The Mariners have grown “increasingly confident” they’ll be able to trade designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion before their spring training opens, Jon Morosi of MLB.com says (video link). Encarnacion’s market has picked up in the wake of the Twins’ agreement with Nelson Cruz, whose suitors are now turning to the former. The Rays, White Sox and Astros are each “involved” on both Encarnacion and Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez, according to Morosi.
Encarnacion was already part of one trading involving the Rays this offseason – a three-team deal in which Cleveland sent him to to Seattle. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has been superfluous to the rebuilding Mariners’ roster since they acquired him, though, and the team likely wants to rid itself of as much of his contract as possible. Encarnacion’s owed a guaranteed $25MM through 2020, including a $5MM buyout in lieu of a $20MM club option that year. While Encarnacion was an offensive juggernaut from 2012-17, he’s coming off a somewhat pedestrian season by his standards, as he batted .246/.336/.474 (115 wRC+) in 579 plate appearances and didn’t see much time in the field. Martinez, 30, is hardly a defensive stalwart either, though he did offer quality production at the plate from 2017-18 and will collect a minimal salary in 2019.
- Encarnacion could become the latest household name to leave Seattle, but it appears outfielder Mitch Haniger will stay put. “We’re not really listening to offers,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto told MLB Network of Haniger (via TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune). “They would have to blow us away, and they haven’t even come close.” The 28-year-old “represents everything we want to build around and be about as a team,” Dipoto continued, leading Cotterill to posit that Haniger, fellow outfielder Mallex Smith and left-hander Marco Gonzales figure to form the Mariners’ next veteran core. Haniger is unquestionably the most valuable player of the trio, given his superb production from 2017-18 and four remaining years of control (including one more pre-arb campaign).
- Before the Rangers traded him to the Athletics on Dec. 21, the Yankees were among the teams with interest in infielder Jurickson Profar, per Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. However, New York wasn’t “willing to give up much” for Profar, Fraley writes. Texas received four minor leaguers and $750K in international bonus room for Profar, who’d have helped the Yankees cover for injured shortstop Didi Gregorius’ absence in 2019. Had the Yankees gotten Profar, whom they also showed interest in last offseason, he likely would have handled second base, thus sending Gleyber Torres to short. Although, with third baseman Miguel Andujar potentially on the block and free-agent shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado on the Yankees’ radar, it’s anyone’s guess how their infield would have aligned with Profar in it.
- With Machado’s future up in the air for at least a few more days, the Yankees are currently focused on their bullpen, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. Free agents David Robertson, Zach Britton and Adam Ottavino remain “in play” for the Yanks, who could sign more than one of those hurlers, Heyman notes. New York’s known to be in the market for two relievers, as it could lose both Robertson and Britton to other clubs.
Feel first time in a while, Yanks connected to DRob, Britton. Thanks, Heyman! I’d be happy with 1/2
If you’re using raw ERA to judge a Colorado relief pitcher coming off tommy john surgery, I’m just sorry
5.16 FIP and 5.08 xFIP both higher than ERA
Negative fWAR… every measurable statistic
Heyman is not usually too accurate though
For my Yankee news, Heyman is more accurate than Joel Sherman, whose job it is to stir it up.
I am not a big fan of Sherman either. I agree.
I want Britton and Ottavino … wanted Miller too lol
Ottavino? Lol! Don’t buy the hype! ERA over 5 in 2017, and entering his age-33 season.
Feel he will get lit up next year if signed by the Yankees.
For some reason, everyone has fallen in love with Ottavino At least Britton and DRob have proved they can handle NYY — even if DRob is 1 year older
Yankee brass has a great track record with bullpen arms the past few years. If they see something in Ottavino then I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. They have earned that.
not externally they havent…. most recent train wreck is tommy kahnle. Besides Yanks would not need to load up the pen if they had a legit #1 guy like the other contenders have….
I think you’re not really paying attention to the way teams are constructing pitching staffs now. Teams are realizing starters are expensive and they break easily. The bullpenning teams have been successful by finding guys who have wipeout stuff and limiting them to an inning or two – Milwaukee and Oakland and Tampa were all really successful last season without any kind of #1 starter. This is the way teams are moving, for the most part, unless you’re the Nationals and have a bunch of ace-level guys. The Giants tried to emulate that old-school approach by loading up on quality starters and it has been a complete disaster. The Yankees have had historically good bullpens in the last two seasons – the 2017 bullpen was the best bullpen of all-time, by fWAR. It’s the way the smart teams are moving.
So which contender has a better pen?
also think of what theme teams would of accomplished if they had an ace just look at boston this year (and ftr not a big fan of boston) they had an ace in sale and a good pen. if the yankees could find that ace there missing they would be close to unstoppable. what’s the point of having a good pen in the regular season then you reach the playoffs and your pen is out of gas sp and rp are in the same coin. you need both to be strong if you want to win championships
Severino has the makings of a #1 and Paxton has the stuff to be one too if he can stay healthy, which granted, is no easy assumption.
However, having a “true ace” has nothing to do with the bullpen. Not sure why you would connect those two things. There are still 4 other starters on the team. In addition, how many 200 IP guys are there now? Maybe 10? It’s sad but that’s where the game is now. Expect 7IP and you’re happy.
And as for the Yanks ability to eyeball bullpen arms they acquire vs trade for, keep in mind they traded for Chad Green
You mention Kahnle as if he were the main player they acquired from the ChiSox and not one of Todd Frazier and David Robertson who each had a much more significant role with the Yanks from the day they were acquired.
Hey David, as an SF fan I completely agree with you. This round of starters has been a complete bust. However, we did get our three rings from having Cain, Timmy, Bum, and Vogey (kinda Hudson too). The starter method works and in my opinion is still better…so long as they’re actually good. In those years we also had a 4 headed monster of a pen and the starters kept them fresh
Actually Kahnle was very good when they got him. He didn’t decline until the following year.
