2015/16 Offseason: More active than Shakira's hips

[Neddy]

How did Kuma get 2 vesting years from Seattle? We couldn't match that? Srsly. How did we get a deal in place with him and while every team is introducing pitchers after the winter meetings (aka their physicals were done), we're a week or so out of the winter meetings and he's having a SNAFU with his physical? It doesnt make sense. We're the Dodgers. We have the money. We have the brains in the FO. Things are supposed to be getting done First Class. No fan should be expecting Iwakuma for a week if he's not coming. No fan should be expecting Aroldis for 6 hours and then told it's not going through because you don't have information the Red Sox had a month and a half before.

you got it all wrong, Quake. that deal was madde by our FO. the three year offer was pending physical, and Kuma failed. at that point the dodgers FO worked up that deal that is filled with vesting options for him to get to his 45 million but leaving some protection for us in terms of guaranteed money. once Kuma got that deal, they took it to the mariners to match it. around here in Northwest, the local papers already printed that if the deal was the same, the "bear" wanted to come home.

as for Chapman episode, yeah but it would have sucked a lot more if we got him then the news broke, and Chapman is suspended for a year. what good would that do then?

be patient my man. things will work out. Andrew and Zaini are not getting outbid by better GMs, they are getting outbid by desperate GMs who are willing to sacrifice their own finantial future. if all things pan out the way I think we can, in 2 years or so we can build a dynasty that rivals the Yankees of the early 50's when they won back to back to back to back to back rings from 1949 through 1953.

[Neddy]

"[The Giants and Diamondbacks] both had strong offseasons and they both made their teams a lot better. Our division is going to be more competitive in 2016 ... the bar has definitely been raised in our division and we're going to have to make sure we're not just keeping up, but continuing to play at the top of the division."

" ... When the bar is raised on the present, there is a part of you that has to react and make sure that you're keeping up with what's going on."

Word Farhan.
More like, it was raised in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

those years were Ned Colletti's era tho.

[Neddy]

Ken Rosenthal
@Ken_Rosenthal
2h
#Dodgers kept pick by declining to sign Iwakuma. Will get one for Greinke, likely another for Kendrick, further adding to prospect base.
View details ·


Ken Rosenthal
@Ken_Rosenthal
2h
Extra depth only should help for trades. #Dodgers still figure to trade for one SP and sign another, plus trade for a late-inning reliever.
View details ·



Rosenthal still thinks we'll make deals.
Holding out hope guys. Still believe in this FO and I still love the trades we made last winter and at the deadline.

although it was disappointing, I am glad we retained our pick over Kuma. as Ranma was saying, giving up our pick for one Kuma was not worth it in the long run unless it came with another equal or better signing which would have triggered a further down the order pick to be lost to compensate the value difference. Kuma was a proven commodity of his talent and his frailty, but Maeda is younger, was better at least in NPB, and probably frail but yet to break pitcher who doesn't cost us a pick. just the problem I see is that it is probably unlikely to get Kenta for 3 years plus two team option years. maybe if we gave him a player option for the 4th and a team option for the 5th, that way he has a way to get out of what will most likely be a mid level contract for a starting pitcher and have a chance at Greinke money if he proves to be close to Darvish and Tanaka but still have a safety net if he proves to be more like Kawakami or Irabu. if Maeda meets his expectations somewhere in the middle, a pre-head injury Ishii would be just fine by me.

[Neddy]

I am not sure how to translate a page but just read that Seung-Hwan Oh, the fireballer who led the Japanese pro ball in back to back years in saves, has his legal troubles behind him now. the South Korean government have concluded that Oh had no prior knowledge of the alledged organized crime involvement with the particular casino he gambled in, and the money traced in his bank account revealed that in deed the actual money he spent was a fraction of what was initially reported and he was telling the truth. most importantly, he gambled on regular, your typical games at every casino (did not say which exactly) than betting on any sports. he is headed to Guam for his usual winter work outs and hope to hear from US teams.

[Quake Griffin]

I'm keeping the faith in the FO. They're not stupid and I know we wont get screwed for value. I'm just hoping they aren't too smart for their own good…or smart in the baseball sense but dumb in how to negotiate, build relationships, deal etc. etc.

I see the headlines have us back in on Carrasco and Salazaar from Cleveland and Odorizzi from Tampa.

I like Carrasco a whole bunch and Salazaar has a great upside as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the Indians figured out that they could sit back and deal from a position of authority. Kluber. Carrasco. Salazaar. Lindor. These aren't bad pieces to build a team around.

