[EmpireMaker]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!




WE ARE SO DAMN LUCKY!!!

ALL THE BEST!!!

LET'S CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS THE BEST THREAD ON SBR AND BEYOND...

LET'S GO!!!

[EmpireMaker]

The Twins have pulled off a fascinating New Year’s Eve double-strike. The club announced that hurlers Rich Hill and Homer Bailey have each agreed to contracts, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic first reported (Twitter link).

Both players secured one-year deals, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Hill is guaranteed $3MM, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets. His contract includes a hefty $9.5MM in total available incentives which can be met by recording only 15 starts and/or 75 innings thrown. Bailey’s contract comes with a $7MM guarantee, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). He also has some incentive pay available, but only if he gets up to 180 innings, Hayes tweets.
There’s a lot to process here. More than anything, it’s a highly notable development for a Twins club that entered the offseason promising to pursue impact arms. Perhaps now the club will turn over its still-stuffed war chest in pursuit of third baseman Josh Donaldson.
We’ve already seen the Twins move to retain Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda, though the latter will open the year on the restricted list while he finishes a suspension for a banned masking agent. Having bid adieu to Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez, the Minnesota org was left with a mix of rather inexperienced rotation candidates such as Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak.
Now, Bailey slots into an immediate rotation spot while Hill joins Pineda as an anticipated mid-season boost. Hill is working back from elbow surgery and likely won’t be available on the MLB mound until the summer. In effect, the organization has pre-purchased a pair of trade deadline rotation pieces. That’ll make it tough to add any other clear-cut starters now or in the summer trade market, unless it becomes clear that the expected timelines can’t be met.
All things considered, it’s quite the value-driven gambit for the Twins, who raced out to an AL Central title last year but face competition for the crown in 2020. The organization made no secret of its desire to land higher-quality starters, but came away without any of the major hurlers that populated the free agent market.
[RELATED: Twins Will Pursue “Impact” Pitching — And They Can Afford It]
There’s much to commend about both Hill and Bailey, but it’d be tough to say that the new duo is a clear upgrade over the outgoing two-some of Gibson and Perez. The Twins obviously prefer the price tag on the two they’ve landed, but there is a reason that other organizations were willing to promise bigger money to Gibson (three years, $30MM) and Perez (one year, $6MM).
The Twins do have some real potential impact in Hill, despite the fact that he’ll celebrate his 40th birthday before throwing a pitch for the organization. The resurgent veteran has thrown limited innings since his reemergence — both by design and due to injuries — but has been awesome when available. Dating back to his late-2015 run with the Red Sox, he carries a 2.91 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 466 1/3 innings.
Given the unusual incentive structure of Hill’s deal, it’s obvious both that the Twins anticipate a mid-season debut and that they won’t expect him to turn in overly lengthy outings. The master curveballer only flung 58 2/3 frames in his 13 starts last year with the Dodgers, and he can now max out his incentives package if he can extend that just a bit. The organization evidently wasn’t worried by Hill’s recent arrest in an incident he called “overblown.”
If Hill gets back to health and back to his now-typical form, he’ll provide a weapon down the stretch and into a hopeful postseason berth. The addition of Bailey seems intended to address rather a different need — solid innings over the course of the season — though he also comes with a sort of upside of his own.

The 33-year-old Bailey had a nice bounceback showing in 2019, particularly after a mid-season move from the Royals to the Athletics. He finished the campaign with 163 1/3 innings of 4.57 ERA ball, with 8.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. In a season full of explosive offensive performances, those were rather useful frames. Bailey logged 2.9 fWAR and 1.8 rWAR in 2019, the sort of output that would justify his current contract if repeated.
Notably, Bailey showed an uptick in his swinging-strike rate, posting a 10.8% level that he hadn’t touched since his heyday. That’s increasingly easy to accomplish in today’s game but still notable for a pitcher that generally fills up the zone. Bailey’s 93+ mph average fastball was shy of his peak but in line with his post-Tommy John levels. His mid-season strides don’t seem to correspond to any major changes to his approach or pitch quality, so there’s no particular reason to expect a late-career breakout, but his peripherals and Statcast numbers generally support Bailey’s low-4 ERA output.

[BigSpoon]

Happy New Year. 2020 is here.

[jrgum3]

Happy New Year guys just 1 month til pitchers and catchers report.

[Chi_archie]

we are so damn lucky

[koz-man]

Twinkies start off the New Year with a double pick-up.

[jrgum3]

Twinkies start off the New Year with a double pick-up.