Sale was hurt for big chunks of the season and didn’t pitch particularly well in the postseason. Red Sox won with bats and they were clearly the superior team in 2018 to anyone. We nearly saw Milwaukee make the WS because of Hader and a strong bullpen. behind him. Even the Dodgers were bullpenning in a way in the postseason, getting most of their starters out early; they were hurt because their bullpen wasn’t quite up to snuff besides Jansen. The Yankees have been winning for two seasons without an ace;
As far as the contending teams with great ‘pens? Milwaukee, Tampa, A’s, Indians, Astros, Yanks. The Cubs notably have a bad bullpen and stumbled badly in 2018 because of it. Give the Cubs the Padres bullpen and maybe they make the World Series.
Yes, but the San Francisco model proves my point, right? When Cain, BumG, Lincecum and such were all healthy and contributing the Giants were very good. But starters break, and relying on them as much as the Giants do means that in a season like 2017 or 2018, when all the starters broke, they’re going to be awful because they rely so heavily on 200+ innings of quality pitching out of four guys. Why not hedge your bets? Relievers are cheap and, with the right scouting and the right analytics team, can be assembled on the cheap.
The San Diego Padres had, in 2018, the 6th-best bullpen of all time. Yates, Stammen, Strahm, Castillo, Cimber, Hand – all those guys were basically castoffs from other organizations and they were all super cheap. And Hand and Cimber got them one of the better prospects in baseball at the trade deadline. The Padres, of course, were very bad because they were still trying to use the classic “starting rotation” model, but if they had a front office that was a little more progressive, they may have had a little more success by using a bullpenning strategy.
(Obviously, the Padres were hurt more by their terrible offense and their well-below-average defense)
I agree. TLR is responsible for the 4 hour game and overusing a BP.
TLR was smart with his bullpen usage didn’t over use guys unlike matheny hell at one point i thought bowmen was an everyday player. you need balance of good sp and rp was the point i was making. having an ace that you can relie on and the opsing lineup looks at and say “bleep” we gotta face him today goes a long way. yes @south see has the makings to be an ace if he can take that next step and pax if he can stay healthy but those are if’s and may determine if the yanks are division winners or a wc team
Astros in 2017 are a great example too
Relievers are no longer cheap, cheaper than SP yes, but look at the contracts that have been given out to the top free agent relief pitchers the last three or four seasons, definitely not cheap
The Cubs actually had a good bullpen. The bullpen was a strength. They “stumbled” because they did not hit and could not score consistently. It was not the bullpen at all.
Relievers are still pretty cheap; teams still overpay for saves though. That’s different. The Padres got stellar work from a bunch of guys making a million or less in 2018.
Oops, yeah, I was thinking of 2017. The Cubs bullpen in 2018 was good.
Wrong. TLR was not responsible for 4 hour games and burning through BP’s. Matheny and the Cubs Joe Madden were far worse at overusing the BP and dragging games out ad infinitum. TLR was actually spartan with his use of the BP, especially with the A’s.
Yeah, right.
@davidcoonce: um…a cy young winner isn’t a legit # 1?
@atuck : good point – not to mention the prospect pkgs required to secure some of the top bullpen arms the last few years via trade…
Yes making deals with players if Cashman Trade you he will being you back doing Free Agent if you got skills
Agree with you 100%.
Your a clown
You’re*
Don’t stoop to they’re level, their just trolling
You forgot the period at end of sentence too.
Me to
*they’re
*too
Lol Kyle…this flew right over someone’s head.
The reason Ottavino improved in 2018 was because he learned a new pitch and it was virtually unhittable in the first half of 2018. Plus, before 2017 he had 3 pretty good seasons as well. With his track record added to the fact that he pitched in Coors, it is really easy to just write off 2017 as an aberration.
So his 2017 season negates his 2013-2016 seasons and 2018. Got it.
Thx. We needed your imput
We didn’t need yours.
“input”
I would like to see the Angels go after Britton instead of Robertson, but beggars can’t be choosers!
Angels dont play in LA. You may want to change your name to Anaheim Angels
They’re the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim buddy. Dallas Cowboys don’t play in Dallas either.
Los Angeles wants nothing to do with the Angels & their “fans” know it.
The Angels are the Mets of the west
49ers also play in Santa Clara. and New York’s 2 football teams play in New Jersey
“Los Angeles gained a second major league team in 1961 when the Los Angeles Angels entered the American League. The nickname had been used by Los Angeles’ Pacific Coast League team from 1903-1957. The team was renamed the California Angels in 1965 and became the Anaheim Angels after the Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997. While the team’s lease with the city requires that Anaheim be a part of the team name, owner Arte Moreno changed the team’s name to include Los Angeles in 2005 in hopes of tapping into the L.A. media market. The result is one of the most absurd names in all of professional sports.” – mental floss site
The real question is who’s signing Aaron Loup.
Yankees. I want Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Loup playing for Aaron Boone.
Would make perfect sense, after the Indians have traded away Yan, Yandy, and Yonder this offseason. We will have reached a pinnacle.
Why in the world would the White Sox be interested in either Encarnacion or Martinez? Do they want to put a team full of DH?
White Sox 2019 Lineup:
SS Abreu
2B Alonzo
DH Encarnacion
1B Martinez
C Castillo
RF Palka
LF Delmonico
CF Resign Avi Garcia
3B Resign Davidson
Might set a record for the least athletic lineup in history. Might as well add 2 runs to every pitchers ERA.
How about signing players we could use?
My sentiments exactly.
What is this obbsession the Wsox have for average/ washed up first basemen ?
Dunn, LaRoche, Alonso.
..when they already have Abreau.?
Very strange.
The White Sox will want 1 or the other of Encarnacion or Martinez…not both! I think it is they are more in on Martinez personally because he could play OF, with Abreu and Alonzo at 1st and DH
The Sox should not ‘want’ either. Either will cost prospects and really not address needs the Sox actually have IMO. Besides isn’t Eloy playing in RF, or is Williams butting in and making a decision that Eloy will play CF or something silly like that?
If the Sox trade for either that would likely mean they are trying to move Abreu, which I think is a mistake as well.
don’t get me wrong i like martinez but his d at 1st was slightly better both still pretty bad he is basically a dh.
Abreu at ss? Where’s Moncada? Yolmer Sanchez? Tim Anderson? James Mccann? Yonder Alonso at second?
It went over your head buddy.
