2018-19 Offseason News, Rumors, Trades

DeadlySplitter

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Oct 20, 2015
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Jake Bauers, an up & coming IF for Tampa, is going to CLE for Yandy Diaz and PTBNL. trade details still incomplete.
 
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hbk72777

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Jul 19, 2005
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Tampa was a 90 win team BEFORE the moves they made this week


AL East is going to be tougher than usual
 

moondog80

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Sep 20, 2005
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Santana for Encarnacion seems like the most lateral move ever.
 

hbk72777

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I've never seen such a mess of reporting a trade.

These reporters all rush to be first instead of waiting until things are settled
 

SouthernBoSox

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Jul 23, 2005
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Tommy Pham, EE, Austin Meadows, if Zunino bounces back.... Yandy Diaz looked good in limited time.

The Rays are doing some high class shit. Couldn't be more impressed with them.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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May 5, 2017
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This is a difficult one to wrap my mind around, but I think I like it as a Tribe fan. It's really two separate deals for them:

(1) Edwin Encarnacion for Carlos Santana. Assuming there's no money exchanged here, this guarantees Cleveland will be paying someone $20M+ in 2020, but the contracts are largely a wash. If Cleveland had picked up Encarnacion's option for 2020, it would have cost $500,000 more total than what they'll spend on the next two years of Santana (assuming they buy out Santana's 2021 option). I'm also hearing a rumor that Cleveland is receiving $6M, which would make this a no-brainer. Santana's a pretty good first baseman, so I'll take the value he provides at the plate and in the field over Encarnacion as the DH every time. It also suggests Cleveland won't be tearing it all down after 2019.

(2) Yandy Diaz + Round B competitive pick + Cole Sulser for Jake Bauers. This sounds good, but Yandy Diaz could be a beast if he ever buys into the launch angle revolution. He looks like a bodybuilder and can be an on-base machine, but he's 27 and doesn't have a swing that produces power. He also has only established which positions he can't play (he was never in the OF discussion despite a serious need, and he's not a major league 3B). The pick is basically a 3rd rounder, and Sulser is garbage... he has a great minor league K-rate, but despite all of Cleveland's bullpen problems last year, the 28-year-old in AAA with a 14.1 K-rate was never close to promotion.

Bauers might be first in line for the starting LF job in spring training, and if Cleveland isn't adding any payroll, I think this would still make signing a decent RF this winter a possibility. This might be the sign that Michael Brantley's return is now off the table, although if his market falls apart, they could try Bauers in RF.

*
 

chawson

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Aug 1, 2006
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This is a difficult one to wrap my mind around, but I think I like it as a Tribe fan. It's really two separate deals for them:

(1) Edwin Encarnacion for Carlos Santana. Assuming there's no money exchanged here, this guarantees Cleveland will be paying someone $20M+ in 2020, but the contracts are largely a wash. If Cleveland had picked up Encarnacion's option for 2020, it would have cost $500,000 more total than what they'll spend on the next two years of Santana (assuming they buy out Santana's 2021 option). I'm also hearing a rumor that Cleveland is receiving $6M, which would make this a no-brainer. Santana's a pretty good first baseman, so I'll take the value he provides at the plate and in the field over Encarnacion as the DH every time. It also suggests Cleveland won't be tearing it all down after 2019.

(2) Yandy Diaz + Round B competitive pick + Cole Sulser for Jake Bauers. This sounds good, but Yandy Diaz could be a beast if he ever buys into the launch angle revolution. He looks like a bodybuilder and can be an on-base machine, but he's 27 and doesn't have a swing that produces power. He also has only established which positions he can't play (he was never in the OF discussion despite a serious need, and he's not a major league 3B). The pick is basically a 3rd rounder, and Sulser is garbage... he has a great minor league K-rate, but despite all of Cleveland's bullpen problems last year, the 28-year-old in AAA with a 14.1 K-rate was never close to promotion.

Bauers might be first in line for the starting LF job in spring training, and if Cleveland isn't adding any payroll, I think this would still make signing a decent RF this winter a possibility. This might be the sign that Michael Brantley's return is now off the table, although if his market falls apart, they could try Bauers in RF.

*
Good analysis. Agree, it's smart for Cleveland. Gets them an outfielder they desperately need, plus an extra year of a market-rate first baseman when the first base market is about to be extremely thin.
 

jon abbey

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Yonder Alonso moved to the White Sox, which makes more sense if you know that he is Manny Machado's brother-in-law and the White Sox are doing all they can to recruit Machado or Harper.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Pure salary dump for the Indians... unloading Alonso's full contract was return enough. By my calculations, the three trades they've made this off-season have cut $24.33M from the 2019 payroll. I think the trade rumors surrounding Kluber and Bauer are officially a thing of the past, and now it's time to address the outfield and bullpen... although I think they'll wait out the free agent market for the most part and wait for someone's market to crash.

*
 

chawson

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Aug 1, 2006
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Is Alonso a bench guy? Or is Abreu available?
One of DD’s minor victories last offseason was not trading for Jose Abreu. He’s due roughly $16M next year and is probably worth half that. Even if our first base situation were not set, he’s a liability, not an asset.
 

