MLB talk 2

21 Jan 2019 22:50:40
So, thestatbook, now that Sonny Gray was traded to the Reds for Shed Long and a Draft pick, with Long then being traded to the Mariners for Josh Stowers, wouldn't you say this was better than people thought. I recall you said they wouldn't get a teams top 30 prospect and chastising me for saying it. However, Long was number 6 on the Reds list, and Stowers is 10 on the Mariners. While he may not pan out, they still got a top 10 prospect and a draft pick.

22 Jan 2019 14:45:23
The context was different. The Reds did this after they were given a window to try and extend Gray before the trade.

Every indication suggests they wouldn’t have made that trade without being able to extend Gray. So, yes, it’s better than people thought, but it’s also an entirely different scenario.

22 Jan 2019 15:33:17
And for what it's worth, it's almost unanimous that the Reds significantly overpaid for Gray, even with the extension.

The value "price" for Gray (at a rental cost) was a lot lower. Check out what "reclamation" SPs got who were 1-year rentals in recent offseasons:

-Tanner Roark cost the Reds Tanner Rainey, a 26-year-old run-of-the-mill reliever.
-Ivan Nova cost the White Sox Yordi Rosario, a low-ceiling, low floor future middle reliever.
-Matt Moore, just last season, cost the Rangers Sam Wolff, who wasn't even protected by the Giants.

So, based on history, you can see why people would virtually agree that the price tag for Gray should have been along those lines. It's also why many teams rightly pulled out after they heard what the Yankees wanted for him. The Reds, apparently, are stupid enough to play Gray in their tiny ballpark and overpay for him to play there.

Again, the value changed once he signed an extension.

24 Jan 2019 17:12:14
way to spin so it looks like you were right. There is no way to determine what they what have gotten without the Reds desire for an extension. The same prospect was rumored to be in the trade well before there was word of a possible extension. There were also agreements with other teams in place had an extension not happened.

24 Jan 2019 21:40:11
I'm not spinning anything. I'm simply stating that the context of the trade that occurred and the context of the trade we were projecting are different.

If anything, I did my due diligence in showing WHY I made the prediction I made. A trade for one year of Gray probably would have been in line with the trades I showed above. I don't think any of that was unreasonable.

Please, BATMAN!, if you feel the need to make an entire post in an attack on someone, at least make some attempt to see the context of what actually occurred. You didn't do this, and now your post seems even pettier than it was to begin with.

25 Jan 2019 13:36:26
So this really wasn't to attack you, just to see what you thought after you basically told me they wouldn't get a decent return, despite what insiders were saying. Trust me I could have been more egotistical about this and really gloated, but that's not what I wanted to do.

25 Jan 2019 13:43:04
And to be clear, it was mainly to get your opinion, which I respect, but I only felt the post was somewhat necessary after our discussion when Gray trade discussion started.

25 Jan 2019 18:06:03
All of the discussion that was had about Sonny Gray centered around Gray being a 1-year rental for whatever team acquired him.

If we knew that the acquiring team was going to extend him on a really friendly contract, of course the discussion was going to change. That was a crucial detail that no one knew back in November/ December when we had these conversations.

31 Dec 2018 16:46:28
Houston is said to have interest in Mets P Seth Lugo as a starter.

Not sure why Mets would do this unless they feel they can replace Lugo via free agency.

But - What do you think is a fair trade with Houston, keeoing in mind the Mets needs of CF, RP, SP and 3b?

31 Dec 2018 21:25:36
Lugo is 29 and has 4 years of team control remaining. I'm sure something revolving around Tony Kemp and Rogelio Armenteros would be pretty good.

24 Jan 2019 14:31:44
Lugo is a very solid, under the radar pitcher. as Thestatbook said, Armenteros would be a nice fit in a deal, but with the Mets crowded infield, I think that Tyler White (who can play a little bit of the outfield) would be a better fit.

18 Dec 2018 15:14:35
White Sox 2020

The Farm and available money the Sox have is exciting for 2020. They will not compete in 2019, but if they can sign 1/2 good FA this year, then sign 1/2 more next year this team has a legit shot to make a very fast turnaround.