I think he got it. He was just pointing out its stupidity.
I think it’s either “OR” sir. Not BOTH players.
As a Cards fan, on Martinez, I’m interested in what could be coming back from the Chisox, or Rays or Stros.
The Cards will trade Jose Martinez to the Astros in exchange for the release of Chris Correa.
Your a waste of space
YOU’RE an illiterate sheeple.
The correct term from a pluralization standpoint is sherson, not steeple!
Actually it is worse, the Sox want to waste a part of their farm system for Encarnacion . A guy who will not help them get a decent return in a mid season trade or help them for the future.
I don’t get the White Sox interest in either Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Martinez. Neither would be a fall back option for Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. It’s been years since Encarnacion was able to play 3B while Martinez is a defensive liability in the OF. Both are best suited to be full time DH’s and backups at 1B where the White Sox are covered with Jose Abreu and recently acquired Machado brother-in-law Yonder Alonso. The White Sox already launched DH/1B Matt Davidson at the contract tender deadline and still have defensively challenged OF’s Daniel Palka and Nicky Delmonico on their roster who are also best utilized in the DH role.
This sounds like fake (news) rumors. The only way that this report would make sense is if the White Sox had a trade lined up for Abreu. Considering the extreme value they place on him with the intangibles he provides, something that most other teams aren’t willing to pay for, that scenario is highly unlikely.
There is one other possible scenario where this could make sense for the White Sox in regards to the Mariners, Cardinals and one of the other suitors, the Rays or Astros. That would involve a more complex multi-team blockbuster which might net the Rays or Astros a needed DH in Encarnacion or Martinez with the White Sox being the middle-man. They could provide some prospect capital or a depth piece from their MLB roster while perhaps netting other prospects or maybe even a pitcher for their active roster.
@ Mr. MacPhisto;
What you wrote is why I’m not buying into this White Sox rebuild………
Since shortly after they won the WS they’ve fielded a succession of teams that cannot play defense; eschew fundamentals; and play such sloppy baseball that it’s impossible to watch them play for more then 3-4 innings.
In theory they brought in manager Rick Renteria to work with the players on the above shortcomings. But the GM keeps bringing in the same type of baseball and baseball-IQ challenged players associated with the Rick Hahn regime which started in 2013, and Kenny Williams’ before him. Say what you will about Ozzie Guillén being hot-headed, but if he did not fight with Williams to bring him some team-oriented ballplayers he could work with, the Sox would have stunk between 2005-2011 as well.
I thought this strange White Sox philosophy of bringing in me-first DH types that think their job is to swing the bat and begrudgingly play in the field, would end with this rebuild. But the players brought up so far fit the mold – and top prospect Eloy Jimenez is a butcher in LF that already has scouts talking about his future being as a DH; while few, if any, of their position prospects seem to be complete ballplayers.
The Sox entire Baseball Ops division needs to be turned over. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has proven to be a mensch that stands by his people. At 83 I don’t see him bringing in a new regime. (Note that his Bulls team has also been going in 2nd division circles for years.) Might be time for Mr. Reinsdorf to sell.
he’ll still own them in 30 years. Dudes the most greedy scumbag of an owner ever.
This is said about every owner in baseball. I literally saw two Redsox fans say it in a thread awhile back
baloney. Boston loves its fans
The White Sox are not getting Harper or Machado. A more useful lefty bar like Moustakous *sorry I spelled his name wrong, could be a nice for for a lefty bat. Yolmer could be swapped for Jose Martinez, if they need him because I know the Cardinals too damn well to think they don’t need a player to replace Gyrko. The sox wont sign harper, because they have the chance to acquire Jose Martinez, who is a defensive risk in the corner outfield. Sign a guy like Gerrado Parra, or A.J Pollock. I think that the white Sox could also be serious contenders in a couple of years of they keep growing prospects, and sign some starters. Now that Big Game James Shields is gone, they need a veteran to lead the staff. Get a guy like Wade Miley or Trade for Sonny Gray. Abreu and some cash could be traded to New York, while the sox reel in Gray. These are all my opinion and I have been up to date on the news lately. These situations are highly unlikely, although I put a lot of thought into them.
Both of those trade ideas make no sense for the White Sox – and neither do these “rumblings.” I’d happily take Martinez if they plan on dumping Alonso if/when Machado signs somewhere else.
“both trade ideas” Miley is a free agent and they have been in talks with him since november. Gray makes sense because they need a veteran to lead Kopech, Fulmer, and Giolito. Abreu needs to be traded because Alonso will take the job at first
“Yolmer could be swapped for Jose Martinez”
“Abreu and some cash could be traded to New York, while the sox reel in Gray.”
I stand by my statement. Both ideas make no sense.
And sure, the Sox could use Gray. He’d make a ton of sense if the Yankees wanted a couple mediocre prospects with limited ceilings. Anything more than that? Not worth it.
But the Yankees wont want prospects. Like i said earlier, the yanks want to win and win now. Abreu would make sense in a white sox deal. Add in a bullpen arm along with gray, and the sox will be set. They need help in the pen. Now can you get it through your skull or will it still fly over your head?
I have accepted that you clearly don’t understand what’s going on in Chicago if this trade still makes sense to you. Time to move on.
I find it hilarious that you think the Sox would have to send Abreu *and* cash to get Gray. In 2017, Abreu led the AL in total bases. Last year was his worst year (which makes sense because he had absolutely no protection in the lineup) and he still was worth 1.1 WAR more than Gray.
if the sox acquire jose martinez, Abreu is aging. Trade Sonny Gray for Abreu because the Yankees want to win and win now. Gray is a waste, the sox need a veteran to lead the staff. And the Yanks are in desperate need of a all star caliber first basemen
Aging or not, he’s still much better than Gray. I’m sure the Yankees would do that deal in a heartbeat, but the Sox would just laugh and hang up.
BUT NOBODY GETS THE POINT THAT THEY TRADED FOR YONDER AND HAVE NO PLACE TO PUT HIM BECAUSE ABREU IS THERS
*THERE*
You know they play in the American League, right? That’s the league with a DH…
Also, if Gray is a “waste” and Abreu is an “all star caliber first baseman” (both your words), why in the world would the Sox trade an all star caliber first baseman and cash for a waste? That couldn’t make any less sense.
ever heard of s Dh called “Nicky Delmonico” Learn your facts before you walk on me bud.
