In a radio interview on The 670 Score’s “Inside The Clubhouse” show, Theo Epstein said the Cubs are committed to Jorge Soler as a big part of their roster, CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports. “We are putting our stock into his future,” Epstein said. “Barring anything [an overwhelming trade offer], he knows to ignore all the trade rumors and take it as a compliment.” Epstein praised Soler’s hitting potential and his offseason training, as Soler “is down to 225 [pounds] and is working hard on his quickness and flexibility” to improve his right field defense. The Cubs could add a defense-first backup outfielder, Epstein hinted, which probably isn’t a surprise given Soler’s inexperience and the questions about whether or not Kyle Schwarber can handle left field. Here’s some more from around baseball…
- The Brewers don’t want to sell low on Jonathan Lucroy in the wake of his underwhelming 2015 season, though they could be taking a risk by waiting to make a trade, Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes in a piece for FOX Sports. If Lucroy’s concussion and injury history continues to diminish his ability, Milwaukee will have missed its window to recoup significant value for the former All-Star. Midseason deals for catchers are also somewhat uncommon, as it’s somewhat hard for a new catcher to instantly develop a rapport with pitchers.
- The Braves targeted Dansby Swanson even before they created room at short by dealing Andrelton Simmons, GM John Coppolella tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila. “We’ve been in talks with Arizona since the end of the 2015 season,” Coppolella said. “We hoped to get Swanson, but we didn’t know if, or how, the deal would materialize. We saw him as a fit for us, whether we made the Simmons trade or not. We just want really good players and he’s a really good player.”
- Wei-Yin Chen may have the most value of any remaining free agent pitcher, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello writes, as he has posted comparable numbers to Jeff Samardzija or Jordan Zimmermann and probably won’t cost as much. Of course, Chen and his agent Scott Boras are looking for healthy compensation for the southpaw’s services in the form of a five-year, $100MM contract.
- While opt-out clauses are usually considered to provide little benefit to a team, the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber notes that there’s certainly upside if a club can avoid paying big money to a player outside of his prime years. For instance, Lauber reports that had the Red Sox been successful in obtaining Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers in the 2003-04 offseason, they had no intention of re-signing him after he opted out of his deal (as expected) after the 2007 season. The Yankees, who did deal for A-Rod and then re-signed him to a whopping 10-year, $275MM contract after 2007, have surely regretted not letting Rodriguez walk when they had the chance.
- Blue Jays director of analytics Joe Sheehan is profiled by the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy, who notes that Sheehan’s promotion to the newly-created position is a sign of the team’s increased focus on analytics under Mark Shapiro.
- The Giants are the most likely team to sign Yoenis Cespedes, MLB.com’s Jim Duquette opines. The Tigers, Orioles, White Sox and Angels round out Duquette’s list of Cespedes’ most likely landing spots.
I’m not trying to be a dicckface here, but I am so sick of hearing/reading GM comments about how they won’t trade a certain player and how they see a player as being a part of their future. Everybody knows that it is just a load of crap. I understand they have to say this and respond to questions this way because it is professional, but I am just tired after all these years of reading it and taking it as major news. Every player is expendable because every player can be bought for a price, regardless if that is Mike Trout or a single A player. So tired of this fake veil that people put up because they think they are being professional.
As the Million dollar man Ted DeBiasie says everybodies got a price.
Good to know
You should report for ESPN
It is not just “being professional” (though why you would consider that a bad thing, I do not understand). It is an attempt to insulate the player from the stress and anxiety of not knowing what their future holds if such a thing is not necessary.
Not everybody deals well with that stress and uncertainty. If you’re deep in trade negotiations and the player is likely packing his bags soon, sure, by all means, they should feel free to admit that. If nothing is imminent and you only want GMs to say something different to appease your need to see them admit that possibilities exist in the universe, then personally I prefer they keep “lying” and looking out for their players.
I think everyone knows any player can be bought if someone has the resources and is willing to pay a high enough price. Reacting to it as though it’s literally true is pointless.
Fernandez is a good example of this. The Marlins had said he was off limits but the Dodgers pushed anyway so the Marlins gave them a price. The Marlins said they want Seager, Pederson, Urias and two other players in addition. An absolutely ridiculous price for Fernandez. This is what an “untouchable” player costs. A price that you have to be insane to pay.
So Fernandez had Tommy John surgery and is still highly valued and an ace. The braves get younger guys who had Tommy John, but they are all worthless. That’s comical.
