There’s “rampant” speculation across the industry that free agent catcher Matt Wieters will sign with the Nationals, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider required and recommended). The Nationals traded for ex-Padres starting catcher Derek Norris earlier this month, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com then noted that they could sign Wieters and flip Norris elsewhere. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that Wieters’ agent, Scott Boras, is close with Nats owner Ted Lerner and president/general manager Mike Rizzo. The 30-year-old Wieters has spent his entire career in nearby Baltimore, but it may have replaced him Friday with the signing of Welington Castillo.
More offseason rumblings:
- The Mets checked in with the Rays on closer Alex Colome, though talks didn’t go far because Tampa Bay asked for either outfielder Michael Conforto or elite shortstop prospect Amed Rosario as a starting point, per Peter Gammons (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). While the effective and cheap Colome would have helped shore up a Mets bullpen that will likely be without soon-to-be suspended closer Jeurys Familia for at least 30 games next season, it’s no surprise that they balked at the Rays’ asking price. Although Conforto took steps backward in 2016 after a great rookie campaign, the Mets regard the 23-year-old as nearly untouchable. The club feels similarly about Rosario, whom MLB.com ranks as the sport’s 11th-best prospect.
- After the Brewers nearly dealt outfielder Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in August, there was a report that the two teams would revisit talks during the winter. There hasn’t been much offseason chatter regarding Braun, though, and one team executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that clubs are wary of his past performance-enhancing drug use. “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun,” the exec said. “Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.” Braun served a 65-game suspension for PEDs in 2013 and later admitted to using them during his NL MVP-winning season in 2011. He returned from the suspension in 2014 to post so-so numbers (by his standards), but the 33-year-old has gone back to being a high-end offensive performer since. Braun is owed $76MM over the next half-decade, including a $4MM buyout in 2021.
- Free agent designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, is discussing a long-term deal with “several teams,” relays Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. That probably doesn’t bode well for the Indians, observes Hoynes, who writes that the Tribe would rather ink the soon-to-be 34-year-old to a short-term contract. Encarnacion rejected the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer, which means signing him would cost a first-round draft choice. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal suggested earlier this week that the Indians would be hesitant to sacrifice a top pick for a stopgap. Between that and Hoynes’ report, it seems Cleveland is a long shot to land Encarnacion.
It would not surprise me in the least bit that Wieters signs with the Nationals.
Lerner likes to spend and spend he will
I dont understand why the dodgers suddenly dont seem interested in braun. My only thought is they dont want to take on his contact but the brewers were supposed to take on mccarthey so it would only add 50 million over the duration of the deal and thats cheap for his production
Dozier is a better option. supplies right handed power in a fielding position the dodgers have a need at. Plus he is owed a lot less money
Are you serious?
his contract isn’t a bad contract
His contract might not be bad but it extends 4 more years and they just re upped Hill, Turner and Jansen. Bet is one they don’t want to give up Bellinger, two it’s pretty clear they aren’t extending anything past two years. That’s when they want to get under salary cap and that’s when Kersh also becomes an FA.
The point made in the article is a good reason . Fact is Braun came back from the suspension to post decent numbers but as time passed his performance has improved . Not saying he is using peds , im sure he has passed multiple tests since but there is a risk there . Malyn Byrd made it for a while before ultimately failing another test . Not comparing Byrd to Braun as a player just saying it happens . The Dodgers FO haven’t shown much willingness to take chances lately . They passed on the Chapman deal last year because of the possible suspension and Im sure they were excited about the possibility of having him and Jansen together at the back end of their bullpen .
Not getting chapman backfired. If cubs dont have chapman the dodgers win the pennant. The players that would have been traded for chapman netted them thompson and contributed to the hill trade so thats good. They should have waited and traded nothing for chapman like the yankees did. The yankees were brilliant with their chapman moves over the past year
It’s all good to try and play hindsight 20/20 but it doesn’t mean that the Cubs wouldn’t have traded for Davis and still won the WS or another high end closer. Trading for Chapman doesn’t change the fact Kersh, Maeda, and Urias were gassed at the end. It also doesn’t change the fact that the Dodgers couldn’t hit lefties.
