Category Archives: MLB Trades
TORONTO BLUE JAYS POLL: WIN NOW, OR…?
WITH RUMORS OF THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS’ INTEREST IN ANDREW MCCUTCHEN, WE POLL OUR READERS: YOU COMFORTABLE MORTGAGING THE FUTURE TO WIN NOW?
So, the Toronto Blue Jays look to be close to doing “something” soon, according to Stephen Brunt, who was on Sportsnet 960 The Fan in Calgary on Tuesday. All of this, of course passed on by Ian Hunter over at Blue Jay Hunter, so a hearty “Thank you” to him for the relay. And, what that something is could be anyone’s guess. But, one idea that has been floated before, and doesn’t seem to want to go away is the idea of trading for Pirates OF, Andrew McCutchen. But, it won’t come cheap: Vladimir Guerrero Jr!
In any trade talks this winter, we knew that it would cost a rather significant chunk of Toronto’s prospect capital. Names like Anthony Alford, Sean Reid-Foley, Conner Greene, and even Rowdy Tellez were among the names we knew would have to be included in any deal of substance. And, some folks would be willing to part with a couple of those names if it means winning in 2017. But this one is a bit jarring.
TAKE THE POLL at Jays From the Couch
TORONTO BLUE JAYS RUMOR: CLUB INTERESTED IN BRETT GARDNER
ONE RUMOR HAS THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS INTERESTED IN MOVING ON FROM JOSE BAUTISTA & TRADING FOR BRETT GARDNER, WHICH JAYS FROM THE COUCH DEBUNKS.
Well, here we go! A new year and some not so new tricks. Apparently, when it comes to the baseball offseason, there is no point in setting resolutions. The same old stuff keeps happening, year after year. This time around, the Toronto Blue Jays may find themselves in the middle of a rumor…again. Though, this one seems a little weak.
According to Ashley Varela of NBC Sports, Toronto is not interested in Jose Bautista anymore because they’ve moved on to coveting Yankees outfielder, Brett Gardner…
READ FULL POST at Jays From the Couch
ON BLUE JAYS & PLUNDERING THE PIRATES FOR LEFTY RELIEF HELP
JAYS FROM THE COUCH LOOKS AT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE BLUE JAYS EXPLORING SOME OF THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES POSSIBLE BULLPEN TRADE PIECES.
On Monday, JP Morosi tweeted out some nuggets on the Blue Jays longing for lefty help out of the bullpen, mentioning interest in Jerry Blevins and Boone Logan. These are names that have been mentioned on Jays From the Couch before (Blevins here and Logan here), but Morosi went further to whet the mouths of Blue Jays fans with reported interest in recently-crowned World Series Champion, Travis Wood.
A tweet and poll later on Monday afternoon over from Pirates Breakdown led to some interesting thoughts in regards to acquiring lefty relief. The Pirates bullpen is a honey hole of strong left-handed relievers, enough that the team will likely consider moving at least one this offseason. Tony Watson and Antonio Bastardo highlight the list, but Pirates Prospects blogger Tim Williams also mentions Felipe Rivero, Wade Leblanc and Tyler Webb all as possible candidates to be dealt…
READ FULL POST on Jays From the Couch
The Dodgers Should Do Another Trade With The White Sox In Order To Bolster Their 2017 Roster
The Dodgers have spent over $300 MIL in back to back years, and are the clubhouse leaders in Luxury Tax penalties paid. At a 50% penalty, the Los Angeles forked out $40 MIL in Luxury Taxes in 2016. With an estimated $204 MIL payroll – considering there are several roster holes now created by departing players, the team will need to spend around $235 MIL in 2017 total payroll. With a 50% penalty – and an additional 45% hit – for going $40 MIL over the new $195 MIL limit in 2017, I highly expect the organization will be less willing to spend 90 cents extra for every dollar spent beyond that. This means that they should not re-sign Kenley Jansen or Turner. The White Sox have the Closer, Third Baseman and Second Baseman needed to complete their roster/winter shopping – if a deal can be reached.
Last year the Dodgers were in the middle of a 3 way trade with the Reds and White Sox.
