The 2019 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[Cross]

Dodgers and Yanks about to make some ridiculous payrolls again this year.

[BigSpoon]

Sounds like Rendon might be the first big free agent to sign.

[ApricotSinner32]

The Yankees’ rotation was under fire throughout 2019, a year in which they came a couple victories short of their first World Series appearance since 2009. The reigning AL East winners are now focusing on upgrading their starting staff, as they’re seriously considering going after the premier starting pitchers on the market. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), New York’s prioritizing right-hander Gerrit Cole – who, as a member of the Astros – helped knock the Yankees out of the ALCS. The Yankees are also interested in the No. 2 starter available, righty Stephen Strasburg, and they’ll sit down with him and Cole in California sometime over the next two days, Rosenthal reports.
Since the Yankees’ season ended, general manager Brian Cashman hasn’t made it any secret that they’ll scan the top of the market for starting help. However, as deep-pocketed as the Yankees are, it has been quite some time since they’ve gone to the lengths it would require to sign either Cole or Strasburg in free agency.
Cole is likely in line to obliterate the largest contract ever for a pitcher – the seven-year, $217MM deal David Price signed with the Red Sox entering 2016 – while the World Series MVP Strasburg could approach $200MM in his own right. Pacts like that could be problematic for New York if it wants to avoid severe luxury-tax penalties in 2020. In the estimation of Jason Martinez of FanGraphs and Roster Resource, the Yankees are already at roughly $215MM toward the luxury tax for next season, putting them over the first level of $208MM. The second and third levels of $228MM and $248MM, respectively, would obviously be much harder to avoid with Cole or Strasburg in the mix.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke about possibly spending over the largest tax threshold Monday, telling the YES Network (via Tim Healey of Newsday): “It’s a big deal. It’s something we would certainly prefer not to do because there are June draft ramifications, there are numerous ramifications. But that is something I would consider.”
Indeed, if the Yankees were to go past $248MM, their draft slot would fall 10 places in 2020. However, Steinbrenner noted: “[The Yankees already have] a good rotation, but starting pitching, you can’t have enough. Like last year, that’s going to be my focus. You’ll have to ask [Brian Cashman] if he agrees with me or not. That’s all.”
The Yankees already have at least three rotation spots sewn up for next season. Luis Severino, whom injuries prevented from making much of an impact this year, will be back to join a group that boasts James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka as complements. There’s less certainty thereafter, though, with Domingo German on administrative leave for a violation of the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence Policy, J.A. Happ coming off a rough season and Jordan Montgomery still trying to re-establish himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Yankees will take advantage of their financial might to sign Cole or Strasburg, but they’re at least mulling it.

gordy

[jrgum3]

40 HR’s easy

Yep that’s probably Moose continues to find his way onto at least one of my fantasy teams every year.

[JaimeMiro]

Dodgers and Yanks about to make some ridiculous payrolls again this year.

They gotta spend that dough, to make the postseason

[Chi_archie]

They gotta spend that dough, to make the postseason

let's see who will get highest

[Otters27]

Had a dream last night that Gherrit Cole became a closer

[JMobile]

Dodgers and Yanks about to make some ridiculous payrolls again this year.

All in on the Dodgers next season.

[koz-man]

I think Moustakas is underrated, he is a gamer and I don't think it is a fluke that the teams he is on are usually winning teams.

Hope your right JP.

Just did some reading up about Moose. I was not aware of his power, Should hit the 40 HR mark in Cincy park.

[stevenash]

Lee Smith is 61 years old today.

[batt33]

All in on the Dodgers next season.

Never would have guessed!

[jrgum3]

Hope your right JP.

Just did some reading up about Moose. I was not aware of his power, Should hit the 40 HR mark in Cincy park.

The bombs will be there but he probably won’t hit for average. At least that’s been his M.O.

[EmpireMaker]

The Phillies have made the biggest free-agent splash of the offseason to date, as they reached a reported five-year, $118MM agreement with free-agent right-hander Zack Wheeler on Wednesday afternoon. The contract is still pending a physical. Wheeler is represented by Jet Sports Management.

