2018-19 Offseason News, Rumors, Trades

dcmissle

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Has a stench of “Fine, I’ll take your money.”
Well yes.

Harper by every account really enjoyed living and playing here, and notwithstanding his often reckless style of play does not strike me as a Philly kind of guy.

The problem with divining what “Washington” intended when it made its offer is there is no monolithic Washington. There is ownership, then there is the GM and executive suite.

Little doubt in my mind that Rizzo wanted to move on, and for the reasons outlined in Boswell’s article, reasonably so. Rizzo had Harper dealt to the Astros at the deadline; ownership said no.

So far Lerner’s kid is siding with Rizzo on this. The train has left the station. But until it’s done, it’s not done. You have to account for the patriarch.

I don’t expect Harper to return here. But I would not be shocked if he did.
 

YTF

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Just wondering out loud....Does St. Louis make any sense at all when it comes to Harper? Their payroll is now somewhere around $155 million I believe. Goldschmidt is a free agent after this season and they probably could stand a boost in their rotation so the money is likely better spent elsewhere. That said, they did bring Goldschmidt in so is there enough of a team there that adding Harper gives them a legit shot at a title this season.
 

bosockboy

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Just wondering out loud....Does St. Louis make any sense at all when it comes to Harper? Their payroll is now somewhere around $155 million I believe. Goldschmidt is a free agent after this season and they probably could stand a boost in their rotation so the money is likely better spent elsewhere. That said, they did bring Goldschmidt in so is there enough of a team there that adding Harper gives them a legit shot at a title this season.
In theory it does but they aren’t spending. They take a lot of shit about it, I live there. They have never signed a big time free agent, like ever. Resigning Holliday in 2009 really only instance. Fans abhor them for it.
 

jon abbey

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Another (minor?) setback for Kershaw, who didn't feel great playing catch today and is shut down for now.
 

nvalvo

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Another (minor?) setback for Kershaw, who didn't feel great playing catch today and is shut down for now.
Oof. I don't know if I want to spend $40m AAV for Harper on a Dodgers club with an injured Kershaw.

That makes sense if and only if you're turning your club into a presumptive title juggernaut after six straight postseason appearances.
 

E5 Yaz

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Oof. I don't know if I want to spend $40m AAV for Harper on a Dodgers club with an injured Kershaw.

That makes sense if and only if you're turning your club into a presumptive title juggernaut after six straight postseason appearances.
Spend the money on Keuchel
 

DeadlySplitter

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Murderer's Crow

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Sucks that he's off the market.

Two mega deals handed out in the past 2 weeks and another one coming very soon. Tony Clarke still has work cut out for him if he wants to argue that players aren't getting paid.
 

E5 Yaz

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Arenado has signed an 8-year, $260 million extension that includes an opt out after 3 years and a full no trade clause.
Good for the Rockies and good for baseball.

Not sure if anyone would want to opt out after '21, though
 

jon abbey

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Somewhere Anthony Rendon is smiling, Josh Donaldson too probably.
 

jon abbey

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Am I the only know who had no idea who Miles Mikolas was?
They signed him last year after a few years in Japan and he was awesome, 4th in the NL in ERA and 9th in bWAR among NL pitchers, right between Greinke and Syndergaard.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Am I the only know who had no idea who Miles Mikolas was?
He's entering his age 30 season and is essentially the pitching version of Cecil Fielder. Fringey major leaguer who went to Japan, figured something out, and has come back to the US an All Star. The Cards must be convinced that his season last year was the real deal to lock him up for four more years at double his salary.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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He's entering his age 30 season and is essentially the pitching version of Cecil Fielder. Fringey major leaguer who went to Japan, figured something out, and has come back to the US an All Star. The Cards must be convinced that his season last year was the real deal to lock him up for four more years at double his salary.
"Figured something out" is great.

That aside, the Cardinals have generally been very good in their talent evaluations including when to buy, sell or hold so they get the benefit of the doubt with Mikolas.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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At this point Harper can go play for the St. Paul Saints, I've lost all interest in where he's going. In fact, until I read this post, I forgot that he was still without a team.

Edit: not that I think that either he or Scott Boras give a shit what I think, but in the last few years, baseball seems to be trying to suck a lot of joy out of the game. This seems to be another example.
 

bosockboy

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"Figured something out" is great.

