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Clayton Kershaw, on regaining velocity: "I'm not counting that out. It very well could. I have some ideas on maybe what I can do to improve on that, because there's a lot of guys who are older than me, there's a lot of guys with more innings in the big leagues, that are maintaining their velocity."ESPNComment -
Jason Heyward chooses not to opt-out of Cubs deal that still owes him $100M
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Heyward’s agent is a genius. Made a killing.Comment -
[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
- It seems the Rays’ main offseason objective is to acquire a right-handed power hitter they can pencil into the middle of their order, suggests the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, who names Nelson Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson and ex-Ray Wilson Ramos as free agents who would qualify. Topkin adds that it continues to appear as if Tampa Bay will move on without righty-swinging first baseman C.J. Cron, who belted 30 home runs in 2018. The Rays could trade Cron prior to the Nov. 30 non-tender deadline, Topkin observes. Even though Cron performed well this past season and will be affordable in 2019 (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $5.2MM salary), the Rays want a more “feared” hitter, according to Topkin.
- More from Topkin, who also lists a righty-hitting catcher, a reliever to replace free agent Sergio Romo and “possibly a starter” on the Rays’ offseason wish list. Topkin wonders if the Rays will pursue free-agent catcher Robinson Chirinos, whom the Rangers surprisingly cut ties with Friday. The 34-year-old already has one stint with the Rays under his belt, as they acquired him from the Cubs in a 2011 blockbuster which saw Matt Garza and Chris Archer, among others, change teams. Chirinos ultimately racked up just 60 PAs with the Rays, who dealt him to Texas in 2013. It was an unheralded move at the time, but Chirinos turned into a quality offensive backstop as a Ranger, posting a .768 OPS in 1,546 PAs with the club.
- Orioles infielder Tim Beckham and catcher Caleb Joseph are “at risk” of being non-tendered before the deadline, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. Swartz projects Beckham to rake in $4.3MM via arbitration, and that would’ve been a reasonable sum had the 28-year-old looked something like his 2017 self this past season. Beckham instead took several steps backward, hitting .230/.287/.374 (79 wRC+) with minus-0.5 fWAR in 402 plate appearances. Joseph, who’s projected to earn $1.7MM, was also ineffective, evidenced by a meager .219/.254/.321 line (54 wRC+) in 280 trips to the plate. Moreover, the 32-year-old was among the majors’ worst defensive catchers in 2018, per Baseball Prospectus.
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wondering where Andrew McCutchen goes?Comment -
Good afternoon gentlemen...Comment -
Do we like the cleveland browns to battle today?Comment -
Red Sox fans were responsible for hitting manager Alex Cora with a bottle of alcohol, injuring a fan with a beer can, slightly damaging the World Series trophy and getting arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute narcotics.Comment -
Interested to see where Donaldson ends up and whether he's finished as a top player. Might have to take a one year deal to prove his worth this winter.Comment -
How much is Cutch worth even?Comment -
With free agency now open across Major League Baseball, it’s only a matter of time before we see a pair of players receive the richest contracts in the history of the sport. Outfielder Bryce Harper and shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado, two in-their-prime, Hall of Fame-level talents, figure to dominate headlines as long as they’re unsigned. It seems inevitable that both players will reel in contracts in excess of $300MM, and that may be a conservative estimate. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Jeff Todd project Harper to land a 14-year, $420MM pact and Machado to sign a 13-year, $390MM deal. There would be substantial risk in either of those contracts, needless to say, but it’s not every winter that a couple 26-year-old superstars reach free agency.
For a little while longer, the richest free-agent contract in major league history will belong to now-retired third baseman Alex Rodriguez, whom the Yankees re-signed to a 10-year, $275MM accord after the 2007 season. However, a current Yankee, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, owns the largest deal ever. He signed that contract – a 13-year, $325MM extension – in 2014 as a member of the typically small-spending Marlins, whose new ownership group felt it had no choice but to get Stanton’s money off the books last winter on the heels of an NL MVP-winning season.
It’s now conceivable that the Yankees will sign at least one of Harper or Machado to join Stanton in their lineup, but their interest in/need for either is unclear. Even if the Yankees do chase one or both of those players, they’ll face quite a bit of competition from other teams capable of handing out mega-deals.