December 16, 2015: Todd Frazier was Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Brandon Dixon (minors), Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler to the Cincinnati Reds. The Chicago White Sox sent Micah Johnson, Frankie Montas and Trayce Thompson to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
with the full rebuild going on in the south side of Chicago now, the Los Angeles Dodgers brass should be targeting some players back in return. This time they should acquire Todd Frazier, but I also think they should go for Brett Lawrie and White Sox team Closer David Robertson.
The total net projected salary of those 3 players would equal $28.5 MIL – which would be substantially less than what it would take to re-sign Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. David Robertson has pitched for a big market like New York before, so playoff baseball is not foreign to him.
Lawrie would adequately replace the production the club had with Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick this past year for a fraction of the cost.
Having Todd Frazier’s power would really benefit the ailing/aging slugger of Adrian Gonzalez, and also the young and brilliant Corey Seager,
So who goes back in return for these guys? Read the rest of this entry
Cubs Acquire Closer Wade Davis: It’s A Smarter Maneuver Than You Think
Wade Davis has been one of the filthiest late inning Relievers in the game over last three years, and only comes with a salary for one year at $10 MIL. Chicago is really smart for doing this as Aroldis Chapman cost the Yankees $86 MIL for 5 years yesterday, and Kenley Jansen is not far behind. he Cubs may also give Davis a Qualifying Offer after next season is over. Who knows, maybe he would accept a one year deal at $18 MIL to stay on this World Series Contender. The most important factor in landing Davis is his playoff pedigree. He has proved he is an elite Closer on the grandest of stages – something that Chicago plans to be involved in again to defend their championship.
With the news that the Cubs brought in Wade Davis in exchange for Jorge Soler, the Cubs have effectively brought in a 9th Inning Man – who won the World Series for the Royals in 2015 as their stopper.
Davis will earn $10 MIL in 2017, and can may be extended the Qualifying Offer for 2018 in the process. With another spike potentially in the top 125 salaries (this years total was $17.2 MIL) maybe Davis would take the one year deal for 2018 after this next season.
As one of the game’s premiere Late Inning arms since the 2014 season, Davis is also a perfect replacement for the departing Aroldis Chapman.
With a team that has a World Series under its belt, they just added a Pitcher with a 4 – 0 record, with a 0.84 ERA and 0.959 WHIP in 32 Innings worth of work – spanning the 2014 and 2015 World Series trip for Kansas City. He has performed at the optimal level – under the most pressure. Read the rest of this entry
The Nats Pay A Steep Price For Eaton: The New CF Has A Team Friendly 5 Year Deal Which Is The Key To Salvage The Trade
Mike Rizzo is getting scorched for the fact he gave up the #3 and #38 top MLB Pipeline Prospects. Throw in their #6 prospect – and you can see how people have said the Nats GM orchestrated a bad deal. I am not one of those people. This was a move that is more financial based than even the young players. If Washington is still able to get a top line Closer, and add several more pieces, while dancing around the Luxury Tax Threshold of $195 MIL – I am down with this trade if they re-spend the cash on another Starter that is MLB ready this season.
For the majority of the last week we heard the Nationals were trying to land Andrew McCutchen in a trade, but they shocked the world on Wednesday by acquiring CF Adam Eaton from the White Sox in exchange for three RHP (Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning).
These three guys represent the club’s #1, #3 and #6 prospects. Giolito was ranked #3 overall and Lopez #38 by MLBPipeline.com
This seems like a lot for just one player – but you have to look at several factors here.
Mike Rizzo landed a player that just turned 28 a few years ago.. He is the leadoff guy the team has needed ever since the departure of Denard Span. This is so critical when you consider the Nats will likely only have Bryce Harper for the next 2 years. Read the rest of this entry
Boston Throws Down A Hell Of A Haymaker To The Rest Of The American League With Acquiring Chris Sale
Chris Sale has been as about as dominant as a pitcher as there has been in the American League since he entered into the rotation. He is 74 – 50 with a clean 3.00 ERA over his career thus far – wtth 5 straight top 6 Cy Young Finishes and ALL – Star Appearances. Sale set career highs in Wins (17) CG (6) and IP (226.2) during the last campaign. He is only set to earn $38 MIL over the next 3 seasons total, so the cap hit is even better news for the Red Sox, who are already nearing the Luxury Tax Threshold Limit, and are subject to a 50% penalty as 3rd time abusers in 2017.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
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The Red Sox have landed an ace in the winter for the 2nd straight winter. Boston has acquired Chris Sale from the White Sox in exchange for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech – with two other prospects Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz also heading to the Pale Hose.
