Laika

Yeah I think the stuff about winning with Houston is just puffery. I want he took the highest AAV and is just betting that he'll still be able to get a deal two years from now

Then the players are dumb (which is entirely possible). Teams will still pay out the ass for Gerrit Cole and Mookie Betts types. And with expanded playoffs the middle market will have more incentive to buy free agents, rather than the current state where a huge chunk of the league is rebuilding/retooling and trying to wait out the free agent market for bargains at the end.

Yeah but it's politics as connorp says. The players are only rejecting it because it's part of some omnibus deal MLB has presented that includes expanded playoffs and (presumably) inadequate monetary compensation to the players for expanded playoffs. Basically, MLB is pretending that the universal DH is worth more to the players than it is. It's not a big deal to the players. Objectively it's just something that the league should do because it's good for the product, so better for players and owners. This is only leaking today because MLB decided to leak it to make the players look bad.

I think the only way to get that in a market like this is just to give a guy like Odorizzi or Paxton the multi-year deal they are looking for. People might be looking past Odorizzi. He was pretty sick in 2019 and in 2020 his increased velocity was there. Only 30 years old right now. There's upside on something like 3/$36. Or he might just suck. No idea what was going on in 2020. Looks like he couldn't get ahead of hitters and therefore he wasn't fooling hitters or getting whiffs.

The rumour is that Tanaka is only LOOKING for a one year deal, which makes him perfect. Give him $20M if that's what it takes.

I'd probably take the Pettersson and Hart side but the pick could end up high enough to flip it around

Census data in Canada is so out of date. Population dynamics are changing rapidly in places like Toronto. I think I went to school with approximately 56k Koreans in Toronto a few years ago.

I dunno. A) He kind of is a f***ing idiot, or at least the type of person to be blinded by how much he loves himself If he gambles on himself a bit and it pays off he could not only make much more money but he could go down in history I actually don't think a team is going to pay him quite as much as 5/$175. I think he's looking at $150 max on a traditional deal. Let's say he signs the deal I envision and then in 2022 he pitches 280 innings with 25 wins, 330 strikeouts, and another Cy Young, along with an MVP. How much does he get that offseason? I think he would be attracted by the chance to go for it and elevate his historic status. It's also not like it's a massive, all or nothing gamble, based on the possible contract. If his normal contract right now would be 150-175M, he's only gambling like 50-75M.

2023-2025 is just an insurance policy for Bauer in case he suffers a catastrophic injury. Think of it like a two year deal with a player friendly insurance policy at the end. The main point is that Bauer gets to try his start every four days thing in 2022 - no team is actually going to let him do that under a normal contract structure. And he'd be an idiot to take a one year deal right now when he could get six figures guaranteed, so that contract is the compromise. Bauer guarantees himself $106M just in case he loses his fingers tweeting too hard. Bauer gets to try to redefine starting pitching in 2022. Toronto gets an SP1/2 for the next two years but avoids major commitment after 2022. It's perfect

I don't even think of Tanaka's UCL thing as a negative anymore. He has held up for so long I think you need to flip the script and start thinking about him as a remarkably durable SP who has figured something our with respect to his arm. Since 2015 he is 19th in total IP and 18th in GS.

I wonder if someone will get really creative with Trevor Bauer. He wants to trial his start every four days thing and bet on himself, but the wonky 2020 season seems to make the innings jump too dangerous for him to do that in 2021. Here is a thought: 2021: $30.69M 2022: $37.420M *Bauer can opt out after 2022 2023: $12.69420M 2024: $12.69420M 2025: $12.69420M *it's written into the contract or otherwise promised that the team will support him in his desire to start every four days in 2022 The specific numbers aren't that important but the general idea is that the money from 2023-2025 is just an insurance policy for Bauer in case he suffers catastrophic injury. It makes it more likely that he would accept this deal now because some of the downside risk is removed. If his plan works out in 2022 he would opt out and be in line for a big final payday at age 32. There are precedents for pitchers in their early 30s signing massive deals: Greinke, Strasburg, Darvish, Scherzer. Verlander got $33 AAV at 36. Ryu 4/$80 at 33 is big enough. For Toronto specifically, the deal only commits big money during the two years that Springer is getting frontloaded.

It's not that simple. At some point a good team needs to consolidate wins in single, star level players. The rotation spots in question are probably Roark and Stripling. 1 WAR and 2 WAR, roughly by projections. Bauer at 4 wins is a 3 win upgrade. Tanaka at 3 wins is a 2 win upgrade, then Paxton at 2.5 is only an additional 0.5 win upgrade. That's overly simplified but you get the point

The kids are on TikTok now. Twitter is like, four social media platforms in the past. Bunch of old white guys.

Nah they just slide guys in and out when they graduate or get traded. They don't change rankings, order, or evals

HahahHHHhAjajajahahahahahah is that not like sac bunting in the ninth when you need a two run homer to tie the game? Coach should be fired into the sun

I think the lists you're looking at are outdated. MLB.com doesn't actually update their rankings throughout the year and their 2021 Yankees list isn't out, I think.

Yuta is my favourite. Poor Matt Thomas just has no role anymore.

I kind of agree. I'd love the upgrade if the Cubs decide to take a Darvish-ish package though... But Toronto should just spend money on players while they can! Just buy an arm and a bat.

Moreno and SWR might get you most of the way to Bryant and Hendricks. https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trade-simulator/

Your Blue Jays comparable deal in terms of value might be: Miguel Hiraldo, Adam Kloffenstein, Eric Pardinho, and one of Estiven Machado or Rikelvin De Castro

Both old lists, I think.

more of a bulk package Jeff Passan @JeffPassan The New York Yankees have acquired Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras, Maikel Escotto and Canaan Smith, sources tell ESPN. Yajure and Escotto were hitting their top 10 lists though. Canaan Smith seems like a decent prospect. Roansy had some hype recently. Not a horrible return for Pitt, that's four guys from the Yanks top ~20 and two from their top ~10

It SHOULD be something like Gil + another top 10 prospect. Comparable from Toronto would be Moreno straight up (he's better than Gil) or something like Hiraldo + Kloff.

Ken reporting Taillon to the Yankees is done. Now we wait on the details...

Not even close.