2014/2015 Official MLB Offseason Thread: Signings, Trades, Rumors, Etc.

[Merlot]

Here We Go BOYZ!!!

SF tries for Lester; Cubs said to bid $138M, Red Sox $130M, Braves less

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...er-cubs-said-to-bid-138m-sox-130m-braves-less

The Giants are meeting with star free-agent pitcher Jon Lester on Monday. However, after losing star third baseman Pablo Sandoval to Lester's longtime Red Sox team, Giants people have been amazingly tight-lipped about this high-profile pursuit.

Not much is known about the confab, but one source said Giants veteran pitcher Tim Hudson is one key to the Giants' recruitment of Lester, as the pair of Atlanta residents are said to be close. Ahmed Fareed of Comcast Bay Area reported that Giants manager Bruce Bochy is in Atlanta on Monday to do his part as well.

San Francisco was not happy to lose Sandoval to Boston, which made its interest known early and grabbed him for the same $95 million that the Giants offered.

The Giants were suggested in this space to also be a possibility for the other top free-agent pitcher, Max Scherzer. But of course that would be more money and may depend on the bidding for Lester.

Sources suggest the Cubs have bid $138 million over six years for Lester, and the Red Sox suggested at least a willingness to go to $130 million for six years, while word is the Braves, Lester's current hometown team, bid somewhat lower than that. It's possible also that Chicago and Boston will go up from there, if they haven't already.

The Braves are thinking more long-term at the moment, and new Atlanta honcho John Hart suggested on MLB Network Radio that their timing in this case may not be perfect -- but of course it doesn't hurt to give it a try and hope Lester considers this hometown type discount.

David Kaplan of CSN Chicago first reported the Cubs bid at least $135 million for Lester. The Red Sox started this winter at somewhere between $110 million and $120 million, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported, but word is they will go to $130 million, at the least.

The Blue Jays, Cardinals and Royals are among other teams to have been linked to Lester -- though it would seem to be a long shot to see him go somewhere other than Boston (where he started and played all but the last two months of the 2014 season), Chicago (where he knows honchos Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer), Atlanta (where he currently lives) or San Francisco (which has three rings in five years, plus his good buddy Hudson).

Lester is also said to have two more teams in the mix that he expects to be in contact with later this week, and execs involved in these talks seem to think it's too early to know where he's headed as he'll need to re-engage with the interested teams after all the initial meetings are over. With all the interest, though, it seems like Lester will have the chance to become a $25-million-a-year player with a contract for $150 million or more.

Lester sure is in the driver's seat. I'm not confident the Sox have any edge and I'm never happy about such long term contracts. We'll see how it works out. It would be ironic if the Sox got Sandoval and the Giants got Lester. Each man was critical in multiple World Series Championships for each team.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays chose not to tender contracts to Andy Dirks, John Mayberry Jr. and Justin Smoak; changes in the outfield are coming

by Shi Davidi, Sportnet

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays set the stage for more roster retooling by not tendering contracts to outfielders Andy Dirks and John Mayberry Jr., plus first baseman Justin Smoak ahead of Monday’s midnight deadline.

In cutting ties with the three players, general manager Alex Anthopoulos saved himself a projected $6.25 million on the trio, a clear indication he feels there’s opportunity to do other things with the money.

The shuffling also eliminates the club’s two primary left-field options in Dirks and Mayberry and leaves just three outfielders on the 40-man roster, a risky level of exposure Anthopoulos wouldn’t have taken without a reasonable sense something is on the horizon.

The Blue Jays now have $121.7 million in 2015 commitments to 15 players including the salary arbitration projections for Marco Estrada ($4.7 million), Josh Donaldson ($4.5 million), Brett Cecil ($2.6 million) and Danny Valencia ($1.7 million).

Assuming a payroll of $140 million, the Blue Jays have roughly $18.3 million available for 11 roster spots, although more money could be freed up by trading Dioner Navarro ($5 million) or J.A. Happ ($6.7 million).

Whether that creates enough salary space to re-sign free agent left-fielder Melky Cabrera while also addressing needs at second base, the bullpen and now the bench is unclear.

