Around Baseball 2025

[Spanky__99]

17 hours ago, Jonn said:

Clarke is a nice prospect. Probably their 4th or 5th ranked. Just got healthy again had big strikeout numbers in 14 starts.

Nah, he wasn't in BA's top 10 released 2 days ago, he's good though. Pipeline is saying he was #5, not sure if that's updated though.

Richard Fitts is also not a nothingburger, trade seems fair to me, although I hate that the Bosox just got much better. Ughh...

Where were the Orioles on this?

[Spanky__99]

17 hours ago, Pendleton said:

Had some initial interest in Gray when I read him mentioned among other top trade candidates, but less so after I checked his savant page. FB velocity is waning and his barrel/hard hit percentages are concerning. He might get rocked in the AL East this year

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/sonny-gray-543243

 

This would please me.

[Spanky__99]

16 hours ago, Laika said:

Dick Fitts = Jake Bloss sans TJS 

Yeah, agreed, it was a good baseball trade.

[jaysblue]

Remember the days when Marcus Stroman was being compared to Sonny Gray. 

[Spanky__99]

24 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

Remember the days when Marcus Stroman was being compared to Sonny Gray. 

🤔... really?

[Spanky__99]

I love this type of media coverage and overlay...
 

22K views · 255 reactions | Addison Barger shows off two types of...

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM

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Addison Barger shows off two types of baseball swings, a breakdown #mlb #baseball #sports #bluejays #homerun #torontobluejays

 

[John_Havok]

TODAY: Imai has officially been posted, as the league informed teams today.  Imai’s posting window opens tomorrow at 7am CT and closes on January 2 at 4pm CT.

Let the games begin. 

 

The usual suspects will be present... Giants, Phillies, Jays, Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Cubs maybe. Any dark horses worth mentioning? 

MLBTR is predicting a 6 year 150m type of deal. 

[John_Havok]

From Keegan Matheson mlb.com on the jays and Imai: puff piece with nothing substantive of course, but here it is. 

TORONTO -- Tatsuya Imai wants to do what the Blue Jays just came so close to doing.

The 27-year-old Japanese star is coming to Major League Baseball, posted earlier this month by the Saitama Seibu Lions with a signing window that expires Jan. 2. Even with the Dodgers already so rich in starting pitching, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki have made it easy to draw a straight line between “star Japanese free agent” and Los Angeles.

Well, maybe not this time. Recently, Imai appeared on the show “Hodo Station” and spoke with Daisuke Matsuzaka ahead of his decision.

"Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki," Imai told Matsuzaka, "but winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I'd rather take them down."

Enter the Blue Jays, who have long been interested in landing a Japanese star. This isn’t just about Ohtani and that failed pursuit from the 2023-24 offseason, either, it’s about a broader, organizational desire to establish the Blue Jays as a brand in Asia. It’s about baseball, yes, but it’s also about business, trying to find their own slice of Japan’s baseball culture, eyeballs and dollars included.

"If there were another Japanese player on the same team, I could just ask them about anything, right?" Imai continued. "But that’s actually not what I’m looking for. In a way, I want to experience that sense of survival. When I come face-to-face with cultural differences, I want to see how I can overcome them on my own -- that’s part of what I’m excited about.”

It’s a fascinating look into the mind of Imai. At the core of this is still a young man leaving his home -- and his team of nine years -- to move to a foreign country where he doesn’t speak the language. The cultural norms are different. The food is different. The cities are different. The game itself is different, so targeting a team with a fellow Japanese player would be completely understandable.

That’s clearly not a concern for Imai, though, another point in favor of the Blue Jays if they choose to pursue Imai more aggressively as his market unfolds over the next six weeks. The Blue Jays have no Japanese players on their current 40-man roster, their last being Yusei Kikuchi, who was signed in 2022 and traded to the Astros in ‘24.

Both Kikuchi and Korean lefty Hyun Jin Ryu commanded their own travelling press corps in their time with Toronto, Ryu’s often pushing well past a dozen reporters and cameras. Kikuchi, even on road trips, could have four, six or 10 reporters following his every move. The spotlight would shine even brighter on a pitcher of Imai’s talent, which is all part of what the Blue Jays are chasing. Wins. Whiffs. Strikeouts. Eyeballs.

