Ehjays

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35139041/mlb-offseason-free-agency-survey-baseball-insiders-predictions-signings-trades MLB execs weigh in Nearly a month into the MLB offseason, we're still awaiting the first big splash. While we wait for the movement to pick up entering next week's winter meetings in San Diego, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in on what they think the rest of the offseason will bring. Where will Aaron Judge sign? Who will sign the four star shortstops? Which ace is most likely to leave his current team? And who will be the big names in the trade market? We polled a dozen team executives and MLB insiders from across both leagues about free-agent landing spots and who's likely to get moved in trades this offseason. Voters were assured anonymity and were given the option to skip any questions that hit too close to home. Here's how they voted -- and what they had to say about their picks. Will Aaron Judge get a package worth more than $320 million and who will he sign with? Yes: 7 No: 4 New York Yankees: 6 Los Angeles Dodgers: 3 San Francisco Giants: 2 Our voters think Judge is going to one of three teams, but there is a split on which one and how much money he'll get. Either way, he'll likely end up with a contract for about $100 million more than the Yankees offered ($213.5 million) last spring. "He gambled and showed up, but I'm going to say he comes in a bit below [$320 million] and comes home to the West Coast," one voter said of the California native. "Dodgers or Giants. Sounds like Dodgers to me." Which shortstop will get the most dollars and years in free agency? Trea Turner: 7 Carlos Correa: 5 There are four coveted shortstops in this free-agent class, but our panel believes Turner and Correa are in line for the biggest paydays. Correa, 28, was a popular answer due to his age, but Turner, 29, won the vote. "I think his [Turner's] skill set ages the best," one voter said. "Correa has had a couple injuries, while speed doesn't slump, right? All long-term contracts are a risk, but give me a guy with Turner's athleticism any day." Where will the four big free-agent shortstops sign? Turner: Philadelphia Phillies 6, Dodgers 4, Giants 2 Correa: Yankees 4, Minnesota Twins 3, Giants 3, Chicago Cubs 1, Boston Red Sox 1 Dansby Swanson: Atlanta Braves 6, Cubs 2, Dodgers 2, Giants 2 Xander Bogaerts: Red Sox 4, Giants 4, Dodgers 2, Yankees 1, Cubs 1 Amazingly, the Giants showed up in the vote for every shortstop. Of course, San Francisco's public stance on a willingness to spend could have influenced this. But as you might expect, there's no real consensus on where each shortstop will sign. Executives showed the same uncertainty for last offseason's shortstop class. It should make for a wild winter of musical chairs at the position. "Dave Dombrowski isn't going to sit on his hands," said one voter who chose Turner to the Phillies. "His owner seems to be on the same page. I almost wonder how the Phillies don't get one of them." "I just think if the Giants don't get Judge, where else can they sign up a star player?," another voter responded." If they get Judge, then I would vote no on a shortstop. Until then, I think they will get one." Will Jacob deGrom leave the New York Mets? Yes: 4 No: 8 The majority of our voters believe deGrom will return to the team he has spent his entire career with despite the ace testing the free-agent market this winter. Should he leave New York, it would be a surprise to at least one of our respondents if the Mets didn't do something else soon after losing him. "I think deGrom will leave the Mets, but they'll move to quickly replace him," a voter said. Will Justin Verlander leave the Houston Astros? Yes: 9 No: 3 On the other hand, our participants think that the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner will start the new season with someone other than the reigning World Series champions. "Houston has so much pitching, they can let Verlander walk and spend elsewhere [like they did on Jose Abreu]," one executive said. Which top pitcher after Verlander and deGrom will provide the most value: Carlos Rodon, Kodai Senga, Taijuan Walker or Chris Bassitt? Bassitt: 5 Rodon: 5 Senga: 2 The fact that Senga got votes says a lot about his reputation as an ace in Japan considering he has yet to pitch in the big leagues. Meanwhile, the left-handed Rodon appears to have shed any durability questions after making 31 starts and pitching 178 innings in 2022. But it was the right-handed Bassitt who won this vote. Bassitt's ERA has been higher than Rodon's in each of the past two seasons, but in terms of pure value, the righty edged out the lefty. "I like Rodon in one game for my season, but long term, I think Bassitt is probably the best value," one voter said. "It's really not fair to judge Senga, so I voted for Bassitt as the safest bet," another voter said. Which team (outside of yours) will make the biggest splash this offseason? Giants: 3 Phillies: 2 Texas Rangers: 2 Dodgers: 2 Red Sox: 1 Yankees: 1 Cubs: 1 The variety of teams given in this answer is a good indication of where baseball is right now: with a lot of teams that think they can make the postseason and, more importantly, win the World Series -- and with money to spend to help that cause. Texas might not be an October favorite today, but it should be a hot stove player. "I know the Rangers did it [spent] last season," one voter opined, "but I don't see why they won't again. Bruce Bochy didn't unretire to sit at home in October. This year they'll add pitching. You can count on that." Who will be the most notable player traded this winter? Sean Murphy: 3 Pablo Lopez: 3 Lucas Giolito: 2 Bryan Reynolds: 2 Corbin Burnes: 2 Fernando Tatis Jr.: 1 Kolten Wong: 1 Some executives answered who was most likely to be traded as much as who will be the most notable, while the Tatis voter didn't explain his choice -- but certainly raised eyebrows with his pick. "Lopez is such a good trade option at a much lower monetary cost for teams after some of the big free-agent pitchers come off the board," one evaluator said. "With two seasons of control, Miami should get a nice haul." How much do MLB's 2023 rule changes impact your offseason's decision-making: a lot, some or not at all? Not at all: 6 Some: 4 A lot: 0 Among the new rules, the elimination of the shift is most likely to impact roster construction, according to executives at the general manager's meetings earlier this month. But they also say they don't have a complete picture yet. Teams need to see it all in action before they know how it will impact decision-making in the future. "Obviously, you can't hide nonathletic second basemen anymore, but what we don't know is how much the running game will be impacted by all these changes -- both behind the plate and on the bases," one voter said. "I don't think the pitch clock will do much to roster construction long term."