Wheeler, 29, has been arguably the most in-demand pitcher on the free agent market early in the offseason. While he’s regarded as the third-best arm on the market behind Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, that duo’s sky-high earning power priced out a number of pitching-needy teams from the outset. Wheeler, however, has been viewed as a more affordable pitcher with high-end stuff — one whom many believe can still take another step forward in the years to come.
Of course, that’s not to say that the current iteration of Wheeler isn’t a quality arm; he very much is. Over his past 55 Major League starts, the right-hander has worked to a 3.47 ERA (3.27 FIP) with 9.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.82 HR/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate in 349 2/3 innings. He’s distanced himself from Tommy John surgery and the ensuing complications that wiped out nearly two full seasons of his career, combining to make 60 starts dating back to Opening Day 2018.
Wheeler was also the second-hardest-throwing starter on the open market, with his career-best 96.7 mph average heater trailing only the aforementioned Cole. Beyond that, he possesses above-average spin on his heater and curveball, and he’s excelled in terms of minimizing hard contact against him (90th percentile average exit-velocity among MLB starters, per Statcast). Given that he’s played in front of one the worst defenses in the game over the past couple of seasons, there’s a belief that he could excel with a change of scenery, although it’s of course worth noting that the Philadelphia defense has had its own share of struggles over that same time.
Rotation help has been the clear top priority for the Phillies this winter, as their collective group of starters was a decidedly subpar group in 2019. Philadelphia entered the season with Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta anchoring the starting staff. And, after a 2018-19 offseason that focused largely on augmenting the lineup, the Phils leaned heavily on younger, inexperienced arms like Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez to round out the rotation.
Of that trio, only Eflin yielded any real dividends, however. The 25-year-old proved a serviceable fourth starter with a 4.13 ERA over 28 starts (32 total appearances), while Pivetta and Velasquez combined for an ERA well north of 5.00. Meanwhile, Arrieta struggled through his worst performance since his breakout and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. Even Nola, who finished third in 2018 NL Cy Young voting, took a notable step back in 2019. The end result was a Phillies starting staff that finished 17th in ERA (4.64), 24th in FIP (4.91) and 16th in xFIP (4.59) last year.
Wheeler will now slot into the Phillies’ rotation alongside Nola, Eflin and Arrieta — with the hope being that the removal of the bone spur through which Arrieta pitched in 2019 will help to bring about a rejuvenation of sorts. There’s still room for another rotation addition, to be sure, and there’s also room on the payroll to make that a reality. Before agreeing to terms with Wheeler, the Phils’ payroll checked in a bit shy of $150MM (including projected arbitration salaries). They’ll see Arrieta, David Robertson and the small portion of the Jay Bruce contract they’re paying all come off the books next season, lending some long-term flexibility even in spite of substantial commitments to Wheeler, Bryce Harper and others.
Earlier this offseason, Philadelphia general manager Matt Klentak voiced a preference to eventually move away from signing players who’ve rejected qualifying offers, but it appears that was far from a mandate, as the Phillies will now do so for a third consecutive winter. Signing Wheeler will cost Philadelphia its second-round pick and $500K of international bonus allotments. The Mets, meanwhile, will pick up a compensatory draft pick after Competitive Balance Round B — likely in the 75 to 80 range of next year’s draft. They’ll also, of course, now be on the lookout for another starting pitcher — although they were never viewed as a serious player to re-sign Wheeler.
Geography played a pivotal role in Wheeler’s decision to sign with Philadelphia, it seems. The Athletic’s Marc Carig, who first broke the news, noted in his original report that Wheeler’s fiancee is from nearby New Jersey, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the White Sox’ bid on Wheeler was actually higher than that of the Phillies. Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North in Minneapolis tweets that the Twins, too, made a five-year offer to Wheeler and that money wasn’t the ultimate factor in rejecting that bid. Presumably, an offer that blew Philadelphia’s out of the water could’ve swayed Wheeler to stray from the East Coast, but it seems that family considerations won the day when final bids wound up comparable.
In the end, Wheeler drew varying levels of interest from the White Sox, Twins, Reds, Astros, Rangers, Yankees and Blue Jays before his agreement with the Phils. That level of interest was largely foreseeable, and the fit with the Phillies has long been a particularly sensible one, as was predicted on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agent list at the start of the offseason. The choice of destination proved to be spot on, but the considerable interest in Wheeler ultimately pushed his guarantee north of the five years and $100MM estimate put forth at that time.

[Cross]

Wheeler would have looked so nice in Cubbie blue.

[JaimeMiro]

let's see who will get highest

Think the Dodgers go crazy; to get over their dismal playoff showing

[Otters27]

Like Donaldson as comeback player

[ApricotSinner32]

Orioles need to get their fukkin act together.

[koz-man]

The bombs will be there but he probably won’t hit for average. At least that’s been his M.O.

As long as hes hits HR's with runners on base. Reds have to score more runs next year.
Pitching looks good.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Lee Smith is 61 years old today.

