toonsterwu

Most reports suggest he has improved at 3rd. Enough to stick somewhat depends on physical maturation, but earlier in his career, few have him a real legitimate chance.

Robinson did well enough last year, offensively, and Moore, offensively, put up some numbers, uh, 2 years ago? For bench guys, they are okay. Coghlan would be a better starter, but comes down to If they are thinking that way.

1. Marlins - Well .. Coghlan was a backup Marlins IF by trade who moved out there as well. Neither Dietrich or Coghlan are good defensive OF options, and I'm not sure Coghlan's bat is worth the move, but perhaps. Again, value wise, I thought it was fine. 2. Nationals - will likely put Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore in LF on occasion. Matt Den Dekker is still there at last check, and if they don't sign anyone else, he could backup Revere and buy some time for Taylor to go back to AAA. 3. Orioles - Ryan Flaherty isn't a RHH. I think the Orioles probably are in the market for another asset in the OF if the price is right (and rumors suggest they've been looking), but they've got two lefties and two righties on the list of guys you just named. One would think Joey Rickard has a decent chance of making the roster if he doesn't fall flat on his face in the spring. None of their options are ... well ... good (including Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez) ..., but there are options. Also, Kim is likely slated for LF, and not sure how great the idea of Coghlan in RF at OPACY would be. I think they'll look around, though. Actually, I do wonder if they might double dip and go after say, Fowler and Gallardo, to lessen the impact of giving up a pick. Overall, I think they are better off not going that route at this juncture, but I could see something like that happen if they get the right contracts. Again, the other note I had was that Lee may actually be in the fight for the 5th starter job. Edit: - I like Voth. Nice mid-end of the rotation workhorse body type for a few years. That, value wise, makes sense to me, moreso than Cole, which I think is probably on the high end in a 1-1 deal. - I just have a hard time seeing a young lefty with a live fastball, at age 19, coming off a good season in A ball, and projected as a mid-rotation arm getting dealt for Coghlan 1v1. An expanded trade where we give up something else? I can see that, but with the way prospects are protected ... I just don't think Coghlan is good enough to grab him 1v1. Who knows, maybe I'm way off here, but unless they specifically wanted a LHH, they could simply bring back Ryan Raburn as a veteran bat.

Someone suggested Justus Sheffield a while back, maybe. I'd be into that and another arm like Plutko or Maronde. I'd be willing to sacrifice and take just one Triston McKenzie. Some others that might be fun: To the Astros for RHP Akeem Bostick, LHP Michael Freeman, and LHP Tommy Shirley To the Orioles for LHPs Tanner Scott, and Chris Lee To the Angels for LHPs Greg Mahle and Nate Smith To the Nats for RHP AJ Cole To the Marlins for LHP Justin Nicolino or LHP Chris Reed To the Twins for RHP Alex Meyer or LHP Taylor Rogers and RHP Michael Cederoth Over optimistic on some? Under? I don't think there's any way you can get Triston McKenzie or Justus Sheffield for Coghlan (more McKenzie than Sheffield, as I think McKenzie' ceiling is higher). Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see a mid-market squad like Cleveland giving up that sort of upside for a stopgap bandaid. I mean, Sheffield's upside is arguably equal or better than say, Justin Steele or Carson Sands. It's hard to see the Cubs forking over one of those guys for a stopgap, and so for a mid-market team that is on the fringe of contention, I just find that harder to see. Astros trade, at first glance, looks okay, and I think a fit might be there, as Coghlan could conceivably log some time at first until AJ Reed is ready. Not sure I buy the Orioles fit, but the value looks okay. I guess they could go platoon for the OF, but the other issue is that Lee may be in the mix for the 5th starter job. Angels trade looks okay. Don't see the Nats fit, and don't see the Nats forking over AJ Cole for a stopgap measure of any sort. I think they are well aware that with Bryce Harper's mega-deal possibility in the near future, they will need to go with cheap young pitching. Cole is the closest, so I don't see them forking him over for a stopgap like Coghlan. That said, I'm not sold Cole is a starter long run, although I've always been high on him. The fit with the Marlins doesn't seem to be there, but on the surface, value looks fine. Haven't thought about fit for Twins, and really not sure what the value of Meyer is these days.

