2021/2022 Free Agency Thread

[John_Havok]

This Suzuki guy seems pretty decent to me. Zips projects him for a 118 OPS+ next year, for whatever that is worth.

 

So that said, if the Jays sign him I'll be excited about it and will expect 20-30 homers next year with decent defense and OBP. If they don't, it's because he sucks and I think he'll struggle to hit .200.

 

So basically a minor improvement on Gurriel offensively, but what about defense? I'd wager this guy would grade out better defensively than Gurriel

[Spanky99]

This Suzuki guy seems pretty decent to me. Zips projects him for a 118 OPS+ next year, for whatever that is worth.

 

So that said, if the Jays sign him I'll be excited about it and will expect 20-30 homers next year with decent defense and OBP. If they don't, it's because he sucks and I think he'll struggle to hit .200.

 

Hahahaha... awesome!

[max silver]

So basically a minor improvement on Gurriel offensively, but what about defense? I'd wager this guy would grade out better defensively than Gurriel

 

Suzuki has won several gold gloves so he will likely be a quality MLB defender straight away. He is reported to have a plus arm but is likely limited to the corners as his speed is likely closer to average.

[Jimcanuck]

If the Jays are actually pursuing Suzuki, it would be as a Grichuk replacement IMO.

[John_Havok]

If the Jays are actually pursuing Suzuki, it would be as a Grichuk replacement IMO.

 

How so? Grichuk is a bench guy, why would be imperative to pay Suzuki more (his rumoured target is 4 years, 48 million) than Grichuk to ride the pine for 2/3rds of the season?

[Terminator]

So basically a minor improvement on Gurriel offensively, but what about defense? I'd wager this guy would grade out better defensively than Gurriel

 

It depends if we sign him or not. If we do, I'm expecting pretty darn good defense. If we don't sign him then I think he'll have a noodle arm.

[Abomination]

I have to think the plan would be to move Gurriel to 3rd if we sign him. I mean, ideally we get a good left handed bat, but if the value is there ...

[John_Havok]

I have to think the plan would be to move Gurriel to 3rd if we sign him. I mean, ideally we get a good left handed bat, but if the value is there ...

 

Alternatively, Gurriel becomes trade fodder. His contract and obvious upside would be something many teams would be interested in trying to take advantage of.

 

Not saying he SHOULD be traded, just that getting Suzuki would make him somewhat more expendable.

[Spanky99]

That's too risky for my liking, pass. Move Grichuk, sure.

[Dick_Pole]

This Suzuki guy seems pretty decent to me. Zips projects him for a 118 OPS+ next year, for whatever that is worth.

 

So that said, if the Jays sign him I'll be excited about it and will expect 20-30 homers next year with decent defense and OBP. If they don't, it's because he sucks and I think he'll struggle to hit .200.

 

Spanky: I don't like this guy, too risky, clickbait rumour.

Spanky if the Jays sign him: Great acquisition! Best player ever!

[Spanky99]

Spanky: I don't like this guy, too risky, clickbait rumour.

Spanky if the Jays sign him: Great acquisition! Best player ever!

 

I never said that, DICK?!

[The Cats Ass]

Suzuki also has some infield experience. Could do a 3B tryout between him and Gurriel in ST to see how each of them look there.

[Brownie19]

How so? Grichuk is a bench guy, why would be imperative to pay Suzuki more (his rumoured target is 4 years, 48 million) than Grichuk to ride the pine for 2/3rds of the season?

 

Right now you could argue that Grichuk/Kirk are our DH. When you consider how much the 4th OF plays, that means we're still looking at giving Grichuk 550 PA's this year. Suzuki could certainly replace that.

[The Iceman]

Right now you could argue that Grichuk/Kirk are our DH. When you consider how much the 4th OF plays, that means we're still looking at giving Grichuk 550 PA's this year. Suzuki could certainly replace that.

 

4th OFs should not get 550 plate appearances. If you are replacing an injured player for a large part of the season yes.

Especially hitting where RG will be in this lineup. Looking at 350-400 PAs for Randal if everyone is healthy and they don't sign a DH.

[Brownie19]

4th OFs should not get 550 plate appearances. If you are replacing an injured player for a large part of the season yes.

Especially hitting where RG will be in this lineup. Looking at 350-400 PAs for Randal if everyone is healthy and they don't sign a DH.

 

That sounds great, but I'm fairly sure the average 4th OFer gets 500+ PA's per year. Can't assume health.

[Jimcanuck]

I don't think AL teams with the DH think anymore in terms of 3 OF and a backup. They think in terms of 4 OF, with duties split amongst them.

