The 2018 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[Otters27]

Cargo lucky to get the 8 million. Will root for the guy though

[BigSpoon]

That was probably a good decision for moustakas

Hindsight is 20/20 but turning down the $17.4M qualifying offer in the fall was a huge mistake.

[ApricotSinner32]

Reds going nowhere.

Padres extended a 7 year offer to Hosmer. Padres ain't going nowhere.

Red Sox offered JD Martinez a 5 year contract.

Lollllll

[yisman]

Jim Salisbury reporting the Phillies signed Jake Arrieta

[mr. leisure]

Jim Salisbury reporting the Phillies signed Jake Arrieta

Nice pick-up for the Phillies.

[JMobile]

Jim Salisbury reporting the Phillies signed Jake Arrieta

So much for the Padres.

[batt33]

Jim Salisbury reporting the Phillies signed Jake Arrieta

wow, that's kinda surprising.....

[ApricotSinner32]

Cargo lucky to get the 8 million. Will root for the guy though

Indeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeed.

[Cross]

I hope Jake the Snake does well, such a hard worker.

[yisman]

Jim Salisbury reporting the Phillies signed Jake Arrieta

The same guy wrote a column saying that the Phillies would never sign Arrieta.

http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/phillies/jake-arrieta-aint-happening-phillies-fans

[Chi_archie]

The same guy wrote a column saying that the Phillies would never sign Arrieta.


http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphi...-phillies-fans

whoops

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Nice pick-up for the Phillies.

phillies have a solid 1-2 with him and Nola.

[JMobile]

Hey Jake, I still feel that Hosmer is going to be a bust. Guy has to play 81 games at a pitcher friendly park.

[El Nino]

The same guy wrote a column saying that the Phillies would never sign Arrieta.


http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphi...-phillies-fans

Amesome. Baseball writers are the biggest goobers.

[yisman]

Yankees signed Neil Walker

[EmpireMaker]

MONDAY: The A’s have announced the signing.
SATURDAY: Lucroy’s one-year deal with the A’s will guarantee him $6.5MM, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser also adds that the deal does not come with any incentives.
FRIDAY: The Athletics have agreed to sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the Excel client, according to the report.

Entering the winter, MLBTR predicted that Lucroy would command a two-year, $24MM commitment. We cited the A’s as a possible suitor, but at the time it seemed likelier that the 31-year-old would choose a team more clearly positioned to contend, given his own comments on the subject.
As was the case for others, of course, the free-agent market did not really develop as expected for the veteran backstop. The Rockies — who employed Lucroy for the second half of the 2017 season — had interest but pivoted to Chris Iannetta, who ended up being one of three catchers (joining Welington Castillo and Alex Avila) to secure two-year commitments.
Lucroy’s free-agent experience was long expected to be much more rewarding. When the 2016 season drew to a close, after all, he stood as one of the best all-around receivers in the game, having just wrapped up a five-year run of .291/.353/.465 hitting during which he was also reputed to be among the game’s best defensive catchers.
The 2017 season, though, did not go well at all. Lucroy got off to a disastrous start at the plate with the Rangers before a mid-season trade to the Rockies. While he rebounded with a robust .429 on-base percentage (with 27 walks against just 19 strikeouts) down the stretch, Lucroy’s power never returned and he finished with a .265/.345/.371 slash line and six home runs over 481 plate appearances on the year.
Optimists will point to the still-impeccable zone control and long history of productivity. Pessimists can handily cite the fact that Lucroy delivered little hard contact, lots of grounders, and a career-low full-season dinger tally in a 2017 season marked by a leaguewide offensive surge.
Defensive questions also arose. While the Rockies credited Lucroy’s work at managing the pitching staff, suggesting he retains his good reputation in that hard-to-quantify realm, there was surprising slippage in the framing department. Once lauded as the master of winning strikes for his pitchers, Lucroy graded miserably in that key metric in 2017.
Of course, we at MLBTR were still somewhat bullish on Lucroy’s market situation despite those areas of concern. Indeed, I argued for more than our collective prediction, writing in early October that he could command a three-year commitment with an annual salary of $10MM or more. In a market full of surprises, Lucroy’s shortfall is among the most eye-opening. While he surely could have commanded a larger payday had he signed earlier in the winter, with timing playing a role in the ultimate contract, it remains notable that such an accomplished player was forced to settle for such a commitment.
[RELATED: Updated Athletics Depth Chart]
For Oakland, it’s an eminently sensible risk to take. The club had said it expected to utilize Bruce Maxwell as the primary option, but he had a tough season at the plate in 2017 as well as a troubling offseason run-in with the law. While he undoubtedly remains part of the future plans, it could be that he’ll open the year in the minors with Josh Phegley supplementing Lucroy at the MLB level.
Even with Lucroy aboard, it’s tough to pick the A’s as a favorite in the AL West that’s led by an outstanding Astros club and is competitive from top top bottom. But if he can coax breakout performances from a youthful pitching staff, if not also rebound with the bat, then perhaps there could yet be a surprise in store.

