2023 Offseason MLB News/Rumors Thread

jon abbey

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Everyone expected the Yankees to push up the Bellinger market, but then they traded for Soto, Verdugo and Grisham instead.
 

SouthernBoSox

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I expect Blake Snell and Matt Chapman to have very similar structure.

I still think the Giants make the most sense for Snell.
 

simplicio

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This is more AAV (and front loaded) and he has opt outs and still in his 20’s
Cratered?
Yeah the AAV and Opt outs are good for him, but at the same time he was the top position player on the market and he made less guaranteed than Josh Hader (through a QO even).

Last year's crazy market looking more like temporary insanity every day.
 

radsoxfan

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Yeah the AAV and Opt outs are good for him, but at the same time he was the top position player on the market and he made less guaranteed than Josh Hader (through a QO even).

Last year's crazy market looking more like temporary insanity every day.
I’m curious what more typical long term contract structure Bellinger chose this over. I’m sure someone was willing to offer something with more than 80M guaranteed, perhaps just not what they were looking for.

In general, these shorter higher AAV contracts with multiple player opt outs are still very player friendly. Anything at all similar to last season and he will opt out of 2/50 to re enter FA. 1/30 is also basically a best case scenario for the Cubs as well (they don’t want him to suck of course). If he opts in, he probably was injured or turned back into a pumpkin.

Obviously it stings to some degree to not get the big guaranteed $ for someone with a very up and down career so far. But still a pretty decent chance Bellinger ends up better off than signing some sort of more traditional 6/120-140M type of deal (just guessing maybe he had a choice in this range).
 
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nattysez

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Brandon Crawford to the Cardinals. A bit of a bummer. He was a lifelong Giants fan and then had spent his whole excellent career with them. I'm curious what the Cardinals were willing to offer that the Giants were not.
 

Max Power

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Brandon Crawford to the Cardinals. A bit of a bummer. He was a lifelong Giants fan and then had spent his whole excellent career with them. I'm curious what the Cardinals were willing to offer that the Giants were not.
They were probably the only ones offering anything at all to a guy who had a .587 OPS last year.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Brandon Crawford to the Cardinals. A bit of a bummer. He was a lifelong Giants fan and then had spent his whole excellent career with them. I'm curious what the Cardinals were willing to offer that the Giants were not.
A contract?

The Giants are moving on to one of their top prospects at SS. They don't really have a need at 2B or 3B if he wants to change positions.
 

LogansDad

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Brandon Crawford to the Cardinals. A bit of a bummer. He was a lifelong Giants fan and then had spent his whole excellent career with them. I'm curious what the Cardinals were willing to offer that the Giants were not.
Ugh, this probably means they plan to send Masyn Winn back down to AAA to start the season. That makes me sad, even though he sucked during his MLB time last year.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Do the dodgers have a sixty man roster? Feel like they’ve been adding guys non stop.

also thought Brandon Crawford retired. Guess not!
 

Wingack

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Brandon Crawford to the Cardinals. A bit of a bummer. He was a lifelong Giants fan and then had spent his whole excellent career with them. I'm curious what the Cardinals were willing to offer that the Giants were not.
The Cardinals are opening an old folks home and he can hangout with some of his friends there.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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They traded Margot to MIN (a few posts up) so that they had a spot for Keekay.
I completely missed Margot even being part of the Glasnow deal.

They seem to really love Kike. Guess he’s due for a decent year, feel like you never know what you will get with him.
 

jon abbey

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Youth movement in STL this offseason:

Matt Carpenter, 38
Brandon Crawford, 37
Lance Lynn, 36
Kyle Gibson, 36
Sonny Gray, 34
Andrew Kittredge, 33
 

jon abbey

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Chapman has a QO so the Giants lose their 2nd round pick for potentially one year of $20M Chapman, or he is not very good and stays. I would not be thrilled about that as a Giants fan.
 

moondog80

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Chapman has a QO so the Giants lose their 2nd round pick for potentially one year of $20M Chapman, or he is not very good and stays. I would not be thrilled about that as a Giants fan.
In the scheme of things, a single 2nd round pick is nice but not super valuable. If the Giants traded an equivalent prospect for Chapman in May, that would just seem like the cost of doing business. And if not for the QO, the price would have been higher — perhaps it would have been the 30 mil Bellinger is getting?

The Giants did well here.
 

JM3

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moondog80

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They also lose $500k international bonus money, & the slot value of the 2nd round pick they lose (around $1.7m). So it's really like 2 or more prospects being lost.

