The 2017 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[ApricotSinner32]

Vladdy jr is on my watch list.

[koz-man]

Chipper Jones, Jim Thome & Omar Vizquel headline 19 first-timers on the writers' Hall of Fame ballot announced Mon. Among 14 holdovers from the ‘17 ballot are Trevor Hoffman, Vlad Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez & Sammy Sosa. Results are to be announced 1/24.

[yisman]

Omar Vizquel needs to get in ASAP!

[Cross]

Chipper was so clutch, don't call him Larry.

[lonegambler23]

Yawning at this off season right now.

how could u ever have a pro pic of garbage time jay?

[EmpireMaker]

We saw a run of transactions today as teams tweaked their 40-man rosters in advance of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft by selecting their contracts. We have compiled all of the day’s action right here. Of course, one of the most important aspects of the decisions that were made is that many intriguing players were left unprotected, meaning they can be plucked in the Rule 5 draft in a few weeks. If you’re interested in perusing some of the best prospects that will be considered for selection, be sure to check out this handy guide over at Roster Resource.

ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM (11/20/17)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

• [*=left]ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: RP Jared Miller
  
  

• ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SP Ricardo Sanchez, RP Adam McCreery
    [*=left]Acquisitions: RP Grant Dayton (claimed off waivers from Dodgers), RP Josh Ravin (acquired from Dodgers for cash)
  
  

• CHICAGO CUBS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: INF/OF David Bote, SP Adbert Alzolay, SP Oscar De La Cruz, RP Matt Carasiti (added on 11/6/17)
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: OF Jacob Hannemann (outrighted)
  
  

• CINCINNATI REDS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: INF Alex Blandino, INF Shed Long, OF Jose Siri, SP Jose Lopez, SP Jesus Reyes, RP Zack Weiss
  
  

• COLORADO ROCKIES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Chris Rabago, OF Noel Cuevas (added on 11/6), OF Yonathan Daza, SP Sam Howard, SP Jesus Tinoco
  
  

• [*=left]LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SP Trevor Oaks, SP Dennis Santana
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: RP Josh Ravin (designated for assignment), RP Grant Dayton (lost off waivers to Braves)
    [*=left]Traded: RP Josh Ravin traded to Braves for cash
  
  

• MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Braxton Lee, SP Merandy Gonzalez, SP Pablo Lopez, SP James Needy, RP Miguel Del Pozo (added on 11/2)
    [*=left]Acquisition: 1B Garrett Cooper and SP Caleb Smith acquired from Yankees for SP Michael King and International Bonus Money
  
  

• MILWAUKEE BREWERS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Jacob Nottingham, INF Mauricio Dubon, SP Marcos Diplan, SP Freddy Peralta
  
  

• NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: INF Luis Guillorme, SP Corey Oswalt, RP Tyler Bashlor, RP Gerson Bautista
  
  

• PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SP Seranthony Dominguez, SP Franklyn Kilome, SP Ranger Suarez, SP Jose Taveras
    [*=left]Acquisition: INF Engelb Vielma (claimed off waivers from Giants)
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: SP Mark Appel (designated for assignment), SP Elniery Garcia (outrighted), SP Alberto Tirado (designated for assignment)
  
  

• PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: OF Austin Meadows, SP Dario Agrazal, SP Luis Escobar
    [*=left]Traded: INF Gift Ngoepe traded to Blue Jays for PTBNL or cash
  
  

• SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: RP Jose Castillo, RP Brad Wieck
  
  

• SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Aramis Garcia, SP Tyler Beede, SP Tyler Herb, RP D.J. Snelten
  • Removed from 40-man roster: 2B/OF Micah Johnson (designated for assignment), INF Engelb Vielma (lost off waivers to Phillies), INF/OF Orlando Calixte (designated for assignment), SP Dan Slania (outrighted)
  
  

• ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: OF Oscar Mercado, OF Tyler O’Neill, SP Austin Gomber, SP Derian Gonzalez
  