Also “Daniel Palka” Ohh waitt…. Hold the damn phone! He hit 25+ homers this year. Hey look another Designated Hitter. TaDa!!!!
“Waste” for the Yankees. They have Sevo, CC, Happ, Tanaka, and A.J Cole. Sorry Sonny, but take your sh*t and slam the door behind you! Your only a 6th man long reliever on the Yanks. Have fun on the White Sox!
Sincerely, Aaron Boone
P.S get the hell outta my clubhouse!
Yes, I’ve heard of both of those mediocre baseball players that likely won’t be on the team in 2020. Thanks for the reminder. Consider my facts learned.
Took you 9 hours to come up with a cheap excuse. Me as a 12 year old on winter break i have nothing to do but hang out with my friends and look at baseball statistics. Your write about Delmonico, but Palka has extreme power. I’m a cardinals fan, the best fanbase in baseball, so if this is true about all our fans being nice, lets get rid of this arguement.
The negative votes here tells me a lot about the quality of discussion on this board . . . this is the most correct take on the situation, although you left out that Jimenez will be playing left from about April 15 on, so there’s really not even an OF spot for Martinez.
Both Martinez and Encarnacion bring high OBP, so in a context-free situation, these moves would make a lot of sense for the White Sox. But signing these guys after bringing in Alonso would be baffling . . . unless Alonso was only acquired to help them get Machado, in which case, the pursuit of Martinez and Encarnacion could be a sign that Rick Hahn thinks he is not going to get Machado (and is prepared to dump Alonso).
I think if EE signs with White Sox Abreu gets moved to Houston
EE is not a FA.
My bad aquired by the White Sox
Wrong again. Just delete your account.
If Encarnacion is acquired by the Sox, then Hahn and Williams need to be fired, regardless of what was exchanged for him. He makes NO sense for this club and it goes against everything the Sox management have been preaching to the fan base.
Astros seem like the ideal trade partner for the Mariners and Encarnacion.
Yordan Alvarez, Corbin Martin, Seth Beer, and Bryan Abreu are all legit prospects that would fit the Mariners 2021 timeline. I am not sure if Encarnacion would fetch one of them but Tyler White is an intriguing and young player with MLB experience and success. Plus, with Encarnacion and Gurriel, White would have no spot to play.
Well, he certainly wouldn’t fetch the first 2, and Beer is doubtful, but who knows.
The Astros wouldn’t move any of those prospects for EE unless you are eating a good chunk of EE’s contract. Even then I don’t think you get one of those guys.
Seattle has been taking on bad contracts as well as eating money through their step back approach. I could see them doing that to acquire a better pick along with taking on an underwater contract instead to net the same prospect return. Either way, I’m sure the reason they traded with Philly and Cleveland was because they were able to do this for prospects while taking on EE AND Santana to keep the ball rolling.
Seattle needs 3B, SS, 2B, and C prospects. Nova or Stubbs would probably be a welcomed return, though I would imagine Seattle would have to eat a considerable chunk of EE’s salary.
Tampa makes a little more sense as a partner given the history between the two clubs and Tampa’s abundance of infield prospects. Solak might be a reasonable return.
I’m a big fan of Cal Raleigh but wouldn’t mind another C in the cupboard. Amen to 3B and SS prospects. We need to acquire some depth eventually for the future of infield variety.
I wish the NL had the DH :(:(:(
I would like the cards to hang onto J Mart if that were the case !
Or the NL could just stick to focusing on complete players and let the AL have their eventual complete offense/defense football lineups.
I truley hate the DH. It got rid of starters innings pitched, and started the bullpen game. It also doesnt require any baseball mentality. You look at your best hitter, who is not good at defense, and you put him in the DH. Same with JMart. Defensive risk, but he hits .305 with 17 bombs.
My sentiments exactly.
What is this obbsession the Wsox have for average/ washed up first basemen ?
Dunn, LaRoche, Alonso.
..when they already have Abreau.?
Very strange.
1-Don’t believe everything you read.
2-Yonder Alonso is hardly washed up at age 31. As a left-handed power bat he is also a near perfect compliment to pair with fellow Cuban Jose Abreu at 1B/DH in 2019 while also possibly becoming a factor in the White Sox landing Manny Machado this offseason.
Alonso was a baffling acquisition on its face, but yeah, at least it can kinda be explained by your points (though Palka could probably have fit the same type of role). Encarnacion makes no sense for this club. Martinez in RF? Maybe, but isn’t that where Eloy is supposed to be playing?
If I’m an American League team in need of a First baseman or a DH … Carlos Martinez at 4 years of controllability and age 30 sounds very intriguing. Astros or Rays. Even Indians. They could play Santana at 1st and Bauer’s can play the corner Outfield and I’m not quite sold he’s legit either.
Jose martinez….not carlos
Well, his dad was Carlos Martinez. So it kind of works.
Yay alcohol!
BTW, the national writers always talk about Martinez as a DH/1B. He was HORRIBLE at first base last year! He’s almost as bad in the outfield but there are way fewer chances out there.
as a Rays fan I’d much rather see them acquire Jose vs EE…Ed looks like age might be catching up to him and Jose being a contact first dh type fits what they rays seem to be trying to build. EE is also older and owed a ton of money while Jose is 30 with 4 years of control…after missing out on Cruz it seems ridiculous to give up prospects to turn around and pay Edwin more than it would’ve taken to lock down Cruz. it’s almost as asinine as trading Mallex for Zunino then turning around and being “in” on Realmuto…while having JT would be amazing, it doesn’t make sense to give up Mallex to end up using Zunino as a backup catcher / dh for 2 years…I think Jose would be a great trade for both STL and TB and def the best fit for Tampa in their current situation.
There is a lot of Twitter chatter today saying that Machado has chosen the Yankees and is waiting until the New Year to announce his choice. Dan Clark the Orioles writer, notably, as he is the one who first stated this. Someone on WFAN 660 said it as well. Now I don’t know any of these people, so I will take this with a grain of salt. Yankee fandom is going to be pissed if this is wrong, and overjoyed if correct. At least it won’t be much longer until we know.
