MLB Offseason Thread

[Tommy Bunz]

I think a shocker trade of Andrelton Simmons to the Angels means its time to get this thread popping off.

Wow.

[Myjah]

I was just sitting here waiting for this thread to be made.

Twins are heating it up. Winning the Park posting bid? Whoa. Complete surprise to me. Not sure if they will actually sign him. The Aaron Hicks, JRM trade I think was really equal and good for both teams.

[capable_keL]

The Aaron Hicks, JRM trade I think was really equal and good for both teams.

I hope you're right. Hicks finally put it together last season and ended very hot. I liked the idea of having a blazing fast outfield, however, less Suzuki is always a good thing

[Tommy Bunz]

Yeah I think you guys could've done a little better, I guess it depends on whether Murphy can establish himself as a starting catcher or not.
Hicks seems like one of those guys that could be a late bloomer.
Red Sox are probably upset as this establishes the Jackie Bradley Jr market a little lower than they wanted.

[peanut butter]

100% for the Giants to pretend they are actually in the market for Greinke/Price/Zimmerman only to come up just short and sign Mike Leake and Ian Kennedy.

Other than the obvious need I'd for starters, I'd love to see them a top tier OF. Gordon seems like an interesting and realistic candidate, because Cespedes, Heyward and Upton wont happen. Getting Zobrist and playing him in left seems like a feasible option as well. If they have any actual intent to sign a difference maker they should do it this year though, because the next FA class is pretty week.


PEACE

[Tommy Bunz]

Gordon would be a good fit for your team, I have a hard time seeing him leaving KC though.

[peanut butter]

Gordon would be a good fit for your team, I have a hard time seeing him leaving KC though.

I agree. He is the mascot of these Royals. I just wonder how much the team is going to be willing to spend. Heyman projects he'll make $100M/5 and it will be interesting to see how committed they are to keeping for one of their cornerstone org guys.


PEACE

[Tommy Bunz]

Wow, San Diego just raped the Red Sox in the Kimbrel trade.
Dombrowski does not give a fuck about farm systems. I bet Cherington is livid right now.
They could've gotten Hamels or another top-tier starter for that package.

[alpha]

"The Padres received outfielder Manuel Margot, infielders Javier Guerra and Carlos Asuaje, and left-hander Logan Allen. Only Asuaje and Margot made it as high as Double-A last season."

are you high? that would not have gotten Hamels. They traded 4 guys who are least 2 years away for one of the best closers in baseball. That also sets up their bullpen to have a big 3. I don't see how thats trade rape. None of those project that high at all, according to what I read.

[Tommy Bunz]

Phillies were really high on Margot and were trying to make him a centerpiece of a Hamels deal. Guerra should be a solid everyday shortstop with superstar upside. Both the other players are solid prospects as well.
That's easily on par with what the Rangers gave up for Hamels.

KLaw:

If you're a Boston Red Sox fan, this is exactly the trade you feared Dave Dombrowski would make when he joined the front office, trading away the jewels of the majors' best farm system for veterans who are or may be past their peak values. Craig Kimbrel has been one of the best relievers in baseball history, but this is a big overpay for 60 innings of his services a season when he already seems to be starting to decline.
In Kimbrel, the Red Sox do get a great Proven Closer™, an upgrade over Koji Uehara, himself proven but 41 years old and out after mid-August due to a wrist injury. Kimbrel just had the worst year of his career by ERA or FIP, worth 1.3-1.5 WAR, down from 2-plus in each of the previous four seasons. He still has the big fastball and knockout curve, but everything was just a little less effective in 2015, especially in terms of getting hitters to chase pitches out of the zone.

His contract is quite favorable, $24 million guaranteed for the next two years with an option at $13 million ($1 million buyout) for 2018, which will almost certainly be picked up if he's healthy. But even if that comes to pass, the Red Sox will be lucky to get even 6 WAR of value out of Kimbrel over those three seasons. You have to place a huge premium on the closer role -- high leverage, but not always the highest leverage situations -- to believe he's going to be worth close to what Boston gave up.

Boy, did they ever pay a steep price for him: two prospects among the top 50 in the game and two other prospects of significant value. Center fielder Manuel Margot is the best prospect heading back to San Diego, and he's exactly the player the Padres needed to get back in a trade this winter. The Padres didn't have a true center fielder in the system, and Margot is a plus defender there who should be able to handle the large territory in Petco Park. He's a disciplined hitter who rarely strikes out and has the swing to hit for at least average power when he fills out physically, although his home park won't help him in the home run column. He has outstanding instincts on both sides of the ball, and I imagine it killed the longtime Sox employees who've watched him develop the past few years to see him go.

Shortstop Javier Guerra isn't far behind Margot, less polished right now but with enormous upside; he's a plus defender at shortstop with plus raw power and a good chance to hit for average, too. Guerra has soft hands and very easy actions at short, a natural at the position who should be a legitimate asset in the majors with his glove. He has great bat speed that generates a lot of power, and his contact rate kept improving as the season went on -- 29 percent in the first half, 19 percent in the second -- after I saw him having some timing issues in mid-June at Lakewood. He could truly be a monster of a player; a good defensive shortstop who even hits .280 with 20-25 homers is a possible MVP, although Guerra has yet to reach high-A and is probably two years out from the majors.

