Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has been taking Zoom meetings with clubs and his market is “gaining steam,” according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
It’s hardly surprising that teams are interested in Taillon, given that just about every club is looking to bolster its rotation at this time of year. The starting pitching market is headlined by aces like Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodon, with those guys looking for hefty contracts that only certain teams will be willing to pay. Taillon, however, is generally considered to be part of the next tier of serviceable mid-rotation arms, which means his contract will be lesser than those aces but his market wider.
The Pirates selected Taillon with the second overall pick back in the 2010 draft and he was a highly-touted prospect during his time in the minors. However, his big league debut was delayed by both Tommy John surgery and testicular cancer, but Taillon eventually got through both of those ordeals and made it to the big leagues in 2016.
Over this first three years, he established himself as a solid big league arm, tossing 428 2/3 innings by the end of 2018, with a 3.63 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate. Unfortunately, he was limited to just seven starts in 2019 before requiring flexor tendon surgery and a second Tommy John. That wiped out the remainder of his 2019 and kept him sidelined for all of 2020.
Taillon never suited up for the Pirates again, as he was traded to the Yankees going into 2021. It was a risky move for the Yanks, given Taillon’s uncertain injury situation. But he has stayed healthy the past two years outside of a brief IL stint for an ankle injury late in 2021. He still made 29 starts that year and 32 in 2022, producing a combined 4.08 ERA over the past two seasons along with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and 37.1% ground ball rate.
Those aren’t elite numbers but they’re certainly good enough for Taillon to upgrade most pitching staffs around the league. However, the Yankees didn’t issue him a $19.65MM qualifying offer, evidently unwilling to pay that Taillon at that rate. MLBTR predicted Taillon to secure himself a contract of $56MM over four years, an average annual value of $14MM, though Feinsand reports that Taillon is expected to beat that figure. The starting pitching market has seemed robust so far, with Tyler Anderson getting $39MM over three years while Mike Clevinger and Matt Boyd signed strong one-year deals worth $12MM and $10MM, respectively, despite injury concerns for both of them. If starters continue to be highly valued by clubs this winter, it wouldn’t be a shock if Taillon does indeed surpass projections.
Wonder if the players prefer the zoom meetings over the wine and dine treatment
I’d much rather stay home and sort it all out than get on a bunch of airplanes for meetings that last a few hours.
I would do Zoom calls to narrow down the teams then I would want to meet the FO and training staff in person. see where I was possibly going to play, bring my wife and explore the town we would be living in from April to October, maybe explore the schools for my kids if it was going to be a long term contract.
Only so much you can do on a Zoom and on the internet.
Well put.
I agree, tedtheodorelogan, except I’d be amenable to the team’s representatives being the ones to get on a plane and come to me, which is what the Yankees did when they flew to California and got played by Boras to overpay for Cole. There are lots of great restaurants in my town.
Maybe Taillon wants to do it by ZOOM for his own reasons?
I am guessing the big ticket players still get the wine and dine treatment, if you go by reports about Judge, etc. aka the really big ticket guys. And for the middle market guys, it seems more about getting the biggest guarantee they can get and where their family would want to live, etc. if a few offers were comparable. A guy like Taillon is probably going to get offered 3-4 years at around $13-$19M a year from every single interested team and he’ll just go and do his job for them- Nobody is building a rotation or a line up or a marketing strategy around him, nobody is going to be making him the face of their franchise for the next 5-10 years, etc. so for him a few zoom meetings are enough.
Taillon is a consolation prize complimentary piece to any team he will pitch for and so he’s being treated as such.
The reality is that a free agent starting pitcher earning in the neighborhood of $15M a year is a 3rd or 4th starter and a journeyman looking for the next pay day.
Taillon fits that bill and is being courted accordingly.
,Taillon is much better than a journeyman and $60M guaranteed says so.
To me a journeyman is any player that goes from 2-4 year deal to 2-4 year deal and their value goes up and down. Do you really think Taillon is going to get 5-8 years like a lot of more top tier pitchers and hitters get, save for the guys breaking the AAV record on 3 year deals, which seems to be a thing nowadays?
