[koz-man]

Tigers trade LHP Kyle Lobstein to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. Lobstein was DFA'd on Friday to make room on the 40-man roster for infielder Mike Aviles

[yisman]

Lobstein was pretty brutal

just lobbing over meatballs

[Andy117]

Lobstein was pretty brutal

just lobbing over meatballs

Tough to be a good pitcher with that last name.

[Shortstop]

Tigers trade LHP Kyle Lobstein to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. Lobstein was DFA'd on Friday to make room on the 40-man roster for infielder Mike Aviles

Lobstein was pretty brutal

just lobbing over meatballs

Tough to be a good pitcher with that last name.

Jesus H. Christ! Are the Pirates even being serious now?


What the fukk!

[Shortstop]

Max Scherzer signing last year looks like a "bargain"

Haha! Clever point!

[EmpireMaker]

The A’s one-year, $4.25MM deal with Henderson Alvarez takes them out of the mix for free agent Scott Kazmir, sources tell Rosenthal. Alvarez will now compete for a spot in Oakland’s rotation with right-handers Jesse Hahn and Jarrod Parker and left-hander Sean Manaea. On Monday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale identified the A’s as a finalist for Kazmir alongside the Royals, Orioles, Cardinals, Nationals, and Astros. Kazmir, 32 in January, recorded a 3.33 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 and a 43.4 percent ground-ball rate from 2014-15 — the duration of a two-year, $22MM contract initially signed with Oakland.

[EmpireMaker]

The Mets are known to be interested in adding a left-handed bat that can at the very least serve as a platoon partner for right-handed-hitting Juan Lagares, and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports that they’re interested in Denard Span, Will Venable and Alejandro De Aza to fill that void. Span has been connected to the Mets multiple times in the past, and the reportedly plans to meet with his camp in January. Venable and De Aza, however, have not been connected to the Mets beyond speculation, to this point. (De Aza, in fact, has scarcely been mentioned on the rumor circuit in connection to any club this winter.)
Crasnick hears that Span is the “preferred choice,” but questions about his health and agent Scott Boras’ stated desire to land a multi-year deal for his client are complicating that picture right now. Newsday’s Marc Carig did report fairly recently that the Mets aren’t closed off to the idea of giving Span multiple years, though I’d imagine they’ll need to see him prove his health in next month’s showcase for that scenario to play out. Span missed much of the season with lingering issues from sports hernia/core muscle surgery last offseason and ended up having hip surgery this offseason as well.
When healthy, Span has proven to be a quality player on both sides of the ball. Over the past four seasons (one in Minnesota and three in D.C.), Span has batted a combined .290/.344/.402, averaging six homers and 27 steals per 162 games played. Of course, a concussion back in 2012 and this past season’s injuries have limited him to an average of 122 games per season in that time. Defensive metrics have traditionally been bullish on Span, though his UZR and DRS grades this season dipped significantly as he battled through injuries over the course of the season. It strikes me as unlikely that Span would be on board with a straight platoon; though his numbers are better against right-handed pitching, he’s still posted a respectable .274/.351/.364 batting line against lefties in his career (though he’s struggled against them a bit more in 2013 and 2015).
Venable and De Aza, on the other hand, are more familiar with platoon work. Venable is a career .256/.324/.422 hitter against righties and has had his bottom-line numbers suppressed, somewhat, by calling Petco Park his home stadium for nearly all of his career. (Of course, New York’s Citi Field isn’t exactly a hitters’ paradise in its own right.) Venable has drawn positive marks in center over the course of his career, though he’ll play next season at age 33 and isn’t a premium defender in the first place, so something like league-average or even slightly below-average defensive work is probably a more realistic expectation than plus glovework.
De Aza, 32 in April, is a somewhat similar tale. His lifetime .274/.338/.418 line against righties is solid, if unspectacular, and his recent work in center field hasn’t been viewed favorably through the lens of DRS and UZR. (He also hasn’t played center with any sort of regularity since 2013, when he posted a -18 DRS mark.) De Aza, though, was more productive at the plate in 2015 than Venable, hitting .278/.351/.448 against right-handed pitching. I’d imagine that either Venable or De Aza could be had on a one-year deal or perhaps a two-year deal with a lower annual value — something like $10-13MM in total, as we’ve seen from Rajai Davis, Nate McLouth, David Murphy and, most recently, Chris B. Young.

[Chi_archie]

Jesus H. Christ! Are the Pirates even being serious now?


What the fukk!

been a brutal off season

[koz-man]

Jesus H. Christ! Are the Pirates even being serious now?


What the fukk!

I was thinking the same...

[BigSpoon]

Cardinals sign Mike Leake to 5-year deal worth $80M.

[EmpireMaker]

Royals GM Dayton Moore wouldn’t comment to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan when asked about negotiations with Alex Gordon — specifically, Jim Bowden’s previous report at ESPN that the Royals are offering $12-13MM per year on a four-year deal — or extension talks with catcher Salvador Perez, Moore did, however, openly voice his desire to add a corner outfielder and another starting pitcher. “We feel we have quality depth in the outfield, but we have a desire for an experienced corner outfielder. And we would like another quality starting pitcher,” said Moore. Per Flanagan, the Royals hope to have seven or eight players that are viable rotation options on the roster to open the season. At present, Kansas City has Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy, Chris Young and Kris Medlen as options, plus lefty Jason Vargas recovering from Tommy John surgery.