Because Fernandez has a track record of success in the majors (even if it was a small sample). Comparing Fernandez to a minor league pitcher (with potential) when both had Tommy John and saying they should have equal value is comical.
That’s right. It IS small. The guy can hardly make it through a season. Braves fan is comparing pitcher A with high value to pitcher B with no value and not saying both have equal value. What’s comical is your comprehension skills.
I think its comical how you accuse me of my comprehension skills when it seems your skills are lacking as well. I comprehended his statement as saying he believed that Fernandez and the Braves young pitchers with TJ should be close, if not equal in value. He doesn’t explicitly say that he is or isn’t comparing them as being of equal value. I comprehended that as saying they should be of equal value, you comprehended it differently.
I also meant no disrespect to him either, just saying that to compare a guy, even if it was just one season (that was really good) , with prospects, who have either just barely scratched the surface of the major league level or who haven’t even reached it yet, because they both had TJ is funny since there is a difference between them (as you stated in another comment). If you feel I was wrong then just say something like “I think he meant this.”
You created the strawman argument when you stated he believed them to be equal value. That is not stated anywhere in his comment or even implied. Show me the line that even hints at that? Don’t tell me you meant no disrespect when your original comment about this person or that person’s comment being comical is obviously disrespectful. You want to be one of those commenters on a sports site that comes in all harsh on other posters than go for it but don’t call others out on being disrespectful if you do
Thanks for that hanks. I in no way meant they were equal in value and I could have made that more clear.
Ya, I feel you on that. I’m sure you know that there is a difference between the prospects we picked up and Fernandez right now but there is definitely an inconsistency in there.
I love how overvalued players who have never set foot in a big league game are these days.
That package, led by Pederson (169 career games) has 196 career games between 5 players. That is nothing: one cannot say with authority (like you are) that those 5 players will not pan out either way. Prospects are not 100% guaranteed to be stars. Urias might end up with Drew Pomeranz’s career, and Fernandez might continue on his HOF-trajectory, then everyone will be shaking their heads they didn’t make that trade.
That being said I think Fernandez and Ozuna gets Seager, Pederson, Urias and 2 more. LAD need that second ace more than they need Seager and the rest, and if Miami insists on Pederson, then LAD can take back Ozuna.
Trading Seager opens a hole at 3B/SS (whichever spot he is set to play). Agreed that LA needs a number 2 pitcher, but I think they would be better off keeping Seager and looking to deal other prospects (Urias, de Leon, Pederson amongst others).
I think GMs do it to protect the player, by discounting it they let the player know they are still an important part of the team. They seem to be talking to the player through the media.
I’m more tired of reading about journalists clearly made-up “sources” and fake stories about things that clog up other people’s work. It feels as anytime someone need to fill up a “word count” then they drag out the ol “Sources inside the team inform me that…” which no one can ever know for sure is true or not. Some industry people use this site and have to know accurate info and can’t afford to fluf around with these false leads!
Relax. The professional answer will be with us forever.
I’ll never understand why so many non-competitive teams hold onto their aging and/or expiring players, like the Brewers with Lucroy, the Reds with Chapman last year, and the Padres with Upton. The calculus should be simple – Can this team reasonably be expected to compete within whatever time frame is applicable? If no, then the next question is simply – Is the value of my player at it’s highest point? If yes, then you do everything in your power to trade that player! Take my Padres. T. Ross’ value is probably at its highest point AND the Padres probably are not going to be competitive this year (or likely next) AND they probably won’t be able to extend him. So…trade him!!! If they hold onto him and he has a bad 1st half, then his value drops significantly. Plus, is it reasonable to expect that he will pitch better than he did in the 2nd half last year? Probably not. Ok…enough of my ramblings!
The first step of a rebuild should be to trade or DFA everyone over 27, as soon as possible.
My guess is most teams realize they can’t go full scale non-competitive because it will wipe out the bandwagon fan base. Doing so eliminates any chance at hitting the devised profit margins for the year.
I totally believe baseball needs to force every club with spend minimums and the more lucrative markets share in the payload. They will prosper with more balanced teams.
Minimum at $90,000,000 for players salaries ( NOT stadium upgrades ) would be a good start.
This is what the Brewers are doing. With Lucroy, other teams are talking down his value because of previous injury-related performance. With Braun and Garza, nobody would take them without eating a lot of salary. Pretty much everyone else has been traded, and more could still go.