Jays non-tender Dirks, Mayberry and Smoak

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Josh Donaldson ($4.5 million)

That figure seemed awfully low to me, but then I went and checked and, yup, this is his first arbitration year so that figure makes a lot of sense. What doesn't make sense is Billy Beane trading a player of Donaldson's caliber with four years of team control.

In other news, Bret Lawrie blames much of his injury history on the Rogers turf, so maybe he'll fulfill his tremendous promise in greener pastures.

 

[Merlot]

Boyz,

The shuffling also eliminates the club’s two primary left-field options in Dirks and Mayberry and leaves just three outfielders on the 40-man roster, a risky level of exposure Anthopoulos wouldn’t have taken without a reasonable sense something is on the horizon.

Well, the Red Sox have 10 outfielders, if the jays have anyone the Sox want.

Say hey, baseball: Max Scherzer and Jon Lester are gonna get paid

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/12/3/7325807/max-scherzer-jon-lester-free-agency-say-hey

Neither of Max Scherzer or Jon Lester has ended their free agency and signed yet, but once one of them does, the rest of the market will start moving again. Lester is likely to go first, with Scherzer holding out possibly until 2015 as per Scott Boras' policy, and it sounds like the southpaw is expecting $150 million. Is Lester worth $150 million to his former team, the Red Sox? If they want him, they better be prepared to pay that much, as Peter Gammons is reporting that a mystery team has entered the fray. If Gammo is using that phrase, you know things are happening.

As for Scherzer, word of the Tigers' failing to lure him back might have been premature: don't count Detroit out as a Scherzer suitor just yet, even if it's going to take more than the $144 million they offered prior to this past season.

Not every bit of pitcher news is about hundreds of millions of dollars, by the way. The six-year extension the Marlins offered young ace Jose Fernandez is for $40 million, and it's also perfectly reasonable and fair of the Marlins to extend, regardless of the whining you might have seen on this here Internet. If anyone else but the Marlins were the ones submitting this extension offer, certain baseball fans would be jumping at the opportunity to commend the team in question.

If Fernandez signed a six-year deal, by the way, he would still be younger than both Scherzer and Lester when it ended. Dude is going to get a monster deal in 2020 or whatever, if he can stay healthy and Fernandez-like from here on out.

Does any smell that. It has the rank odor of PINSTRIPED DESPERATION. With so many questions about their staff there wouldn't be any surprise they would break the banks...AGAIN!



Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

That figure seemed awfully low to me, but then I went and checked and, yup, this is his first arbitration year so that figure makes a lot of sense. What doesn't make sense is Billy Beane trading a player of Donaldson's caliber with four years of team control.

In other news, Bret Lawrie blames much of his injury history on the Rogers turf, so maybe he'll fulfill his tremendous promise in greener pastures.

Alex Anthopoulos was on Primetime Sports the other day and mentionned trying to land Donaldson for the past 2 years. He said he'd always get the same reply from Beane: he's not available. He added that he got the same answer this time around. However, when Anthopoulos casually threw in Lawrie's name, it caught Beane's attention. Eventually, he finally agreed to a trade after Anthopoulos threw in the 2 pitchers plus the 18-yr old shortstop.

As for Lawrie blaming his injuries on the fake turf, i read an article about it this morning and it's a lousy excuse. His injuries had nothing to do with turf. Three obliques injuries in 4 seasons. These types of injuries have nothing to do with playing on turf and are likely related to his workout/training routine. John Smoltz spoke about this yesterday on Primetime Sports and he noticed that way too many ballplayers don't have proper training/excercise programs and too many are geared for other sports other than baseball. It was also mentionned that genetics plays a part in freak/rare injuries and that could be the reason for Lawrie's obliques injuries.

His first oblique injury occurred while playing on natural grass in Arizona during training camp for the World Baseball Classic.

Lawrie also suffered two fractures to his hands in his 4 seasons with the Jays. The reason for this is that he tends to hold his hands too close to the strikezone when he's batting. He actually got hit several times on his hands last season and he wound up with a broken finger last time.