Unless injury takes him out. I think he goes back to the Yankees or gets signed by Philadelphia.
Why not both?
In todays game where thanks to interleague play (and starting next season literally every team playing eachother) its a lot easier to do these things on zoom when you’ve probably already played in every ballpark and have at least an idea of the area’s in which you would be playing (thanks google). Not like in the old days when the AL and NL teams only met in the World Series and players from leagues were seeing some cities for the first time on free agent wine and dine tours
Another ex Pirate that was better with another team
Add Taillon to the long list of pitchers that never reached their potential with the Bucs
What season has he had better than his 2018 season with the Pirates?
Injury and illness derailed Taillon with Pittsburgh. He did produce when healthy,. He did get them Contreras back in a trade, Ro is a very good return so far.
Roasny Cheeks?
Agree with your assessment of Taillon, although he seems to be up and down when healthy. He benefitted from playing for a good team that could support him with runs, of course, but his starts at the beginning of his time in New York harkened back to his most healthy moments here. Heck, maybe he’ll want to come back, now that the club is ready to compete (Sorry. Couldn’t resist)
Contreras is a good return, gozurman, but that start against the Brewers in which he seemed to throw everything down Main Street highlights the continuing problem here. Granted, Roansy didn’t feel the dead red addiction that Brubaker, Thompson and Wilson seemed prone to, but again….is anyone working with these young guys? The lack of knowledge about locations, the count and game strategies, how to miss “one off the plate” are just some of these kids seem to be clueless about
Unbelievable, eh? They could get a haul for Reynolds(I would trade Kirk or Moreno, plus Espinal, and anyone in our system except Tiedemen), but instead have this crazy idea that they’re gonna be a strong contender in 2 years. They still might, but I don’t see it personally
I’m sorry but a decade ago Pittsburgh was the landing spot for pitchers attempting to turn their careers around. They had one of the best pitching departments in baseball. Unfortunately they let the other teams pick their bones clean. The problem must lie with ownership because none of those guys would break the bank in terms of salary. I remember the Marlins taking someone (can’t remember his name) and most of the pundits said their pitching wouldn’t be the same. Seems that prediction came true because when he left it seemed like a steady stream followed. Pittsburgh deserves better. 30 years ago when I first became a baseball fanatic the Bucs had a hell of a team. Bonds, Bonilla, Van Slyke, Drabek plus many more had them winning the division pretty handily. Seemed like in one offseason they turned into a dumpster fire and have been there since. They had a couple of good teams but never a serious championship contender since those early 90s teams.
It’s an unfortunate fact of life here in Pittsburgh that you have an owner who is going to cry poor and small market while he pads his bank accounts and spends nothing on the team
We are at the time of year when signings of castoffs intertwine with happy talk about “competing”. Truth is, this franchise likely won’t compete anytime soon and that will only be if the farm system churns out guys who can develop and excel.
As for pitchers, we have had this convo on various Pirates-oriented threads but Ray Searage deserves ample praise for turning around guys like AJ Burnett, Frankie Liriano and Edison Volquez, among others. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same success getting through to guys like Taillon, Glasnow, and really, even Cole and Morton, who became more refined elsewhere
Your Penguins at least are always a contender, I’m not a NFL fan but while Big Ben was the main man the Steelers always seemed like a good team. I’m not sure who Al the owners are but if the Steelers are spending over 150 mil a year and the Pens can pay 90+ mil per year how can the Bucs not afford at least that with twice as many home games? I know there not an amazing team but the fans always show when teams are winning
Turns out the Steelers are 210 this year holy crap lol
The Rooneys have always understood the sense of pride the city has in the Steelers. Since the early 70’s, the team has generally always done well—not many losing seasons—none under Tomlin
Mario Lemieux is a transplanted Pittsburgher and a guy who saved the franchise. He too, understands the pride the city has in the Pens. And what those players do in a civic sense is amazing, year in and year out
Civic pride has never been an issue to Pirates owner Bob Nutting. The guy is a carpetbagger, a profiteer, and while some will salute his business savvy in maximizing profits while maintaining low operating costs, it’s shameful that no local or state politician has reminded him of the tax money that went into his ballpark ( as it did with the Steelers and Pens playgrounds)
No, he wasn’t the owner at the time, but the promises still stand for owners of bars, restaurants and shops that built around his palace and have suffered thanks to low attendance
Nutting is worth $1.1B. The Pirates made over $280M in 2021
It’s not an issue of an inability to bring in players to one of the nicest parks in MLB. It’s pure greed. Nothing more.
