NEWS/RUMORS/DISCUSSION Thread

...and today is Friday!!!

 

Yeah microfracture surgery is pretty significant.
Not surprised to see them take that approach with Turner, they didn't want to lock up 3B by trading for Frazier either.
Considering how it played out with Frazier and now Turner, and their couple of attempts at Andrelton Simmons, it all sort of points to them wanting to keep their options open at 3B, possibly for Corey to move over if something opens up.

 

Dodgers, Kenley Jansen Avoid Arbitration
By Steve Adams | January 15, 2016 at 2:18pm CST

The Dodgers and standout closer Kenley Jansen have avoided arbitration, according to a club announcement. Jon Heyman tweets that Jansen will receive a hefty $10.65MM salary for 2016 — his final season before qualifying for free agency. Jansen, a client of the Wasserman Media Group, had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn an $11.4MM payday this winter.

 

Perhaps they tried, but he just wants to play the market?

 

fat stacks of cash solve most problems, dude will get over it. It's not like the team tried to replace him with Yhency Brazoban, Chapman throws harder than anyone on the planet.

 

And it's not known if they actually tried to replace him.
It was reported that Chapman made it clear to LAD that he'd be fine setting up.
Kenley's initial reaction was probably what we heard, doesn't mean they didn't explain the scenario/talk him down thereafter tho

 

Wills will try, but Puig will not know or understand a thing he is saying to him...just like the needed subtitles they used on all his spots last year about playing for Alston. Unfortunately, I think Maury is beyond teaching.
A guy who speaks English with subtitles? Unless there is interpreters who speak Wills and Spanish.
Could he a dangerous situation.I would avoid it at all possible costs.

 

REPORT: CHRIS DAVIS HEADED BACK TO ORIOLES
The free agent agreed to a deal worth $161M over seven years, according to MLB Network.


Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal 2m2 minutes ago
Source confirms: Kennedy to #Royals, five years, $70M - and with an opt-out after two seasons. First reported: @jonheyman.

 

Man, Dayton Moore must be sniffing glue.

 

Exactly what I thought when this came over the wire. Kennedy had a big ERA in the NL imagine what it will be in the AL. Having said that KC does seem to do well with guys like Kennedy (see Volquez).

 

He made Ned look smart and the Nerds are smarter, right???

 

http://gardygoesyardy.com/2016/01/1...-was-everything-the-yankees-should-have-been/


Despite having the two highest payrolls in the game, both the Dodgers and Yankees have been uncharacteristically frugal this offseason, focusing more on low risk/high reward additions rather than the big ticket items on the market. Andrew Friedman has brought a small market sensibility with him from the Rays, avoiding many of the pitfalls that big market teams fall into, such as giving out onerous long term deals to declining players. Brian Cashman has adopted a similar approach the last two winters. In the 2014-2015 offseason, his biggest expenditures were modest four year deals for Andrew Miller and Chase Headley, and this offseason he has avoided the free agent market entirely, instead choosing to make his upgrades via trade (Aaron Hicks, Starlin Castro, and Aroldis Chapman).

While I am generally in favor of the moves Cashman has made, I do think he has missed out on some no-brainers this winter. Cash mainly allocated his limited resources on areas where the team already had young and cheap options in place, second base and the bullpen. Castro over Rob Refsnyder is arguably not an upgrade at all, and the same goes for replacing Justin Wilson,Eric Jagielo, and Rookie Davis with one partial year of Aroldis Chapman and Luis Cessa. On the other hand, Friedman has consistently made the moves I have been screaming at Cashman via the internet all winter.

First, the Dodgers have assembled a “Team of Rivals” style front office by bringing in the best available baseball executives, including a total of six former GM’s. The most recent addition was Alex Anthopoulos, who was announced as the team’s new Vice President of Baseball Operations yesterday. Alex was on myChristmas wish list for Yankees fans because of his energetic and unconventional approach that has allowed him to pull off steals such as the Josh Donaldson trade when he was the Blue Jays GM. In all fairness, it’s clear that Cashman is open to this type of arrangement because of the presence of former GM Jim Hendry in a prominent role, as well as the fact that he offered Ben Cherington a similar role when he was let go by the Red Sox. It’s possible that the Dodgers job was just more attractive for whatever reason, but it still would have been nice to see Anthopoulos brought on board.

