[JAKEPEAVY21]

I'd love to see the Padres get Michael Brantley, very good hitter that won't break the bank.

[jrgum3]

False alarm on the Giants signing Aaron Judge. I still won't believe it until its confirmed by a reputable source but the Giants are really selling out to sign Judge. I don't know how I feel about this one but the Giants clearly needed to make a splash in FA and getting Judge would make a statement that the Giants are serious about winning a championship next year.

[jrgum3]

Should have noted that the Giants landed Mitch Haniger so even if they whiff on Judge Haniger is not a bad fallback option imo and they only have to commit to him for 3 years unlike Judge who they will have for the rest of his career if he signs with them.

[EmpireMaker]

The Cubs have agreed to a four-year, $68MM deal with right-handed starter Jameson Taillon, according to Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Taillon is represented by Excel Sports Management. Taillon was one of the top remaining options on the starting pitching market.
Carlos Rodón is the lone ace who’s still unsigned, while players like Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, Nathan Eovaldi and Noah Syndergaard join Taillon in the next tier. The Cubs have generally been expected to dip into free agency to address their rotation, and it appears they’ll indeed do so to snag a mid-rotation arm.
Once finalized, the deal will send Taillon back to the NL Central. He’s spent much of his career there, as he entered the professional ranks back in 2010 as the 2nd overall pick of the Pirates. He appeared among Baseball America’s top 30 overall prospects in each of the next five years, with his progression up the minor league ranks delayed by Tommy John surgery. By 2016, he got to the big leagues, breaking in with 18 starts of 3.38 ERA ball.
That kicked off a stretch of a few solid seasons in black and gold. Taillon combined for 57 starts over the next two years, posting a 3.71 ERA. He missed some time in 2017 battling testicular cancer but beat the disease quickly, remarkably missing only around one month. Taillon avoided the injured list through the end of the 2018 campaign thereafter, but his elbow blew out seven starts into the 2019 seasonn. He underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career that August, spending all of the following season rehabbing.

It proved an unwelcome end to his time in Pittsburgh, as the rebuilding Bucs flipped him to the Yankees over the 2020-21 offseason. New York surrendered four young players, including Roansy Contreras, to land Taillon. It was a bit of a gamble on him returning to health after the surgery, but he indeed came back as his previous mid-rotation self. Taillon’s two seasons in the Bronx were strikingly similar to his years in Pittsburgh.
Over his two-year run in pinstripes, he worked to a 4.08 ERA across 321 2/3 innings. The Texas native posted a 21.9% strikeout rate that’s right around league average and walked fewer than 6% of his opponents. His ground-ball and hard contact rates allowed were middle-of-the-pack, but he pounded the strike zone and handled hitters from both sides of the dish reasonably well. His stuff also returned to just under pre-surgery levels. Taillon’s fastball has checked in right around 94 MPH in each of the past two seasons, while he relies on a mid-80s slider and a low-80s curveball as his secondary pitches.
Taillon turned 31 last month, so he should still have a few prime seasons ahead of him. There’s certainly risk in investing in a pitcher with two Tommy John surgeries on his medical chart, but he’s avoided any arm issues the past two years. His only IL stint was a brief absence for a calf issue late in the ’21 campaign.
The Cubs find themselves in a middle ground between retooling and full-fledged contention. They’re coming off a second straight losing season, but president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has suggested the front office planned to be active in bolstering the MLB roster. To that end, they’ve already agreed to terms with former MVP Cody Bellinger on a bounceback deal to play center field, and it appears Taillon will follow.
Starting pitching was one of the bigger questions on the roster. Chicago signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year guarantee last offseason. He’ll be in the starting five, although he can opt out at the end of next year. Kyle Hendricks is under contract for another season and would have a rotation spot if healthy, but he’s rehabbing from a capsule tear in his throwing shoulder. Justin Steele earned a rotation spot with a solid rookie season. The back end is completely up in the air, with players like Keegan Thompson, Adrian Sampson and rookies Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Caleb Kilian all jockeying for work. Adding a stable mid-rotation pitcher like Taillon makes plenty of sense for a team without many certain innings.
That’s particularly true since signing Taillon won’t cost the Cubs any draft choices. New York somewhat curiously opted not to issue him a $19.65MM qualifying offer at the end of the season, allowing him to hit the market unencumbered.
MLBTR predicted a four-year, $56MM contract entering the offseason, so Taillon’s deal comes in a bit above that. The rotation market has generally been more robust than anticipated thus far. Zach Eflin and Tyler Anderson both landed three-year deals in the $40MM range, while Taijuan Walker agreed to terms with the Phillies on a surprising four-year, $72MM guarantee earlier this evening.