Solid pickups for the Twins. You can always use a couple of solid starters in your rotation. They look poised to make another run at the postseason.

[EmpireMaker]

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Don Larsen, who remained a welcome & familiar face at our annual Old-Timers’ Day celebrations. The Yankees organization extends its deepest condolences to Don’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed. 1929-2020

[batt33]

Happy New Year guys just 1 month til pitchers and catchers report.

Hard to believe IT's that close already!

[Chi_archie]

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Don Larsen, who remained a welcome & familiar face at our annual Old-Timers’ Day celebrations. The Yankees organization extends its deepest condolences to Don’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed. 1929-2020

wow didn't know he was still alive

[koz-man]

Solid pickups for the Twins. You can always use a couple of solid starters in your rotation. They look poised to make another run at the postseason.

Love rooting for the small market teams.

[BigSpoon]

Domingo German gets 81 game ban for violating domestic violence policy, will sit out first 63 games of the 2020 season. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...iolence-policy

[Carseller4]

Cubs need to get busy.

Can't believe for one second they are going to let David Ross hang out to dry.

[Chi_archie]

Cubs need to get busy.

Can't believe for one second they are going to let David Ross hang out to dry.

yeah they won't be spending this off season

[stevenash]

yeah they won't be spending this off season

As long as they keep selling seats they think they don’t have to spend.

[BigSpoon]

When is Donaldson going to sign?

[koz-man]

Ex-Astros reliever Will Harris agrees with Nationals on 3-year deal

Former Houston Astros reliever Will Harris is heading to the team that beat him in last season's World Series.
Harris confirmed Thursday that he has agreed to join the Washington Nationals, with the team announcing Friday that it is a three-year deal. USA Today reported the deal is worth $24 million.
Harris should jump into an eighth-inning role and could get save opportunities too, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Harris, 35, was one of manager AJ Hinch's go-to guys out of the bullpen for Houston last season, but he'll inevitably be remembered for allowing the go-ahead home run to Howie Kendrick in Game 7 of the World Series against the Nationals.

[Stallion]

Domingo German is a moron.

[Carseller4]

Domingo German is a moron.

Agreed very much.

[Carseller4]

Domingo German is a moron.

Same with Addison Russell.

[EmpireMaker]

Weeks of bidding has reportedly driven the price tag for Josh Donaldson into the nine-figure range over a four-year term, with at least three clubs said to be sitting at that lofty price point. The end game may now be upon us.
The star third baseman has given teams what amounts to a firm and final asking price, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Donaldson is “simply waiting for one of the clubs to his his number” — around $110MM — per the report.
It seems, then, that the Braves, Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Dodgers, and any other lurkers need only place a single phone call to Donaldson’s reps to get the paperwork started. With the first three of those clubs reportedly already close to Donaldson’s asking price, it doesn’t seem like a huge stretch to bridge the gap. On the other hand, it may be that these teams feel they’ve already moved well out of their comfort zone for a 34-year-old player with a not-so-distant injury history, however talented he may be.
We have seen this sort of bidding situation emerge before. Sometimes, the player ends up picking from among multiple, roughly equivalent offers, as reportedly occurred a few years back with Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist. In other cases, a team leaps up to meet the asking price, as then-Blue Jays and now-Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos did to land Russell Martin — a situation he discussed last year.
It’s interesting now to see Anthopoulos weighing another tough call on an older free agent. He has twice acquired Donaldson, first via trade in Toronto and then through free agency in Atlanta, and has twice been rewarded for doing so. But while Anthopoulos made no shortage of big-money strikes during his time with the Jays, he has run quite a tight ship with the Braves. Most teams pressing to win end up going out on a limb at some point or another. No doubt Anthopoulos is presently weighing whether to do so with Donaldson or take on somewhat different risks by seeking an alternative path to the quality bat he wishes to acquire.
The calculus is much the same for the other teams involved. For the Nationals, the luxury tax line is fast approaching after a series of other moves. Adding Donaldson would probably mean going past it, though that seems to be a palatable outcome after dipping under the bar last year and going on to snag a World Series win. The Twins have ample flexibility after piecing together a cost-conscious series of rotation moves. It’s arguable that the Minnesota organization is most in need of a boost and best positioned to take on the long-term financial risks. But there are probably other ways the team could go to improve as well.
It could be that we’re seeing a bit of a staring contest here. Even if every organization knows that it controls its own destiny with regard to Donaldson — meet his ask and he’s yours — they’d each rather get him for less. There are some exceptionally talented alternatives in Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado, but they’ll each require a sacrifice of talent and it’s far from clear how appealing the trade terms will be in both cases. Other possibilities, such as trading for Kyle Seager or signing Todd Frazier, rate as backup plans in comparison to the addition of Donaldson or one of his talent-level peers.

