Offseason, 2017-2018

polo007 · Post #301 » by **polo007** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:12 am

“I have no evidence of that,” Boras said when asked about the Pirates considering moving Cole with two years remaining before free agency. “Whenever you’re a great player in Pittsburgh and you’ve got four years’ service, people start talking about luggage. That’s just part of what the Pirates do and have done. As far as I know, I think Gerrit’s going to be a principal part of their plan for 2018.”

The Yankees, who drafted Cole out of high school in 2008 and whose general manager, Brian Cashman, has a good working relationship with Pirates GM Neal Huntington, are also interested in Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers and Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a source. Cashman told local reporters Wednesday that he was “circling the airport” regarding starting pitching and that he had plenty of fuel left.

It is unclear which young players the Yankees would feel comfortable moving, or which ones the Pirates covet. Top prospect Gleyber Torres is likely off limits, especially considering he could eventually play second or third base after the Yankees traded Starlin Castro and Chase Headley. Industry speculation identified pitching prospects Justus Sheffield or Chance Adams as possibilities — though a rival evaluator suggested that the Pirates probably could not get both — as well as outfield prospect Estevan Florial.

A name to watch is outfielder Clint Frazier, 23, who made his major league debut in 2017. The acquisition of Stanton added to the Yankees’ outfield depth, which also includes Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury — whom the Yankees reportedly would like to move, to get rid of the remainder of his contract, but who has a full no-trade clause.

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polo007 · Post #302 » by **polo007** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:53 am

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Toronto Blue Jays

• The Jays are an under-the-radar team with interest in J.D. Martinez, as was mentioned here first. He makes sense with Edwin Encarnacion gone and Jose Bautista as good as gone.

• They have also talked to Carlos Gonzalez.

• They’d consider Lorenzo Cain, but they don’t really have a center field need since they have Kevin Pillar.

• The Jays continue not to behave like a seller. So while the Cardinals like Josh Donaldson, it remains hard to see him going anywhere.

• They’ve talked to the Padres about relievers, including Brad Hand.

• They’ve talked about Eduardo Nunez. Howie Kendrick could make some sense there, as well.

• Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette give the Jays one of the best-hitting one-two prospect punches in years.

dagger · Post #303 » by **dagger** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:49 pm

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Adding Cole without sacrificing their top prospect - a nice move by the Yankees, more pressure on the Red Sox to act decisively. Clint Frazier looks like the centre piece of the package to Pittsburgh.

polo007 · Post #304 » by **polo007** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:00 pm

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https://www.tsn.ca/diamondbacks-reach-deal-with-japanese-reliever-hirano-1.951347

PHOENIX — Japanese right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $6 million, two-year contract.

The 33-year-old is looked at by Arizona to provide bullpen depth and possibly compete to be the team's closer. His deal was announced Friday.

polo007 · Post #305 » by **polo007** » Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:05 pm

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polo007 · Post #306 » by **polo007** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 1:15 am

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Toronto has an impact third-base trade chip of its own in Josh Donaldson, who is held in particularly high esteem by the Cardinals. But the Jays have made it clear they have no plans to trade Donaldson, a three-time All-Star with an MVP award and two Silver Sluggers on his resume since arriving from Oakland in 2015. If the Jays decide to move him, it will be a radical departure from what they've been telling the media and potential suitors for months.

"It seems like it was one rumor that came out at the trade deadline, and people have continued to build off that rumor,'' general manager Ross Atkins told ESPN.com. "We're trying to win, and I can't imagine our team being better without Josh Donaldson.''

Amid the daily updates and speculation, the Blue Jays exist in that netherworld between good enough to dream and perpetually outgunned. They're a big-market club with ample resources under the auspices of Rogers Communications, and they feel an obligation to put a competitive product on the field in recognition of the 3.2 million fans who came out to see the team in 2017. Only the Dodgers, Cardinals, Giants and Yankees drew more.

The on-field storyline wasn't quite as upbeat. The Blue Jays won 76 games while dealing with some devastating injuries in 2017, and it's hard to envision them as anything more than a wild-card contender next season. They're the middle child in an AL East family with two bullies at the top, trying to carve out an identity and assert themselves.