I think the more desperate teams might be Tampa (Archer) and Oakland (Sonny Gray) in terms of their squads not going anywhere soon and a nice return of prospects benefitting them really well at this point. Archer is probably on the best deal for any pitcher in the game besides Carrasco and Sale. Gray figures to get expensive for the A's pretty soon.

[Neddy]

the more I think about it, Jose Fernandez isn't worth the haul we could trade him for. in his 3 service years he was healthy for only one. I would prefer to have a pitcher who can help us when we need them the most as well as through out the season rather than dominate for spurts and go missing when we need them the most.

[Neddy]

looks like the dodger FO is satisfied with Ryu's shoulder. every Korean news I come across states Ryu will be ready for spring training and eyeing for that #2 spot behind Kershaw, and Hyun-Jin is saying on record that he hasn't felt better in years going back to his Korean pro league days. for the first time in a long time he is tossing without any signs of pain and expects a full recovery.


then again, korean media can be a bit of propaganda megaphone. make sure to digest the news with a grain of salt.

[Neddy]

now we are talking about possibly signing Kazmir, were there ever a major league team in history that sported all lefty rotation? as far as my memories are concerned, there were none.

Kershaw - Kazmir - Ryu - Anderson - Wood to start the season????

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/677949060003835904[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/677939588145405953[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeymanCBS/status/677938731345580032[/tweet]

Paul Casella, MLB.com (12/19/15)

5. Dodgers
Projected rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Alex Wood, Mike Bolsinger
Projected combined WAR: 15.7

Even after losing Greinke to the D-backs and later backing away from a potential deal with Hisashi Iwakuma, the Dodgers still crack the top five. Now, to be fair, this is almost solely a result of the three-time Cy Young Award winner at the top of the rotation. In fact, Kershaw (7.4 projected WAR) alone accounts for nearly half of the current starting staff's projected production. With that in mind, it's no surprise that the Dodgers have been rumored to be seeking starting-pitching help on the trade market after ultimately electing to pass on Iwakuma.

Ranking Top 5 Rotations After Big-Ticket Deals

[Ranma]

idnt-h8urteam via DodgersDigest.com comments

I know we have all been waiting for a big trade to happen, however, from what I have gathered the Dodgers are more focused instead on adding to their already impressive collection of young arms. As we already know they have refused to trade several of their pitching prospects for one established MLB pitcher. The Dodgers feel that since most of their young pitchers are on the cusp of making the ML roster, they should first find out which prospects will be part of their core, and then decide which players they can trade from their surplus. The Dodgers feel that their limitless monetary resources could be better utilized if they use it to fill weakness instead of going after top free agents that will block prospects.

I know this sounds a lot like a rebuild phase, which in a sense it is, but the Dodgers will not be doing it while "tanking" seasons. They still will be competitive and in the process they will be fortifying their young core players. They were hard pressed in not overpaying for pitchers during last years trading deadline or for free agents this offseason because they feel this will not lead to an efficient winning environment. I know this is not what fans want to hear, but if their specs develop like they should and with their abundant of resources they could be in contention for many years to come. TRUST THE PROCESS.

Sorry to wordy.

Dodger fan through and through. However, I have many friends in the A's and DBax organization, but they know I'm a Dodger fan. I was raised the right way.

I think the best pitcher the Dodgers will get will be from our minor leagues.

I have seen so few pitchers as complete as Urias. Plus "stuff", plus control , command is inconsistent but should be strong if not plus, and his pitchability is beyond his years.

At this time I know they have told teams no on Puig and Joc. If any player is going to be traded its going to be Ethier.

I heard they have discussed Ethier to the Orioles or DBax.

LiveFyre Profile Activity Stream

[Ranma]

How did Kuma get 2 vesting years from Seattle? We couldn't match that? Srsly. How did we get a deal in place with him and while every team is introducing pitchers after the winter meetings (aka their physicals were done), we're a week or so out of the winter meetings and he's having a SNAFU with his physical? It doesnt make sense. We're the Dodgers. We have the money. We have the brains in the FO. Things are supposed to be getting done First Class. No fan should be expecting Iwakuma for a week if he's not coming. No fan should be expecting Aroldis for 6 hours and then told it's not going through because you don't have information the Red Sox had a month and a half before.