One could also say that it the nats were fully healthy they would have won the pennant. Let’s no try and pick and choose hypotheticals.
It isn’t hindsight really. Going into the playoffs with only one reliable reliever available is pretty much a textbook formula for failure. In the regular season depth may be your friend, but in the postseason, quality is all that counts. So yes, having Chapman probably makes a big difference.
If the Dodgers didn’t have Joe Blanton, they might’ve won the pennant. They tied game 1 late on a big base hit off of Chapman . . . enter Jie Blanton, exit Montero grand salami,remember?
Joe
I mean if you want to if you want to say it’s because they struggled because they didn’t have a significant set up guy sure. But saying they failed because they obtain Chapman sort of glosses over the problems of the team. One very big one being inability to hit lhp and inability for starters to get passed the 5th.
Wow that sounded illegible. I apologize.
I memby
With Chapman, they don’t have to overuse Blanton in the regular season and they’ve got three solid relievers available for the postseason. Very few teams can be called perfect but, two significant flaws is one too many. Passing on Chapman when they could have had him for cheap can’t be called a good decision, no matter how you look at it.
In retrospect I still don’t understand why We/the Dodgers backed out of the Chapman deal. It’s not like the organization hasn’t had controversy around it before. And the Yankees being in a more scrutinized market and media didn’t seem to care of the allegations. Remember ALLEGATIONS! No charges would ever brought. The Dodgers get Chapman and without a doubt win the pennant and advance. Jansen still throws all the multiple innings he did. But is def the one in game 1 in the Blanton situation and every other situation Blanton failed in, while Chapman would have been slamming the 9th inning door. And why everyone keeps saying Kershaw was gassed. He had never been more fresh and thrown less innings due to the back issue. Throwing on short days rest multiple times and the relief appearance. And Urias looked crisp and dominant in his one start. Defensive miscues in the one inning caused for his stat line to look bad. As for this year the Dozier trade makes more sense just based on the money alone. And you don’t have to give up Puig in the deal. They have to be very money conscious now wth the new CBA although Braun crushes LHP at a much higher rate than Dozier but does anyone want Braun and that contract into his mid-late 30’s? I know I don’t.
The reason Braun has shown improvement is he is further removed from a couple injuries. He received an unusual treatment to relieve the nerve problem in his hand which hampered his swing in ’14 and had back surgery in ’15. Aside from occasional rest returning from surgery last year, he was as healthy as he’d been for a long time. How long that will last at his age is worth wondering.
Think a difference in the 2 players.. Byrd and braun however.. byrd’s career had hit the skids before those magic numbers appeared out of the blue and apparently he started using PED’s and got got.. look at his numbers.. 2011-12 the guy has no power and cannot hit, this is at 2 of the friendliest offensive stadiums anywhere.. Wrigley and fenway, then he is bounced out of the game midway thru 2012, signs a invite to ST with the Mets early in 2013 and he’s 25YO again and crushing everything, then gets busted for drugs?
Braun was crushing all along, nobody knows if that was because of PED’s, but his numbers have maintained AFTER taking the tests, something Byrd cannot say.
One word Bellinger. After Oaks got hurt and they asked for Bellinger it’s pretty clear no deal was going to happen.
How about the Orioles go after encarnacion. The DH bat we need, his market is dropping, and it would stop duquette from giving Trumbo all the money he wants. And the move to Camden yards can only help any hitter.
While I’d love to have EE in the lineup, batting 3rd or 4th, signing him to the contract he wants basically signals the end of the chances of signing Machado long term. I’d rather have Ben Revere in RF and Trey Mancini at DH if it means being able to sign Manny to a 10 year, $325MM contract.
Pass. I hate that guy as much as I hate Joey Bats. We have other areas of need as well, especially for the money. There’s been a hole in RF since Markakis left and our two middle infielders can’t get on base if their lives depended on it
What’s not to like about Edwin? He’s a super nice dude and a professional.