Potential 2020 Roster

C- Yasmani Grandal (sign 19)
1B- Paul Goldschmidt (sign 2020)
2B- Yoan Moncada
3B- Manny Machado (sign 19)
SS- Tim Anderson
LF- Eloy Jiminez
CF- Luis Robert
RF- Blake Rutherford
DH- Yonder Alonso

SP- Gerrit Cole (sign 2020)
SP- Micahel Kopesh
SP- Lucas Giolito
SP- Dylan Cease
SP- Dane Dunning

18 Dec 2018 15:50:50
to poke some holes in this, I also know this is hypothetical, but for first base why not just resign Jose Abreu? Personally I don't see them getting Machado or Harper, but I could be wrong. Garret Cole huh, good luck outbidding the Yankees who have wanted him since they drafted him in 2008 and tried trading for him last offseason. I also want to point out that the biggest contract they every signed a free agent to was Abreu for 68 million. They say they have all this money, but they never use it.

17 Dec 2018 14:38:07
So I know how we talked about how this years free agent class was one of the greatest of all time, but next years looks just as good.
Jose Abreu
Yonder Alonso
Paul Goldschmidt
Justin Smoak
Starlin Castro-if his option is not picked up
Jonathan Schoop
Xander Boegarts
Didi Gregorious
Nolan Arenado
Matt Carpenter-if his option is not picked up
Josh Donaldson
Todd Frazier
Anthony Rendon
JD Martinez-if he opts out
Marcel Ozuna
Aaron Hicks
Nick Castellanos
Adam Eaton-if his option is not picked up
Yasiel Puig
Kris Davis
Edwin Encarnacion- if his option is not picked up
Chris Archer-if his option is not picked up
Jake Arrieta- if he opts out
Madison Bumgarner
Garret Cole
Cole Hamels
Corey Kluber- if his option is not picked up
Rick Porcello
Chris Sale
Stephen Strausburg- if he opts out
Julio Teheran
Justin Verlander
Zack Wheeler
Jose Quintana- if his option is not picked up
Jake Odorizzi
Dellin Betances
Kenley Jansen-if he opts out
Jeremey Jeffress
Will Smith
These are just some of the free agents, ones that are probably at the top or middle of the class.

03 Dec 2018 18:43:02
So this post is a little different.

What kind of names do you like for an expansion team in Portland? My top three are the Grizzlies, Pioneers, and Orcas.

Also, what are some names you like for expansion teams in Mexico City, Vancouver, Nashville, and Charlotte?

03 Dec 2018 21:09:30
Good question. I personally like Orcas, but it'd be better if they were the Oregon Orcas.

I'll offer mine.

-Portland Pines (Something to do with forestry)

-Mexico City Palacios (Mexico City is the city of Palaces)

-Vancouver Storm (for all the rain)

-Nashville Notes (or just steal "Sound" from their AAA team there)

-Charlotte Kings (It's the "Queen City" but I can't imagine they'd name a sports team the Queens)

03 Dec 2018 21:33:24
All good ones. I was reading something somewhere when somebody suggested the Portland Pioneers and explained the dual meaning with the Oregon Trail pioneers and also technological pioneers. Sounded like that name had deep roots.
I really like the Vancouver Storm though that’s a good one.

07 Dec 2018 14:53:26
Portland could have a lot of good ones. I like the Pines. Along the same lines, you could go with Lumberjacks or Axes or something, although that kind of sounds like a minor league team. You could also go with something to reflect the Rose City nickname.

I like Orcas a lot, but would actually like that more for Vancouver. You could steal the look of the logo from the Canucks a few years back. You probably wouldn't want to do Storm because of the Seattle WNBA team. Not that you couldn't use the same name, it's just a bit close.

Mexico City would be a lot of fun. I like Mexico City Revenge, but I feel like that's more of an NBA style name than MLB. I'd also love them to use Quetzalcoatl just to make them the bane of announcers everywhere. You could also just do a Spanish version of a name like Diablos or Toros. I would also like Luchadores.

