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

[jrgum3]

That would be my guess where he ends up if he doesn't come back to the Giants....From what I've read..kapler is a numbers guy where as Madbum....is Just give me the freaking ball and don't pitch hit for me....

I wouldn't mind seeing Madbum wind up playing for the Braves. They have the bats to win their division and make a run in the playoffs again but they need pitching...

[EmpireMaker]

9:22pm: The A’s are more focused on Semien’s arbitration figure than a potential extension, according to agent Joel Wolfe, Heyman tweets.
7:32pm: A’s shortstop Marcus Semien has told the front office he’s interested in a long-term extension, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The A’s “would love to keep Semien” and the two sides will kick off dialogue on talks about a long-term deal, Heyman adds.
Of course, mutual interest in an extension doesn’t guarantee that a deal will come to fruition. The low-payroll A’s haven’t had ample success retaining homegrown stars in the past, and any deal with Semien would certainly be pricey. The AL MVP finalist is entering his final season of team control via arbitration, in which he’s projected to make $13.5MM. With free agency not too far in the future, Semien has the leverage to hold out for a rather lucrative deal.
There’s some chance the A’s don’t even have to top the market to retain Semien’s services. The Bay Area native starred at Berkeley and has spent the past five seasons playing in Oakland. Over the first three of those seasons, Semien was merely an average, if durable, performer. The A’s stuck with Semien, though, as Heyman notes, and they’ve been rewarded the past two years. Semien totaled 3.8 fWAR in 2018 before truly breaking out last season, slashing .285/.369/.522 (137 wRC+) en route to a nearly eight-win season.
On both sides of the ball, Semien’s development has been remarkable. Defensively, he endured some well-publicized throwing tribulations in his first two-plus years in Oakland. The past two seasons, though, he’s almost completely eradicated the miscues and transformed into one of the game’s top defensive infielders. Since the start of 2018, Semien has totaled 14 defensive runs saved at shortstop, ninth-most at the position.
At the plate, Semien put together a banner year in nearly every category in 2019. Always one with a keen eye for the strike zone, Semien chased fewer pitches and made more contact than ever, enabling him to sport a career-high walk rate and a career-low strikeout rate. He also upped his hard contact by nearly ten points from 2018, contributing to career-best marks in homers (33) and ISO (.237).
Before last season, Semien had never before been above league average with the bat, so it would be fair to anticipate some regression in 2020. That said, he turned 29 in September and Statcast largely supports his bottom line results from last season, so there’s little reason to believe he’ll revert all the way back to a league average hitter. Even output 15-20 percent better than average at the dish, while not at the level he performed in 2019, would make Semien a true star given his elite durability and plus glove at the infield’s most important position.
Semien’s market is tough to gauge. If he were to play out 2020, he’d hit free agency having just turned 30. Assuming he were to stay healthy and approach anything near his level of production the past two seasons, Oakland would surely make him a qualifying offer. That could be a small hit to his market, but there’d be ample interest in Semien regardless. If he repeats his 2019 production, he’d no doubt be among the top free agents in next year’s class. However, there is certainly some risk involved for the player in taking that course of action. He has been extremely durable to this point, but injuries are always a risk for any player. Any regression in performance, too, would obviously curtail his earning power. One need look no further than the top shortstop on this year’s market, Didi Gregorius, for a cautionary tale of how quickly one’s long-term outlook could change. Of course, Gregorius has never approached the type of season Semien just put up.
For the A’s, committing to Semien would be a franchise-defining decision. As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne explored in his offseason outlook, Oakland doesn’t have much wiggle room if they plan to open 2020 with a payroll in a similar range as their $92MM season-opening outlay last year. However, much of that payroll is tied up in arbitration-eligible players, with Oakland’s only commitments beyond 2020 a combined $25MM to Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson will surely get more expensive as they progress through arbitration, too, but there seems to be some room in the long-term budget if the A’s front office feels comfortable betting on Semien long-term. Oakland has previously made runs at both Semien and Chapman in the past, but to no avail. With both players having truly broken out, neither would come cheap at this point. The club did extend Davis as he entered his walk year, although the commitment required to lock up a two-way star shortstop like Semien dwarfs that of a DH-only like Davis.
Semien’s future will perhaps be the defining decision of the offseason for executive vice president Billy Beane, GM David Forst, and the rest of the Oakland front office. Earlier this month, MLBTR readers weighed in on the subject. In a tightly-contested vote, 37% called for Oakland to extend Semien (even if at market value), 32% thought it best to trade him this offseason, while 31% felt the sides should simply play out the season.