  

• WASHINGTON NATIONALS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, SP Jefry Rodriguez, RP Wander Suero (added on 11/3)
  
  

—
AMERICAN LEAGUE

• BALTIMORE ORIOLES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Austin Wynns, SP Hunter Harvey, SP David Hess
  
  

• BOSTON RED SOX | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: OF Bryce Brentz (added on 11/2), SP Jalen Beeks, SP/RP Chandler Shepherd, RP Ty Buttrey, RP Williams Jerez (added on 11/2)
  
  

• CHICAGO WHITE SOX | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: 1B Casey Gillaspie, OF Micker Adolfo, OF Luis Alexander Basabe, OF Eloy Jimenez, SP Ian Clarkin
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: SP Tyler Danish (outrighted), RP Chris Beck (outrighted)
  
  

• CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SS Willi Castro, SS Yu-Cheng Chang, INF Eric Stamets, SP Julian Merryweather
    [*=left]Acquisition: INF/OF Rob Refsnyder (claimed off waivers from Blue Jays)
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: RP Dylan Baker (outrighted), RP Kyle Crockett (outrighted)
  
  

• DETROIT TIGERS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Grayson Greiner, INF Sergio Alcantara, OF Mike Gerber, SP Gregory Soto, SP Spencer Turnbull, RP Eduardo Jimenez, RP Gerson Moreno
    [*=left]Signed: SP Ryan Carpenter (MLB deal)
  
  

• HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SP Dean Deetz, SP Cionel Perez
    [*=left]Trade: SP Brandon Bailey acquired from Athletics for OF Ramon Laureano
  
  

• KANSAS CITY ROYALS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Meibrys Viloria, SP Eric Stout, RP Tim Hill
  
  

• LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: OF Michael Hermosillo, SP Jaime Barria, SP Jesus Castillo, SP Jake Jewell
  
  

• MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SP Stephen Gonsalves, SP Zack Littell, SP Lewis Thorpe
  
  

• NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: SS Gleyber Torres, INF Thairo Estrada, OF Jake Cave (added on 11/6), OF Billy McKinney, SP Albert Abreu, SP Domingo Acevedo, SP Jonathan Loasiga, RP Nick Rumbelow (added on 11/6; traded to Mariners on 11/17)
    [*=left]Trade: 1B Garrett Cooper and SP Caleb Smith traded to Marlins for SP Michael King and International Bonus Money; SP Ronald Herrera traded to Rangers for SP Reiver Sanmartin
  
  

• OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: OF Ramon Laureano, SP Heath Fillmyer, RP Lou Trivino
    [*=left]Trade: SP Brandon Bailey traded to Astros for OF Ramon Laureano
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: OF Jaycob Brugman (designated for assignment), RP Sam Moll (designated for assignment), RP Bobby Wahl (outrighted)
  
  

• SEATTLE MARINERS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: None
  
  

• TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: 1B/OF Jake Bauers, OF Justin Williams, SP Yonny Chirinos, SP Brent Honeywell, SP Jose Mujica, SP Ryan Yarbrough, RP Diego Castillo
  
  

• TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Jose Trevino, INF/C Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SP Jonathan Hernandez, SP Ariel Jurado, SP Brett Martin, SP Joe Palumbo
    [*=left]Trade: SP Ronald Herrera acquired from Yankees for SP Reiver Sanmartin
  
  

• TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
  • [*=left]Added to 40-man roster: C Danny Jansen, C Reese McGuire, 1B Rowdy Tellez, SP Conner Greene, SP Thomas Pannone
    [*=left]Acquisition: INF Gift Ngoepe acquired from Pirates for PTBNL or cash
    [*=left]Removed from 40-man roster: OF Harold Ramirez (outrighted), SP Chris Rowley (outrighted)
  
  

[Chi_archie]

Pirates traded first south african born black MLB player to Blue Jays

good luck Gift Ngoepe!

