hot stove 2019-20

just finding out Mets signed Betances

misleading uRL

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28383869/sources-marlins-corey-dickerson-reach-2-year-175-million-deal

good hitter, solid player

rich hill and homer bailey to minnesota

luis robert gets a $50M extension before playing a game in MLB

the white sox are going to be pretty fun

did Rich Hill check out the Twins' bag policy first?

Outfielder/pitcher Oscar Colás, one of the best prospects to emerge from Cuba in years, has defected and will seek a deal with a major league team, sources familiar with his plans tell ESPN. Colás, 21, played in Japan last year and hit .302/.350/.516. He’s a LHP up to 95, too.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 3, 2020

unsigned at last check: Donaldson, Castellanos, Ozuna, Puig, Hudson, Cabrera, Vizcaino, Chirinos, Maybin, Frazier, Cishek, Iglesias, Pence, Kintzler, Gordon, and Dyson

Starlin Castro to Nats

Jason Castro to Angels

jose iglesias to baltimore 1yr/$3m with a club option

eric thames to the nats for roughly the same

steve cishek to white sox, 1 yr/$6 million

did the White Sox strike gold under second base?

Dodgers signed Jimmy Nelson to a one-year contract full of incentives.

In bizarre lawsuit, Yankees’ failed prospect says Derek Jeter ruined his career https://t.co/5ZEADEa6l7 pic.twitter.com/kKU5HG1sEg

— NJ.com (@njdotcom) January 9, 2020

Garrison Lassiter
2008 June Amateur Draft - Round: 27, Pick: 28, Overall: 830, Team: New York Yankees

i guess it's easier to say "prospect" in a headline than "organizational depth afterthought"

kid might have a point tho, looking at the stats from jeter's last two seasons

this reminds me that i needed to send that letter to ozzie smith's lawyers to let him know i'm suing him for blocking my progress back when i was struggling through the end of the 13-year-old league season

i think $75 million sounds right. $1M for each of my heartwrenching sobs per night, on average

He alleged that it was “blantanly (sic) obvious” that Jeter controlled the Yankees organization

http://www.milb.com/images/430599/generic/180x270/430599.jpg?

(Blanton-ly obvious?)

love to receive bats and pieces

Well-regarded pitching prospect Matt Liberatore has been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the St. Louis Cardinals, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. It's part of a trade expected to send major league pieces back to Tampa Bay, which has been searching for outfield bats.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 9, 2020

it will be either fowler (pleeeeeeease), arozarena (noooo!), o'neill (noooo!), lane thomas (i mean that's fair), or jose martinez (technically can play OF, but would mainly be a DH)

Brewers get Logan Morrison, a dude I thought would've been a real great fit in 2011 or so

you know who's a pretty good outfield bat? tommy pham. alas, the estimated $8.6m for a three-win player was just too much

these guys are both cardinals now

Just messin’ around🤯 @NolanGorman pic.twitter.com/EooehYEUmx

— Matthew Liberatore (@libby3232) November 28, 2018

(gorman is the other guy, and also a really good player)

god i hope they don't still do this game - KEEP YOUR HANDS PROTECTED

pirates sign 29yo outfielder guillermo heredia, who hit .225/.306/.363 for the rays last year before being non-tendered

haven't really been paying attention but i think this is only the second major-league (so to speak) move the pirates have made this offseason. the other was signing luke maile, a 29yo catcher with a career wRC+ of 48

it is indeed Arozarena for Liberatore – and also Jose Martinez; both of whom i expect to go full Austin Meadows next season.

i think that's a good trade for both teams. jose martinez has been my favorite player the past couple years. the way he plays OF brought me excruciating pain, it really was like a train wreck. he'll be a great DH and he's also one of the most likable people in the game. arozarena has speed and power. he might take a couple years to hit his stride, but he really is good.

i don't know much about liberatore other than his prospect (i'm talking round 1, not round 29. fuck you derek jeter!) status, his good results in his first season, and that he's comfortable throwing a ball really fast in a clubhouse at a whirling nolan gorman. all of that, plus the fact that the cardinals system is pretty much depleted of plus starting pitchers, makes me really happy with this trade

>he's comfortable throwing a ball really fast in a clubhouse at a whirling nolan gorman

he's a what now?!

rays also get the cardinal's round A draft pick (38th overall).

i think the rays probably "won" the deal to the extent that it's competitive, but i'm still really happy that the cardinals were able to get a legit elite prospect out of extra parts

Pete fucking Kozma has been signed to a minor league deal with the barves

cubs avoid arbitration with bryant: one year, $18.6m

btw did they ever rule on his grievance?

The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Mookie Betts in a record-setting manner. The club agreed with the 2018 American League MVP Award winner to a $27 million deal for 2020, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, breaking Nolan Arenado's year-old record $26 million for a player in his final year

former dodger/cardinal/padre/west virginia mountaineer jedd gyorko to the brewers

don’t get why the sox don’t back up the truck for betts

Todd Frazier to Texas

Welcome to Truist Park, home of your Atlanta Braves! pic.twitter.com/WruvGmkIeJ

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 14, 2020

truist no one

phillies dfa odubel herrera. it's a low bar, but he was one of the most successful rule 5 draft picks of the last couple decades

6:50pm: The Twins have agreed to a four-year contract with free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. There’s an option for a fifth season on the deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North Radio. Donaldson is represented by the MVP Sports Group.

7:01pm: Donaldson will be guaranteed $92MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The option on the contract would bring its total value to five years and $100MM, if exercised.

7:19pm: Donaldson will earn $84MM over the first four years of the contract, tweets Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. The option is valued at $16MM and comes with an $8MM buyout.

BringerOfSnow

that's a huge buyout.

The Red Sox have traded 1B/OF Sam Travis to the Rangers in exchange for LHP Jeffrey Springs.

Travis was a longtime top prospect who never broke through, but is still just 26. The Rangers DFA'd Springs a few hours ago.

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) January 15, 2020

How many HR did the Twins lose in the off-season? Donaldson could really have a big season if he gets in the middle of a lineup like last year's. Or, yes, he could fall off a cliff.

I don’t see that happening tbh. So long as he stays healthy, I think his glove and plate discipline could carry him trough this contract pretty well.
I’d expect his home runs to decline as his bat speed goes down with age, but (again) if his injury issues in his later Jays days are behind him he could have a Beltre-esque ending to his career.