[BarkingToad]

Is the Reds’ interest in Marcell Ozuna more of a red flag that they don't think a trio of Jesse Winker, Phillip Ervin and Aristides Aquino in the corners won't hold up well, or are they just trying to improve anywhere and everywhere?

-- Matt E., on Twitter

It’s more of the latter. This team needs to improve offensively after ranking 12th in the National League in runs scored and batting average this past season. Even though Cincinnati hit a club-record 227 home runs, the lineup scored only five more runs in 2019 than in ’18. It needs guys who can get on base and drive them in.

Outfield is a natural spot to seek upgrades for a variety of reasons. First, both Winker and center fielder Nick Senzel are coming off injury-shortened seasons and have durability questions. Aquino had a historic August of knocking homers, but his numbers collapsed in September, so it’s harder to predict what he might do in 2020.

A lefty hitter, Winker has a significant career split vs. right-handers (.307) compared to left-handers (.176). The right-handed-hitting Ervin, who got the most playing time of his career in 2019, was a .349 batter vs. lefties and .227 vs. righties. They could work as a platoon until one of them proves they can hit well against both types of pitchers. But acquiring someone like Ozuna, Nicholas Castellanos or Corey Dickerson offers more of a sure thing on offense.

Reds want to overpay for Ozuna and all his strikeouts and lousy fielding? Let them

[koz-man]

CINCINNATI -- In a multitude of transactions made on Monday, the Reds acquired right-handed pitcher Justin Shafer from the Blue Jays in a trade for cash. In a separate move, Cincinnati claimed outfielder Nick Martini off waivers from San Diego.

To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Brian O'Grady and reliever Jimmy Herget were designated for assignment. Cincinnati’s 40-man roster remains full.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.

Shafer, a 27-year-old reliever, went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP over 34 big league appearances for Toronto in 2019. In his 39 2/3 innings, he allowed 41 hits and 25 walks with 39 strikeouts. The Blue Jays DFA'd him last week.

[ApricotSinner32]

CINCINNATI -- In a multitude of transactions made on Monday, the Reds acquired right-handed pitcher Justin Shafer from the Blue Jays in a trade for cash. In a separate move, Cincinnati claimed outfielder Nick Martini off waivers from San Diego.

To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Brian O'Grady and reliever Jimmy Herget were designated for assignment. Cincinnati’s 40-man roster remains full.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.

Shafer, a 27-year-old reliever, went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP over 34 big league appearances for Toronto in 2019. In his 39 2/3 innings, he allowed 41 hits and 25 walks with 39 strikeouts. The Blue Jays DFA'd him last week.

nice

[stevenash]

Never was and never will be a Dodger fan but it's time to elect Steve Garvey to the Hall of Fame.

[BigSpoon]

Yankees hire female hitting coach, believed to be a first

When Rachel Balkovec reports to spring training on Feb. 1 in Tampa, she will make baseball history. Balkovec was hired by the New York Yankees as a hitting coach earlier this month, according to The New York Times, and she is believed to be the first woman to join an MLB organization as full-time hitting instructor.
Balkovec, 32, will serve as a roving minor league instructor, per MLB.com.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/yankees-hire-female-hitting-instructor-believed-to-be-a-first-150111715.html

i know yall wanna know if she is hot or not


not bad



<a rel="nofollow" href="https://imgbb.com/"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/tC6M1P0/static1-squarespace.png" alt="static1-squarespace" border="0"></a>

The next #MeToo story in the making probably.

[JMobile]

Never was and never will be a Dodger fan but it's time to elect Steve Garvey to the Hall of Fame.

.. and Clayton Kershaw.

[stevenash]

.. and Clayton Kershaw.

He'll get in, playoff maladies and all.

[Chi_archie]

.. and Clayton Kershaw.

for sure

[Cross]

Maybe he could have Harold Baines spot?