[koz-man]

Kenley Jansen threw a clean inning in a ‘B' game for the Dodgers this morning. Jansen reported no problems with the sore hamstring that's had him sidelined lately. Jansen used the outing to work on his slider, throwing nine of them during the brief stint. He's slated to pitch again on Thursday.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Hey Jake, I still feel that Hosmer is going to be a bust. Guy has to play 81 games at a pitcher friendly park.

look at the numbers, a lot more homers have been hit at Petco the past few years.

he will be fine and hit 20-25 homers every year

he isn't a power hitter anyway

the money needs to be spent somewhere and I like the total package that he brings to the table when you factor in his defense and intangibles..

[batt33]

The same guy wrote a column saying that the Phillies would never sign Arrieta.


eh had 50 50 chance...
http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphi...-phillies-fans

eh had 50 50 chance...

[EmpireMaker]

4:53pm: Hoch tweets that Walker will earn $125K for reaching each of 425, 450, 475 and 500 plate appearances.
4:26pm: Walker’s base salary is $4MM, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets that he can earn an extra $500K via plate appearance incentives.
10:50am: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Walker’s one-year deal will be worth about $5MM.
10:27am: The Yankees have agreed to a contract with free-agent infielder Neil Walker, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The agreement is pending a physical. Walker is a client of Excel Sports Management.

The agreement will bring to a close a lengthy trip through the free-agent process for the 32-year-old Walker, who struggled to find a landing spot this offseason despite a history of above-average offense and the ability to handle multiple positions around the infield. The infielder himself told Billy Witz of the New York Times recently that he thought he’d been close to an agreement with the Yankees before the team pivoted and acquired Brandon Drury from the D-backs.
Now, it seems that the Yankees will have veteran options to fill in at both third base and second base as they round out their infield before Opening Day. The addition of Walker likely means that both Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar will begin the 2018 season in the minors, with Drury lined up at the hot corner and Walker at second base. That said, Walker’s ability to bounce between first base and third base as well, if necessary, could allow him to move to a utility role later in the year if Torres emerges and pushes him for the starting second base job.
Walker is fresh off a solid .265/.362/.439 slash line with 14 homers in 448 plate appearances between the Mets and Brewers last season. A partially torn hamstring sidelined him for several weeks last summer, but he showed little in the way of ill effect late in the year, hitting at a .267/.403/.433 clip after an August trade to Milwaukee. Injuries have to be at least something of a concern with Walker, to be sure; in addition to last year’s hamstring trouble, Walker underwent back surgery in 2016 — a procedure that led to him accepting a $17.2MM qualifying offer from the Mets.
Health-related red flags notwithstanding, Walker has hit between 12 and 23 homers per season with average or better walk rates and above-average contact skills each season dating back to 2010, when he first established himself as a regular in Pittsburgh. By measure of OPS+ and wRC+, he’s been 14 to 15 percent better than the league-average hitter in that time. He’ll add to an already-imposing Yankees lineup and deepen an already-envious collection of quality infield options for GM Brian Cashman and first-year manager Aaron Boone.
The presence of Walker on the 25-man roster could also push utility infield option Tyler Wade to Triple-A early in the year, though fellow utilityman Ronald Torreyes also has options remaining. That group, paired with Drury, Torres and Andujar should leave the Yankees extremely well-positioned to deal with any injuries or unforeseen circumstances that may arise over the course of the season, and the added depth could theoretically go a long way toward keeping Walker healthy as well by affording him ample rest opportunities.
With a fairly modest overall commitment, the Yankees should still have roughly $10MM to work with as they seek midseason upgrades in advance of the nonwaiver trade deadline. Maintaining that type of flexibility has long been reported to be a critical factor for the Yankees in any free agent negotiations. That Walker’s price point fell to the range of several other solid veterans who have signed in this range in recent weeks allowed the Yankees to come away from the offseason with both of the infielders in which they held interest when previously negotiating with Walker’s camp and with the D-backs on the Drury swap.