[koz-man]

Joe Morgan, who spent most of his Hall of Fame career with the Reds and Astros, wrote a strongly-worded letter to voters asking them to keep steroid users out.

[mr. leisure]

Joe Morgan, who spent most of his Hall of Fame career with the Reds and Astros, wrote a strongly-worded letter to voters asking them to keep steroid users out.

Good for him

[ApricotSinner32]

Good for him

[yisman]

agree with Joe Morgan

[Andy117]

agree with Joe Morgan

What are your thoughts on known cheaters like Gaylord Perry?

[EmpireMaker]

Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Brewers have shown interest in Jake Arrieta, and in a followup column he writes that they’ve expressed interest in most of the top starters on the market, including right-hander Lance Lynn. Milwaukee will be without Jimmy Nelson for a yet-undetermined portion of the 2018 season due to shoulder surgery, and with question marks in the rotation behind Chase Anderson and Zach Davies, shoring up the starting five is a priority for GM David Stearns and his staff. While there’s certainly the possibility that they’ll be outbid on the top names in free agency, the Brewers do have considerable payroll space to surprise people with their spending this winter. More out of Milwaukee and the division…

• Top Brewers prospect Lewis Brinson has changed representation and is now a client of the Legacy Agency, tweets Robert Murray of FanRag Sports. The 23-year-old center fielder made his MLB debut in 2017 but struggled greatly in 55 plate appearances, hitting just .106/.236/.277. However, Brinson tore through Triple-A at a .331/.400/.562 pace through 340 PAs and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in all of baseball. His switch has been noted in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains info on more than 2,500 Major League and minor league players. If you see any errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
• The Cardinals’ search for an impact bat is expansive, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. President of baseball ops John Mozeliak and his staff have had discussions with virtually every impact bat on the market, including Eric Hosmer, and their trade talks with the Marlins have gone beyond Giancarlo Stanton and also touched on Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich (presumably not in the same deal). Two execs with other teams told Goold that the Cardinals have been aggressive in trade talks thus far. “We’ve got capacity to increase our payroll depending on the right situation,” owner Bill DeWitt Jr. tells Goold.
• Jose Martinez is utilizing the Venezuelan Winter League to further familiarize himself with playing first base, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. The Cardinals gave Martinez, who has spent most of his career in the outfield, 29 starts at first last season and plan to use him there again in 2018 (though more in a backup role). Martinez has started nine of his 13 VWL games at first base and figures to continue to gain more exposure there over the course of the offseason. The 29-year-old hit .309/.379/.518 with 14 homers in 307 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2017.

[Chi_archie]

What are your thoughts on known cheaters like Gaylord Perry?

also what about all the amphetamine users (everyone) in the 60's, 70's, 80's) ?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Atlanta stripped of multiple prospects and draft picks for cheating while signing international players.

[BigSpoon]

Pirates traded first south african born black MLB player to Blue Jays

good luck Gift Ngoepe!

What a name!

[koz-man]

The Cubs have named former MLB player Will Venable their first base/outfield coach and hired Jim Benedict as special asst to baseball operations. They also formally announced Brandon Hyde as bench coach and Jim Hickey as pitching coach.

[koz-man]

The Yankees announced Aaron Judge underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Monday. The procedure involved a loose-body removal and cartilage clean-up, and was performed by Dr. Neil ElAttrache in Los Angeles at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. The anticipated recovery time will be completed in advance of the start of spring training

[ApricotSinner32]

The Yankees announced Aaron Judge underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Monday. The procedure involved a loose-body removal and cartilage clean-up, and was performed by Dr. Neil ElAttrache in Los Angeles at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. The anticipated recovery time will be completed in advance of the start of spring training

[yisman]

Atlanta stripped of multiple prospects and draft picks for cheating while signing international players.

wow, this flew under the radar

[Cross]

Amphetamines not nearly as performance enhancing as steroids.

