Around Baseball 2023

[Jimcanuck]

Hell of a rivalry brewing, it's great

[Spanky__99]

I love logging on and reading C-poop get dunked on.

[Jonn]

Apparently Oakland is looking to make more moves. I know he’s coming off a down season but Ramon Laureano still appeals to me although he’s less needed than before.

[Brownie19]

Apparently Oakland is looking to make more moves. I know he’s coming off a down season but Ramon Laureano still appeals to me although he’s less needed than before.

 

The only thing better than having 3 CFers on the team is having 4! He's actually be a great fit as our 4th OFer. RHB who hits lefties well and can play all 3 OF positions. Entering his age 29 season and has 2 more years of control. Sign me up at the right price.

 

Varsho/Laureano/KK >>>> Teo/Gurriel/Tapia

[jaysblue]

The only thing better than having 3 CFers on the team is having 4! He's actually be a great fit as our 4th OFer. RHB who hits lefties well and can play all 3 OF positions. Entering his age 29 season and has 2 more years of control. Sign me up at the right price.

 

Varsho/Laureano/KK >>>> Teo/Gurriel/Tapia

 

Also, gotta figure Springer and KK will spend time on the IL this season, so why not.

[Brownie19]

Also, gotta figure Springer and KK will spend time on the IL this season, so why not.

 

For sure - which increases the importance on having a solid 4th OFer. I think we can get by with a combination of Merrifield/Biggio/Espinal covering 2nd and the 4th OF spot - but 1 more solid LHP masher would really round out the bench nicely.

[L54]

Biggio and Sem Robberse for Laureano should get it done

[Spanky__99]

Biggio and Sem Robberse for Laureano should get it done

 

Something in that realm, that'd be a sexy move.

[John_Havok]

Something in that realm, that'd be a sexy move.

 

I dunno, Ramon doesnt really mash lefties (107 wRC+ career), plays ok D and average power. Strikes out a ton, walks less than league average.

 

Id rather just spend money on AJ Pollock. He actually hits lefties much better (130 wRC+ career), and doesn't defend that much worse. Just keep him from facing RHP as much as possible and he's a far better bench option IMO. Plus if your trading Biggio, there goes that extra LHB they'll end up needing on the bench.

[Jimcanuck]

I dunno, Ramon doesnt really mash lefties (107 wRC+ career), plays ok D and average power. Strikes out a ton, walks less than league average.

 

Id rather just spend money on AJ Pollock. He actually hits lefties much better (130 wRC+ career), and doesn't defend that much worse. Just keep him from facing RHP as much as possible and he's a far better bench option IMO. Plus if your trading Biggio, there goes that extra LHB they'll end up needing on the bench.

 

With Gurriel gone, trading Biggio would give the team no backup 1B, although that's a minor concern obv.

 

I like a bench of Biggio, Espinal, Pollock, and one of Barger, Lukes, Horwitz. This would be 2 LHB and 2 RHB with excellent positional flexibility

[Stangstag]

With Gurriel gone, trading Biggio would give the team no backup 1B, although that's a minor concern obv.

 

I like a bench of Biggio, Espinal, Pollock, and one of Barger, Lukes, Horwitz. This would be 2 LHB and 2 RHB with excellent positional flexibility

 

I think Merrifield can play 1B

[Jimcanuck]

I think Merrifield can play 1B

 

Probably, among others. It's minor detail that gets addressed in ST through reps but it's just another reason, a minor one, to keep Biggio and sign a Pollock.

[Spanky__99]

I dunno, Ramon doesnt really mash lefties (107 wRC+ career), plays ok D and average power. Strikes out a ton, walks less than league average.

 

Id rather just spend money on AJ Pollock. He actually hits lefties much better (130 wRC+ career), and doesn't defend that much worse. Just keep him from facing RHP as much as possible and he's a far better bench option IMO. Plus if your trading Biggio, there goes that extra LHB they'll end up needing on the bench.

 

I don't mind that option, I just would love to see a 4th OF added, that doesn't suck, I wouldn't mind any of the OF's discussed on this forum.

[John_Havok]

I don't mind that option, I just would love to see a 4th OF added, that doesn't suck, I wouldn't mind any of the OF's discussed on this forum.

 

If you could get Laureano without taking away from the current roster, its a good get. The only reason I balk at trading Biggio is because all last season all we heard about was how light we were on LH hitting, so .. trading one away doesnt really make sense. There's still only going to be 2 Lefties in the lineup on a regular basis as is. Yes, in a vaccum Biggio for Laureano is very defensible, i just dont think it's the best way to fill the need of the 4th OF, which is really even debateable that the guy has to play OF. Getting any kind of lefty masher IF or OF would be fine with this roster's positional flexibility.

[Carlos Danger]

Apparently Oakland is looking to make more moves. I know he’s coming off a down season but Ramon Laureano still appeals to me although he’s less needed than before.

 

Laureano is who I wanted at the deadline last year. He would be an awesome get. I believe Oakland values him very highly and I don't think he would be quite as cheap as some think. Although, I think he would be worth it!

