hot stove 2019-20

(for anyone who doesn't follow, "top 50 MLBTR" refers to the top 50 free agents list on MLBTradeRumors)

The Kris Bryant ruling shows MLB’s “impartial” arbitration is a farce

lol the Rockies do not give a single fuck about winning baseball games

appreciate that the tigers are making a token wave at being watchable, unlike some other teams i could name

your 2020 pittsburgh pirates

https://i.imgur.com/zT9rZRG.png

are there fun players on this team?

Josh Bell will probably be very fun for half the season and very unfun the other half

The half of the season he plays at the plate vs the half of the season in the field

reynolds is a 'professional hitter' -- which is nice, i like him -- but i don't think he can play center. polanco is a disappointment but i still like him because he reminds me of a plague-ridden man's dave parker

the projections for archer, musgrove and moran -- among others -- are extremely optimistic. the catchers too, unless they're framing wizards

brault is kind of fun because he can actually hit

they have a prospect named oneil cruz -- who will probably play in double-a this year -- but if they just called him up now it'd be cool because he's a legit 6'7" shortstop

that's the upper limit for fun

I like Reynolds - but he should not be in CF

oh yeah i forgot about brian reynolds, probably because his name is "brian reynolds"

hen cherington is mulling over these fantastic options

Free agents Kevin Pillar, Billy Hamilton snd Cameron Maybin are among CF candidates Pirates are considering. Pillar would seem to be pricier than the others. GM Hen Cherington knows him from Toronto

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2020

Pillar is almost the definition of the kind of player who is a) great to have around if you're a strong team and you can bat him eighth or ninth and just be glad for his defense (Jays, 2015), but b) is a liability if you have to bat him fifth or sixth because you've got no offense (Jays, 2018).

billy hamilton in 43 career games in pittsburgh: .303/.339/.376, 33 R, 33 SB, 4 CS lol

Love to see Billy Hamilton go somewhere and figure it out enough to stick around, he's a fun and well likable player.

He's 29, can't remember when a player that old figured it out.

what are hamilton's splits against STL? seems like every game i've ever seen against him involves walking him 3 separate times as the leadoff batter of an inning

Xpost to morbs: Bautista was 30 when he had that monster break out season.

Well, that was about power to a large degree. I wouldn't expect a speedster to learn how to get on base at 30.

Probably won't happen, but Billy H. is such a good athlete even a 10-20% margin improvement takes him up to handy player to keep around with his speed and defense. It will be interesting to see if he is still on a roster in a couple years.

I suppose you see pitchers figuring something out later on, but then you got the 'roid ragers like Luis Gonzales who went from average outfielder to super slugger in their 30s.

Mets signed Matt Adams and Eduardo Nunez to minor league deals

Otis Nixon's career arc might be the closest model you 'might' find for someone like Hamilton.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nixonot01.shtml

Matt Adams has had a weird career. That guy has been a model of inconsistency as there have been more than once it looks like the guy is going to be come a big bat, but then the magic wears off.

That said, I would love to see Matt Adams in a foot race with Lucas Duda.

Similar players I both saw hit moonshots against the Reds at GABP.

More I think about it, both were off Homer Bailey too. Always bet against Bailey if he is pitching during the day, that's my Pete Rose tip of the day.

Pumped to watch Billy Hamilton hit 54 home runs in 2020

billy hamilton has always been a small step away from an above average player - being able to reach .300 OBP consistently, or .100 ISO - but now he's 29, going into his 7th full season. his speed is already diminishing. i loved watching him (destroy the cardinals and yadi) but i think he missed his window.

d-backs sign edwin jackson (and jon jay) to minor league deals

unfortunately, arizona is one of the 14 teams he's already played for

over the last seven seasons, jackson is 37-62 with a 5.47 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.517 WHIP and -4.9 WAR while making $39m

d-backs sign edwin jackson (and jon jay) to minor league deals

unfortunately, arizona is one of the 14 teams he's already played for

this must be some sort of mistake. wtf is jackson doing??

i thought the dbags would stop signing average cardinals from 2011-13 after la russa moved on, but it looks like they're still into it

Betts and Price to Dodgers, says Jeff Passan

slight correction

There could be a third team involved in the deal, as @Ken_Rosenthal reported. Significant cash will be going the way of wherever David Price lands. But the main player, Mookie Betts, will be a Dodger should medicals go as expected.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2020

baseball is broken

Oh wow, the dodgers have added one of the best players in baseball to their team again

like many things that are bad for baseball, this is great for the yankees!

fuck this. just fuck it.

Mookie in LA from a marketing standpoint is going to be sick

so final tally i believe:
Mookie/Price/cash to Dodgers
Maeda to Twins
Brusdar/Verdugo to Sox

dodgers are also trading pederson to LAA for rengifo. i have no idea why the angels would do this unless they intend on swinging pederson to someone else for pitching. or adell. i have no idea how LAA has made this many moves and they still don't have any pitching.

why is $$$ going to LA? wtf...

to cover part of price, i imagine

when’s the last time a player of betts’ stature was traded by the team that drafted him in the prime of his career? and didn’t demand to traded? just can’t believe this actually happened

Seems dumb to me — good luck Boston.

gets them below the luxury tax threshold which is the only thing that matters

The closest comparison I can think of is the Twins trading Johan Santana, which was also during the off-season before his walk year.

when’s the last time a player of betts’ stature was traded by the team that drafted him in the prime of his career? and didn’t demand to traded?

babe ruth, 1919?

the red sox were complaining about cash back then, too. ruth's salary was $27,000, same as betts', give or take a zero or three.

when’s the last time a player of betts’ stature was traded by the team that drafted him in the prime of his career?

griffey jr, although he was older (and kinda fell apart after his first year in cincy)

frank robinson, also a lil bit older

also a-rod to the yankees (although texas did not draft him)

supposedly if the red sox are paying $14-$15m per year to dump price, the *dodgers* can stay under the salary cap luxury tax

i don't understand rich people. or rich teams. or rich owners.

surprised the Twins are shipping a prospect like Graterol for a starter like Maeda.