[saskjayfan]

How so? Grichuk is a bench guy, why would be imperative to pay Suzuki more (his rumoured target is 4 years, 48 million) than Grichuk to ride the pine for 2/3rds of the season?

 

You obviously don't sign the player if you don't think he has upside to be better than Grichuk. You trade Grichuk once the salary cap floor comes in place. Suddenly Grichuk is a hot commodity for teams that need to spend money, but still want to tank.

 

You have 4 outfielders to rotate through the DH spot knowing there will be injuries. His play dictates how many ABs he gets.

[Krylian]

Detroit offered Correa 10/275. He said no thanks.

[wilko]

Detroit offered Correa 10/275. He said no thanks.

 

Gross.

[Dick_Pole]

No thanks to the contract or no thanks to Detroit? Two different things lol

[The_DH]

No thanks to the contract or no thanks to Detroit? Two different things lol

 

This is a good point. The money's probably decent but not much of a chance of a good team. He'd want some exit clauses and no trade controls.

[Ryu In My House]

That's too risky for my liking, pass. Move Grichuk, sure.

 

For sure. But I mean they will need to get something. That may not happen. Maybe Gurriel jr and Kirk for an impact player.

[Spanky99]

For sure. But I mean they will need to get something. That may not happen. Maybe Gurriel jr and Kirk for an impact player.

 

Uhmm... I was saying not to trade LGJ ???

[Ehjays]

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/insider/story/_/id/33340382/a-hurricane-activity-8-things-happen-once-mlb-lockout-ends

 

 

 

The presumption among a lot of rival executives last year was that Freeman and the Braves would eventually work out a deal. But Freeman was not among the stars who signed a pre-lockout contract -- even after the Braves won the World Series and the franchise operated with the championship glow (and cash injection). So the industry view has shifted; there is a growing belief that Freeman will land somewhere outside of Atlanta because of the standoff in his negotiations. The Braves offered $135 million over five years, sources say, and Freeman is looking for a six-year deal.

 

"I think [the Braves] will move quickly to settle on an alternative and move on to get past the conversation," one official said.

 

Maybe that's a deal for Oakland's Matt Olson. Maybe they'll sign Anthony Rizzo. But the Freeman negotiations became a competition, and as one agent said, you never want to do that.

 

Freeman would be a perfect fit for just about any lineup, especially with the universal designated hitter likely to be used in the National League in 2022. Even a team with an established first baseman could envision Freeman splitting time between DH and first base.

 

But as great as Freeman is as a hitter and a clubhouse presence, there probably aren't many teams in position to spend big money on a 32-year-old first baseman. The left-handed hitting Freeman would help to balance the Yankees' very right-handed lineup, and he would probably enjoy swinging into the cozy confines of Yankee Stadium's right-field dimensions. If Hal Steinbrenner chooses to operate within the limits of the competitive balance tax threshold, as he did last year, Cashman may not have the space for another big-money deal. The Yankees already have significant investments in Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, and the club's intention is to work to retain Aaron Judge, as his foray into free agency looms next fall.

 

For Freeman, the most likely alternative to the Braves might be the Dodgers. Some agents believe Andrew Friedman, the head of baseball operations for L.A., would never devote a six-year deal to a first baseman entering the back half of his career. "But a shorter term deal that's really lucrative -- I could see that," said one agent, positing a four-year, $140 million contract as more workable for L.A.

 

Wherever the future Hall of Fame inductee lands, folks in the industry believe it'll happen swiftly.

[wilko]

As much as I'd love to see Freeman a Jay... 6 year deal at 32 years old? You'd be lucky to get 3 good seasons.

[John_Havok]

As much as I'd love to see Freeman a Jay... 6 year deal at 32 years old? You'd be lucky to get 3 good seasons.

 

I'd love to get him at 4/120. THat would be fun.

[Terminator]

If he turned down 5 for 135M it'd probably take at least 6 for 160M or something like 4 for 140 to get him. It's not my money and Shatkins seems to know how to manage a payroll so if they decide they want him I'm all for it. It would add a lot of depth to the lineup and his lefty bat would be a godsend. We haven't had a good lefty hitter since Delgado.

 

I'd prefer a JRam trade but even better would be a JRam trade on top of a Freeman signing. We'd have an All-Star team.

[John_Havok]

If he turned down 5 for 135M it'd probably take at least 6 for 160M or something like 4 for 140 to get him. It's not my money and Shatkins seems to know how to manage a payroll so if they decide they want him I'm all for it. It would add a lot of depth to the lineup and his lefty bat would be a godsend. We haven't had a good lefty hitter since Delgado.

 

I'd prefer a JRam trade but even better would be a JRam trade on top of a Freeman signing. We'd have an All-Star team.

