Here are highlights from the latest column by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:
- Catcher Jonathan Lucroy and the Rangers recently shelved talks about an extension. It’s not entirely clear what happened, but one possibility could be that Lucroy is waiting for a new Yadier Molina deal with the Cardinals, a contract that would help set his value. Molina could receive $17MM to $18MM a season, Rosenthal writes, and Lucroy would probably receive only a bit less.
- An extension for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor appears unlikely unless the team is willing to pay him at elite rates, Rosenthal opines. Lindor is on track to become a free agent at 28, and he has an endorsement deal with New Balance that provides him with extra funds during these early-career seasons during which his pay is relatively minimal.
- The Diamondbacks do not have shortstop Nick Ahmed on the market, Rosenthal reports. Ahmed has two minor-league options and is therefore useful to a Diamondbacks team that faces a reasonable amount of uncertainty at the shortstop position, where they also have the largely unproven Chris Owings and Ketel Marte. The Yankees, meanwhile, feel they don’t need Ahmed — Didi Gregorius is set to begin the season on the DL with a shoulder injury, but the Yankees prefer to get through the first several weeks of the season with a combination of Ronald Torreyes, Pete Kozma (a somewhat similar player to Ahmed, Rosenthal points out) and Tyler Wade at short.
- The Diamondbacks will keep an eye out for bullpen help as Opening Day approaches, perhaps pursuing players who don’t make other clubs’ 25-man rosters. In the meantime, though, the Snakes like what they see in Tom Wilhelmsen and J.J. Hoover, both of whom they signed to minor-league deals.
- The White Sox do not seem likely to deal Jose Quintana now when interest in him could ramp up at the deadline, but the Astros, with their strong farm system and rotation needs, seem likely to eventually acquire Quintana or another good starter.
- Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu, who has missed almost all of the past two seasons to injury, looks “like he hasn’t skipped a beat,” in the words of one scout. Ryu is competing for one of the Dodgers’ final two rotation spots.
Is Charlie on a strict usage quota for the word “opine” during his probationary period?
Why would lucroy be receiving less than yadi?
That’s what I’m wondering
That is an odd opinion. Lucroy is a good bit younger than Molina and has a better bat. Unless the reasoning is that the Cardinals are going to pay a premium to keep Molina. But I would think Lucroy is in line to become the highest paid catcher, or at least be in the same AAV range of Posey.
That doesn’t make any kind of sense.
Yadi is the best defensive backstop in the game, are proved with a fantastic showing behind the dish at the WBC. While he isn’t the hitter that Lucroy is he is definitely a better defender
Was, not is.
Also more years, more games per year, and more mileage on the legs and knees.
Ignoring all of the other reasons that wouldn’t matter when talking about this extension – what stats do you have to show he is definitely better defensively than Lucroy?
A tiny sample of like 8 games or whatever the WBC was doesn’t prove anything.
Are you a Cardinals fan?
Basically the entire career of Yadi and testimonials of various players and coaches who praise his defense, leadership, and the way he can command a ball game behind the plate.
Don’t have to be a cardinal fan to notice that.
his entire career doesn’t = he is still a better defender. Age tends to lead to players declining, like it has with yadi. You are just showing the epitome of paying for past performance. At this point there are a few catchers who you could argue are better defensively. In addition to Lucroy, an argument could be made that posey is as well.
Cool narrative though.
Paying for past performance is like having Peyton Manning come out of retirement and making him the highest paid QB based on his “entire career” and the way he can “command a ballgame”.
I’m a cards fan, and I would pay Lucroy more
The Tribe is notorious for slow starts. There’s enough talent on the team to surprise then & stay within 5 gb of the div lead. That might even bring out the word “contend” from Kenny. Q then will be dealt in White Flag 2 exactly 20 years after WF1. I think it was Alvarez then.
That 1997 deal helped get the team back to the playoffs in 2000 & Kenny’s been dealing youth for vets ever since.
Kenny wasnt the GM for the White Flag trade. It was Ron Schuler.
Kenny Williams will not spearhead a Pale Hoser pennant run this year. He just found out that his team is on a rebuild plan.
LOL!! Make that LMAO!!!!
Alvarez, Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez for a package including Keith Foulke and Bobby Howry. Hahn can do better with Quintana.
I’m sure he was on the market but no one would give what they wanted
With options left they said we will keep him
This is bad reporting by Rosenthal, who is usually really good. $18 mil per year for Yadi at age 34+? He’s had a great career but come on, people don’t pay for past performance anymore. Lucroy is younger, better and will receive are far larger contract and Yadi.
This is why I’m glad the trade fell through last year. Tribe would have lost twice……prospects and then Lucroy.
Another piece of bad reporting is the section about Ahmed. Rosenthal has to throw in something about the Yankees in every report to keep the East Coast bias in full bloom, so the report seems to suggest that the Yankees are the only possible destination for an Ahmed trade. In fact, the Yankees were the unlikeliest of the originally reported possible destinations. The Rays were and are the likeliest destination.
The Yankees prospects will always be over valued.
booboo123
Do you mean that the league, other than the Yankees tends to over value Yankee prospects or is your comment the Yankees do.
And where did this comment come from….!
Heyman said Yadi should be paid more than Lucroy, too. I don’t understand that at all.
Would you rather have Molina or Lucroy for the next 5 years at $17-18m per season? Every team in baseball would say Luc, including St. Louis.
I think Yadi might edge Lucroy on AAV, though Lucroy should comfortably out-earn Yadi on the total contract value (due to him being younger and being able to get more years).