[koz-man]

Reds RHP Anthony DeSclafani has another strained left oblique

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Anthony DeSclafani has a strained left oblique, marking the third year in a row that the Cincinnati Reds starter has been hurt during spring training.
Manager Bryan Price said DeSclafani felt discomfort during his last spring appearance, and an exam found the problem. It's unclear how long he might be sidelined. The Reds open the season in a little over two weeks.
"I say that with nothing but frustration for Anthony and our club,'' Price said Sunday. "I feel bad for the kid. He worked his tail off to get ready. He did everything we asked of him and more."
DeSclafani also suffered a strained left oblique before the 2016 season and was sidelined until June. The right-hander finished that season with a 9-5 record with a 3.28 ERA. He missed all of last season with a sprained elbow.
The Reds were counting on DeSclafani, Homer Bailey and left-hander Brandon Finnegan to recover from injuries and anchor a rotation that struggled without them last year. Instead, they're heading toward Opening Day with questions about two of them.
Finnegan was removed from his appearance on Sunday after only two batters because of a sore forearm. It's unclear how long he'll be limited. Finnegan was limited to four starts last season because of back and shoulder injuries.
DeSclafani won't be allowed to do any baseball activities until the injured muscle is healed, which makes it unlikely that he'll be ready to start the season.
"They want to get all the soreness out,'' Price said. "I'm sure there will be MRIs and ultrasounds to check his progress before he gets back to baseball activity."
=================

Here we go again....Reds Finished before the Season even starts Again!!!! WTF!!!!

[JMobile]

look at the numbers, a lot more homers have been hit at Petco the past few years.

he will be fine and hit 20-25 homers every year

he isn't a power hitter anyway

the money needs to be spent somewhere and I like the total package that he brings to the table when you factor in his defense and intangibles..

Solarte not doing so well with the Toronto. Batting under .100.

[ApricotSinner32]

Solarte not doing so well with the Toronto. Batting under .100.

[batt33]

Rooster cuts are starting to pick up giants send 13 down

[yisman]

more signings today.

[yisman]

looks like a bunch of NFL news, actually

lots of players signing there

[EmpireMaker]

Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons signaled on Monday that Troy Tulowitzki won’t be ready for Opening Day, writes MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. “I think you can write Tulo off [for Opening Day] right now,” said Gibbons of his shortstop, who is currently dealing with a bone spur in his right heel. Tulo’s lack of availability likely means the Jays will carry just seven relievers to open the season Morosi notes, which will allow the team to bring four middle infielders — Devon Travis, Aledmys Diaz, Yangervis Solarte and Gift Ngoepe — when they break camp.
Meanwhile, both John Axford and Tyler Clippard are likely to make the Blue Jays’ bullpen after signing minor league deals, per Morosi. Gibbons praised a new two-seam fastball that Axford has been utilizing as well as improved control from the veteran righty. “What’s jumped out at me is he’s keeping that thing in the zone,” said Gibbons. “What little I’ve known in the past, at times he could scatter, but really that hasn’t happened at all this spring. That’s encouraging. And he still throws really, really hard.”
More from the AL East…

