A quick trip around the American League…
- Free-agent superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado may be primed to sign record-setting contracts this offseason, but it doesn’t appear either will get such a deal from the White Sox or Yankees. While the White Sox are known to be in the running for both players, their pursuit is less “frenzied” than it is “measured and modest,” writes ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required), who hears they’re not prepared to ink either Harper or Machado to a record pact. The Yankees, meanwhile, have been more connected to Machado than Harper. According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the Yankees’ interest in Machado is legitimate, but it’s not so ardent that they’re willing to hand him a 10-year, $300MM deal.
- If the Yankees don’t sign Machado, they’ll need an infielder to replace shortstop Didi Gregorius, who will miss most or all of next season as a result of Tommy John surgery. With that in mind, they’ll “monitor” free agent Troy Tulowitzki’s market, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe relays. There are six teams in contention for the injury-prone, once-great Tulowitzki, whom the Blue Jays released this week at a cost of $38MM, though it’s unclear whether the Yankees are among them. The career-long shortstop, 34, would likely play second base in New York, given the presence of younger and better middle infielder Gleyber Torres.
- The Astros are mulling adding two hitters and are “open” to trading outfielder Josh Reddick, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required). However, the likelihood is that the Astros will only acquire one hitter, per Rosenthal, who adds that they haven’t had much luck trying to move Reddick this offseason. Not only is the 33-year-old Reddick coming off an unspectacular season in which he hit .242/.318/.400 (99 wRC+) with 1.1 fWAR in 487 plate appearances, but he’s due $26MM through 2020.
Yup
I’d hate for tulo to go to the yanks and we are still paying him, hope
It’s a west coast team
I wouldn’t worry about the Yankees grabbing Tulo.
It seems like a 2013 Kevin Youkilis deal – which they’d be trying to avoid.
Horrible first take. Just one word? Horrible. Never do that again. Makes you look bad.
Whatifthatwordisareallyreallylongword?
Harper signs with Yanks for a discount.
It has been written. Bring on the haters! (Just stay on topic)
Why on earth would he do that
Why would he sign for a discount when state and local taxes are extortionate? Also, behind the scenes, he has expressed embarrassment at being linked to a certain poster who is the fan of a certain team.
Tulo is indeed quite interesting, huge Jeter fan, and had been linked to the Yanks in past years. Is he really healthy enough, and how would he be at second? I just don’t think the Yankees are that in on Harper unfortunately.
Tulo would be great. He was one of the game’s best power hitting shortstops and I’m pretty sure he idealized Jeter. I wouldn’t be against it esp at min.
As far as Harper goes, I think it’s one of the game’s best poker faces we’ve seen, maybe I’m in denial. You admit interest, price goes up. I really implore you to listen to Teix’s Espn interview if possible, he himself admitted Yankees denied interest in him from beginning of his Fa period not to higher price, and I think that’s what’s being done here. Posturing
Yup
There was a spot for Tex though. The Yankees were going to have to go with Nick Swisher at first if not for signing Tex.
Swisher at 1B is the same as LF to 35 y.o Gardy (quality player, 4th OF at this point) or relying on Clint Frazier (MIA due to concussion)
There’s a spot for a quality left handed hitter in this predominantly right handed lineup.
I agree the need for a lefty but not at more than 300 million on what is essentially a luxury, not a need. The Yankees can get Marwin Gonzalez at a much lower cost in dollars and years. And Gonzalez fits an actual need.
Looks like they got rid of those annoying guys posts…
Harper isn’t signing a discount for anyone. Believe that.
You forgot Go Yankees
But looks like his acc wasnt removed, Slevy…
So the trolling continues. You’d think would take hint seeing his posts removed… constant
He’s got more accounts than this one, though I haven’t seen the other one lately.
I know the character you were speaking about that has too much love for Greg Bird. I’ve seen him really attack Cereal and others when they disagreed with him.
LOL! That’s TFF!
I’m X now, huh?
What next? I was at the grassy knoll in ’63?
If I was really Xabial, don’t you think I’d be 86’d by now?
Wait you aren’t, you weren’t. I suppose the next thing you’re gonna claim is your not the Walrus..
I couldn’t disagree more x, and I usually agree with me st if your posts. Tulo is a total liability. You certainly don’t fix an injury situation with a guy like that. Cash is way past this, I’m sure. I would be utterly shocked if he winds up with us.
Hate Siri.
There are lots of players he idealized.
You can’t compare Harper to Gonzales in terms of offensive production. It’s not even close. If not Harper then I’d prefer they pivot to Markakis or Brantley.
They’re not gonna sign Markakis, or Brantley. Stop recycling this please.
Why wouldn’t Didi be able to DH if the Yankees felt so inclined? Angels are doing it with Ohtani and Didi is a legit power threat.
Theyre on record saying going to take it real slow with him, just don’t know if his bat is good enough to risk long term implication even w/ contract year.
And Ohtani was a Pitcher trying to win ROY and doing something that hasnt been done since Ruth. Not a “novelty” but he had a historical aspect to it.
Thanks for answering instead of downvoting me X, sometimes people ask questions because they don’t know the answer guys, not just to be snarky!
Boards been overrun with trolls lately
If them making like 5+ accs madr right after getting banned doesnt minimize the meaning of DV idk what will. craziest day saw on mlbtr.
Think context was clear, despite wrong. don’t think you were trying to be snarky, your history on these boards prove it, you’re not a know-it-all rude d*** and in my opinion 90%+ accuracy all ur posts, my man. 100% class!
