2018-19 Offseason Rumors

[Bear Cub]

Tulo any day over Descalso. Let the cheating cardinals have D.D.

[jersey cubs fan]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/padres-blue-jays-discussing-marcus-stroman-deal.html

 

Boooooooo

 

[Cubswin11]

Must be nice to be able to have all these decisions and ability to make moves to improve an already good team.

 

[17 Seconds]

Must be nice to be able to have all these decisions and ability to make moves to improve an already good team.

 

 

i wouldn't rather be a dodgers fan until they win a world series again. right now we've still got it better imo. they're basically in "none of this means anything until we actually win a championship" mode, no matter how good things go during the regular season. things are not all roses over there.

[Cubswin11]

Must be nice to be able to have all these decisions and ability to make moves to improve an already good team.

 

 

i wouldn't rather be a dodgers fan until they win a world series again. right now we've still got it better imo. they're basically in "none of this means anything until we actually win a championship" mode, no matter how good things go during the regular season. things are not all roses over there.

Oh, definitely agree. I'm not saying I'd swap out with them at all, especially with the WS banked (and even moving forward we are on an even footing at worst). It's just frustrating, at the moment, to see them on the verge of the FU offseason we were hoping we would have. I still trust Theo and hold out hope we figure Harper out. But man it really sucks right now from the outside looking in that our biggest competitor is about to make big moves when we are handcuffed and at best making moves on the margins (which I feel like our FO sees the Dodgers are the team to truly worry about in terms of measuring things against and projecting, they aren't worried about Central teams as we are going to be projected better than anyone else int he division no matter what).

[Bluescale]

(which I feel like our FO sees the Dodgers are the team to truly worry about in terms of measuring things against and projecting, they aren't worried about Central teams as we are going to be projected better than anyone else int he division no matter what).

 

I hope they worry about the central, considering how, in the last 4 years, we've only one it easily once, with great difficulty once, and ended up WC teams the other two times. The NL Central is probably going to be a grind again, and your division always needs to be the #1 consideration. After that, the playoffs are a crapshoot.

[Backtobanks]

Just read on MLB.com that Corey Seager had both TJ AND hip surgery earlier this year. Plus the Dodgers just traded their two most productive RHHs from last year, are likely to lose an underrated stud in Grandal, have maybe more questions about pitching than the Cubs...

 

By the time February rolls around I honestly might have an easier time pretending to be worried about the 2019 Mets than I do the 2019 Doyers. horsefeathers, I might be there now.

 

It really seems to me the NL is leaving the door wide open for the Cubs to go ahead and dominate for a couple years

 

The door certainly would be wide open for the Cubs if they were having a "normal" offseason. I guess we'll have to wait and see what other moves are made by the Cubs and other teams before really knowing what to expect for 2019.

[CubinNY]

 

Good, stay away from those trust fund hippie stoners in SD.

You must have never been to San Diego.

[imb]

he can tunnel and has great spin rates. if he has good exit velocity he could be shohei otani

[Sammy Sofa]

he can tunnel and has great spin rates. if he has good exit velocity he could be shohei otani

 

But is he enough of a terrible person for the FO to be interested in the first place? Gotta have the whole package to really get the Theo Treatment.

[Hunter]

Have we fallen so far that not only look to twitter for trade rumors, but now we are looking to twitter for players to sign? :lol:

[Clem Fandango]

he can tunnel and has great spin rates. if he has good exit velocity he could be shohei otani

 

But is he enough of a terrible person for the FO to be interested in the first place? Gotta have the whole package to really get the Theo Treatment.

 

He said he wants to make money to help those less fortunate than him so he's just white noise to the FO

[Sammy Sofa]

I honestly don’t believe anyone’s even trying that hard to come up with a straight or competent narrative.

 

Besides the very obvious, "management sucks?"

[Sammy Sofa]

I feel like if the White Sox or Phillies weren’t full of it, at least one of the three top FAs would be off the board.

 

Given how every single team is shamelessly trying to pay as little as possible, I think you're vastly overstating how unusual it is for none of these guys to be signed as of 1/8.

[Sammy Sofa]

How are they not helping themselves by trying to wait out these players and agents to see if they can (relatively) lowball their contract demands? The only thing gained for management if they jump on those players now is, obviously, locking up those players before someone else can...but they'd have to pay more to do that, and, again, it's clear that every single team is trying to outdo the next in how to pay FA's as little as possible, regardless of the talent-level.

[Derwood]

I feel like if the White Sox or Phillies weren’t full of it, at least one of the three top FAs would be off the board.

 

Given how every single team is shamelessly trying to pay as little as possible, I think you're vastly overstating how unusual it is for none of these guys to be signed as of 1/8.

 

The blessing/curse of advanced analytics is that there is now a ton of available data to convince owners/GM’s that these players are (sometimes) not worth what they’re asking

[Sammy Sofa]

Stay classy, homie.

[Cubswin11]

[Deeg]

I'm starting to think Bryce could fall right back into the Nats' lap.

[Banedon]

I occasionally will listen to MLB network radio on the way to/from the gym, and they are still convinced that Machado and/or Harper end up with the Yankees. Because whenever they have nothing else to talk about, they talk about the Yankees.

[Derwood]

I occasionally will listen to MLB network radio on the way to/from the gym, and they are still convinced that Machado and/or Harper end up with the Yankees. Because whenever they have nothing else to talk about, they talk about the Yankees.

 

They are so bored that they don't know how to fill the airtime. One set of hosts is all-in on the Yankees, then 2 hours later, those hosts are convinced its the Phillies, and it's the same crap day after day because they literally have nothing to talk about this off season

[Cubswin11]

Mystery Team!

 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Machado to cobs. russell to

 

[Derwood]

In the wake of the Yankees’ agreement with infielder DJ LeMahieu, their talks with free agent Manny Machado “are either dormant or completely dead,” ESPN’s Buster Olney writes

 

This offseason can really go horsefeathers a goat. Even the rumors are idiot level

 

Ffs the Mets are the most respectable ML team this offseason. The Mets!

 

Just get used to it. This is the new normal. They should just move the Winter Meetings to late January. Front offices are far more cautious and less willing to be the first teams to make a big splash in free agency.

[Bull]

In the wake of the Yankees’ agreement with infielder DJ LeMahieu, their talks with free agent Manny Machado “are either dormant or completely dead,” ESPN’s Buster Olney writes

 

This offseason can really go horsefeathers a goat. Even the rumors are idiot level

 

Ffs the Mets are the most respectable ML team this offseason. The Mets!

 

Just get used to it. This is the new normal. They should just move the Winter Meetings to late January. Front offices are far more cautious and less willing to be the first teams to make a big splash in free agency.

Switch the arbitration deadline with the winter meetings. Get arb out of the way earlier and let the teams have a better handle on their actual budget. Winter meetings then return to their proper position, that being where things get done.