He also played a bit part of his position on dirt. And he's missed so many games that it's hard to blame the turf since he was rarely on it in the first place.

A few weeks ago, i learned that Lawrie had totally changed his training regimen in order to try to reduce his abnormally high number of freak injuries. He's also worried that his obliques problem may become a chronic one. Therefore, he was more than willing to tone down on his current training program and make it more 'baseball-oriented'.

By the way, the Jays are finally replacing the turf this season and are using new technology. They expect the Skydome to be a grass field in 2018. They are still halfway into the research of which type of grass to use for such a venture.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Well, the Red Sox have 10 outfielders, if the jays have anyone the Sox want.

My guess is that they did this in order to re-sign Melky Cabrera for a similar amount to Nelson Cruz's. But it's only a guess. Who knows, maybe they'll announce that they signed Nick Markakis instead. At least it won't be Torii Hunter, who signed with the Twins yesterday.

My gut-feeling is that R.A. Dickey will be dealt soon. His presence on the roster wastes a roster spot since his personal catcher (Josh Thole) takes up one of those spots and he's useless offensively...you can't even use him to DH or PH. By getting rid of Dickey, you clear up two spots and a big contract.

There was discussion yesterday that getting rid of Dickey's contract might open up the possibility at making an attempt to sign Jon Lester. I'd be surprised if they're considering signing Andrew Miller or David Robertson to long-term contracts. The B.J. Ryan fiasco several years ago caused them to shy away to giving long-term contracts to relievers. However, it wouldn't entirely surprise me if Casey Janssen returned to the Jays.

If not, Sanchez may become the bullpen ace for now if they haven't been able to move either Dickey or J.A. Happ.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays hope new turf will be softer for players

by Shi Davidi, Sportsnet

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays will be playing on a new artificial surface in 2015, one they believe will be more comfortable and less taxing on their players.

That’s a good thing given the widely-held disdain for the old rug – the AstroTurf 3D installed for the 2010 season – which is often blamed for causing excessive wear and tear on the bodies of those who play on it.

There are some who feel it’s a deterrent for free agents, and others are adamant the synthetic field contributes to the team’s health issues, the oft-injured Brett Lawrie, traded Friday to the Oakland Athletics as part of the package for Josh Donaldson, among them.

“It treats my body kind of silly and throws it off,” he said this week during a conference call with Bay Area media, adding later: “I really do feel that turf has a lot to do with (all the injuries). I’m wound tight, my body is wound tight just being a high-energy guy and being a quick-twitch guy, so for me being on that turf and bouncing around and whatnot, I hear people just saying from walking on it or standing on it from opposing teams, ‘Man, we were only in there for three days but my body feels terrible.’

“When you hear those sorts of things and you realize we’re on that stuff every single day, I can only point the finger at it because it makes sense. I really do feel when I go on the road and I play on grass and dirt and whatnot, I feel better. Once you get back into five, six, seven games in a row on that stuff, your body just gets thrown through a bit of a loop. I feel like this is a big step forward for me into being healthy and staying on the field.”

The coming season will determine whether or not the switch to natural grass really makes a difference on that front for Lawrie, and the Blue Jays can only hope their new surface provides similar potential benefits.

Installation of the new AstroTurf 3D Xtreme, the next generation of their old carpet with redesigned grass fibres, is scheduled to start Jan. 23 and should be completed by early March. While it’s far from ideal, the new rug is slated to serve as a stop-gap until Rogers Centre can be retrofitted for natural grass, a process slated for 2018.

Finding the Toronto Argonauts a new home is a key element within that timeline, and the CFL club may yet end up at BMO Field, where they were set to move before funding issues scuttled a plan to bring them over. It’s the most sensible landing spot for them, and one school of thought is logic will rule the day and the stadium’s upcoming renovations will allow it to accommodate a CFL playing field.

Until all that gets settled, the Blue Jays are trying to do the next best thing for their players, and the new turf is it.

“Our turf was starting to get worn down,” says Kelly Keyes, vice-president, building services for the Blue Jays. “(The new one) will be softer for the players, it will be better for their bodies, and the ball won’t roll as fast, it will be much slower.”