[EmpireMaker]

When it comes to the starting pitching market this offseason, Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb will hold some of the widest appeal of any names on the market. Both right-handers would be an upgrade to virtually any rotation in the Majors, and both figure to be more affordable to interested parties than top-of-the-market names like Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta. Each enjoyed a solid 2017 campaign in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, though neither has fully regained the form he showed prior to that operation. Both players rejected one-year, $17.4MM qualifying offers, so both will require draft-pick forfeiture to sign.

Lynn, 31 next May, is the older of the two but has also been more durable throughout his career. While he missed all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery, he’s averaged 31.8 starts and 189 innings per season across his past five healthy campaigns — dating back to the 2012 season. The 3.43 ERA that Lynn turned in this past season bears a striking resemblance to the 3.39 mark he’s compiled in 943 innings from 2012-17.
Looking beyond Lynn’s ERA, though, there were plenty more red flags in 2017 than he had in his peak seasons. Lynn’s velocity, strikeout rate and walk rate are all worse than the marks he posted in his best seasons, and a huge spike in his homer-to-flyball rate (14.2 percent) led to a career-worst 1.30 HR/9 mark. Of course, home runs were up leaguewide, with many believing an altered composition of the baseball being a primary factor in that trend. Lynn’s secondary numbers are far less encouraging than his ERA, but he did take the ball 33 times and log 186 1/3 innings — largely reestablishing himself as a reliable source of innings.

Cobb, on the other hand, will pitch the 2018 season at the age of 30. Unlike Lynn, durability has never been a strong point in his favor and could, in fact, be the single largest red flag attached to his free agency. Cobb tossed 179 1/3 innings in 2017, and that marked a career-high. We’ve never seen a free-agent starter without a 180-inning season under his belt score a four-year commitment on the open market, but there’s a belief that Cobb could set a new precedent in that regard.
In those 179 1/3 innings, Cobb turned in a 3.66 ERA but did so with a pedestrian K/9 mark of 6.4, albeit against a strong 2.2 BB/9 mark and with an above-average 47.8 percent ground-ball rate. Interested teams will no doubt be heartened by the fact that Cobb’s K/BB numbers overwhelmingly trended in the right direction down the stretch, as he posted a 38-to-8 K/BB ratio with a 2.82 ERA and a 3.01 xFIP in his final 38 1/3 innings. That bears a strong resemblance to Cobb’s peak, when he turned in a 2.82 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in 309 2/3 frames. Of course, that performance also came way back in 2013-14, and until his final seven starts of the season, he hadn’t approximated that form post-surgery.
The markets for Cobb and Lynn seem almost certain to overlap, as they’ll be widely regarded as the Nos. 3 and 4 starting pitchers on the open market (excluding Shohei Ohtani, whose unique market can’t exactly be compared to that of standard Major League free agents). Teams will weigh Lynn’s considerably greater track record of durability against Cobb’s strong finish and superior performance leading up to Tommy John surgery. Either of the two could slot comfortably into the middle of most big league rotations or, at worst, serve as a strong fourth or fifth starter in a more premium rotation.

[Chi_archie]

wow, this flew under the radar

Former GM banned from baseball as well

[koz-man]

Shohei Ohtani will try to do something no MLB player has done for an extended period -- serve as a pitcher and a position player.ESPN

[BigSpoon]

Shohei Ohtani will try to do something no MLB player has done for an extended period -- serve as a pitcher and a position player.ESPN

Can't see him signing with a team other than the Yankees or Dodgers, we will see.

[ApricotSinner32]

Can't see him signing with a team other than the Yankees or Dodgers, we will see.

[yisman]

Former GM banned from baseball as well

Who was it? I didn't hear anything about the story.