There is way too much bs going on with these daily rumors.
Shortly after Machado completed his 3-team interview tour with the White Sox, Yankees and Phillies he reportedly told each team that his final decision wouldn’t come until the calendar flipped into 2019. This “suggested” that he had received contract offers from each and would spend the holidays contemplating his choices.
Then reports surfaced that the White Sox and Phillies had made better offers than the one submitted by the Yankees.
Then Machado, along with Bryce Harper, allegedly confided that they would prefer not playing in Philadelphia.
Then just yesterday, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that Machado had not received a formal contract offer from any of those teams because he was more interested in learning about each organization first and determining how he fits with each club.
And today all this twitter chatter.
I can hardly wait for tomorrow’s rumblings. (insert your favorite emoji eye roll here)
Clark is sticking to his guns today, right or wrong. Said his source is a “former teammate/friend of Machado”. I’m guessing it’s Schoop? We shall see
It could all just be some tactic to get the Phillies and/or White Sox to up their offers. But it is annoying how seemingly every day, there’s a report that conflicts with the report the day before. A couple years ago, the White Sox were supposedly about to sign a trade sending Sale to the Nationals for Giolito, Robles, and more. At the last second, they traded Sale to Boston instead. Until ink is on the paper, it’s all just talk.
I’m an O’s fan. The Yankees are going to regret signing Machado. He is a prima donna. The first time he gets booed by fans, he is going to have a meltdown and lash back through the media. How do you think that will go? Also, expect a lack of hustle and mental fielding errors.
It would appear that the Mariners consider their future core to be:
Players – Haniger, Smith, White, Crawford, and Kelenic.
Pitchers – Gonzales, Dunn, Sheffield, Swanson, and Gilbert,
They have some decent secondary pieces too so they could be quite competitive for a 7-10 year stretch with that group.
7-10 years?!? That’s assuming all these guys work out, which never happens, and they have the most trade happy GM in the last 20 years. I still think Haniger gets moved. DP is just posturing. You don’t make a 28 year old player who just broke out 2 years ago, untouchable.
Rodriguez is every bit as promising as Kelenic and Lewis is still very much in the picture after a late-season breakthrough in AA. They have to find more infielders and a catcher for the future (Raleigh’s off to a good start), but having little committed salary for 2021 and beyond should help considerably.
You could probably hide Encarnacion at 3rd if you’re the Sox…
I think they have their wallets set on a better option in Manny Machado. If that doesn’t pan out or Machado is promised the SS position then Yoan Moncada would get the next crack at the hot corner with #1 June Draft pick Nick Madrigal set to be their core second baseman sometime in 2020.
its Been a minute since DiPoto made a trade is he sick or something ? Maybe vacation something is going on in the Pacific Northwest.
EE is gonna go to Houston the fit is to perfect.
I see too fit! Houston give up low stuff double A or give up high stuff triple A? Get a EE?
West is strong, fun compete baseball but central is not though.
Encarnacion & Martinez are both right-handed hitters. The Astros already have Gurriel & White as right-handed options at 1st base. The Astros have a lot of right-handed hitters. A lefty would make more sense for them, unless that righty is JT Realmuto. As for Britton, the question is does he want to close? If he does, he isn’t going back to the Yankees. He will have opportunities to close with other teams.
I would like the Braves to go hard for Britton
Are you hard for Britton? Sounds like you might be
I don’t know if Houston really cares about lineup balance, as they netted a WS title with a team full of RHH’s. But I have wondered if they might have some interest in Dan Vogelbach. Seattle has tried to move him and seem to be more interested in carrying an extra fielder with a rotating DH. Given that they now have an abundance of OF prospects, it would make sense to carry a 5th outfielder rather than a pure DH.
I understand not caring about lineup balance when you have guys like Altuve, Bregman, Correa & Springer who are righties. However, it makes no sense to add a 3rd right-handed option at first base. Even if the Astros decide to use Gurriel in the Gonzalez role, White is already on hand as a right-hadned 1st base/DH option. Encarnacion, while more established than White, would be a similar player. Bringing in a left-handed option to platoon/share time with White makes more sense.
Wow! Is that another poster on here who understands lineup construction and having all RH hitters makes you easier to pitch too? Astros need a LH bat. Justin Smoak might be a option, he’s cheap, plays pretty good d and a switch hitter. Because of the amount of 1st base options available he won’t cost that much.
Dipoto is a moron.
Says the person calling names.
The Astros recently changed their password to “Martinez” so it seems like a deal is imminent.
Haniger is 28 and the window of contention is when he’s going to be 31? Wait out the Harper sweepstakes and send him off to one of the losing suitors.
Thats the smart move.
Predict future with past? Package Haniger with expensive vet, maximize return. EE included? To Rockies for Ian Desmond and the Rockies’ best prospects. Then do follow on, move Desmond and Gordon to Milwaukee for load of good prospects. Okay? We okay?
Sorry, but neither of those ideas have much traction. Neither benefits the team receiving players.
1. The Rockies are very stingy with their Top Prospects (yet they don’t seem to want to PLAY them either…..lol). Rodgers will be off limits, and so will McMahon. If you want Tapia and Hampson…..maybe you’ll get a deal done, I bet the Rockies would LOVE to get rid of Desmond. However…..
Attaching an expensive veteran to a younger, more productive player, typically “lessens the return”. That’s why teams don’t do that.
2. And you think you’d be able to flip Desmond AND Gordon to the Brewers???
Where would either of them PLAY?
Brewers have Yelich & Cain, plus several young options in the OF (they just traded D. Santana because of the plethora of OF they have there)……
Gordon is an overpaid 2B, who has done OK in the OF, but why would the Brewers want him? They have Hiura (2B) about to break into the Bigs (similar to Dee Gordon, but much younger & cheaper).
And they currently have Aguilar and Thames for 1B. Both are better than Desmond…..and less expensive to keep, too.
Did I miss something?