Well Gibby likes it!!

Winter meetings start Sunday. Hopefully thats when the flood gates open and the offseason starts to have some action. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/the-opener-catchers-judge-shortstop-market.html Catcher market heating up? It’s not a particularly deep catching market in free agency this year, with Willson Contreras and Christian Vazquez headlining, but the trade market offers some strong options for catcher-hungry teams. Yesterday, it was reported that the Astros are planning to meet with Contreras at the Winter Meetings, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, and Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Guardians are showing continued interest in Oakland catcher Sean Murphy, who appears highly likely to be dealt. His three years of remaining club control and strong offensive and defensive prowess makes him a sought-after target, and a robust market has developed. Morosi suggested a deal could be done during the Winter Meetings, and teams that miss out on Murphy could quickly pivot to one of the top free agents, while the Blue Jays are expected to deal one of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk or Gabriel Moreno this winter.

https://theathletic.com/3951194/2022/11/29/mlb-free-agent-rumors-padres-astros/ Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, in a telephone conversation Tuesday, made it clear the team’s No. 1 priority is acquiring an everyday catcher. Asked about the possibility of adding a shortstop, Mozeliak said, “Tommy Edman is a very, very good shortstop.” Mozeliak allowed that a change in the marketplace could prompt him to adjust at short, but it’s doubtful he could strike a bargain in free agency or in a trade. As for the outfield, Mozeliak said the Cardinals have numerous options, describing top prospect Jordan Walker “as the biggest wild card.” He did not rule out a veteran addition, but such a player likely would be a backup behind Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar.

Well we were looking for a good left handed bat.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/29/don-mattingly-deep-in-talks-to-join-blue-jays-coaching-staff/?fbclid=IwAR3sWICNgHFGCYgY2XC_TAiyCzroWbypXHF-NLiGCW-lsHfLADh5iml53nA Don Mattingly deep in talks to join Blue Jays’ coaching staff By Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman November 29, 2022 6:08pm Updated Don Mattingly and the Blue Jays are deep into discussions that would land the one-time Yankees captain on Toronto’s coaching staff, The Post has learned. An announcement could come as early as this weekend, which could be quite a memorable one for Mattingly. He is one of the eight candidates up for the Hall of Fame through the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot, which is scheduled to be revealed Sunday evening. Mattingly had managed the Marlins for seven years, but the sides agreed not to continue the relationship after the 2022 season. Mattingly. 61, intended to stay in the game and on “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman” said that he fielded inquiries from multiple teams. But he said one club in particular was “really interesting to me.” He would not reveal who that team was, but did say at this point he was interested in joining an organization with a chance to win and the Blue Jays are expected to be contenders. Mattingly has never appeared in a World Series as a player, coach or as manager of the Dodgers and Marlins. “One team in particular really talked to me and talked to really my soul of what I like to do and see a value and it’s been very interesting to me,” Mattingly said on the podcast. The Blue Jays fired Charlie Montoyo as manager on June 13 and promoted John Schneider to the interim position. Toronto made the playoffs as a wild card, but lost both games in the first round to Seattle. Nevertheless, Schneider was given a three-year contract and the full-time managing designation. However, the 42-year-old still lacks much major league managing experience. But if all is finalized, as expected, Schneider will have on his bench, in Mattingly, someone who has managed the 70th-most games in major league history (1,839).

