Offseason, 2017-2018

[polo007]

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[The_Hater]

Bautista to the Rays makes sense from their end, he’s a typical Rays reclamation project. We’ll see how interested he remains when he finds out that $2 million and a full time DH job is the entire package.

[polo007]

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The trade offers are starting to roll in for National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton.

The San Francisco Giants have made a proposal to the Miami Marlins for Stanton, and the Marlins expect to receive or have received bids from the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox as well, according to major league sources.

Other, unidentified clubs also have told the Marlins they will submit offers for Stanton, but the process is just beginning, sources said. Marlins general manager Michael Hill said this week he wanted teams to inform him of the kind of proposals they were willing to make for Stanton before determining how he will proceed.

An initial offer does not necessarily indicate serious interest; some bidders might simply be trying to gauge the Marlins’ price. Any trade for Stanton is expected to include a combination of financial relief for the Marlins and prospects the team will use to rebuild. Under the sliding scale often used in such discussions, the more money the acquiring team absorbs, the lesser the cost in prospects.

Stanton, who turns 28 on Nov. 8, is guaranteed $295 million over the next 10 seasons, and his contract includes an opt-out after 2020 and a full no-trade clause, giving him the right to reject any deal. The All-Star right fielder’s preferred destinations are not known, and he has said he does not plan to reveal them.

[polo007]

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Scott Boras played down the possibility of repercussions from the Toronto Blue Jays’ renewal of Aaron Sanchez’s salary at the major-league minimum last season as the sides head toward the right-hander’s first year of arbitration eligibility.

“My focus is not about anything other than making Aaron Sanchez the best pitcher he can be, I think that’s what the Toronto Blue Jays fans and the organization want,” the super-agent, who began representing the 25-year-old last off-season, said during the GM meetings. “Our focus and his focus has to be not on the normal course of business that occurs off the field. It really has to do with his durability, has to do with him getting on the mound and being that No. 1 pitcher that he is again."

“If that happens all things usually work out. So when you have an injury and you have a collectively bargained situation occur, those are usually start ‘em steps, and they occur most often with most major-league players. Our job is how do we get the player to be the best player he can be every day and that’s frankly Aaron’s focus. His focus is not on any of the other subjects other than he wants to be pitching and playing and helping his team. That’s really what the entirety of our conversation is.”

Having now surpassed the three-year service time threshold, he’s eligible for arbitration for the first time and the process can sometimes lead to acrimony and friction.

Sanchez’s case will be impacted by the ongoing blister troubles and complications that submarined his season when he had four different stints on the disabled list limiting him to only eight starts.

[polo007]

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After collecting intelligence at last week’s GM meetings, the Rays soon will launch their offseason mission of trading at least a couple of veterans to reduce payroll.

The question is how far they will go — how many players they deal, and how big of names they are, with everyone in play on down from face-of-the-franchise 3B Evan Longoria.

And the Rays won’t know until they start the process.

Thinking they will only deal players they’d prefer to or can more easily replace isn’t a realistic plan. RHP Jake Odorizzi (projected via arbitration to make $6.5 million), OF/DH Corey Dickerson ($6.4M) and recovering-from-surgery INF Brad Miller ($4.4M) may not draw the interest or return to do so.

The potential breakup of the roster could well be grander.

Closer Alex Colome ($5.5M) figures to be a hot topic and likely to be dealt. And they will be open to trading just about all of their other higher-paid players, including Longoria (signed for $13.5M in 2018, up to $94M remaining overall), C Wilson Ramos ($10.5M), RHP Chris Archer ($6.25M, up to $34M overall) and SS Adeiny Hechavarria ($5M projected). Perhaps less likely are CF Kevin Kiermaier ($5.5M, up to $60M overall) and RF Steven Souza Jr. ($3.6M projected). Most difficult would be Longoria, and probably only with his blessing.

The key looks to be the sequencing.

[polo007]

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[Wally West]

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Meh, I'd rather relocate those dollars to extending Josh Donaldson if anything.

[Schad]

Hopefully we're just kicking the tires. Paying an AAV approaching/exceeding $25m a year to a DH-only player (and he is that; he should not be playing in the OF anymore) over 5-6 years is nearly guaranteed to blow up in your face.

Wouldn't extend Donaldson either, however. If we want to get younger and more athletic, the first step would be to stop giving out big money to old sluggers.