The difference won’t be only in going from one field to another, but also in the way the new carpet is laid down and handled.

The previous surface ended up hardening over time because of the way it compresses while rolled up for Rogers Centre’s other events, causing the grass blades to flatten out. Compounding matters, the mixture of sand and rubber crumbs poured on the turf to make it springier only added to the weight, increasing the pressure on it while sitting and especially while rolled up.

A switch this past season to a rubber crumb only mixture helped for a little while, but the surface by then had seen better days.

“The sand adds a lot of weight to it,” explained Keyes. “Our big rolls ranged from 11,000-12,000 pounds.”

This time the rolls should weigh about 6,000 pounds. With approximately half of the pressure and a slightly bigger crumb size, the Blue Jays hope the surface won’t compress as much.

“In theory, that should make it a little softer and last longer,” Keyes said.

One problem the Blue Jays simply won’t be able to resolve is the toll the frequent placement and removal takes on the turf.

The club’s selection of artificial surfaces is limited by the need for a portable system. Prior to 2010, the Blue Jays for five years used a tray system field made up of roughly 2,000 pieces, and players regularly found odd seams and dead spots that changed after every conversion.

The new carpet – 145 rolls, the longest piece measuring 170 feet – will be similar to the old carpet put together with basically the same seaming plan.

“This allows us to continue to be multipurpose,” said Keyes. “The fibre will be a blend of two different greens so it looks a little sharper and the blades are supposed to be stronger, they shouldn’t fall down as quickly as they do right now.”

The key matter, however, is whether it makes playing at Rogers Centre less physically taxing for Blue Jays players, and a real reading of that won’t come until well into next season.

The surface won’t ever be as forgiving as natural grass, but it needs to be better than the light padding over concrete it became.

As for the old surface, it will be returned to AstroTurf so it can be recycled and live on in one of the other carpeting products the manufacturer makes. Few who played on it will be sad to see it go, and many will be eager to wish it good riddance.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays sign CF Ezequiel Carrera to minor-league deal

Jays sign CF Carrera for outfield depth

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays bring back Justin Smoak for $1 million/1 year. They figure they saved about $2 million off his probable arbitration award. He'll likely play first base when they'll have Edwin Encarnacion DH'ing.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Jason Stark reporting the Jays trading JA Happ to Seattle for Michael Saunders. Saunders is from Victoria, BC.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays obtain Canadian Michael Saunders from the Mariners for J.A. Happ

by Shi Davidi, Sportsnet

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays plugged their hole in left field by acquiring Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners for left-hander J.A. Happ, a deal that signals Melky Cabrera’s departure and gives GM Alex Anthopoulos extra money to work with to bolster the bullpen.

The trade was first reported by Jayson Stark of ESPN.

Saunders, a 28-year-old from Victoria, is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.9 million in salary arbitration, and becomes just the fourth outfielder on the club’s 40-man roster. He’s expected to be the everyday left fielder, meaning the club’s attempts at re-signing Cabrera are essentially over.

The Blue Jays also signed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, where he’ll be given a chance to compete for the starting job in centre field or the fourth outfielder’s spot.

While the two moves address gaps in the outfield created by Tuesday’s non-tendering of Andy Dirks and John Mayberry Jr., moving out Happ’s $6.7 million opens a spot in the rotation for top prospect Aaron Sanchez while freeing up nearly $4 million.

Combined with the signing of Justin Smoak, initially non-tendered Tuesday, for $1 million, the Blue Jays now have nearly $119 million in commitments and arbitration projections for 16 players, leaving them roughly $21 million to fill out the roster on the assumption of a $140 million payroll.

Another $5 million can be freed up by trading Dioner Navarro, but the Blue Jays will only move him if they get value in return since he helps the team as a backup catcher/DH. He’s believed to have garnered significant interest.

The Blue Jays may still look to upgrade at first base or the rotation, but the next focal point is likely to be a bullpen that Anthopoulos has pointed to as an area of disappointment from the 2014 season.