This is the type of trade that brings a championship. For a MLB club that was right up against the Luxury Tax Threshold already of $195 MIL for 2017, having Sale only making $38 MIL over the next three years is the biggest plus to this pact going down.
Boston loses a young player like Moncada for sure. and he may be World Class in the future, but you have to give something up to get something. The Beantowners will still also be alright for their future with the likes of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley JR. just kickstarting their young careers, while they also held onto other great prospects like Andrew Benintendi and Blake Swihart.
They still have plenty of colorful veterans (with plenty of postseason experience) in talking of Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez – and yes even Pablo Sandoval. Read the rest of this entry
The Mets And White Sox Should Workout A Mega Blockbuster Trade For Chris Sale
The Mets have enough young Starting Pitching talent to acquire Chris Sale. I have gone one step further in propoisng them to add Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier and David Robertson as well. The Mets would not be signing Yoenis Cespedes under this potential deal.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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The New York Mets could use a healthy ace pitcher, natural CF, 3B to move David Wright over to 1B, while the White Sox could stand to replenish their squad with a nice lift of young Starting Pitchers.
The Proposed Idea for a Trade:
To the Mets:
SP – Chris Sale
OF – Adam Eaton
3B – Todd Frazier
RP – David Robertson
To the White Sox
SP – Steven Matz
SP – Robert Gsellman
SP – Seth Lugo
INF – Wilmer Flores
1B – Dominic Smith (Minors)
1B – Lucas Duda
CF – Juan Lagares
Seattle Mariners Showing A Riverboat Gambler Mentality With The Segura Deal: Why Not Covet Chris Carter Next?
The Seattle Mariners at a massive fork in the road for their franchise. The bulk of the roster is right at the peak of their careers, and with the A’s and Angels rebuilding. -and perhaps the Rangers taking a step back, GM Jerry DiPoto trading a young SP with a ton of potential in Taijuan Walker, in order to secure the biggest weakness the club suffered down the stretch in the 2016 season. In landing Jean Segura, the brass is hoping they have found the Leadoff man/Shortstop that will hep the break the longest MLB Playoff Drought currently.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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i love the Jean Segura trade for the Martiners. In a deal announced over Thanksgiving, the M’s picked up the 2016 All – Star 2B/SS, along with Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis for a return of Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker.
The real meat of this trade boils down to Segura vs Walker.
I definitely think the SS position was a sore spot for Seattle down the stretch in 2016 – with Marte slumping after a hot start to begin the campaign.
Yes pitching is at a premium in the market place right now, however Walker, now 24, hasn’t delivered to the hype he came into the MLB with – and Seattle had him pegged as the #3 Starter on the Depth Chart, despite Ariel Miranda outperforming him last season.
Segura led the NL with hits in 2016 (203) – and featured a career best .319/.368/.499 – with an astounding 71 XBH (20 HRs, 7 = 3B and 41 Doubles.) This helped the 26 Year Old tally 102 Runs Scored, while swiping 33 Bases.
Even though projecting a repeat performance out of Segura in 2017 may be a huge stretch, this man posted an incredible overall year and it may be one of the most underrated campaigns for an offensive player in the Majors this past campaign. Read the rest of this entry
What would a Nationals trade for Mark Melancon look like?
The Pittsburgh Pirates historically move closers at the right time. Is history about to repeat itself?
Today, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been in talks with teams regarding Mark Melancon.
With the Washington Nationals specifically named, how do the Pirates line up as trade partners with the franchise formerly known as the Expos?
