hot stove 2018-19

one plus thing on the machado deal that i didn't think of - he'll most likely be at 3B once tatis jr comes up, which will increase his value

wouldn't moving his bat from ss decrease his value?

He’s better at 3B iirc?

I don't keep up well with farm systems. If that's true, then the move makes a lot more sense.

padres have the best system

https://cdn-blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/prospects-fv-50-plus.png

Plenty of good 1b I shall not stand there and have the names of Votto and Goldschmidt insulted.

May work out well, but the thing with the Padres and 90% of all teams is that a move like that can't not work out. There's not much margin of error. The Yankees and Red Sox and Dodgers can make big, expensive mistakes and it's no big deal--they just throw more money around. Other teams can't.

that's true (although i think many of those teams *can* actually afford to make mistakes and are pretending otherwise)

but i think machado is probably about as sure a thing as is possible. he's really good, and at the end of his contract he'll be younger than robinson cano is right now

It's nuts. When he has the option to opt out in 5 years he will be Cano's age when he signed his mega-contract.

i think the padres could have afforded to make a mistake with machado, but not so much after making mistakes on hosmer and wil myers (although those were smaller mistakes). but if something goes wrong with machado, they're going to have a roster of really cheap star young players weighed down by three big long contracts. on the other hand, if machado performs as expected, hosmer is odd-year hosmer, and wil myers bounces back at all over the next few years, their lineup is going to be pretty scary

I assume that Harper will now sign somewhere for $310M, giving him and Boras the satisfaction of having won the off-season. But I'd prefer having Machado over Harper at that price, and it's not even close.

I would prefer Machado if I were a manager or perhaps even a GM. But as an owner or the marketing department it would be Harper all the way; and I think it counts.

Plenty of good 1b I shall not stand there and have the names of Votto and Goldschmidt insulted.

― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, February 19, 2019 7:55 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i said virtually! there used to be like 15 of em but now it's like... votto, goldschmidt, freddie... rizzo is ok but not as good as he was... olson? bellinger for like half the season?

far cry from when you had miggy, pujols, teixeira, cdavis, edwin, agonz, and a bunch of those above guys all crushing it (although who knows maybe i'm just conflating every year from the past 10 years)

bryce is gonna sign with the cubs. all the "we don't have any money!" stuff is a smokescreen

which team's helmet will bryce remove as he whips back his sweaty hair in slow motion??

let's go bucs

Asked why payroll went down, Nutting said, "We need to focus on the things we believe are controllable."

— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) February 20, 2019

Asked "Is payroll not controllable?" Nutting said, "I think payroll scale and range, broadly, is not controllable. We’re going to have certain resources that we have, and I think that that’s the reality of a marketplace." https://t.co/Z9cKr85bM8

— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) February 20, 2019

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