Nashville would have a lot of good ones. You could go with Sound or Notes to go with the music scene. You could go with the Heat due to the famous Hot Chicken. Hickory because of Andrew Jackson. Pioneers due to Boone and Crockett. Another one would be the Nashville Way. It was a phrase coined to represent the good race relations in Nashville during the Civil Rights movement.

07 Dec 2018 18:41:19
I have a really good feeling that MLB would be uncomfortable having a team named after Andrew Jackson. Just a hunch.

02 Dec 2018 00:02:50
New homes for some recent non-tendered players:

Billy Hamilton- Athletics
Jonathan Schoop- Twins
Avisail Garcia- Giants
Wilmer Flores- Tigers
Shelby Miller- Tigers
Brad Boxberger- Red Sox
Mike Fiers- Orioles
Hunter Strickland- Braves
Blake Parker- Giants
Dan Jennings- Twins
Yangervis Solarte- Japan (somewhat serious)

05 Dec 2018 19:09:44
Those are all really good landing spots. Solarte could be a star in Japan with the way he plays, so it will all be a matter of preference on his part. I like Boxburger with the Sox, and I'm very interested to see where both Flores and Garcia wind up. Garcia is a really talented player when he actually plays, and could be a boon to someone. Flores I eel bad for. He's the one guy out there who eats, breathes and sleeps the Mets. They've been his home since he was 16, and he never wanted to leave, but those are the breaks. He should wind up on an American League club. I can see Detroit, but I would keep an ear out on the Yankees. I don't know why, but it just seems like something they would do if they don't make a splashy infield acquisition like Machado.

05 Dec 2018 20:32:40
With the Tigers a ways from contention, I see them being in on a lot of these guys. You could probably make a case for all of them. Same with the Giants. Teams looking to stockpile playable talent on dirt cheap prices.

18 Dec 2018 03:42:42
hahaha I absolutely love that statbook has the Giants picking up Avi Garcia.

01 Jan 2019 06:51:27
I said they’ll pick him up. I didn’t say he’d be great. Zaidi loves cheap depth. They can get Avi for not much more that 4m next year.

28 Nov 2018 21:43:55
All MLB Team

C Realmuto
1B Goldschmidt
2B Altuve
3B Arenado
SS Machado
OF Trout
OF Betts
OF Judge
DH Martinez

SP Kershaw
SP Scherzer
SP Sale
SP Kluber
SP deGrom

RP Kimbrel
RP Jansen
RP Chapman
RP Britton
RP Miller
RB Betances

I'd love to hear your opinions.

29 Nov 2018 14:19:37
Are you talking about putting together the best possible team to go out and play next season? If so, you're pretty much spot on.

If you're talking just this season's performance, I'd find it very hard to keep Verlander out. There's really nobody who deserves to get left out on the list you've put together either though. I might put him in instead of Kershaw, but they're neck and neck.

For second base, Altuve was great again, but I'd give the not to Ramirez. He had a fantastic season.

Other than that, it's really hard to argue with much of that list. I might say Miller off the pen, because he had a bad/ injured season. But again, if I'm just looking for the best guys out there and not the best 2018 season, I'd be taking him.

29 Nov 2018 17:59:35
I think there are several bullpen arms whose stock is trending upwards I'd rather take. Guys like Josh Hader, Jose Leclerc, Blake Treinen, Edwin Diaz, Felipe Vazquez.

I'd also probably take Freddie Freeman at 1B and find a way to put Jose Ramirez in there. Honestly, I think he takes Altuve's spot at 2B.

24 Nov 2018 18:49:20
With the number of teams in need of outfield help, I have to imagine someone would be willing to take a chance on Rusney Castillo. With his contract, and their outfield depth, there's pretty much no way that the Red Sox will call him up, but he's had two very productive seasons at AAA now, and he is a guy who can play a pretty good Center Field as well as the corners. The Sox would have to eat some of his contract and/or take an ill fitting contract in return, but they have the spending power to do so.