[Otters27]

False alarm on the Giants signing Aaron Judge. I still won't believe it until its confirmed by a reputable source but the Giants are really selling out to sign Judge. I don't know how I feel about this one but the Giants clearly needed to make a splash in FA and getting Judge would make a statement that the Giants are serious about winning a championship next year.

What are the chances he stays with the Yankees?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Judge back with the Yankees...good, I did not want him in the NL West!

Cubs made some moves yesterday with Bellinger and Tallion...happy with those moves, Cross?

[EmpireMaker]

Breaking: Aaron Judge has agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the Yankees, sources confirmed to ESPN.

[jrgum3]

Judge back with the Yankees...good, I did not want him in the NL West!

Cubs made some moves yesterday with Bellinger and Tallion...happy with those moves, Cross?

Yeah tough break for the Giants but at least Zaidi tried. Like I said I'm happy he got Mitch Haniger but it would've been nice to sign Judge. The Giants aren't done spending they'll probably now turn their focus to Carlos Correa and perhaps another outfielder with some pop.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Yeah tough break for the Giants but at least Zaidi tried. Like I said I'm happy he got Mitch Haniger but it would've been nice to sign Judge. The Giants aren't done spending they'll probably now turn their focus to Carlos Correa and perhaps another outfielder with some pop.

I hope you do not get Correa either lol

Guy is underrated and a clutch winning player with a lot of playoff experience and success.

[JMobile]

Cleveland signed Josh Bell. That guy was a first half power player

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Trea Turner and Judge both took 40-50 million less than the Padres offered.

I'm stunned that the Padres are throwing money around like this with the massive tatis and machado contracts along with hopefully reupping Soto with a huge contract. I did not think they would be willing to take on another contract like that? Nice to see the owner means business and is willing to keep spending. Honestly think it might be a blessing in disguise to miss out on Turner and judge. I'd like to sign multiple good players rather than one big splash. Michael Brantley will come at a fraction of those other guys and then could fill some other positions with the leftover money.

[cincinnatikid513]

jansen to the the redsox 2 year deal cardinals replace hall of fame catcher molina with wilson contreras

[EmpireMaker]

12:49pm: Diaz’s exact guarantee if $14.5MM, Sherman tweets.
11:50am: The A’s and veteran infielder Aledmys Diaz are in agreement on a two-year deal in the $14MM range, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The deal is pending a physical.
Diaz, 32, has spent the past four seasons in a utility role with the division-rival Astros, serving as a nice bat against left-handed pitching and playing all over the diamond. He’s coming off a .243/.287/.403 season that represents a slight downturn from what he’s done in four years with Houston on the whole: .255/.313/.424.