Before we can delve into that, we should note that the Nationals were in on Aroldis Chapman. As Jon Heyman reported:
The Nats declined to give up Lucas Giolito for Chapman, then they declined to give up Joe Ross. After those two attempts by the Yankees, New York is said to have requested a four-player package centered around young pitching. Anyway, the Nats didn’t do it and never got close
First, let’s be very clear. In the closer market, there is Chapman, and then there is everyone else. We can use logic to tell us that the Nats will not give up Lucas Giolito – the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball entering 2015 – in any type of 1-for-1 deal. Thus, any deal that includes Giolito and Player X or Prospect Y likely will not work either.
Joe Ross is interesting as he can be seen as somewhat expendable. He’s been a very solid performer, with an ERA in the mid 3.5 or lower range with low-enough walk and home run per nine rates. This year he is averaging about 7.5 K/9. He is controllable through 2022, and is pre-arbitration.
Despite all these accolades, the Nationals are set at the top of their rotation with Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Giolito. Tanner Roark is in tow and controllable through 2020. Gio Gonzalez has a team option for the next two years, but the club might want to clear space for Erick Fedde, another talented starting pitching prospect.
Putting Together the Package
Taking all of that into consideration, and it would appear that Ross or Roark would be imminently available. Roark might have a slight edge over Ross in esteem due to a slightly longer track record and having slightly better control.
It is easy to envision a 1-for-1 swap of either Ross or Roark for Melancon’s services. We have seen a plethora of “baseball trades” in recent years, afterall.
But, as is often the case, trade deadline deals are rarely that easy. If we expand our criteria to see how the team’s farm systems match up, there is a lot of similarity. The Nationals have an abundance of infielders with multiple position chops as well as the usual assortment of pitching. Much like the Pittsburgh Pirates, their pipeline is surprisingly well-stocked for a team that traditionally has been built through free agency.
I could easily see a swap of B-level prospects being included in a potential deal, or a prospect going to the Pirates as a throw-in. Regardless, any deal with the Nationals would have to involve either Roark or Ross. Both are young, controllable and capable.
With just over 72 hours left until the deadline, the club might just be able to find a better deal elsewhere, but it’s clear that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals line up well as trade partners.
5 Potential Trade Targets for the Dodgers
The Dodgers are quite possibly the most disappointing team in baseball. Despite Clayton Kershaw, who is baseball’s most valuable player by leaps and bounds in 2016, LA sits 8 games behind the Giants entering Tuesday night’s slate of games and are just 5 games over .500.
Max wrote a few weeks ago about how the Dodgers lack of roster balance was killing them and nothing has really changed. Scott Van Slyke and Trayce Thompson are good ball players, but they can’t be starters on a World Series contender, especially not when stars like Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig aren’t pulling their weight. Howie Kendrick is their left fielder. Kendrick is a second basemen though and the Dodgers are bending over backwards to find ways to get both Kendrick and Chase Utley in the lineup at the same time. That’s distressing because Kendrick is batting only .243 with virtually no power and a negative WAR. That’s not a guy you should be working to find a spot for; you should have better options.
Speaking of options, the Dodgers thought they had a lot of them for the 2-5 spots in their starting rotation. Unfortunately, injury has absolutely devastated their crop of starters and the healthy ones that remain haven’t been great. Scott Kazmir‘s ERA is closer to 5 than 4 and Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson, and Alex Wood are all on the shelf. Anderson and McCarthy are on the way, but Wood was good but inconsistent before getting hurt and Ryu keeps having disappointing setbacks in his minor league rehab.
But all of those options just scream of pretty good. None of those guys are causing opposing managers to stay up at night dreading facing a tough pitcher. The same can be said of the lineup as a whole. It’s made up of a bunch of pretty good players, none of whom are really all that great. The problem with this approach is that the Major Leagues are tough and almost everyone is pretty good. So what’s another word for a majority of the Dodger’s roster right now? Average. Consider: the Dodgers only have three players worth more than 1 Win Above Average and the Dodgers’ 6th, 7th and 8th most valuable batters by that metric are starting pitchers.