It's an interesting deal, to say the least. I guess I'm with everyone that prefers this for the Rays, particularly because I like Padlo as a raw bat and am not sure Marquez is anything to write home about just yet. I think Cameron hit the point that, if you were simply going to swap out Parra for Dickerson and add McGee, why not just sign a FA reliever? I guess it's possible they are really high on Marquez, as he is the ground-ball type of pitcher that they want. I do think this increases our chances of landing McGee at some point (and heck, for those wanting Desmond Jennings, this may even increase our chances at landing him, sure feels like another domino has to drop at some point for Tampa). As a total side note, I'd love to bring Christian Friedrich in (minor league deal that is) and see if a change of environment can turn things around. Velocity is still there, and his splits away from Coors are decent.

I'm not fundamentally opposed to a) Trading Soler for pitching b) Adding a piece now to deal with 2 years from now (this has been the main secondary reason why I still would like to make a move now - obviously, boosting our chances this year is the main thing, but with Arrieta adding so many innings, Lester nearing the age of decline, and Lackey being old, plus Hammel a free agent after this year, if you get an impact guy now, you might not get pinned against the wall in a year or two, trying to desperately get pitching, particularly when our main starting pitching assets probably still need at least 2 years to develop). That said, at this juncture of the off-season, it seems quite unlikely that the Cubs could get the good deal for Soler that would motivate both parties to make a trade. I just don't see which team is going to sell an intriguing asset right now. Any team shopping starting pitching now is probably hoping that some team is desperate enough to fork over what they want. There's still Gallardo on the market, so there may be a hesitancy to make the move now, as these sellers will likely want to wait until organizations feel like the well's empty and may be more desperate. I don't want to make a move for the Odorizzi's of the world for Soler, because as good as Odorizzi is, I'm not sure he's the impact arm to justify gambling on Soler's upside. As for the Marlins, I think this is a half-season gambit, at most a one-season gamble for them. If they are competitive, I suspect they'll just make a push with their core, and it's quite possible that, with some luck, they are in the playoff chase. That said, if they are bad, I think they try to shop Wei-Yin Chen mid-season to end of the season (so the brunt of the contract is someone else's responsibility), and I could see them listen on Jose Fernandez. Just don't think it makes much sense to move Jose now, as they've added a big SP piece to make a run. Edit: a) On Blake Snell - I'm still not sure I'm as gung-ho about him as everyone seems to be this winter. He's good, but I'm just not sure I buy he's that good. That said, I'm more inclined to believe Tampa would move Chris Archer than Blake Snell (and obviously, all the other current options). They simply don't have the money long term to keep some guys, so they need to develop and trust their young talent, and moving someone like Archer could add a couple impact young pieces. b) On creating a similar situation in the OF - I do agree that moving Soler could create the same situation in the OF (that is, short term guys with minimal long term assets). I would point out that i) After this offseason, it should be pretty clear that, even in this environment, the cost of pitching is still through the roof, whether in years (more I think about it, that Wei Yin Chen deal is baffling for two reasons - a, the opt out does seem like a get out of jail card, and b, as long as he doesn't get hurt, Wei Yin Chen seems quite likely to get his 6th year, which is just stunning in some regards for a mid-rotation arm) or money. and ii) Our system is far more likely to develop additional OF assets sooner than later. This isn't, again, to advocate for a Soler trade now. As noted above, I don't really buy the idea that a good trade is out there. This is simply to say that it could be argued that creating that an uncertain future in the OF, based on what the Cubs look like now, might be a palatable consideration. c) If you can't get impact in a potential Soler trade, then there's no reason to do a deal. If you feel like you need an arm, there's still enough assets on the farm that we should be able to cobble together a trade for a good SP, particularly considering the chances of elite assets being moved is a bit slim (thus, potentially giving increased value to our guys in a trade).

I think the White Sox make the most sense, but I still wonder about the Nationals here. They're already giving up a pick (Daniel Murphy) so the loss of a 2nd pick isn't as bad. They did add Ben Revere, but it's not like Jayson Werth can be expected to play 150+ games, and Michael Taylor could use a bit more seasoning. Would give them a bit more lineup flexibility, and continue what seems to be an offseason goal of giving the kids some more time (wouldn't surprise me if Wilmer Difo/Trea Turner/Joe Ross all started in AAA, and all three, entering the winter, had outside chances of being on the big league club).

I'm more fascinated by the fact that Callis had Torres top 10 (there was a case for a few other guys), and that Candelario was in the top 10 at 3rd, although I forgot who did that list.

