The 2016 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread...

[EmpireMaker]

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny have both heaped praise onto second baseman Kolten Wong this winter, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, further suggesting that the 26-year-old isn’t likely to be traded. Wong’s name surfaced in rumors earlier this winter and has come up in speculation that has been linked to St. Louis’ reported interest in Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, but Mozeliak speaks highly of the former first-round pick. “I don’t make lineups but you have to have the understanding of patience,” said Mozeliak. “He’s such a talented defender and when your team is built around groundball pitching it’s nice to have that behind you.” Mozeliak and Matheny have both called Wong a “Gold Glove-caliber everyday second baseman,” Goold notes. Wong tells Goold that he’s trying his best to put a poor 2016 season behind him and has been working out with former teammate Jon Jay, focusing specifically on speed and explosiveness rather than adding muscle. Wong has $24.25MM remaining on the five-year, $25.5MM extension he inked last March.
More from the NL Central…

• Ivan Nova called the decision to return to the Pirates “an easy choice” at today’s conference call announcing his signing, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Nova said that his preference all along was to return to Pittsburgh after enjoying his two-month stint there to close out the season and expressed excitement over the opportunity to return. GM Neal Huntington told the media that Nova has long been a target of the Pirates’ front office. “There are reasons we tried to acquire him in past offseasons, in past trade deadlines,” said Huntington. “…our hope was that this could turn into a prolonged relationship and a situation where he’d want to stay here. For us, thankfully, he did.” Huntington added that he’s still open to improving the rotation if it makes sense “in the big picture as well as the short-term” — the Pirates are rumored to have interest in White Sox ace Jose Quintana — but retaining Nova does give the Bucs some stability. Brink notes that Chad Kuhl appears to have an inside track on the fourth spot behind Nova, Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, though there’ll be a sizable competition for the final two rotation spots.
• Speaking of competition, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy breaks down the Brewers’ upcoming closer battle, listing right-handers Corey Knebel, Carlos Torres and Jacob Barnes as internal options to pitch in the ninth inning. As McCalvy notes, the Brewers have seen Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith and Tyler Thornburg — all traded in the past six months — emerge as late-inning arms that were acquired by means other than lucrative free-agent deals. The Brewers have been in contact with the representatives for seasoned free-agent closers, but there’s no guarantee they’ll sign any of the remaining available options (e.g. Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Greg Holland).
• The Reds are monitoring the market for veteran catchers, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com in his latest Reds Inbox. Devin Mesoraco and Tucker Barnhart project to split time behind the dish in Cincinnati next year, but health has been a major factor for Mesoraco, who caught just 18 games from 2015-16 due largely to hip surgery. Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner (out of the Twins organization) is also an option, Sheldon notes, though he’s behind both Mesoraco and Barnhart. Sheldon also notes that he asked newly minted president of baseball ops Dick Williams about the possibility of signing Greg Holland recently, and while Williams sidestepped a specific comment on Holland, he said the team is looking to add relievers on potential value deals. “A lot of times it comes from a guy who has missed time from an injury or had a bad year,” said Williams. Certainly, Holland would fit that bill after missing the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Sheldon also tackles questions about playing time for Jose Peraza and notes that he considers trades of Anthony DeSclafani and/or Dan Straily unlikely.

[koz-man]

Its about time the Reds addressed the catchers position. Devin Mesoraco is very good...when hes on the field.

[Cross]

Reds need to be a contender again.

[Chi_archie]

Reds need to be a contender again.

nah

no thanks

[El Nino]

Everyone acting like they don't want Dozier...

[EmpireMaker]

Everyone acting like they don't want Dozier...

Probably 25 teams would jump at the chance to get Dozier at any kind of a reasonable price.

[Ra77er]

I'd like to see Dozier go to the Angels.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

who will be worse, padres or dbags?

[BigSpoon]

who will be worse, padres or dbags?

Tough one to say, but I'll go with the D-Backs to be worse.

[Cross]

Haha, dbags... That should be their new name.

[koz-man]

Reds need to be a contender again.

I agree. But they don't seem to be headed that way.
Not yet anyway...

[Cross]

Just for some competition in the nl.