[batt33]

Domingo German gets 81 game ban for violating domestic violence policy, will sit out first 63 games of the 2020 season. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...iolence-policy

Now only if the NBA would get on board....

[Chi_archie]

Ex-Astros reliever Will Harris agrees with Nationals on 3-year deal


Former Houston Astros reliever Will Harris is heading to the team that beat him in last season's World Series.
Harris confirmed Thursday that he has agreed to join the Washington Nationals, with the team announcing Friday that it is a three-year deal. USA Today reported the deal is worth $24 million.
Harris should jump into an eighth-inning role and could get save opportunities too, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Harris, 35, was one of manager AJ Hinch's go-to guys out of the bullpen for Houston last season, but he'll inevitably be remembered for allowing the go-ahead home run to Howie Kendrick in Game 7 of the World Series against the Nationals.

solid deal

[ApricotSinner32]

Weeks of bidding has reportedly driven the price tag for Josh Donaldson into the nine-figure range over a four-year term, with at least three clubs said to be sitting at that lofty price point. The end game may now be upon us.
The star third baseman has given teams what amounts to a firm and final asking price, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Donaldson is “simply waiting for one of the clubs to his his number” — around $110MM — per the report.
It seems, then, that the Braves, Nationals, Twins, Rangers, Dodgers, and any other lurkers need only place a single phone call to Donaldson’s reps to get the paperwork started. With the first three of those clubs reportedly already close to Donaldson’s asking price, it doesn’t seem like a huge stretch to bridge the gap. On the other hand, it may be that these teams feel they’ve already moved well out of their comfort zone for a 34-year-old player with a not-so-distant injury history, however talented he may be.
We have seen this sort of bidding situation emerge before. Sometimes, the player ends up picking from among multiple, roughly equivalent offers, as reportedly occurred a few years back with Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist. In other cases, a team leaps up to meet the asking price, as then-Blue Jays and now-Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos did to land Russell Martin — a situation he discussed last year.
It’s interesting now to see Anthopoulos weighing another tough call on an older free agent. He has twice acquired Donaldson, first via trade in Toronto and then through free agency in Atlanta, and has twice been rewarded for doing so. But while Anthopoulos made no shortage of big-money strikes during his time with the Jays, he has run quite a tight ship with the Braves. Most teams pressing to win end up going out on a limb at some point or another. No doubt Anthopoulos is presently weighing whether to do so with Donaldson or take on somewhat different risks by seeking an alternative path to the quality bat he wishes to acquire.
The calculus is much the same for the other teams involved. For the Nationals, the luxury tax line is fast approaching after a series of other moves. Adding Donaldson would probably mean going past it, though that seems to be a palatable outcome after dipping under the bar last year and going on to snag a World Series win. The Twins have ample flexibility after piecing together a cost-conscious series of rotation moves. It’s arguable that the Minnesota organization is most in need of a boost and best positioned to take on the long-term financial risks. But there are probably other ways the team could go to improve as well.
It could be that we’re seeing a bit of a staring contest here. Even if every organization knows that it controls its own destiny with regard to Donaldson — meet his ask and he’s yours — they’d each rather get him for less. There are some exceptionally talented alternatives in Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado, but they’ll each require a sacrifice of talent and it’s far from clear how appealing the trade terms will be in both cases. Other possibilities, such as trading for Kyle Seager or signing Todd Frazier, rate as backup plans in comparison to the addition of Donaldson or one of his talent-level peers.

[stevenash]

Now only if the NBA would get on board....

If they did there’d be no more NBA.

[BigSpoon]

If they did there’d be no more NBA.

Imagine if NBA had strict PED testing like MLB too...

[Stallion]

What if SBR had PED testing????

[Stallion]

Or what if SBR had posters take a test, and if they failed, they wouldnt be allowed to post here.???

[Cross]

Is that Anna Kournikova in your Avatar, Stallion?

[Carseller4]

Who will Kris Bryant be playing for next year?

[batt33]

Ex-Astros reliever Will Harris agrees with Nationals on 3-year deal


Former Houston Astros reliever Will Harris is heading to the team that beat him in last season's World Series.
Harris confirmed Thursday that he has agreed to join the Washington Nationals, with the team announcing Friday that it is a three-year deal. USA Today reported the deal is worth $24 million.
Harris should jump into an eighth-inning role and could get save opportunities too, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Harris, 35, was one of manager AJ Hinch's go-to guys out of the bullpen for Houston last season, but he'll inevitably be remembered for allowing the go-ahead home run to Howie Kendrick in Game 7 of the World Series against the Nationals.

