jaysfan2014

Gentry and Nava signed cheap because they're garbage--both guys played poorly with their respective clubs last season.

I don't like Boston's either--those ERA predictions are far too optimistic, knowing the Red Sox.. their ERAs will be MUCH higher when Sandoval and HanRam bobble and throw balls away at 3B and 1B, and Pedroia continues to decline. And who knows what the OF will be, considering Bradley and Castillo have question marks.

What a joke. Roster's not fully set yet, and they're predicting the Royals to be under .500.. perhaps KC should show FanGraphs their World Series rings from last year.. this prediction system isn't reliable. And I don't see Boston coming close to 92 wins--those predictions don't reflect injuries, regression, etc.

Good deal for the Jays. We need bullpen depth more than anything--we have enough OFs in the MLB and in the minors, so Revere was a luxury. Plus, the Nats were desperate after Span left for the Giants, and they didn't want to pay for Fowler (who's still unsigned). Warning--he doesn't walk, and his poor defense(no arm) will be exposed in Washington in that ballpark. I mean, he wasn't that great defensively in Toronto (but an upgrade over Collabello/Valencia in LF). Plus, the Jays have Roemon Fields and Dwight Smith Jr. in AAA, who have similar skills to Revere--hopefully with more walks. Plus we have Pompey and Saunders around, with Lake and Carrera still options as well. Plus, we needed a good setup man/closer more than anything, so that Sanchez or Osuna can be moved to the rotation, as they both profile as starters anyway.

The problem is that Kazmir, Ryu, Anderson and McCarthy all have injury history/issues. Only Kershaw and maybe Maeda(depending how he adapts to the US game) can be trusted.

Unless Betances and Miller regress due to Girardi's overuse of them last season (especially Betances, who has been significantly overused the past 2 seasons.)

Not really--his value has plunged with a potentially lengthy suspension looming over that domestic violence charge. Jagielo will depend on if he sticks at 3B, Davis has some upside, Cotham was in the majors last year, and Renda is a wild card.. potential long-term replacement for Phillips when he ever gets moved.

One warning--the Yanks made this deal, knowing Chapman likely will face a suspension.

Considering they traded Warren and Wilson away, this deal was basically a necessity. Plus, there's a risk of Betances/Miller regressing.. Yankees are just trying to avoid this risk.

SP Rookie Davis is in the deal and 3 other minor leaguers--more info to come.

Good to see the Rays farm system looks strong. With huge cutbacks coming to the Rays organization due to stadium and attendance issues, they need all the young talent they can get..

Hope that was sarcasm.. Actually, Boston has decent young talent in Betts, Bogaerts and Swihart--but ownership has wasted money on Sandoval and HanRam, tried to put HanRam in LF(disaster), overpaid for Castillo (who looks like the rare Cuban player who busts), and faces declines in Pedroia and Ortiz in the coming year (and beyond for Pedroia offensively and defensively). And let's not get started on the Porcello contract.. and I fear Price will end up the same. And BTW, I don't consider Shaw a core piece--he didn't exactly have consistent numbers in the minors, and is a serious regression candidate.

OBP monster John Jaso signs with the Pirates--as a 1B. Smart move by Pittsburgh.

And the Red Sox with Sandoval, HanRam, Porcello, and possibly Price.. so much wasted money there in Boston. They're not a smart org. by any means--5 playoff misses in 6 years, with the 2013 team being one of the flukiest World Series champions in baseball history.. considering they collapsed back to mediocrity in 2014 with only a slight rebound in 2015..