Like Stanton, Harper already has an NL MVP on his resume, having won the award in 2015. That still easily ranks as Harper’s best season, but the longtime National has starred in nearly every campaign since he made his much-anticipated debut as a 19-year-old in 2012. Dating back to then, the lefty-swinging Harper ranks 10th in the majors in wRC+ (140, meaning he has been 40 percent better than the average offensive player) and 12th in position player fWAR (30.7, good for 4.6 per 600 plate appearance).
If there are any legitimate knocks on Harper, they may be his defense and injury history. Regarding the former, Harper ranked second to last among all major leaguers this past season in both Defensive Runs Saved (minus-26) and Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-14.4). The defensive struggles he displayed in 2018 may be a reason to worry or simply a fluke, as the metrics viewed Harper as a competent outfielder during his previous seasons. Although Harper didn’t hold his own with the glove in ’18, he did appear in a career-high 159 games. The durability he showed off last season couldn’t have come at a better time for Harper, who missed 51 games in 2017 and whom injuries have limited to fewer than 120 contests two other times.
With the exception of 2014, in which he only played 82 games, availability hasn’t been a problem for Machado. Since 2013, his first full season, Machado has racked up at least 156 appearances on five occasions. He played 162 games this past year, which he divided between the lowly Orioles and the NL-winning Dodgers, and turned in his third campaign with at least 6.0 fWAR.
Going back to ’13, Machado sits seventh among position players in fWAR (29.0, which equals 4.5 per 600 PA), though he hasn’t achieved his value in quite the same way as Harper. From 2013-18, 47 players combined for a higher wRC+ than the righty-hitting Machado’s 121, though that’s still an outstanding number. Furthermore, he happens to be coming off a personal-best offensive campaign (141 wRC+) in which he belted 30-plus home runs (37) for the fourth straight year.
There’s little doubt Machado will continue to be a formidable offensive player in the coming years, but whether he’ll serve as a defensive force could hinge on his position. Machado has been an all-world third baseman throughout his career, yet he prefers shortstop – his primary position in 2018, when he logged minus-13 DRS and minus-6.5 UZR.Comment -
If any team pays Harper $420 million dollars, they deserve him.Comment -
These monster contracts don’t usually end well.Comment -
13 and 14 year deals are insane. Without PED's most of these guys are finished by the time they hit their early 30's.Comment -
Gold Glove WinnersC Salvador Perez, Royals Yadier Molina, Cardinals 1B Matt Olson, Athletics Freddie Freeman/Anthony Rizzo 2B Ian Kinsler, Red Sox DJ LeMahieu, Rockies SS Andrelton Simmons, Angels Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks 3B Matt Chapman, Athletics Nolan Arenado, Rockies LF Alex Gordon, Royals Corey Dickerson, Pirates CF Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox Ender Inciarte, Braves RF Mookie Betts, Red Sox Nick Markakis, Braves P Dallas Keuchel, Astros Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks Comment -
Good luck today gentlemen I am struggling.Comment -
Another front office departure from Orioles, Sarah Gelles, who headed up Baseball Analytics for the team, is headed to Astros.Comment -
Machado is better off with a team like the Phillies.Comment -
Jim RIggleman is a consideration for Mets bench coach, among others. Would be good veteran voice.Comment -
Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi has hired the Boras Corporation to represent him in negotiations with MLB organizations, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Kikuchi is expected to be posted this fall, though there has yet to be a formal announcement to that effect.
With this news that Kikuchi will join one of the game’s most powerful agencies, it seems easy to presume that he’ll indeed be coming over this fall. While the Seibu Lions have indicated they’ll post him if that’s his wish, the star hurler had expressed at least some uncertainty at the conclusion of the Nippon Professional Baseball season.
Kikuchi represents an intriguing potential wild card on the market. As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes wrote in ranking Kikuchi #12 among possible free agents this winter, there’s reason to believe that the southpaw could slot comfortably into the middle of an MLB rotation. That makes him a valuable asset, particularly at just 27 years of age. On the other hand, Kikichi has had some shoulder issues and isn’t reputed to have an arsenal as impressive as those of countrymen Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka.
All things considered, it’s tough to guess at Kikuchi’s true earning power, though we pegged it at six years and $42MM (with Seibu also receiving about $8MM in fees) in our predictions. No doubt, Kikuchi will hope that agent Scott Boras will help find him a robust market and maximize his earnings. Boras has previously represented several players who were seeking to move to the majors, perhaps none more notable or memorable than Daisuke Matsuzaka.Comment
crazy money for this guy .