A dismal postseason showing wasn’t the lasting image for which Diaz hoped as he headed into free agency, but that’s the scenario with which he was faced after going just 1-for-22 with a double and six strikeouts. Even with that ugly closing note, however, Diaz’s broader track record as a slightly above-average hitter with some defensive versatility was enough to land him a multi-year deal that’ll run through his age-33 season.
Diaz spent time at all four infield spots in 2022, plus a brief look in left field, so he’ll give the A’s a versatile option — much like the recently signed Jace Peterson — after they entered the offseason with little in the way of infield stability. Peterson (third base), Tony Kemp (second base) and Seth Brown (first base) all hit left-handed, so Diaz can serve as a right-handed complement to any of the bunch. That said, Diaz is a career .275/.322/.457 hitter against righties, so he has enough bat to be in the lineup as more than just a platoon option for manager Mark Kotsay.
While Diaz was a primarily a shortstop early in his career with the Cardinals and still has more innings at that position than any other spot on the diamond, he’s continually drawn poor defensive grades there from metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (-23 in 2524 innings), Ultimate Zone Rating (-14) and Outs Above Average (-17). That said, Diaz is a decent enough emergency option at the position, should a need arise, and he’s drawn positive marks from those same metrics at each of the other three infield slots.
The A’s entered the 2022-23 offseason without a single guaranteed contract on the books for the upcoming season, but they’ve now inked a pair of versatile infielders to two-year contracts, at least affording them some semblance of reliability in the lineup. That said, they’re also fielding trade offers for standout catcher Sean Murphy, who seems likely to be traded, and by midseason they could very well be fielding interest in Diaz and/or Peterson as they continue to stockpile young players in their latest rebuilding effort.
Oakland is still under $50MM in payroll for the 2023 season — assuming neither the Diaz nor Peterson deal is heavily front-loaded — so there’s room for the team to make some additional signings in this tier of the market. Given the lack of experience on the roster and the defensive fluidity many of the current starters bring to the table, the A’s could still make a play for a free agent at just about any position. There’s also clear room for multiple veteran arms, be they starters or relievers, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see a handful of comparably modest signings in the weeks and months ahead.

[cincinnatikid513]

Red Sox sign Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida to record $90M deal

[jrgum3]

You got to be happy the Padres landed Bogaerts Jake. It's a huge contract for a lot of years but that guy is a winner and he'll make your team better. As for the Giants they better sign Correa or else the fanbase will be a little upset with Zaidi. I have a feeling they're going to hit on one of their big FA targets but it'll be interesting to see who they get. Correa is the last of the big name free agents out there so I'm hopeful the Giants get him especially since they've expressed interest in him as well as Judge.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

You got to be happy the Padres landed Bogaerts Jake. It's a huge contract for a lot of years but that guy is a winner and he'll make your team better. As for the Giants they better sign Correa or else the fanbase will be a little upset with Zaidi. I have a feeling they're going to hit on one of their big FA targets but it'll be interesting to see who they get. Correa is the last of the big name free agents out there so I'm hopeful the Giants get him especially since they've expressed interest in him as well as Judge.

I'm happy to get him but that is a long contract but I guess one needs to overpay to land a superstar or top end player nowadays. I wonder if this move was done because they are expecting Machado to opt out after this year?

Either way, it should be fun to watch after last year and now adding Tatis and Bogaerts to the mix.

[Otters27]

jansen to the the redsox 2 year deal cardinals replace hall of fame catcher molina with wilson contreras

I don't really trust Jansen

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Red Sox probably lose Devers after this year as well...they seem unwilling to pony up with the massive contracts nowadays.

Never thought I'd see the day that the Padres would be a major player for damn near every free agent and the Red Sox are turning into a team unwilling to pay top players.

[JMobile]

Red Sox probably lose Devers after this year as well...they seem unwilling to pony up with the massive contracts nowadays.

Never thought I'd see the day that the Padres would be a major player for damn near every free agent and the Red Sox are turning into a team unwilling to pay top players.

Jake, any other free agents you want Padres to go after?

[batt33]

You got to be happy the Padres landed Bogaerts Jake. It's a huge contract for a lot of years but that guy is a winner and he'll make your team better. As for the Giants they better sign Correa or else the fanbase will be a little upset with Zaidi. I have a feeling they're going to hit on one of their big FA targets but it'll be interesting to see who they get. Correa is the last of the big name free agents out there so I'm hopeful the Giants get him especially since they've expressed interest in him as well as Judge.