I agree with you about getting the Chapman info late, but maybe the Red Sox are just better than everyone else in that regard? They seemed to be the only organization in baseball to know about it. With regard to Iwakuma, Neddy already addressed it but we have to keep in mind that he only went with the Dodgers because we offered him that 3rd year. The Mariners and Iwakuma had mutual interest for a return from the beginning as they both appreciate each other. Seattle wasn't willing to go over 2 years, so the Dodgers stepped in and offered him 3 to sway him and in immediate response to losing out on both Greinke and Samardzija in short order.

There doesn't seem to be any health concerns for Iwakuma for 2016; it's the 2017 and 2018 seasons that seem to raise some flags. Now the Mariners got a sweetheart deal where they commit to the Bear for only 1 season with vested options for the following 2 seasons with a total guarantee of $12 million, which is notably less than the $15.8 million Iwakuma could have had if he had accepted the qualifying offer.

The fact that Iwakuma accepted such a deal seems to indicate that the Dodgers experienced buyer's remorse and wanted to negotiate a deal at much lower levels than what was initially promised to him or maybe he just had his heart set on returning back to Seattle. Maybe it was a little of both. In any case, as nice as it would have been to have a healthy Hisashi Iwakuma on our staff for 2016, it doesn't seem worth sacrificing a 1st-round pick for what promises to be 1 good season from him.

However, as you said, it is troubling to see how things have played out for the Dodgers so far. The Iwakuma situation, in particular, is a little more disconcerting because it seems to show a little panic from the front office with its initial reactionary offer to Iwakuma only to subsequently change its mind.

Again, I'll ask. What is Ethier doing here? Why has another day gone by and he's still here? Are we trying and we can't deal him?

I still think the Dodgers are waiting on other teams before dealing Ethier. There's still so many options for outfielders in the trade market and free agency. Teams aren't inclined to pull the trigger on a deal until other possibilities are exhausted. Having said that, I'm encouraged by the supposed interest from Baltimore and Arizona. Looking over the Orioles' collection of prospects, they have 2 catchers among their top 15 so I wouldn't mind trading Ethier and some cash for a package that includes Jonah Heim. While Heim is a 20-year-old switch-hitter, the scouting report says that has the aptitude and tools to be a good defensive catcher but his offensive development lags behind his defense.

Kuma was a proven commodity of his talent and his frailty, but Maeda is younger, was better at least in NPB, and probably frail but yet to break pitcher who doesn't cost us a pick. just the problem I see is that it is probably unlikely to get Kenta for 3 years plus two team option years. maybe if we gave him a player option for the 4th and a team option for the 5th, that way he has a way to get out of what will most likely be a mid level contract for a starting pitcher and have a chance at Greinke money if he proves to be close to Darvish and Tanaka but still have a safety net if he proves to be more like Kawakami or Irabu. if Maeda meets his expectations somewhere in the middle, a pre-head injury Ishii would be just fine by me.

I'm more open to pursuing Kenta Maeda now even though I'm not a big believer in him. I still see him as a 4th or 5th starter in our rotation and I feel we have plenty of options there already. I think your proposal of a compromise for a 4th year player option and a team option for the 5th is creative, but I don't like giving out player options as a rule of thumb. Obviously, exceptions can be made but I'm not high on Maeda enough to warrant it and I get the feeling that the Dodgers aren't that high on him either, but maybe it's a case of misdirection by our front office. I guess I could live with an inverse of your proposal where the 4th year is a team option and the 5th is a player option.

I am not sure how to translate a page but just read that Seung-Hwan Oh, the fireballer who led the Japanese pro ball in back to back years in saves, has his legal troubles behind him now. the South Korean government have concluded that Oh had no prior knowledge of the alledged organized crime involvement with the particular casino he gambled in, and the money traced in his bank account revealed that in deed the actual money he spent was a fraction of what was initially reported and he was telling the truth. most importantly, he gambled on regular, your typical games at every casino (did not say which exactly) than betting on any sports. he is headed to Guam for his usual winter work outs and hope to hear from US teams.

I think the Chrome browser allows for you to right-click for the option to translate Web pages with foreign text on it. If that doesn't work, just go to translate.google.com to either copy-and-paste the text or the URL address of the Web page for a translation.

I'm encouraged to hear you relay the good news about Seung-Hwan Oh as I think the Dodgers should be all over him if everything is on the up and up. I'd still prefer a left-handed addition to our bullpen but Oh would be another great option for our relief corps. I personally have Oh as a much bigger priority than Maeda.

I see the headlines have us back in on Carrasco and Salazaar from Cleveland and Odorizzi from Tampa.

