Hot Stove League 2015

So far the best deal of the Hot Stove season--Giants lock up SS Brandon Crawford through 2021.  He exerts a Jeter-like solidifying influence on the infield.  With Posey also signed through 2021 they are solid as can be up the middle with great leaders.

Detroit gets K-Rod from the Brewers for a middling prospect?  Unless Milwaukee knows something that is not evident about K-Rod, I don't get this trade.

Their closer of the future makes league min.  Krod balloons to 5, 6mm per year respectively next two years.

But the closer of the future is relatively untested.  And KRod at two years for $11M (with the second year a club option against a $4M buyout) is not terrible in this market.

Yanks talking about trading Gardner for Starlin Castro straight up?  Wow, that would be a big upgrade for the Yanks at 2nd base, and free up room for Hicks in the outfield.  Not sure if the Cubs will ask for more because of Gardner's age, but the contracts are pretty much even.

This is not a speeded up GIF (ok, it might be a tad, but such is fandom!)  It is a real-time inside the park homer by the Red Sox' most prized prospect, Yoan Moncada.

Robbie Cano wants out of Seattle evidently and wants to come back to NY. The Mets have an opening at 2nd base.

Based on last year, if you thought  Murphy was bad at second, just wait until you see Cano.

hankzona said:

Robbie Cano wants out of Seattle evidently and wants to come back to NY. The Mets have an opening at 2nd base.

.

maybe Jay-Z can pull strings

hankzona said:

Robbie Cano wants out of Seattle evidently and wants to come back to NY. The Mets have an opening at 2nd base.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/158028760/mariners-gm-dipoto-cano-happy-in-seattle

SEATTLE -- Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto refuted a report in The New York Daily News on Monday that second baseman is unhappy and wants out of Seattle, saying the situation is "quite the opposite" after speaking with one of Cano's agents.

Dipoto said Brodie Van Wagenen, one of Cano's representatives, called him Monday morning after the newspaper reported that one of Cano's longtime friends said the player was displeased with the regime change in Seattle and would "love to find his way back to New York" if possible.

"He reached out to let me know that did not come from Robbie and that's not at all reflective of how he felt," said Dipoto, who replaced former GM Jack Zduriencik two months ago. "Shortly after the season ended, I sat down with Robinson in my office for two hours and we had a great talk and I think we left with a very clear understanding of who one another might be.

"Since the season ended, we've had a couple phone conversations and texted back and forth on a couple occasions. I don't have any reason to believe he has a problem. He has not expressed that to me. As we're moving forward, we believe he's going to have a strong season as our second baseman."
Cano has eight years and 92 million remaining on the 10-year, $240 million contract he signed after leaving the Yankees in free agency. After getting off to a difficult start last season and hitting .238 in his first 74 games, Cano batted .330 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .920 OPS in the last 82 games to hike his final batting line to .287/.334/.446 with 34 doubles, 21 home runs and 79 RBIs.
Cano expressed some frustration at season's end about his own early-season struggles and missing out on the playoffs, but indicated at that time he was eager to get healthy again and see what moves Dipoto would make to improve the club.

Cano played the final two months with an abdomen issue and underwent surgery immediately after the season in Philadelphia to repair a sports hernia. He's now working out again in preparation for Spring Training.

"He's doing great," Dipoto said. "That has been the case since the surgery. Right now, all systems are go. It looks fantastic for this time of year. No restrictions."

if yanks can get seattle to eat 10 mm a year in cano's salary, that's a steal.  

Tigers add Zimmermann.  Good replacement for David Price in the rotation.  

Red Sox to add Chris Young.  Decent fourth outfielder for them who hits lefties particularly well, especially in Fenway.  Still will be relying a whole lot on an unproven and young outfield in 2016, unless they trade some of them for pitching.

stickin it back to the Nats for signing the Scherz.

Nah, works here just as well.  

Sox reportedly shoveled $217MM at David Price for 7 years.  If he's worth that much, how much is Greinke going to get?

that is just nuts.  Good for him.  I hope he gives three quarters of it to charity, but I'm not holding my breath.

thats about what Kershaw got and he's every bit as good.  well, almost.  

Looks like the Yankees will stay sucking because of Shallow Hal.

Dombrowski is paying dearly to win this year.  He paid the market rate for Price knowing that this gets him an elite pitcher at the top of the rotation for about two years.  Price is 30 years old.  If they get more years from him it is a bonus, but Dombrowski clearly wants to win in 2016 and 2017 and he will worry about the budget in the out years.  It has been his MO in his career.  

It is interesting to see the connections here.  Dombrowski is the guy who brought Price to the Tigers and then traded him the next year.  Meanwhile, last year the Sox refused to pay up for a 30 year old Lester but now are paying even more for the similar aged Price.  

