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How is Christmas already one week away, can’t believe it.Comment -
I was bullish on the Reds last offseason with the moves that they made but it seems they want to rebuild instead of add to a playoff team to make them an even more dangerous contender. Sucks because I liked that Reds team they just couldn't hit but boy did they have some pitching.Comment -
The Nationals and Reds have discussed Cincinnati third baseman Eugenio Suarez, though no trade appears close at this point, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
The third base position was a problem last year for the Nationals, who ranked 18th there in wRC+ (89) and tied for 26th in fWAR (minus-0.1). Carter Kieboom played the lion’s share of games at the hot corner for the Nats, but he didn’t appear ready to take on the position on a full-time basis. And while Kieboom looks like the favorite to start at third in Washington in 2021, that could change with the acquisition of Suarez or another outside pickup.
Suarez, 29, was a 49-home run hitter just two seasons ago. His numbers declined to a significant extent last season, but he still posted a slightly above-average .202/.312/.470 line with 15 home runs in 231 plate appearances in 2020. He’s due a reasonable $43.5MM through 2024 (including a $2MM buyout for 2025), but with Cincy seemingly in payroll-slashing mode, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the club part with Suarez if it’s able to find an offer to its liking.Comment -
Christmas is cancelled this year.Comment -
Christmas is still on, just no large gatherings.Comment -
Will the Texas Rangers trade Gallo away?Comment -
A couple nice free agent signings would be nice Gifts!Comment -
The 2020 season was the first in Nationals’ team history without Ryan Zimmerman on the roster. After opting out in 2020, Zimmerman intends to return to the diamond in 2021, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
There’s no timetable for when Zimmerman might sit down with the Nats, but it’s safe to assume he’s not looking to relocate. Mr. Nat has indicated at every turn that he expects the Nationals to be his only professional franchise, and the love-fest has been a two-way street.
The Nationals happen to have a need at first and the ability to platoon Zimmerman. Manager Davey Martinez is used to protecting his veterans and piecing together the timeshare at first, as he’s done for the last couple of seasons. Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Eric Thames split time at first in Zim’s absence. All three are now free agents. Jake Noll currently sits atop the depth chart, but it’s safe to assume the 26-year-old with 30 career plate appearances isn’t likely to remain there through opening day.
The Nats have been linked to a number of top free agents, while GM Mike Rizzo noted their flexibility in seeking upgrades. Essentially, the Nats have room for improvement at both infield corners as well as whichever outfield corner Juan Soto doesn’t make camp in. If they were to make a run at J.T. Realmuto, few would be surprised, though Rizzo has said they are comfortable letting Yan Gomes crouch behind the plate for 90 to 100 games in 2021.
Regardless, Zimmerman’s clear intention to return ought to lend some clarity to Rizzo. He had signed for $2MM prior to opting out of 2020, and that’s a reasonable number to project for this season as well. He was tagged with a persistent case of plantar fasciitis in 2019, though he returned to slug a couple of big postseason home runs, as well as, appropriately, the first ever World Series long ball in franchise history.
Facing a fair amount of turnover from their title team in 2019, the Nats will appreciate Zimmerman’s stabilizing presence in the locker room. He’s not, however, likely to soak up much playing time. The 36-year-old has appeared in 100 games just twice over the last seven seasons, averaging 92 games and 364 plate appearances over that span. With a .263/.323/.470 line since 2014, he’s been a 107 wRC+ bat without any positional flexibility. Despite his limited utility, the team has shown a tremendous amount of faith in their longest-tenured player.Comment -
That would be coolComment -
I don't think Ryan Zimmerman has anything left in the tank.Comment -
Man, on paper the White Sox look like a 90 win team.Comment -
OK stat heads, what stat is this?
2014: 2,764
2015: 2,505
2016: 2,537
2017: 2,527
2018: 2,474
2019: 2,280Comment -
Though Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ are all free agents, most of the speculation surrounding the Yankees has focused on position players (chiefly DJ LeMahieu) rather than pitching this offseason. In an appearance on “The Front Office” on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio today, GM Brian Cashman said the Yankees “definitely feel like we need to try to address more certain innings because you don’t want to be in a position where you’re scrambling” for pitching due to injuries or other absences. Whether those additions could come in the near future, however, is in question.
Cashman likes the Yankees’ in-house rotation candidates and suggested the team might wait beyond Opening Day to see what they really have in their current mix before exploring external pitchers. This doesn’t appear to be their ideal scenario, as Cashman described this route as being a “way we’re forced to go because we don’t have the proper matches” in the marketplace, though the Yankees are “prepared” for such an event: “If I can add to what I have sooner than later, all the better. If I have to wait to do it in season, so be it. But we also might have enough right here before us that’s just untested.” It would seem like a risky tactic for New York given the number of apparent holes in its pitching staff, but if Domingo German can return to his past form after a suspension, or if Jordan Montgomery or Deivi Garcia are ready for regular turns in the rotation, what looks like a major need for veteran pitching could be reduced to perhaps one starter at most.
More from around the AL East…
- Since Ha-Seong Kim is only entering his age-25 season, there has been some thought that his market could extend to teams who might still be at least a year away from contending (the Rangers, for example, are known to have interest). However, MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski thinks “it sure seems unlikely” that the Orioles will make a bid for Kim since the O’s don’t seem to be planning any major expenditures. Between contract and posting fee, MLBTR projects Kim to cost around $47.625MM this offseason, so Baltimore may not feel like making such an investment at this stage in its rebuild.
- Since the Rays are open to at least listening to trade offers for Blake Snell, ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield adds an interesting wrinkle to the trade speculation — listing which five teams could conceivably acquire both Snell and Kevin Kiermaier in the same trade, thus allowing Tampa Bay to unload even more payroll. Schoenfield’s five clubs have needs in both the rotation and in center field, or perhaps in the outfield in general in the cases of the Angels or Padres. For those teams, Schoenfield opines that their current center fielders (Mike Trout and Trent Grisham) could be moved to a corner outfield slot to accommodate Kiermaier.
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Happy 32nd birthday to my guy.
Danny Duffy
The Duff Man.
Oh yeah.
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