Essentially, the Dodgers need an influx of talent to give them a jolt. They need a top half of the rotation starter and a left fielder.
Please visit the full site to continue reading about the Dodgers trade options
MLB Trade Rumors: Andrew Miller To The Texas Rangers
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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Let me preface this article by saying that this deal will only be made if the New York Yankees are out of the playoff race near the trade deadline. As of right now, the New York Yankees are 22-24, and 6.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox.
Considering how competitive the American League East is, there is a good chance the Yankees will be out of contention near the trade deadline, which means they will be sellers in the trade market.
The Yankees’ number one asset to move will be one of their three elite relief pitchers, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, or Aroldis Chapman.
Of the three, Andrew Miller is the most likely to be dealt. Miller is under contract until 2018 (signed a four-year/$36 million contract in 2015), which is what makes him so valuable to a contending team. So far in 2016, Miller has appeared in 19 games, with a 2-0 record, 0.96 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and one walk in 18.2 innings pitched.
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What Is The Deal At The Deadline: Braves And Twins?
Jordan Gluck (MLB Reports Writer/Part Owner)
I will be doing this series as the season rolls along. I will focus first at teams that are basically not in contention anymore and teams that are very far ahead and are almost assured to be buyers. I will focus on assets that are likely to be traded and not like general assets like Byron Buxton who is very talented but very unlikely to be traded. As of now these are the only 2 teams who are definite barring a miracle to be sellers.
Atlanta Braves
Lets be honest everybody and their grandmother knew the Braves were going to suck this season and are aiming for 2017 and later when their new stadium opens in Cobb County. They don’t have much to sell by design and will look to free up cash to go nuts in free agency at the end of the season and with trades. They already have a top tier farm system which maybe the best in baseball at this point.
As of now they have committed a paltry 44M to next seasons payroll. Four players contribute to the bulk of that in Freddie Freeman 20M, Nick Markakis 11M, Hector Olivera 10.5M and Julio Teheran 6.5M. They have a few arbitration cases which remain small and a club option on Jason Grilli. Keep in mind this team will have the ability to eat cash if needed to get better prospects. Here are the players which could be moved. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Trade Rumors: Matt Kemp To The Seattle Mariners
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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Matt Kemp has had quite the 2016 campaign so far for the San Diego Padres. In 167 plate appearances, he is batting .244, with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 20 runs. While he doesn’t have the value he once did, he could improve many competing teams who have a lack of talent in their outfield.
His power and run production could be a big boost to many lineups, including the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners are currently 22-17 and sitting at the top of the American League West. They aren’t necessarily struggling with run production, but their outfield doesn’t strike fear int
o many pitcher’s eyes. Their outfield is currently manned by Nori Aoki (.224 BA, 0 HR, 6 RBIs, 20 R, 2 SB), Leonys Martin (.203 BA, 6 HR, 14 RBIs, 16 R, 7 SB), and Seth Smith (.240 BA, 4 HR, 14 RBIs, 18 R). Realistically, Kemp could take over for any one of these players and provide an upgrade to the Mariners’ lineup.
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A Jay Bruce Trade To The New York Yankees Makes Sense
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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As of right now, the New York Yankees are really struggling. They are currently in last place in the American League East with a record of 13-19. A large part of this extreme decline is because the Yankees are struggling to score runs.
They are currently ranked as the 24th overall team in Major League Baseball when it comes to run production. This is exactly why the potential addition of Jay Bruce could be a huge spark plug to the Yankees lineup.
The Yankees outfield is currently filled with Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and a struggling Aaron Hicks. Jay Bruce could take over for Hicks and provide a lot of power potential for the Yankees lineup.
Over Bruce’s 9-year career, he is averaging 30 home runs per season. His left-handed power swing could be extremely dangerous in Yankee Stadium.
To see the rest of the article, click the link below:
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Trade Rumor: Will The Los Angeles Angels Flip Mike Trout?
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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As of right now, the Angels only have 3 starting pitchers listed on their depth chart (Jared Weaver, Hector Santiago, and Nick Tropeano).
This team is falling apart and it could be time to make a drastic move.