It’s really not as easy as you’re making it sound.. There is a lot of other factors that go into the decision. For example a lot of these small market teams such as the Brewers depend a lot on people paying money to come into the stadium to watch the team play. So if you give up the face of your franchise, which is Lucroy right now, how will your fanbase take that? Will people still want to come to the game if you put a bunch of Triple A players out there? Notice how teams don’t even use the word rebuild anymore? Thats why
2nd, Is the value of my player at it’s highest point? Do you realize how incredibly hard of a question that is to answer? I’ll take your Padres and Ross for example. So you truly believe that Ross can not get any better than he is? He was pretty good last year but I would bet he could be even better. And who know that better than his own team?
And 3rd, the most important point. How do you know all these teams aren’t low balling the team for some of these players? In the case of Lucroy i’m sure teams are trying to buy low on him because of his injury plagued year last year. I know I would be. But the year before that he was 4th in the MVP voting I think and has an almost laughable salary for the next 2 years. 10 mill combined. Thats insane value if he even comes close to being the guy he was 2 years ago or the guy he was the last month of the season last year. Why would you just give that away if you were the Brewers? Unless someone blew me away with an offer I would hang onto him and wait.
Scott Lauber’s comments regarding what the Red Sox would have done after the 2007 season are just self-serving speculation. If A-Rod had played a key role in winning the world series that year, would they have just given him a kiss-off? No one knows, but what we do know is that even the mighty Red Sox front office makes the occasional mistake.
Yes, the Sox have dumped their share of bad contract, they still went after Panda and Hensley!
I also read Scott Lauber’s article and the comments on A-Rod were from an un-named Major League source! Most probably a Red Sox employee!
Just another self-serving article praising the Sox and the penchant for “never making mistakes”!!! Really!
I’m not a Yankee, or ARod fan in the least, but I never look at that deal as a mistake when they won the series 2 years later. Should be all that matters, was it a piece of a champion, yes, not the most important or best value but still a piece.
I don’t know why anyone would be upset over a GM saying a certain player should take trade rumors with a grain of salt, and that they plan on having said player as part of their future plans…… unless they are completely blown away by a trade offer. Seems to be common knowledge and is just the GM trying to reassure the player that they shouldn’t be worried that the team is actively trying to get rid of said player. That’s all it is. Are the Cubs trying to trade Soler? No. Are they listening to offers though? Yes….. and they should be. But they aren’t just going to trade him away for just any player…. likely pitcher. Cubs said the same thing about Castro last year…… and they kept him since they weren’t overwhelmed with the trade offers. They even said that this offseason about him. Then the Yankees IMO foolishly gave us Adam Warren who quite possibly is not only the most underrated add for the Cubs this offseason but could be the most underrated move in the league this offseason. If Warren is giving a legit opportunity to compete against Hammel for that 5th starter’s spot and wins it I think he has the ability and definitely the high ceiling potential to be a SOLID middle of the rotation quality pitcher…… maybe even a fringe #2. Warren has some solid stats early on in his career, and as a starter in limited exposure in the AL East was actually rock solid in his 17 starts last year. Moving to the NL should only help. At his peak potential I think he can be a poor man’s version of Jordan Zimmerman – low 3 ERA, solid WHIP, but not too many Ks. Warren’s metric stats are almost identical to Zimmermann’s in the early stages of his career already. VERY solid potential in Warren. Which is why the Cubs traded Castro. That and they have like 4-5 other young middle infielders on the team or in the system already.
Point is, if the Cubs were to receive an offer for Soler that included a high ceiling pitcher in return they’d seriously consider it and likely pull the trigger. Like if the White Sox came a calling and asked for just Soler and Candelario for….. say….. Quintana, Rodon, or even Fulmer, the Cubs would be foolish not to at least deliberate over that and quite honestly stupid if they didn’t accept.
okay that trade is absolutely awful on the White Sox side the cubs bias is strong with you brother. Quintana has similar if not greater value than Shelby Miller so Cubs would be paying a hefty price on getting him by himself. Throw in Rodon or Fulmer and yeah, doubt the cubs want to be involved in those asking prices.
1. Warren is ok, but you are hilariously overrating him. He’s a solid 4-5 starter. Maybe.
2. Quintana >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Miller. They aren’t even close. It would take 3-4x that to get Quintana.
If a GM gave me a public vote of confidence that I wasn’t going to be traded, I would make sure I didn’t unpack my boxes.
If Soler doesn’t fit, he will be dealt.
The Giants will not sign cespedes.
Could Wei-Yin Chen be a good fit for firming up the Sox rotation? Always seems like he performed well at Fenway. With the Price deal, it seems that perhaps John Henry’s checkbook has loosened up just a little bit. Just thinking out loud…
Yes, because Red Sox ownership is notorious for being tight with their money.
