Hot Stove 2023-2024

Recently tradeable (cba BEFORE this one iirc)

You’re right

The Oakland A's acquired right-hander Ross Stripling in a trade with the San Francisco Giants minor league IF/OF Jonah Cox.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 2, 2024

Ok but who is the Giants rotation in 2024

Webb
???
Harrison
???
???

Cobb & Ray both injured

Mantra’s a Met, Desclefani’s a Twin, Wood and Stripling both Athletics. Snell incoming? His lack of innings could pair nicely with Webb I guess.

Manaea jfc autocorrect.

Flashback Friday:

Hot Stove 2023-2024

Thank you Steve Shasta, I clearly have brain rot. Still a question mark in my mind but he could at least be a number 5.

Found this for you in the local rag as well...

To open the season, Hicks will join ace Logan Webb in the rotation and likely Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn, both of whom made their big-league debuts last season. If the Giants don’t land another starter, the final spot could go to veteran Ross Stripling or Tristan Beck, who also debuted in 2023.

The Giants expect two more starters to be available in the second half: Alex Cobb, who’s coming off hip surgery, and 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, who was acquired Jan. 5 in a trade with Seattle and is coming off Tommy John surgery.

src: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/new-giants-pitcher-jordan-hicks-explains-desire-18614146.php

The only game I went to last season was the Harrison gem* but he fell off a cliff not long after.

Still... showed signs of mastery and rebounded a bit in his final/very late season start against the Dodgers.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFqJ4xUcuk4

My man!

Harrison is really intriguing, hope to see a big year from him.

Webb
???
Harrison
???
???

Crazy but Desclefani Wood and Stripling brought nothing to the table. These moves are dead weight moves. However look at what's up there, nothing. They could just play the kids but they do need some proven arms, idk.

Dipoto…is cooking?

The Seattle Mariners are acquiring right-handed reliever Gregory Santos in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for right-hander Prelander Berroa, outfielder Zach DeLoach and the 69th pick in the 2024 draft, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2024

BREAKING: Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on an 11-year, $288.7 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN.

News on the monumental deal with full details, including opt-outs and a club option, free to read at ESPN: https://t.co/CooPBe69Du

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2024

Witt Jr. deal is for $288.7M With a 3 year club option at the end to take it to $377,777,777. Total of 14 years!

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 5, 2024

Adames being shopped...

Didn't realize Witt finished 7th in MVP voting. He had a good season, for sure, but seems a little high to me--he finished ahead of Henderson, Rutschman (vote-splitting there, I guess), Cole, and Alvarez.

He improved a lot from his rookie season and he’s a five tool guy who’s only 23(?), made a lot of sense to me. Also, it’s a total joke he didn’t get nominated for a gold glove (gold gloves themselves being kind of a joke notwithstanding). Honestly he’s very very very very good.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/bobby-witt-jr-677951?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

Statcast ranked him (on the basis of outs above average) as the best AL shortstop bar none. Definitely the best young ss in the league IMO.

Statcast ranked him (on the basis of outs above average) as the best AL shortstop bar none.

*2x World Series MVP Corey Seager just shruggin' from the sidelines*

https://i.postimg.cc/rFZQsZ1J/IMG-4913.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Z51HF9Dv/IMG-4911.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/htJMd8Mq/IMG-4912.jpg

Royals rocking the highest payroll in the AL Central as of this off season

Ryan brasier resigning with the dodgers; on the cheap imo. Went from 7 to .7 ERA jumping ship from Boston to LA last season. One of the more egregious "wtf did they do to that guy?" moves from LA in recent history. 3 earned runs in 39 games obviously not a sustainable pace, but I'm a believer that he's going to stay "fixed"

xps clemenza I saw this on Instagram just now and I felt you would appreciate…he looks paler than in his heyday!

🗣️ What they said! pic.twitter.com/7gE7pB3roT

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) February 5, 2024

That is really sweet

Nice (is he still involved in KC operations?). Had to immediately look up how he hit agains Witt's father:

38 PA, 1 HR, 9 K, .250/.368/.406. Second half of Brett's career, but as much as anybody could, Witt definitely had the upper hand. Brett was very difficult to strike out: 54 K per 162 games.