Right back at you, and I was saying the second part of it to every body else, not to you, you always keep it on baseball from what I’ve seen and other people mistake disagreement with a persons opinion with hating the person. You can disagree and still get along in this world message board posters!
Not correct
X, I used to support you, but you are a sensitive p
Well said xabial. And I appreciate your comments man. You always give a unique take which is always needed.
Ohtani is not going to pitch this year, period. Didi needs to play defense to be valuable to the Yankees. Better to wait for the two-way player.
doesn’t feel worth the risk especially with all
the dh types available outside the org not to
mention the growing number on the team now
such as a so called catcher who cannot keep
the ball in front of him making pitchers afraid to
throw sliders in the dirt esp that back foot slider
Dreamer
If the topic is your haters, then count me in. I definitely agree with the overwhelming majority: you are a douchebag.
Can you guys imagine how much nastier the replies would be if I didn’t add disclaimer (stick to topic)
Most surprising this guy claims to be a Yankee fan.. There’s a way to say u disagree w/ my assessment, you dont want Yanks to waste precious resources, you think better served elsewhere like Starting pitching — without sounding like a douchebag.
I get both sides of the argument. Ur whats wrong Agree to disagree.
Never mind the fact that Cashman (your god) said they aren’t interested in Harper and there isn’t a place for him. Machado maybe, my god I hope you run out of hot pockets soon and have to go buy more. Only time you’re not on here.
Oh, go Yankees
You guys will laugh, but I’ve got a couple connections, 1 at the Stadium & one a national writer who isn’t prepared to go on record. The Dodgers are in the process of trading, Puig, Kemp & Wood. When that is finalized they’ll sign Harper to a 6-7 year deal with an early out & a yearly salary far larger than everyone expected.
Nobody’s laughing. If Dodgers pull off a Puig trade I concede
6-7 year deal my *** tho. will be 10 with opt out(s) For 6-7 year term… I see NYY getting him for that length w/ even motivated LAD, after dealing Puig.
hmmm..nice connection…nothing announced. not a troll but a moron
You’re boring already
If Bryce Harper signs for a “discount” with any team it will be the Cubs or the Dodgers. The former would have to move some significant payroll just to get into the bidding while the latter would need to trim some salary as well clear out a corner OF spot.
Harper growing up a Yankee fan is inconsequential at this point. The Cubs would be his #1 destination if all things were equal and everybody already knows why. The Dodgers would be #1b because of their proximity to his home in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have all but put the kibosh on any Harper signing and are focusing on Manny Machado instead. The only way that Harper gets back into the Yankees plans is if they are motivated enough to move on from Giancarlo Stanton while also ridding themselves of virtually all of their remaining salary commitment to him. That would be the longest of long-shots.
Plenty of history of the Yanks signing players they didn’t seem in on. The Stanton trade came out of nowhere too. I don’t see why it’s unlikely for the Yanks to keep Stanton and acquire Harper. They won’t bring back either Gardner or CC after 2019 most likely and they’ll have Tanaka and Ellsbury off the books in 2 years.
Name the last player to sign nyy for a discount. Lol
Aroldis Chapman (possibly a few more recent that I don’t know about)
Not everyone takes a “discount” to sign with the Yankees.
Most wont have to. I think it’s a mis-phrasing to call it a “discount”. Rather, I think the Yanks might find themselves in a situation where they might get him for less than the ask but slightly above the 10/$300 mil the Nats have been said to have offered OR a higher annual than Stanton but maybe 8 years with some opt outs. It’s more a matter of whether he wants to be a Yankee. There is an intrinsic value of being part of the Yankee brand if monetized properly that can allow him to make more than he did in DC.
It has nothing to do with hate. Saying Harper signs with the Yankees is one thing. Saying he will sign at a discount is just the normal arrogance of Yankee fans like you thinking everyone wants to play for you so badly.
Corbin was signing with the Yankees at a discount as well right? How did that one work out?
He would go back to the Nationals before that happened.
Hilarious!!! Harper isn’t taking less from ANY team.
That was fast……poof!
Poof the magic dragon, lived by the sea, and frolicked in the Frisco mist with a gal named Eileen Lee…Bong-Bong
Of course we’re old enough to know what that song is about.
Yup
Because we’re in the circle of trust.
I actually had a Peter Paul & Mary 45 back in the day!
will send them Swanson
Tulo is only worried about #1, so buyer beware. And, nothing points to a sudden resurgence especially at another position than SS. Yanks should pass, this coming from a Jays fan.
Machado is a must for the Yankees. They can add the most value quickest and most reliably that way. If they want wins above replacement, that’s the way to do it. It would be MORE of a gamble to bank on a starter acquired in some trade when you already have a decent rotation at this point. May as well make that middle of the lineup impossible to work through for the opposition. If they can get Machado to take over at third, well then, even better, he’s got an enormous talent for the position defensively.
Impossible? Really? It would be far too right handed heavy.
Machado only had a .897 OPS against right-handers and 26 homeruns… compared to his .921 OPS against left-handers. I guess you don’t want him in there against a righty. Rolls Eyes.
What were his numbers away from teeny-tiny Camden Yards?
Manny has a longer body of work but in a 2018 to 2018 comparison, his bat was only marginally better than Andujar. The only value you get with Manny over Andujar is the glove. Andujar had a .851/,866 lefty/righty OPS split.
I won’t hold Manny’s 2nd half against him as switching leagues can take time to adjust but in his favor Andujar crushed in the 2nd half of the season as he posted a line of .319/.345/575 w/ 15 of his 25hrs.