To be clear, I'm not sure I necessarily "buy" Jeffrey Baez long term, but I could see a breakout-ish type year in A+. He's got some of the best raw power left in the system and has a good enough arm that, if he hits, he can probably stay in RF until someone better comes along. Going to Myrtle Beach could help the power production (unless I'm mistaken, I think MB is a better park for power than SB). It all comes down to whether or not he can tap into that power, and namely, whether or not he can stay disciplined in his approach. He made huge strides in his approach last year, and took off. Now, can he maintain that? Not sure. I can see him breakout, akin to Alcantara in A+, or I can see him go, say, the Tony Thomas route and sort of just float there, enough to go up a level but never to gain much traction. I am sort of trying to talk myself into buying the idea of a Rashad Crawford breakout. A young athlete that was raw may take some time to adjust. Here's hoping at least. @craig - I'm still not sold on Tyler Skulina as a starter long term, but he does seem to have gone under-the-radar in terms of discussion this offseason. Still like him more as a power pen arm to come on and blow guys away, though. Is Zagunis really forgotten? I think people are on him, but he has some limitations. The power, if it develops, is never going to be great, and he has a little bit of an awkward swing at times, so he may never hit for a high average. I'm on record as liking him more than I want to, but I get why people would be concerned.

I love Brad Markey, but as davell said, he's not really completely off-the-radar, or at least I don't think he should be. He's definitely in my top 30. So, how about Jeffrey Baez. I can see that, but is Baez off the radar? He's one of the more toolsy guys in the entire system coming off a solid 2nd half. It's really hard for fans to figure out a guy who emerges like Contreras, because well, if you could see it coming, it'd be hard to compare that to Contreras. I mean, Markey got some mentions this year. If I had to take a stab at some guys (fully acknowledging that these guys could also flame out hard ... heck, some may not make it with roster crunches) - Rashad Crawford - strikeouts are still a bit high for his skillset, but he was relatively solid from June on. Sorta want to put Matt Rose into the mix as an option, but hard for me to justify putting a recent draft pick in the mix. From the pen files - Ryan McNeil - Consistency still isn't there, but he quietly had a good year out of the pen. David Garner - I'm not sure I should care that much about pen arms in a topic like this, but he had a fairly solid season. Totally off the board - Trey Martin - Going totally off board here, but long touted as an intriguing guy, he never got untracked ... but he did walk a lot more in the 2nd half and seemed to show some offensive development. Heck, if I was a betting man, I'd bet that he was cut.

The Mets really walked into good fortune here as Cespedes was the last one standing. For Cespedes, he was the last one standing, so rather than take that 5 year Washington deal with deferred money (and whatever other offers were out there), taking 1 at a huge salary and getting back on the market in an overall weaker FA offseason seems like a decent bet (it's hard to imagine him not opting out ... he would need to absolutely crater to not opt out). Of course, it's hard to imagine that he'll be better than what he was in his stretch run with the Mets. I think the difficulty in finding pitching, plus teams having excess money and desperately trying to find pitching, along with the fact that Cespedes/Upton/Davis all had their warts, is probably the root factor behind why this offseason played out the way it did, however illogical it may seem at times (add in the opt out craze). The thing that left me the most surprised was Washington missing out again. After some offseasons where Mike Rizzo seemed to make on-paper nice moves after on-paper nice moves, it's been a very quiet offseason for them. It's not the worst thing - the makings of a good rotation are still in place and he's added pen pieces to try and rebuild that unit, but they probably needed another bat or two to really look solid entering the year. Of course, they haven't moved their depth of young pitching talent, so there's pieces to move around.

Don't have a major issue with this list. Don't particularly love the idea that Sands got ranked and Steele didn't, as I think Steele has a higher ceiling, but that's quibbling. Also don't particularly love the gap from McKinney to Zagunis, but again, could arguably be quibbling, as he's got that as a B vs. C+ difference.

G'luck with that. He's possibly this generation' Scott Rolen on track to hit FA at 26 or so, and is a Boras client. He's one of the least likely young superstars in the league to extend. There were rumors around here a while back that Machado wanted or was willing to buy out a couple arb years, leaving him still able to hit fa before 30.

I actually think you Ian Kennedy will be a decent pitcher ... but this many years and this much money for Ian Kennedy.