Yes he’s still VP of Baseball Ops.

Fantastic (abridged) list of the guys who homered off Witt Sr the most

https://i.postimg.cc/2SL7ND5h/IMG-4914.jpg

kershaw back

wouldn't bet against him being the best SP they have this season

Bitter-sweet hypothetical

Barring horrific circumstances, Kershaw will be hitting the 3000 strikeout mark this year. Gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling to think about

Second baseman Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a five-year, $125 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Altuve was set to hit free agency after this season but will remain with the team for which he has played since his debut in 2011.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 6, 2024

wouldn't bet against him being the best SP they have this season

Bobby Witt Jr., KC
$288,777,777/11

Bonus - $7,777,777

$2M  - 2024
$7M - 2025
$13M - 2026
$19M - 2027
$30M - 2028
$35M - 2029
$35M - 2030

Player option 2031, 2032, 2033, 2034 -$35M
Club option 2035-2037 f$33M-2035; $28M-2036; $28M-2037 (all decided at same time). Full No Trade

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 6, 2024

Jurickson Profar’s deal with the San Diego Padres, per source: one-year, $1 million with $1.5 million in incentives based on plate appearances.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 12, 2024

Jorge Soler to SFG - 3yrs/?$

career: .317/.417/.512 @ SFG

That’s a great get, the lineup was so bad last year. The roster has improved so much this offseason.

He has only 41 at-bats at Oracle Park, but has hit .317 with a .929 OPS and two homers in 41 at-bats there and is considered to have enough power to reach McCovey Cove, something no right-handed batter has ever done.

Soler was sort of the odd man out as far as the Cubs peak era a few years ago, vs the likes of Bryant, Baez, Schwarber, Contreras, Rizzo. I always liked him and he's been great in the postseason his whole career. i was happy to see him succeed elsewhere, especially that epic WS performance with the Braves.

My only question is do they intend to actually play him in the outfield cos Tom Murphy is surely going to DH a majority of the time when he plays? In that case they might move Conforto as rumoured.

Superutilityman Whit Merrifield and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year, $8 million contract, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 16, 2024

Destroys my theory that the Jays were trying to hoard every single utility infielder in the game so that, come deadline time, they could essentially hold whichever of the other 29 teams needed one hostage. Kind of like Homer Simpson and his sugar pile.

Interesting post from Baseball Reference's FB feed: Merrifield is one of only seven players ever with two seasons of 40 doubles and 40 stolen bases (Brian Roberts, Hanley Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Sisler/Speaker/Cobb the others). I wouldn't have thought that was so rare.

The seems like easily the best move the Red Sox have made this winter, I do not understand why KC would do this.

— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) February 17, 2024

Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander David Sandlin, sources tell ESPN. Royals get an arm for a pen that needed it, Sox get a pitching prospect with strikeout stuff.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 17, 2024

RIP Schreibs you were good but I also remember you getting cooked last season

Liam Hendriks deal with Red Sox:

$2M salary in 2024, $6M salary in 2025.

$12M mutual option or $2M buyout for 2026.

$10M on incentives in 2025. None in 2024.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 20, 2024

I love him I love him I love him

Liam Hendricks lives up to his billing. Says he picked Boston in part because his wife loves the area and “everyone speaks like my (Australian) accent - no one pronounces their ‘ahhhs.’ “

— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) February 20, 2024

News: Shortstop Tim Anderson and the Miami Marlins are in agreement on a one-year, $5 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 22, 2024

i'm glad they went ahead w/ this. seems like a very worthy gamble to me

With Urshela signing, that’s all the serviceable free agents 3b off the market now outside of Champman. I would think something has to give soon with spring training starting (for Chappy and the other boras holdouts)

that's a great signing for the marlins. he was dogshit last year but $5m is nothing at all

Robert Murray said on Twitter that none of the “Boras four” are close to signing. This is an absurd situation. Are the players themselves not getting anxious? They should be getting familiar with their new teams by now.

Missing a couple of weeks of spring training is nothing compared with the big picture view of 6/150 or whatever they're asking for.