[dagger]

Hopefully we're just kicking the tires. Paying an AAV approaching/exceeding $25m a year to a DH-only player (and he is that; he should not be playing in the OF anymore) over 5-6 years is nearly guaranteed to blow up in your face.

Wouldn't extend Donaldson either, however. If we want to get younger and more athletic, the first step would be to stop giving out big money to old sluggers.

Unless the price comes down on Martinez, and by a lot, I don't see how we could round out a decent roster with the likely available budget we have. But this seems like due diligence more than executive intelligence. Heyman just name-dropping. Surprised we haven't gotten into the Stanton rumours. So what if he'd never agree to a trade to Toronto. That's never stopped media rumour mongers before.

[Schad]

I'd imagine that it's mostly Boras, and that our interest is only valid if his market crashes (which isn't entirely impossible). At least I hope so.

[JaysRule15]

Got excited reading the JD Martinez story, felt deflated after I saw his asking price is 7 years, $210 million lol. No way Shapkins pay that. I can see the Red Sox paying something close to that though, they need power hitting in the worst way.

[dballislife]

lol every year the free agents are around 30 or over, we mind as well never ever sign or keep star players once they hit the market, actually we dont

[Schad]

lol every year the free agents are around 30 or over, we mind as well never ever sign or keep star players once they hit the market, actually we dont

Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't do that, because the vast majority of megadeals end up being a terrible return on investment. God help us if we'd actually signed the Prince Fielders and Albert Pujols that our fanbase lusted after.

[Lateral Quicks]

So, it appears Shapkins' approach to roster construction is to overpay for as many old and slow DH types as possible. Well, they talk a good game at least.

BTW, we traded for Gift Ngoepe!

POWER SHIFT!

Seriously, if this is their idea of building middle infield depth...

[polo007]

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"There's a lot of discussion in and around the age of our roster," Atkins said. "We do have an older offensive roster with position players, and we had a lot of injuries. We have to do everything we can not only to try to prevent those, but to be prepared to overcome them. We feel we're in a better position to do that."

Outfielders Jay Bruce and Lorenzo Cain were among the first free agents attached to Toronto after the season, hardly a surprise given the Blue Jays' decision to let Jose Bautista become a free agent. The emergence of Justin Smoak last season gave the lineup another weapon, though it would not be shocking to see the Blue Jays add another big bat this winter via trade or free agency.

"We have the room to make our team better," Atkins said. "We're focused on all alternatives. We're just thinking about how to win and how we can sustain a winning team."

Just as Smoak was a pleasant surprise last season, Atkins pointed to a number of candidates who could be poised for similar breakouts in 2018.

Atkins noted several prospects, including outfielder Teoscar Hernandez -- acquired from the Astros in the Francisco Liriano deal -- and left-handers Ryan Borucki and Tom Pannone as players who could make an impact next season, though the GM said that adding middle infield depth and fine-tuning the pitching staff are among the priorities this offseason.

[Tanner]

So, it appears Shapkins' approach to roster construction is to overpay for as many old and slow DH types as possible. Well, they talk a good game at least.

BTW, we traded for Gift Ngoepe!

POWER SHIFT!

Seriously, if this is their idea of building middle infield depth...

They misjudged the market last winter, but I think they just have a vision on what they look for in a hitter, and in the absence of a prospect ready to take a spot, they go for the affordable short term vets who hit the ball hard and can hold the fort down until a younger option presents itself. That explains Smoak, Bruce (failed trade), Morales, and Pearce. I don't think it's their lack of defensive value that the team covets. Exit velocity, hard contact rate, launch angle, etc, is a big part of sabermetrics now. The Jays guessed right on Smoak, and Bruce as well given how much better he's hit the last two seasons, but Morales (while still hitting the ball hard) regressed.

I don't think they have any intention of signing Martinez unless his price drops dramatically. One look at who is agent is will explain why the Jays have been mentioned.

[polo007]

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• The Jays are still committed to “putting a winning product on the field,” says Atkins, and that’ll be the driving force in the team’s decisions. (Indeed, he says he does not really anticipate a need for a full-blown rebuild in Toronto, though he would not rule out the possibility at times of requiring a “soft reset.”) Though there haven’t been any significant moves yet, that’s true of the entire remainder of the league as well. Atkins says he thinks the hold-up is likely at the top of the market but also results from a more general trend toward “more patience” in transactional decisionmaking. That could be a result of greater understanding between teams as to how they value players, he suggests, while noting there may also be a cyclical element to it. The tendency toward slow-developing action, after all, may itself create opportunities, Atkins notes.

