OFFSEASON NEWS/RUMORS Thread

he definitely has someone’s nuts in his mouth

 

dec 3-6 in nashville
temporarily replacing the news/rumors thread
no brainer poll

 

“Miguel Vargas’ production in the Minors hasn’t translated to the Majors yet, but the 24-year-old is still highly regarded around the game and could help the Dodgers bring back a desperately-needed arm such as Tyler Glasnow or Corbin Burnes. Vargas has slashed .310/.392/.487 in 470 games in the Minors since 2018, but that line stands at .191/.290/.350 in 99 big league contests.”
— Mark Feinsand / MLB.com​

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thread temporarily closed
go to winter meetings thread

 

Robert Murray✓@ByRobertMurray
Free-agent reliever Joe Kelly and the Los Angeles Dodgers are “very close” to an agreement, according to sources familiar with the situation. All indications are that a deal will get done.
9:26 AM · Dec 2, 2023 · 207.4K Views

 

looks like we know where yamamoto isn’t going…

“I think it’s down to the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets [for Yoshinobu Yamamoto]. I have a hard time believing it’ll be anyone else.”
— Bob Nightengale via DodgersNation YouTube Channel​

 

(cue Jeopardy music)

A: I’m really not sure how this guy keeps his job.

Q: What do Bob Nightengale, Angel Hernandez, and Dave Roberts have in common?

 

Skip Bayless, Rosie O’Donnell and Joe Biden say hold my beer.

 

• Padres insider Kevin Acee noted in his latest column in the San Diego Tribune that the Padres are very interested in trading for Brewers starter Corbin Burnes.

who do the padres have left that they haven’t already dealt?

 

“[Toronto is] a controlled environment. You’ve got a retractable roof there every game. You’re in the AL East, so you get to play those big markets as well. But hey, it’s a long way away from Japan. Over 3,000 miles away to get there. [Ohtani is] very comfortable in LA.”
— Bob Nightengale​

 

• Shohei Ohtani "is likely to decide on a team within the next week," according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

moroNsi is the definition of shameless hack

 

speaking of hacks
here’s bob… again

“I think it’s a guarantee [that the Dodgers go big this offseason]. I think they’ve been waiting for this winter, that’s why they didn’t go big last year, waiting for this moment. I’d be shocked if [they] don’t get either Ohtani, Yamamoto or Cease. If not two of the three.”
— Bob Nightengale via DodgersNation ​

 

Latest on Shohei Ohtani
by Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors — 23 minutes ago

1:32PM: The numbers continue to escalate for Ohtani, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that “Ohtani is believed to already have received multiple bids well north of $500MM, and some speculate he could even wind up as baseball’s first $600MM man.”

11:49AM: Shohei Ohtani’s free agent sweepstakes have been largely shrouded in mystery, as Ohtani and agent Nez Balelo have specifically prioritized a low profile approach to perhaps the most high-profile free agency in baseball history. As such, there has been a lot of speculation and relatively little facts about Ohtani’s market, though there are some indications that the two-time AL MVP might be coming somewhat closer to a decision.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (X link) hears from a source that Ohtani “is likely to” make his choice within the week, though this timeline could indicate that the news could come after the Winter Meetings have concluded. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has a slightly different timeline, indicating that Ohtani will make his choice “certainly before the Christmas holidays” but also more than a week from now, so roughly mid-December.

It isn’t a stretch to say that whenever Ohtani does make the call, it will automatically become the most pivotal day of the offseason calendar. Ohtani is widely expected to sign the largest contract in baseball history, and thus his free agency has to some extent held up the market as a whole. Such known suitors as the Angels, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Giants, and Cubs have largely held off on any other major business until they know if they’ll be adding a $500MM+ Ohtani contract to their long-term payroll plans. As such, several top players have yet to make their own free agent decisions, waiting for these big-spending potential suitors to more fully engage in the rest of the market — and possibly be more eager to spend elsewhere after missing out on Ohtani.

Since it’s only December 3, it’s worth reminding that the offseason isn’t even at the halfway point yet, and Ohtani is hardly taking any sort of unusually long time in deciding on his next team. Given the sport-altering amounts of money involved and how any free agent decision big or small is a life-changing decision for a player, it would’ve been more surprising if Ohtani had already made his choice this relatively early into the winter.

So little is known about Ohtani’s thought process that it is hard to say whether or not the aforementioned five teams (or any possible mystery teams) could be true finalists. However, the last few days has seen the Red Sox, Rangers, and Mets reportedly all step back from the Ohtani sweepstakes in some sense, perhaps indicating that the bidding has either gotten too high, or that Ohtani’s camp has given some indication that these three clubs are no longer in consideration.
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no telling what ownership thinks, but this offseason should be a make it or break it for friedman
and idc if he whiffs on ohtani, and as i've said before i hope he does
regardless of what ohtani does, he still needs to sign snell or yamamoto and trade for either burnes or glasnow
because there is not currently a #1 or (imo) #2 amongst gonsolin, miller, grove, pepiot, sheehan or stone
and — again, regardless of what ohtani does — signing also-rans/scrubs like giolito, flaherty, lugo, wacha or stroman isn't going to get it done