Big D is putting his stamp on the Sox from the start.  But their season will still depend on how their young prospects pan out this year, including a bunch of young pitchers who will benefit from Price as well.

Meanwhile, the Twinkies just made a very interesting signing--Byung Ho Park from the Korean Baseball Organization.  If his power translates across the Pacific they are going to be a terrific hitting team this year--they have a bunch of really bright young position prospects.  Then again, someone still has to pitch.......

PS Sano might be a nice, low cost, high upside pick for your Fantasy League team.  If the Twins get him in for a full season at third his 2015 partial season numbers translate to a fine full year.

mfpark said:

Dombrowski is paying dearly to win this year.  He paid the market rate for Price knowing that this gets him an elite pitcher at the top of the rotation for about two years.  Price is 30 years old.  If they get more years from him it is a bonus, but Dombrowski clearly wants to win in 2016 and 2017 and he will worry about the budget in the out years.  It has been his MO in his career.  

It is interesting to see the connections here.  Dombrowski is the guy who brought Price to the Tigers and then traded him the next year.  Meanwhile, last year the Sox refused to pay up for a 30 year old Lester but now are paying even more for the similar aged Price.  

Big D is putting his stamp on the Sox from the start.  But their season will still depend on how their young prospects pan out this year, including a bunch of young pitchers who will benefit from Price as well.

I always have mixed feelings about these deals.  Part of me is thinking -- good for Price.  He deserves whatever someone will pay him.  And better the $$ going into the pockets of a player instead of one of the Lords of Baseball.  otoh, the fan in me doesn't like to see teams enter into deals that leave them boxed in budget-wise in 4 or 5 years.

Things are heating up.

Greinke to the Diamondbacks.  Good for Arizona, but hard to see Greinke getting back to the playoffs or world series anytime soon.  

Chapman to the Dodgers for some prospects.  Wowza.  Dodgers now have two of the better closers in their bullpen.

Iwakuma also to Dodgers as a FA.  This is certainly a let-down in quality compared to losing Greinke.  Which means the Dodgers may want to trade Puig or Crawford or Ethier to a team that has deep starting pitching.  Hello Mets?

Soria signed by Royals as FA, a return stint for him.  Excellent closer only makes a good team better.  The Royals also re-signed Chris Young who did well for them last year.  

Gotta admit I am wondering about the Sox trading Miley and a top prospect for a decent lefty reliever and a bottom of the rotation starter.  They already have two good relievers, and Miley was a lot more proven than Elias.

Then again, perhaps they are getting ready to move a reliever?

mfpark said:

Things are heating up.

Greinke to the Diamondbacks.  Good for Arizona, but hard to see Greinke getting back to the playoffs or world series anytime soon.  

Chapman to the Dodgers for some prospects.  Wowza.  Dodgers now have two of the better closers in their bullpen.

Iwakuma also to Dodgers as a FA.  This is certainly a let-down in quality compared to losing Greinke.  Which means the Dodgers may want to trade Puig or Crawford or Ethier to a team that has deep starting pitching.  Hello Mets?

Soria signed by Royals as FA, a return stint for him.  Excellent closer only makes a good team better.  The Royals also re-signed Chris Young who did well for them last year.  

mfpark said:

...

Iwakuma also to Dodgers as a FA.  This is certainly a let-down in quality compared to losing Greinke.  Which means the Dodgers may want to trade Puig or Crawford or Ethier to a team that has deep starting pitching.  Hello 

As a Mets fan I don't want any of those guys for any of the starters.

Jim Murphy--I agree, but if the Mets don't sign Zobrist they may feel a lot of pressure to get a bat to replace Murphy and Cespedes.

And now the Chapman trade to LA is in doubt while MLB investigates a domestic violence claim against him.  Seems he is accused of choking his wife and firing 8 shots from a pistol into his garage back in October.

mfpark said:

And now the Chapman trade to LA is in doubt while MLB investigates a domestic violence claim against him.  Seems he is accused of choking his wife and firing 8 shots from a pistol into his garage back in October.

But I did hear that Jerry Jones is looking into whether or not he can throw a football.  If the allegations are true, he's exactly the type of leader the Cowboys are looking for.

mfpark said:

Jim Murphy--I agree, but if the Mets don't sign Zobrist they may feel a lot of pressure to get a bat to replace Murphy and Cespedes.

I think they'd stand pat and wait for the trade deadline again. After a World Series appearance, the season ticket sales are already way up. The Wilpons only seem to respond to money, and they're already getting that, whether they're pressured or not. Trading a cheap controllable pitcher for an expensive, mostly headache Dodger bat doesn't fit the formula.

Although they do like the Dodgers...

bummer. Cubs get Zobrist, Yanks trade for Castro.  Mets outside looking in.