[batt33]

Back up catcher Stephen Vogt played 99 games for the Giants last season but agreed to a one-year deal with the rival Arizona Diamondbacks

Dang...I was hoping he would come back....brought a little life to the Giants last year

[ApricotSinner32]

9:22pm: The A’s are more focused on Semien’s arbitration figure than a potential extension, according to agent Joel Wolfe, Heyman tweets.
7:32pm: A’s shortstop Marcus Semien has told the front office he’s interested in a long-term extension, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The A’s “would love to keep Semien” and the two sides will kick off dialogue on talks about a long-term deal, Heyman adds.
Of course, mutual interest in an extension doesn’t guarantee that a deal will come to fruition. The low-payroll A’s haven’t had ample success retaining homegrown stars in the past, and any deal with Semien would certainly be pricey. The AL MVP finalist is entering his final season of team control via arbitration, in which he’s projected to make $13.5MM. With free agency not too far in the future, Semien has the leverage to hold out for a rather lucrative deal.
There’s some chance the A’s don’t even have to top the market to retain Semien’s services. The Bay Area native starred at Berkeley and has spent the past five seasons playing in Oakland. Over the first three of those seasons, Semien was merely an average, if durable, performer. The A’s stuck with Semien, though, as Heyman notes, and they’ve been rewarded the past two years. Semien totaled 3.8 fWAR in 2018 before truly breaking out last season, slashing .285/.369/.522 (137 wRC+) en route to a nearly eight-win season.
On both sides of the ball, Semien’s development has been remarkable. Defensively, he endured some well-publicized throwing tribulations in his first two-plus years in Oakland. The past two seasons, though, he’s almost completely eradicated the miscues and transformed into one of the game’s top defensive infielders. Since the start of 2018, Semien has totaled 14 defensive runs saved at shortstop, ninth-most at the position.
At the plate, Semien put together a banner year in nearly every category in 2019. Always one with a keen eye for the strike zone, Semien chased fewer pitches and made more contact than ever, enabling him to sport a career-high walk rate and a career-low strikeout rate. He also upped his hard contact by nearly ten points from 2018, contributing to career-best marks in homers (33) and ISO (.237).
Before last season, Semien had never before been above league average with the bat, so it would be fair to anticipate some regression in 2020. That said, he turned 29 in September and Statcast largely supports his bottom line results from last season, so there’s little reason to believe he’ll revert all the way back to a league average hitter. Even output 15-20 percent better than average at the dish, while not at the level he performed in 2019, would make Semien a true star given his elite durability and plus glove at the infield’s most important position.
Semien’s market is tough to gauge. If he were to play out 2020, he’d hit free agency having just turned 30. Assuming he were to stay healthy and approach anything near his level of production the past two seasons, Oakland would surely make him a qualifying offer. That could be a small hit to his market, but there’d be ample interest in Semien regardless. If he repeats his 2019 production, he’d no doubt be among the top free agents in next year’s class. However, there is certainly some risk involved for the player in taking that course of action. He has been extremely durable to this point, but injuries are always a risk for any player. Any regression in performance, too, would obviously curtail his earning power. One need look no further than the top shortstop on this year’s market, Didi Gregorius, for a cautionary tale of how quickly one’s long-term outlook could change. Of course, Gregorius has never approached the type of season Semien just put up.
For the A’s, committing to Semien would be a franchise-defining decision. As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne explored in his offseason outlook, Oakland doesn’t have much wiggle room if they plan to open 2020 with a payroll in a similar range as their $92MM season-opening outlay last year. However, much of that payroll is tied up in arbitration-eligible players, with Oakland’s only commitments beyond 2020 a combined $25MM to Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson will surely get more expensive as they progress through arbitration, too, but there seems to be some room in the long-term budget if the A’s front office feels comfortable betting on Semien long-term. Oakland has previously made runs at both Semien and Chapman in the past, but to no avail. With both players having truly broken out, neither would come cheap at this point. The club did extend Davis as he entered his walk year, although the commitment required to lock up a two-way star shortstop like Semien dwarfs that of a DH-only like Davis.
Semien’s future will perhaps be the defining decision of the offseason for executive vice president Billy Beane, GM David Forst, and the rest of the Oakland front office. Earlier this month, MLBTR readers weighed in on the subject. In a tightly-contested vote, 37% called for Oakland to extend Semien (even if at market value), 32% thought it best to trade him this offseason, while 31% felt the sides should simply play out the season.

wow

[EmpireMaker]