What it comes down to is nobody wants Desmond. Unless they themselves have a bad contract. It would be counter intuitive to try to collect Desmond for prospects. Gordon isn’t going to command much of anything either, maybe a filler & lotto ticket. The market is flush. He was a salary dump last year, and there are cheaper options. I can’t see any teams absorbing both Desmond and Gordon. In fact the whole idea seems unnecessarily futile.
Haniger would command a substantial package. EE only has a year left so really why add prospects they don’t really have? They would be better off paring down salary to save what they can. That’s basically where they are at with the likes of EE, Bruce, Gordon, and Leake.
“Haniger is 28 and the window of contention is when he’s going to be 31? Wait out the Harper sweepstakes and send him off to one of the losing suitors”
Worry about you’re own team. We’ll worry about ours. That is unless you’re an M’s fan. In that case, I completely disagree and am glad were keeping Mitch Haniger. It sounds like there hasn’t been any offers to blow Mgmt away, anyways. I can live with that.
I am a Mariners fan. And I am worried that we hold onto Haniger too long for a deal that never comes. I’m not advocating selling lower than he’s worth, but I do believe Dipoto might be drawing too hard of a line with him. Haniger isn’t valuable to a team that won’t contend until he’s in his FA walk year.
I think the acquisitions that we have been acquiring are right on the cusp of breaking into the major leagues. I have more faith in Haniger reproducing and building a team around him, then going out and finding another player to replace him. I believe Mitch fits in our window of contention and he’s the type of player who will last a lot longer in the league than most. Just my own opinion. And I respect yours and can understand you’re reasoning for wanting to flip him. If some team comes along with an offer you can’t refuse, then I concur, pull the trigger. Otherwise, hold onto him.
The whole point of this stepback/retool/rebuild is to find guys like mitch haniger. Just like acquired pieces in mallex smith, and omar narvaez, they are all 3 controlled through 2022. If they already have that player in mitch haniger, there’s not really a reason to trade him. I can definitely see him signing an extension.
Right, because veterans aged 30-31 couldn’t possibly offer anything?
Haniger may very well end up being the lone veteran Mariner on their next team that contends. And who better to set the tone and mentor guys like Lewis, White, Kelenic, and Rodriguez?
If they move Haniger now, they may end up having to trade for a similar veteran in a couple of years, or pay a ridiculous price via free agency. Jerry knows this and that’s exactly why his demands are high.
As he put it, nobody has come close (yet). That’s not surprising and the bar should be ridiculously high.
Yankees should trade for Jose Martinez 2018 OPS 364 Ave 305 17 HRs 87 rbi age 29 plays 1B and outfield. Can the Yankees really trust Voit or Bird. Sign Harper and Machado to 5 year deal 180mil then they can be free agents again at 30/31 plus do opt out after 3 years. Trade for Kluber can we really trust CC Happ won’t match last year’s stats and Paxton never pitched 200 innings. We need true Ace and work horse. Cashman can’t sell yAnkee fans on the rotation we have right now.
If the Yankees trade for J-Mart, and sign Harper, they need to trade Stanton.
Judge, Stanton, Harper are all RF’s. J-Mart is best at DH
It sounds crazy, but this could work……it doesn’t offer a lot besides salary relief in return for Stanton, but it sheds the payroll necessary to facilitate them signing Harper.
J-Mart to the Yankees
Stanton to the Dodgers
Dodgers send JT Chargois or Josh Fields to the Cards
Dodgers send Scott Alexander. to the Yankees
Martinez is 30 and will be 31 in July. He plays 1B and RF, but plays neither of them well. In fact, he plays them as well as Helen Keller would. I don’t see how or why the Yankees need him? Voit, Stanton, Judge all RH sluggers.
Well daved…..if you read my whole post, the yankees trade Stanton so they can free up money to sign Harper,…adding a LHB to the lineup, and their RF for the next 10 years. Martinez is a part-time DH.
I didn’t bring up the notion that the yankees needed/wanted Martinez. It’s in the article and in the comments above. I was responding to those comments. Voit performed “way above his normal” last Aug/Sept…..nobody expects that he’ll keep up that pace.
@kbarr888, I was responding to the comment by “bigm.”
Yankees are another team with a RH heavy lineup so of course all the posters on here suggest nothing but RH hitters going to the Yankees. No the Yankees don’t need Jose Martinez.
daved=Clueless
Hey gatewaytothemeadow,you are out of your league here. Stick to the stltoday forum with your sheeple brethren.
I would love to see that infield if Andujar was still at third throwing to Martinez at first. They would be able to hit but they would probably have the worse defensive third and first base combo ever.
To @bigm @kbarr888
Re: Stanton vs Harper.
When Cashman acquired Stanton I’m 100% positive that they factored in the fact that both Harper and Manny would be FA after the 2018 season. I doubt Cash has buyers remorse the way some so called “Yanks fans” have moaned about. IF Cash had any interest in either of those two then they did so expecting to have Stanton’s contract on the books too. So there are no surprises. If they want Harper then they’ll move him to LF and he’ll likely be sandwhcihed in between Judge and Stanton.
This year they will probably move Gray and his $9 mil salary. After 2019 the Yanks will likely move on from Sabathia and Gardner and their salaries of $18 mil. After 2020 the Yanks will be up from under Tanaka and Ellsbury which frees about about $45 mil in salary too. Now they’ll be other players getting raises too (Didi in particular). While Judge, Severino, Sanchez, etc will get raises only Severino is in his arbitration years and Judge, Sanchez, Voit, Andujar and Torres won’t be making big money any time soon.
Re: Voit
I don’t understand the dismisall of Voit. No one should realistically expect him to maintain the pace he had in 2018. That would lead to a Bonds/Ruthian type of performance that NO player should be expected to post. He’s not expected to hit 60 homeruns. But I think a .260/.350/.500 line with 25-35 homers is certainly reasonable.
Voit was drafted in the same draft as Judge but at the age of 22. However,,,,,
a) He’s not a guy who took a long time to perform and bounced around the minors. He had a slow debut in 2013 at low A posting .242/.356/.329. Good OBP but no power and a low BA. He showed immediate improvement the next 3 years being moved along slowly.
