The 2020 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[Chi_archie]

Source: Nationals, Starlin Castro reach 2-year, $12M deal


Free-agent second baseman Starlin Castro has reached a two-year, $12 million deal with the Washington Nationals, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.

The deal is pending a physical, the source said. The Athletic was the first to report the agreement.

Castro had a .270 batting average with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs last season for the Miami Marlins, who declined his $16 million option and instead paid a $1 million buyout on Nov. 1.

The 10-year veteran spent the first six seasons of his career with the Chicago Cubs before playing two seasons each with the New York Yankees and the Marlins. Castro has a .280 career average with 133 home runs and 636 RBIs.

castro closing in on 2,000 career hits

[stevenash]

castro closing in on 2,000 career hits

Thing is he’s over the hill.

[Stallion]

Why are there 2 Baseball 2020 threads???

[BigSpoon]

Source: Nationals, Starlin Castro reach 2-year, $12M deal


Free-agent second baseman Starlin Castro has reached a two-year, $12 million deal with the Washington Nationals, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.

The deal is pending a physical, the source said. The Athletic was the first to report the agreement.

Castro had a .270 batting average with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs last season for the Miami Marlins, who declined his $16 million option and instead paid a $1 million buyout on Nov. 1.

The 10-year veteran spent the first six seasons of his career with the Chicago Cubs before playing two seasons each with the New York Yankees and the Marlins. Castro has a .280 career average with 133 home runs and 636 RBIs.

That's a nice value signing for the Nats. If they can sign Donaldson to replace Rendon that would be a great offseason.

[stevenash]

Why are there 2 Baseball 2020 threads???

Because I started one thinking nobody else did.
I didn’t see this one, but use this one it’s all good.

[Cross]

Can’t believe Donaldson still not signed.

[EmpireMaker]

The Angels and Indians have discussed a trade involving right-hander Mike Clevinger, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports. Talks between the two clubs have seemingly stalled, however, or at least “there has not been active dialogue in recent days,” as Morosi described the situation. It’s possible to imagine that negotiations may have not have gotten far at all, given how Morosi reports that the Indians’ first ask was top Angels prospect Jo Adell as well as another player.
Adell is a consensus top-five prospect in baseball, ranked #2 in the sport by both Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America, #3 by Fangraphs, and #5 by MLB Pipeline. This impressive set of ratings comes despite an abbreviated 2019 season for Adell, who was waylaid by ankle and hamstring injuries and limited to just 341 PA over 76 total games at three different minor league levels. Only 27 of those games came with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, and since Adell had only a .676 OPS over 132 PA for the Bees, the Angels could opt to give him a bit more seasoning time at Triple-A before summoning him to the big leagues (and of course, the team would gain an extra year of control over Adell by keeping him in the minors for at least a few weeks).
Still, Adell is expected to make his MLB debut in 2020 and could be counted on as an everyday player by season’s end. It has been widely speculated that the Halos will use 2019 breakout star Brian Goodwin in right field until Adell is ready for a promotion, and then Adell and Goodwin will, at worst, split duties for the remainder of the year. Should Adell make an immediate impact (or even if Goodwin matches his strong production from last season), the Angels promise to boast one of the league’s stronger outfields, assuming Justin Upton returns to good health and Mike Trout continues his Cooperstown-level domination of the sport.
With so much expected of Adell so soon, it isn’t surprising that the Angels balked at moving him in any trade demand, even for a pitcher like Clevinger. The 29-year-old righty has a 2.96 ERA, 3.13 K/BB rate, and 10.3 K/9 over 500 2/3 innings since the start of the 2017 season. Clevinger is controlled through the 2022 season and is projected to earn $4.5MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility; his initial arb salary would surely have been much higher were it not for a teres major muscle injury that cost him around two months of action last year.
Between Clevinger’s cost-controlled price tag and strong results on the mound, Cleveland has seemingly no immediate reason to move him for anything less than a huge return. The payroll-conscious Tribe has already moved Corey Kluber to the Rangers this offseason and might yet still trade Francisco Lindor, though those players are much more expensive and offer less years of control than Clevinger. In fact, despite Kluber’s salary and injury-plagued 2019, it’s fair to wonder whether the Indians would have moved the former Cy Young Award winner had it not been for the team’s comfort level in Clevinger as the new ace of their staff, not to mention the development of young arms Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale.
The Padres and Dodgers have also had interest in Clevinger this offseason, and it’s probably safe to guess that any club in need of pitching has at least checked in with the Tribe to see if a deal could be found for Clevinger or perhaps any member of the impressive Cleveland rotation. The Angels have added Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran to their starting five this offseason and will be getting Shohei Ohtani back from Tommy John surgery, though Anaheim still lags behind many contending teams in terms of both depth and frontline arms. Clevinger was actually picked by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, but was sent to Cleveland in an August 2014 trade for reliever Vinnie Pestano.