I have no doubt Heyward has the skills to be an excellent everyday CF, perhaps even a GG CF, but my concern is can his 6’5″. 240lb body handle the duties of CF over 150-160 games?
Jays would be lucky if they actually made a push for Chen. We could use another great leftie
Let’s see – Epstein says we are committed to Soler – let’s ask Starlin Castro what this means.
Chen should just sign a 3 or 4 year worth 40-50m with the blue jays. I don’t think Chen is a 100 million dollar arm, but I also didn’t think k Samardzija was either, if he goes to Toronto he stays in a division he is familiar with, and has a stellar offense to back him plus Toronto needs another top rotation arm
Do the Brewers really expect to get more for Lucroy the closer he comes to free agency? It seems like his value is going to dwindle as time goes no matter how he performs. Two years of Lucroy would seem to have more value than 1 and a 1/2 years of him, I guess teams do tend to get desperate at the deadline though. Seems risky for a catcher a slow start and they are in trouble.
But why sell low on Lucroy at this time? Milwaukee has two years of control on a catcher making well below market rate in salary. He is arguably the Face of the Franchise, and there is nobody in the system ready to take that spot on the roster (Even if you think Maldonado is a starting caliber catcher – and he probably would be for a rebuilding Milwaukee club – Maldonado’s backup spot needs replacing, and the Brewers don’t have much available at this time).
No, a rebuilding team shouldn’t recklessly or stubbornly hold on to tradeable assets, despite the fallout from the fanbase, but even if Lucroy spends most of the next two seasons on the DL, and offensively and/or defensively falls apart to the point he isn’t a starter anymore, his contract is still pretty reasonable.
Personally, I would rather risk Lucroy losing all his trade value over the next two seasons and end up being “stuck” with him, than sell low just because someone asked about him.
Well even in a down year he was easily the best catcher perceived as available, it isn’t like the Brewers were going to get cash considerations for him. The Brewers aren’t really in a position to be greedy like the Phillies were with Hamels that extra year of control allowed them to take that risk. If Lucroy has a bounce back year he’d just be a one year rental at that point..
But even if Milwaukee waited until next Winter to trade Lucroy, the team he gets traded to would still get a full season and a qualifying offer opportunity with Lucroy, and he still would only cost his new team about $5.25 million for next season.
The free agent catching market will once again be pretty weak next offseason, so really, Milwaukee just don’t have to deal with trading him right now for a weak offer.
I saw it reported Milwaukee’s asking price was high when Texas asked about him. What they asked for? Who knows? Maybe Texas opened with a low ball offer, and Milwaukee countered with a high price? Maybe not? Who knows?
I can see fowler going back to the Cubs on a 1 yr deal and then trying free agency next yr when the talent is much weak.Not very many teams knocking his door down and with him tied to draft pick comp,maybe the Cubs get him on the cheap.
Note to, John Coppolella. For many reason’s I love the fact that you want to have ‘good players’ taking the field for our team, but we already had a GREAT player in Andrelton Simmons. Whom you essentially gave away for sweet bugger all. So in my book’s, your still on the clock, partner.
Chen will take the hill for the Giants in 2016. Book it!!!
Simmons was not great imo. If he has not already reached his ceiling as a player I’d be surprised.
Red sox need someone like chen or kazmir for the 2or 3 erod will flourish eventually and bucholtz may not come back
You have to remember that the marlins told the sox they wanted bogaerts betts vasquez erod and either owens or johnson that is insane 3 of those are proven mlb starters and one was a mlb starter till he had tommy john
I would give the marlins vasquez erod and maybe johnson for fernandez nothing more
Personally, I think the Red Sox are a better match for Fernandez than the Dodgers and they could be scary good if they were able to add to Price. Obviously, they wouldn’t trade Betts or Bogaerts, but if I was them I would be fine with a package of Vasquez, ERod, one of Johnson/Owens and their choice of two prospects not named Moncada. The Sox pitching would go from a weakness to a strength in one off season and make them one of the WS favorites. It would beat up their farm, but their core of Betts, Bogaerts, Price, Fernandez and Kimbrel would all be controlled for at least the next 3 years and give them a chance to start building it back up.
With having swihart hanley pedroia and padlo thats also a stongg team
If the white sox don’t sign cespedes this will go down as another failed offseason
Cespedes is cheaper than most cuz no draft pick attached. Sox don’t have to forfeit their high picks. They need to go get this guy