Encaracion will get more money than Trumbo. Best homerun hitter of the past 5 years. Better average and can play first. So the idea of it costing less is laughable
No one can take seriously what EE’s agent says anymore.. First it was “he’s going to sign soon” or something similar… Then I remember that he said, “EE is going to sign before the end of the winter meetings.” Now this..
Theres a lot of first base/dh types on this years free market left waiting to sign.. It’s hard to imagine he has even one 80mill+ offer in hand now..
Kind of what I was thinking as well. With first round pick loss attached to him, as well as the looming luxury cap issues for other teams, and the fact that the Jays have all but moved on from him, his market is a lot softer than it was following the end of the world series when his agent was asking for a 125m/5yr deal. He’s likely gonna sign for 60-70m over 4 years now, which is 10-20 under what the Jays offered him to begin with. Them playing the waiting game coupled with the new luxury tax rules has really hurt his market, and I doubt highly that he’s got large lucrative offers in hand at the moment. Everyone is leery of spending big right now.
I agree that his agent is all over the board. However, his agent only mentioned that he is seeking a long-term contract. I took that as he isn’t looking to have EE sign a one-year contract. 3 years at $52M would be a ‘long-term’ contract, but would still be a ton less than what anyone expected him to get.
Cardinals should sign Encarnacion. EE can play a steady first base, he can handle the NL – Cards seem a good fit.
I agree. A 1 or 2 year deal with a high aav would be worth the risk..
Norris isn’t any good at this point. Wieters isn’t amazing and never truly reached his potential, but he is solid and one could argue he would be in a better spot to succeed in DC. The NL is easier to hit and he won’t be brought in to be the best catcher to ever live as he was when he was drafted. Personally wouldn’t mind seeing him on the Cardinals. Yadi is almost done and has one year left on his contract. Though it’s getting a little cute, it wouldn’t be a horrible move to sign Weiters to split with Yadi, play occasional first, and then to take over catching duties in 2017. Yadi could mentor him a bit defensively in the meantime even if he is already 30 years old.
A) Wieters isn’t going to sign to split time with Yadi. He’s a starting caliber MLB catcher and will sign with a team for that role. B) Yadi isn’t “almost done.” He had a 110 OPS+ last year and is still a top defensive player. He will resign with STL to finish his career there and mentor Carson Kelly, who is the Cardinals catcher of the future. Wieters is not a fit there unless he’s willing to take a backup role and get paid like a backup (hint, that isn’t going to happen with Boras as his agent).
A) I said, “it’s getting a little cute”, implying it’s not likely. We have a hole at first base. He could still carve out full-time at-bats between the two positions as Carpenter returns to third. While he is a starting caliber catcher, his market is dwindling. He’s got a solid bat; if he signs affordably, it could be a decent win-win.
B) Yadi is almost 35, which is old for a catcher who has been a full time starter in his career. I don’t see him as the type of guy who wants to play until he absolutely can’t, I see him as the type who will go out while he still has respect and notoriety in the league- and that’s slowly fading (assuming he wants to remain a catcher). I think he could play a few more years if he moved to first and his defense would translate well. His defense notably declined this year
And you have to wonder how much of that resulted in our poor starting pitching. I’ve lived near St Louis for 25 years, I can tell you he isn’t what he used to be. He also doesn’t have a whole lot of power; his doubles are mostly line drives. Only three other catchers allowed more stolen bases last year. His defensive WAR halved. In fact, Wieters had a higher defensive WAR. At some point, the Cardinals and Yadi will be forced to “breakup”.
He has declined defensively, yes. But I wouldn’t say that is the reason our pitchers had a relatively down year last year. That is more to do with having terrible defense out in the field, which Mozeliak has made clear is a priority in this offseason. I see where you’re coming from, but the Cardinals don’t have a hole at 1B. Carpenter is moving there so that Peralta/Gyrko split time at 3B. Unfortunately, playing 1B isn’t as easy as just plugging Molina/Wieters there. While each of them are respectable hitters, that is relative to other catchers. Their bats do not play at 1B and thus they would derive minimal value there. As a point of reference, Wieters hasn’t only had an OPS+ above league average 2 times in his career when he’s played a full season. While he’s shown some power, he has not been a good hitter in his career.