Carlos Asuaje may jump right to the majors this year after a so-so season at Double-A Portland in 2015. He's a very high-contact hitter with a short, quick swing but a fair amount of movement with no real set position before he starts his swing. He's a solid-average to above-average defender at second, despite below-average running speed. His value will largely be tied to his ability to keep making this degree of contact in the majors, as he'll take the occasional walk but doesn't project to hit 10 homers a year.

Lefty Logan Allen is the sleeper in the deal, the Red Sox's eighth-round pick just five months ago, who throws 90-94 mph with two solid secondary offerings already and a good body and frame to stay as a starter. He walked one of 91 batters he faced in two short-season leagues this past summer after signing. He and right-hander Jacob Nix, the Padres' first pick in 2015, will make an outstanding tandem atop their low-A affiliate in April.

The Padres didn't have any need for a $12 million-a-year closer, although they'll probably pick someone up to handle the ninth inning. But they had several holes to fill in their system and just addressed several of them, getting a lot of upside in the deal but with two of the four players close to major league value. Margot alone could be more valuable than Kimbrel by 2017, and Asuaje should be a positive asset by then, too.

For Boston, even if you think it's fair value because you believe the ninth inning is some super-woo time that only the few and the proud can handle, the Red Sox just traded two of their most valuable minor league assets for a 60-inning reliever … which means they can't trade them for something else they need, like a high-end starter. It's not a great start for the new regime's first offseason.

[peanut butter]

Also, the Sox traded a ton of young talent for a player who depends on the guys ahead of him to be most effective. And Boston had one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball last year. Worth assuming they spent big on a starter or two this offseason (my guess is Cueto), but that's still a lot of talent to be giving away for a player who is more of a luxury than the necessity the team needs to address.


PEACE

[Tommy Bunz]

PB how pissed is your mother in law right now?

[alpha]

[Tommy Bunz]

Price to Sawx, 7 years 217 Million.
If they add another #2 SP they probably leapfrog the Blue Jays as front runners in the AL East.
Do not like what Shapiro has done in Toronto since Anthopolous left at all.

[capable_keL]

Bung Ho Park© bitches

#Korean

[Tommy Bunz]

Officially coining the name Bunghole Park. You heard it here first.

[capable_keL]

Officially coining the name Bunghole Park. You heard it here first.

i just said it before you, tho

[Myjah]

Yeah I think you guys could've done a little better, I guess it depends on whether Murphy can establish himself as a starting catcher or not.
Hicks seems like one of those guys that could be a late bloomer.
Red Sox are probably upset as this establishes the Jackie Bradley Jr market a little lower than they wanted.

ABSOLUTELY agree on Hicks. He's better than Denard Span or Ben Revere combined.

[Myjah]

Officially coining the name Bunghole Park. You heard it here first.

WOO BUNG-HOLE PARK


Hope this works out for the Twins. I'm really excited. Twins have a good looking lineup going into next year.

[Jayou Ayen]

Greinke better have gotten a shitload more from Arizona than anyone else, because they aren't competing for shit.



39

[Ramen]

[peanut butter]

Greinke better have gotten a shitload more from Arizona than anyone else, because they aren't competing for shit.



39

I dont think thats true.They have a great offense, just need more pitching. Looks like they are going to sign Leake. Corbin is a solid #2. If Bradley can get his shit figured out thats a 1-4 that would compete with most teams. And I think Chase Anderson is pretty talented too. Now with Greinke, they have 3 of the best 10 players in the NL last year on their roster. No reason to think they wouldn't compete for at least the wild card next year.

Don't worry. Yall will get Cueto in any day now.

I like the Shark signing. It's not exactly a deal, but the team can afford it, and he should be a good pitcher in this park with that defense.


PEACE

[jredd109]

Samardzijihad to the giants

[Tommy Bunz]

Sad that we traded Giles even though he was a luxury we didn't need.

[Philaflava]

one of the few brights spots on this team

[Tommy Bunz]

Cubs got Heyward. Damn. They are going to be fucking awesome next year.
He's a good fit for their team as he's just 26 so he'll still be in his prime the same time as most of their young studs.

[chump change]

Sad that we traded Giles even though he was a luxury we didn't need.

That Stat about the lack of pitches the astros have over 95mph is pretty crazy.. blowing that lead in game 4 against royals having a lasting impression

[chump change]

Way different deal than originally reported.. Philly gets a pretty solid return

[Tommy Bunz]

Yeah getting Valesquez & Mark Appel is a coup. I like the trade for Charlie Morton for rotation depth too.
Its too early to actually have an opinion on Klentak as a GM but I like the way he's building a roster so far.

[alpha]

Cueto can opt out after 2. kinda like it, means we can get back in the market in 2 years.