hot stove 2018-19

fuck

hello friends. I have made the exciting and absolutely petrifying decision to accept a job with the Rays, who don't need my help. until they come to realize that, I am finished writing about baseball in the public. you are all a treasure. you may also now unfollow me

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) February 22, 2019

Yarg

everything that I enjoy in life is being sucked into a black box and replaced with an alternate that’s behind a paywall

I do like meg rowley tho (and suggested to Ben n Sam back when I still had a Twitter) that she become the full time spot-starter if either of them got sick or jury duty

damn lost cameron and sullivsn i'm devastated

is it official she's the new co-host?

Generally loved Sullivan on the podcast, but occasionally annoyed by his inability to pronounce names of pre-1985 players, while pronouncing the T in "often."

N I’m just making an assumption and haven’t listened to the new ep yet

nooooooo not sullivan

marwin to the twins (2/$21m)

ervin 'magic' santana to the white sox on a minor league deal

matt duchene to the columbus blue jackets

brink tweet includes the words "went down Nutting" and i'm laughing and oh no i am 12 years old

unexpected, but Cardinals extend Jose Martinez through 2020.

Jose Martinez signed a two-year deal that will keep him in St. Louis through the 2020 season, the team announced (via Twitter). The team will pay Martinez $3.25MM guaranteed, plus incentives, per Fancred’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/02/cardinals-extend-jose-martinez-through-2020.html

unexpected because he is an atrocious fielder, both at 1B and at RF, where he'll see most of his playing time this year. i just assumed that he would go to the american league as soon as a decent trade opportunity came up, potentially at the trading deadline this year.

i guess, actually, that the possibility of him being traded at the deadline is still a possibility, only now he's an even more attractive trade target for an AL team because he's dirt cheap through 2020 and is an incredible hitter. and also one of the most entertaining personalities in the game

harper/phillies is pretty much a thing, apparently. final details being ironed out, expected to be finalized by monday

The Segura/Realmuto/Hoskins/Harper part of the lineup is going to be pretty fun.

as a heavy NL watcher i must admit i'm glad that Machado went West and Harper is (likely) going East. this way i'll get to see them on occasion but not so often that they'll ruin all my precious cardinal games

switching to Team Harper Hate

BREAKING: Third baseman Nolan Arenado and the Colorado Rockies are finalizing an eight-year, contract extension worth more than $255M, league sources tell ESPN. Deal includes an opt-out after three years, would give Arenado the largest per-year salary of any position player.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 26, 2019

also! hanle y to the indians on a minor league deal

whoa damn

lol if nolan arenado swoops in to get the biggest (AAV) contract of the offseason

and also damn, i had dreams of my favorite team of all time, the universally beloved st louis cardinals, picking up arenado someday. maybe they can still grab old tired worn out 2022 arenado

We are hearing Giants ownership/upper mgmt might not be on the same page as Zaidi regarding Harper. They want to offer a long term contract like they did with Bonds and Zaidi does NOT want to. Sabean/Baer step the F up, this is your team, not some slappy's from the Dodgers! @KNBR

— Smash Mouth (@smashmouth) February 26, 2019

I'm not sure that Bonds' $40M contract from 25 years ago is the best reference point here.

cardinals give miles mikolas 4/68

Amazing. His 2015 contract for the Yomiuri Giants was 2Y/$5M.

cardinals sign matt wieters to a minor league deal. he's not great, but he would be the best backup they've had since 2004, when yadi was the backup to mike matheny

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26113134/padres-sign-veteran-reliever-warren-1-year-deal

Twins should pounce on Keuchel and Kimbrel.

Keuchel must feel so dumb for turning down that $90M/5 extension from the Astros.

I think I’d be more mad at the agent, who is supposed to know these things

that agent is scott boras

iirc his former agent was the one who declined the $90/5 and that Boras is the new agent.

adam jones 1-year, $3 million with diamondbacks

alex bregman

he Astros and All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman have agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract extension, a source told MLB.com on Tuesday.

...His extension will cover his three arbitration years (2020-22) and his first two years of free agency (2023-24). Bregman will be entering his age-30 season when the contract expires.

Gio Gonzalez said the #Yankees deal was the only offer he got.

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 20, 2019

Top outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez and the Chicago White Sox are finalizing a long-term deal, league sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 20, 2019

it's gonna be like 10 years $27 million

sounds like six years + two club options for around $40m?

following the trail blazed by jon singleton and scott kingery

oh wait

Eloy Jimenez’s contract with the #WhiteSox is expected to max out at 8 years and valued between $75-80 million.

— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) March 20, 2019

would this remove the benefit of service-time manipulation, because if so i'm in favor

Isn't that Alex Bregman deal an absolute steal for the Astros? He's 25, so they get his six prime years for $17-M/season. What I am I missing?...I'm surprised he signed, unless he envisions a protracted strike.

The two arbitration years they're buying out lower the average, but after that he's basically making 30 per. Not too shabby but certainly below his value.

maybe he's taking the douchebag discount

Any neo-classical economist who truly believe that a subject is always self-interested and rational should look at Bregman's contract.

or trout's

Cardinals reportedly nearing extension with goldschmidt worth $130M

extensions are the new free agency

The cardinal fans in Jupiter FL must have given him a super nice standing ovation on his first plate appearance

#bfib

Extensions have been replacing free agency for a while now. Mauer and Votto's extensions (with "small market" teams) are two good examples of contracts that were unimaginable just a few years earlier.

Bregman becomes a free agent at age 30 and in another era would be poised to get a windfall 6-7 year deal. But in this era who knows. I can't blame him for wanting to eliminate those distractions for the next five years, in any case he's set for life. This was basically Aaron Nola's reasoning too and he signed for less than half of what Bregman got.

So many extensions happening that Snell's $50M/5 got buried.

Sale $150M/5

Lol at Sale outperforming Snell x3 in the next 5 yrs