At least, that's the general perception. "It doesn't feel like the middle to me,'' Atkins said. "The Yankees and Red Sox are going to be very good, and I would agree there's probably more to come potentially for both teams. But we're excited about trying to overcome the challenges. That's why we sign up for these jobs. There are a lot of good stories in baseball, and we're hoping to be one of those better stories.''

polo007 · Post #307 » by **polo007** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 2:18 am

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The Jays have been linked to free agent outfielder Jay Bruce, who would give them much-needed lefthanded power and a replacement for Jose Bautista in right field. The Jays need a big bat, and their rotation could use another arm to go with Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, Joe Biagini, and Marco Estrada, with the possibility of moving Biagini back to the bullpen.

There has been talk of Toronto dealing Josh Donaldson, who can be a free agent after the season, as third baseman/outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is about a year away from a full-time job. The Jays have also received a lot of inquiries about closer Roberto Osuna.

Post #308 » by **JaysRule15** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 5:58 pm

Man, I would move Osuna so fast for a couple of blue chip prospects.

BramptonYute · Post #309 » by **BramptonYute** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 6:03 pm

The price for Osuna has to be so high, the haul would be insane.

North_of_Border · Post #310 » by **North_of_Border** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 6:40 pm

BramptonYute wrote:The price for Osuna has to be so high, the haul would be insane.

Not to mention the red flags on Osuna after his mental health and tommy-John surgery nearing its expiry very soon..... it would be a smart thing to deal him “if” you can get that Insane return.

The demand just might be there for him this offseason.

Post #311 » by **Schad** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:19 pm

Disagree strongly on his mental health being a red flag. He's hardly the only player with anxiety/depression issues...he just happened to seek treatment (and publicly state that he was doing so), which bodes well, not poorly.

His arm is an entirely different matter and more than enough reason to move him.

Tanner · Post #312 » by **Tanner** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:35 pm

Trading Osuna makes more sense than trading Donaldson. He's a great reliever but relievers are highly unpredictable year to year, he's already had one Tommy John Surgery, and with three years of control left the Jays (unlike with trading any of their vets) would get a great haul. If you want to add more impact young talent to the minor league system that can partner up with Vlad and Bo's timeline, then he's going to bring more talent back (quality, not quantity) than JD, Happ, Estrada, etc, combined.

It's obviously not going to happen now though.

Lateral Quicks · Post #313 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:55 pm

I'm on board with moving Osuna if the price is right.

polo007 · Post #314 » by **polo007** » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:10 pm

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polo007 · Post #315 » by **polo007** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 5:06 am

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North_of_Border · Post #316 » by **North_of_Border** » Fri Dec 29, 2017 2:00 am

Relievers are very unpredictable. Osuna could very easily fall flat next year and be nothing special. Not saying it will happen because I’m an Osuna fan, but there are too many examples. Only the truest elite closers do it all their careers.

Then his value will be null and the Jays would have wasted their best chip at the worst time.

He has all the tools to be an elite guy his whole career. But the red flag is mainly his arm. Tommy John has an expiry time. He is just about there.

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phillipmike · Post #317 » by **phillipmike** » Fri Dec 29, 2017 4:06 pm

Rockies sign Wade Davis. 52M over 3 years. 17M is a lot but getting him on a 3 year deal is solid.

If all options are picked up the Rockies will spend 160M over the course of 2 off-seasons on relievers. They spent 113M on relievers this off-season alone with Davis, McGee and Shaw. 46M committed to 4 relievers in 2018 with Davis, Shaw, McGee and Ottavino. Nuts!

polo007 · Post #318 » by **polo007** » Fri Dec 29, 2017 7:22 pm

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Post #319 » by **Cyrus** » Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:10 pm

Was last off season for the jays this slow? Did they not at this point sign Morales, let go Edwin, and brought back Jose at this point? I know they can't control the speed of the off season, and they are slow playing it, since everyone is doing that.

Post #320 » by **King of Canada** » Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:33 pm

The MLB offseason always makes me wish for a shorter season with an actual real playoff with more teams.