As of a few weeks ago, the Reds were reportedly “considering” trade scenarios centering on Nick Senzel. However, president of baseball operations Dick Williams then suggested the outfielder/second baseman isn’t going anywhere. That’s fine with Senzel, who said Monday (via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer): “I’m happy to be here. I want to be here for my whole career. I want to play in Cincinnati for these fans and my teammates. Any time those talks come up or anything, there is literally nothing I can do about it. I have no control over it. The less I worry about it, the better.” Senzel then noted trade rumors are “part of the business, especially when top names are getting thrown around.” Indeed, it never seemed as if the Reds would move Senzel during the winter without getting back a star-caliber player in return.
Here’s more from the National League…
- To say this has been an offseason low on impact acquisitions for the Pirates would be an understatement. They’ve signed three major league free agents – catcher Luke Maile and a pair of outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Guillermo Heredia – all for modest prices. Thanks to its offseason decisions, including the trade of center fielder Starling Marte to Arizona, Pittsburgh’s projected to enter 2020 with a microscopic payroll of $60MM, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. It’s not an ideal way to build a team, but the Pirates are in a rebuild. Once (and if) the Pirates begin to turn things around, new general manager Ben Cherington expects to have more money at his disposal. “I’m confident [payroll] will increase over time as we get deeper into our team build, there’s opportunity and we get closer with those opportunities,” Cherington stated Sunday (via Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “I’m confident we’ll have the means to build a winning team and add pieces. We’re not putting any kind of date on when that could happen. We’re going to try and get there as soon as we can. That’s an every-day thing.” The Pirates have come under fire for a lack of spending, though Cherington added that he’s “really confident that the total investment in baseball operations is not just enough but really competitive within the industry,”
- It has been a trying couple years for Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, a former star. The 34-year-old missed a sizable chunk of time from 2017-18 and didn’t take the field at all last season as a result of various injuries, including one suffered during a run-in with a wild boar. The Mets then amended Cespedes’ contract back in December, dropping his 2020 salary from $29.5MM to $6MM. Cespedes is now working to return to form in the wake of a long layoff, but he wasn’t cooperative with the media Monday after the Mets’ first full-squad workout, as Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News relays. Asked if he’d discuss his offseason, his general health or the boar encounter, he offered, “Not today, not tomorrow, not at all this year.”
- With Jordan Hicks recovering from Tommy John surgery and Carlos Martinez on his way back to their rotation, the Cardinals will hold closer auditions all spring, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Andrew Miller, Ryan Helsley, John Gant, Giovanny Gallegos, John Brebbia, Alex Reyes and offseason signing Kwang-Hyun Kim could all be candidates to land the job, though the Cardinals may choose to fill the role by committee. “Having one guy who is a lock down guy is fine,” manager Mike Shildt told Goold. “If we don’t have that then clearly the multiple options are going to be necessary.”
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dude u r #1
34th
Will you sign my leg
Baseball really need a salary cap, but what it needs more is a salary floor. The best way to field a fully competitive league is to have a salary range. The NFL is set up in a great way, but football can be really dependent on a just having a great QB. The NBA is about the same with win and losses being determined mainly on who has the best player. Of the big 3, MLB is the sport most dependent on having a TEAM to win. But MLB also has the worst salary structure. There should never be a team in the same league in any sport spending 3-4 times more than a rival team. And there should never be a team in the same league in any sport spending 3-4 times less than a rival team.
MLB needs to set up a salary range with the biggest teams (Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Nats) spending less and the smallest teams (Pirates, Rays, Marlins, Royals) spending more. I think the player’s association would accept a lower salary cap of say $175 million if a salary floor of $125 million were attached. You can still have rebuilding clubs, the NBA does, but it won’t have the look of just not trying while still charging full prices for your fans. Instead of starting caliber players being on the bench for contenders, they could be productive for lesser clubs. Pitchers that are capable of being major league starters could be instead of being long relievers on loaded rotations. There is far less wrong with trying and failing than with not trying at all.
I agree except your numbers. Cap should be like 225M with it increasing 5M each year during the CBA and the floor should be 125M also increasing 5M a year.
