Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with host Jeff Todd.
Headlines
- Nick Martinez To Accept Qualifying Offer From Reds
- Brusdar Graterol To Miss First Half Of 2025 Due To Shoulder Surgery
- Juan Soto Rumors: Red Sox, Yankees, Jays, Dodgers
- Rays To Play 2025 Season At George M. Steinbrenner Field
- Rawlings Gold Glove Winners! (Sponsored)
- Links To MLBTR’s Team Social Media Pages
Navigation
MLBTR INFO
Connect
MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com
hide arrows
scroll to top
“MLBTR Chat Transcript: Longoria, Yankees, Cards, Mor”
Darn, I missed the Mor news in the Chat. Was it about Logan Morrison, Moose Moryn, Melvin Mora, Mort and Walker Cooper, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s holiday concert? Pleas tel us mor.
I think it was Nyjer Morgan – he’s still active in the Mexican league and in the best shape of his life.
Definitely Melvin Mora. Remember, I grew up an O’s fan.
It was Morgan Ensberg
Hey Jeffrey, in your last 3 chats you haven’t mentioned the Indians once. I went back and looked.
I’m not denying that I can’t ever miss certain teams. But I do think I cover more than just the same few clubs over and over again.
I was surprised to hear this re the Indians, so went back also and think you missed a few things. I discussed Kipnis, Salazar, Otero briefly in prior two chats. No grand discussion of the Indians’ plans, but not nothing either!.
As for the comment about the same few teams, those comments really get under my skin. I did not go back and look, but off the top of my head I can remember questions and/or answers dedicated to or touching on:
Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Rays, Mets, Phillies, Nats, Braves, Marlins, Tigers, Twins, ChiSox, Royals, Pirates, Cubs, Brewers, Cards, Astros, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, Giants and Padres.
Pretty decent coverage of most of MLB. Not too shabby for what is supposed to be a 1 hour chat with a substantial volume of readers and questions.
Such a shame that you guys can’t dedicate entire chats to how one reader’s favorite team will manage to sign every premium free agent for no money, trade for every established star without surrendering anything of value, and win every World Series until the end of the Earth.
I wasn’t the one who made the comment in the chat and I really enjoy these chats. Just wanted you to know
I don’t get it. First, hypothetical fan trades are always somewhat annoying……. but they’re admittedly fun to do, especially when the offseason is unbearably boring like this one. That said I am just assuming every single person who doesn’t watch the Cubs on a regular basis thinks every single player on the Cubs is overrated trash. I mean we see it when Cub fans propose trades for young SPs from other teams. Somewhat understandable because people ALWAYS overvalue the sh** out of pitchers. BUT to see it happen here in this chat when someone just proposed a trade for Christian f’n Yellich I just find it laughable. Proposed trade asked to “Jeff” I assume was what he thought of a Albert Almora and Mike Montgomery trade to Miami for Yellich. I think “Jeff” said “Not enough.” Are you f’n kidding me? I mean unless I missed something and Yellich is a perennial 30+ HR hitter who hits for a .300/.380 BA/OBP and steals 30 bases how is a 24 year old OFer with excellent fielding ability, solid contact ability, and decent on base skills IN ADDITION to a excellent long reliever and/or possibly a decent SP in Mike Montgomery not enough? In less than 1.5 seasons Almora has compiled 411 ABs. He has a .292 BA and a .330 OBP with 11 HRs. Not too friggin shabby for a dude entering his age 24 season. SOOO not shabby I question why this question asker even wants to dump Almora. Put Almora at the top of the order and extrapolate those 11 HRs in 411 ABs to the point he has, say, 600 ABs and that translates to 16 HRs from your CFer and a dude hitting in the lead off or #2 spot in the order…… I’ll take that ALL day, especially with that .292 BA and improving .330 OBP. Oh yeah….. and they also get a long reliever/swingman starter in Montgomery who has been stellar in that role the last 2 years. All for what…. YELICH? Don’t get me wrong, Yelich is a good player…… but is he any better than Almora? IMO…… not really. Power-wise they’re about the same, Yelich MIGHT have slightly more power….. we’re talking 2-4 more HRs/year here if each had the same ABs. BA-wise they’re pretty equal. OBP-wise Yelich gets the nod, but not by much and again, Almora is still stupid young and still improving. Defensive ability though….. you can say it’s a draw but I know what Almora can do. He had a down year defense-wise last year and it was about as good as a typical Yelich year. Almora does have the ability to be a Gold Glover out there. So talent-wise, IMO, Almora and Montgomery for Yelich is a HUGE lopsided trade WAY in favor for the Marlins. Don’t even get me started on how lopsided it is financially. Almora is making league minimum right now and has 5 years of team control left. Montgomery is making league minimum and has 4 years of team control left. Yelich…….. 