I love this trade!!! I've always loved Michael Saunders since i saw him play for Canada at the World Championships and the trade means that Aaron Sanchez will start the season in the starting rotation. However, it likely means goodbye to left fielder Melky Cabrera's chances of re-signing with the team. However, they can use they money to sign a top-end closer or trade for a high-priced second baseman. Is Brandon Phillips still available? The Jays had interest in him last season.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Nick Markakis signs with the Atlanta Braves for 4 years at $11 million per season

Considering Saunders had better numbers than Markakis over the past 2 seasons, is younger & earns considerably less, you have to give Alex Anthopoulos credit for making such a good trade for the Jays!

I believed that this would mean the end of Melky Cabrera in Toronto, but Jonah Keri of Grantland just told Bob McKown on Primetime Sports that there is still a chance they'd sign Cabrera and move over Saunders to center field.

And if Dioner Navarro gets his wish to be traded, this means that Cabrera could also see some time at DH should he re-sign with the Jays.

Keri wasn't so certain the Jays are on the market for a second baseman. He believes that they are very high on the kid they got from Detroit, second base prospect Devin Travis, who just may be ready for the majors. Keri believes that they could still trade a pitcher, such as RA Dickey or Mark Buerle, and not be a short of pitching in their rotation since he believes (as i do) that Daniel Norris is ready to pitch in the big leagues, which he's shown last season as a September call-up.

Several teams are rumoured to be interested in Cabrera, most notably the KC Royals and the Baltimore Orioles.

Who will the Yankees sign to replace David Robertson as their closer? Andrew Miller maybe? Or will they chose to go with Betances as their closer? Which road do the Jays take now that it almost looks assured that Aaron Sanchez will start the season as a starter?

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I love this trade!!! I've always loved Michael Saunders since i saw him play for Canada at the World Championships and the trade means that Aaron Sanchez will start the season in the starting rotation. However, it likely means goodbye to left fielder Melky Cabrera's chances of re-signing with the team. However, they can use they money to sign a top-end closer or trade for a high-priced second baseman. Is Brandon Phillips still available? The Jays had interest in him last season.

You and every other analysis I've read. AA is having a fine offseason.

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ,

Okay, so all reports say the money-laden L.A. Dodgers are going heavy after John Lester and are willing to pay pay PAY!!! OMG. Adding Lester would make the Dodgers one of the toughest starting pitcher lineups in the entire MLB already with Greinke, Kershaw, and Beckett. With word now coming out that the entire clubhouse was disgusted with the Red Sox insulting $70ish million 4 year early offer, and the fact they are a rebuilding team, one has to wonder if Lester will have any patience for the Sox when the Dodgers are ready to win now with him and at what is being reported as a $150 million possible offer. The Red Sox chances of signing Lester may be down to 20 or 30%.

Ooops,

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

Andrew Miller now a Yankee

Andrew Miller signs for 4 years/$36 million

 

[lgna69xxx]

Sweet Addition! If somehow Cashman gets Robertson under contract (tho i doubt he stays) the Yanks have a top 3 BP in the game. With a great defensive SS also added yesterday and a healthy lineup the Yanks are on the right path. Now getting McCarthy and Scherzer signed would be great for the rotation.

Andrew Miller now a Yankee

Andrew Miller signs for 4 years/$36 million

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ,

Andrew Miller now a Yankee

Andrew Miller signs for 4 years/$36 million

His stuff can be nasty at times then he would frustratingly give it up and it seemed you never knew which guy was pitching. So his choices were Houston or New York. :lol:

Yikes,

Merlot

 

[lgna69xxx]

Miller as a starter sucked, as a reliever he is "Lights Out" , great sigining by Cash, more to come.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

With a great defensive SS also added

Good defensive shortstop, not great. He did get votes in the Fielding Bible Awards vote and came in 14th place. A bit better than average, but light years better than Jeter. Now if he could only hit.

and a healthy lineup the Yanks are on the right path.