I like Carrasco a whole bunch and Salazaar has a great upside as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the Indians figured out that they could sit back and deal from a position of authority. Kluber. Carrasco. Salazaar. Lindor. These aren't bad pieces to build a team around.

I think the more desperate teams might be Tampa (Archer) and Oakland (Sonny Gray) in terms of their squads not going anywhere soon and a nice return of prospects benefitting them really well at this point. Archer is probably on the best deal for any pitcher in the game besides Carrasco and Sale. Gray figures to get expensive for the A's pretty soon.

I agree with you about Carrasco and Salazar as the former is also my preferred choice between the two promising Indian pitchers, but like you said, Cleveland won't be in a rush to make a deal with the high demand for their quality pitchers. The organization would probably rather steer trade conversations toward Bauer than the aforementioned starters. However, Carrasco and Salazar also had previous health concerns themselves. It doesn't seem like something that would be a deal-breaker but something to be mindful of, nonetheless.

Archer is under control for quite a few years with a team-friendly contract, so I don't see him being dealt any time soon. Gray also has 3 years of arbitration eligibility after the 2016 season even if Billy Beane did trade Donaldson to the Blue Jays under similar circumstances. You're right that if either were to become available, the Dodgers are likely to be the team best positioned to offer what they each would be looking for with our current collection of prospects. McGee, while not a starting pitcher, has only 1 more year of arbitration eligibility after the upcoming one, so there should be an urgency to move him. Odorizzi has been another name mentioned and, while I like him, I'm not sure we should deal for him. I'm guessing Tampa Bay would probably try to push an Odorizzi + McGee package on us instead of the preferred Archer + McGee combination.

Another team to consider is San Diego even if the Padres are intra-division rivals and A.J. Preller tried to squeeze us for more assets in holding up the Kemp-Grandal trade. Tyson Ross would be the obvious top target there but James Shields might be another consideration if they're willing to eat a portion of his contract. Shields has 3 years at $21 million per season left on his deal with player options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons; there is also a team option for 2019 at $16 million with a $2 million buyout for his age 37 season. However, Ross only has 1 year of arbitration eligibility at age 30 after the upcoming season so it may be time for Preller to consider restocking the cupboard with young talent under team control for multiple years.

Having said all that, I'm not inclined to make a trade for a pitcher unless we're getting back a clear-cut ace or #2 starter. Our prospects are close to contributing even if it is lacking in ripe frontline-starter talent. DeLeon has a good chance to be just as productive as Odorizzi or better in the short-term; he may not be ready by Spring Training but we could see him some time in 2016. He should be ready no later than 2017. Montas seems like he can be ready as a relief pitcher for 2016 but there's hope he can develop into a starter by 2017 or so.

While it's conceivable that Urias might make an appearance during the 2016 season, that seems unlikely given that the organization has been very careful with his development based on his innings limit. Plus, it remains to be seen how he'll adjust to AAA while still needing to build up his stamina. In my opninion, Cotton should be a relief pitcher at this point as he's also close to being an asset for our bullpen, but the Dodgers anticipate to have him start in AAA. Likewise, Sborz should be fast-tracked as another reliever but the organization is still stretching out his innings by having him start for now. Come to think of it, already having both Cotton and Sborz in the pipeline, makes me like the idea of developing Montas as a starter more than I initially felt before.

[Neddy]

not sure if this has already made it through here but an intersting article about a trade centered around Seager and Archer
www.fangraphs.com/blogs/proposing-a-dodgers-trade-for-chris-archer/

it basically calls for Archer + McGee + Brad Miller coming to the dodgers for Seager + Austin Barnes + Alex Guerrero + Montas + Zach Lee

[Neddy]

I dunno abtou this deal. Archer is a great young pitcher no doubt, and we have talked about McGee endlessly around here, but projecting a great young arm to continue to project higher always comes with a risk. Seager may not have the major league resume Chris Archer comes with so far but a great young position players are much more likely to continue to improve and project higher. I would hate to go all in for this season and the next, just to watch Seager grow to become a perrennial MVP candidadte in the mold of Trout, Harper, and Bryant. according to the proposed useage of each player in the trade, we get one starter in Archer, a bullpen arm, and a platoon player at best. in return, they are getting a stud SS/3B in seager, Barnes to start at C, Alex Guerrero becoming their DH with us eating most of his salary, two starting pitchers in Montas and Lee. if you consider MIller and Lee are throw ins who has no real value, that is 1 starter and 1 bullpen pitcher for 3 starters in the line up and one starting pitcher.

more than anything, I don't want to relive the times when we gave a life time contract to old Eric Karros and trade away Paul Konerko along with Reyes for the last 3 and 1/2 years of Jeff Shaw just to watch Konerko become a HOF type of player. Seager will be that. I don't want to see him getting inducted to HOF as anything but a dodger.