They are currently 13 – 18, but they are expected to continue to drop in the standings considering their team can’t stay healthy. Just to make matters worse, their farm system is widely considered to be the worst minor league system in baseball.
With that said, is it time for the Angels to consider trading Mike Trout to restock their farm system and focus on building their team for the future?
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Evan Gattis Or Jonathan Lucroy Could Be The Houston Astros Answer Behind The Plate
Jonathan Lucroy played like an MVP for the 1st half of the 2014 season, and ended up 4th overall in MVP voting that year, based on 68 Extra Base Hits an .837 OPS. Lucroy has only two years left of Team Control and the club would be in be in prime position to acquire a load of prospects if they were to deal him. The Astros have plenty of guys to land him – including several 1B prospects – in which the Brew Crew needs longterm. The two clubs have a history of doing deals too.
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) Follow @dynasty_digest
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While it is very early in the 2016 season, it is becoming very apparent that the Houston Astros are lacking success at the catcher position. Right now the Houston Astros are carrying two catchers, Jason Castro and Erik Kratz.
Through five games, Castro is hitting .071 and Kratz is hitting .000. Unfortunately, this rough catching production has been a trend over the past two years. In 2014 and 2015, Castro hit .222 and .211 respectively. He has also seen a 63% reduction in his power production from 2013 to 2015.
I will admit that Castro’s defensive ability and leadership in the clubhouse is huge for the Astros’ success, but his offensive struggles are hurting the team.
It could be time for the Houston Astros to start looking for some alternatives behind the plate. Please click the link below to read the rest of the article:
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Corey Dickerson Is Doomed After His Trade To The Tampa Bay Rays
Trey Rose (Featured Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) Follow @Dynasty_Digest
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Earlier last week, Corey Dickerson was traded from the Colorado Rockies with Kevin Padlo to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jake McGee and German Marquez.
This trade has everyone scratching their heads. From a fantasy baseball perspective, it has many owners very upset and questioning the future for McGee, Dickerson, and their team.
The Rockies get 2 years of team control over McGee, who is will more than likely be their closer, whereas, the Rays get 4 years of team control over Dickerson, who will be fighting for a spot in the outfield, first base, or DH.
In my opinion, I believe the Rays got the better end of the deal, but I don’t think it will help either team in the long-run. You can see my reason why Corey Dickerson is doomed below:
Chapman To The Yanks Means ‘New York’ is In It To Win It For 2016
Aroldis Chapman is the most dominant Left Handed Reliever in the game right now – and is heading to the Bronx with the 2 other top Strikeout Ratio artists in Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. The Yankees will be able to hold down plenty of leads. But this deal means more than just the player coming to New York. It is the first time we have seen the brass step up to say we are going to win this thing in 2016. Look for subsequent moves to be made now that this is the mindset. Chapman has 1 Year of Arbitration left before hitting the open market next winter).
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We have given Brian Cashman a lot of flak about how he has run the Yankees in the last half dozen year or so. While I like the Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro deals, this is the first deal where I felt the Pinstripers were serious about winning again.
Read about the deal for Chapman from MLB Trade Rumors
Everyone will be proclaiming them the best 1/2/3 knockout punch in late inning relief in the entire Majors. You will also hear a ton of things about Strikeout Rates – and historical Bullpens.
You will also hear a lot about player integrity and character. Since when do the Bronx Bombers ever care about whether a guy has some off field issues?
What I took out of yesterday’s deal is that the brass has given the green light to play ball in 2016.
With a payroll reaching $220 MIL now (easily payable with a team that makes as much as the Yankees), who cares if the team spends another $25 – $30 MIL after the Chapman deal? Read the rest of this entry
Toronto Should Trade For Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun has been the starter in RF for the Brewers for almost a decade. However, he has battled several thumb injuries, and is now 32 Years Old. Since Milwaukee will not likely be contenders for the next 3 – 4 years in a tough NL Division, they should really start to rebuild. Toronto also needs to look past 2016 – when both Encarnacion and Bautista are Free Agents. If they can’t come up with the funds to sign either of them in extensions, they should pursue Braun in the next 6 – 8 months.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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The Toronto Blue Jays have played it conservative for 2016, but still have a realistic shot to win in 2016 because of their offense. Going beyond 2016 looks extremely difficult when you factor in they may lose both Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista following next year.
