Laika

I don't think it's that they don't want it... they probably either don't care or they support it. I think they just see an opportunity to use every little thing like this as a bargaining chip. They'll act like agreeing to the DH is acquiescing and they'll seek something in return

Bauer made a video, I saw him tweet it out. Didn't watch it though

I'd trust Ross and Mark with my life.

The more I think about the less I want Lindor. Toronto can improve the team significantly with money alone, so that's what they should try to do. If that fails because every FA spurns them then maybe trading for Lindor and Carrasco would make sense. Groshans is too hard for me to evaluate. He could be either very underrated or overrated right now. I really have no idea what a fair trade would be but if I'm Toronto I want to be selling guys like Moreno, Hiraldo, Pardinho, Kloffenstein. I think most smart teams would realize that Gurriel has extreme value on his contract.

It's really insane to think of the lack of competition on the market, generally: - Red Sox are dumpster diving or at best just sitting in the weeds, waiting for deals - Yankees seem interested in DJLM but other than that aren't acting aggressive - Dodgers are pretty set already, don't need much - In addition to McCann, Stroman accepting the QO ate up a good chunk of the Mets budget (same thing with the Giants and Gausman). Also Trevor May got real money from the Mets! - Bunch of win-now teams like the Phillies are broke. We have already seen the White Sox use the trade market rather than free agency. The Reds have made money saving trades already. The Indians are always broke. The Cubs are broke. The Astros are apparently even thinking of selling, Correa! The most aggressive team so far in free agency has been the f***ing ROYALS... Toronto should be able to take their pick of a lot of good players. The tricky part is they should remain patient...

The Mets and McCann f***ed around for so long that I thought New York was just toying with him as part of intense Realmuto negotiations. I actually don't think that contract is tooooo awful. McCann has been pretty solid since 2019. $10M/yr is nothing for the Mets. His agent did well to get that 4 year term though.

I don't think you have this right. The point of adding Carrasco to the deal, for Cleveland, would be to improve the centrepiece. If the market for Lindor is so weak that they can't land a blue-chip prospect for him, they'll pitch Lindor+Carrasco in an attempt to get the big package built around a blue chipper. Cleveland would trade Lindor for Groshans in a minute... Toronto would not do that deal.

Ryu - Carrasco - Pearson leading the rotation is about as fragile as it gets, lol.

https://nypost.com/2020/12/12/indians-facing-massive-francisco-lindor-trade-headache/ This article on Lindor says or implies: - executives all expect he will be dealt - it's certainly not a seller's market for him - in order to get a significant return Cleveland may have to add Carlos Carrasco to the deal Carrasco has 2/$24M left, with a $14M option for year 3 ($3M buyout). So 2/$27M guaranteed. Carrasco was good in 2020 and his strong Steamer projection is the same as Gray, Lynn, and Ryu. He's not Bauer or Snell but he would be in the next tier of available SP.

Funky little bat wrap that might need to get cleaned up. Can't say his arm looks strong on those two throws. Could be the best out of him, Kirk, and Jansen though. Who knows!

Impression that gives me is that they don't want McCann... It's a ploy to get the Realmuto camp to agree to less

He's done well considering his struggles. He's still getting work and his career earnings have to be getting up there. Lots of guys as fragile as him wash out before they are done arb

Okay you kneejerk enthusiast These homers are off of a 43 year old lefty throwing 85 mph poo

Broadcast missed the second homer, lol

He's still thick but he's not jiggly anymore

You also have no idea how good Semien will be!

I trust Mark. I believe in Ross.

Most serious suggestions have them then flipping a catcher or two in trade. It's a little too convoluted for me to give it serious consideration. I think this front office is "open to anything" and they are probably laying the groundwork just in case for some big move that has them signing Realmuto and flipping Jansen or Kirk, but that has to just be soooooo far down the list of things likely to happen. They'd have to miss out on a lot of free agents and for some reason feel like they need to spend big money this offseason (use or lose it budget confidence? I dunno).

I really think Eno is right - Toronto is keeping tabs on all of the bats because they want to be able to catch a nice deal at the end of the offseason, if there is such a deal. I don't really think Toronto is going to go hard for any of these big bats. I do think they will spend, I just think it will be distributed - something like Sugano, Justin Turner, and a nice reliever or two. They are in on everyone because they have roster flexibility. The players they end up with will be the guys who are willing to sign value contracts.

Pretty interesting that Eno even has Sugano in his top 10 free agents list. Comps him to Tanaka, says his outcome range is #2 SP to #4 SP.

Tomoyuki Sugano, Starting Pitcher Though there are a fair number of similarities between right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who just posted from the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, and Tanaka — they had near-identical NPB stats, and Sugano is a slider-first guy with a good split-finger — there are two key differences. The first is that Sugano hasn’t played in America with the ball the way it is now. That means there’s more variance to his outcomes, which is both good and bad — he could be better than Tanaka; he could be worse. That variance might make him more attractive to a team willing to roll the dice that they get a No. 2 starter at a No. 4 price. The other is that the posting fee is not counted towards the luxury tax, which means that teams close to the luxury tax are incentivized to go get a player like this. That would normally mean that Sugano would be headed for a team like the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, or Red Sox. Here’s the thing, though: The only team within $30 million of the luxury tax is the Dodgers, who have the big leagues’ second-best starting rotation by projections, and boast Rookie of the Year candidate Tony Gonsolin as a sixth starter right now. And they’re so close that if Sugano ends up costing what the crowd has projected on Jon Becker’s aggregations, they wouldn’t have much wiggle room to sign a third baseman afterward. So maybe we can focus on teams that would be interested in potentially adding a No. 2 starter at a below-average cost. That sounds like Toronto and San Diego here. Are there aspects of those cities that might matter? The team? Or will it just be who is willing to spend the most money? This will be fascinating to follow, but it seems as if there are probably four finalists right now. Finalists: Padres, Blue Jays, Yankees, Dodgers Winner: Blue Jays sign Tomoyuki Sugano to a five-year, $50 million contract, plus a $9.4 million posting fee

Voldemort

Yeah I was just looking at the stats for the three Rangers prospects and it's easy to imagine them all becoming good players. Frigging Tampa Bay.

I dunno, those type of trades will still happen. Hindsight just makes some of them look horrendous. The White Sox just traded six years of a SP who projects for 2.4 fWAR in 2020 for one year of a SP who will make $9M and projects for 3.2 fWAR in 2020. Imagine how bad that trade will look if Dane Dunning improves?

So weird. The Phillies look like a current product of Dombroski, not a team that would be looking to hire him.