8:52am: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan tweets that the White Sox aren’t the winner, either. That leaves the Brewers and Twins in addition to the Cubs and Reds, though the latter duo doesn’t have much of a spot for Park to play (unless Cincinnati feels he can handle left field). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported last week that the Twins have scouted Park quite a bit, though the Brewers seem to be a better fit from a roster standpoint, in my eyes.
8:37am: Heyman also eliminates the Rockies and the Phillies from the mix (via Twitter). That leaves the Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox and Twins as the remaining options. As I noted before, the presence of Joey Votto in Cincinnati and Anthony Rizzo on the Cubs’ roster makes that pair of NL teams seem like long shots, to say the least. The White Sox and Twins each have long-term first base options in Jose Abreu and Joe Mauer, though Park could certainly split time at first and DH with either player.
8:22am: The Astros didn’t submit the winning bid for Park, either, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
NOV. 9, 7:29am: We’re down to seven possibilities on the mystery team for Park, as ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Biertempfel (Twitter link) report that the Pirates have not won the bidding.
There have been reports eliminating all but seven teams from the Park bidding, leaving the Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Astros as possibilities. And while the Reds and Cubs are technically possibilities, it’d be surprising to see either NL club post the winning bid on a first baseman, given the stars that each has entrenched at that position. The Rockies haven’t been completely ruled out, though the report below seems to indicate they’re more of a long shot than anything else at this point.
Alan Nero, Park’s agent at Octagon, tells Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that even he does not yet know which club won the bidding, adding that both league offices were closed over the weekend (Twitter link).
NOV. 8, 9:51pm: The winning bid wasn’t posted by the Royals or Braves, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links). “It’s safe to assume” the Rays didn’t have the winning bid either, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweets.
9:10pm: The Athletics and Marlins also didn’t have the top bid, Heyman tweets.
7:24pm: The Mariners and Diamondbacks didn’t place bids on Park, as per tweets from CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and Zach Buchanan of AZCentral.com. Also, the Giants can be eliminated from contention, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Rockies might also be out, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding doesn’t “think anything is happening there.”
2:39pm: Italian artist Michelangelo is famously misquoted as saying that he sculpted the historic David statue by chipping away the parts that did not look like David. Perhaps that is how we will whittle down the field of suitors for first baseman Byung-Ho Park until we unravel the mystery team that submitted the winning bid to negotiate with the Korean star. Failing that, we might just have to wait until Monday, when the announcement is formally made.
On Friday, Korea’s Nexen Heroes accepted a $12.85MM bid on the rights to negotiate a big league contract with Park. As of today, we still don’t know which MLB club won the posting process, but one team out there now has a thirty day window with which to hammer out a deal with one of the winter’s most intriguing and mysterious free agents.
The Blue Jays are not the winning team, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), and the winning bid was not submitted by the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, or Angels, either (link), The Cardinals, who are looking at various first base options, tendered an unsuccessful bid for the 29-year-old, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. James Wagner of the Washington Post (on Twitter) heard that the Nats did not have interest. Late last week, the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Orioles, Padres, and Red Sox were also crossed off the list by various reporters.
If Park and his new club do not reach agreement on a contract, Nexen will lose out on the posting fee and the winning team will have to move on to a Plan B at first base. The reported $12.85MM fell shy of the $25MM+ posting amount commanded by lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, but it easily tops what the Pirates paid Nexen last year (~$5MM) for the rights to reach a deal with infielder Jung-Ho Kang. After the team-to-team transfer was arrived at, Kang and the Bucs agreed to a four-year, $11MM guarantee.
In the recently-released list of MLBTR’s top fifty free agents, Tim Dierkes predicted that Park would command a $10MM posting fee and a five-year, $40MM contract from the winning team. The first part of that was close, but it remains to be seen how negotiations will proceed.
Could it be Seattle? They already traded one first baseman, and have a valuable first baseman in Trumbo, and Dipoto obviously wouldn’t be afraid to trade him again to open up the room for Park at first.
I think they might be in the mix for sure
yes, but according to I think Passen both the Angels, when Dipoto was there, and Mariners weren’t very active in Korea this year.
Could it have possibly been the Pirates again?
Unlikely. They have Josh Bell at AAA.
true but really his first base skills still need some work though still probably an upgrade over last year’s body of work. Getting Park would allow him to work on his first base play and if Park works out then they have an extra trade piece in Bell or Park.
When Kang was picked up they already had Mercer, Harrison and Walker in the positions they where thinking of playing him at so it wouldn’t be too surprising if they got the bid.
But I also doubt it was the bucs as it is quite a bit of money that should be putting into a starter or two, to me that’s a bigger need.