The deal seems reasonable for this market, although it's been apparent for a while that the Orioles were bidding against themselves. The problem I have with this movie is that it's a win now move but they didn't make other win now lose this offseason. This feels like a team stuck in limbo, trying to win now while building for the future. The biggest issue I have with their off season is the lack of strategic planning. They are in a tough division with Toronto having an excellent offense Boston rebuilding the Yankees better than anyone write the expected at this stage and Tampa still a solid young club. The Orioles have a weak farm system, Limited payroll and an aging core. I thought they were better off focusing on the future this offseason. They didn't need to make a wholesale rebuild but targeted actions such as shopping Zach Britton made a lot of sense. They don't even get that many pics from there for free agent, only getting the pics from Wei Yin Chen. They have to carry Bundy and they still have Harvey rehabbing leaving a very thin top of the system. I thought they should have focused on the Machado long term deal in turn the off season. I suspect a revisit the Machado long term deal now in with Davis signing I imagine that they will probably be able to get something done. Machado probably wants to know if he'll get to move back to shortstop in the near future which is likely considering Hardy is over the hill.

Really don't see Cespedes signing for that right now. You've waited this long, a little longer won't hurt. I also think the Orioles might be leaking information to try and spur Chris Davis along. It's possible Cespedes gets desperate, but once one of the remaining big 3 fall (Davis/Cespedes/Upton), the others should probably slot in somewhere. Until then, there's probably not a huge rush as of mid-January. Still think the Orioles muffed this entire offseason up. With their relatively weak farm, aging core players, number of free agents, and a front office unwilling to shell out the huge dollars (by some indications, their Davis offer was from ownership), they should've taken a step back and focused on the future. They didn't need to tear down and completely rebuild (for example, there was zero reason for them to move Machado and even Schoop, outside of the "too good to pass up" deal), but they should've moved some parts (Zach Britton comes to mind, letting O'Day go and collecting the pick, while giving Givens/Wright a shot at the setup job would've been a nice future move, and I would've even considered moving Adam Jones) and focused on the future. Best case is, they get lucky and sneak into the playoffs, but that seems like a huge, huge longshot. They can't even really blame Wieters coming back that much - sure that probably screwed up some plans, but they weren't going to be in on Chen or any top pitcher, and the chances of them signing Davis AND another impact bat seemed slim (unless it was bargain hunting). Best case now seems to be signing Cespedes or Davis and trying to grab a bargain (maybe Upton, but I still gotta think someone will given Upton at least a 3-5 year type offer; or maybe an arm, or two, from Lincecum/Lee/Fister type gambles; actually, Fowler makes a lot of sense here as a corner OF/top of the order hitter ). They have to hope Harvey/Bundy are really back, and that their thin crop of intriguing hitters all come through. Hell, I still wonder if an early enough Zach Britton trade might've brought back enough pieces to fill a couple holes, while still having a solid pen.

It is Phil Rogers, but I am mildly curious that he plopped Billy McKinney into every deal. In some respects, it almost feels like he's suggesting that McKinney is someone they are targeting. Is that the case? I haven't really followed, but I don't recall anything specific about the Rays specifically being interested in McKinney.

Really, none of these trades are all that bad. 1. If that's it, you laugh and take it. Don't love McKinney enough to be worried. 2. Don't love it, but don't hate it. Not that wedded to Contreras. Value wise, seems justifiable overall (but 1 makes this seem bad ... 1 just seems like a bad deal for the Rays in this market) 3. I'd think about it, but I don't love the idea of adding Odorizzi at the cost of a piece that may be better utilized in other deals. 4 and 5 are tough deals to assess. I'd do 4 moreso than 5, but I can see why people would be wary. that said, Archer is that good on that good of a contract.

Seems like a good deal for the Fish. Market rate, but under market if he opts out. Odd, wouldn't have guessed Miami to start the off season. Good park for him to go to, which might be what Boras is banking on. Thinking about it, this seems like a different type of opt out. Whereas most opt-outs seem geared towards getting the player more year, or more money, this opt out seems, on the surface, more like a get out of jail card ("If you really hate it there, we can get you another team in 2 years"). It's just hard to see Chen getting more than 3/52 in 2 years. Not impossible, but hard. This opt out probably also encourages the Marlins to deal him this summer if they are struggling and he's doing well. That said, if some things break right for the Marlins, they could have a competitive squad and be a darkhorse candidate for the playoffs. To lazy to look up the projections, but that rotation looks relatively solid, and if a couple bats step up, it could be interesting.