Too high. The players would have give back a little from the top in order to raise the floor for the franchises at the bottom. Otherwise, the owners would never approve it.
Plus the range is still too big. Paying the players more money is not the point, They would still get paid the same. The whole point is to stop 33% of the league from just not trying each and every year.
That becomes somewhat untenable because, even with a floor and ceiling, the small market teams will still not be able to compete every year. Even using the $225/125 above, the $125M teams will usually finish below the $225M teams.
It is better for the $125M teams to cycle between winning and losing, to maximize their chances at big years.
Fuck the cap. Let them spend. And if you can’t compete close up shop. Too many teams just like hockey. Get rid of 8 to 10 teams. Just my opinion guys.
The easiest way is to simply split the total pie. Once the pie is split, figure out the best way to divvy up the salaries to create the largest overall draw.
If the players always got 50%, then the only interest they would have would be in making that base as large as possible.
The only problem would be that the union honchos won’t agree because that would mean admitting to making a mistake when this was first proposed.
Of anything there should be a cap on players aav. They money is getting sick on the higher end. Having starting pitchers making $1.2m a start. It comes to about $10,000 a pitch. Even the ones hit over the wall
Of anything there should be a cap on players aav. They money is getting sick on the higher end. Having starting pitchers making $1.2m a start. It comes to about $10,000 a pitch. Even the ones hit over the wall
Of anything there should be a cap on players aav. They money is getting sick on the higher end. Having starting pitchers making $1.2m a start. It comes to about $10,000 a pitch. Even the ones hit over the wall
Relief pitchers become relief pitchers for a reason..
But it’s not always a good reason. The #7 or #8 starter on the Dodgers or Yankees would either be in the pen or AAA, but that same pitcher on the Tigers or Orioles or Pirates might easily be in a 5 man rotation.
Sure it wouldn’t help every starter sent t the pen, but it could help a handful.
Salary caps benefit owners, not players.
They also benefit fans. It allows more teams to have a chance to sign free agents rather than the usual suspects.
Hypothetically, if the salary floor and the league minimum salary were high enough, the idea could work for both sides. Players would get more overall dollars, and owners would have cost certainty.
Salary floors benefit players, not owners. So they kind of cancel each other out.
If there wasn’t a salary cap in the NBA/NFL Top free agents would be priced out for every small market team. No team except the big market teams could pay LeBron the 100$ million dollars a year he would command.
You applaud the NBA for their cap but 50% of their teams are terrible.
…. so you’re saying more than 50% of every other sports league isn’t? That’s how it works. Teams are either good or aren’t. Every team can’t be “good” salary cap or not.
you clearly dont know the depths of how bad most NBA “bad teams” are.
You clearly don’t know how bad the Pirates are.
Knicks all the money in the world…been sucking for a long time.
Oakland As low payroll good teams
I have ZERO problems with teams being terrible…as long as they are trying to win. There are always going to be bad teams. There is no way for every team to be great. My problem is when they are terrible AND trade away all their veterans, and still charge regular ticket prices.
I feel if you want to put a AAA team on the field for 2-3 years and not try to win, then you should charge AAA ticket prices. Otherwise it is basically theft.
It’s not theft because the fans of said teams are dumb enough to pay it. Leave the stadiums empty and things will change.
I feel if you want to put a AAA team on the field for 2-3 years and not try to win, then you should charge AAA ticket prices.
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It’s probably difficult to enforce, but I agree 100%. I think that it is not only fair, it is good business. Let’s say the average price for your market is $100. Make the prices $80 during the rebuild years, and $120 during the competitive years.
As a fan, I think that would encourage me to maintain my investment. I’d be able to rationalize that I am saving money, maybe moving to slightly better seats as others quit, and feel like I am part of the new youth movement.
And taking it one step further, very occasionally, good teams do a mid-season tank. Say the RS when they had the big dump, or the NYY when they traded Miller & Chapman. Whatever you just saved in salary, give it back to the fans by sending each season ticket holder a gift card.
Just making up numbers, but 1/3 of 3M tickets sold, * 50% of that being season tickets, means you owe 500k people some money. If you save $10M in salary, everyone gets a $20 gift card. And that gift card only buys a beer and a dog, which only costs the team $1.