On the mound, the 5-foot-11 Imai is no intimidating physical force, but his fastball reaches into the upper-90s with a slider, changeup and splitter. Last season in Japan, he posted a 1.92 ERA with 178 strikeouts over 163 2/3 innings. He won’t land a megadeal like Yamamoto’s (12 years, $325 million), but perhaps something in the range of Kevin Gausman’s five-year, $110 million deal is a better starting point for conversations, at least in terms of annual value

The Blue Jays have major rotation questions beyond 2026, which is work they’ll need to get ahead of. The market offers Dylan Cease, Ranger Suárez, Framber Valdez, Michael King and others on top of trade candidates, but at 27, Imai is one of the few available pitchers entering his physical prime years.

The variable, of course, is how Imai will adapt to Major League hitters.

"In MLB, the average height for a hitter is higher than in Japan, so I focus on throwing a rising, high fastball from that low release -- almost like I’m driving it upward from below,” Imai told Matsuzaka. “I’m very conscious about not throwing downhill from over the top.”

From what little we know of Imai in North America so far, he’s taken an intriguing, impressive approach to this jump to MLB. He’ll need to land in the right situation to continue his development, but the Blue Jays offer so much of this at the highest levels, from their facilities to a coaching staff with a track record of taking solid starting pitchers and turning them up a notch.

The Blue Jays were, on a dozen different occasions, an inch away from beating the Dodgers. The entire baseball world saw it. Imai had to see it, too.

[Spanky__99]

PS. Those Fangraph ranks you fellas are citing was pre - 2025. They don't hold much water anymore.

Yesavage was ranked 148 without throwing a pitch yet, just sayin' 🤷‍♂️

ETA: Clarke is now ranked 83 by their update at the end of the season. Not bad, he's right there with Tiedemann and Bloss atm, Yesavage was 35th overall and that was before the postseason, lol. Nimalla at 37... are farm is pretty strong now. Even after trading Stephen Roden and Wagner etc... losing Stephen might sting, he's at 73

 

 

[Olerud363.354]

7 hours ago, Spanky__99 said:

🤔... really?

He was being compared to Pedro Martinez through 2015.   Kind of dumb in retrospect but his 2014 was similar to Pedro's 1994 and his September 2015 and playoffs were great.  The size, the swagger, the reports on how good his stuff was....  Not saying any serious scouts compared him to Pedro, but just heard some comments 'reminds me of another undersized fiesty pitcher' a few times. 

In 2014 he gave up only 7 homers in 130 innings, great walk rate.  2.84 FIP.  3.17 xFIP.    In 2015 he had a lucky 1.64 ERA and was 4-0 down the stretch beating the Yankees in a couple of key games.   Just that October 2015 he looked like something special.  Then it turned out he was decent but not special and had some attitude problem or something. 

[Spanky__99]

7 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

He was being compared to Pedro Martinez through 2015.   Kind of dumb in retrospect but his 2014 was similar to Pedro's 1994 and his September 2015 and playoffs were great.  The size, the swagger, the reports on how good his stuff was....  Not saying any serious scouts compared him to Pedro, but just heard some comments 'reminds me of another undersized fiesty pitcher' a few times. 

In 2014 he gave up only 7 homers in 130 innings, great walk rate.  2.84 FIP.  3.17 xFIP.    In 2015 he had a lucky 1.64 ERA and was 4-0 down the stretch beating the Yankees in a couple of key games.   Just that October 2015 he looked like something special.  Then it turned out he was decent but not special and had some attitude problem or something. 

lol... he and A-A-RON broke up in '18 and it all went downhill from there dude.

[G-Snarls]

They're finally doing it.

--------------------------------

Angels, Anthony Rendon Discussing Contract Buyout With Rendon Expected To Retire

November 26th, 2025 at 2:24pm CST • By Darragh McDonald

The Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are discussing a buyout plan with Rendon expected to retire, reports Alden González of ESPN. Rendon’s seven-year, $245MM deal still has one year and $38MM remaining.

[G-Snarls]

Where does this rank among worst contracts in sports history?

[John_Havok]

50 minutes ago, G-Snarls said:

Where does this rank among worst contracts in sports history?

Gotta be close to the top for MLB alone. 