2014 @ A+ = .276/.342/.442 w/ 9 hrs in 390 AB
2015 @ A+= .273/.360/.405 w/ 11 hrs in 539 AB
2016 @ AA= .292/.372/.477 w/ 19 hrs in 546 AB
2017 @ AAA= .327/.407/.565 w/ 13 hrs in 307 Ab
Called up and hit .736 OPS in 134 sporadic AB. He was blocked at the mlb level behind Matt Carpenter, Matt Adams and Jose Martinez on an NL team with no DH.
In 2018 he tore up AAA again .301/.390/.506 in 310 AB before the Yanks called him up and he did what he did.
In his 148 AB with the Yanks he had a ridiculous 1.095 OPS and showed, in a small sample size, that he could hit lefties and righties
vs RHP-.312/.402/.613 w/ 8 hrs
vs LHP- .340/.389/.780 w/ 7 hrs
He didn’t display any funky YS splts
home-.275/.359/.594 w/ 7 hrs
road- .365/.434/.743 w/ 8 hrs
He’s not a pull happy hitter as 1 homer was pulled to LF, 10 were up the middle (deepest part of most stadiums) and 4 were hit to RF.
In the minors he had a high/low BB% of 8.2 to 11.9. In 2018 his walk rate in the majors was 10.6% with a 26% K rate.
Small sample size aside, since his debut, he ranks 17th in Hard% contact at 44.4% (#1 was 47.7%) and had the 2nd lowest Soft% contact. Everything the guy hits he squares up and hits with authority to all fields.
Considering he’s under control for 5 years and has a couple of pre-arbitration years left, why not give him a chance to prove what he can or can’t do as the full-time 1b in 2019?
If he were 25, a 1st or 2nd round pick or a top 100 prospect there simply wouldn’t be any question that he would be a lock to play 1B and it wouldn’t even be close. So what he’s going to be 28 in 2019? That’s one year older than Judge. 28-32 are considered to be prime years and that’s all we need to be concerned with. If he lock down 1b and be a solid .260/.350 with 25+ hrs per year guy for the next few years then cool. I’ll take that. Better option than paying $10-$15 mil for another 1B option.
Dream senerio
It’s also a dream scenario.
You are all naive to think these rumors are true. That’s all they are is speculation. Like the stock market is. Get a grip and have a drink in New Years.
I think all of the top relief pitchers will go off the market next week, all the GM’s and agents have stated their positions..They will all want a better deal than Miller got.
The NYY may consider a less than ideal alternative in Alcides Escobar who will fill in nicely(primarily on defense) until DD’s return.
Haniger is 28 and he won’t be around by the time the M’s are good again. As such they should cash in while his value is high. Same thing for merrifield in K.C. only he is is even older
And the Yankees should trade Aaron Judge while his value is so high. Let the M’s worry about Haniger. I happen to believe holding onto him and building the franchise around Mitch is the right decision.
Hey maybe New York can get Sheffield back for Judge from Seattle….is what it sounds like coming from a fanbase that doesn’t follow the team.
I like the M’s the Yankees have built their young core and are set for the long term. The M’s are rebuilding and as such crashing in on Mitch (very underrated player) would be smart.
And what is there to follow ? The M’s are in complete teardown right now and Haniger will help speed up the rebuild. They won’t be good during his prime years so why waste him ? K.C is making the same mistake with merrifield and it baffles me why they are not using him to restock their farm
Again, go look at all the players they just acquired and their current lineup. It’s not a “TEAR DOWN”. I don’t understand why people don’t listen or understand that concept.
Most of these guys will be up in 2021. Haniger will only be 30. Dipoto believes he will have an effect on the new group coming in, and UNLESS “blown away by an offer” is keeping Haniger. THAT IS NOT A COMPLETE TEAR DOWN.
What kind of a season, DH’ing everyday, would you expect Jose Martinez to have and what would the Cardinals receive in return for him? Is he really worth much more than a middle level prospect?
It’s funny how Yankee fans feel that every free agent, and every player available for trade is going to their team. Since the luxury tax era has come to, how many championships do they have? Look at the team you had last year…. Having ALL the best “names” in the game does not bring championships.
Someone is bitter …..
How is he bitter when he’s actually stating some facts?
Fans of lower market teams always spout the things that was said in his post. It bothers him that much that fans think their team will get someone lmao. Also it’s common sense that having tons of big names doesn’t guarantee anything but investing into your team gives you the best chance year in and year out. Not investing in it at all gets you nowhere (unless you get lucky one year)
Well said YankeePatriot….seems like there is some jealousy out there regarding potential free agent pick ups or trade eligible players.
What they fail to realize is that many times the GM’s and agents float the rumors about going to the Yankees….a big market team with lots of cash. to gain leverage and or advantage in negotiations with an acquiring team.
Shame that these “fans” of other teams have to vent in this way…. but that green eyed monster call jealousy is always on the prowl!
The facts according to some and if you read my post below you will recognize exactly who if you can in fact read!
@Slevin
New pic? Gift from someone?
Regifted
Actually in reality there is no bitterness at all. I’m a proud white Sox fan and always will be. The problem I do have though is when you have teams like the Yankees who continue to dish out these overpaid ridiculous contracts that they set the new standard for because they think that’s the best way to win a championship. Who ends up losing in this situation is the fan for having to pay much more for tickets, food, ECT… I have more respect for a team like the royals a few years back who didn’t have to buy their championship…. Just my opinion
The fact of the matter SKI! is that the Yankee teams are almost always “in it” each and every year and frankly most other major league teams have their ups and downs and can’t boast of the same consistency!
Take the Red Sox….great that they won 2 recent championships but wrapped 2 last place finishes around both….CONSISTANCY is what Yankee fans look for….Championships would be great but its great to be in it each and every year….give us something to look forward to that you probably don’t get from your home team!
Sorry!
The Redsox have won 4 to the Yankees 1 this century. I’d take those last place finishes for 3 more ships any day…
I’ll take the 4 championships in the 21st century thank you very much.
Yankees need to sign DRob before another team swoops in. Britton would he nice as well.