The Dodgers have been an excellent example of how to use big market financial muscle to “rebuild” while remaining a perennial contender. Most notably, they have put their resources into young international free agents, where they have found multiple solid contributors entering their prime years for relatively modest financial commitments. LA brought in a quantity of international players similar to the Bombers, but also targeted top talent such as outfielder Yusniel Diaz and Omar Estevez, even though they were forced to pay 100% surplus on their bonuses. In addition, they recently made the shrewd move oflanding Yaisel Sierra, a 24 year old starter from Cuba with front of the rotation ceiling, for six years and $30 million. The Dodgers are not throwing $200 million at David Price and Zack Greinke, but instead using their resources wisely to buy up all the best young talent.

Finally, Friedman has given out creative contracts to three starting pitchers who were perfect fits for the Yankees this winter, none of whom costing more than $50 million guaranteed.Scott Kazmir is owed the most guaranteed money at three years and $48 million, although the presence of the opt-out after the 2016 season more likely makes this a one year $12.67 million dollar deal for a 31 year old pitcher who posted a 3.10 ERA in 183 IP last season. Yes, there is some risk that Kazmir gets hurt, but the short commitment makes it easily absorbable for a big market club. With Mike Leake, Jeff Samadzija, and Johnny Cueto getting five to six year deals at around double the commitment, Kazmir looks like an absolute bargain at that price.

The same goes for Kenta Maeda, a 28 year old who is controlled for the next eight seasons for just $25 million guaranteed. Maeda was originally said to prefer playing for the Yankees or Red Sox in 2014, so you’d have to assume that he would have taken this deal from New York, all else being equal. The presence ofMasahiro Tanaka, Hiroki Kuroda, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui in recent years certainly must make them a preferred destination for Japanese talent. I’ve made the case several timesthis winter that Maeda is a perfect fit as a mid-rotation innings eater because of the durability he showed in Japan. $25 million over eight years is an insanely low commitment, I don’t care what the MRI of his elbow showed. Even if they signed him and immediately gave him TJ surgery, it’s a deal worth making at that price.

Brandon Beachy for one year and $1.5 million is just one more example of this strategy. The Yankees have a number of talented but risky starters in their rotation. To address that they either needed to add some certainty, or do what the Dodgers did and just stockpile risky but talented arms, assuming that at least a few of them would pan out. Instead, Cashman has stood pat, assuming that upgrading the back of the bullpen will have the same effect. If Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell are each starting 15-25 games for you because of injuries though, it won’t matter who is closing them out.

The Dodgers’ solution at second base even would have been OK for the Yankees, even though I’m not crazy about it. Chase Utleyon a one year deal would have provided a platoon partner for Rob Refsnyder and insurance against him completely failing at the major league level. Even though Friedman and Cashman have both been criticized for failing to spend as expected this offseason, I do think there is merit in their small market front office in a big market approach. The main difference seems to be that Cash has decided to stay away from all free agent commitments entirely, instead of getting creative and maximizing the potential reward for limited risk as Friedman has done. Despite being seen by some as a failure, I think the Dodgers approach this winter could be seen as a model for how the Yankees can continue to get younger while remaining contenders for the division every year. Someone will just have to convince Hal Steinbrenner to write a check occasionally.

 

Meh...all sounds pretty good, as long as the injury bug doesn't decimate the rotation as it usually does.
If the Giants or the Dzacks go to the WS, then I guess we are left with salivating over depth and the future. And how clever the FO was...
Eye of the beholder type shit.
I'll take the WS, and deal with the bad, not so brilliant, long contracts...any day. After almost 3 decades ? Yup. Just once. Rather than just parrot "depth" and "the future" on a loop ? I'll do the championship in a NY minute.
But of course, that's just me.

 

Market For Yoenis Cespedes “Intensifying”
By Jeff Todd | January 17, 2016 at 10:58am CST

The market for free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is “intensifying,” according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (Twitter link). It seems possible that a deal could come together within “the next few days,” he adds.