• The Yankees announced today that top prospect Gleyber Torres has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the team’s signing of Neil Walker to a one-year deal and Torres’ struggles this spring as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery in his non-throwing arm. Torres, who has just 55 games above Class-A Advanced under his belt and just 96 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, went 4-for-25 with seven strikeouts in Grapefruit League play. The 21-year-old will likely make his MLB debut with the Yankees at some point in 2018, and optioning him comes with the added benefit of pushing back his service clock to gain an extra year of club control (assuming he spends at least three weeks or so in the minors to open the season).
• The Orioles spoke with Lance Lynn’s agents right up until the time he signed with the Twins, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, Lynn was seeking a two-year deal from the Orioles, whereas he agreed to a one-year, $12MM deal in order to join the Twins. Kubatko adds that the Orioles are of the impression that fellow right-hander Alex Cobb is also seeking a multi-year deal and that a contract comparable to Lynn’s pact with the Twins won’t get the job done.
• The Red Sox would like to stash some MLB rotation depth at Triple-A but are having a tough time getting deals done, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston writes. Remaining hurlers are understandably interested in joining teams where they’ll have a reasonably achievable path to the Majors. Boston entered the winter with a rather full set of starters, though as Drellich notes, there’s increasingly more opportunity to offer with a variety of (hopefully) minor injuries cropping up. The Sox faced a similar struggle in attracting veterans on minor league deals last winter, Drellich notes.

[Cross]

Wow, NFL news putting MLB signings on backburner for now.

[El Nino]

Rooster cuts are starting to pick up giants send 13 down

Sounds painful

[Chi_archie]

ouch indeed

[koz-man]

The Yankees today optioned 2B Gleyber Torres and C Kyle Higashioka to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both are being reassigned to minor-league camp. For Torres, Neil Walker's signing yesterday was a precursor to the roster move.

[BigSpoon]

Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons signaled on Monday that Troy Tulowitzki won’t be ready for Opening Day, writes MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. “I think you can write Tulo off [for Opening Day] right now,” said Gibbons of his shortstop, who is currently dealing with a bone spur in his right heel. Tulo’s lack of availability likely means the Jays will carry just seven relievers to open the season Morosi notes, which will allow the team to bring four middle infielders — Devon Travis, Aledmys Diaz, Yangervis Solarte and Gift Ngoepe — when they break camp.
Meanwhile, both John Axford and Tyler Clippard are likely to make the Blue Jays’ bullpen after signing minor league deals, per Morosi. Gibbons praised a new two-seam fastball that Axford has been utilizing as well as improved control from the veteran righty. “What’s jumped out at me is he’s keeping that thing in the zone,” said Gibbons. “What little I’ve known in the past, at times he could scatter, but really that hasn’t happened at all this spring. That’s encouraging. And he still throws really, really hard.”
More from the AL East…

• The Yankees announced today that top prospect Gleyber Torres has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the team’s signing of Neil Walker to a one-year deal and Torres’ struggles this spring as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery in his non-throwing arm. Torres, who has just 55 games above Class-A Advanced under his belt and just 96 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, went 4-for-25 with seven strikeouts in Grapefruit League play. The 21-year-old will likely make his MLB debut with the Yankees at some point in 2018, and optioning him comes with the added benefit of pushing back his service clock to gain an extra year of club control (assuming he spends at least three weeks or so in the minors to open the season).
• The Orioles spoke with Lance Lynn’s agents right up until the time he signed with the Twins, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, Lynn was seeking a two-year deal from the Orioles, whereas he agreed to a one-year, $12MM deal in order to join the Twins. Kubatko adds that the Orioles are of the impression that fellow right-hander Alex Cobb is also seeking a multi-year deal and that a contract comparable to Lynn’s pact with the Twins won’t get the job done.
• The Red Sox would like to stash some MLB rotation depth at Triple-A but are having a tough time getting deals done, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston writes. Remaining hurlers are understandably interested in joining teams where they’ll have a reasonably achievable path to the Majors. Boston entered the winter with a rather full set of starters, though as Drellich notes, there’s increasingly more opportunity to offer with a variety of (hopefully) minor injuries cropping up. The Sox faced a similar struggle in attracting veterans on minor league deals last winter, Drellich notes.

Tulo missing regular season games, what a surprise.

[ApricotSinner32]

The Yankees today optioned 2B Gleyber Torres and C Kyle Higashioka to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both are being reassigned to minor-league camp. For Torres, Neil Walker's signing yesterday was a precursor to the roster move.

fffffffffffffffffffffff

[Chi_archie]

The Yankees today optioned 2B Gleyber Torres and C Kyle Higashioka to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both are being reassigned to minor-league camp. For Torres, Neil Walker's signing yesterday was a precursor to the roster move.

Torres gonna be special

[JMobile]

Rooster cuts are starting to pick up giants send 13 down

Was Hunter Pence one of them? Guy sucks and over paid.