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

[stevenash]

No snow here in NEPA. Has been a mild winter so far... Only one snow fall. (about 3 inches)

Today 35 partly sunny

Yeah here in Ct it’s only snowed a couple of times so far.
It’s going to be 44 and very sunny today. (Kind of like me, 44 and sunny lol)

[batt33]

Source: Ryan Zimmerman agrees to 1-year deal with Nationals


The Washington Nationals and Ryan Zimmerman have agreed to terms on a $2 million contract for 2020 that includes the possibility of earning $3 million more in incentives, a source confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.

The agreement was first reported by The Washington Post.

When Zimmerman, 35, became a free agent, he figured he either would be back with the Nationals -- or out of baseball.

"I think I've made my intentions pretty clear," Zimmerman said in December. "It's either play some more here or play more golf."

He was the first player drafted by the Nationals in 2005 after the club moved from Montreal to Washington, and he has played in every one of their 15 seasons. He holds franchise career records for hits, doubles, total bases, homers and RBI.

Zimmerman was around for the consecutive 100-loss seasons in 2008 and 2009, the frequent trips to -- and early exits from -- the playoffs from 2012 to 2017, and, of course, the World Series championship last year.

Injuries limited him to 52 games and a .257 average with six homers and 27 RBIs in 2019, although he was a key contributor in the postseason. He is expected to share time at first base in 2020 with newcomer Eric Thames and holdover Howie Kendrick.

"He's the classiest big leaguer I've ever been around. He's the culmination of a lot of hard work. The guy's been through some trials and tribulations. We all forget about the first six, seven years, when he played 160 games every year. I saw needles in his shoulder. I saw him play when he probably shouldn't have played earlier in his career," general manager Mike Rizzo said late last season. "That's the kind of man he is and the kind of player he is. You see when he's a healthy player, he's a pretty damn good one still."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Good for him!

[EmpireMaker]

Mookie Betts trade drama has been one of the prevailing stories of the offseason. In addition to the Red Sox’s recent discussions with the Padres, Boston is also in touch with the Dodgers on a potential Betts deal, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While there’s still no certainty that Boston will eventually pull the trigger, Speier characterizes the club’s willingness to move the 2018 AL MVP as “serious.”
While a Padres’ deal would seemingly require Boston to take on Wil Myers’ contract as a means of acquiring prospects and reducing their luxury tax hit, Dodgers’ talks would seem to be more straightforward. As Speier notes, L.A. could part with one of their many MLB outfielders to facilitate a trade for Betts, whom they justifiably view as “a rare talent.” Such a scenario could be appealing to Boston, who no doubt hopes to compete in 2020.
Interestingly, Speier adds that the Dodgers could look to explore a package deal involving Betts and a high-priced starting pitcher like David Price. That would help Boston get under the $208MM luxury tax threshold, although Sox owner John Henry recently downplayed the importance of doing so. At the moment, the Sox project for a $236.8MM luxury number, per Roster Resource. Removing Betts’ $27MM and Price’s $31MM respective CBT hits from the books would ameliorate that. That, of course, would certainly make Boston’s roster worse in the short-term, even if they received MLB-ready pieces in any return.
A third NL West team is also at least lurking on the periphery of the Betts’ market. The Diamondbacks, where former Red Sox executives Mike Hazen and Amiel Sawdaye are leading the front office, have interest in the superstar outfielder, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Arizona doesn’t have the resources or farm system of the Dodgers or Padres, perhaps making them a longshot. Still, any team figures to have a strong enough system to reel in Betts, who will hit free agency next offseason. Meanwhile, the Snakes should have a bit of financial flexibility, with a projected season-opening payroll of $114MM that trails their season-ending outlay of $125MM. That alone wouldn’t be enough to make room for Betts’ $27MM salary, although perhaps ownership could bump payroll beyond typical spending levels if it meant landing a unique talent.
If anything is clear from the varying reports, it’s that the situation remains fluid. 70% of MLBTR readers forecasted this week that Betts would open the season in Boston. That’s obviously still a strong possibility. Nothing prevents the Red Sox from holding Betts and reevaluating their situation at the trade deadline; future suitors wouldn’t get the benefit of being able to tag Betts with a qualifying offer if they acquire him in-season (as they would if a deal is swung preseason), but there’d no doubt still be demand for one of the sport’s best players in July.