This would be a shame, but both players should be able to command around $20 MIL per year for at least the next 2 – 3 years after this upcoming one. That may be too much for the Canadian club to afford.
Our website has spoken at length of how Toronto must capitalize on this opportunity. As of right now, I don’t think they have enough pitching to get it done in the playoffs either.
Free Agency will be a tough sell for the franchise to bring in any ace pitchers or premiere offensive stars in the coming years. You also may have a tough time to crack those deals when the Canadian dollar is hovering around 70 cents for every American Greenback right now.
I say go after Ryan Braun via a trade in the next 6 – 8 months. Read the rest of this entry
On The Trading Block In The NL East
The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the season – couple with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years.
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On the Trading Block NL East
Atlanta Braves: The Braves have quite a few players that they can trade and under John Hart you don’t know what direction they will go in this offseason.
Can they be in a position to compete moving into the new Sun Trust Stadium next year or is it a longer term rebuild
I think this team really isn’t 2 bad and could compete for a wild card this season with the addition of a 3B (Rio Ruiz?) and consistent starting pitching.
However it is clear their sights are not set on this season but on the future as indicated by their trade of Andrelton Simmons. Read the rest of this entry
Establishing The Freddie Freeman Trade Market
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Onwer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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First of all, I think the Braves would be out of their minds to Freddie Freeman this winter – or even for a few years. This club will need some some semblance of a team heading into their new stadium in Cobb County, GA next year.
I mean what is the problem, having a First Baseman in his prime with a Career Slash of .285/.366/.466 – with 22 HRs and 91 RBI per 162 Game Average? Nothing.
Then again, maybe the team just wants to go clean slate with a full rebuild. I get that. Kind of like the Houston Astros did recently.
Truth of the matter is, Freeman could command more on the open market than a 6 YR deal worth $118.5 MIL. But at $20 MIL per year still looming, it may be a tall order for some clubs to come up with that 9 figure sum. Read the rest of this entry
Do It Cashman/Rizzo: Strasburg For Andrew Miller And Brett Gardner!
As good as Stephen Strasburg was in the 2nd half of the 2015 year, ( 6 – 2 with a 1.90 ERA post ALL – Star), he will be a Free Agent after 2016. The Nats need a leadoff man, and a lockdown Closer- after they potentially trade attitude problem Jonathan Papelbon. It makes for both clubs to pull the deal off. There will also not be any recourse action as they are all set to switch leagues. The trade would see the Yankees flip leadoff OF man Brett Gardner and Closer Andrew Miller in return. Both of those 2 Yankees have 3 years left on their current deals.
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After seeing the trade go down for Alex Hicks, I then saw the trade proposal of Andrew Miller and Brett Gardner for Stephen Strasburg. This was inferred by MLB.com columnist Richard Justice. Here are my thoughts on it.
This would be a phenomenal deal for both clubs. The Yankees can clear some salary to sign another Starting Pitcher in addition to Strasburg coming in, and the Nats would get their new leadoff man and shutdown Closer.
Although there are some things to consider….It looks like the club will go forward with Bryce Harper at CF then. This would mean that Gardner and Jayson Werth would round out the Outfield.
I also think the Nationals should include Jonathan Papelbon in this deal – or flip him in another deal to clear a spot for Miller to Close.
Straburg will make from $11 – $13 MIL for the 2016 season in his last year of Arbitration before hitting Free Agency – which would equal out Gardner’s salary. Andrew Miller is set to make $9 MIL a year for the next 3 seasons.
New York will need to replace Miller in some capacity for sure. Whether that is another late inning arm to set up Dellin Betances – or even sign another Closer would have to be the idea. Miller and Betances were the two best pitchers for the club in 2015.
The team would be well served to land the services of Joakim Soria.
For the record, Papelbon only makes $11 MIL in 2016 before becoming an outright Free Agent in 2017. Read the rest of this entry
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