The story so far isn't really that contracts are lower than expected, it's that they're not getting signed. We'll see if there's a wave of cheap February deals.

[Abomination]

I don't know that we're actually seeing a significant change in the price teams are attaching to a projected win in free agency. We've seen a bunch of relievers sign for a ton of cash, back end starters like Chacin and Chatwood get solid commitments, and the two biggest fish (Cain 5/80, Santana 3/60) get paid. It's really just been the Alonso and Kendrick deals that have looked like steals IMO. The story so far isn't really that contracts are lower than expected, it's that they're not getting signed. We'll see if there's a wave of cheap February deals.

 

With the big holdouts mostly being Boras? February deals seems generous.

[BTS]

With the big holdouts mostly being Boras? February deals seems generous.

 

Yeah, I have my doubts too. I think most of these guys will get around what we would have expected going into the offseason.

[AledmysDiaz]

IF I am the players association, I want a spending floor on the Revenue sharing agreement and competitive balance draft picks.

 

If teams want these nice things, they should have to spend a minimum amount.

 

What we have right now is a bunch of teams against the luxury tax, a bunch of teams not wanting to spend at all since they have no chance of winning, and a bunch of teams like the Jays hoping and waiting for the market to bottom out.

 

IMO the biggest change has not been in the minds of the teams but rather the fans. The last three champions became champions by bottoming out and being absolutely horrible for a very long time. This is where baseball has failed. It has provided incentives for teams to be really bad. The Royals, Cubs and Astros all became champions by being really really bad. Now fans in other markets like Pittsburgh, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, and even here want the same thing. They are willing to endure teams being really bad if the end result is good.

 

This is heading towards a strike for sure.

[BTS]

IF I am the players association, I want a spending floor on the Revenue sharing agreement and competitive balance draft picks.

 

If teams want these nice things, they should have to spend a minimum amount.

 

What we have right now is a bunch of teams against the luxury tax, a bunch of teams not wanting to spend at all since they have no chance of winning, and a bunch of teams like the Jays hoping and waiting for the market to bottom out.

 

IMO the biggest change has not been in the minds of the teams but rather the fans. The last three champions became champions by bottoming out and being absolutely horrible for a very long time. This is where baseball has failed. It has provided incentives for teams to be really bad. The Royals, Cubs and Astros all became champions by being really really bad. Now fans in other markets like Pittsburgh, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, and even here want the same thing. They are willing to endure teams being really bad if the end result is good.

 

This is heading towards a strike for sure.

 

Rebuild cycles have been part of baseball forever. I don’t see why the players would suddenly be concerned about them.

[John_Havok]

Rebuild cycles have been part of baseball forever. I don’t see why the players would suddenly be concerned about them.

 

I think they're suddenly concerned because when Miami and Pittsburgh and others are seemingly always in sell mode, avoid big contracts and still get heaps of revenue sharing, without reinvesting it into the team and paying players, it defeats the entire point of revenue sharing.

 

The intent of that whole system was to narrow the gap between the super rich teams in huge markets with endless cash flows, and the smaller markets with finite resources and to allow those small market teams to retain their star players.

 

Now they're just selling off their big stars anyways, while pocketing the revenue sharing.

[Spanky__99]

How will this effect WAR/$ projections? I suspect teams have curves they use to evaluate player value. I wonder if any predicted this apparent downturn in FA value.

 

Shapiro was asked something similar... his response(paraphrasing), "the trend would have to continue for at least 3 years to analyze correctly." FWIW

[Spanky__99]

Rebuild cycles have been part of baseball forever. I don’t see why the players would suddenly be concerned about them.

 

I think the MLBPA brought up Miami and I think the Pirates recently about this?

 

Yup... found it here...

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/01/mlbpa-raises-revenue-sharing-concerns-regarding-marlins-pirates.html

[Bobthe4th]

[Deadpool]

 

Wait, he thinks there are only 75 racist twitter users in Northern Ohio?

Edited January 31, 2018 by Deadpool

[G-Snarls]

[G-Snarls]

Wait, he things there are only 75 racist twitter users in Northern Ohio?

 

Most northern Ohio racists aren't computer literate

[Brownie19]

 

It's it entirely plausible that someone could be against the removal of chief wahoo without being racist?

 

 

I'd consider un-following him simply because that's a really stupid statement (not that I use twitter)

[Spanky__99]

It's it entirely plausible that someone could be against the removal of chief wahoo without being racist?

 

 

I'd consider un-following him simply because that's a really stupid statement (not that I use twitter)

 

lol... Heyman is a moron.