I would rather sign a glove first SS (considering how Manny was average at best at SS and Torres is better off staying at 2nd) and just sign Harper as the Yanks need a lefty power bat.
I think it would be insane to not take advantage of the RF fence by not stacking it with at least 1 additional power bat aside from Hicks.
Maybe, but last year Machado had a 146 OPS+ compared to Andujar’s 126. So, at least for last year, Machado was the much better hitter.
Manny had about 100 more PA than Anduar but they both have the exact same batting average and about the same slugging. and total extra base hits. The only real difference offensively is that Manny has a higher walk rate which gave him a noticeable 40 point higher OBP. Neither strikes out much but Andujar seldom sees a pitch he feels is beyond his ability to square up which led to a 5% walk rate.
I don’t think that the Yankees have a decent starting pitching, they still have an old CC and an inconsistent Tanaka, they need quality, starting pitching, such as Kluber, they don’t need offense
Yanks won 100 with no pitching, no production from Sanchez, and injured Judge a down year from Stanton. CCbisnthe 5th starter, he will provide hood production from there. Look what Lance Lynn got, 3/30. Yanks will pay 1/8.
Agree %100! I mean it’s like where talking about a team with barely 90 wins and needs to make up 15 games or so! Our rotation got better with Paxton and Happ coming back, which leaves room for more at trade deadline! Also I feel that Ca$hman will make a BIG MOVE and sign Machado which is the reality pick because we need a SS/2B Short term OR Harper which makes the Yanks one HE@% of a formidable lineup to pitch thru and reinstate murderers row 2!
Yankees added James Paxton and J.A. Happ. Curious to see how the Yankees handle their bullpen now that Britton and Robertson are free agents.
I think that Machado will whine up with the Yankees, however, they need another, quality pitcher, there’s no way that we can count on CC, no way, he gets hurts too often.
Cc is the 5th starter. You have plenty of SP in the minors who can take his place if he gets injured. Who are the 5th starters for the other teams?
Whine up…unintentional but brilliant.
SPin the minors are not reliable and Tanaka is inconsistent with a elbow problem. I might be wrong but they need to make a trade for a quality pitcher like Kluber.
So they trade for Kluber and pay CC to be long reliever? Do you even know what the Indians are asking for in exchange for Kluber?
Not really but it’s not a bad idea of CC as a long reliever, it makes sense.
2018 Yanks starters ranked 5th in WAR, FIP and K/9. That was despite Gray and the AAA call ups to replace Montgomery,
In the all of baseball 44 pitchers had a WAR of 2.5 or greater. In the AL there were 23. The Yanks now have 5 of those 23. If they are all healthy, how can they not have, at minimum, a better than “decent” rotation?
They may or may not have a “true” ace in 2019 (Severino, Paxton, ??) but I think you have to agree that no one has a better 1-5 right now with the loss of McCullers and Morton and possibly Keuchel to with the Astros. What can you count on from Porcello, Rodriguez and Eovaldi next year?
What did Machardo do in the WS against the RS? Nothing. He hits HR , like Stanton, when they don’t matter. Or if he hits a ground ball watch out for his intentional spikes.
You don’t know much about Machado other than some headlines, huh? Look him up, see if he is just a home run hitter.
Many called this. The Sox were never gonna get Harper, they knew that he would never pick them. They just used it to get buzz for their dwindling fan base. The last MLB proven stud FA they signed in his prime was Albert (or Joey lol) Belle and he was clinically crazy. Anyway, that’s really not cool to do that to your thirsty fanbase. I stick with my prediction, Harp signs with the Dodgers, Manny signs with the Phillies… in spite of the White Sox desperation move trading for Alonso, haha.
Typical Cub fan/ White Sox hater comment.
Cub fans should let it go and just be happy they finally got their World Series.
But most of them just can’t get that chip off their shoulders.
Let it go Brizzo…it’ll be okay.
HE IS RIGHT. The Sox have the WORST OWNER EVER. 20+ MORE LOSING SEASONS
You’re going to hear this kind of hate from a fan of a team that had the shortest dynasty in the history of sports
Haha, let what go? Cubs fans have nothing to complain about. I was actually sticking up for Sux fans. Rick and Kenny created fake buzz to give the fans false hope. Not cool! The same inept FO that was “ALL IN” 3 years ago only to end up with a worse record than teams ACTIVELY tanking. How does that happen?!?
Why would I be upset? I’m not a Sux fan. My team doesn’t have to operate like a small market team because the other team in town owns the ratings, owns attendance, merch, etc…
Meanwhile, the Cubs are in the midst 4 straight playoff appearances, including 3 straight NLCS and a ring already in the bank with a young core that hasn’t even peaked yet. Hahaha, thanks for the concern, but Cub fans are fine. When’s the last time the Sux had a run like that? Hmmmm, 19…. NEVER. Even when the Sux FINALLY broke through after 90 years, they were one and done. Nothing was sustained. Talk about shortest dynasty in the history of sports, LMAO!
Was that fun? Because the last 4 years have been. We’ll see how next year goes, while your 100 loss team gears up with your best pitching “prospect” not even picking up a baseball till 2020. Moncada already getting compared to Buxton as the latest bust. Blah, Blah, Blah… same old same old as long as JR owns the team. He shoulda moved them to TB years ago, most irrelevant team in baseball. ESPN even keeps forgetting they exist, their rare accomplishments hahaha.