That aside, the Cardinals have generally been very good in their talent evaluations including when to buy, sell or hold so they get the benefit of the doubt with Mikolas.
They’ve whiffed plenty. Gave Mike Leake and Dexter Fowler 80 million, both were huge mistakes. They luckily lost out giving Heyward 180 million.
 

edoug

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At this point Harper can go play for the St. Paul Saints, I've lost all interest in where he's going. In fact, until I read this post, I forgot that he was still without a team.

Edit: not that I think that either he or Scott Boras give a shit what I think, but in the last few years, baseball seems to be trying to suck a lot of joy out of the game. This seems to be another example.
He Teixeira'd the Phillies?
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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They’ve whiffed plenty. Gave Mike Leake and Dexter Fowler 80 million, both were huge mistakes. They luckily lost out giving Heyward 180 million.
I didn't say they were perfect but their track record is pretty good, Voit, Pham, Leake and Fowler aside. If they do have one weakness, its been signing established FAs. But their ability to source and develop talent has been pretty good, Astros-hacking aside.
 

SydneySox

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I didn't say they were perfect but their track record is pretty good, Voit, Pham, Leake and Fowler aside. If they do have one weakness, its been signing established FAs. But their ability to source and develop talent has been pretty good, Astros-hacking aside.
Right, apart from Voit, Pham, Leake and Fowler, what have the Cardinals ever done for us?
 

jon abbey

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They gave away Piscotty last year too but that was so he could be near his ailing mom, Voit was blocked and Pham they decided wasn't worth the hassles. They do seem to produce an endless stream of talent and it's not the top 3 draft picks or international 16 year olds, so I agree with the general DeJesus thesis. I'm just glad NY got in on the great STL talent giveaway of 2018, enjoy Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos (I like Gallegos but clearly there was no space for him in NY).
 

DanoooME

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They gave away Piscotty last year too but that was so he could be near his ailing mom, Voit was blocked and Pham they decided wasn't worth the hassles. They do seem to produce an endless stream of talent and it's not the top 3 draft picks or international 16 year olds, so I agree with the general DeJesus thesis. I'm just glad NY got in on the great STL talent giveaway of 2018, enjoy Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos (I like Gallegos but clearly there was no space for him in NY).
Yeah, Jose Martinez and Harrison Bader have a lot to do with the Cardinals dealing talent.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory

Steve Phillips: A source indicates that the #Phillies believe their chances of landing Bryce Harper are remote. The obvious question is whether they would pivot to Keuchel and/or Kimbrel. My sense from our interview with Matt Klentak is that they won’t play on Keuchel and only maybe on Kimbrel.
 

jon abbey

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Josh James got hurt today (rookie Astros starter, strained quad), I wonder if Keuchel will end up back there after all.
 

jon abbey

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So the Arenado deal is pretty interesting, they ripped up his $26M deal for this year and he will definitely be with them this year and the following two.

But after 2021, he has a player option every single season for the remainder of the deal and a full no-trade clause for the entire thing. He did very well for himself.
 

Rough Carrigan

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So the Arenado deal is pretty interesting, they ripped up his $26M deal for this year and he will definitely be with them this year and the following two.

But after 2021, he has a player option every single season for the remainder of the deal and a full no-trade clause for the entire thing. He did very well for himself.
Yeah, but Colorado locked him up for his age 28, 29 and 30 seasons. Much after that do you want to be giving him a huge contract? I guess we'll see how he ages. Dwar and fielding bible both thought his fielding went from great to just good this past year. Maybe that's just a blip. If it's not then three years down the line some more of that luster is likely to be off him. Maybe Colorado did okay too.
 

nvalvo

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Harper to SF would be a lot of fun.

It gets him to the west coast, which it sounds like he wants, and it gives SF a LH HR threat with the necessary power to reach the water in night games that they've lacked, really since Bonds. They'll be bad for a year or three, but it's a well-run organization, and they have some interesting kids in the low minors. Harper would give the fans something to watch in the next year or so, and then still be in his prime when they're on their way back up.
 

jon abbey

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Yeah, but Colorado locked him up for his age 28, 29 and 30 seasons. Much after that do you want to be giving him a huge contract? I guess we'll see how he ages. Dwar and fielding bible both thought his fielding went from great to just good this past year. Maybe that's just a blip. If it's not then three years down the line some more of that luster is likely to be off him. Maybe Colorado did okay too.
Well, they already had him under contract for the age 28 season, so my only point was that what seemed like a long-term contract when announced is actually an additional two years and then any additional commitments are totally in Arenado's hands (full no-trade and a player option after every season).

I agree that COL did well anyway, since Arenado is in the top handful of players in the game, but rumors about him opting out are going to start again sometime in 2020 probably.