You and me both..... Giants need to get Correa.

[cincinnatikid513]

nimmo back to the mets 8 years 162 mil

[EmpireMaker]

The Mets and reliever David Robertson are in agreement on a one-year, $10MM deal. There are no options or incentives. Robertson, who is self-represented, has already passed his physical.
Robertson, 38 in April, has a lengthy track record of success as a major league reliever. In nine straight seasons from 2010 to 2018, he threw at least 60 innings while never posting an ERA higher than 3.82. Though his control wasn’t always pinpoint perfect, he never had a strikeout rate lower than 26% in any of those seasons. For reference, this year’s league average for relief pitchers was 23.6%.
Unfortunately, that long stretch of reliability came to an abrupt halt in 2019. After signing a two-year, $23MM deal with the Phillies, he only made seven appearances due to injuries, eventually culminating in Tommy John surgery. That kept him out of action for most of that year and all of 2020. He returned to the mound in 2021, starting with that summer’s Olympics and then joining the Rays for 12 appearances after.

That was enough for the Cubs to take a flier on Robertson for 2022, when he truly got back into form. He tossed 40 1/3 innings for the Cubs with a 2.23 ERA and 30.9% strikeout rate. The walks were on the high side at 11.5%, but they didn’t stop him from being tremendously effective, racking up 14 saves in that time. He was flipped to the Phillies prior to the trade deadline and continued in similar fashion. He threw another 23 1/3 innings for the Phils with a 2.70 ERA and 30.3% strikeout rate. The walks became more of an issue, jumping to a 16.2% rate after the deal, but he still added another six saves and three holds. He was able to add another 7 2/3 innings in the postseason despite straining his calf while celebrating a Bryce Harper home run, posting a 1.17 ERA in that time even though he walked 15.2% of batters faced.
Despite his age and control issues, his season was effective enough that MLBTR predicted he would land a two-year, $16MM deal, or $8MM per season. Instead, Robertson has opted for a slightly higher salary but with the chance to return to free agency again a year from now.
The fact that the Mets were the one to pay him is not a huge surprise. For one thing, they have almost an entire bullpen to rebuild this winter. Edwin Díaz, Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams, Joely Rodriguez and Trevor May all reached free agency at the end of the 2022 season, leaving the club with plenty of holes to fill. They have since re-signed Díaz, traded for Brooks Raley and made a few smaller moves, with Robertson now added into the mix as well.
Secondly, it’s also not surprising to see the Mets putting money down on a player they like because they’ve been doing a lot of that. The news of this deal and Brandon Nimmo’s re-signing dropped in quick succession, adding to the club’s already huge financial outlay for 2023. Roster Resource currently pegs their payroll for next season at $322MM with a competitive balance tax figure of $335MM. That’s more than $40MM beyond the fourth and highest tier of luxury tax penalization, which is $293MM.
The CBT has escalating penalties for going over the line in successive seasons and the Mets also paid the tax in 2022, making them second-time payors for 2023. They will pay a 30% tax on spending over the first tier, 42% over the second, 75% over the third and 90% over the fourth. That means that they are currently slated to pay a tax of about $67MM, on top of that $322MM payroll. It’s also possible that they’re not done, as Andy Martino of SNY reports that they could still sign Kodai Senga.
For now, the gas pedal is clearly down to the floor for the Mets, as they have spent aggressively in trying to stay competitive for next year. They won 101 games in 2022 but had a huge free agent class that consisted of Nimmo, Díaz, Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt and the aforementioned batch of relievers. deGrom and Walker have signed elsewhere, but the Mets signed Justin Verlander and José Quintana to replace them, in addition to retaining Díaz and Nimmo, with Robertson now added into the mix as well. He will likely be in line for setup duty with Díaz in the closer role, but it’s possible that the Mets still have plenty of more surprises up their sleeves to be revealed between now and Opening Day.