At least One or the other should be a target to bring back
I can see why Rick Hahn wants to trade for Encarnacion: because he’s being shopped, it would take little effort to trade for him and because trading for old past-their-prime players is something that Hahn does when he builds a team.
He maxxed out at 78 wins with Quintana, Eaton, Sale, Frazier, Robertson, et al, so who’s to argue with Rick Hahn’s level of success?
.
I still have faith in Hahn, but no longer if he pulls the trigger on a move for either player.
Also, Hahn knew enough to blow it up and start over with Q also netting them a potential perennial all star OF (Jimenez) and an Ace pitcher(Cease) . Eaton’s deal netted them three rotation pitchers (Giolito, Lopez, and Dunning), and Sale netted them another potential Ace in Kopech, potential corner stone in Moncada (cannot really give up on the guy yet), and what appears to be an above average OF in Basabe.
Chill fellas… The Sox won’t give up anyone for Encarnacion unless they’re blocking a prospect from the big league roster, or have limited potential. Encarnacion would be a good fit at DH, but it wouldn’t make sense do unless a major FA signing was imminent.
*sense unless.
Hahn did well in Q & Eaton trades already. If they get nothing from Dunning & Giolito it’s still a win, Reynaldo Lopez will be a stud. Don’t see how there’s room for 4 1B/DH’s with EE on the Southside. Abreu, Alonso & Palka. Though i would love to get EE. The Alonso addition is baffling. Like to see Sox get Britton and if price not to steep trade for Robbie Ray. Even if Sox field a somewhat competitive team they can win this division. Cleveland may win it with a sub .500 record in 2019. Start looking for a coach for 2020 Genghis Hahn
So you’re saying Hahn traded away a bunch of solid all-star players for a group of “potential” that have not developed into anything, yet. If he hadn’t traded them away, he might have been at the helm of the AL Central Champs last year. Cleveland won while being mediocre. Nice timing on Hahns part. The sad part is they were mostly signed to cheap contracts. It’s not like the timing of Detroit and KC rebuilds couldn’t have been predicted, and MN was already rebuilding. Cleveland maxing out could have been foreseen also.
Maybe he has goals bigger than winning the AL Central, and with his budget constraints, these moves put him closer to where he needs to me.
Also, you said the keyword – “yet.” 95+% of the talent acquired is still in the minors and moving along nicely. These things generally take more than 2 years…
That being said, I would’ve liked to have seen that roster with a capable manager. Personally, I don’t think managers make a giant difference, but with someone as bad as Ventura, even an average manager could’ve made them look respectable.
stymeedone, those players you say haven’t developed yet have been in the Sox’s system for only a year or two. The average development time for most BIG leaguers is 3 to 5 years. Try again, buddy?
Did anyone else have to look up superfluous?
Seattle shouldn’t have wasted Diaz In the cano salary dump. Attaching him to cano lowered the return for Diaz. Seattle could have gotten a lot more in a desperate trade
I actually happen to really like the return for Diaz and Cano. Jarred Kelenic was the highest player on my board during the ’18 Draft. And to get out from Cano’s deal saves our franchise a ton of money that can be used for the right time. Why waste it now when we wouldn’t be contending. It made so much sense!
I believe Cano could have been dumped without diaz. They didn’t maximize their asset in this case
They essentially traded Cano + money for Bruce, Bautista and Swarzak. The Mariners saved money on this part.
In the same deal, they traded Diaz for Dunn and Kelenic. I would argue that they received a great return for Diaz.
Of course he could have. I believe that too. That we can both agree on. But Kelenic, and Dunn(projected #3 starter) and Bautista were enough for me. Kelenic aced every hitting test Dipoto gave him up in Seattle. They LOVE this kid.
You are right we could’ve gotten more just for Diaz alone. But Diaz helped get rid of $80 million. Do you know what kind of piece(s) that gets you when you actually ARE contending by saving it now?!
Again, Kelenic did it for me. Dipoto said a Diaz deal doesn’t happen without Kelenic. I agree with that and respect you’re opinion as well. Just see it differently is all friend.
5 years of Diaz could have gotten more than that. Look at what the returns for Giles, Chapman and miller for example. They had les team control but big returns. Hope the prospects work out for you guys as a 17 year drought is huge. The Astros are getting weaker though and the A’s have no rotation so the time to strike maybe closer than I think
The Mariners are as high on Kelenic as the Yankees were on Torres in the Chapman deal.
Maybe higher
No chance. Who in their right mind would take an aging Cano and his 120 million dollar commitment without some kind of lush side-benefit?
That deal was pretty solid for Seattle. They cleared their books for 2021 and nabbed two excellent prospects, freeing themselves of a minimum of 64 million. It could be more if they’re able to move Bruce.
Excellent in Dunn. Future SUPERSTAR in Kelenic!
I would just play Bruce and hope he gets hot if I’m seattle
That’s the plan. Dipoto called Bruce and told Jay to expect to report to Spring Training. Of course, anything can happen though.
Why do any of us need to expand our horizons on a baseball comment site?
Maybe Syndergaarden Cop, you can focus on baseball?
Than go comment there Mr. Syndergaarden. No one here needs you.
Oh we are all “neckbeards” here per Mr. Syndergaarden, who thinks he is funny but actually is humorless.
I don’t see Machado signing with any other team but the Yankees unless the Phillies give him an offer he can’t refuse and the Yanks don’t match it.
Also do the Yankees trade Stanton or keep him and have Machado,Stanton and Judge all in their line up?
I still believe Yanks are gonna need better pitching to keep up with the Sox. If the Sox sign 2 decent releivers I think they’ll still be ahead of the Yankees.
I tell you this it’s gonna make for a very interesting 2019 season.
I really like Jose Martinez a lot as a pure hitter. I would not try to squeeze him into a position. If he was good enough to do that the Cardinals would have made it work but he’s a DH. Martinez is a bit younger I believe and makes a lot less money. I’d go with Martinez but again start him sparingly in the field
The Cardinals sure need another bat and a lefthanded starter. Giants have Crawford and Bumgarner who’d fit nicely moving DeJong to third. Giants could use Gant, Gyroko, Carpenter and a minor league pitcher and minor leaguer outfielder. Let’s trade!!!