[EmpireMaker]

Recently, we took a look at 10 still-available pitchers who could offer bounceback opportunities at appealing price tags. Today, we’ll do the same from the position-player side. We’re looking for players who have been limited by injury or suffered dips in performance, but whose age and track record suggest that a turnaround could deliver plenty of value to their new organizations. Here are some of the interesting hitters who remain on the open market as 2017 beckons:
Chris Iannetta, C: Now 33 years of age, Iannetta has turned in two straight marginal campaigns with the bat. But he hit .238/.357/.386 in over 1,000 plate appearances from 2012 through 2014, with 151 walks to go with 251 strikeouts. Iannetta still draws free passes at a hefty clip, but suffered from low BABIPs in each of the last two seasons (.225, .266). Though he’s making more soft contact than he did at his best, Iannetta turned in a 34.9% hard-contact rate and 22.4% line-drive rate last year, both of which were near his career-best marks. Though he rated as one of the game’s worst framers in 2016, he was one of the best in the season prior.
Adam Lind, 1B/DH: From the same age bracket as Iannetta, Lind maintained his power (.192 ISO, 20 home runs in 430 plate appearances) last year with the Mariners, but posted an anemic .286 OBP. There were two main culprits: a .259 BABIP and 6.0% walk rate that represented nearly a 50% drop from his personal best (11.5% in 2015). While it’s unlikely that the left-handed slugger will again post such strong walk tallies, he ought to be able to rebound somewhat in that regard. And it’s reasonable, perhaps, to anticipate a bounceback in the BABIP department; Lind continued to make about as much hard contact as he did during his productive preceding seasons and maintained a fairly typical mix of grounders, liners, and flies.
Logan Morrison, 1B/DH: As with Lind, Morrison represents a particularly intriguing target since the market was so saturated with defensively limited slugger types. The 29-year-old has never been a consistent producer, and seemed headed for an early end to his time with the Rays after an abysmal start to the 2016 season. But he rebounded beyond any expectations over his final 303 plate appearances, slashing .275/.350/.498 and driving 14 home runs in that half-season of work. While hitting to the pull side more than ever before in 2016 (an even 50%), Morrison made hard contact at a personal best rate of 34.2% and left the yard on 15.2% of his flyballs, the second-best mark of his career. His final numbers could look even better had he not ended up requiring wrist surgery in September. The injury risk may harm Morrison’s stock further, but it also increases the potential payoff.
Billy Butler, DH: There isn’t much to love about Butler’s last three seasons, as he has been about a league-average overall hitter — well shy of what you’d hope for from a right-handed hitter who’s limited to DH duties. But he did show quite well in his brief stint at the end of 2016 with the Yankees and remains rather difficult to strike out (career 14.8% walk rate). Plus, Butler produced a strong 28.9% line-drive rate in 2016 while cutting back on an infield fly rate that had soared to 9.4% in 2015, perhaps suggesting he could turn back into a reasonably productive hitter — particularly given that he’s still just 30 years of age.
Trevor Plouffe, 3B: There’s no denying that Plouffe was banged up in 2016, as he was shelved at various times by intercostal and oblique strains as well as a broken rib. He finished strong, posting a .277/.345/.465 slash over his last 113 trips to the plate, and carried a slightly above-average .248/.312/.426 batting line while swatting 74 long balls over his prior four seasons. While there isn’t much reason to expect that Plouffe will be a top-quality regular, he has every chance of returning to being a useful player: he’s just thirty years old and rated as an average-or-better third baseman in 2014-15.
Luis Valbuena, 3B: The role of injuries is even more straightforward in Valbuena’s case, as he was humming along nicely (.260/.357/.459 with 13 home runs over 342 plate appearances) before he was cut down with a hamstring injury. Unlike Plouffe, he hits from the left side, enhancing his function. While the 31-year-old is not well-regarded with the glove, Valbuena can still play third base and has spent time in the middle infield as well (along with a brief foray into the corner outfield).
Chris Coghlan, INF/OF: A left-handed hitter with some defensive versatility, Coghlan has provided the Cubs with over 1,000 plate appearances of .264/.351/.441 hitting and 26 home runs over the last three seasons. Of course, that output came on both sides of his ill-fated stint with the A’s, where he slashed an anemic .146/.215/.272 to start the 2016 campaign. The 31-year-old Coghlan typically receives good marks in the corner outfield, saw spot duty in center earlier in his career, and is at least serviceable enough at second and third to have been utilized at both spots in recent years.
Desmond Jennings, OF: While things didn’t end well in Tampa Bay, Jennings is still just 30 years of age and isn’t far removed from being a solid, everyday player. He has plenty of experience in center field and has generally drawn strong reviews for his work in the corner outfield. Jennings has been beset by injuries over the last two years, and has been inconsistent at the plate even when healthy. But he managed a .150 ISO last year, even as his on-base numbers were doomed by a .243 BABIP, and could again be a solid asset if he can return to his career plate-discipline marks. Last year’s 9.3% walk rate matched his career numbers, though he jumped to a 25.8% strikeout rate in 2016 while posting a 12.0% swinging-strike rate that was about 50% higher than he had ever carried previously.
Austin Jackson, OF: 2016 was supposed to provide a bounceback opportunity for AJax, who’ll soon turn 30, but a knee injury ended his year after just 203 largely uninspiring plate appearances with the White Sox. Jackson’s power has fallen off a cliff, and he wasn’t running as much even before the injury, but perhaps a lengthy respite can get the still-youthful player back in physical form. He was nearly a league-average hitter with solid glovework in center as recently as 2015, so perhaps his forgettable stint in Chicago is more a blip than the start of a full-scale falloff.
Colby Rasmus, OF: Rasmus played well enough in 2015 to earn a qualifying offer after the season. His return to the Astros wasn’t nearly as productive, as he scuffled to a .206/.286/.355 batting line. But Rasmus was playing with a cyst in his ear, which was ultimately removed via surgery, and also underwent hip and core muscle procedures after the season, so perhaps injuries played a major role in his poor campaign. He also wasn’t helped by a .257 BABIP. Rasmus is still just 30 years of age and produced a strong .238/.314/.475 batting line with 25 dingers in 2015. There are other sources of potential value here, too: Rasmus has typically graded quite well on the bases, though he doesn’t attempt many steals, and metrics were quite pleased with his glovework in both the corner outfield and center in his most recent campaign.

