MLB NEWS/RUMORS Thread

Shocking he wouldn't want to cash in on such a stellar year.

 

Probably not all that much, what he has said from the start is that he wants to go somewhere he can hit and pitch. Having a guy like Maeda or Darvish would probably help seal the deal in that they could give him an assurance on the acclimation process. Maeda would probably be the better of the two in that regard since he actually experienced that with the Dodgers when he first came over. This kid plays everything pretty close to the vest, so nobody really knows what matters to him and what doesn't. There will be a report that he will go to the highest bidder, then there is one saying he doesn't care about money, then you hear he wants to go where he can play everyday and then that is followed up with he only wants to play for a contender in a major market. They all cite sources close to Otani with those reports, so there really is no idea what this kid is looking for. Everyone should take what they hear about in regards to Otani with a grain of salt until he actually gets an American agent and is posted... which may not actually happen this year.

 

Early predictions have the FA season being pretty quiet until the Stanton thing is figured out. People want to see where that falls before going out and spending loads of money on free agency. The teams that are rumored to have already expressed interest are the Red Sox, Yankees, Giants, Phillies, Blue Jays, Braves and Cardinals. I am sure there are more, but those are the ones that I have seen thus far and everything else has been speculation. Stanton has a full no trade clause so he will get the ultimate call on where he goes. Each of those teams will offer him what he wants, a chance to win in the near future, especially with his addition to those clubs.

I think the Yankees are just going to stick around to drive up the price to the Red Sox as Stanton could eventually block a move to the DH for Judge or Sanchez, though Jesus that offense would be scary. Though early indications are that the Marlins are not impressed with the Red Sox prospects whom many suspect will pursue Martinez or Hosmer instead and likely send out Jackie Bradley Jr to address pitching issues.

The Cardinals and Giants are said to be the early favorites, though I just can't see how the Giants are unless they are taking on the entirety of that contract. They have one, maybe two good prospect and that is basically it and would only reopen their window for a year or two. The Cardinals are the scary team here. They have a solid young core already on the roster, a bevy of good prospects they could move and the payroll flexibility to easily fit Stanton in. The Cards are said to be willing to move at least one of their top prospects to get Stanton and it is said to be a pitcher, not sure if that is Reyes, Flaherty or Weaver. I think that thanks to the Cubs winning a World Series and clearly being the might of the NL Central, the Cards are going to come out on top and nab Stanton by overpaying.

 

I go back and forth on the Stanton thing. If the Marlins take Adrian and a couple of our soon expiring SPs like Kazmir and Mccarthy, plus some cash...

He could be worth getting. His defense isn't bad, he's going to drop 40-50 bombs from the right side of the plate..and he's an attractive, young, marketable superstar. Local product too.

A high BA, low strikeout guy like Verdugo at the top and and a proven right handed power bat like Stanton would take this offense to another level. It would get fans stoked for another regular season.

That said...the Dodgers aren't going to do it

 

I don't think it's moot but I also don't think it's a 100% no. The nerds could get over ridden by the brass given how close we were to a title after 29 years. Who knows.

 

Questionable to me whether we should go after Stanton. It didn’t seem like scoring runs were a problem save for Game 7 which makes it stick out like a sore thumb more than it really was.

Issue remains pitching....when it counts.

 

We can read between the lines with some of these reports. Like if he chooses to come over now, then it clearly won't be about the money because if he just waits a couple years he likely hits for 75-100M instead of the max 4 or 5M he can get this year. The sources I've seen are from a Japanese site that's been keeping tabs on the situation, they say no team has put in more effort or gotten as close to he and his family, so they like the Dodgers' chances..but then that former LAD scout now works for the DBacks, so there's question there. About a month ago Otani himself said that if he had come right over after high school, it would've been to sign with LAD, so these reports about LAD being frontrunners hold at least some merit. Guess we'll see soon enough, but I wouldn't expect an org like LAD, that puts great focusing versatility, to be afraid of the versatility that Otani brings. They're pretty creative and starting pitching depth is still fairly solid.

 

FIFY

They're dumping payroll; Why would they take back so much dead $$ just to make a virtual match for the sake of rumors? It's gonna be less players to Miami and more $$$ going on the books of the other for a trade to happen, that is unless Jeter was blowing smoke.

Bour and Yelich are the ones to trade for anyway.

 

Other than death and taxes there are no certainties so I never say never. Not advocating a trade but Guggs is run by human beings who were at the WS and felt all the energy and all the disappointment. They could change course just for a guy like Stanton but I'm not expecting it either. For the record and my ego I was one of the few who saw the plan and defended it early on when there calls of spend spend on here.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/poll-will-the-dodgers-trade-yasmani-grandal.html

 

Andre Ethier for the first time in his career is a free agent. Dodgers bought out his option at $2.5 Mil

 

My late wife was a HUGE fan and I was as well, not as crazy though. Doubt he'll find a job given his age and latest injury history but I wish him good luck!!!