Nutting has managed to destroy a long standing and proud fan base, believing a few fireworks nights and pierogi races will placate fans.
Tired-Are you saying that the Pirates gross receipts was $280M or their net was that much?
Salary Cap i. The NFL and the NHL. Baseball doesn’t have the salary cap. But I understand the question why Nutting never spends even through the good and winning seasons.
Me personally, I think the organization lacks more than spending money. They depend on the farm system but don’t scout and develop the farm system like other prized small market clubs. For 80 years, Pirates have struggled to keep and maintain a healthy flow of prospects. Even during their 2015-2017 success, they couldn’t “crop” the next upcoming prospect. They have lacked that for as long as I’ve been alive. If baseball remains in Pittsburgh past 2030, they need to do a huge overhaul on their scouting and development department. For decades we as fans, have heard the “next big thing” coming through the system. Very rare does it transpire to anything worth the hype. Since opening of PNC park, only 2 guys have legitimately became “next big thing”. They are McCutchen and Marte. We seen Greggory Polanco, Jose Tabata, Gerrit Cole, Craig Wilson, Kris Benson, (can’t think of his name but was something like this) Brad “Big Country” Aldred, and so many many more that never hit their potential. The misses are so phenomenally bad, that this organization will never see a World Series or success like Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Cleveland. It’s a shame since Pittsburgh is one of the oldest teams in baseball. Such rich history and nothing bringing the club to guys like Wahner, Clemente, Stargell, and so on.
The Pirates made over $280M in 2021
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According to Forbes, PT earning for the year were only $64M. That’s the first key number. The second key number is the franchise value is $1.32B, meaning his ROI in slightly less than 5%.
Just like the rest of us, Nutting probably wants a decent return on his investment.
And the 3rd key number is that, even if he cut his profits in half, it would not even buy a Verlander/DeGrom type of pitcher.
Joe- What would be interesting to note though is the appreciation of his initial investment which would probably be fairly high.
It would also be interesting to see if anyone would pay that kind of money,even in this inflated economy,for a team that not that long ago did not seem to be desired by too many businessmen.
Fan-I basically agree with your premise and,unfortunately,the only hope of a small market team is to churn out prospects like some teams seem to be able to do.
I might add though that the small market teams that you mention have since 1991 the exact same cumulative amount of World Series wins that the Pirates do-0.
The Pirates recent surge period was 2013-2015 when they had the second best regular season record in baseball.
The long period that you mention is 50 years not 80,and it coincides with the dramatic crease in revenues of MLB and the corresponding increases of salaries.
Would the present day Pirates be able to afford the superstars like Clemente,Mazeroski,Parker,and Stargell who win championships?The answer is- No.
I think that they are making an honest effort and have realized that a good minor league system is the only way to proceed but in my opinion three straight 100 loss seasons make some of us wonder whether they have actually improved at all.
@ Mendonza Line – Those are gross receipts. The total operating costs of a MLB are extremely high. Just take a look at the Braves financials. I can’t remember if it was for 2018, 2019 or 2021, but the Braves had gross revenues of around $460M with a payroll of $165M that year. After all of the operating costs were factored in, they made a total income of around $70M and that was EBITDA profits only. After factoring in non-cash & “below the line” expenses (Interest, Depreciation and taxes) they actually had a net negative income on their P&L for that season. Some people seem to believe that gross revenue less team payroll = all profit to the owner but that is not remotely close. Team operating expenses are team’s biggest expenses (which does not include payroll costs), so while Nutting probably made a profit last year, it was probably in the $20 – $30M range at best. I wish teams would open up their books to show how much it costs to run their team. A lot of people would be extremely surprised how much non-team
payroll expenses each team incurs year over year. Most owners still figure out how to turn a profit (as they should) but it’s probably around 10%-15-% of gross revenues at best which is much lower than most successful businesses in the US. From a cash flow perspective, they do better but from a true, P&L perspective their income is quite low. If MLB teams were publicly traded, I wouldn’t invest a dime in them, even the large market teams.