Please be the Pirates…
I agree, but i doubt it given the money they need to spend on their starting rotation
Unless they trade bell after winning the Park bid
You seem like a Pirates fan, don’t you pay attention to the way the team is run? Trading a prospect close to major league ready so they can sign a more expensive free agent is about the most un-Pirates move ever.
Like when they traded Dilson to the Mets?
They already had mid IF depth and made a trade at the deadline. Building the team for 2016 and beyond doesn’t seem like the time to give up on a good cheap young 1B.
Which teams are left?
Only the ones that don’t look like David.
???
It’s referencing the article…
Incorrectly, at that. We are chipping away the teams that did not submit the winning bid. The teams that are left are the more David-looking.
This was a sense of humor test. Your grades will be coming in the mail.
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.
I look forward to receiving your correspondence, professor.
And those who can’t teach, teach gym.
he passed, because what you typed wasn’t funny, because it didn’t make sense. There are rules to making something funny you know.
Zing.
Only obvious possibilities left are Rockies, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, and Pirates, and I’m not sure the Pirates really make sense. It’s odd that we don’t know yet, which makes me think more and more it’s the Rockies, who are the most secretive team in baseball.
I don’t see why the Marlins are obvious. Justin Bour seems to be their guy at 1B.
I also get a Rockies feel, although I’d be happy for it to be any of those teams, always good to see a small to mid-level market team make a splash like this. That being said I don’t see how the Marlins are an obvious possibility. Also with the shambles that is the Marlins’ front office I feel it would have leaked by now if it were them.
Seeing his raw power in Coors field would be fun.
A Rockies reporter already said it wasn’t them
Yes it would have been.
Wish it was the Cardinals but don’t forget about the Redsox and wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees in the mix. Tex isn’t getting younger and Park can play 3B.
St Louis, Boston, and the Yankees were mentioned in the article that they either didn’t bid or weren’t the winning bidders.
Tex has one year left on his deal, but they already have his replacement lined up in Greg Bird, who despite a strong showing at the end of 2015 will probably have to start 2016 back in AAA until Teixeira moves on. I don’t see them clogging the situation up further by adding Park.
I think it’s the Dodgers.
I sort of doubt it.
I don’t see the Pirates putting up $12.85M to get this guy.
I’m thinking Astros on this one. If he’s is the real deal he’d be killer with the short porch leftfield. Then they could potentially trade AJ Reed to upgrade at C, 3B, or add a solid veteran behind Keuchel
Astros a dark-horse team here? Could potentially sign Byun-Ho Park, to solve 1B ineffective platoon, then trade AJ Reed for a solid rotation arm
I’m personally guessing one of the following teams:
Rockies
Astros
A’s
Mariners
White sox
Pirates
Twins
Some of these are more likely than others, but I think all are viable possibilities. Most likely an AL team unless it’s COL or PIT.
A’s have Canha and Butler
White Sox have LaRoche and Abreu
Twins have Mauer and Sano
Canha can be moved to OF or traded if need be, although Butler and his contract are an issue. Beane will make whatever accommodations are necessary if he believes Park is a legit talent (as he did with yoenis).
Abreu is a fixture for the sox, but his success could be a primary reason they attempt to acquire another potentially promising foreigner. Laroche is a non-issue if they believe Park will provide more of an impact. He can be dealt with accordingly if Park is signed.
Mauer is a fixture for the twins and won’t be moved, but Sano will need to find a position other than DH. He is too young to be a primary DH and is a 3B by trade. Maybe move him back there or to a corner OF. Moving him to 3B would require them to maneuver plouffe, but he is certainly maneuverable. Additionally, Twins owner is giving GM more spending capability moving forward. That may be concentrated on pitching, or maybe they take a chance on Park.
As I stated, some of the teams mentioned are more likely than others, but all are certainly viable possibilities.
Ya I definitely can see the A’s bidding seriously. As you said Canha can play a corner OF and Butler isn’t a long term piece. He’s got two years left but I can easily see this being his last season before being moved. That said my first guess is Mariners and 2nd is Rockies.
The Twins also have Kennys Vargas and Max Kepler as options for first. They are one of the more active teams in terms of scouting Korea but it would be an odd fit.
If the Bucs were to sign Park Byung-ho, they would be in a position to dominate the market for MLB merchandise in Korea. Pittsburgh is a small market, but this could be an innovative way to monopolize an overseas market that loves baseball and has a ton of money.
Only problem with that is the fact that all MLB merchandising rights are owned by the MLB offices and not the teams. With the exclusion of profits earned from on-location shops, the teams and player’s union only receive a small portion of merchandise revenue. Such revenue is evenly distributed between all 30 teams, and is what pays for the pension given to retired players.