Assuming no moves, I think Kershaw/Kazmir/Maeda/Anderson have spots. If Ryu's healthy, he gets a spot. McCarthy's midseason, right? Or at least, he's not starting the year. That probably pushes Wood to AAA. It would seem a waste to stash him in the pen. Sierra's just looking at immediate money, but in case they are going in depth, the org might be selling that only Kershaw is locked in place. If Sierra is looking that deeply at rosters, then they might be selling him on the idea that Frias/Cotton/Bolsinger are more emergency starters/depth types for them (in Baltimore, they might be the core of the rotation), Beachy's a low risk flier that shouldn't worry him, Lee's stuff isn't that great, and Montas might be better fit for the pen. Again, doubt that Sierra's looking that far ahead. Guessing there won't even be a huge "opportunity" issue involving Sierra - they could put him in AA (or lower) to start. AAA's where the mess will likely be for them, but getting Sierra's feet wet in the lower levels makes sense. (AAA guess would be what, De Leon, Urias, Lee, maybe Wood, and someone else ... feels like it could be better than some MLB rotations). With this boatload of depth, they ought to be able to talk some team into a deal.

Supposedly they "made up" with a phone call or something. Guessing part of the problem in Rizzo's mind is probably that he doesn't have many other late inning options to turn to as of now. There isn't much left in free agency, and the trade market has the some names that the Cubs are looking at. That said, if they get any whiff of Bryce not wanting Papelbon around, my guess is that they send Papelbon packing. They might still do it anyways, once they realize no one really want Papelbon on a trade (could still see some teams take a gamble signing him on the cheap)

Another double post. Ugh. Uh ... wonder what the mid-season "big trade" market might entail? There's the obvious Jose Fernandez. A part of me does wonder if DiPoto might move Felix Hernandez if the right package came along. The 4 years/104 million left would scare off a lot of teams (there is that 2020 option as well, if Felix stays on the DL too long), but not the Dodgers. Then, there's the usual suspects,namely, San Diego, Cleveland, Tampa Bay. I wonder if Friedman threw the kitchen sink at Silverman, if Silverman would consider moving Archer on that sweet deal. Probably not.

Looks like they'll have the depth to swing that big deal whenever one becomes available for Friedman and Co.

I'm sort of okay going into the season with the pen as is, as I think the cost of the remaining options are likely to be too costly at this point. If something falls down price wise, sure. In terms of "wishes", this has been as good an offseason as possible, not only for the upgrades, but because we haven't given up much from the system. This gives us a lot of flexibility in the next 2-3 seasons. That said, I can't help but still be a tad curious about the idea of Lucroy. There's a level of risk for Stearns to go into the year with Lucroy, and I still wonder, if the right deal came along, if he'd pull the trigger. The one thing their vastly improved system does need is a young catcher, so on the surface, without knowing how they felt about Contreras, there still seems to be the potential for a match. Of course, the idea of giving up Contreras for Lucroy is risky for us to some extent, so that'd be a tough deal to accomplish. If that imaginary deal happened, I'd then try to move Montero's contract, with Washington a possible target (they've been rumored to be in on catchers, have some money, and Rizzo was SD in Arizona when they signed Montero). I'd try to simply get an upper level catcher back and hope another club ate the money left (Washington also fits in that regard with Spencer Kieboom and Pedro Severino). That gives us some payroll flexibility (which could be expanded a bit more), and I'd just play the waiting game and see if a FA's price falls (cost or years) that allows us to jump in. If a SP's price falls, then we jump in on a short term deal (giving up another pick now wouldn't matter much), and we see if we can move Hammel in a trade to add some assets (or they could even ponder moving Hendricks in some bigger deal, if a team wanted to give an arm and a leg). If no FA falls into our price/years range, and the org wants to hold that space for mid-season deals, okay. All in all, sort of just waiting for the games to start. Ideally, we'd fill our pen questions internally.

I still wouldn't be surprised if the Nationals went after Fowler, particularly if it's a one year deal. They can't really depend on Werth/Taylor, and they are already losing a pick for Daniel Murphy. Also wouldn't be absolutely stunned if Boston got in on that. I think Davis is going to be an owner stepping in type situation. Wouldn't be surprised if it's Baltimore still, with Angelos, by all indications, desperately wanting Davis back. If Upton ends up on a short term deal, I could see a number of teams emerge to give him a look. Again, Boston/Nationals both make some sense if it's a short term deal, but really, could see an out of contention squad look to add him (I mean, say he goes to the Rockies and hopes for a mid-season trade after mashing some).