GOOGLE…
Bill Burr , Cub fans vs White Sox fans… and you will get a clearer picture of what Bryzzo might be like
White Sox fans were excited about the rebuild before this offseason, no reason to worry now. Another losing season and another top pick while waiting on “the future”. Instead of speeding up the window to compete, stay the course. As long as management doesn’t go out and sign several MULTI YEAR deals to aging, declining players…..all is well.
I think Rick and Kenny were just using the winter meetings to give false hope to Sox fans, maybe dupe them into buying season tix which is really shady. It’s not exactly a hotspot for free agents, never has been and JR has never been one to throw money around.
Many have already compared Moncada to Buxton… calling him a bust. Kopech won’t even pick up a baseball til 2020 and who knows how he’ll comeback. It’s not like he was proven in the bigs to begin with. Giolito, not good. Same with Fulmer and Rodon. That’s why rebuilds are crapshoots. Many of tried what the Cubs/Astros did, very few actually pull it off.
This is the same FO that was “ALL IN” 3 years ago, only to finish with a worse record than teams actively tanking.
While Kopech won’t pitch again until ‘20, history suggests that he won’t be truly effective until ‘21. It seems to take about a full year of playing to truly come back from TJ.
Meanwhile on the North Side… your Cubbies scored 1 run or less… FORTY times last year.
So far ,your management…Theodore Cleaver and Jed Clampett… haven’t done a darn thing about it,
Standing pat is NOT the answer.
This team needs,help or it may be another 105 years until they win.
Some Cubs fans -seemingly Bryzzo is one- are worried the White Sox will be a better team than the Cubs very soon.
They are hearing footsteps and peaking over their shoulders as I type this.
Hmmmm, for your sake I hope ignorance truly is bliss. 4 straight playoff appearances and counting, 3 straight NLCS and a ring in the bank.
Last year, in spite of losing their MVP, closer and their stud FA SP signing to injury. They still won 95 games and made the post season… again. Their young, PROVEN CHAMPIONSHIP core (not “prospects”) haven’t even peaked yet. They’ll be just fine. BTW, the winter is still early. Theo will tweak the roster as he always does, so you can obsess about something else. Haha..
Seems like the only one obsessing about anything is you…
The shortest dynasty thing was hilarious. I realize Cubs fans have low expectations but this was supposed to be some juggernaut for years to come. There is some talent there I won’t say they can’t compete but they’ve made some really bad deals trying to go for it and what was once a flexible payroll has become really tight. They need a lot more from Darvish that would be a good start
That Giolito is gonna be a star… for the Yakult Swallows.
Skip Manny get harper rotate him and Stanton in left and dh. Harper will make history with that porch in N.Y.
How will Harper handle the childish and peevish Yankee fans when during a slump they turn on him? Why deal with that toxic environment? He will have a far better experience in the west.
I can think of a couple hundred million reasons.
He wouldn’t look right with out his beard either. The no facial hair rule has always been dumb. George Steinbrenner passed away. Its time to lift that rule.
Bryce is a Brooklyn hipster!! He’ll be using a walking cane in years 6-10 which will become fashionable in NY. All the Yankees will want to use one in the field.
Maybe he will take up vocal frying too. Plus use the word “amazing” all the time too.
There is no “toxic environment” in NY. I have yet to hear players complain that it’s an issue. More importantly you really think Harper, a kid who’s been in the national media since he was 16 and probably has a target on his back isn’t used to hostile environments or hate? I think he’s mentally tough,. Fans will get on him when he struggles but will also shower him with praise when he’s performing well. There’s enough star power on this team to take pressure off of him. He’s not signing to the Pirates where he’s a big fish in a small pond. Historically, it’s been pitchers that tend to have issues handling the pressure here.
From what I have heard the Yankees are more inclined to offer a shorter contract but more money per year. The belief is that if the Yankees off for 5-6 years and about 40 million per year it could get Machado deal done.
this makes no sense.
Nevermind that the Yankees don’t need Machado or Harper—that’s obvious to anyone with an ounce of baseball knowledge. The simple reason why it would be mistake to sign with the Yankees is Giancarlo Stanton. Consider what he has to go thru from the spoiled, pompous, low knowledge fans in NY. Things get ugly there quick, especially since the Yankees don’t have enough starting pitching to win the division, let alone a WS. The “honeymoon” would last a lot longer in Chicago, probably forever if they win a WS.
The chances of CWS winning a WS in the near-future are zero and by years 8-10, Bryce will be on the DL all year. The team got duped by Rizzo on the Eaton trade and got very little in return for Sale. How does Little Ricky still have a job?
The white Sox got way way too much for Eaton. He was never that good in the first place.
Right!! They got the worst pitcher in baseball who played in a historically incompetent division. Waaaaay to much to give up for a 3-4 WAR player making peanuts.
The White Sox got “got duped by Rizzo on the Eaton trade “? lol
I loved “Spanky” when he played for the White Sox which was a heck of a lot more often than he has with the Nationals. In fact, Eaton has only managed to appear in 118 games since the trade to Washington two offseasons ago. That my friend is an average of 59 per season. The Nats only have 3 more years of control with Eaton and that’s provided they pick up his two remaining contract options following the upcoming season.
Meanwhile the White Sox received two starting pitchers who took the ball every time out in 2018 with each starting 32 games. Reynaldo Lopez had a nice season while Giolito struggled but still showed flashes of brilliance during a tough year. Each pitcher should continue to improve and with so many of the White Sox top pitching prospects still down on the farm they will have ample opportunity to do just that in 2019.