[EmpireMaker]

The Rangers have had “informal” conversations with the agents for Jonathan Lucroy about a possible extension, GM Jon Daniels said in a recent appearance on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas with host Norm Hitzges (transcript via the Dallas Morning News). There haven’t been any serious talks yet, though Daniels said he plans on exploring that scenario with both Lucroy and Yu Darvish as Opening Day draws nearer.
“We will sit down and talk to them but haven’t yet and that’s by design with so much going on,” said Daniels, presumably referencing his ongoing work to fill areas of need around the roster. Texas is known to be in fairly serious talks with Mike Napoli about a two-year contract to play first base and/or DH, for instance, and Daniels and his staff have already worked to re-sign Carlos Gomez to a one-year deal in addition to various trade scenarios that command persistent attention.
Both Lucroy and Darvish are set to hit free agency following the 2017 season, and barring some form of disastrous injury or unexpected decline, they’ll do so as two of the most coveted players available on the open market. Lucroy rebounded from an injury-plagued 2015 season to bat a combined .292/.355/.500 with a career-high 24 homers in 544 plate appearances between the Brewers and Rangers this past season. Paired with premium defense behind the plate and an ability to play first base as needed, Lucroy could well challenge or surpass the five-year deals signed by Russell Martin ($82MM) and Brian McCann ($85MM) in recent years with another characteristically strong season.
Darvish, meanwhile, returned from 2015 Tommy John surgery to turn in 100 1/3 quality innings with the 2016 Rangers. The 30-year-old logged a 3.41 ERA and averaged 11.84 K/9 against 2.78 BB/9 with a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate and a 93.3 mph average fastball that was actually harder than any of his previous Major League seasons. If he’s able to turn in another season that falls somewhere between that form and his 2013 peak — 2.83 ERA, 11.89 K/9, 3.43 BB/9, 41 percent ground-ball rate in 209 2/3 innings — he looks very much like a pitcher that can command in excess of $100MM in free agency.
Certainly, each player’s proximity to free agency will make it difficult to extend him, however. Both players have already banked a sizable amount of money in their careers ($10.7MM for Lucroy and $45MM for Darvish), and the allure of a significant open-market payday would mean both are unlikely to offer any form of discount. Lucroy, in fact, cited a very business-oriented thought process when explaining his veto of a trade to the Indians over the summer, noting that the team’s plans to use him at first base and DH more than at catcher (which would’ve depreciated his free-agent value) heavily influenced his decision. Considering the fact that his current contract has become one of the game’s greatest bargains, free agency has to be especially appealing to him.
Daniels also spoke to Hitzges about the roles of Matt Bush and Jurickson Profar in 2017, noting that while there’s been some talk of Bush getting a look as a starter, he’s expected for the time being to come to Spring Training as a reliever. The GM did indicate an openness to the idea, though he noted some reasons for concern with the concept as well, including his limited experience on the mound and the fact that he’s never pitched to a starter’s workload (or even attempted to do so). Profar, meanwhile, is expected to compete for at-bats at first base and in left field, depending on exactly how the outfield alignment shakes out, Daniels added. Others in that mix will be Joey Gallo, Delino DeShields, Ryan Rua and Drew Robinson, the general manager noted. Obviously, a Napoli signing could take away some of those theoretical at-bats.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Tough one to say, but I'll go with the D-Backs to be worse.

the people have spoken, El Nino

[Chi_archie]

someone will pick up colby rasmus soon

[koz-man]

Clayton Kershaw made 21 starts last season and in those, he allowed two earned runs or fewer 19 times.