[John_Havok]

Laureano is who I wanted at the deadline last year. He would be an awesome get. I believe Oakland values him very highly and I don't think he would be quite as cheap as some think. Although, I think he would be worth it!

 

3.6 Million projected arb salary too, wouldnt be a big hit

[Carlos Danger]

3.6 Million projected arb salary too, wouldn't be a big hit

 

When I meant "cheap", I meant acquisition cost. Still should not be something that would sell the farm..

[L54]

I was only kidding about Biggio and Sem in reference to the A’s trading their players for cheap and controllable bats that really aren’t very good.

[L54]

Pollock would be my #1 fourth OF target.

[John_Havok]

When I meant "cheap", I meant acquisition cost. Still should not be something that would sell the farm..

 

Yeha, i was just adding on in case anyone was wondering what his projected salary might be.

 

The Jays are probably right up against the luxury tax right now, so i wonder if they would really want to go over in order to add a guy like Ramon .. or even Pollack. I know we've heard the lip service from the top saying that the tax isnt a barrier, but lets be real, if the options are go over my 2 million and have Laureano, or stay under and don't get him, i'd vote to stay under. I would only want to go over if it was a significant add. No point in taking penalties for being just slightly over.

[Terminator]

Yeha, i was just adding on in case anyone was wondering what his projected salary might be.

 

The Jays are probably right up against the luxury tax right now, so i wonder if they would really want to go over in order to add a guy like Ramon .. or even Pollack. I know we've heard the lip service from the top saying that the tax isnt a barrier, but lets be real, if the options are go over my 2 million and have Laureano, or stay under and don't get him, i'd vote to stay under. I would only want to go over if it was a significant add. No point in taking penalties for being just slightly over.

 

It depends on what they want to do next year. With Ryu coming off the books could they get under to reset the luxury clock? If so then it wouldn't really matter much this year.

 

Also, if they are under to start the year, but go over after the trade deadline how does that play out?

 

There's a lot of stuff to the luxury tax that the team will be more on top of than us and I would assume that they'll play it right given the info that they have.

[John_Havok]

It depends on what they want to do next year. With Ryu coming off the books could they get under to reset the luxury clock? If so then it wouldn't really matter much this year.

 

Also, if they are under to start the year, but go over after the trade deadline how does that play out?

 

There's a lot of stuff to the luxury tax that the team will be more on top of than us and I would assume that they'll play it right given the info that they have.

 

The luxury threshold only matters at the end of the year. All that matters is how much money a team actually spent on salary by the time the regular season is over. Where they start at the beginning of the season doesn’t matter

[G-Snarls]

Seriously though what is up with Correa and the Mets

[Brownie19]

I dunno, Ramon doesnt really mash lefties (107 wRC+ career), plays ok D and average power. Strikes out a ton, walks less than league average.

 

Id rather just spend money on AJ Pollock. He actually hits lefties much better (130 wRC+ career), and doesn't defend that much worse. Just keep him from facing RHP as much as possible and he's a far better bench option IMO. Plus if your trading Biggio, there goes that extra LHB they'll end up needing on the bench.

 

Fangraphs is suggesting he's a career 122 wRC+ hitter v. LHP (111 wRC+ v. RHP).

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ramon-laureano/17128/splits?position=OF&season=0

 

I worry that a guy like Pollack will be looking for a starting spot or a clear path to playing time. Could be wrong - maybe he wants to be on a winner. He's definitely my #1 choice. He's kind of like a right handed version of Michael Brantley. Duval is right there with him too.

 

Duval, Grossman, Pham, Mancini, Pinder - there's probably enough of these types of players out there that we can land one on the cheap. Ramon hasn't been the same since he got off PEDs and he may no longer have anymore upside than these guys (you're hoping to find lightning in a bottle), but I doubt he costs much to acquire.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Brownie19

[Ehjays]

Solid signing by Cleveland, you cant lose by a minor league deal, Toussaint is something we should have been in on........

 

 

Guardians Sign Touki Toussaint, Cam Gallagher To Minor League Deals

By Steve Adams | January 4, 2023 at 9:19am CDT

 

The Guardians announced Wednesday that they’ve signed right-hander Touki Toussaint, catcher Cam Gallagher and righty Michael Kelly to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also confirmed its previously reported signing of outfielder Roman Quinn.

 

Toussaint, 26, is the most recognizable and most experienced name of the bunch. A former first-round draft pick (No. 16 overall, to the D-backs in 2014) and top-100 prospect in the sport, the 6’3″ righty was traded to the Braves and, for several years, was viewed as a potentially vital piece of the team’s most recent rebuilding cycle. It was easy enough to see why. Toussaint obliterated minor league lineups in 2018, pitching to a combined 2.38 ERA in 136 1/3 innings — including a 1.43 ERA in 50 innings during his Triple-A debut.

 

It’s been mostly downhill since that time, however. Toussaint was solid but wild in a 29-inning MLB debut late in the ’18 season, and he was clobbered both in Triple-A and in the Majors in 2019 (as were many pitchers in the juiced ball season). He allowed 24 runs in 24 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season, and Toussaint hasn’t really found his footing in either of the two subsequent seasons, despite a move to the bullpen and a change of scenery that sent him from Atlanta to Anaheim.