[Cross]

Peavy got an all star team over there. If Cubs don’t get Correa,I might become a Padres fan this year.

[jrgum3]

I'm happy to get him but that is a long contract but I guess one needs to overpay to land a superstar or top end player nowadays. I wonder if this move was done because they are expecting Machado to opt out after this year?

Either way, it should be fun to watch after last year and now adding Tatis and Bogaerts to the mix.

You not only have to open the checkbook but you got to be willing to commit to one guy for a huge amount of years. Just the way it is now no getting around it but its good to see teams like the Padres get serious about winning.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Jake, any other free agents you want Padres to go after?

Brantley would be a great addition. If not him another less expensive bat that can DH.

Other than that, maybe 2 mid tier starters to compete for the 4th and 5th spots in the starting rotation.

Peavy got an all star team over there. If Cubs don’t get Correa,I might become a Padres fan this year.

You are welcome to hop on the bandwagon sir.

I'm reading that it is between you guys and SF for Correa but sounds like SF are the favorites to land him.

You not only have to open the checkbook but you got to be willing to commit to one guy for a huge amount of years. Just the way it is now no getting around it but its good to see teams like the Padres get serious about winning.

Yeah some of these contracts will be an albatross the last few years but gotta do what you gotta do to land these impact players and worry about it later.

[JMobile]

Padres should get Drury back and put him for DH

[cincinnatikid513]

where will carlos correa land hmm

[EmpireMaker]

The Diamondbacks have shown interest in Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, according to a report from Nikkan Sports (Japanese-language link). The report also lists the Giants and Red Sox as other teams in the mix but suggests Arizona is emerging as one of the favorites to work out a deal with the right-hander.
Fujinami was made available to major league clubs via the posting system on December 1. That opened a 45-day window for MLB teams to negotiate a contract with the 28-year-old. If Fujinami doesn’t sign with an MLB team by January 15, he’d remain a member of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers in 2023. Reports of MLB interest and perhaps an early frontrunner just over a week after the posting window opens would seem to bode well for his chances of making the jump to the majors.
One of the more interesting wild cards in this year’s pitching market, Fujinami has already played parts of 10 seasons at Japan’s top level. A highly-regarded amateur talent a decade ago, he made his NPB debut at age 18 in 2013. Fujinami started with an excellent 2.75 ERA over 137 2/3 innings as a rookie, seemingly positioning him as a core piece of the Tigers future. By 2015, he’d posted a 2.40 ERA with 221 strikeouts through 199 innings in his age-21 season. Fujinami also performed well in 2016 but saw his production start to drop off by the ’17 campaign.
Increasingly, the 6’6″ righty battled control problems. That erratic strike-throwing led the Tigers to shuttle him back-and-forth between NPB and their minor league affiliate frequently through 2019. He spent the majority of his time at Japan’s top level in 2020-21 but posted respective ERA’s of 4.01 and 5.21. Fujinami again split his 2022 campaign between NPB and the minors, only throwing 66 2/3 innings at the highest level.
To his credit, he found more success in that relatively limited look than he has in a while. Fujinami managed a 3.38 ERA through 16 appearances. He struck out a strong 23.6% of opponents and importantly only doled out free passes to 7.6% of batters faced. Fujinami’s only a season removed from an untenable 16.8% walk rate in 2021, but he at least flashed more consistent strike-throwing ability this year. He’s long had an arsenal that intrigues scouts, with a fastball that usually sits in the mid-90’s and has topped triple-digits in the past.
The erratic strike-throwing track record could point towards Fujinami being a better fit for the bullpen, but he has an extensive workload as a starter in Japan. Each of the Diamondbacks, Giants and Red Sox could stand to use additional arms in both the rotation and relief unit, making Fujinami an interesting upside possibility for any of that group.
If he does sign with a major league team, the club would owe a fee to the Tigers under the MLB – NPB posting agreement. That’s tied to the size of the contract itself, with the MLB team owing the NPB club 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. It’d be a major surprise if an MLB deal for Fujinami topped $25MM, so the posting fee is likely to end up at 20% of the contract value.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Padres should get Drury back and put him for DH

I'd be fine with Drury. One thing I do like about him is that he can play various positions on defense.