I guess it’s a shame that MLB’s books aren’t open, right Joe? So while a team like the Pirates generate a revenue of $258m, they claim earnings of $64m. I understand the dynamics that go into running a team.
It’s general knowledge that for some time, the Pirates ticket sales, concessions, stadium merch sales and parking have been enough to cover payroll costs. In fact, this has been the case for years
While I can appreciate your rendering, there is no way day-to-day team operations, minor league salaries, or various other expenses add up to be equal to or more than the rest of the team’s money sources.
I mean…revenue sharing, national and local TV revenue—-each team is accruing $100m—-well, again, your rendering is nice, but it’s rather meaningless, no?
Nutting is taking in much, much more than he is spending. I suspect that if MLB opened the books, you’d agree
Well stated, PiratesFan1981. I find it fascinating that some are standing behind the exaggerated “poor/small market” scenario. It’s not about money at all but rather, a failure to spend where scouting and development are concerned
And truthfully, after watching this past season’s train wreck, it’s looking as if most of the young talent here could use some strong development coaches, because the same bad at bats, fielding faux pas and base running blunders continued. And I won’t even address pitching
You name the Waner brothers, Clemente and Stargell, but there was recent success with Bonds, Cutch, Walker
Shameful. Just shameful how they’ve killed baseball in this town
Dorothy, your numbers don’t add up in the real world. You’re merely regurgitating the company line and trying to make sense of numbers that thanks to closed books, literally do not tell the entire tale
National and local television money alone adds up to $100m. Revenue sharing. If it is common knowledge that Pirates gate receipts, merch sales, concessions and parking alone account for the team payroll—as reported by the Pittsburgh PG—, you’re saying that daily operating costs, minor league salaries and incidentals equal or exceed the total revenue?
That’s either extremely naive or utter insanity.
Dorothy-I understand all of that and do not doubt the accuracy and appreciate your research and well thought out post.
I do think,however,that theses owners are smart enough to regard these team acquisitions as a long term investment.Nutting bought this team in 1996,and the cumulative inflation increase since then has been 90%.His purchase price was $92M.
I would be surprised if he could get $1.32B for this team,but if he could,the increase would be like 1250%.
I doubt that he is becoming a whole lot richer on an annual basis.
But he sure could live pretty well if and when he sells the team.
TheMan: yet another poor take.
I’m trying to understand how it was a bad take. Does he need to provide a list—again—or is trolling your thing?
Paul- You know that Taillon was hurt most of the time in Pittsburgh.
Quite frankly,I think that he was taken within the first few picks and projected to be a much better starter than he was with the Yankees at this point in his career.
Another ex Pirate that was better with another team
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No, and I am not sure it was that close.
The Pirates got 8.5 bWAR from Taillon in 82 GS, while the NYY got only 3.5 in 61 GS.
Taillon’s ERA+ with PT was 112, and only 100 with the NYY.
Joe-Please don’t let facts get in the way of opinions.
I’d be fine with the Yankees re-signing Taillon for 3-4 years at $14-$18M per season.
3 years/$51M w/ a vesting option for $19M seems perfect.
I’m not. Taillon would make a great addition to a rebuilding club but the Yankees need more upside, not a filler, from a rotation spot. I’d much rather sign a frontline starter (aka Rondon, Senga, etc.) or roll with a young arm. The latter allows some roster flexibility. If Taillon regresses, then he’s a “Aaron Hicks” in the rotation.
I understand completely. But considering how patch work the back of our rotation has been for, well, forever- like going back 2o+ years now- a known commodity like Taillon on a 3 year deal is perfectly acceptable to me.