[koz-man]

The Royals signed infielder Brooks Conrad and pitcher Jonathan Sánchez to minor-league contracts. Their connection is in Game 3 of the 2010 NLDS between the Giants and Braves. Sánchez started for the Giants, who trailed 2-1 in the 9th inning, but tied the game and then went ahead when Conrad made an error on a ground ball hit by Buster Posey. The Giants won the game, won the series and won 3 World Series titles in 5 years.

[El Nino]

the people have spoken, El Nino

They are a completely different team with a healthy A.J. Pollock.

[Cross]

I wouldn't touch Coghlan at this point, you can find someone better.

[EmpireMaker]

SEATTLE -- Felix Hernandez's pitching plans in the Venezuelan Winter League have been cut short as the Mariners' ace is done following just two starts with his hometown Magallanes squad after it was eliminated from the upcoming playoffs, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto confirmed on Friday.
Hernandez's agent told Venezuelan journalist Marcos Grunfeld on Friday that Hernandez didn't make his name available to the remaining playoff teams in the draft process that is held to allocate players from eliminated squads to compete in the postseason.


Dipoto said Hernandez is fine physically, but he didn't want to pitch for another team once Magallanes was eliminated. Dipoto said Hernandez is now done pitching until Spring Training.
The 30-year-old Hernandez pitched two games for Magallanes as he worked to build up some early arm strength prior to competing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in March. Hernandez allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in four innings in his final outing on Thursday, closing out with three perfect frames after allowing all the damage in the first.
Hernandez threw 63 pitches in that game after being limited to 28 pitches while allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in his Venezuelan debut a week earlier.
Hernandez was pitching in the Venezuelan League for the first time since 2003, when he was 17 years old and just beginning his pro career.
Though six of eight teams make the Venezuelan League playoffs, Magallanes is now eliminated with a 29-34 record.
Hernandez will continue working out prior to heading to Mariners camp in Peoria, Ariz., where pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12. Like other Mariners who'll compete for their various countries in the WBC, he'll practice with the team in February and then join his WBC squad in early March.
WBC players will return to their Major League training camps after their countries are eliminated from the tournament. The final four WBC teams will finish up in the championship round at Dodger Stadium from March 20-22. The Mariners begin their regular-season schedule on April 3 in Houston.

[Chi_archie]

Clayton Kershaw made 21 starts last season and in those, he allowed two earned runs or fewer 19 times.

unreal

[JAKEPEAVY21]

They are a completely different team with a healthy A.J. Pollock.

my money would actually be on the dbags

padres hardly have anyone over 30 years old on the team

complete youth movement

[El Nino]

my money would actually be on the dbags

padres hardly have anyone over 30 years old on the team

complete youth movement

I am not even sure. Segura was great and he is gone. Nobody on their roster can pitch at Chase Field. O/U prob 76 wins

[koz-man]

Source: Ben Revere, Angels agree to 1-year, $4M deal

The Los Angeles Angels have agreed with outfielder Ben Revere on a one-year deal worth $4 million, a source told ESPN's Buster Olney.
The Washington Nationals acquired the 28-year-old from Toronto in January for reliever Drew Storen. However, Revere suffered a strained right oblique in his first at-bat of the season, left after four innings and went on the disabled list.
Revere returned to the Nats lineup May 6 but hit .217 with two homers and 24 RBIs in 103 games.

[koz-man]

Happy New Year!!!!

[Cross]

Mike Trout must be pissed that the Angels have no plans of putting a winning team on the field around him.

[koz-man]

Last season, Joey Votto reached base 232 times in his last 113 games

[mr. leisure]

Mike Trout must be pissed that the Angels have no plans of putting a winning team on the field around him.

Funny but true

[EmpireMaker]

Happy New Year !!!!
Time to usher in 2017 with our new thread.....

http://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/fantasy-sports-betting-contests/3348689-2017-major-league-baseball-player-chatter-news-fantasy-thread.html#post26668923