4 years left and owed like $43M with a team option for a 5th year at $15M for that season or a $1.25M buyout…… So about $45M for 4 years for sure for one player MARGINALLY better than Almora for 2 SOLID young, cheap players. But that’s not enough. Insane. These are the same people who are shocked and surprised when Theo and Co. pull of trades like Jorge friggin Soler for Wade Davis. Or Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for Addison Russell, Dan Strailey, and Billy McKinney. So called “experts” or just sports writers in general know player values just as well as the next fan….. meaning they have no f’n clue. They’re also the most easily “shocked.” Like the media “being floored” with the Stanton to Yankees deal for essentially nothing in return for the Marlins other than a big contract off the books. I mean is there a bunch of noobs in the sports media? Miami trading away talent for next to nothing is hardly new news. I mean look at the Dee Gordon trade. An AS caliber 2Bman who plays well above average defense, is one of the fastest guys in the game, and hits for a stellar BA and gets on base at a solid clip was had for two VERY low level and hardly proven minor league pitchers and some random minor league position player. Yelich who I would value LESS than Gordon though is worth MORE than a AJOR LEAGUE proven OFer who is younger (and just as good) and… AND potentially a starting pitcher but DEFINITELY a PROVEN AJOR LEAGUE reliever. Get out of here.
Maybe it seems like people crap on Cubs players because their fans CONSTANTLY overrate them and talk about how they are all young stars.
Exhibit A – Kyle Schwarber
Exactly.
Except Yelich has more of a proven track record than Almora? Almora may be good, but seriously, between your own “projections” based on “what you know about him” and the fact that you dedicated an entire RANT to a simple trade proposal question involving him, I get the impression that you are overvaluing and overhyping Almora a tad too much…
KB, I’m a Cubs fan who watches every game and I agree – that trade proposal is not enough. I would love to have Yelich in CF and batting leadoff for the Cubs next season, but it isn’t going to happen. And it would require different, better pieces for sure.. If you think Yelich is only marginally better than a guy who isn’t even proven to be an everyday player then I don’t know what to tell you.
Reading your comment, I thought you were going to say someone proposed something like Baez for Teheran or something like that. But Almora and Monty for Yelich? That’s not near enough. Yelich is worth much more than those two
And if you value Yelich less than Gordon, that’s on you for not looking at stats. Gordon had about no value due to his contract. Furthermore, you say Almora is just as good as Yelich, even though Yelich just had the superior season by a fair margin in what was considered a Donne season for him. 117 ops plus compared to Almoras 101 league average one. I’ll admit, I don’t watch enough of either team to know how each play defensively, but I’m willing to bet an arm and a leg that Almoras defense is tha much better than Yelichs that it makes them equal players. And finally, Almora only has one extra year of control than Yelich, while still being unproven and probably more expensive.
Haha, Yellich worth less than Gordon…
Cubs will be lucky to get Rob Refsnyder for Almora and Montgomery.
Why did you waste your time making your comment so long?
Its Tim: You may FEEL like Almora is an elite defender but truth is he’s decent but overrated there. He had a reputation in the minors as elite, but he hasn’t shown that so far in the majors. And no, he does NOT have good contact/on base skills. And he hasn’t proven he can hit righties nor does he have much power (yet). So while he deserves more playing time, he’s certainly not a guy you automatically give the everyday CF job to.
That guy Nick needs to grow up. Not all questions about “neglected teams” are interesting. Want Jeff to answer them? Come up with better questions!
Also: all hypothetical trade offers are really dumb and never actually happen. Waste of time. Please discuss other baseball related things.
a lot of negativity here but I just want you to know that I love these chats and I thank you for doing them!
Good job MLBTR.
These guys really need their binky