True enough. Unfortunately, a healthy lineup is probably some years away, certainly not until the Rodriguez, Teixeira and Beltran contracts expire. You've got a catcher, a second baseman, and two outfielders. That's a start. Broken down third baseman, first baseman and right fielder. A shortstop who can't hit and no DH. Four out of nine ain't bad. Well, maybe it is.

Add to that two starters with bum elbows, one with a bum shoulder, another with bad knees and you just traded number 5.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Bob McManaman has been covering baseball for the Arizona Republic for 34 years. Here's his take on Didi Gregorius.

Didi Gregorius' stint as Derek Jeter's replacement won't last long
Bob McManaman, azcentral sports

"Didi Gregorius was doomed from the moment he was traded to the Diamondbacks two years ago.

That's when then-General Manager Kevin Towers had this to say about the slick-fielding infielder from the Netherlands: "When I first saw him, he reminded me of a young Derek Jeter."

Ugh. More hauntingly unfair words have never been spoken.

Flash forward to today and Gregorius is now off to the Yankees with the unenviable task of having to replace the legendary Jeter at shortstop.

Enjoy it while it lasts, kid, because it isn't going to last long.

There's a reason why two teams have already given up on Gregorius before he turns 25. He can't hit. That's why he couldn't even crack the starting lineup on the worst team in baseball this past season.

Think about that for a minute.

And the Diamondbacks were so desperate and disoriented, they tried everybody. It wasn't until they dropped to 23-36 in early June that they finally brought Gregorius back up from the minors and, really, that was only because injuries had started to gut their middle infield depth.

There is no denying Gregorius is great with his glove. He's an above-average defender with fantastic range for a shortstop. No doubt, we'll be watching several web gems from him in pinstripes.

But how long will a team like the Yankees keep trotting out a light-swinging infielder who has a career .243 batting average and only hits .184 against left-handers?

That's not going to sell in the Bronx.

And it could get even worse. Gregorius is a pleasant and polite young man, but he's also quiet, introverted and has shown he can be a little mentally fragile when things aren't going his way.

"He lets too many things get to him," an ex-teammate said. "Didi, sometimes he just thinks too much, you know?"

"He always seems to have a lot on his mind," former manager Kirk Gibson liked to say.

They're going to eat him alive in New York.

After it was announced the Diamondbacks had acquired left-hander Robbie Ray and infielder Domingo Leyba from the Tigers for Gregorius, who was then immediately flipped to the Yanks for starting pitcher Shane Greene, this was a scout's take on Gregorius in a text message to the New York Daily News:

"He's OK. Solid defender, bat is light – long swing. Good athlete. Nervous type, not sure he can handle NY."

Well, there's a ringing endorsement, isn't it?

Add that up with the immense pressure of trying to fill the shoes of Jeter and this could get real ugly real fast.

"It's not something I'm going to worry about or can worry about," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman told reporters. "No one can replace Derek Jeter. He was one in a billion. He's not replacing Derek Jeter. He's going to come in and compete and hold down that position and try to provide excellent defense in the back of the lineup."

Maybe the left handed-hitting Gregorius will find some early success by taking advantage of Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field. A good start could shake off the Jeter jitters and allow him to find some confidence with his third team in four years.

But that's probably wishful thinking.

If Gregorius is batting around .220 in May, Yankees fans and the New York tabloids alike will be screaming at Cashman for not trading for Troy Tulowitzki or Elvis Andrus or making a run at free-agent Hanley Ramirez before he bolted to the rival Red Sox.

After all, that's how the Yankees usually do things, isn't it? They throw big money at big names. Certainly, you'd think they'd follow the same playbook when it came to replacing the legendary Jeter of all people.

"There's more in the tank there as he continues to develop," Cashman promised. "He's an exciting talent, but obviously he's not a finished product. If he can close the gap to where he potentially can be, we could have a heck of a player on our hands."

But what if he's wrong? What if the Jeter jitters never leave? What if the Yankees realize what the Reds and the Diamondbacks before them have already figured out – that Gregorius is a one-dimensional player who is a liability at the plate? What will they do then?

Could it get any worse?

It could, actually.

Remember, they still have Alex Rodriguez on the payroll."