If not him, there are other bats out there that would fit in the lineup.

[Otters27]

How many total MLB players batted over .300 last year

[JMobile]

I'd be fine with Drury. One thing I do like about him is that he can play various positions on defense.

If not him, there are other bats out there that would fit in the lineup.

Padres can get a better deal from Drury

[KVB]

How many total MLB players batted over .300 last year

Using the need for 3.1 plate appearances per team games, as customary and per league rules there were 11 players in the 2022 season that batted of .300.

This does not include the playoffs and note that the top 3 players are from the NL and the bottom 8 from the AL. I went ahead and included the teams they are from (Benintendi played for KC and NYY last year)...

Name	Team	Average
Jeff McNeil	NYM	0.326
Freddie Freeman	LAD	0.325
Paul Goldschmidt	STL	0.317
Luis Arraez	MIN	0.316
Aaron Judge	NYY	0.311
Xander Bogaerts	BOS	0.307
Yordan Alvarez	HOU	0.306
José Abreu	CHW	0.304
Andrew Benintendi	KC/NYY	0.304
Nathaniel Lowe	TEX	0.302
Jose Altuve	HOU	0.300

[jrgum3]

I'd love to see the Padres get Michael Brantley, very good hitter that won't break the bank.

Brantley is a solid hitter always liked him. He hits for average mostly but he does have pop in his bat that's why he's been able to last a long time in the big leagues. Definitely would be a solid addition to any lineup.

[EmpireMaker]

The Mets have agreed to a five-year, $75MM deal with right-hander Kodai Senga, SNY’s Andy Martino reports (Twitter links). Senga’s contract also has no-trade protection and an opt-out clause following the 2025 season, as per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter). The deal will become official when Senga passes a physical. Senga is represented by the Wasserman Agency.
The contract figure exactly matches the projection from MLBTR, as Senga ranked 11th on the list of the offseason’s Top 50 Free Agents. There is no further posting fee involved in the Mets’ costs, since Senga became a full free agent after exercising an opt-out clause in his contract with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Senga turns 30 in January, and he leaves the Hawks after 11 outstanding seasons. The righty has a 2.59 ERA, 28.22% strikeout rate, and 9.33% walk rate over 1089 innings at Japan’s highest level. Senga’s four-pitch arsenal is highlighted by an excellent splitter and a fastball that routinely hits the upper-90s. Scouting reports indicate that Senga’s control is sometimes inconsistent, but otherwise, many pundits feel his stuff can translate quite well to North American baseball.
Between Senga’s potential and the overall demand for pitching this offseason, it isn’t surprising that multiple teams were monitoring his market. The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, and Padres were the other clubs known to have interest, and agent Joel Wolfe implied that as many as a dozen MLB teams had checked in on his client. Multiple five- and six-year offers were on the table for Senga, and while he elected for a five-year option from the Mets, the opt-out allows Senga the possibility of re-entering the market and possibly landing extra years and more money as he enters his age-33 season.
Heading into the offseason, the Mets faced the challenge of a large free agent class that included a star closer (Edwin Diaz) and most of the bullpen altogether, their starting center fielder (Brandon Nimmo), and the majority of their starting rotation in the form of Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, and Chris Bassitt. However, with the Winter Meetings only just passed, New York has already addressed most of those holes by re-signing Diaz and Nimmo, and replacing that trio of starters with Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, and now Senga. If that wasn’t enough, the Mets further bolstered the relief corps by signing David Robertson and acquiring Brooks Raley in a trade from the Rays.

[jrgum3]

Yankees are now turning their attention to Carlos Rodon. I can see him going there and even though I don't want it to happen it makes sense that he would want to play for an organization that is focused on winning.