In other words, the Pirates could do precisely this… but they could sell $10M worth of Kang and Bung-Ho jerseys, hats, etc… and get the same amount of revenue from it that the Rangers do while not making a single sale there.
I’m going with the A’s or the Pirates. Both have been shown in recent years to gamble on the foreign market and both have front offices that could keep this quiet for a couple of days
I’m calling Seattle.
I wouldn’t count the Cardinals out just because Joe Strauss said so. Dude is basically paid to be a troll for a living.
Yeah there has been nothing to suggest it wasn’t the Cardinals aside from that article. I believe Strauss ASSUMES it wasn’t the Cardinals because they didn’t make an announcement. There’s no other source out there saying they didn’t win… guess we will find out soon.
The Cardinals need some pop in their lineup and Park has it. Plus he can play first, a position the Cardinals can upgrade.
For his potential cost, though, would Park really be that much of an upgrade in St. Louis though?
just depends on the team’s scouting evaluation. If his floor is Adams and his ceiling is more like a 130-140 wRC+, and it only takes ~30 million to roll the dice, then it seems like a smart move.
Is there a chance it’s Houston?
No they have Carter, Gattis and Singleton.
And?
I will bet it is one of the A’s, Giants, or Mariners.
SF has Belt, and sometimes Posey, at 1B. OAK has 2 more years on Butler’s contract and they don’t need to overpay another DH who can only field occasionally. On the other hand, MIL could do it to help trade Lind.
The Giants have a hole in left field and if they signed Park I could see them moving Belt to left where he has experience. Although, I do see the Giants as the most unlikely of the 3 I said.
Butler is essentially a DH only player so Park would be the main man for 1st base. There is also a chance the A’s will attempt to move Butler for whatever they can get for him.
Belt is one of the best defensive 1B… he’s got a monstrous learning curve in LF. I think the Giants best bet is to continue using him at 1B and find someone else for corner OF.
Definitely agree on Butler. I think Oakland hoped leaving KC would help his power but it clearly didn’t. If they can get someone to take a good chunk out of his remaining contract I can easily see him gone,
It’s possible that the Giants could trade Belt for a starter especially if they feel that they can’t sign him when free agency comes. Same theory applies if they get involved in the Chris Davis sweepstakes.
Pirates seem to be an intriguing fit as well with Alvarez’s struggles and a familiar face in Kang.
They’ve got Michael Morse too, and his contract. Plus their best position player prospect is a 1B who’s less than a year away.
Yeah, I don’t see it being Pirates because of the size of the bid and because of Bell’s close proximity to the majors.
Bell could easily be traded for a nice return. I don’t think Bell is that big of a hindrance to the Pirates getting Park
Well, by that token they could trade Park too … seems like a strange thing to do if Bell is as good as people say he is.
The Pirates have one of the lowest revenue rates in the MLB. This has been their issue with maintaining their roster since Free Agency blew up in a major fashion in the 90s. Why would they pay $12M+ just to negotiate a contract for an unproven commodity (which has already been stated to not be as promising as Kang is) for $40M+ when they have one of the best 1B prospects in the game? A prospect who will cost them less than $5M for the entire duration of Park’s contract, holds more promise, and has far more upside? Particularly so when they have other areas of need to address this offseason.
yeah, there are 29 MLB teams more likely than the Pirates to trade a top prospect away as not to block a more expensive acquisition. Especially a more expensive acquisition who still hasn’t played in a league as advanced as said top prospect has.
Morse has one year left and if you consider the player they traded to get Morse and the cash the dodgers sent to Pittsburgh, the pirates are barely paying him anything.
The pirates need a longer term solution to first, between Bell and Park one of them should at least be adequate.
Call me biased, but I don’t know why the Phillies aren’t being mentioned at all. True they’re a couple years away from contention, but with no clear option for a 1B when that window arrives, Park could be an immediate answer to their problem. Park wouldn’t cost them anything in regards to an international pool bonus reduction or draft pick compensation, and with little payroll committed beyond this season, the large market team can afford to take a gamble on a potential bust. He also could be dangled as a trade chip in one of the next two off seasons if the rebuild takes longer than expected. Signing Park would also expand the Phillies brand into a new market. Pirates games were being broadcast all over Korea last year after they had signed Kang, and with a rebuilding club, a foot in a new market might be just what they need be just what they need, and may also give them a leg-up in future negotiations with Korean players. Finally, signing Park would be something to get Phillies fans excited about, and in a tough market like Philly and after a 99 loss season, that last point can’t be underestimated.
Park makes sense for several clubs, but the positives so greatly outweigh the negatives for Philadelphia to sign him that I’d be disappointed if he landed anywhere else. Fingers crossed.
I’d rather see Jorge Alfaro play 1B long term with Andrew Knapp catching or vice versa.