[JaimeMiro]

Hearing Trevor Story signed a 2 yr ext; 27.5m

[Otters27]

Hearing Trevor Story signed a 2 yr ext; 27.5m

He's a stud

[Chi_archie]

Hearing Trevor Story signed a 2 yr ext; 27.5m

Decent deal

[stevenash]

Matt Joyce just signed with Miami.
Sousa with the Cubs.

[BigSpoon]

Pirates trade Sterling Marte to Arizona for two prospects.

[koz-man]

Similar to NFL officials, MLB umpires could get mic'd up


NEW YORK -- Big league players, managers and fans might be hearing a lot more from umpires this season.

Much like NFL referees have done for years, umpires could be mic'd up and announce whether reviewed calls are upheld or overturned, sources told ESPN's Pedro Gomez. They may also explain rules, if necessary.

Major League Baseball and the umpires are actively discussing the possibility. If the technical aspects can be worked out and the umps are comfortable with the concept, they could be mic'd up sometime this year. Both sides say there's lots of work to do, making it uncertain whether this could be in place by Opening Day on March 26.

[batt33]

Similar to NFL officials, MLB umpires could get mic'd up


NEW YORK -- Big league players, managers and fans might be hearing a lot more from umpires this season.

Much like NFL referees have done for years, umpires could be mic'd up and announce whether reviewed calls are upheld or overturned, sources told ESPN's Pedro Gomez. They may also explain rules, if necessary.

Major League Baseball and the umpires are actively discussing the possibility. If the technical aspects can be worked out and the umps are comfortable with the concept, they could be mic'd up sometime this year. Both sides say there's lots of work to do, making it uncertain whether this could be in place by Opening Day on March 26.

That could be fun!

[batt33]

Hearing Trevor Story signed a 2 yr ext; 27.5m

Get the money while you can

[stevenash]

Get the money while you can

Dude’s only been in the show for 3 1/2 seasons in his last two seasons he’s stolen 27 and 23 bases (50 combined) has hit 37 and 35 homers, hit .291 and .294, and drove in 105 and 85 runs with a high OBA too.
Not to mention two silver sluggers to go with those two seasons.
Plus he’s a steady fielding SS.

How many shortstops do all that?
Coors Field may skew the power numbers some but speed never sleeps and the fielding you can’t use the Coors factor for an argument either.

He’s a poor man’s Mike Trout at SS.
Like Trout Trevor K’s a ton.
That’s his only drawback.
He’s definitely earned the money coming to him.

[jrgum3]

Dude’s only been in the show for 3 1/2 seasons in his last two seasons he’s stolen 27 and 23 bases (50 combined) has hit 37 and 35 homers, hit .291 and .294, and drove in 105 and 85 runs with a high OBA too.
Not to mention two silver sluggers to go with those two seasons.
Plus he’s a steady fielding SS.

How many shortstops do all that?
Coors Field may skew the power numbers some but speed never sleeps and the fielding you can’t use the Coors factor for an argument either.

He’s a poor man’s Mike Trout at SS.
Like Trout Trevor K’s a ton.
That’s his only drawback.
He’s definitely earned the money coming to him.

If you’re willing to put up with all the whiffs which many teams are the positives outweigh the negatives for sure.

[Otters27]

He swings for the fences too much

[BigSpoon]

Reds sign Nick Castellanos for 4 years, $64M.

[JaimeMiro]

Similar to NFL officials, MLB umpires could get mic'd up


NEW YORK -- Big league players, managers and fans might be hearing a lot more from umpires this season.