[batt33]

On Friday, the Giants signed right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross to a minor-league contract,Ross, 32, is coming off a season in which he started only seven games for the Detroit Tigers, going 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA before missing the rest of the season due to injury.

Giants gotta do better than this

[Cross]

Let’s sign a good player, Cubs!!!

[jrgum3]

On Friday, the Giants signed right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross to a minor-league contract,Ross, 32, is coming off a season in which he started only seven games for the Detroit Tigers, going 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA before missing the rest of the season due to injury.

Giants gotta do better than this

I used to like Tyson Ross but injuries derailed his career. Like I said I don't expect them to make a big splash in offseason but you never know I guess.

[EmpireMaker]

The World Champion Washington Nationals are likely to move on from their remaining free agents, save for local institution Ryan Zimmerman and perhaps his first base partner Matt Adams, per MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. That means Daniel Hudson has likely priced himself out of the Nationals’ plans. Fernando Rodney could get another shot on a minor league deal, but GM Mike Rizzo has handed those out rather liberally this winter, and the bullpen barracks are looking pretty full: Javy Guerra, Fernando Abad, and David Hernandez are all competing for bullpen spots on minor league deals while Sean Doolittle, Will Harris, Tanner Rainey, Wander Suero and Roenis Elias look pretty good to secure their seats at the table. Hunter Strickland, and one of Joe Ross, Austin Voth, and Erick Fedde could also very well end up in the bullpen, leaving just a spot or two as truly up for grabs. Brian Dozier, the last of the Nats’ five remaining free agents, is all but gone now that Starlin Castro and Asdrubal Cabrera have been signed.

• The Rays have pretty consistently made themselves a good place for January free agents to take their career to the next level, per John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times. A list of short-term additions late in the free agent season have gone on to produce in Tampa Bay and earn themselves a raise the following winter. The partial list of players who went on to earn bigger paydays after leaving Tampa includes Avisail Garcia, Logan Morrison, C.J. Cron, and Corey Dickerson. The time is now for the Rays, who typically strike about this time of year, and they still have needs to fill. Expect Tampa to add another bat and another catcher before the winter is out.
• The Cubs have lingered in the shadows throughout the winter, and though a Kris Bryant trade has been clearly telegraphed, the star third baseman remains in Chicago due to asking price, per David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago. Speaking to people around the game, Kaplan found real skepticism that Bryant remains the foundational superstar he was in 2016. That hasn’t stopped the Cubs from asking for the moon, with the same being true of their asking price for Willson Contreras. Theo Epstein and the Cubs are in a tough place after seeing their championship window slam closed last season, and it’s understandable for the braintrust in Chicago to hold out hope for a franchise-altering return for one of their homegrown stars. But if the return they seek never materializes, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of alternative plan they can cook up to keep these Cubs viable.

[Chi_archie]

Let’s sign a good player, Cubs!!!

I don't see it happening

[stevenash]

On Friday, the Giants signed right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross to a minor-league contract,Ross, 32, is coming off a season in which he started only seven games for the Detroit Tigers, going 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA before missing the rest of the season due to injury.

Giants gotta do better than this

I always kind of liked Ross too but bottom line is he's a 44-70 lifetime pitcher with an ERA slightly north of four and a career WH/IP of 1.35 that walks just too many batters.