I like Alfaro’s arm behind the dish, I feel it would be wasted at 1st. If catcher doesn’t work for Alfaro, perhaps LF or RF? I know he’s not the most athletic dude, but I feel his greatest tool is his arm and putting him at 1B would be wasting that tool.
I personally see Knapp playing 1B for the Phills in the future, if their roster stays how it is. Time shall tell, we definitely have more than a few exciting players to keep an eye on in fall ball and through next year.
I just love how the Phillies wouldn’t deal Hamels unless they got a catcher back, then the minute they deal him, Knapp slashes .360/.419/.613 over 55 games at AA.
I would hate to trade one, which is why I think 1B is likely.
As for the outfield, they Phillies have Altherr, Herrera, Williams, and Quinn that all are/could be up by mid-2016.
When I look at them through rose colored glasses, I feel the 2016 Phillies could be the 2015 Astros. Realistically I know it’s not probable, but that’s what everyone said about the Astros in November of 2014, that they wouldn’t start competing until 2016 at the earliest, most likely 2017.
I’m anxious to see if Herrera can make strides and work on his plate discipline, and I’d like to see Altherr handle the rigors of a complete major league season before considering him a long term option, but with Quinn and Nick Williams looking to start the year at AAA, help isn’t far off, whether it be to replace a middling Herrera/Altherr or in the form of trade bait to help their pitching staff.
I might take a lotta s*** for saying this, but I feel terrible for Rueben Amaro. Ownership was all about cashing in and trying to build around their aging core, and Amaro obliged. Even though he made some trades that decimated our farm system, not one Phillies fan was complaining when he made the deal (ok, except when he traded Pence and Cliff Away for next to nothing, but he tried to make up for it by signing Clifford back.) And then when faced with the daunting task of trading away said veterans with terrible contracts, he didn’t just leap at the first offer he received, he waited patiently through last off season, learned from his mistakes in the Pence and Lee trades, and waited until he received the best possible offer for each player. Each veteran that was traded netted the Phillies a legitimate prospect in return. Much like Ed Wade was the true builder of the 2008 champion Phillies, Reuben Amaro was the true builder of the 201? champion Phillies.
Okay I’ll take the bait. Don’t feel terrible for him, feel terrible for yourself with that post. Being a patsy for ownership might, might be the only thing that could start to get him off the hook. The returns for those players are not as good as what they could have received if he didn’t wait until everyone and their grandmother knew he had to trade them. Better to be a year early, not 2-3 years too late. Plus his countless to the point of absurdity foot-in-mouth comments to the media. Now he can pat guys on the rump after a single.
I’m with you. I always thought the Phils were a legit possibility, if they’ve basically decided to dump Howard in his final year for whatever portion of his salary some AL team’s willing to pay for a platoon DH.
So the phillies would pay 24 million to get rid of Ryan Howard? Also that dude got himself a lot of money coming his way in the next 2 years. 35 million at the LEAST. If the Phillies pick up his option for whatever reason it will be up to 48 million in the next 2 years.
Seriously? Howard has about as good a chance of getting the Phils to pick up that option as I have of starting at 1B for them next year. But does he have a no trade? That could change things and make him completely untradeable (he could demand a new team pick up his option).
I have no idea about the trade but really hope he does for that reason. But at the time he was mashing when he signed the contract so he probably does. And I only mentioned the part about the option just to say that he could make upwards of $50 million in the next 2 seasons.
It could be Houston, Oakland, Pittsburgh or Seattle. Even though they have prospects they might ratter get Park and trade the prospects for something else like the Astros might want to trade Singleton/Reed or Carter. Maybe Oakland, they won’t trade Olson but he’s not a guarantee and maybe they will need someone better to DH.
My bet will be either Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh or Oakland. Some teams like the Cubs or Arizona I can eliminate. But lets wait till Monday!
I find it odd the White Sox haven’t been ruled out yet.
They have LaRoche and Abreu though.
Exactly why I find it odd. Maybe they plan on squashing the LaRoche plan quicker than they did the Dunn one.
They’ve only not been ruled out because no one’s managed to reach the right person to ask. Which is true of most of the teams that “haven’t been ruled out.”
I’d say Rockies, Astros, or Mariners…
Call me crazy – But the more that is written that other teams are out, I see no one mentioning the Phillies. Their Front Office said they would not dip far into the FA’s, but more to seek International Signings, the draft, ect…
Howard is in the last year of his contract with no pure 1B replacement until Hoskins is ready (Yes Knapp or Alfaro or even Joseph may play there – and only Joseph will start the 2016 as AAA’s 1B – Stassi I think still opens up at AA’s 1B)
That said… It doesn’t seem too far-fetched that it may indeed be the Phillies.