Much like NFL referees have done for years, umpires could be mic'd up and announce whether reviewed calls are upheld or overturned, sources told ESPN's Pedro Gomez. They may also explain rules, if necessary.

Major League Baseball and the umpires are actively discussing the possibility. If the technical aspects can be worked out and the umps are comfortable with the concept, they could be mic'd up sometime this year. Both sides say there's lots of work to do, making it uncertain whether this could be in place by Opening Day on March 26.

Interesting idea, let's see how long it takes to implement if they pass it

[EmpireMaker]

Hours after trading Starling Marte to the Diamondbacks, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters at PNC Park that he’s hopeful of adding a new center fielder prior to Opening Day (Twitter link via Adam Berry of MLB.com). Doing so would enable the team to continue utilizing Bryan Reynolds in left field and allow Guillermo Heredia to occupy the backup role they had in mind upon signing him.
It’ll surely be frustrating for many Pirates fans to hear of their team voicing a need for center field help immediately after trading away a high-quality center fielder. But Marte has long stood out as a logical trade candidate due to his remaining two years of club control, his age and the general lack of talent surrounding him. Cherington and his staff could’ve tried to add pieces around Marte, to be sure, but contending in 2020 was always going to be a long shot for the Pirates given the payroll constraints put on the front office by owner Bob Nutting and given the questionable state of the big league roster.
Viewed through that lens, one could argue that the Pirates should further tear down. Players such as Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Keone Kela and Chris Archer could draw interest on the trade market, and none of that bunch is signed long-term. However, Cherington indicated that he doesn’t expect further subtractions from the big league roster for the time being. That doesn’t rule out some summer dealing — particularly if Archer enjoys a strong first few months — but it sounds as if the Marte swap will be the team’s big offseason deal, barring an unforeseen offer the Bucs simply can’t refuse.
So where might the Pirates be able to find a center fielder? Kevin Pillar is probably the top name on the market at this point, but he has a career .296 OBP and posted a .287 mark in 2019. The former defensive sensation can still handle center field but doesn’t grade out nearly as well as he did in his peak now that he’s 31 years old (seven years’ worth of gravity-defying dives and outfield wall collisions under his belt). Jarrod Dyson remains a premium source of speed and center-field glovework despite turning 35 this past August, and he’d form a natural platoon with the aforementioned Heredia.
On the trade market, there’s no shortage of options. The Pirates surely won’t be in the market for high-profile and/or high-salary players, so Red Sox fans can cross them off as a Jackie Bradley Jr. destination. But other organizations with less costly, more controllable options could be fits. Could the Padres, for instance, be ready to move on from Manuel Margot and part with the former top prospect? Michael A. Taylor doesn’t have a path to everyday at-bats in D.C., and Cherington’s former Blue Jays have plenty of center-field options, including Teoscar Hernandez. And the Pirates make sense as a change of scenery destination for any number of former top prospects (e.g. Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips), should their organizations be amenable to a swap.

[stevenash]

He swings for the fences too much

They all do these days, takes a lot of fun out of the game.
i say bring back the art of the hit and run, the double steals, the suicide squeeze........

[jrgum3]

They all do these days, takes a lot of fun out of the game.
i say bring back the art of the hit and run, the double steals, the suicide squeeze........

This is why I like the National League better than the American League. You see all these things more often in the NL as opposed to the AL where they sit back hoping they can hit a 3 run bomb thanks to having a DH.

[Chi_archie]

Pirates trade Sterling Marte to Arizona for two prospects.

Pirates going for a record low salaray this year

[stevenash]

Pirates going for a record low salaray this year

The Pirates have been dumping super stars since the dinosaurs roamed the planet.

Doug Drabek, Chris Young, Raul Mondesi, Jason Schmidt, Aramis Ramirez.....
And the list of boneheaded drafts is mind boggling too.