That and ESPN just had huge layoffs recently. They can't afford to take risks right now showing teams that aren't the Yankees/Red Sox or Dodgers/Giants.. ESPN is the one part of Disney that is hurting them. And here's some proof of ESPN's Yankees/Red Sox bias (albeit this article's from 2005.. though nothing's really changed.) http://www.baseballessential.com/news/2015/02/16/a-decade-of-espn-sunday-night-baseball-is-it-really-always-red-soxyankees/

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball sked out--they must be desperate for money and ratings--virtually all the Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts feature the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Mets..no Jays of course, likely due to ESPN not thinking Toronto is a big market for their ratings, and narrow-minded thoughts that MLB revolves around only the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Giants. http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2015/12/espn-sunday-night-baseball-returns-for-27th-season-as-exclusive-national-mlb-game-of-the-week/?sf17493219=1

Which the Dodgers are already doing as we speak--they're expected to be down in the low $200Ms next year, with further reductions as young players come up and most of those expensive players come off the payroll

Unless subscriber growth improves for that TV deal, that deal will likely be voided when Charter puts Sportsnet LA into bankruptcy protection to get out of that deal.. clearance has been impossible due to the high price demanded for it.

BTW, Sportsnet LA is a huge money loser.. $100M/year. Time Warner Cable just had to eat $1B in losses in its merger with Charter. These ridiculous TV deals are unsustainable and may end up destroying many RSNs and leave many teams scrambling regarding TV revenues. Thankfully, the Jays don't have this problem.. There is no way Time Warner Cable will finish that deal without pushing that network into Chapter 11 protection..

White Sox got much better with Todd Frazier.. that Central division is going to be a dogfight. Royals better have enjoyed their World Series win.. they may not get back there due to the parity of the AL Central. All 5 teams should be in contention. Dodgers get a 2B in case Utley is awful in 2016, and Enrique "Kiki" Hernandez regresses.. and he's good with the glove. Plus, Thompson gives the Dodgers insurance in case Pederson or Puig struggle. And Montas gives them more depth in the minors, and gets the Dodgers closer to their goal of a cost-controlled young team that doesn't require $200M+ payroll to succeed, which has been the plan, as they try to get under the tax.. spending in recent years was only temporary until their young talent arrives. As for the Reds.. 100 losses for sure. Lots of rotation/bullpen questions, lineup questions outside of Votto (if he isn't dealt next), and Chapman likely to be suspended.

Phillies sign JPA to a minor-league deal--and considering Philly's a rebuilding team, he has a decent shot of making that team and striking out 200+ times and playing bad defense: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/12/phillies-sign-j-p-arencibia.html

Uh... Cardinals? Pirates? They're in the same division, and are better than the Cubs. And the Cubs need more pitching.. they aren't going anywhere unless they upgrade that rotation. Lester is going to be in his decline years soon, Hammel's gone after next season, and they have very little in their farm system--most of their top prospects are hitters. And Arrieta's a free agent after 2017..

Sternberg whining about inequality with the Rays--he can't continue to stomach losses in St. Pete long term.. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/sternberg-financial-disadvantage-growing-for-rays/2257031

Castillo has upside? I doubt it--he'll be 29 in July and he has shown he is not an MLB regular. A sub .300 OBP, poor baserunning instincts, and high K rate.. is it a wonder why Boston signed Chris Young? They likely see either he or Bradley(or both) being busts as regulars, especially after both of them struggled badly in Sept/Oct. And BTW, Castillo isn't hitting right-handers.. high risk he turns into an expensive platoon with Chris Young and/or Brock Holt. As for Bradley, outside of a strong August, his numbers were terrible, and he has shown no sign of being able to hit MLB pitching. Only Betts and Bogaerts have the best chance of improving. As for Swihart, that will depend on his defense improving.. he's been able to hit, but he was near the top in passed balls, and his defensive metrics were not that good. And of course, HanRam and Sandoval will continue to be an anchor weighing down the Sox... there's also a bigger risk that Ortiz declines in his final season, which would put Boston in serious trouble, as he was the only big power bat in their lineup last season (not convinced with Travis Shaw, especially considering he's blocked by HanRam.) And the bullpen needs major improvement.. it wasn't just the bad starting pitching hurting them most of the season, it was the bullpen costing them games. Kimbrel is not enough.

And Boston came close to signing Grienke had Price not signed according to USAToday..apparently, Price was headed for the Cardinals before Boston severely overbid on him: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/bob-nightengale/2015/12/01/david-price-boston-red-sox-zack-greinke-free-agents-st-louis-cardinals/76630810/