Adjusting Chris Davis' contract to current dollars probably makes it arguably worse than Rendon's but ... its gotta be top 1-3 worst in MLB history for sure. 

i don't follow the NFL or NBA close enough to make judgements there, but Rick Dipietro's 15 year deal when it was signed... That's easily the worst one in NHL history, though Alexei Yashin's 10 year was also a massive bust. 

With the cap era and new limits on contracts in the NHL it's pretty hard to sign anything that completely hamstrings a team now. 

[Laika]

12 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Gotta be close to the top for MLB alone. 

Adjusting Chris Davis' contract to current dollars probably makes it arguably worse than Rendon's but ... its gotta be top 1-3 worst in MLB history for sure. 

i don't follow the NFL or NBA close enough to make judgements there, but Rick Dipietro's 15 year deal when it was signed... That's easily the worst one in NHL history, though Alexei Yashin's 10 year was also a massive bust. 

With the cap era and new limits on contracts in the NHL it's pretty hard to sign anything that completely hamstrings a team now. 

The cumulative negative value might be similar but the "other stuff" would massively swing it to Rendon

IIRC Chris Davis was a good dude who tried and most people legit felt bad for him at some point 

[G-Snarls]

They had prime Mike Trout 

They had Ohtani nearly for free  

Blew all their cash on Rendon 

Couldn't even make the post season 

Such an epic fail 

[glory]

Rendon in the 3 seasons prior to signing with the Angels (2017-19):

1848 PA, 18.1 WAR, 145 wRC+, .390 xwOBA, 11.9 BB%, 13.5 K%, +11 OAA/+22 DRS at 3B, Ages 27-29

It's easy to rag on the Angels, but Rendon looked about as much of a sure thing as you can get. He just happened to be one of the rare players who got the bag and then unapologetically quit on the team. There are players who decline after signing a big contract. Rendon had a combination of injuries and not giving a s*** anymore. 

 

[BTS]

1 hour ago, G-Snarls said:

They're finally doing it.

--------------------------------

Angels, Anthony Rendon Discussing Contract Buyout With Rendon Expected To Retire

November 26th, 2025 at 2:24pm CST • By Darragh McDonald

The Angels and third baseman Anthony Rendon are discussing a buyout plan with Rendon expected to retire, reports Alden González of ESPN. Rendon’s seven-year, $245MM deal still has one year and $38MM remaining.

It’s insane that it took this long. Only a deeply unserious organization would have let Rendon stick around until now 

[BTS]

3 minutes ago, glory said:

Rendon in the 3 seasons prior to signing with the Angels (2017-19):

1848 PA, 18.1 WAR, 145 wRC+, .390 xwOBA, 11.9 BB%, 13.5 K%, +11 OAA/+22 DRS at 3B, Ages 27-29

It's easy to rag on the Angels, but Rendon looked about as much of a sure thing as you can get. He just happened to be one of the rare players who got the bag and then unapologetically quit on the team. There are players who decline after signing a big contract. Rendon had a combination of injuries and not giving a s*** anymore. 

 

Yeah. Honestly, Rendon at the time his contract was signed looks like a better signing than Kyle Tucker does right now. He's a year older, but his 3 seasons before free agency were 5.5, 5.9, 6.8 fWAR. Tucker hasn't ever hit 5 fWAR. 7/245M was not an outrageous amount of money for a player that age and caliber. 

The only angle you can really use to criticize LA is that maybe better due diligence would have uncovered evidence that he's actually a massive scumbag? But IIRC he didn't have that reputation publicly, and was actually considered a character guy coming off the WS win. 

The ultimate landmine. Possibly no evidence that that he even was a landmine. 

[John_Havok]

1 hour ago, BTS said:

Yeah. Honestly, Rendon at the time his contract was signed looks like a better signing than Kyle Tucker does right now. He's a year older, but his 3 seasons before free agency were 5.5, 5.9, 6.8 fWAR. Tucker hasn't ever hit 5 fWAR. 7/245M was not an outrageous amount of money for a player that age and caliber. 

The only angle you can really use to criticize LA is that maybe better due diligence would have uncovered evidence that he's actually a massive scumbag? But IIRC he didn't have that reputation publicly, and was actually considered a character guy coming off the WS win. 