Considering the cost and low risk / high reward – This may be the exact example of what the new GM said he plans on rebuilding this team.
Guess we’ll all know soon enough.
I think is either the Astros or Athletics.
Feeling the Astros here
The teams with a solid, or overpaid, 1B already can also be eliminated. White Sox, Royals, Twins, Braves, Reds, Cubs and D-Backs can most likely be crossed off the list also.
That leaves ten teams: Tampa Bay, Oakland, Houston, Seattle, Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Colorado.
I’d put Houston at the top as most likely, followed by San Francisco, with Milwaukee as the dark horse.
I’m betting its the Astros.
You might as well rule the Cubs (Rizzo), Royals (Hosmer, Morales), Reds (Votto), Rays (Loney, Morrison) Braves (Freeman) out as well. I don’t like the White Sox due to them possibly eating LaRoche’s contract.
Rays, A’s, Astros or Pirates. My guess.
I’m going with astros or pirates
Anybody know whyByung-Ho Park has no baseball stats for 3 complete seasons when he was younger?
Korean males have 2 years of mandatory military service that they do in their late teens/early 20’s. Usually pro athletes are able to train during their service in a special program, but they’re not able to play professionally.
I would be shocked if Oakland A’s didn’t come out on top. The Cardinals and A’s have been mentioned as scouting Park heavily in recent months.
It wasn’t A’s. Are you shocked?
My hunch is that it’s the Rays. They operate very secretively and would then trade Loney to address other needs.
It seems like smoke and mirrors to me, the best source would be through the Nexen Heroes, this time of year front office’s would be keeping their cards close to their chests. I wouldn’t rule out the Cardinals and yes I read the article by Joe Strauss, have journalists been giving wrong information before, of course they have.
Why would anyone bother to keep this secret? I can’t see any possible advantage to be gained by not announcing having won the bidding. Every team knows what they bid, if anything, and everyone knows what the winning bid was. Therefore, the winning team knows it won. What am I missing? Unless the reported winning bid is wrong.
At this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if any of the teams that have been counted out actually won the bid.
Always a possibility. Last year the Pirates were ruled out of winning the bid on Kang, yet that is where he ended up.
Been thinking about it, and out of the 11 teams left, only five make sense: Tampa Bay, Houston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh. The other six don’t.
White Sox = Abreu
Cubs = Rizzo
Royals = Hosmer
Braves = Freeman
Reds = Votto
Twins = Mauer
Unless an AL team needs a DH, I really only see Park going to a team that could use a 1B. Now, out of the five times I came down to, only three make real sense: Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay. Houston has Carter and they can’t transition him to DH because Gattis is there and the Pirates have Alvarez. The Brewers said they already plan to listen on Lind, Philadelphia really has nothing at all, and Tampa Bay could always platoon Park if need be with Loney, or flip Loney in a trade. Who knows though.
I’m going to guess Brewers. Only because I haven’t seen anyone suspect them.
Yep
I do not trust Joe Strauss at all. Zero. Actually, because he said it was unsuccessful, I tend to believe more so that the Cardinals are still in play.
Yeah but the Cards don’t really make any sense. They have not only Adams but Moss too. And Piscotty can play first too. I guess they could dump either or both, but for a gamble like Park? I don’t see it.
I believe it makes a lot more sense than you seem to believe. Here’s the outlook: Holliday has one more year. Ideally, the OF for next year is Holliday, Grichuk, Heyward, with Pham and Piscotty getting quite a bit of time resting the starters (Jay should be moved to another team). First base options: Adams, Piscotty, Moss (requires tender ~$12mm? Or something like that). Adams may be done – potentially trade item. Piscotty had a great close to the season and post season but we should recognize it as still a small sample size. Pete Kozma had a great 2012 postseason.
Park allows for the Cardinals to ease in Piscotty and ease out Holliday in LF. Piscotty can spell whoever plays first too (Park/Davis/Moss – hopefully not Adams). It also immediately addresses the biggest problem with their lineup which is lack of power…
The supposed teams still in the mix (supposed because the Pirates had been ruled out of winning the bid for Kang last year… and we all know how that turned out), only Philly, Milwaukee, TB, and Houston make any real sense at all.
Phillies make sense as they are trying to move Howard, who is also a FA after this up coming season.They also do not have a real prospect at 1B on the verge of making it to the show, unless they move Nick Williams there… and he’s still a year away.
The Braves gave Freeman a big deal recently, and aren’t going to spend this much cash on a backup or RH platoon partner.
The Brewers have Lind through next season, but he’s probably a safe bet to be traded this offseason or at the July deadline. They do not have a real prospect in terms of 1B on the horizon either. So they would make a lot of sense.