Make the money while you can

[EmpireMaker]

The Nationals are in agreement on a one-year contract with free agent infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Robert Murray first reported the sides were nearing a deal (via Twitter). Cabrera will be guaranteed $2.5MM, Heyman adds, with an additional $500K available in incentives (via Twitter).
Cabrera, 34, latched on with the Nats in August. He was fantastic for the eventual World Series champs down the stretch, putting up a .323/.404/.565 line over 146 plate appearances. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story of Cabrera’s season. He compiled a meager .235/.318/.393 slash in Texas. The Rangers released him the first week of August, presumably after finding nothing to their liking before the July 31 trade deadline. Cabrera’s .260/.342/.441 cumulative performance (98 wRC+) was almost exactly league average.
Coupled with still-solid defensive metrics at second and third, Cabrera was worth just under two wins above replacement (1.7 bWAR, 1.9 fWAR) in 131 games. If he can replicate that solid production in 2020, he’d be a bargain on such a low-cost deal. Of course, Cabrera’s age, slow start and the saturated free agent market for infielders combined to limit his earning power.
The signing is perhaps more interesting from a broader market perspective. Cabrera and Starlin Castro, who agreed to a two-year deal with Washington yesterday, are both solid players who now look to be in line to contribute on a more-or-less everyday basis. Yet they’re not the marquee players some Nats’ fans may have been hoping for once Anthony Rendon left.
Washington looks to be one of the finalists for Josh Donaldson. The top free agent still on the market, Donaldson is reportedly sitting on multiple four-year offers, waiting for someone to match his asking price. At one point, the Nats themselves put forth a four-year proposal. It isn’t clear whether that specific offer remains on the table following the club’s recent moves.
That said, neither Castro nor Cabrera should prevent the Nats from adding Donaldson from a financial perspective. And Washington could certainly push one or both into complimentary roles to fit a player of Donaldson’s caliber on the roster. Indeed, Jim Bowden of the Athletic hears that Washington isn’t necessarily out on Donaldson.
The club’s recent moves, however, at least give them a safety net should they miss out on the Bringer of Rain (or one of the trade market’s top options). Between Castro, Cabrera, Howie Kendrick and Carter Kieboom, Washington has myriad in-house options capable of manning second and third base. Perhaps that gives them a bit less urgency than other clubs searching for upgrades on the dirt- most notably, the Braves, Rangers, and Twins- to meet the lofty acquisition cost each player would certainly require.

[koz-man]

Report: Wild boar behind Yoenis Cespedes' ankle injury


Things are rarely boring with the New York Mets.

The latest example: a wild boar and Yoenis Cespedes.

The New York Post reported Friday that the fractured ankle Cespedes suffered in the spring came from a bizarre incident the injury-plagued outfielder had with an animal at his ranch in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

News of the injury itself isn't new. Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters in May that Cespedes suffered multiple right ankle fractures in what he called a "violent" fall on the outfielder's ranch that was not baseball-related. Details of what happened hadn't come out until the Post's story Friday, however.

Citing multiple sources, the newspaper reported that Cespedes caught a wild boar in one of several traps he sets up at his ranch to keep the animals away from people. In this case, the boar was taken out of the trap and "either charged toward Cespedes or startled him," per the Post, causing him to step into a hole and fracture the ankle.

According to the report, Cespedes immediately told Mets officials what had happened. Officials from the Mets, the commissioner's office and the players' union, as well as representatives for Cespedes, eventually visited the ranch and confirmed the validity of his story.


Cespedes agreed to a four-year, $110 million contract with the Mets in December 2016, but he hasn't played for the team since July 20, 2018. Injuries have been the problem. He had surgery to remove bone calcification from his right heel on Aug. 2, 2018, and from his left heel on Oct. 26, 2018. Those surgeries were expected to keep Cespedes sidelined for at least half of this past season, and then the ankle fractures ruined any hope he had of returning.

The sides have been battling over his contract since. New York withheld part of Cespedes' salary, alleging that he was hurt during an activity prohibited by his contract's guarantee language. The players' association filed a grievance, and the sides settled on an amended contract on Dec. 13 before the case was argued.

[koz-man]

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.

[ApricotSinner32]

Patriots got cooked boys