That Steve Garvey homer off him in the bottom of the 9th of game 4 of the '84 NLCS was one of my first baseball memories.

[Chi_archie]

Lee Smith is 61 years old today.

got his autograph along the third base line before a game at 3 rivers stadium when I was like 9-10 years old. he had the biggest hands i'd ever seen on a human being to that point.

monster

[BigSpoon]

Wheeler would have looked so nice in Cubbie blue.

He would have looked good in a Blue Jays uniform too but the price the Phillies paid to get him was much more than I expected.

[stevenash]

All in on the Dodgers next season.

And they’ll gag in the playoffs yet again.
It’s what they do.

[koz-man]

Mets acquire OF Jake Marisnick in trade with Astros


The Houston Astros have traded outfielder Jake Marisnick to the New York Mets in exchange for two prospects, it was announced Thursday.

Marisnick, 28, a smooth-fielding center fielder, wasn't an everyday player for the Astros because of his inconsistency at the plate. He batted .233 with 10 homers and 34 RBIs for the Astros last season in 73 starts.

"Jake is an elite defender who is an incredibly smart baserunner," Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement. "Among our offseason plans was to improve defensively and he is one of the best in the game."

Marisnick, who has one year left on a contract that will pay him $3 million in 2020, is a career .227 hitter, with 54 home runs and 178 RBIs in seven seasons with the Marlins and Astros.

Juan Lagares, who was the backup center fielder for the Mets last season, is a free agent.

Marisnick was suspended for two games last season after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who suffered a concussion and a broken nose. Marisnick apologized after the incident.

In return, the Astros get lefty relief pitcher Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona from the Mets.

Taylor, 24, was 2-3 with 10 saves, a 2.16 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings over 40 appearances as he rose through the Mets' system at Class-A Port St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

The 19-year-old Corona hit .301 with 23 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases in his first professional season that spanned the Dominican Summer League, the Gulf Coast League and Class-A Brooklyn

[JMobile]

And they’ll gag in the playoffs yet again.
It’s what they do.

They can't gag every year.

[jrgum3]

Yankees making signing Gerrit Cole their top priority. They usually don’t go after the top FA pitcher but in this case they absolutely should because a number 1 starter will put them over the top imo.

[batt33]

Sounds like 2 more teams interested in Mad Bum...White sox and twins...

[JaimeMiro]

Don't see the New York Mets making any moves, same old

[BigSpoon]

Yankees making signing Gerrit Cole their top priority. They usually don’t go after the top FA pitcher but in this case they absolutely should because a number 1 starter will put them over the top imo.

Cole is going to get paid for sure. Yankees or Angels.

[EmpireMaker]

10:55pm: The teams have agreed to the trade, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. However, it won’t be announced until the players involved take their physicals Friday.
10:42pm: The Rays and Padres are deep into talks on a trade that would see Tampa Bay outfielder Tommy Pham and San Diego outfielder Hunter Renfroe switch clubs, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Rays would also land Single-A shortstop Xavier Edwards, while the Padres would pick up an unnamed prospect to go with Pham.

This is already the second major outfield trade of the winter for the Padres, who acquired Trent Grisham from the Brewers last week. Pham is far more proven than Grisham, as the former is coming off yet another outstanding season at the plate. The 31-year-old Pham, whose first full season came with the Cardinals in 2017, has somewhat quietly been among the majors’ most effective outfielders over the past three campaigns. He has totaled 13.6 fWAR, including 3.3 in 2019, dating back to his initial full season. Typically one to post high on-base percentages, Pham’s coming off a year in which he slashed .273/.369/.450 with 21 home runs and 25 stolen bases across 654 plate appearances.
In Pham, the Padres – led by under-fire general manager A.J. Preller – are getting a player with two years’ control remaining. Pham, who’s slated to earn a projected $8.6MM next season, will join Grisham, Manuel Margot, Wil Myers, Franchy Cordero and prospect Taylor Trammell as the Padres’ most prominent outfielders.
While Pham looks like an intriguing addition for the Padres, they’re giving up a powerful and affordable outfielder at the same time. Renfroe, soon to turn 28, entered the bigs as a first-round pick of the Padres in 2013. He has hit at least 26 homers in each season since debuting in earnest in 2017, including 33 this year, though injuries helped undermine him after a hot start in 2019. Renfroe wound up slashing .216/.289/.489 over 494 PA, and he earned elite marks in 998 innings divided among all three outfield positions (22 Defensive Runs Saved, 10.1 Ultimate Zone Rating).