He made every start in 2014 and 2015 (also led the league in wild pitches in 2015) but that was 5 years ago now almost.
He's only 32 if healthy what can you expect though, 30 starts, a 12 and 10 or 11 and 11 record?

[BigSpoon]

Daniel Hudson nearing 2 year deal worth $11M to stay in Washington: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...1-million-deal

[koz-man]

Nationals reach one-year, $4M deal with 1B Eric Thames, source says

The Washington Nationals and first baseman Eric Thames are in agreement on a one-year, $4 million contract, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Thames, 33, batted .247 last season with 25 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Brewers.
The left-handed-hitting Thames will likely share time at first base with righty Howie Kendrick, who was MVP of the NL Championship Series last fall.

[stevenash]

Nasty Boy Norm Charlton turns 57 today.
If Early Wynn was alive he'd be 100 years old on the nose today.

[ApricotSinner32]

The Angels and Indians have discussed a trade involving right-hander Mike Clevinger, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports. Talks between the two clubs have seemingly stalled, however, or at least “there has not been active dialogue in recent days,” as Morosi described the situation. It’s possible to imagine that negotiations may have not have gotten far at all, given how Morosi reports that the Indians’ first ask was top Angels prospect Jo Adell as well as another player.
Adell is a consensus top-five prospect in baseball, ranked #2 in the sport by both Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America, #3 by Fangraphs, and #5 by MLB Pipeline. This impressive set of ratings comes despite an abbreviated 2019 season for Adell, who was waylaid by ankle and hamstring injuries and limited to just 341 PA over 76 total games at three different minor league levels. Only 27 of those games came with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, and since Adell had only a .676 OPS over 132 PA for the Bees, the Angels could opt to give him a bit more seasoning time at Triple-A before summoning him to the big leagues (and of course, the team would gain an extra year of control over Adell by keeping him in the minors for at least a few weeks).
Still, Adell is expected to make his MLB debut in 2020 and could be counted on as an everyday player by season’s end. It has been widely speculated that the Halos will use 2019 breakout star Brian Goodwin in right field until Adell is ready for a promotion, and then Adell and Goodwin will, at worst, split duties for the remainder of the year. Should Adell make an immediate impact (or even if Goodwin matches his strong production from last season), the Angels promise to boast one of the league’s stronger outfields, assuming Justin Upton returns to good health and Mike Trout continues his Cooperstown-level domination of the sport.
With so much expected of Adell so soon, it isn’t surprising that the Angels balked at moving him in any trade demand, even for a pitcher like Clevinger. The 29-year-old righty has a 2.96 ERA, 3.13 K/BB rate, and 10.3 K/9 over 500 2/3 innings since the start of the 2017 season. Clevinger is controlled through the 2022 season and is projected to earn $4.5MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility; his initial arb salary would surely have been much higher were it not for a teres major muscle injury that cost him around two months of action last year.
Between Clevinger’s cost-controlled price tag and strong results on the mound, Cleveland has seemingly no immediate reason to move him for anything less than a huge return. The payroll-conscious Tribe has already moved Corey Kluber to the Rangers this offseason and might yet still trade Francisco Lindor, though those players are much more expensive and offer less years of control than Clevinger. In fact, despite Kluber’s salary and injury-plagued 2019, it’s fair to wonder whether the Indians would have moved the former Cy Young Award winner had it not been for the team’s comfort level in Clevinger as the new ace of their staff, not to mention the development of young arms Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale.
The Padres and Dodgers have also had interest in Clevinger this offseason, and it’s probably safe to guess that any club in need of pitching has at least checked in with the Tribe to see if a deal could be found for Clevinger or perhaps any member of the impressive Cleveland rotation. The Angels have added Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran to their starting five this offseason and will be getting Shohei Ohtani back from Tommy John surgery, though Anaheim still lags behind many contending teams in terms of both depth and frontline arms. Clevinger was actually picked by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, but was sent to Cleveland in an August 2014 trade for reliever Vinnie Pestano.

[batt33]

I always kind of liked Ross too but bottom line is he's a 44-70 lifetime pitcher with an ERA slightly north of four and a career WH/IP of 1.35 that walks just too many batters.