All of that being said, if Wieters was available on a 1 -2 year deal at a relatively cheap price, then sure, I’d be happy to bring him in. But I think the Cardinals are going to roll with Molina and Fryer to start the year, and eventually bring up Kelly
I personally just think it’s do-able. I believe in Weiters’ bat especially even at his age. I like the move to the NL as a benefit. He roughly averages 20-80 with a .250 average in a full season and could improve. The Cardinals don’t want Peralta and are hoping to trade him when a reasonable offer comes. I don’t think they prefer Gyorko to start either, seems like they like him in that 350 at-bat power utility role. While I don’t assume you can just plug anyone in at first, it’s been done semi regularly, I.e. Holliday and now Carpenter, but specifically Weiters is I believe 6 ft.5 and has that first baseman frame. Catchers especially fit the bill for 1B (Carlos Santana, Gattis, VMart, Mauer, Posey, Napoli, Jaso, and it goes on and on). I don’t believe Yadier solely caused our pitching’s demise, but it is an interesting correlation. I just feel that we’ve been so blessed with Molina that we’ve relied on him for so long and had such a high standard that his inevitable regression is going to really creep up on the team and we won’t quite know what to do and that it may be more abrupt than we realize. I’m not saying Wieters is the outright answer as I am ignorant as to who Kelly even is. I’m also not an experienced GM and Wieters probably isn’t even affordable. If Wieters’ stock continues to fall, 10-12 million a year isn’t bad, but alas I doubt Mozeliak would be looking in that direction at this moment.
i wish the tribe would take a shot at signing ee
I do too. It’s really annoying how cheap they’ve always been and how much they over value a draft pick
They have to be cheap, they’re not one of the big market big spenders that can screw up and take on a bad contract. Look at Travis Hafner for proof, a bum that they were stuck with, couldn’t trade, and couldn’t get anything out of him; they had to unload everyone else because they couldn’t get out from underneath his contract. Look at Swisher and Bourne for two more recent examples. Unfortunately they must ship at the scratch and dent section, hoping to buy cheap and revitalize a career like Kazmir, Davis and Napoli, only to watch them leave town and sign for more $$$ elsewhere.
How cheap? They can barely get people to the stadium. They are a small revenue team.
Braun is a scumbag. Let him rot in Milwaukee.
Agreed. Anyone that pulls the stunt he did should be blacklisted
I’d like to see the Jay’s pick Braun up. Take all the contract and give a couple of lower prospects.
Not a Brewers fan but my guess is they’d MUCH rather get decent prospects over salary relief.
Does anyone really think the A’s are in on EE? I feel like it’s super unrealistic, but Beane has caught us off guard before. I can’t see him taking a pillow contract with us, and I can’t see us ponying up the money for a 3 or 4 year deal for him. I’d love to have him on a 2 year deal say, might as well spend our money on something and having 2 40 HR guys in him and Davis would be awesome. But if it’s a 4 year deal I see it being a burden as I’m sure his bat won’t be up to par for a DH at that time and that’s when we could potentially be good, and if he’s getting 20 mil a year it could prevent us from getting other pieces that can finish a solid contender
Why would any power hitter choose to play at the Coliseum, knowing it will effect their next contract? If the A’s want him, I believe they will have to give him at least 4 years, because his next contract wouldn’t be for much after playing there.
Depends on the type of hitter. Not as much of a factor if you a RH/LH straight pull guy which EE is. It’s a way different story if your a power up the middle guy in which dimensions kill your power.
I still believe the Rockies are lurking on an overpay for a big bat or dealing for a 1 or 2 starter. I’d put them in on everything from Encarnacion, Trumbo, Abreau..Quintana…Odorrizi..etc
Don’t count the e rSix out of another bat,They need a power bat still.