The Reds have possibly the best 1B in baseball overall with Votto under control until 2024. Of course they could trade him and kick their rebuild into high gear, but why trade Votto only to turn around and sign an unproven commodity for a potential cost of over $50M? They are a possibility here, but not very likely.
The Pirates are known to be looking for an upgrade over Alvarez. They also have Morse with the best 1B prospect in the game right now on track to being MLB ready around mid-season with Josh Bell. I know they went out and picked up Kang in this fashion, but they also paid around $15M total for 4 years for him. While they are a possibility here, I find it exceedingly unlikely that they will use up what precious little payroll room they have on a guy who is said to not be as impactful of a player as Kang is. Not while they have a guy in Bell who will cost them less than the posting fee has for Park over the next 4-5 years.
The Cubs have Rizzo signed to a longterm, team-friendly deal. They also have Vogelbach in the wings if he’s not traded or lost in the Rule 5 draft. There’s no reason at all for the Cubs to be involved here.
The Royals have Hosmer for 2 more years. Behind him is Cheslor Cuthbert who could be on their active roster next year and playing LF if they lose Gordon and do not sufficiently replace him. There’s no reason for the Royals to be involved here.
The WhiteSox have Abreu until 2020 on less money AAV than the entire deal for Park will most likely be. With him is LaRoche through next season. There’s no reason for the WhiteSox to be involved here.
The Twins have Mauer, Sano, and Plouffe. They also have Kepler who should head to AAA next season. I see no reason why the Twins would be involved here.
The Rays have Loney, who had a pretty decent overall season this year. They also have Shaffer who had a good season between AA and AAA this year. They have to be considered a possibility, but not very likely.
The Astros are known to be looking to upgrade over Carter. Rumors already link them as a potential landing spot for Davis. They do have AJ Reed on the farm, but he will most likely start next season at AAA. If they appear open to signing Davis, then why wouldn’t they be in on Park?
Having LaRoche should not stop them from trying to improve the spot. He’s a sunk cost at this point.
I understand that LaRoche didn’t have a great season this year. However, he is getting paid $13M next season. He also had a pretty strong season overall in 2014, and could bounce back if healthy. I don’t think it’s entirely plausible that they will either bench LaRoche or cut him and eat $13M just to spend $50-60M on a guy who is believed to be less impactful than Kang. Unless they believe that Park can play 3B… which it seems most scouts do not agree with, at least not at a high degree. Also, keep in mind that the WhiteSox have both Olt and Davidson with big power potential. So, unless they’ve given up on both of those guys (which could be possible), it’s unlikely they’re in on Park. They have too many other needs (C, middle IF, 5th SP, 3B) to worry about 1B and DH.
Out of the supposed remaining teams (Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Astros), I’d say the only two you can definitively rule out are the Reds and Cubs. Every other team has a legitimate case, although some more plausible than others.
The Twins have no reason at all to pursue Park. Why pay that much money for a guy who probably won’t be as good as Sano, nontheless Plouffe or Mauer?
The Pirates could be the team, but why sign Park with money they need for other areas when they have an excellent 1B prospect in Bell who could be ready by June or July? Especially for a guy who many scouts seem to believe is less of a player than Kang is.
The only way I see the WhiteSox being a real possibility is if they eat LaRoche’s salary then spend an additional $50-60M for Park… making their total for DH $63-73M over then next 4-5 years. This would be going on while they ignore other desperate needs at C, 2B, SS, 3B, and 5th SP. They also have two young 1B/3B/LF/DH types in Davison and Olt whom they’d have to entirely give up on to bring in Park. Seems unlikely to me, but stranger things have happened with MLB transactions.
Mauer is entrenched at 1B, yes, but I’d imagine Sano will return to 3B or move to the OF rather than DH and occasionally spell Mauer at 1B. Plouffe can certainly be maneuvered if the twins believe Park will provide a better bat. So they would be adding Park as a DH, valuing his potential offensive impact.
Although you make valid points concerning the Pirates, I wouldn’t rule them out either. Maybe they don’t predict Bell to be ready for the upcoming season and don’t view Morse as a reliable placeholder. Additionally, maybe they don’t view Bell’s career projection as some outside pundits do. As a braves fan, peraza looked to be a sure thing, but the braves didn’t value him as such. Bell could become a trade chip, and Park could help PIT become the most popular team in Korea. Not saying all of this is absolute, but plausible.
As for LaRoche, I think he has a better chance of being dealt than Howard. I could see a team like the A’s taking him on a deal in which the sox eat some contract. If the sox believe Park to be a better long term fit than any of their current options, Abreu aside, I don’t see why they wouldn’t try to sign him. As for olt and Davidson, potential is there, but they’ve done little to show that potential will ever be reached. They may be lost causes, or worked solely at 3B.