[EmpireMaker]

• The Blue Jays are conducting an internal investigation after six minor league prospects all tested positive for PEDs within the last week, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi reports. Thirteen Jays prospects have now been hit with PED test-related violations within the last two years, a stunning increase for an organization that saw just 18 players fail tests from 2005-15. “This situation is very disappointing and disturbing to the organization; disappointing that the players made these choices, but more so disturbing that some failure of our environment allowed this to happen,” Jays GM Ross Atkins said. “It is our responsibility to create an environment and culture where our players know that PED use is not condoned, and to give them resources and education to ensure that they do not make these decisions.”
• Archie Bradley will be stretched out as a starter in Spring Training and could start in case of a rotation jury, though Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the team is still planning to use Bradley as a reliever. Once one of the game’s top starting prospects, Bradley struggled over 34 career starts before posting dominating numbers (1.73 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 3.76 BB/K rate) in 73 relief innings last season. Bradley showed the capability of being a multi-inning force out of the pen, though Hazen also said the D’Backs could deploy Bradley as a closer next year. Bradley’s versatility gives the team flexibility in pursuing bullpen help this winter, Hazen said.
• Bradley is a good example of how ESPN.com’s Sam Miller notes that closers are still hard to identify, and it is consistently hard for teams to tell which closers can consistently produce on a year-to-year basis, or which pitchers may suddenly emerge from nowhere as ninth-inning options. Citing a similar Baseball Prospectus piece from Christina Kahrl in 2000 about the closer volatility, Miller notes that one big difference between now and then is that teams are increasingly willing to groom pitchers into relief roles earlier in their careers, or even as soon as they’re drafted, in order to develop bullpen specialists.

[Chi_archie]

Who was it? I didn't hear anything about the story.

Braves GM at time

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21506598/ex-atlanta-braves-gm-john-coppolella-placed-mlb-banned-list-team-loses-prospects

[koz-man]

• Does any team really want to give Eric Hosmer $100 million?
  
  The free-agent first baseman has a World Series ring, durability and youth going for him. But expectations that he'll get a huge multiyear deal depend on how potential bidders evaluate two of his tools.

[ApricotSinner32]

• Does any team really want to give Eric Hosmer $100 million?
  
  The free-agent first baseman has a World Series ring, durability and youth going for him. But expectations that he'll get a huge multiyear deal depend on how potential bidders evaluate two of his tools.

[Andy117]

• Does any team really want to give Eric Hosmer $100 million?
  
  The free-agent first baseman has a World Series ring, durability and youth going for him. But expectations that he'll get a huge multiyear deal depend on how potential bidders evaluate two of his tools.

That'll be an awful contract. He's not worth that kind of money.

[yisman]

be dumb to give Hosmer big money

[BigSpoon]

be dumb to give Hosmer big money

I agree, but it only takes one dumb team for him and Boras to cash in.

[EmpireMaker]

According to Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com, two separate teams have made multi-year offers to Indians free agent reliever Bryan Shaw. As of now, the identities of the two teams are not yet known.
Hoynes notes that the Mets are reportedly among the teams that have shown interest in the right-hander. Shaw has spent the last five seasons with the Indians, during which time newly-minted Mets manager Mickey Callaway was his pitching coach.
Shaw has long been one of baseball’s most durable relievers. Since coming to Cleveland in the three-team trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds, the 6’1″ righty has logged at least 64 innings. During that time, he’s appeared in a major league-leading 378 games. That kind of consistency from a reliever is rare, making him a coveted asset in this year’s free agent crop. Shaw ranked 25th on this year’s iteration of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents With Predictions. For what it’s worth, MLBTR picked Shaw to land with the Red Sox.
Durability wasn’t the only reason Shaw earned a spot in the top 25, however. The former second-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks has a lifetime 3.13 ERA, and has never posted a full-season mark higher than this year’s 3.52. And yet, despite a career-high ERA, Shaw managed to post his highest-ever fWAR total for a single season in 2017 (1.6 fWAR). While his 0.65 WPA for the season doesn’t quite paint the same picture, it’s difficult to argue that Shaw has provided great value to the Tribe in a setup role.
Shaw just turned 30 years old this month. It seems likely he’ll command at least a three-year contract.