One of those top SP prospects also happens to be Dane Dunning, the third piece that came to the White Sox in that trade they were “duped” into. All Dunning has done since joining the organization is dominate at every level until he was sidelined with a moderate elbow sprain in the second half of 2018. He was shut down and did not require surgery. Hopefully he will be good to go this spring and continue his rise to the big league roster which should be within a year or so considering he will see AAA in 2019 as the White Sox #6 overall prospect and MLB’s overall #59 talent.
You can continue to believe in Giolito if you want. I think he’s toast. Lopez could still have a solid career and Dunning looks like a nice pickup, but Giolito just seems to have forgotten how to pitch.
This from a los knowledge. spoiled, pompous, NY Yankee fan…..starting pitching doesnt win the ALEast or anything in baseball today, team pitching does snd i would remind you my mindless ChiSox fan, yhat the Yankees were top 5 in the league last year.
That’s funny moment when of all people a White Sox fan is calling Yankee fans low intelligence.
I said low knowledge, but thanks for proving my point.
History, past and present show the Yanks have been a better ran organization than the White Sox. How’s that for knowledge?
NY went 6 years without posting a 95 win season but during that span they never won less than 84 games. Once they decided to embrace a “rebuild” it took them 3 years to go from 84 to 100 wins. During that time most of the starting players were acquired via trades. With the exception of Chapman and Stanton none of the main guys were prohibitively expensive.
Your Sox have gone 18 years since they’ve placed a 95 win team on the field. In the last 6 years you’ve guys have been below .500.
Also, the Yanks had 37 WAR from players younger than 28 while the ChiSox only had 12 WAR.
So the Yanks, using mostly the farm and trades to acquire most of their impact players, have remained competitive, rebuilt their farm and fielded two back to back playoff teams winning 190 games the last two years.
All due respect to the White Sox lure, because you guys DO have a rich history, don’t ever try and allude that Harper would be better of signing in Chicago because they’re better fits on the field or because their fan base has hire expectations for their clubs. Does Harper even appear to be the kind of personality that wants to avoid the limelight or shrinks when his name is in the paper? I think Harper has a real sense of his potential place in history and has been a high profile athlete since he was 16 years old. Although he’s not as accomplished as other athletes saying he could’t handle NY is like thinking LBJ wouldn’t be able to handle LA media.
Red Sox fans should be hoping Yanks go 10 with Manny and play Tulo at 2B all year when Dido proves to be out for the year. Welcome to third place, Yankee fans and good luck with Manny!!
Who’s the Red Sox closer and go to set up guy? Who’s pitching behind Verlader and Cole in 2019? Who’s going to throw 150 innings or more behind Snell and perhaps Morton? Figure that out and then let’s have a conversation,
Tulo is coming to Atlanta. AA is pulling him over like he did Donaldson. Dansby will be used as a piece to get Realmuto from the Marlins. You heard it here first. 😉
As a Nats fan, I love it. Tulo will work just great at SS. That IF is either gonna be on the DL or striking out 75% of the time, Maybe the Braves will give the Phillies a run for third place after all. Thanks AA!! Now if only he’d hire AJ Preller away from the Pads, it’d be the greatest Christmas ever.
Minor correction: Reddick is currently 31 years old, not 33. He will start next season as a 32 year old.
Thank you Mrs. Reddick!!
The only comment in the thread with any legit content. Well done.
+1
They don’t need anyone to replace gregorius. Torres should be their ss. When Didi returns in 2020 put him at 2nd. They need a replacement at 2nd and 3rd.
But but Didi is a better defender at SS? Lol
Cue the interest of a “mystery team” to create some “news” lol.
Not as many open suitors as I had originally thought. Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, White Sox… “mystery team” if it truly exists. Sounds like White Sox might back off soon. I will be interested to see what their cutoff mark is, and that of my Yankees as well..
End of the day, I’m guessing its going to go the way people think. The Phillies will get one of the superstars, and the Yankees will get the other. But on the off chance that Hal decides against a huge splash, I really want Marwin Gonzalez, as I’ve had a player crush on the guy for a while. Anyway, its too early to say what is going to happen
As a White Sox fan, Olney just said they weren’t willing to give him a record deal. The record is 13-yrs, $325M, which still leaves a little room for them to go above the Yankees purported ceiling of $300M. I think Harper cares about winning more than Machado does, but both do care about money. If I had to pick a team to back off on Harper, though, it’d be the Yankees, simply because he’s a luxury item for them. Offense isn’t their problem; it’s starting pitching.
But the Yanks have done their heavy lifting on the rotation and have five guys in Severino-Tanaka-Paxton-Happ-Sabathia who all had a WAR of 2.5 or better and threw at least 150 innings each.
They have a real need for a lefty bat considering Hicks is the only starter who can bet LH (switch hitter), Gardner and Bird probably won’t be starters (or shouldn’t be) and Didi might be out the a large chunk of the year. Doesn’t make sense to play 81 home games in YS and NOT try to build your team to take advantage of the most glaring advantage it provides. Even if it’s not Harper it needs to be one of the other LF FA (Markakis or Brantley). But Harper fits and this reset has to be about more than just saving money.
Says the “well-placed source” in the ESPN Buster Olney article.
Why would anyone write an article and not at least give the reader an idea of exactly what record breaking contract this “well-placed source” was referring to?
Is it Giancarlos Stanton’s heavily back-loaded 13 yrs/$325MM contract that ranks #1 in MLB’s for highest total value? The actual $25MM AAV of this deal ties it for 13th place among the highest ever in MLB.
Is it Zack Greinke’s 6 yrs/$206.5MM contract that gives him the highest AAV of $34,416,666 per season?