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter addressed his organization’s outlook and near-term spending plans in an appearance yesterday. David Wilson of the Miami Herald was among those to cover the chat.
Jeter offered up a bit of a soundbite when he responded to a question about pursuing a given player that the organization likes in free agency. “We’ll go get him,” Jeter provided.
There was a proviso, however. “If a guy fits with our plan and what we’re trying to do, we’ll go get him,” Jeter continued. “I should say, make an attempt to get him.”
There’s a price for every team on every player of interest. But the Fish won’t necessarily be swimming in the deep end just yet. “We must be responsible,” Jeter explained.
Nobody expected the Marlins to plunk down major cash for a premium free agent or to clog up their roster with an array of veterans. In a broadly competitive National League landscape, the Miami roster is obviously far shy of contention-quality.
Still, it’s arguably time that the club begin moving towards a winning outfit after two seasons under Jeter’s helm. And there are opportunities for value in free agency, even for a team that has no plausible hope of winning during the term of a contract. Beyond the veteran leadership component, some wise investments can generate trade returns (and perhaps stave off grievances from the players’ union).
So, what does a “responsible” offseason look like? Details were not forthcoming, unsurprisingly, but Jeter did suggest the focus was less on payroll and more on roster space and opportunity. While there’s certainly some corporate-speak in there, there’s also some underlying merit.
[RELATED: Offseason Outlook: Miami Marlins]
Jeter spoke of the “challenging year” ahead, with the team “filling gaps” while “not blocking the young prospects.” It stands to reason there’ll be some exploration of more opportunistic pursuits, though that wasn’t an item raised by the soon-to-be-Hall-of-Famer.
At the end of the day, the ongoing focus is clear. “We have to stick with the plan,” says Jeter, “and our plan is to build a system the right way, which we’ve made a lot of progress in two years.”

[Otters27]

Whos the best small market team that builds their farm system?

[koz-man]

Astros get to work on catching depth, add backup Dustin Garnea

HOUSTON -- Catcher Dustin Garneau agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, with whom he figures to compete for a backup role.
Robinson Chirinos and Martín Maldonado became free agents from the American League champions, so the addition of Garneau likely will not be the final catching move. Garneau, 32, hit .244 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 35 games this year for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics, who claimed him off waivers on Aug. 3.
Garneau is a .207 hitter in parts of five seasons at the major league level. He has eight home runs and 38 RBIs in his career.

[Chi_archie]

Astros get to work on catching depth, add backup Dustin Garnea

HOUSTON -- Catcher Dustin Garneau agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, with whom he figures to compete for a backup role.
Robinson Chirinos and Martín Maldonado became free agents from the American League champions, so the addition of Garneau likely will not be the final catching move. Garneau, 32, hit .244 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 35 games this year for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics, who claimed him off waivers on Aug. 3.
Garneau is a .207 hitter in parts of five seasons at the major league level. He has eight home runs and 38 RBIs in his career.

Never heard of him

[jrgum3]

Back up catcher Stephen Vogt played 99 games for the Giants last season but agreed to a one-year deal with the rival Arizona Diamondbacks

Dang...I was hoping he would come back....brought a little life to the Giants last year

Good for Vogt. I liked him and thought he was a good Giant. Too bad they couldn't keep him and now he is on a division rival.

[BigSpoon]

Whos the best small market team that builds their farm system?

Oakland or Tampa?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Padres and brewers made a multi player trade, my first reaction is that I don't like it...Urias will likely reach his potential with the brewers

https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-get-trent-grisham-from-brewers-for-luis-urias

[stevenash]

We have three birthdays today.
Happy birthday to:

Jimmy Rollins
Pudge Rodriguez
Mike Scioscia

[Cross]

Peavy, I agree that the Brewers probably got the best of this trade. Why did they give up on that young shortstop? At least they got Pomeranz, he is best reliever on the market.

[Cross]

Grisham is best known for booting that ball to gift the Nationals the wildcard and his weird bat grip. Hitting 32 homeruns was solid, but looks like Brewers think that was a bit of a fluke.

[Stallion]

The next #MeToo story in the making probably.

She's hot. I wonder if the players will be able to focus on hitting, or hitting on her.

[JMobile]

Padres and brewers made a multi player trade, my first reaction is that I don't like it...Urias will likely reach his potential with the brewers

https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-get-...for-luis-urias

So who won on this trade?

[ApricotSinner32]

Grisham is best known for booting that ball to gift the Nationals the wildcard and his weird bat grip. Hitting 32 homeruns was solid, but looks like Brewers think that was a bit of a fluke.

[EmpireMaker]

The Nationals have agreed to re-sign free-agent catcher Yan Gomes to a two-year, $10MM contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. The pact also contains award bonuses for the Jet Sports Management client, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. He’s the latest notable catcher to come off the board in the past week, joining Yasmani Grandal (four years, $73MM to the White Sox) and Travis d’Arnaud (two years, $16MM to the Braves).