Let’s get the MLB clubs to open their financial books.
There will lye the truth fans are looking for!,
What was the 96 win TB Rays payroll last year?
Spending more just means spending more. Spend smart and you can win and profit. It also give you room to add. Instead we have players making more in a single season (Harper, Machado) than the Rays spent on their entire team last year. And yet, Machado and Harper were watching the post season and the Rays were playing in it.
Sure low payrolls can have good years, but they can’t maintain it. Look at the Royals. They went from back to back WS runs to near the bottom of the league within 3 years. The Dodgers went on back to back WS runs, does ANYONE think they are going to be near the bottom of the league within 3 years?
THAT is where the payroll differences show up. When big payroll teams like the Yankees “rebuild,” they were still winning 87 games a year. When small market teams rebuild, they are forced to basically quit trying for 3-5 years.
Knicks all the money in the world…been sucking for a long time.
Oakland As low payroll good teamsOakland Ray’s Twins Ckeveland all good most years…Cleveland wins and cant draw flies
No way Nutting is spending more
Cutch won the NL MVP in 2013
In 2014 I attended the home opener in which lame fans couldn’t even get an “MVP” chant going for Cutchs ABs in a sold out stadium.
The fans dont deserve a good team.
Perhaps the stupidest analogy I’ve ever read here. The fan base that stood by this organization during the drug era, through the lean times post-Leyland (a 20 year era) and now the incredible train wreck approach to destroying personnel doesn’t deserve a team because they didn’t genuflect loud enough for you? Ridiculous
Carlos Martinez is an extremely talented pitcher. However… he will never be an effective Starting pitcher again!!! After his past arm injuries, Martinez has pitched as if he’s not giving everything he has,because he’s AFRAID he’s going to GET HURT again.
Agree to disagree – my opinion is that he’s a quality number 2 – 3 starter but he isn’t a trustworthy closer .
He is notorious for being “not as good” during his first inning, hence being a “more poor” option as closer rather than starter.
His main problem is staying focused and keeping his emotions in check. The guy has great stuff some of the best in the MLB but between the ears he is his own worst enemy.
Should force teams to carry minimum $100 mill salary cap.
Not saying they should go out and spend on bad contract, but pirates should be forced to lock up young assets.
Agreed $100 million this day and age for sure!
Same with the A’s!
The Athletics actually have a decent excuse, though. They play in a terrible stadium and have had to forfeit their revenue sharing money in recent years just because they play in a technically “large market,” despite being the smallest market with two teams and the reality of their financial situation. It’s the same kind of nonsense that lets the Cardinals gain competitive balance picks.
Meanwhile, the Rays have the double-whammy of a terrible stadium they can’t escape anytime soon and playing in the Snowbird State. At least the A’s are finally getting a new stadium in a few years, while the Rays can’t even skip town until their lease expires after the 2027 season.
I agree that all the other teams should be able to manage it, though. Aside from locking up their young stars, they should also be signing some decent veteran free agents to serve as placeholders even while rebuilding.
And despite the payroll limitations and crappy facilities, both were in the post season.
You can’t force them to lock up young assets. But they could pick up unwanted salaries from other teams along with more young assets.
For example, they could take on Wade Davis from the Rockies in exchange for a lotto ticket prospect and try and rebuild his value in their pitcher’s park to flip for a better prospect at the deadline. (Actually, that might not be a bad idea for Pittsburgh to do in real life this year).
Or if a team wants a 2-3 year rebuild, they could trade for a Chris Davis or Miguel Cabrera and just play young players around 1-2 big salaries. It would basically be the end of the “immovable contract” because even massively overpaid players could still have significant value for the right team.
I’ve said all winter that the Pirates should’ve traded Marte to the NYMs for Lowrie, Familia, and a bunch of prospects.
This way, the Pirates maintain their payroll level, so the fans aren’t getting ‘cheated’, They advance their rebuild, and again, the fans should be happier. The NYMs reset their payroll a bit.
And this would be a huge advantage for the players’ union. The Pirates increase their payroll, and by the NYMs removing some of the dead money, they too can increase their salaries with other signings.
