And the off season begins (2018-19)

[notin]

Brewers? Braves?

 

Brewers have post-season hero Orlando Arcia, whose defense they apparently love. Braves haven’t given up on Swanson just yet and are more in the market for corner outfielders.

 

That does leave Tampa as a possibility. They did win 90 games last year and shouldn’t be forgotten about...

[harmony]

More from Chad Jennings at The Athletic:

 

https://theathletic.com/708795/2018/12/11/financial-pressures-loom-so-yes-red-sox-will-consider-trades-of-key-players/

[notin]

More from Chad Jennings at The Athletic:

 

https://theathletic.com/708795/2018/12/11/financial-pressures-loom-so-yes-red-sox-will-consider-trades-of-key-players/

 

Subscription required...

[harmony]

Subscription required...

This much is free:

 

 

[fxkatt]

I have no doubts after doing further reading that Porcello, Bogaertz, (last year of contracts), and Bradley are being offered... this in order to avoid multiplying salary cap penalties, and to set up an ongoing competive team (as the Patriots always do). So, I'm thinking DD is looking for productive trades that will both bolster the team (without 1-3 of these players) and our prospect situation.

[d-money]

I am not buying anything of this Xander stuff.

[dgalehouse]

More from Chad Jennings at The Athletic:

 

https://theathletic.com/708795/2018/12/11/financial-pressures-loom-so-yes-red-sox-will-consider-trades-of-key-players/

 

Harm , The beauty of being a Seattle fan is that you don't have these kind of problems. If you have a few good players, just get rid of them and call it " Taking a step back."

[notin]

I have no doubts after doing further reading that Porcello, Bogaertz, (last year of contracts), and Bradley are being offered... this in order to avoid multiplying salary cap penalties, and to set up an ongoing competive team (as the Patriots always do). So, I'm thinking DD is looking for productive trades that will both bolster the team (without 1-3 of these players) and our prospect situation.

 

If there is such a deal, it would be worth considering? But what would such a deal look like?

[jacksonianmarch]

Machado was an inferior defensive shortstop at the time of his deal than Bogaerts is. Granted, Machado was actually a plus defender at SS in La, but I digress. Machado got 5 prospects and one of them was top 50 for 2 months of Machado coming off a sinking ship. Bogaerts is on a team expected to contend, so the Sox don’t have to deal him. Add in a full year of control and the ability to get a comp pick afterwards, and his value rises. I would anticipate a deal of Bogaerts would be to gather assets to find a cheaper option somewhere else that fills the need immediately.

[Nick]

I am not buying anything of this Xander stuff.

 

Nope. We have the rarest opportunity to repeat.

 

Also I would contend that Sox will feel more obligated to keep Xander, Betts and JBJ over others. They are homegrown Sox.

 

My order of letting it go

 

1) Porcello, but only IF Sox sign/extend Sale.

2) Sale, only obstacle is the size of his contract. Can Sox afford to have 3, count them, 3 $30M players in Price, Sale and Betts?

3) JD Martinez, he just adds so much to our offense and I still doubt anyone will give him much over $25M AAV.

4) Xander

5) JBJ, I like it that we value his defense

6) Betts, only way we don't sign is someone offers him >$350M, 10 year deal

7) E Rod, stuff is too good, long term contract guy after Price, Sale and Porcello leave

7) Beni, cost controlled

8) Devers, need cost controlled guys among millionaires

9) Chavis and Dalbec....see how they develop

10) all the young guns in the pen......keep'm all.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Nick

[fxkatt]

The Brewers need a starter and they have Josh Hader and a prospect or two to offer. But they might see Rick as a one year rental and pass.

[Bellhorn04]

The Brewers need a starter and they have Josh Hader and a prospect or two to offer. But they might see Rick as a one year rental and pass.

 

He is a one year rental, and an expensive one at that.

[harmony]

Harm , The beauty of being a Seattle fan is that you don't have these kind of problems. If you have a few good players, just get rid of them and call it " Taking a step back."

At least the offseason is fun.

[notin]

The Brewers need a starter and they have Josh Hader and a prospect or two to offer. But they might see Rick as a one year rental and pass.

 

I’m sure they’d greatly prefer to move Knebel or Jeffress over Hader, assuming they move any of their relievers at all...

[notin]

At least the offseason is fun.

 

But how will the season be?

[Spudboy]

Subscription required...

 

Harmony should copy/paste the article.