View: https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1763793590680252754
Sure. It’s not nothing. But they also got a guy projected make 5/120 at a much smaller deal -- he's making less this year than he would have if he took the QO. Maybe Chapman helps them win a WC spot. If the Giants have any kind of a farm system the picks they lose won’t end up in their top 15 prospects (initially anyway). Those guys get moved in rental deals all the time and nobody bats an eyelash. Is what the Giants lose here more valuable than what the Sox got for Verdugo?
 
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Yelling At Clouds

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I guess the question is how you project Chapman going forward, his defense has slipped a bit and his offense was propped up by an unsustainably hot start. That said, I think there are a few other teams that probably should've been in on him at this price.

The Giants are now... about even with the Padres? I'm still not convinced they're a playoff contender without a lot of things going right for them. I'm sure I'll keep saying this right on through their championship parade.
 

JM3

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Sure. It’s not nothing. But they also got a guy projected make 5/120 at a much smaller deal. Maybe Chapman helps them win a WC spot. If the Giants have any kind of a farm system the picks they lose won’t end up in their top 15 prospects. Those guys get moved in rental deals all the time and nobody bats an eyelash. Is what the Giants lose here more valuable than what the Sox got for Verdugo?
I'm not really arguing whether it's a good move or bad, just stating the entire picture. Chapman also makes more money than Verdugo & they have to pay him the next 2 years only if he's worth less in the market than his contract.

& it's probably kinda similar. Fitts was the primary piece in the Verdugo trade & Nazzan was our 2nd round pick last year.

SoxProspects has them 11th & 12th respectively (they did go over slot for Nazzan).

The Red Sox also received Judice in the trade & paid Natanael Yuten $400k in '22.

Soxprospects has Judice 59 & Yuten 44.

Then there's Weissert from the trade. & Marvin Alcantara (SP #31) signed for $30k & Elvis Soto (SP #57) signed for $10k in '22.

Of course, they also paid Jancel Santana $600k that year, so there is a wide range of outcomes lol
 

moondog80

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Phillies in 2027 will have $142 million (tax number) committed just 4 guys who will be 34, 34, 34, and 37. After that, the 37 year old (Wheeler) is off the books but they still have 13 more years collectively of the 34 year olds (Turner, Harper, Nola). If they win in the next few years, money well spent. But either way, they better nail the next few years of drafting/player development, because they are going to need a lot of cheap talent, even if the players age well.
 

radsoxfan

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What a Chris Sale-esque unnecessary risk.

Maybe with a great season Wheeler will get more than 3 years guaranteed? Still seems really bad business to lock up these older pitchers a year early, especially without much (if any) discount.

So much can change in a year. No chance I’d be committing 40M+ per year 3 years in the future. Probably wouldn’t even offer 3/100.
 

DeadlySplitter

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Phillies in 2027 will have $142 million (tax number) committed just 4 guys who will be 34, 34, 34, and 37. After that, the 37 year old (Wheeler) is off the books but they still have 13 more years collectively of the 34 year olds (Turner, Harper, Nola). If they win in the next few years, money well spent. But either way, they better nail the next few years of drafting/player development, because they are going to need a lot of cheap talent, even if the players age well.
Dombro will probably be fired by then.
 

JimRiceHOFer

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Nats add Eddie Rosario on a minor league deal

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/nats-add-outfielder-rosario-on-minor-league-deal?fbclid=IwAR0Ih975sKXnMBBcyCZIti1qd7WI9OgCSthI0LsHHZRJFIgj4gV81WFV8ik

Rosario, who still needs to pass a physical before his signing is official, is guaranteed $2 million if he makes the major league club and could earn up to $4 million with incentives.

The 31-year-old has primarily played left field, but has experience in all three outfield spots over the course of his nine-year career. He owns a career slash line of .268/.305/.460 with a .766 OPS with the Twins, Cleveland and the Braves.

In 142 games with the Braves last year, he slashed .255/.305/.450 with a .755 OPS, 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. He also had three Defensive Runs Saved in 130 games in left field, which would have been third-best among all Nats outfielders behind Alex Call (seven DRS in 124 games) and Stone Garrett (five DRS in 89 games).
 

Yelling At Clouds

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Or, he goes to a place he gets to play everyday and build value for another contract.
Plus, if you put up numbers on a bad team for a couple of months, maybe come trading season some good team decides they actually do have a use for you. Applies to Taylor as well.

Sure did think we would wake up to Snell to the Astros, but not yet…
 

moondog80

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Agreed. I would not have minded the Sox signing him to that deal.
100% agree.

OTOH, maybe I'm a dreamer at this point but this does seemingly eliminate one of the few logical competitors for Montgomery. I still don't think it's likely he comes here, but where else? Yankees looking at a 90% tax on his salary.