He made every start in 2014 and 2015 (also led the league in wild pitches in 2015) but that was 5 years ago now almost.
He's only 32 if healthy what can you expect though, 30 starts, a 12 and 10 or 11 and 11 record?

You always hope that they can get their mojo back.....

[jrgum3]

Clevinger seems to be the big free agent prize left on the pitching side. I just hope he doesn't go to the Dodgers because he'd be a good replacement for Ryu. I'm pretty sure he'd help whoever signs him because that dude can pitch.

[EmpireMaker]

3:29pm: The deal’s worth $11MM with up to $1MM in performance bonuses based on games finished, per Passan. The total falls in line with the two-year, $12MM guarantee MLBTR projected for Hudson at the beginning of the offseason.
2:17pm: The Nationals and free-agent reliever Daniel Hudson have reached a two-year contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the two sides were nearing an agreement. Hudson is a client of Jet Sports Management.

This is the second significant bullpen signing in a matter of days for the Nationals. They added righty Will Harris on a three-year, $24MM commitment last week, and signing him and Hudson shows a desire on the team’s part to avoid last season’s well-publicized bullpen foibles. The Nationals’ relief corps was a major problem throughout the season, but they still earned a wild-card spot and then rallied to win their first-ever World Series title. Hudson, whom general manager Mike Rizzo acquired from the Blue Jays before the July 31 deadline, was a key reason for Washington’s triumph.
Between Toronto and D.C. a season ago, the flamethrowing Hudson, 32, put up a 2.47 ERA/3.97 FIP with 8.75 K/9 and 3.33 BB/9 over 73 innings. For the most part, those aren’t great numbers, and Hudson hasn’t been lights-out for the majority of his career, but he was an important part of the Nats’ playoff run. Hudson converted all four of his save attempts in the postseason, in which he threw 9 2/3 frames of four-earned run ball with 10 strikeouts against four walks, and closed out the Astros in Game 7 of the World Series.
While the Nationals did lose star third baseman Anthony Rendon to the Angels earlier this offseason, the Hudson re-signing continues a busy winter for the club. Before bringing back Hudson, they picked up Harris and re-signed four important members of their title-winning team in starter Stephen Strasburg, infielders Howie Kendrick and Asdrubal Cabrera, and catcher Yan Gomes. The team also agreed to sign established infielder Starlin Castro last week, and it could still be in the running for the No. 1 free agent available in third baseman Josh Donaldson.
An ideal offseason for the Nationals likely would’ve meant keeping Rendon. Even in the wake of his departure, though, it’s clear this isn’t a club that’s ready to rest on its laurels after a championship season.

[Chi_archie]

Who gets clevinger?

[koz-man]

Reds sign Japan's Shogo Akiyama to 3-year, $21M deal


The Cincinnati Reds have signed Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a three-year, $21 million contract.

The Reds, who announced the contract Monday, reportedly agreed to the deal with Akiyama last week.

Akiyama, 31, needed to travel from Japan to Cincinnati and take a physical before the Reds announced the deal, according to reports.

Akiyama has played parts of nine seasons for Seibu of the Japanese Pacific League. The left-handed hitting Akiyama batted .303 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs in 143 games for Seibu last season.

Akiyama joins a crowded outfield situation with the Reds, who have young slugger Aristides Aquino, former top prospect Nick Senzel and veterans Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin.

[BigSpoon]

Nationals reach one-year, $4M deal with 1B Eric Thames, source says


The Washington Nationals and first baseman Eric Thames are in agreement on a one-year, $4 million contract, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Thames, 33, batted .247 last season with 25 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Brewers.
The left-handed-hitting Thames will likely share time at first base with righty Howie Kendrick, who was MVP of the NL Championship Series last fall.

Good value signing by the Nats again.

[Heltah Skeltah]

Clevinger seems to be the big free agent prize left on the pitching side. I just hope he doesn't go to the Dodgers because he'd be a good replacement for Ryu. I'm pretty sure he'd help whoever signs him because that dude can pitch.

He is not a free agent..You would have to trade for him. Probably take lot to get him also

[stevenash]

He is not a free agent..You would have to trade for him. Probably take lot to get him also

And Cleveland wants to retain him too.