[Kimmi]

Clearing money for the bullpen is not implausible.

 

Clearing money for the bullpen while creating holes elsewhere doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

 

I would not be happy if any of those players is traded so that we can sign a reliever.

[Kimmi]

At least the offseason is fun.

 

I am not a fan of the offseason.

[Bellhorn04]

I am not a fan of the offseason.

 

If we didn't have the offseason drama, how would we get through these 5 months?

[harmony]

Harmony should copy/paste the article.

As someone whose work has value, I respect copyright laws and other protections of intellectual property.

 

And I don't have a subscription to The Athletic.

[Jasonbay44]

I don't enjoy the off season, but do kind of enjoy the break. In the Summer it seems like there is so many games and I watch a lot of them, and some of those games, especially the playoffs, were really stressful.

[a700hitter]

Rays To Sign Charlie Morton

By Mark Polishuk | December 12, 2018 at 4:39pm CDT

4:39pm: Morton will receive consecutive $15MM salaries, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). The deal includes assignment bonuses if Morton is traded, valued at $1MM in 2019 and $500K in 2020.

And he will soon resort to the pitcher that he was with the Pirates.

Edited December 12, 2018 by a700hitter

[jacksonianmarch]

You’re saying a pitcher is gonna go to the Rays and worsen? It’s usually the other way around. Morton found his power in Houston. He had been a sinker baller and kept getting middling results. Houston turned him into a 4 seam guy again and his K rates jumped through the roof. I hate this move. We already struggled vs the Rays, now we face a guy who hurts us up to 6 times next year instead of the standard 2-3.

[a700hitter]

You’re saying a pitcher is gonna go to the Rays and worsen? It’s usually the other way around. Morton found his power in Houston. He had been a sinker baller and kept getting middling results. Houston turned him into a 4 seam guy again and his K rates jumped through the roof. I hate this move. We already struggled vs the Rays, now we face a guy who hurts us up to 6 times next year instead of the standard 2-3.

I think it will go the other way. Without the solid defense and high octane offense backing him up in Houston, he will look like the pitcher that he was with the Pirates. With their use of starting pitching, he may only pitch 3 innings each start.

[a700hitter]

[h=2]Rangers Nearing Deal With Lance Lynn[/h]By Jeff Todd | December 12, 2018 at 5:57pm CDT

The Rangers are nearing a deal with veteran free agent hurler Lance Lynn, according to MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (via Twitter). It’s said to be a rather surprising three-year arrangement with a strong $30MM guarantee, with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adding the financial details on Twitter.

Last winter, Lynn seemed in line for a significant, long-term deal before he settled for a pillow contract with the Twins. After turning in middling results in the ensuing campaign, it did not seem likely he’d get a terribly lengthy arrangement this time around.

MLBTR predicted a two-year, $16MM pact. That felt terribly rich to anyone that failed to look beneath his 4.77 ERA from 2018. But Lynn did show some intriguing underlying numbers, particularly after landing with the Yankees in a mid-season swap.

In today's market, this could be considered a bargain, but he sucks.

[moonslav59]

Any notions that contract costs are leveling out are kaput.

[S5Dewey]

Any notions that contract costs are leveling out are kaput.

 

Doesn't it make you wonder just a little bit exactly how much money there is "floating around out there" in Major League baseball? It's no wonder that MLB teams are privately owned and therefore their balance sheets aren't available to shareholders.

[moonslav59]

Doesn't it make you wonder just a little bit exactly how much money there is "floating around out there" in Major League baseball? It's no wonder that MLB teams are privately owned and therefore their balance sheets aren't available to shareholders.

 

I think you might be surprised how much money is made "off the books" or through separate entities. Then, there is the massive growth in each team's worth when the owner goes to sell the team.

 

[jacksonianmarch]

In today's market, this could be considered a bargain, but he sucks.

 

His ERA with NY was well north of 4, but his FIP was in the mid 2’s. He’s a better pitcher than he showed last year and that’s proven through his career. That being said, a three year guarantee for a guy coming off that season seems to be a reach. I wonder if Texas sought to buy low and flip. I wonder if Lynn goes to Texas and pitches like an ace for half the season, if he becomes a big trade chip at the deadline with the cheap control that comes with him being a major asset. It’s a $30 mil risk that may pay off handsomely or crash and burn spectacularly

[Larry Cook]

Don’t pitchers go to arlington to die?

 

That place just seems to eats up mediocre pitching!