Gomes was one of the Nationals’ key pickups last offseason, when they acquired the 2018 All-Star in a trade with the Indians almost exactly one year ago (Nov. 30). While the Brazilian-born Gomes experienced his share of success in Cleveland, he wound up struggling somewhat during his first year in Washington. A poor first half doomed the 32-year-old to an uninspiring .223/.316/.389 batting line with 12 home runs in 358 plate appearances.
Behind the plate, Gomes did throw out 31 percent of would-be base-stealers, which ranked comfortably above the league-average mark of 26 percent, and establish himself as a favorite of star left-hander Patrick Corbin. Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus assigned him above-average grades in the pitch-blocking department, but his framing left something to be desired.
It wasn’t a banner regular season for Gomes, nor was he an offensive hero in the playoffs, as he collected just seven hits (no home runs) in 29 at-bats. But he nonetheless received plenty of playing time behind the dish in the fall for the Nationals, who stunningly won their first-ever World Series title. Gomes and Kurt Suzuki divided reps at catcher from the beginning of the season through the end, and they figure to do the same in 2020 for a reasonable price.
The two-year, $10MM guarantee for Gomes matches the price the Nationals paid for Suzuki in free agency last season. It also represents a pay cut, at least on a per-annum basis, for Gomes. The Nats declined his $9MM option for next year shortly after their World Series triumph over the Astros.
While Washington’s catcher situation appears to be sorted out for next season, there’s plenty of other important business on the champions’ plate. The deep-pocketed franchise will presumably make a strong effort to re-sign two of the game’s premier free agents, third baseman Anthony Rendon and right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Not to be forgotten, the Nationals are also facing the departures of infielder Howie Kendrick, reliever Daniel Hudson and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, among others.

[batt33]

Padres and brewers made a multi player trade, my first reaction is that I don't like it...Urias will likely reach his potential with the brewers

https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-get-...for-luis-urias

Pomeranz turned it around when he got moved to the bullpen... see if it continues with the padres.

[koz-man]

Twins SS Jorge Polanco undergoes ankle surgery for chronic injury

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco is rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be fully recovered in plenty of time for spring training.
The Twins announced Wednesday that Polanco underwent a debridement procedure Friday in Los Angeles with Dr. Richard Ferkel to address a chronic impingement injury stemming from repetitive stress. Polanco will be able to resume baseball activities in about six weeks, the team said.
Polanco had a breakout season in 2019 for the American League Central champion Twins, making the All-Star team for the first time and hitting .295 with 22 homers, 107 runs, 79 RBIs, 40 doubles and an .841 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

[Chi_archie]

Twins SS Jorge Polanco undergoes ankle surgery for chronic injury

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco is rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be fully recovered in plenty of time for spring training.
The Twins announced Wednesday that Polanco underwent a debridement procedure Friday in Los Angeles with Dr. Richard Ferkel to address a chronic impingement injury stemming from repetitive stress. Polanco will be able to resume baseball activities in about six weeks, the team said.
Polanco had a breakout season in 2019 for the American League Central champion Twins, making the All-Star team for the first time and hitting .295 with 22 homers, 107 runs, 79 RBIs, 40 doubles and an .841 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

He's a very good talent, hopefully he rehabs hard

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Peavy, I agree that the Brewers probably got the best of this trade. Why did they give up on that young shortstop? At least they got Pomeranz, he is best reliever on the market.

Actually, with some time to digest this the trade is growing on me. Padres need left handed bats and Urias has not produced in the majors..yet. This trade might work out for both teams?

Pomeranz turned it around when he got moved to the bullpen... see if it continues with the padres.

Pomeranz was actually an all star starter with the Padres a few years ago. They plan on using him as a bridge to Yates in the bullpen. My concern is that the sample size was very small and they are banking on that type of production. His velocity went way up in the bullpen when he did not have to pace himself and could just let loose. Hoping this works out but it's a bit of a risky move.

[BigSpoon]

Gomes for 2 years/$10M is a good signing for the Nats.

[stevenash]

I was just reading where Mookie Betts has zero chance of playing for anyone else besides the Red Sox in 2020.

[Cross]

Maybe it does work out for both teams. I guess we will see.

[Carseller4]

I was just reading where Mookie Betts has zero chance of playing for anyone else besides the Red Sox in 2020.

As long as Boston doesn't make an insulting offer.