MikeM

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One of DD’s minor victories last offseason was not trading for Jose Abreu. He’s due roughly $16M next year and is probably worth half that. Even if our first base situation were not set, he’s a liability, not an asset.
Can't really call that a win imo, since from a reality pov we never matched up for a potential trade there to begin with. We didn't have the push any needles prospects, plus the Bradley stuff was strictly media and message board spitballing on what our own cost "could" be. It wasn't actually ever going to happen.

Abreu obviously isn't a good fit here anymore, but if I'm a team looking for an impact bat for 2019 without over committing to a free agent I'd honestly like him a lot as a lower risk and buy low flyer. Well, buy low considering what Chicago could realistically expect to get for a rental 1B at this point. Strong offensive ceiling, solid track record of staying healthy (don't think the testicular/ingrown hair stuff last year hurt that much), and he'll be playing for his first crack at FA at year's end.
 

axx

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Jul 16, 2005
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Rumors on the Internets is that Bryce Harper is planning on signing with LA but no agreement yet because they need to unload an outfielder first.
 

DeadlySplitter

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meh. this is the only guy reporting it I guess as MLBTR has nothing on it. I'll wait until a Heyman, Morosi type actually confirms.
 

jon abbey

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Wilson Ramos to the Mets for 2/19, I wonder if the Marlins overplayed their hand with Realmuto.
 

Plympton91

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Wilson Ramos to the Mets for 2/19, I wonder if the Marlins overplayed their hand with Realmuto.
Getting Wilson Ramos at 2/$19 instead of giving up Syndergaard or Rosario for Realmuto is overplaying your hand?

That’s a flat out bargain for Ramos. I wish the Red Sox had been in a payroll position to have beaten it. I imagine Grandal is wondering whether he should have taken the qualifying offer right about now.

Edit
Just looked at Ramos’ 2016-2018 cumulative. That’s not just a bargain, that’s highway robbery. Ramos should fire his agent. The Mets May have gotten one of the best deals of the free agent era right there.
 

moondog80

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Getting Wilson Ramos at 2/$19 instead of giving up Syndergaard or Rosario for Realmuto is overplaying your hand?

That’s a flat out bargain for Ramos. I wish the Red Sox had been in a payroll position to have beaten it. I imagine Grandal is wondering whether he should have taken the qualifying offer right about now.

Edit
Just looked at Ramos’ 2016-2018 cumulative. That’s not just a bargain, that’s highway robbery. Ramos should fire his agent. The Mets May have gotten one of the best deals of the free agent era right there.

I agree with the assessment of Ramos, but the overplayed their hand comment was directed at the Marlins, who have been rumored to have a huge asking price and just saw what may have been their biggest suitor move on.
 

jon abbey

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Yeah, no idea what Plympton is talking about as usual. My (obvious) point as moondog said was that Miami has been asking for a massive haul for Realmuto and most or all of their suitors have moved on.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Dec 4, 2005
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Getting Wilson Ramos at 2/$19 instead of giving up Syndergaard or Rosario for Realmuto is overplaying your hand?

That’s a flat out bargain for Ramos. I wish the Red Sox had been in a payroll position to have beaten it. I imagine Grandal is wondering whether he should have taken the qualifying offer right about now.

Edit
Just looked at Ramos’ 2016-2018 cumulative. That’s not just a bargain, that’s highway robbery. Ramos should fire his agent. The Mets May have gotten one of the best deals of the free agent era right there.
Sorry, what am I missing? Grandal was worth three time Ramos last year and they’re trending in opposite directions.
 

moondog80

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Sorry, what am I missing? Grandal was worth three time Ramos last year and they’re trending in opposite directions.
You may be looking at Ramos' line with just Philly -- his cumulative WAR (he was traded to Philly from TB midseason) was 2.7 in 111 games, as opposed to 3.3 in 140 games for WAR. And he's only a year older than Grandal. Factor in the QO penalty (which Ramos did not have) and his postseason troubles, and I think concerns about Grandal's market are valid.

EDIT: I'd love to see the Red Sox somehow take advantage if he does have a soft market.
 
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Papelbon's Poutine

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You may be looking at Ramos' line with just Philly -- his cumulative WAR (he was traded to Philly from TB midseason) was 2.7 in 111 games, as opposed to 3.3 in 140 games for WAR. And he's only a year older than Grandal. Factor in the QO penalty (which Ramos did not have) and his postseason troubles, and I think concerns about Grandal's market are valid.

EDIT: I'd love to see the Red Sox somehow take advantage if he does have a soft market.
Thank you, I was just looking at PHI. Apologies Plympton.
 

Plympton91

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Yeah, no idea what Plympton is talking about as usual. My (obvious) point as moondog said was that Miami has been asking for a massive haul for Realmuto and most or all of their suitors have moved on.
Oops, sorry. Bad eyesight, misread. I agree, Marlins may have overplayed, especially if there was any hint in the GM/agent space that Ramos bidding was so low.

Did Ramos' agent agree to this without his consent and forge his name?
Agents are supposed to get you a good contract. If this was the best his agent could do, he’s got a bad agent.
 

YTF

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Oops, sorry. Bad eyesight, misread. I agree, Marlins may have overplayed, especially if there was any hint in the GM/agent space that Ramos bidding was so low.



Agents are supposed to get you a good contract. If this was the best his agent could do, he’s got a bad agent.
Ramos opted to accept what was presented to him at this EARLY stage of the game.