The ultimate landmine. Possibly no evidence that that he even was a landmine. 

The IED of baseball. 

[Jimcanuck]

Just s*** luck for the Angels.  Ohtani might still be an Angel if it wasn't for that shitbag.

I'm sure Rendon is going to drive a hard bargain on a buyout, too

[Pendleton]

2 hours ago, BTS said:

Yeah. Honestly, Rendon at the time his contract was signed looks like a better signing than Kyle Tucker does right now. He's a year older, but his 3 seasons before free agency were 5.5, 5.9, 6.8 fWAR. Tucker hasn't ever hit 5 fWAR. 7/245M was not an outrageous amount of money for a player that age and caliber. 

The only angle you can really use to criticize LA is that maybe better due diligence would have uncovered evidence that he's actually a massive scumbag? But IIRC he didn't have that reputation publicly, and was actually considered a character guy coming off the WS win. 

The ultimate landmine. Possibly no evidence that that he even was a landmine. 

It was interesting to read back through MLBTR's predictions for that free agent class. They had Rendon ranked #2 (behind Gerrit Cole) and were pretty damn close on their projected contract at 7/235 - but they predicted Rendon would stay with the Nationals and had the Angels landing Cole...

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2020.html

[G-Snarls]

3 hours ago, Pendleton said:

It was interesting to read back through MLBTR's predictions for that free agent class. They had Rendon ranked #2 (behind Gerrit Cole) and were pretty damn close on their projected contract at 7/235 - but they predicted Rendon would stay with the Nationals and had the Angels landing Cole...

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/mlb-free-agent-predictions-2020.html

Yeah 

No one would have predicted Rendon would turn into such a pumpkin

When Pujols signed there everyone knew he would 

[Brownie19]

I'm late to the party, but I completely agree.  Rendon was a f*cking beast when the Angels signed him.  An incredible all around player with really no flaw at all in his profile.  Low K's, high BB's, good power, .300+ hitter for 3 straight years, great defense at 3rd.  He was on his way to a HOF career.  If you were handing out a mega deal in 2020 - nobody looked like more of a sure thing than Tony Rendon.  

So sad to see what transpired.  It ruined what the Angels had with Ohtani and Trout and it has impacted Trout's legacy.  I don't think anyone saw it coming.

Unfortunately, it reminds me of what happened to David Wright (one of my all time favs) when he turned 30.  A couple of HOF careers cut short due to injury.  Sad stuff.

[Laika]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/brewers-reportedly-concerned-about-payroll.html

Imagine cheering for a team like this? Misery. 

[Eat My Shatkins]

4 minutes ago, Laika said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/brewers-reportedly-concerned-about-payroll.html

Imagine cheering for a team like this? Misery. 

$123 million payroll last year and $136 million projected this year.

 

The AAV on the  Dodgers big 4 starting pitchers is $130 million haha

[Jimcanuck]

18 minutes ago, Laika said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/brewers-reportedly-concerned-about-payroll.html

Imagine cheering for a team like this? Misery. 

Up there with the Guards and Rays for drafting, recruiting, and development.

I wouldnt mind at all, i get off on prospect porn

[Laika]

30 minutes ago, Jimcanuck said:

Up there with the Guards and Rays for drafting, recruiting, and development.

I wouldnt mind at all, i get off on prospect porn

Combined - no World Series wins since 1948 

Two in a combined 209 seasons? Wow 

[thatoneguy]

2 hours ago, Jimcanuck said:

Up there with the Guards and Rays for drafting, recruiting, and development.

I wouldnt mind at all, i get off on prospect porn

At some point you actually have to have playoff success though. This is a losers mentality.

[John_Havok]

3 hours ago, Jimcanuck said:

Up there with the Guards and Rays for drafting, recruiting, and development.

I wouldnt mind at all, i get off on prospect porn

Until you supplement those kids with proven talent, they have all the prospects they want, most of them will fail. 

Granted, even proven talent doesnt guarantee WS wins, but its sure more fun as a fan to watch repeated playoff runs and knowing your GM is ready to go get what they need when they need it. 

Also, bear in mind with all the extra picks every year, their development system may not even be that much better, its just a numbers game. After 10 years of 2+ extra picks every year, most of them in the top 70... youre gonna hit on a few more just on dumb luck alone