Are the White Sox willing to give either Harper or Machado a deal that exceeds Greinke’s AAV and for many more years but still falls short of Stanton’s total value contract? There are parameters in between that could give a deal more real dollar value than Stanton’s. Does this “well-placed source” even know himself.
We’ve already seen speculation that Harper’s agent Scott Boras may be looking at a total value contract that exceeds $400MM. But for how many years? A 13 yrs/$400MM contract would more or less be a lifetime deal for Harper who would be 40 when it concludes. Such a deal would have an AAV of $30,769,230 ranking it 4th all time, between Clayton Kershaw’s latest extension and his previous contract.
What if the White Sox or any other team offered Machado or Harper an 8 yrs/$320MM contract. That would fall short of Stanton’s total value deal but still give them a deal with an AAV of $40MM which would shatter Greinke’s current record by more than $5.583MM per season and exceed Stanton’s AAV by $15MM per season.
you are forgetting opt-outs, it changes everything you just wrote,
13 year $400 million deals do not exist anymore (well never). harper would want 2 more shots at free agency at least
Opt outs are meaningless when the player under performs his huge contract..they become almost a sick joke. Just listen to Cub fans trying to convince themselves there’s some slight chance that Jason Hayward might opt-out and the Cubs can start to bid again. No. Chances are when your team offers one of these contracts, you’re stuck with every last year and every last dollar and the fans will be miserable for most of that time. There are exceptions, but not nearly enough.
Opt-outs make the contract even worse. Not only is the player guaranteed $300m+ but if he is playing at a level where he is worth the money you have to pay him even more or you lose him.
Opt outs are not worse. Most people’s take is that 10 year deals are bad because by year 6-10 your paying big money for declining years. Therefore, most would rather go shorter terms right? If a team signs Harper or Manny to a 10 year deal and they decide to opt out after the 3rd, 4th or 5th year then likely they feel their value has surpassed their pay and are looking for either a higher annual or an extension. If that happens then the team can just say thanks for the productive years and let them walk.
If a player chooses not to opt out because they’re injured or perhaps, have under-performed, then the team is in the same situation had there not have been an opt-out.
If Harper signed with the Yanks and gave them 4 great years then opted out then the Yanks avoid the declining years and can re-purpose the money saved for the “new toy” on the market.
Exactly what I hope Boston gets out of JDM contract. 2 monster years, atleast 1 WS title, at a very fair price then he opts out and signs a bigger contract to age elsewhere. Great contract for Boston.
It’s just silly to say opt outs hurt the team. If you prefer to give out shorter-term contracts than an opt out is a win-win for the team (they avoid the declining years if they let the player walk) and the player has a chance to get the extra guaranteed money they are seeking.
What’s the other option? No opt out? Player get’s injured the team is o the hook anyway.
I said it back in October and I’ll say it again…..Harper and Machado are not getting deals longer than 10 years, nor are they getting $300 -350 million deals. I see both of them getting 7 or 8 year deals for $210 – 250 million.
The teams have too much information now, some might have more data than Boras. I agree with you about the years, I don’t think they’re getting more than 10 years, but I think they’ll fall between 25-35 per year.
If the ChiSox and Yankees are truly not willing to splurge on these two players… That basically means one to Philly one to LAD… Unless the Dodgers don’t move any OFers… Then could BOTH go to Philly??? Hmmmm…
Or that Angels. Arte loves a good impulse buy.
SPin the minors are not reliable and Tanaka is inconsistent with a elbow problem. I might be wrong but they need to make a trade for a quality pitcher , my bad I meant end up with.
my bad I meant end up with.
The next report will poopoo any splurging by those teams as well.
The Dodgers have never come close to offering the kind of dollars that Harper is allegedly seeking since Andrew Friedman came on board. The Phillies owner went on record a while back saying they MIGHT spend “stupid money”. Since then they have acquired a starting SS from the Mariners when Machado’s preferred position is the same. We are also hearing all sorts of contingency plans about 3B (Mike Moustakas) and for OF’s (Michael Brantley, A.J. Pollock). That doesn’t sound like a front office 100% confident in their ability to land either top FA.
Bottom line: This will all play out but I suspect that some of what we began seeing last offseason might even spill over into the markets of these two elite FA’s. My best guess now would be that neither comes close to landing what this site originally projected for each. They will both be paid handsomely but if either exceed Giancarlo Stanton’s total value contract of $325MM it won’t have an AAV that blows past Zack Greinke’s $34,416,666 per season. Conversely, if they do receive a deal that does significantly exceed Greinke’s AAV, say up to $40MM per year it will ultimately turn out to be a contract much shorter in total length, perhaps closer to 5 or 6 years which would still allow each to hit FA again not too far beyond 30 years of age. I believe, or at least hope, that the owners have wised up and will no longer agree to these player opt-outs that only benefit the players. This could potentially happen now with a narrowing market for each of these FA’s.
Some might try and call it collusion, particularly the agents and MLBPA, but I for one hope that commons sense finally prevails and that this will eventually result in some version of a salary cap in the next CBA, one that would also include a significant floor so teams will not be allowed to tank so frequently. There is also plenty of room to appease the players with increased roster size and with the inevitable expansion of two more team in the coming 5-10 years that will also create more jobs for the players and increased revenue for the owners.
To all the Einsteins who said the Yankees don’t need Machado because of Gregorius you do realize that Gregorius is a free agent after 2019 right?
I don’t understand the last part of the Tulo blurb. Tulowitzki is a probably a better defender at short than Torres, even with the bone spur problem.