No one on that list that was mentioned for the Cardinals is a lock down closer imo. Helsey throws 100 mph but still got lit up several times last year. It doesn’t matter if you throw 150 mph because these hitters today are so good they can time it and still light up a pitcher. You have to have movement on that fastball and change speeds and keep the hitters off balance to be a successful closer. (As long as the other team doesn’t know what pitch is coming lol).
I have to disagree with you on Gallegos. He’s the obvious choice at this point. Most of the rest at least have some potential for it.
Yeah, I’ll believe there’s a closer by committee when I see it. Every time the Cardinals claim to be leaning in that direction, they still wind up within a week starting to give the same guy the ball for most 9th inning save opportunities.
I miss the “days of old” when teams had a solid closer and it was a premium position. Rivea, Hoffman, Percival, K-Rod, Smoltz…sheesh, could go on and on! Would be nice to see a dominant closer again that stood the test of time.
Don’t forget about Billy Wagner!! Dude was a beast, even in Atlanta Wags was pretty awesome to watch..
Billy Wagner.. That’s a name I havnt heard in a long time
Billy Wagner.. That’s a name I havnt heard in a long time
I just thought of him the other day when discussing how flame throwing relievers usually break down early… Billy Wagner was an outlier and true phenom in that regard.
Was throwing heat late in his career. Glad I got to see him close live once in what was probably his final year
Only time players need to be concerned in trade talks, is when their name is associated with the marlins… then it’s time to panic or retire…
There is worse things in the world then spending a summer in Miami
No. There are worse things than spending a WINTER in Miami. That would be fantastic. Spending the summer there means agonizing heat, dreadful humidity, and possible hurricanes.
You know how many times Neal Huntington said that same thing, that he was confident, when the time was right, money would be there. Guess what? Never happened,(See the 2015 95 win season) and never will in my opinion.
If they wouldn’t spend last year…with their TV deal up for renewal…they never will.
Huntingdon built something from nothing, but then was starved of resources.
Shifting the blame to Huntingdon, rather than Huntingdon being starved of resources, now allows Nutting to run $40-50 million payrolls for the next few years.
Between the cheap owner and the most fair weather of fan bases, it’s a chicken and the egg death spiral and the clock’s still ticking on Vegas.
i have my doubts if cespedes can be a productive player again after missing so much time
I’m just shocked that he was supposed to earn $29 million this year before the contract was restructured. How did anyone see him being worth that much even at his best?
I’m happy Cespedes is not talking to the media. the media who has tried to turn him into a villain for being hurt and praises David Wright who has been a much greater albatross of a contract and still has not retired!! Cespedes is going to make it a point to put up monster numbers this year. Cespedes, Alonso, Conforto, and Davis is a lethal middle of the lineup.
I feel so sorry for any Pirate fan as much could have been done with getting rid of the old regime yet the new one is just a bit smarter in how to deceive the fan base and knowing behind the scene they are one of the worst teams in bbq and will be for years to come.
I don’t know how much smarter they are. They’ve brought in guys who are either anemic at the plate or like Dyson, who readily admits there was no place else to go. And worse, they have no pitching, catching or outfield prospects on the horizon. Pure greed from Nutting and a shame, as PNC remains one of the nicest ballparks in the country.
Had to laugh at a column on mlb.com naming “breakout” candidates for each team. For the Reds they chose Senzel and claimed he “hasn’t quite figured it out yet”. Seriously? The guy was hitting .285 as a rook while learning a new position and was fine at the plate until Turner Ward got ahold of him. Aside from the ankle and shoulder injuries I think he was “figuring things out” just fine for his first campaign. Put the kid somewhere, leave him alone and let him play baseball…
” Dick Williams then suggested the outfielder/second baseman isn’t going anywhere.”
As Williams just screamed out, at the top of lungs, ‘we don’t think Senzel will ever match his prospects ratings’. If he’s having doubts, he should’ve traded him without saying a single word.
That tells me they DO believe he’ll hit those marks!
There is a very valuable life lesson there – don’t worry about things you can’t control. It does you no good to worry about such things. Focus on things you can control.