Never a team to boast a high payroll, the Rays are saving quite a bit of money in this swap. Renfroe should only make around $3.4MM next season, which will be his first of four arbitration-eligible years. He’ll presumably accompany Austin Meadows and Kevin Kiermaier as the Rays’ starting outfielders in 2020, thus replacing free agent Avisail Garcia.
Along with Renfroe, the Rays are getting a quality farmhand in Edwards, a 2018 first-rounder whom FanGraphs ranked as the Padres’ 14th-best prospect in a loaded Padres system back in May. Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel wrote then that Edwards “is a high-effort offensive catalyst who knifes at defenses with line drives and well-placed bunts,” adding that second base or center field could be in his future. The 20-year-old divided 2019 between both middle infield positions and batted .322/.375/.396 with just a single homer in 596 PA at the Single-A and High-A levels.

[Chi_archie]

Cole is going to get paid for sure. Yankees or Angels.

Should set a record

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Not sure what to think about this potential Pham for Renfroe trade. Pham is a better overall player but i really like this Edwards kid that looks to be part of the deal. That said, the Padres have a lot of quality middle infield depth in the minors.

[stevenash]

Don't see the New York Mets making any moves, same old

They don’t have much money.

[ApricotSinner32]

10:55pm: The teams have agreed to the trade, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. However, it won’t be announced until the players involved take their physicals Friday.
10:42pm: The Rays and Padres are deep into talks on a trade that would see Tampa Bay outfielder Tommy Pham and San Diego outfielder Hunter Renfroe switch clubs, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Rays would also land Single-A shortstop Xavier Edwards, while the Padres would pick up an unnamed prospect to go with Pham.

This is already the second major outfield trade of the winter for the Padres, who acquired Trent Grisham from the Brewers last week. Pham is far more proven than Grisham, as the former is coming off yet another outstanding season at the plate. The 31-year-old Pham, whose first full season came with the Cardinals in 2017, has somewhat quietly been among the majors’ most effective outfielders over the past three campaigns. He has totaled 13.6 fWAR, including 3.3 in 2019, dating back to his initial full season. Typically one to post high on-base percentages, Pham’s coming off a year in which he slashed .273/.369/.450 with 21 home runs and 25 stolen bases across 654 plate appearances.
In Pham, the Padres – led by under-fire general manager A.J. Preller – are getting a player with two years’ control remaining. Pham, who’s slated to earn a projected $8.6MM next season, will join Grisham, Manuel Margot, Wil Myers, Franchy Cordero and prospect Taylor Trammell as the Padres’ most prominent outfielders.
While Pham looks like an intriguing addition for the Padres, they’re giving up a powerful and affordable outfielder at the same time. Renfroe, soon to turn 28, entered the bigs as a first-round pick of the Padres in 2013. He has hit at least 26 homers in each season since debuting in earnest in 2017, including 33 this year, though injuries helped undermine him after a hot start in 2019. Renfroe wound up slashing .216/.289/.489 over 494 PA, and he earned elite marks in 998 innings divided among all three outfield positions (22 Defensive Runs Saved, 10.1 Ultimate Zone Rating).

Never a team to boast a high payroll, the Rays are saving quite a bit of money in this swap. Renfroe should only make around $3.4MM next season, which will be his first of four arbitration-eligible years. He’ll presumably accompany Austin Meadows and Kevin Kiermaier as the Rays’ starting outfielders in 2020, thus replacing free agent Avisail Garcia.
Along with Renfroe, the Rays are getting a quality farmhand in Edwards, a 2018 first-rounder whom FanGraphs ranked as the Padres’ 14th-best prospect in a loaded Padres system back in May. Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel wrote then that Edwards “is a high-effort offensive catalyst who knifes at defenses with line drives and well-placed bunts,” adding that second base or center field could be in his future. The 20-year-old divided 2019 between both middle infield positions and batted .322/.375/.396 with just a single homer in 596 PA at the Single-A and High-A levels.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Not sure what to think about this potential Pham for Renfroe trade. Pham is a better overall player but i really like this Edwards kid that looks to be part of the deal. That said, the Padres have a lot of quality middle infield depth in the minors.

Apparently Blake Snell is not keen on the trade..

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28237328/rays-blake-snell-strongly-reacts-tommy-pham-trade-twitch

[JMobile]

Not sure what to think about this potential Pham for Renfroe trade. Pham is a better overall player but i really like this Edwards kid that looks to be part of the deal. That said, the Padres have a lot of quality middle infield depth in the minors.

Wow, Renfroe for Pham? I don't know how I feel about that trade. Kind of hard to let that one go.