So your confident that a 34 yo SS who missed all of 2018 with bone spurs in both feet will return to his 2016 form, the last time he posted a gold glove caliber season? I won’t argue what Torres will or won’t do because despite being a natural SS and having good reports, hasn’t played there consistently and I think should stay at 2nd and work on improving his defense there.
Until he takes the field and proves it no one should assume, that considering how important foot work is important at SS, his range will be the same, let alone being 34 years of age.
Tulo’s wheels have been on the sharp decline since Colorado. Hands and arm are still on-point. But no range at short is a bit of a problem….
Great screenname
these 2 clowns will see really what their market is. GMs are not trying to overpay anymore….hence why these last 2 years has been slow or full of trades. Harper will regret walking away from nationals offer.
Harper will be a Yankee and they will pay him 30-35 million. He is an investment that will return much more in profit during his 10 years. Ny fans will eat up his bad boy playing style and he will fill the stands and sell the apparel
Not to mention possibly hitting a ton of homers and drawing a ton of walks.
As far as a pure investment, Harper is safer than machado.
Not sure why Houston signed Reddick to begin with.
because he helped them win a WS Championship.
Yankees sign: Harper, Tulo, Robertson and Ottavino
Whitesox’s get machado
Let’s all agree that there’s plenty of time and plenty of impact players available on the market for teams to acquire. However, I can’t understand the reasoning as to why people feel the Yanks will be blocked from winning the AL East or a wild card spot,
People use the health of our pitching staff and the age of CC. However, CC pitched 153 IP last year. He’s now our 5th starter. Last year of all the pitchers in the AL only 36 of them threw 150 IP or more. In the AL East, only 7 surpassed that amount. Yanks now have 5 that threw over 150 IP and none of them were on the DL with an arm/shoulder related injury.
The Sox have two legit aces. That’s a fact. Sale barely thru more innings (5) than CC. CC has age working against him but what’s is he asked to do other than pitch 5 or 6 innings a game. What is Sale asked to do? Pitch like a #1 starter both in quality and innings thrown.
They currently don’t have a closer, won’t have Eovaldi coming out the pen and have to replace Kelly too. After Price and Sale they have Porcello, Eovaldi and Rodriguez., Porcello led them in IP with a 4,00 FIP. What can you count on from the other two? In the last 3 years neither has thrown over 140 IP.
The Astros will probably still win the West but as of now, if Keuchel sign elsewhere then they have to replace his innings as well as those of McCullers and Morton.
Yanks DO need to address the possible loss of Robo and Britton but they still have, by WAR, FIP and K/9, 3 of the top 10 pen arms in Chapman, Betances and Green.
As of today, I don’t see any reason why the Yanks can’t be a top 3 team again in the AL and that’s saying a lot considering the players out there that have a good shot of being added to next year’s team.
Happ was great with NY. Paxton replaces Gray. How is our starting staff, which was top 5 last year in the AL in WAR, FIP and K/9, NOT better now with the addition of those two and subtraction of Gray and the AAA kids, Health is a concern for every staff but as of now the Yanks have the deepest staff in the AL aside from the Indians.. No one knows what Eovaldi will do next year including whether he can pitch more than 150 innings.
Manny has a longer body of work but in a 2018 to 2018 comparison, his bat was only marginally better than Andujar. The only value you get with Manny over Andujar is the glove. Andujar had a .851/,866 lefty/righty OPS split.
I won’t hold Manny’s 2nd half against him as switching leagues can take time to adjust but in his favor Andujar crushed in the 2nd half of the season as he posted a line of .319/.345/575 w/ 15 of his 25hrs.
I would rather sign a glove first SS (considering how Manny was very good at SS and Torres is better off staying at 2nd) and just sign Harper as the Yanks need a lefty power bat.
I think it would be insane to not take advantage of the RF fence by not stacking it with at least 1 additional power bat aside from Hicks.
There are cheaper options for “a lefty power bat” than Harper. This is what I mean by low knowledge fans.
Knowledge:”facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject”.
Who DOESN’T know that there are other left-handed power bats available? In theory, every player is “available”. What I do know is that Harper is the best LH bat available on the market, the Yanks don’t have the prospect capital to trade for a top left-handed bat, the Yanks have an opening in leftfield and they have the means to absorb a $300-350 million dollar contract better than most other teams in baseball. So yeah, the same way the Yanks passed on Corbin to sign Happ they may pass on Harper to sign Markakis or Brantley. However, for what Harper MIGHT be able to do I think the reward of having, perhaps a future 500-600 home run hitter entering into his prime years, trumps the money saved by going with Markakis or Brantley who are cheaper but have much lower ceilings in terms of offensive production.
So back to this lack of knowledge thing you mentioned……
Next 5 years will most likely be harpers best years. He was molded to play in a big market and will not disappoint. Yankees would be foolish not to sign him.
You guys say this about every major free agent available, every single year. It would be foolish to sign players you don’t need.
Well it turns out the Yanks needed SP (Corbin), perhaps a 2b/SS (Manny) and a LF corner OF (Harper), With the resources they have and the need why wouldn’t the Yanks or any other team with need and $$$$ not be associated with those top FA????
So does it make sense for the Sox to sign Harper to a team that lost 100 games last year and has several holes to fill? Does it make sense to waste the very advantage that Harper or Manny offer (several prime years in the front end of their contracts) while the Sox try and rebuild themselves from a 100 loss season? He’s not the 1 missing piece. While the AL Central is relatively week the Indians should be the favorites for the next 2 years. Sox didn’t have 1 ….single….player with a WAR above 2.1. How many more pieces do they need, beyond Harper, that would make them a 90+ win team AND over take the other competitors already in the playoff hunt?