[koz-man]

Cardinals sign Mike Leake to 5-year deal worth $80M.

Good move on the Cards part imo.

In the past he has pitched well against the Cubs.

[Shortstop]

Good move on the Cards part imo.

In the past he has pitched well against the Cubs.

True!

Another perfect example why St. Louis wins the NL Central every year...

[BigSpoon]

Mets are close to signing Alejandro De Aza to a 1 year deal. What a farce the Wilpons are, I'd be so pissed if I were a Mets fan.

[Chi_archie]

Mets are close to signing Alejandro De Aza to a 1 year deal. What a farce the Wilpons are, I'd be so pissed if I were a Mets fan.

still paying bonilla next year?

[BigSpoon]

still paying bonilla next year?

Still paying off their massive Bernie Madoff debts at the expense of the Mets.

[El Nino]

Good signing for the Cards

[EmpireMaker]

• Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently attempted to peg the value of the Mets’ excellent rotation by estimating what each would receive on the open market at present. Despite the fact that much of the group is lacking in experience, Sherman estimates that the combination of Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and even Zack Wheeler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, could collectively earn one billion dollars. While that sounds outlandish, Sherman ran the number by six different executives from around the league, including GMs and scouting directors, and none refuted the notion. As Sherman points out, teams like the Red Sox have spent in excess of $130MM on Cuban talent (Yoan Moncada and Rusney Castillo) despite not knowing how immediately either would contribute in the Majors; as such, he hypothesizes that it’s not unreasonable that a team would submit a nine-figure bid even to Matz, despite the fact that he’s started just nine games in the Majors. While the exercise is entirely hypothetical, it’s still an interesting concept to think about. And, more interestingly, it raises the question of whether the Mets should be willing to part with one of their starters to fill holes elsewhere on the roster. In a market that is paying starting pitchers extremely aggressively, Sherman notes, New York’s starters have nearly unprecedented value. He points to the Braves’ return for Shelby Miller and notes that most of the Mets’ rotation is more controllable and, in some cases, younger than Miller.
• In his latest Marlins inbox, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tackles multiple trade-related questions, including one on ace Jose Fernandez. While the 23-year-old’s name has come up often in rumors recently, Frisaro writes that the Marlins’ hope is still to retain Fernandez and add pitching help around him. He quotes team president David Samson: “There is no rift with Jose. He wasn’t available for trade, but people still came to us, and we were OK with that, because you never know, someone may have an idea that you didn’t think of. But it just didn’t happen. I don’t see it happening.”
• Frisaro also notes that the Marlins are hoping to add a free-agent starter that they can pay around $11MM in 2016. Miami could, of course, sign a pitcher to a contract with a larger annual value and backload the deal, though there are also pitchers on the market that figure to sign for an annual value in that range. Frisaro lists Ian Kennedy and Doug Fister as seemingly speculative fits, although Miami has previously been connected to Kennedy this offseason.

[EmpireMaker]

Mets are close to signing Alejandro De Aza to a 1 year deal. What a farce the Wilpons are, I'd be so pissed if I were a Mets fan.

They want a speed guy, DeAza is OK I don't hate it but don't love it either

[El Nino]

Who are the best free agents still left?

[BigSpoon]

Who are the best free agents still left?

Chris Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler, Daniel Murphy, Denard Span, Gerardo Parra for position players.

Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo, Wei-Yin Chen, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy for starters.

[EmpireMaker]

The Mets do need to sign a high-end hitter, they are out on Cespedes, I'd like to see them go for Chris Davis.

[koz-man]

Chris Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler, Daniel Murphy, Denard Span, Gerardo Parra for position players.

Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo, Wei-Yin Chen, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy for starters.

From what I read/heard alot of players faiths depend on where Chris Davis lands

After all free agent outfielders are signed... The Reds can then try to sell Jay Bruce.

[Chi_archie]

Chris Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler, Daniel Murphy, Denard Span, Gerardo Parra for position players.

Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo, Wei-Yin Chen, Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy for starters.

decent list

[BigSpoon]

Daniel Murphy to the Nats on a 3 year deal worth $37.5M.

[EmpireMaker]

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

[EmpireMaker]

Daniel Murphy to the Nats on a 3 year deal worth $37.5M.

I so happy that the Mets stayed away from him.

[El Nino]

I so happy that the Mets stayed away from him.

That tremendous post season run made him more dough than he is worth. That's for sure.

[koz-man]

Merry Christmas
&
Best to all on the holidays!!!!

[Chi_archie]

Merry Christmas!!!!

[yisman]

Mets are close to signing Alejandro De Aza to a 1 year deal. What a farce the Wilpons are, I'd be so pissed if I were a Mets fan.

how is de aza still in the majors?

This is about as smart as the Pirates trading for Lobstein

[Chi_archie]

how is de aza still in the majors?

This is about as smart as the Pirates trading for Lobstein

Pirates have. History of correcting pitchers, it might work out

[Shortstop]

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

Merry Christmas
&
Best to all on the holidays!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas to Everyone! Have Fun and Stay Safe! Cheers!

[Andy117]

The Mets do need to sign a high-end hitter, they are out on Cespedes, I'd like to see them go for Chris Davis.

I'd rather have Cespedes than Davis.

Cespedes + Duda > Davis and Lagares/de Aza

[EmpireMaker]

I'd rather have Cespedes than Davis.

Cespedes + Duda > Davis and Lagares/de Aza

I would have liked to see them get Cespedes too, but since they say they aren't next best is Davis.
.