• Toronto’s top priority remains “protect[ing] our middle infield,” says Atkins, who acknowledges the organization cannot simply rely upon Devon Travis and Troy Tulowitzki to handle regular duties. The ideal player — who, Atkins acknowledges, doesn’t likely exist — would not only add “depth and versatility” up the middle but would be a left-handed hitter that can also play in the outfield. More likely, he says, achieving all of these goals will involve multiple players. Atkins suggests a major outfield addition isn’t likely, explaining that he believes there’s “good depth” on hand but expressing a desire to find a way to “complement” the existing players “a little bit better.”

• Atkins also expanded a bit on his previously stated intentions to seek some pitching depth. The goal, he says, is “complementing our pitching in some significant way.” A back-end starter would be one possibility, per Atkins, but the team could also pursue an “elite reliever or some hybrid of the two.” It seems, then, that there’s some flexibility in the organization’s thinking on the pitching side of the ledger. More than chasing a single pitcher, perhaps, the front office will be looking for a high-value opportunity in this area.

[Schad]

Certainly don't mind that being our approach (in fact, I prefer it), but it does mean that people will really need to temper expectations. Sounds like we're aiming to avoid black holes in case of injury rather than rolling the dice on one or two big additions; probably raises our floor, but also doesn't give us as high of a ceiling if we do get luckier on player health.

[dagger]

Certainly don't mind that being our approach (in fact, I prefer it), but it does mean that people will really need to temper expectations. Sounds like we're aiming to avoid black holes in case of injury rather than rolling the dice on one or two big additions; probably raises our floor, but also doesn't give us as high of a ceiling if we do get luckier on player health.

So much add-an-outfielder talk through trade or free agency. Meanwhile, Anthony Alford has started off a Mexican League stint like a house on fire. Maybe there is some sort of contractual/control issue with him for starting 2018, as opposed to a later callup, but if they really want to appease the fans, just get over that crap and give him right field. Seriously, could he be any worse than Jose was last season, at the plate or in the field?

[sule]

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• The Jays are still committed to “putting a winning product on the field,” says Atkins, and that’ll be the driving force in the team’s decisions. (Indeed, he says he does not really anticipate a need for a full-blown rebuild in Toronto, though he would not rule out the possibility at times of requiring a “soft reset.”) Though there haven’t been any significant moves yet, that’s true of the entire remainder of the league as well. Atkins says he thinks the hold-up is likely at the top of the market but also results from a more general trend toward “more patience” in transactional decisionmaking. That could be a result of greater understanding between teams as to how they value players, he suggests, while noting there may also be a cyclical element to it. The tendency toward slow-developing action, after all, may itself create opportunities, Atkins notes.

• Toronto’s top priority remains “protect[ing] our middle infield,” says Atkins, who acknowledges the organization cannot simply rely upon Devon Travis and Troy Tulowitzki to handle regular duties. The ideal player — who, Atkins acknowledges, doesn’t likely exist — would not only add “depth and versatility” up the middle but would be a left-handed hitter that can also play in the outfield. More likely, he says, achieving all of these goals will involve multiple players. Atkins suggests a major outfield addition isn’t likely, explaining that he believes there’s “good depth” on hand but expressing a desire to find a way to “complement” the existing players “a little bit better.”

• Atkins also expanded a bit on his previously stated intentions to seek some pitching depth. The goal, he says, is “complementing our pitching in some significant way.” A back-end starter would be one possibility, per Atkins, but the team could also pursue an “elite reliever or some hybrid of the two.” It seems, then, that there’s some flexibility in the organization’s thinking on the pitching side of the ledger. More than chasing a single pitcher, perhaps, the front office will be looking for a high-value opportunity in this area.

Sounds like they want to fill in the gaps with the money they have and will, for the most part, stick to what is on the field.

Doesn't sound like we should expect any major FA signings (though i'd expect Jays will insert themselves as a potential buyer in a lot of rumours), but more of last years' picking up the scraps and a lot of cheap two-way deals hoping someone emerges somewhere for some position of need. Maybe they pull off some kind of creative deal, but that would mostly depend on what's available after the winter meetings.