 

All in all, Toussaint has a 5.34 ERA in 170 1/3 big league innings. He’s punched out a solid 23.7% of his opponents and paired that with a solid 11.1% swinging-strike rate, but he’s also walked far too many hitters (13.6%) and been homer-prone more often than not (1.37 HR/9). His Triple-A work has been better, but not markedly so; in 160 innings he carries a 4.55 ERA with a 25.7% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate.

 

Gallagher, 30, has appeared in parts of six Major League seasons — all with the Royals. He’s primarily functioned as a glove-first backup to iron man Salvador Perez, never topping more than 142 plate appearances in a single big league season. He’s tallied just 469 trips to the plate during his time in the Majors, batting .240/.302/.355 overall. Gallagher draws plus marks for his framing and has registered 11 Defensive Runs Saved in 1136 career innings behind the plate, though he’s struggled a bit with the running game (20.6% caught-stealing rate in his career).

[Ehjays]

[Brownie19]

Yeah I saw that and thought the same thing. Checked his stats though and it seems like a long shot he'll ever materialize into anything. Smart of him to get into the Cleveland organization as they seem to turn water into wine with pitchers.

[Krylian]

I think Merrifield can play 1B

 

If Chris Pratt can play, anyone can.

[John_Havok]

Fangraphs is suggesting he's a career 122 wRC+ hitter v. LHP (111 wRC+ v. RHP).

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ramon-laureano/17128/splits?position=OF&season=0

 

I worry that a guy like Pollack will be looking for a starting spot or a clear path to playing time. Could be wrong - maybe he wants to be on a winner. He's definitely my #1 choice. He's kind of like a right handed version of Michael Brantley. Duval is right there with him too.

 

Duval, Grossman, Pham, Mancini, Pinder - there's probably enough of these types of players out there that we can land one on the cheap. Ramon hasn't been the same since he got off PEDs and he may no longer have anymore upside than these guys (you're hoping to find lightning in a bottle), but I doubt he costs much to acquire.

 

s***, yep, was looking at a different split column on Laureano and had the 2 mixed up. There really are a lot of 4th OF options out there, its just a matter of whehter they want to be part time or not

[Laika]

Solid signing by Cleveland, you cant lose by a minor league deal, Toussaint is something we should have been in on........

 

 

Guardians Sign Touki Toussaint, Cam Gallagher To Minor League Deals

By Steve Adams | January 4, 2023 at 9:19am CDT

 

The Guardians announced Wednesday that they’ve signed right-hander Touki Toussaint, catcher Cam Gallagher and righty Michael Kelly to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also confirmed its previously reported signing of outfielder Roman Quinn.

 

Toussaint, 26, is the most recognizable and most experienced name of the bunch. A former first-round draft pick (No. 16 overall, to the D-backs in 2014) and top-100 prospect in the sport, the 6’3″ righty was traded to the Braves and, for several years, was viewed as a potentially vital piece of the team’s most recent rebuilding cycle. It was easy enough to see why. Toussaint obliterated minor league lineups in 2018, pitching to a combined 2.38 ERA in 136 1/3 innings — including a 1.43 ERA in 50 innings during his Triple-A debut.

 

It’s been mostly downhill since that time, however. Toussaint was solid but wild in a 29-inning MLB debut late in the ’18 season, and he was clobbered both in Triple-A and in the Majors in 2019 (as were many pitchers in the juiced ball season). He allowed 24 runs in 24 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season, and Toussaint hasn’t really found his footing in either of the two subsequent seasons, despite a move to the bullpen and a change of scenery that sent him from Atlanta to Anaheim.

 

All in all, Toussaint has a 5.34 ERA in 170 1/3 big league innings. He’s punched out a solid 23.7% of his opponents and paired that with a solid 11.1% swinging-strike rate, but he’s also walked far too many hitters (13.6%) and been homer-prone more often than not (1.37 HR/9). His Triple-A work has been better, but not markedly so; in 160 innings he carries a 4.55 ERA with a 25.7% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate.

 

Gallagher, 30, has appeared in parts of six Major League seasons — all with the Royals. He’s primarily functioned as a glove-first backup to iron man Salvador Perez, never topping more than 142 plate appearances in a single big league season. He’s tallied just 469 trips to the plate during his time in the Majors, batting .240/.302/.355 overall. Gallagher draws plus marks for his framing and has registered 11 Defensive Runs Saved in 1136 career innings behind the plate, though he’s struggled a bit with the running game (20.6% caught-stealing rate in his career).

 

You actually CAN screw up with minor league deals because you only get so many

 

If you bring in a guy like Touki then all other candidates think of themselves as potentially one spot lower on the depth chart, and are less likely to go to Buffalo

 

So you still need to make good minor league signings!

 

IIRC the minor league guys last year that Toronto signed were Biagini, Jose De Leon, and Derek Holland. Well the major league team got nothing from them, not even a s***** spot start! It did kind of hurt.