[cincinnatikid513]

Reds sign Nick Castellanos for 4 years, $64M.

he can hit but he's a terrible fielder

can't believe the reds are going for it this year

[stevenash]

he can hit but he's a terrible fielder

can't believe the reds are going for it this year

And terrible is being nice.
His fielding analytics are historical negative.

[Carseller4]

Reds might surprise this year.

[Cross]

Nick the Stick will for sure hit 10 bombs against Cubs.

[Cross]

I do wish him well though, awesome dude!

[EmpireMaker]

The market for free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores has started moving, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. It’s unclear which teams are interested in Flores, but he does look like one of the most intriguing players left in a constantly thinning class of unsigned players. Still just 28 years old, Flores is coming off a season in which he batted a robust .317/.361/.487 with nine home runs in 285 plate appearances as a member of the Diamondbacks. The righty-hitting Flores did most of his damage against left-handed pitchers, which has been a regular occurrence throughout the ex-Met’s career, but he has typically been playable against same-handed hurlers. He also carries a fair amount of experience at each infield position.

• Free-agent second baseman Scooter Gennett recently held a workout that “a number of teams” attended, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes. That jibes with the latest on Gennett from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that roughly six clubs (including the Cubs) are interested in the former standout. The Cubs have been the lone team linked to Gennett in the rumor mill since the Giants released him in late August. San Francisco cutting ties with the 29-year-old less than a month after acquiring him in a trade with the Reds put an end to a nightmarish season for Gennett. While he was quite productive with the Reds from 2017-18, Gennett could only muster a .226/.245/.323 line with two home runs in 139 plate appearances during an injury-limited 2019.
• The Nationals have officially re-signed franchise icon Ryan Zimmerman for another year, but he’s not committed to playing beyond then. Zimmerman told reporters Tuesday that he and the team will continue to evaluate their union on an annual basis going forward, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post relays. That said, while Zimmerman’s due to become a free agent in another year (he’ll be 36 then), it seems doubtful Mr. National will ever put on another team’s uniform. Zimmerman’s playing time with the Nats has declined as his career has advanced, in part because of a variety of injuries, but he said he’s “okay with” his part-time role in D.C.
• The Orioles made a small move to address their weak rotation when they signed southpaw Wade LeBlanc to a minors pact on Tuesday. The agreement came after the 35-year-old LeBlanc, who spent most of last season as a reliever in Seattle, turned down other teams’ offers in hopes of earning a spot in the Orioles’ rotation, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. While LeBlanc could indeed take on a role as one of the O’s starters in 2020, they’re not done shopping for help in that area, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Notably, Baltimore was connected to one of its former SPs, righty Andrew Cashner, this past weekend.

[BigSpoon]

They all do these days, takes a lot of fun out of the game.
i say bring back the art of the hit and run, the double steals, the suicide squeeze........

Agree, games aren't as fun to watch anymore. Games take too long to finish with all the pitching changes and such now.

[jrgum3]

Agree, games aren't as fun to watch anymore. Games take too long to finish with all the pitching changes and such now.

People may hate 1-0 games but I’ll take a pitchers duel over a 8-7 game any day.

[JaimeMiro]

The market for free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores has started moving, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. It’s unclear which teams are interested in Flores, but he does look like one of the most intriguing players left in a constantly thinning class of unsigned players. Still just 28 years old, Flores is coming off a season in which he batted a robust .317/.361/.487 with nine home runs in 285 plate appearances as a member of the Diamondbacks. The righty-hitting Flores did most of his damage against left-handed pitchers, which has been a regular occurrence throughout the ex-Met’s career, but he has typically been playable against same-handed hurlers. He also carries a fair amount of experience at each infield position.