Anything can happen, and it more so depends on how each team views the talent they currently have versus what they view Park to potentially become.
Plouffe seems to be a better 3B than Sano is, but Sano may be the future there. I really don’t see the Twins paying $50-60M total on an unknown entity who seems projected to perform below the level of Plouffe… only to trade Plouffe. Especially when they need what cash they have to strengthen their pitching staff.
I have to agree that perhaps the Pirates are not as high on Bell as they have stated they are just a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps that was all bluster in hopes of signing Park and then trading Bell at maximum value. Doesn’t make much sense, honestly, but that could be the case. Also, what good does it do the Pirates to become the most popular team in Korea? They won’t get a boost in revenue from merchandise due to merchandising rules. They also will not have an edge in negotiations due to the posting process, as well as international FA rules. I think that point is pretty irrelavent. The same has been made about the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mariners in terms of Japan…. and that hasn’t helped them at all.
I tend to agree with you on LaRoche being easier to trade than Howard. That said, why would the WhiteSox spend about the same amount AAV for a guy who projects similarly for 2016 as LaRoche does, the have to probably eat some of LaRoche’s salary to trade him… then entirely ignore their massive needs over half of their remaining roster?
But yes, anything can happen. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that one of the several teams already ruled out wound up with the winning bid. For that matter, I wouldn’t be surprised if the most unlikely team of all IMO, Arizona, ends up with him.
Again, it’s all about how each individual team values the talent they have versus the talent Park potentially provides. Maybe some teams view him as being capable of making a smooth transition into the MLB and surpassing expectations. Each teams collective think tank of scouting and front office operates differently.
I don’t know all the particulars of merchandise revenue sharing, but gaining the allegiance of an entire nation of people will undoubtedly provide plenty of benefits beyond solely merchandising.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on the D’Backs being a poor fit. Knowing Dave Stewart though, I wouldn’t be completely surprised, unfortunately.
Point taken with your first paragraph, but overal, the word on Park isn’t all that great. Then again, it wasn’t all that great with Kang either. Kang looks like he just might be a budding star over the next couple of years. But, so did Hee Seop Choi.
Merchandising basically works like this. The league owns the rights to all merchandising. They pay a low percentage of annual sales (to retailers and off the MLB websites) to the teams and the player’s union. Each team gets the same amount, regardless of which team’s merchandise might be more popular. The players also get a small amount paid to them, but the money given to the union mostly pays for the pension given to retired players. The only means by which a team earns more revenue from merchandising is through their own shops at the stadium or in malls/shopping centers in town. This is basically the same sort of revenue that a retail shop would earn.
As I stated above, being the most popular team in Japan did not help the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, or Mariners in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Being the most popular team in Korea during the 200s has not helped the Cubs (who at one time had 8 different Korean players in their system, not to mention made the second-biggest Korean FA splash with Hee Seop Choi behind Chan Ho Park’s signing until Ryu’s signing a couple of years ago).
It’s one thing to have a big presence in terms of scouting, but the Cubs had the biggest scouting effort in Korea for years… and were the most popular MLB team there during that time. They’ve received squat in terms of benefits as the vast majority of Korean players have washed out quickly here in the US. Despite having so many promising Korean prospects, only Choi has managed to reach the majors so far. He busted pretty soundly after a couple of years. Even the highly touted Hak-Ju Lee has stalled out in AAA for the Rays over the past couple of years.
Howard is only sort of a FA next off-season. He’s got a $10m kicker if his 2017 option isn’t picked up. Meaning he’s still owed $35m for one season. If the Phils pick up Park and dump Howard, they’ll be paying something on the order of $40m or up on their first baseman next year.
They’ve been trying to dump Howard for 3 years now. They’ve also hinted at a willingness to eat a high portion of his salary in a trade. I see no reason why they won’t take the $10M buyout if they fail to trade him this winter or at the deadline. Though, I will agree that Howard’s $25M salary for 2016 makes for a tough decision… and probably makes the Phils the least likely of the 4 teams I state as making the most sense. Well, other than TB which has been stated to be out of the mix since I posted this.
Despite what Joe Strauss said (with no mention of the source) I believe the Cardinals very well could be the winning team.
I don’t know. You could be correct, but why would the Cardinals aggressively pursue Park when they have Adams, Moss, and Piscotty all under contract… and are said to be trying to re-sign Heyward? Park is said to be seen as less impactful than Kang, and that probably means that each of the Cardinals’ in-house options are better solutions for 1B than he is.
Why is this comment being down voted? I think you are spot on with this assessment here.
If I’m St. Louis, I have other areas I’d be interested in shoring up. If Lackey leaves, if Martinez doesn’t recover well from his injury at the end of this season, if Wainwright’s age is leaving his durability in question, starting pitching seems like it’s more of a concern for the Cardinals. And after trading away Shelby Miller, I can’t believe that Heyward is anything less than the #1 priority this offseason for the Cards.