Gibby with Bo on as a guest

Well then back to "Just retire #1. It’s the right thing to do."

It may be why Merrifield has switched to 15. I didnt really see a reason but ,maybe the team is planning to honour him this year and told Merrifield to pick another.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/astros-reportedly-finalizing-deal-with-jose-abreu.html Astros To Sign José Abreu To Three-Year Contract By Darragh McDonald | November 28, 2022 at 2:15pm CDT The Astros are closing in on a deal with free agent first baseman José Abreu. It will be a three-year deal for $19.5MM per season, bringing the total to $58.5MM. The deal is pending a physical.

WTF?? I thought The Pirates traded for Ji Man Choi.

Yes, I agree with both missing him and it being the correct choice to move on. Tampa has done this for years. It may not always work, but instead of letting a guy walk in a year, you get immediate help for your major league team plus a high prospesct. Traded 1 year for possibly 9. Its a proven sustainable method which may not be popular and may not work all the time, but its the right move.

Gallo's numbers will improve due to the shift being eliminated.

If Brewers want to shave salary, we will take a starter off their hands

Swanson interview on this link, He's PUMPED!! He talks about Houstons crowd did not compare to Torontos in the playoffs, our potent young lineup, improvements he did to his pitches including watching video of Gausman, and much more its a good listen on the link. Starts about a minute and a half in. https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/new-blue-jay-swanson-excited-to-pitch-at-outrageously-loud-rogers-centre/ New Blue Jay Swanson excited to pitch at 'outrageously loud' Rogers Centre Erik Swanson does not know much about Toronto, but he knows this: it’s loud. Very, very loud. The Blue Jays’ recently acquired relief pitcher appeared on Sportsnet 590 The Fan with Ben Ennis and Blake Murphy on Monday and said he could not get over the noise generated at Rogers Centre during the Seattle Mariners’ wild-card series in Toronto last month. “The first thing I noticed when we started playing there is how outrageously loud that place is,” said Swanson, who was part of a deal that saw outfielder Teoscar Hernandez head to Seattle last week. “And I noticed that from when I was there in ’19 as well. Having a playoff game there was one of the coolest environments I’ve played in. We went to Houston right after and I didn’t think Houston compared to Toronto as far as environment goes.” Swanson, 29, who is from Fargo, N.D., was out hunting when the trade happened. Spotty cellphone coverage made informing the right-hander about the deal a challenge. Eventually, Mariners GM Justin Hollander got through and “got the point across.” Swanson admitted that the deal caught him off guard and he “wasn’t quite sure what to think about it at first.” After a chat with his wife, he got excited about the change. “I’ve played in Toronto twice now. My first time back in ’19 and then obviously for the wild card this year,” said Swanson. “I love the area. I haven’t had a ton of time to explore it, but for the little time I’ve spent there, I’ve said it both times I’ve been there, I really do like the Toronto area. It almost kind of feels like home a little bit." Two players that could help his transition are starter Kevin Gausman and closer Jordan Romano. Gausman because Swanson admired how he developed his splitter so much that he developed one of his own, and Ramono because of the chance to pitch ahead of him. “Obviously, I’ve seen Romano from afar and the guy is electric,” Swanson said. “To be next to him and part of that bullpen is super exciting.” Maybe in a playoff game, with a packed Rogers Centre all cheering for him instead. “Definitely looking forward to that and being on the other side of it.”

Position playerswith TJS also include Corey Seager, and recently Aaron Hicks