• Free-agent second baseman Scooter Gennett recently held a workout that “a number of teams” attended, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes. That jibes with the latest on Gennett from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that roughly six clubs (including the Cubs) are interested in the former standout. The Cubs have been the lone team linked to Gennett in the rumor mill since the Giants released him in late August. San Francisco cutting ties with the 29-year-old less than a month after acquiring him in a trade with the Reds put an end to a nightmarish season for Gennett. While he was quite productive with the Reds from 2017-18, Gennett could only muster a .226/.245/.323 line with two home runs in 139 plate appearances during an injury-limited 2019.
• The Nationals have officially re-signed franchise icon Ryan Zimmerman for another year, but he’s not committed to playing beyond then. Zimmerman told reporters Tuesday that he and the team will continue to evaluate their union on an annual basis going forward, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post relays. That said, while Zimmerman’s due to become a free agent in another year (he’ll be 36 then), it seems doubtful Mr. National will ever put on another team’s uniform. Zimmerman’s playing time with the Nats has declined as his career has advanced, in part because of a variety of injuries, but he said he’s “okay with” his part-time role in D.C.
• The Orioles made a small move to address their weak rotation when they signed southpaw Wade LeBlanc to a minors pact on Tuesday. The agreement came after the 35-year-old LeBlanc, who spent most of last season as a reliever in Seattle, turned down other teams’ offers in hopes of earning a spot in the Orioles’ rotation, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. While LeBlanc could indeed take on a role as one of the O’s starters in 2020, they’re not done shopping for help in that area, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Notably, Baltimore was connected to one of its former SPs, righty Andrew Cashner, this past weekend.

Orioles will suck this season. No improvement on current roaster

[Chi_archie]

Reds might surprise this year.

they'll be good

[Otters27]

People may hate 1-0 games but I’ll take a pitchers duel over a 8-7 game any day.

Love 1-0 games

[batt33]

Reds sign Nick Castellanos for 4 years, $64M.

Thought that be the one "big" giants signing......

[ApricotSinner32]

The market for free-agent infielder Wilmer Flores has started moving, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. It’s unclear which teams are interested in Flores, but he does look like one of the most intriguing players left in a constantly thinning class of unsigned players. Still just 28 years old, Flores is coming off a season in which he batted a robust .317/.361/.487 with nine home runs in 285 plate appearances as a member of the Diamondbacks. The righty-hitting Flores did most of his damage against left-handed pitchers, which has been a regular occurrence throughout the ex-Met’s career, but he has typically been playable against same-handed hurlers. He also carries a fair amount of experience at each infield position.

• Free-agent second baseman Scooter Gennett recently held a workout that “a number of teams” attended, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score writes. That jibes with the latest on Gennett from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who tweets that roughly six clubs (including the Cubs) are interested in the former standout. The Cubs have been the lone team linked to Gennett in the rumor mill since the Giants released him in late August. San Francisco cutting ties with the 29-year-old less than a month after acquiring him in a trade with the Reds put an end to a nightmarish season for Gennett. While he was quite productive with the Reds from 2017-18, Gennett could only muster a .226/.245/.323 line with two home runs in 139 plate appearances during an injury-limited 2019.
• The Nationals have officially re-signed franchise icon Ryan Zimmerman for another year, but he’s not committed to playing beyond then. Zimmerman told reporters Tuesday that he and the team will continue to evaluate their union on an annual basis going forward, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post relays. That said, while Zimmerman’s due to become a free agent in another year (he’ll be 36 then), it seems doubtful Mr. National will ever put on another team’s uniform. Zimmerman’s playing time with the Nats has declined as his career has advanced, in part because of a variety of injuries, but he said he’s “okay with” his part-time role in D.C.
• The Orioles made a small move to address their weak rotation when they signed southpaw Wade LeBlanc to a minors pact on Tuesday. The agreement came after the 35-year-old LeBlanc, who spent most of last season as a reliever in Seattle, turned down other teams’ offers in hopes of earning a spot in the Orioles’ rotation, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. While LeBlanc could indeed take on a role as one of the O’s starters in 2020, they’re not done shopping for help in that area, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Notably, Baltimore was connected to one of its former SPs, righty Andrew Cashner, this past weekend.

[koz-man]

Reds sign Nick Castellanos for 4 years, $64M.

I like it. They needed some stability in the outfield position.