Yes, I suppose it COULD be St. Louis, but it just doesn’t make any sense to me, either.
I think wong here really wants the Cardinals to do something they’ve never done… spend a big amount of $$ on an entirely unproven and questionable entity.
I agree with you entirely. With the Cubs and Pirates needing to really make just 1 or 2 moves to put a roster together that surpasses the Cardinals… and the major questions you bring up here… spending a ton of money on an area that seems pretty well covered just doesn’t make sense.
Mozeliak has also pretty much stated that resolving the vacancy of Heyward is priorty #1. After that, he seems intent on reinforcing his pitching staff. Unless they fail to bring back Heyward, which is very plausible, I see no reason at all for the pursuing any outside option at 1B. Since nothing has happened on the Heyward front, why would they be in on Park?
No no no… I’m just interested in responsible journalism. There was no source that said the cardinals were out except a comment in an article that seemed like it wasn’t even important. Seemed like Joe Strauss just assumed the Cardinals weren’t in it.
1st base isn’t a pretty well covered position either… Moss? A disaster…never should have given up Kaminsky for him. Adams? He’s trade bait and more questionable health wise than the uncertainty of park. Piscotty is not a 1st base man and he will be playing in RF, and spot in LF. Mo knows Heyward isn’t coming back.
Holliday has one year left, Piscotty can get a large number of ABs by spelling Holliday in left and whoever the starter is at first. Park would address one of the Cardinals gaping holes on offense which is lack of power.
Valid points indeed but the problem is the Cardinals are not going to re-sign Heyward. Piscotty is not going to be a first baseman unless they do magically sign Heyward. Park addresses an obvious need, but it’s not going to be for 40 mill. It will be for like 20 mill.
According to Twitter, the Pirates seem to be the mystery team. I still like to think Joe Strauss is wrong though and it’s the Cardinals.
Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Astros.
Eliminate the Phillies (they have a logjam at 1B with Howard and Ruf), Reds (Votto), Cubs (Rizzo), White Sox (Abreu), and Twins (Mauer, logjam at 1B/DH when factoring in Vargas and Sano).
Thus, it’s likely either the Brewers or Pirates.
Or it could be Houston as well.
If all the information we already have now is in fact absolutely correct (about which teams are considered out of the bidding), and taking into consideration (of the teams not eliminated yet) what the remaining teams have for options on the roster, payroll considerations, minor league prospects, etc., it sure does look like it’s most likely to be Milwaukee who ended up putting in the highest bid.
Milwaukee would be a decent landing spot for Park, too. At worst, he would be looking at being the weak side of a 1st base platoon for one season maximum, with a full-time job at 1st base starting in 2017. The Brewers don’t have anyone coming up soon that is a threat for that 1st base job, and they cleared quite a bit of money off their books, so they can pay him a pretty fair sum of money. Since they’re rebuilding, and don’t have an option that’s really anything significant to play 3rd base, they could always try him there as well if they felt inclined to do so (although I can’t believe that is a good idea). He’d also be playing his home games in a pretty decent hitter’s park, with a decent lineup around him.
Agreed in part. If the Astros are indeed willing to go big with Chris Davis, why not try to go in big with Park as well? I doubt he provides half the power that Davis could playing all those games in Houston and Texas, but I do think he could be a better overall option than Carter currently is.
That said, I could easily see the Brewers pick him up and then trade Lind. Or as you say, they could try to do the same thing the Pirates did with Kang and slowly work Park into the regular lineup as part of a platoon with Lind for 2016.
Its the Red Sox.
I’ve looked at all the remaining likely teams and none of them seem…likely. I will return later to be surprised.
Pirates !!!!
According to CJ Nitkowski, it’s the Pirates.
twitter.com/cjnitkowski/status/663693652502437888
CJ Nitkowski is saying that he was told the Pirates won the bidding for Park. I believe CJ played in the KBO and should have some pretty reliable sources.
Oh Mystery Team, please reveal yourselves.
It’s not the White Sox either
Travis Sawchick, a Pirates reporter, says a source in S. Korea says the Twins won.
Daniel Kim, a MLB/South Korea reporter also confirms it’s the Twins
Looks like it’s the Twins then. Congratulations Twins fans if true.
I never really considered Minnesota a real possibility, despite scouting Park like they did. Just didn’t see where Park would fit.
Still, nice player for the Twins. Makes me wonder if they have a few trade possibilities they’re considering to make room for him. Maybe Plouffe is on his way out? Get Sano regular time at 3rd, leaving 1st and DH duties for Mauer and Park?
Guess we shall see.
i bet the twins got park