 

Cant even begin to imagine the erection over a lineup of:

 

Springer

J-Ram

Vlad

Freeman

Teoscar

Bo

Gurriel

Biggio

Jansen/Kirk

 

 

Or whatever order the last 3 go in, doesnt matter... that top 6 is murderous.

[Ehjays]

I found this interesting, even if it ends up not being for Freeman, looks like they have ownerships approval to spend some more.

 

 

 

Latest On Freddie Freeman

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | February 25, 2022

 

Freddie Freeman’s ultimate free-agent destination has been one of the more fascinating storylines of the offseason. At the outset of free agency, most felt a reunion with the Braves was a fait accompli, but as Freeman’s stay on the market has lingered, there’s been increasing speculation about him signing elsewhere.

 

We can’t know when we’ll get a resolution, thanks to the ongoing lockout, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that there’s an industry sense that Freeman will act quickly once the transaction freeze lifts. Specifically, Sherman suggests that within 48 hours of the freeze lifting, Freeman’s “path will be publicly known.” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggested something similar, albeit without the specific timeline, when writing late last month that both Freeman and the Braves could “act quickly” post-lockout.

 

Freeman’s fate is a renewed talking point among Braves fans in the wake of this morning’s earnings report from Liberty Media, which owns the Braves, although the newly available public insight into the team’s financials likely has little to no impact on their pursuit of Freeman. It’s always been a question of whether ownership and/or the front office deems Freeman’s asking price to be a prudent long-term move for the organization, and the team knew those figures would be going public at this point.

 

Perhaps more interesting, however, is Sherman’s suggestion that one theoretical Freeman suitor, the Blue Jays, has been given ownership approval for a “large increase in payroll” even after the additions of George Springer, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios over the past year-plus. The Jays’ desire to add a left-handed bat to the mix isn’t exactly a new revelation; they reportedly pursued Corey Seager prior to his deal with the Rangers and have been speculatively tied to names like Kyle Schwarber and the since-retired Kyle Seager. The Jays were even linked to Freeman as far back as Nov. 30. More recently, Rosenthal said on Sportsnet that he expects the Jays to be involved on Freeman whenever the lockout lifts.

 

Toronto is just one speculative alternative, and Freeman has also been heavily linked to the Dodgers and Yankees in addition to the incumbent Braves. ESPN’s Buster Olney suggested in a recent appearance on the Michael Kay Show (audio link, with Freeman talk starting around 11 minutes) that the Mets at least “checked in” on Freeman prior to the lockout, although SNY’s Andy Martino wrote this morning that the chances of a Freeman/Mets deal coming together border on nonexistent. Olney, too, mentions the Blue Jays as a team that has inquired on Freeman (along with the Dodgers), and he more broadly discusses a growing industry sentiment that Freeman won’t return to the Braves.

 

The Braves’ best offer to this point has reportedly been a five-year, $135MM contract. He’s said to be eyeing a six-year pact on the heels of another outstanding season. Freeman followed up his 2020 NL MVP Award with a .300/.393/.503 showing and 31 home runs during the regular season, plus a .304/.420/.625 line with five home runs in 69 postseason plate appearances. It was yet another impressive season for the ever-reliable first baseman, who has a wRC+ of 132 or better (indicating he’s been at least 32 percentage points more productive than the league average hitter) every year since 2013.

 

It’s certainly possible the Braves and Freeman can yet bridge the gap that remained in talks through the imposition of the lockout. Yet Atlanta has at least explored some alternatives. The Braves reportedly looked into Anthony Rizzo as a free agent possibility, and they’ve been mentioned as a potential trade partner with the A’s on Matt Olson on multiple occasions. Sherman speaks with a few agents and one rival executive who speculate that Atlanta could even pivot to pursuing an Olson trade between the time the lockout is lifted and when Freeman signs. The executive notes that someone like Kyle Wright — a big league ready starter who was formerly a top five draftee and highly-regarded prospect — fits the mold of the near-MLB talent the A’s could look for in an Olson deal. Wright no longer has the trade value to center a package that could persuade the A’s to part with Olson, but he’d be a sensible option for Oakland to explore as an ancillary piece in talks with Atlanta.

 

That’s conjecture from people outside the Atlanta organization, to be clear. What president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his staff have planned for the post-lockout scramble won’t become evident until offseason activity actually resumes. Yet the growing industry chatter reinforces that Freeman remaining in Atlanta may not be the lock many anticipated as the Braves entered the offseason riding high on a World Series title, particularly as other possible suitors loom.

[Spanky99]

Well, we really kind of knew that after going after Seager.