Machado would be a huge mistake. I hope to don’t make a 10 year mistake for a 4 month rental. They have a productive middle infield once didi returns. They have much more flexibility with Harper on the roster. They have next offseason to unload Stanton to make a run for arenado and trade what will be another very productive season for Andujar for a young proven pitcher to replace sabathia
With the White Sox trading for Machado’s brother in law, Yonder Alonso, I’d say that actually bumps them up on the list now. Harper, in my opinion, has always been going to the Dodgers. Yankees make sense, for Machado, but I have a feeling they don’t want to overpay. The Phillies will strike out on both players, cause those guys simply don’t want to play there. Harper to Dodgers, Machado to White Sox.
30-35 million is not overpaying. As each year pass, contracts go up. Harper would be a 40-52 hr guy in pinstripes. Just on the business side of the deal, they will make much more on Harpers name than his contract. It’s a win/win for NY.
Yankees don’t need another OF, and they certainly don’t need another high priced HR hitter to go deeper in the playoffs. Aside from ego and fan hubris, there is no reason to spend $300M+ on either of these guys. Makes sense for other teams, not the Yankees.
That’s the old days for the Yankees. Gotta love when the fans of lower tier teams tell Yankees fans what the team needs.
Gotta love the arrogance of Yankee fans thinking that only Yankee fans know baseball. Get over yourselves.
It has nothing to do with knowing baseball, but knowing something about your own team first is imperative. This guy was only stating this, because he wants the White Sox to make the signing. If he knew baseball as you said, he’d know the Yankees need a LH bat among other things. There’s the old and tired Yankee fan attack.
So,Slevin.. do the Yankee need another overpriced outfielder as the Sox fan suggests ??
They need a LH bat, but to suggest they don’t need another outfielder shows ignorance of their roster, or just wanting to be contrary. If he knew anything about the Yankees outfield it would be something. No one needs any overpriced player period to answer your question, but it’s not our money now is it.
If Machado doesn’t sign I think Tulo would be a great fit as a full in until Didi gets back. He only lasts about 65 games anyway before getting hurt
There is ZERO reason to think that Tulo, who is 34 and just had surgery on both feet and missed all of 2018 will be a competent SS. I would rather sign a glove only SS than to go into 2019 with Tulo as my starting SS, especially since Anduar is a work-in-progress at 3B. We can tolerate his glove but we can’t do so with Tulo at either SS or 2B. His bat simply wouldn’t be worth it considering his most recent numbers at the plate.
Does anyone know if the yankees have a deadline that they have to announce Happ officially signed… Im guessing they haven’t yet because they have a full 40 man and waiting to make some trades to free up a spot
Since last week it’s been official. Tuesday I think in las Vegas.
Not really a surprise there. If either goes to the white Sox it will be short term 2 years with a player opt out. 3/100 with an opt out after 2020. That way at 28 years old they can get a max deal of 10 maybe 11 years for 340mil+ they would get the save aav from the first deal if they opted out and maxed out at 10/340. Or 11/375.
Gray and Frazier, Chance Adams for Jon Gray
Sign Harper,Tulo,Ottavino and Robertson
2019 World Series Champions
Better yet, grab Ian Desmond from them. They shed an aging player making 15 mill this year, yanks obtain a 1b
Yankees have a first baseman…
Enlighten me…
ok, two words…Luke Voit. Did that enlighten you?
The lightning voit won’t strike twice
The and Cashman can make any move they want right now, they are under the cap and pulled in over 600 million last year. Add to that they got 15 million for Ellsbury last year. They have 5 starters making almost minimum salary which most teams don’t . They could sign both Machado and Harper and still keep Andujar. Harper is in LF with Gardy, Machado starts at SS and then move to 3rd when Didi comes back. Andujar starts at 3rd and moves to first/oultfield/ and DH when Didi comes back. Stanton plays some LF/RF/amd DH. They would only go over the cap for this year
What they got last year for Ellsbury in an insurance policy doesn’t subtract from payroll. Andujar just can’t be counted on to play first by the way.
This is the trade Yankees fans. Call, email, tackle Cashman if you must. Sonny Gray, Clint Frazier, Greg Bird for Ian Desmond and Jon Gray
Aside from the fact they already have 5 starters I’m not sure if Jon Gray would fair any better than Sonny as Jon’s stats away from Coors is a lot worse than it is at home. Plus Desmond is owed $4o mil for the next 3 seasons. Not worth
Desmond is 15,15,8 mill next three seasons. He will be an upgrade from bird. I wouldn’t count Jon gray out. He has ace stuff and flashed it throughout the season. He is cheap and will fit right into the 5th starter. We both know their current staff will not hold together for a full season
Really? Who are we sacrificing in this trade for a potential homerun. The odds would be in favor of a Jon gray/ Desmond combo rather than gray, bird and Frazier
I miss the old Yankees we will sign both of them plus a superstar reliever Krimbel
Agree, 100 percent, these new owners care only about money, since when the Yankees care about the luxury tax and will let go pitcher like Corbin because they don’t want to pay for 5-6 years????? Hal care about the money than winning a championship, he may sound like he cares, but in my personal opinion he doesn’t
Tulo would be a bargain for the Yankees with little to no risk. Obviously a good backup plan if the Yankees fail to sign Machado. It would be a head scratch if the Yankees sign Harper, I just don’t see that as a need.