[Quake Griffin]

I hate this. We have more than enough to bring in an Archer without Seager but you know the Rays wont let him go unless they take a pound of flesh from us (Seager).

It's corny. If we were any other team, they'd easily find a mix of prospects we have + Guerrero and get the deal done. I know teams are holding up our deals with this nonsense.


Seager is the future. He's our star player, our star bat etc. etc. He's untouchable.
The fact that this guy even proposed a deal where he left our team and Mike Trout wasn't coming back to us is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

Next subject.

[Quake Griffin]

Ken Rosenthal shares the same sentiment as me. He thinks the Rays are reluctant to deal with Friedman.



Then Joel Sherman wrote an article about us being damned if we and damned if we don't on the subject of our spending.
Article ended with this.

“I don’t care about that statistic,” Kasten said of the payroll. “All that matters to me, our ownership and our front office is what kind of team we have, not if it is a high- or low-payroll team. We feel confident we are going to be not just competitive, but contending. That is the goal regardless of payroll.”

Weird. Would be great if that meant Alex Gordon was coming.

[Ranma]

It's not surprising that we were in on Cueto late into discussions since both the Dodgers and Cardinals were reportedly the two teams closest in those negotiations before the Giants stepped up to basically match Arizona's final offer for him (not counting opt-outs and negligible AAV difference).

Also, unsurprisingly, the front office is keeping the lines of communication open with Miami in the continued pursuit of Jose Fernandez, but we have have to move on from him. Friedman is just waiting for the Marlins to eventually lower their demands to be more reasonable. That likely won't happen until 2017 or 2018. Fernandez will be on an innings limit to not only protect his long-term health post-TJ-surgery but his asset value as well.

As appealing as Fernandez's upside is, how does getting a #2 starter on an innings limit help us for 2016, especially with the current astronomical price tag? Marlins management is hoping some team will out-stupid Dave Stewart. Good luck with that. I have to think our likeliest options right now are an Odorizzi-McGee package from Tampa Bay, Sonny Gray from Oakland, and maybe Carrasco or Salazar from Cleveland. I'm not saying all three are available to the Dodgers since I think only the Rays' package is currently in play, but Gray and Carrasco/Salazar seem to be the only appealing pitchers who might be made available this winter. Billy Beane's whims are probably our best chance of getting a legit #2 starter before Spring Training.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/678945940754010112[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/678608599459868674[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/678609073219108864[/tweet]

[Neddy]

yeah I did read about Tampa bay not wanting to deal with Friedman. if that's the case. both Archer and Odorizzi deals off the table. Jose Fernandez would be nice but one Jose is slightly less in value than one Seager. no way we give up a package including him or Urias and reportedly they are asking for both and plus. I am starting to like the A's for a trade partner as of late. Billy Beane traded Donaldson and got a lot of heat but people don't seem to get the main piece of that deal may be the 19 year old kid at A ball. along the way he got himself a B+ SP prospect who was major league ready in graveman, a borderline prospect but also major league ready in Sean Nolin, and a young player at worst a trade commodity and at best may finally figure it out in Brett Lawrie. if that was the price Billy couldn't resist for an eventual AL MVP, what would be a suitable package for Sonny Gray?

as of now, their weaknesses are at DH, 3B, 2B, and LF. their strength is at C ad RF, and have league average at 1B and CF offensively.

how about a deal of De Leon whom they can groom to be the replacement of Gray, throw in Zach Lee as a serviceable major league ready pitcher, Alex Guerrero whom they can move to DH, move Billy Butler to 1B, and move Mark Canha to LF? but the main piece for BIlly Beane could be Jacob Scavuzzo, a power hitting young kid at RC Quakes. I think this could be a viable deal.

[Ranma]

Yeah, count me on the side against trading Seager for Archer even if the Rays are willing to trade him, which I doubt. According to an article advocating for trading away Evan Longoria, the Rays' owner is saying they are making ends meet with a projected $70 million payroll. While trading away McGee makes sense, Archer only makes about $2.9 million (including signing bonus) for 2016 and just under $5 million and $6.5 million, respectively, for the two seasons after that. The Rays are not going to get better value elsewhere, so even they should be able to afford that. Besides, Seager is still untouchable in this case. He's not only 5 years younger, but the organization's clear-cut top position prospect, which the Dodgers have struggled to develop since before the current front office revamped the developmental pipeline.