I think he would fit very well in an NL lineup like Colorado, San Fran or New York. A team like Oakland would also be a fit depending on the amount of cash the Sox would eat.

Boston needs to restock its farm system, and a couple of middle of the road prospects from a deep system like Colorado would probably make them willing to eat that cash. Any thoughts?

26 Nov 2018 05:11:42
Wait, you think the Red Sox would actually be able to “restock the farm” on Rusney Castillo?

The Red Sox would likely get nothing more than a couple bucks (literally) for him. The Giants could get the guy for a dollar if they want to take him. Boston won’t get a thing for him.

26 Nov 2018 05:14:33
Castillo didn’t even get claimed when Boston DFA’d him, nor have they remotely had any interest in him.

The fact anyone thinks they can get something to restock the farm is as laughable as it gets.

26 Nov 2018 14:40:12
Castillo didn't get claimed because then the team picking him up would be responsible for his contract. If the Sox are going to get anything, they would have to pick up a good amount of his owed money.

Restocking the farm is a pretty general term. Getting the 15th-20th best Rockies prospect for example, would be a huge get considering where the Sox' farm is ranked right now. He's in a horrible situation, but he's not a bad player. He's just terribly overpaid. He's not getting into an outfield that's made up of Benintendi, Bradley and Betts, but that's not to say he wouldn't be successful somewhere else. He's been one of the top hitters in AAA IL the last couple of years, and should be given a chance somewhere.

26 Nov 2018 16:50:29
In order for this to make any sense for the Red Sox, they have to:

a) Get a team to take on Castillo's entire contract. If the Red Sox take on ANY of Castillo's contract, it counts against them in the luxury tax (thanks to Castillo being grandfathered under the previous CBA, it didn't count against them) . So the Red Sox need the acquiring team to take on all of the remaining contract (about 28M or so) .

b) the Red Sox have to get a reasonably good prospect back.

So, you have a team paying a guy 28M to a minor league player all the while giving up something moderately good for him? Why on God's green earth would ANY team take on that risk?

The Red Sox could eat the entire contract and not get a top 30 prospect from any team. It's a horrible situation Boston created for themselves.

16 Nov 2018 00:03:32
Anyone think Kansas City will try and get Bour.

16 Nov 2018 05:09:08
Name a cheap 1B and I think you could make a case for Kansas City.

15 Oct 2018 19:41:35
Everyone think the Yankees should and will trade Sonny Gray this offseason. I think they should hold on to him and bring him into spring training with a clean slate and give him one last shot. There is no point in trading him now. They need rotation help, he's cheap, he's talented, and his value will never be lower. I say give him one more shot but don't count on him as a main stable and maybe he rebuilds some of his trade value if given a shot.

Does anyone agree with me?

15 Oct 2018 22:24:39
Very rarely are GMs this forthright about a player before the offseason even begins.

Expect him to be good as gone.

16 Oct 2018 02:01:25
Cashman went out and said he's going to trade him, saying a change of scenery is necessary. They did give him one last shot with a spot start in August or September and stunk it up.

16 Oct 2018 08:23:03
I didn’t ask you to repeat what Brian Cashman said. I read the same articles you guys did which was what led me to this post. I disagree with what Brian Cashman and everyone else is saying and wanted to give my own perspective and see what you guys thought. I think Cashman is a brilliant GM and I agree with him the majority of the time but I happen to disagree with him about what to do with Sonny Gray. I know how he feels. I’m asking for your personal opinions not for you to reference an interview with the Yankees GM.

16 Oct 2018 19:25:58
Sonny Gray in New York is a lost cause. Its time for them to move on. The trade hasn't worked for Oakland either. Mateo took steps back, Kaperlian didn't even throw a pitch this season and Fowler came up stunk.

16 Oct 2018 22:04:21
The A's still have a chance to turn those players into something. Whether it's development or a trade.

The Yankees aren't going to get much more than a couple trash bags for Sonny Gray.

I guess maybe New York could see if he's useful again, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. He's been horrible in New York.