[ApricotSinner32]

Reds sign Japan's Shogo Akiyama to 3-year, $21M deal


The Cincinnati Reds have signed Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a three-year, $21 million contract.

The Reds, who announced the contract Monday, reportedly agreed to the deal with Akiyama last week.

Akiyama, 31, needed to travel from Japan to Cincinnati and take a physical before the Reds announced the deal, according to reports.

Akiyama has played parts of nine seasons for Seibu of the Japanese Pacific League. The left-handed hitting Akiyama batted .303 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs in 143 games for Seibu last season.

Akiyama joins a crowded outfield situation with the Reds, who have young slugger Aristides Aquino, former top prospect Nick Senzel and veterans Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin.

[Stallion]

Why is Cleveland blowing up there team??

[stevenash]

Why is Cleveland blowing up there team??

Because their window has closed and the front brass knows it.
It’s OK to blow it up if and only if you have a plan.

[Cross]

I guess the Cubs are relying on their newly acquired hitting lab instead of splashy free agents.

[jrgum3]

He is not a free agent..You would have to trade for him. Probably take lot to get him also

In that case my guess is you would have to part ways with elite prospects to get him and I’m not sure if teams would be willing to do that.

[EmpireMaker]

Now that their deal with left fielder Corey Dickerson has been finalized, the Marlins plan to focus on adding to the bullpen, president of baseball operations Michael Hill indicated on a conference call Tuesday (Twitter link via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Among the names the team is considering, SiriusXM’s Craig Mish reports, are Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler and Hector Rondon.
Miami has already added Dickerson, Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar to a lineup that ranked 29th in the Majors in runs scored, 29th in on-base percentage and 30th in slugging percentage thus far in the offseason. They’ve also signed Francisco Cervelli to back up Jorge Alfaro and made a handful of minor league signings, headlined by Matt Kemp.
The lineup hasn’t exactly been built up into a powerhouse, but there’s little denying that it looks like a more robust collection of bats than the group trotted out in 2019. However, the bullpen has gone largely unaddressed to this point; the Marlins, rather, have subtracted more relievers from the organization than they’ve acquired. Control-challenged relievers like Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Kinley and Kyle Keller have all been jettisoned from the 40-man roster, much as Austin Brice was earlier today when making room for Dickerson.
Miami has added right-hander Yimi Garcia on a big league deal and righty Ryan Cook on a minor league pact, but the organization has otherwise been quiet when it comes to adding to the ’pen. Current options on the roster include right-handers Drew Steckenrider and Ryne Stanek as well as southpaws Jarlin Garcia and Adam Conley. Last year’s Opening Day starter, Jose Urena, lost his rotation spot and was moved to the bullpen late in 2019, and Hill indicated today that Urena will get another shot at claiming a bullpen role in 2020 (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
Obviously, a grouping of Urena, Steckenrider, Stanek, Conley and both Garcias leaves plenty of room for potential augmentation. But the relief market has also thinned out considerably, with Strop, Kintzler and Rondon shifting from middle-tier options at the onset of free agency to some of the most appealing names yet to sign. This patient approach is often necessary for the Marlins or teams in similar rebuilding situations, as some free agents are hesitant to sign with a non-contending club early in the winter (barring an overpay). But as contending clubs spend their money and fill holes on the roster, the allure of high-leverage innings and a guaranteed salary with a rebuilding clubs only increases.
The Marlins did well to wait out the market and sign Sergio Romo to a $2.5MM contract last winter — a move that ultimately netted them first base prospect Lewin Diaz at the trade deadline. Whether it’s Strop, Kintzler, Rondon or another veteran arm, the Miami organization will be hoping for a similarly beneficial result in the coming weeks as they try to add to their stock of relievers on what’ll surely be a short-term arrangement.

[Otters27]

Who's the fastest thrower this year? Mph

[stevenash]

Who's the fastest thrower this year? Mph

Jordan Hicks

[Chi_archie]

Jordan Hicks

very well could be

[ApricotSinner32]

Jordan hicks is the real deal?