If they want us to take McGee and the soon-to-be-arbitration-eligible Odorizzi off their hands, I think a trade can be worked out for Chris Anderson, Zach Lee, and Joe Weiland. If they want to mix-and-match with Micah Johnson, Trayce Thompson, Jacob Scavuzzo, and/or Willie Calhoun instead, I wouldn't be opposed to it. Speaking of Johnson, I get that Friedman can't really say anything bad about the guy and possibly has to sell him to the fanbase and possibly other trade partners, but he's not really fooling anyone when he says that his defense is good. Johnson's defense seems to be limited to 2B and he's nowhere near as good as Peraza in the infield; to put it kindly, he's considered a work-in-progress at the keystone position.

Also, it's interesting to note that the Padres apparently went through the motions in visiting Japan under the guise of evaluating Maeda only to make an impression and rub elbows with Japanese officials. This seems like a Logan White brainchild towards greasing the wheels in the future pursuit for Shohei Otani. While the Padres' budget likely didn't allow for signing Maeda, it is interesting that there continues to be a lack of buzz for his services thus far. Teams usually don't play it this close to the vest with regard to expressing interest in posted Japanese players.

Matt Trueblood, Foxsports.com (12/17/15)

In fact, it might be better for Tampa Bay's front office not to wait and see which way things break. According to owner Stuart Sternberg, the Rays are in tough financial shape, and absolutely can't stretch the payroll beyond its current $70 million projection. Owners have a long history of falsely crying poor, and the more credible the case an owner has, the more empowered he often feels to overstate the problem. Sternberg's track record isn't Jeffrey Loria's, though, and the truth is that the Rays do seem strapped for cash.

Time for Rays to Consider Trading Veteran 3B Longoria


Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com (12/21/15)

The Padres, even after sending a sizable contingent of club officials to Japan in November, will not be a factor in the bidding for Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda, sources say.

The idea of the trip, according to sources, was for the Pads to introduce themselves in a market where they previously had only a minimal presence.

Royals' Decision on Gordon Could Impact Rest of Roster

[Quake Griffin]

The only set back to Sonny Gray is that he's cheap to Billy for another year and THEN he gets expensive for him. Asking Billy for him THIS offseason is ALMOST like asking him to give us any player under his control years because they'll eventually get expensive.

If this was his arbitration year, I think this would be easier. With this year being another $5-600k season, the price is likely going to be a bit higher.


He's worth it IMO. Getting a guy like Sonny Gray with 4 years of control and plenty of time to try and extend him > a lot of our farm.
Def goes a long way to controlling our payroll. No matter what. There's no package we can give out to a team that will completely deplete our farm. Weaken it? Sure. Deplete it? No. We've done too good of a job building it up.

We also need to enquire about Sale and Quintana.
That's a team that's headed nowhere fast and can use a mini-rebuild.

[Neddy]

The only set back to Sonny Gray is that he's cheap to Billy for another year and THEN he gets expensive for him. Asking Billy for him THIS offseason is ALMOST like asking him to give us any player under his control years because they'll eventually get expensive.

If this was his arbitration year, I think this would be easier. With this year being another $5-600k season, the price is likely going to be a bit higher.


He's worth it IMO. Getting a guy like Sonny Gray with 4 years of control and plenty of time to try and extend him > a lot of our farm.
Def goes a long way to controlling our payroll. No matter what. There's no package we can give out to a team that will completely deplete our farm. Weaken it? Sure. Deplete it? No. We've done too good of a job building it up.

We also need to enquire about Sale and Quintana.
That's a team that's headed nowhere fast and can use a mini-rebuild.

yeah I agree about the probabiiity of the matter, but its premise was based on the similar circumstances that surrounded Josh Donaldson trade just a year ago. knowing the A's aren't likely to compete with the Rangers, Angels, or even reloaded Mariners, I think there could be a chance that the abililty to strengthen his building during lost cause season could give us a window to at least start a negotiation, and De Leon being a potential front line starter and Guerrero and Lee being major league ready while Jacob is still seasoning down in the minors would top the deal he has already gotten from Toronto for Josh.

but having said that, if I was the GM of the A's, I would not deal Sonny at this point for anything short of Trout or Harper. he is cheap and he is uber talented.