Hicks’ deal was for entirely way too many years- that was nuts. The Yankees went through this period a couple years ago where they were signing guys for way too long in order to lower the AAV but still give guys all the money they were seeking and it hurt the club in the long run, but if you sign guys to short term deals, it doesn’t hurt in the long run because it’s not a long term deal…
But yeah I wouldn’t be surprised and won’t care if the Yankees move on from Taillon.
I have a weird suspicion he winds up with the Red Sox, for some reason? I honestly can’t think of what team would be the best fit for him, because every team can always use that 3rd-5th starter and Taillon is a 3rd-5th starter, so he could be slotted in on any club and quietly earn his salary.
Like I said- he’s a $13M-$19M a year player, depending on the market and pretty much any and every club will give him that, so it’s a question of who needs him the most- or a guy like him- and who will make that push just to check that box that they picked up a back of the rotation starter that they were in need of.
Yankees still kind of fit that bill, too- and always have and apparently always will- so I won’t count them out until Taillon signs somewhere else or the Yankees fill out their rotation and announce they are set- whether via free agents, trade, call up, conversion or patch work.
@YBC Great assessment. Taillon is at best a #4. Injuries or regression could make him a very expensive #4.
I agree with you bleacher creatures. However I strongly doubt the Yankees will be getting any top of the rotation pitchers after they sign judge ? so if we must endure another Cashman project, or dumpster dive pitcher, I’d rather we keep Taillon ,as he is New York tested and we know what he can do. He’s fine as a back of the rotation starter, if it is that that we must have. I don’t trust Frankie Montas to even do that well, and who else do we have other than Domingo Germán who’s fine is the number 5 or 6 pitcher.
I think he’s good but not great (even though he has great stuff at times), and I don’t know if he is a clutch pitcher. Sort of a mid rotation guy but at times performs like a back of rotation guy.
At this point of his career I’d say he’s a solid 4 with a Chris Bassett chance of being a 3 during his next gig. I can see him getting 3-4 year at 15-17 per season.
Not to quibble, but Bassitt is a much better pitcher. Inasmuch as rotation numbers mean anything, Taillon is a solid 4 while Bassitt is a 3 or with a 2 ceiling. Using just one stat, Taillon last two full seasons (didn’t pitch in 2020) of ERA+ are 100 and 100. Bassitt: 131 and 113. But also Bassitt has a lower WHIP, FIP, and K/9.
If I had a choice of Taillon at 3/$51 million or Bassitt at 3/$65 million, I’m taking Bassitt hands down.
I’m using Bassitt as a model of what he could strive for as a ceiling vs what he is today. I, too, would take Bassitt at those dollars, but think signing Taillon as a 4 with the possibility of being a 3 (thus Bassitt) is attractive and cost effective.
All great points and as someone who has watched Tallion’s games (nearly every one), I’d say you’re all right on point with your assessments. Obviously the 3-4 positions depend on the particular team’s rotation, but I think Stroh articulated it best when he said Tallion has great stuff at times. He’s solid middle (3) at best though.
And although I understand Padam was not implying Tallion is as good as Bassitt, I also agree with rct’s clarifying statement that he would take Bassitt hands-down.
Clip, I would keep Taillon, we know what he can do, and he can handle New York. Of course I would rather have a top of the rotation starter, but I seriously doubt the Yankees are going to get one. If they sign Aaron Judge, then Cashman will do his usual search of the dumpsters for cheap or below the radar players to fill out the roster. It’s just what he does.
Doc: Yeah, I do like his fit in that clubhouse. He’s good friends with the ace, he’s got a really even-keeled personality…I think he’s a good team guy.
I would much prefer Rodon, obviously, but I give that about a million-to-one shot. We know they aren’t getting Verlander or DeGrom at those asking prices either. So who does that leave? I don’t foresee Bassitt coming over.
Honestly, I could see Senga. I really like his ghost forkball. The more I hear about this guy the more I like him for the Yankees.
Taillon is likely gaining steam since he’s not as expensive as other guys like Rodon, Verlander, and deGrom, so mid and even some poor teams are likely shooting their shot with him.
Yes, that’s exactly what was written in the article.
Doh
would like to see him as the 4th or 5th starter in the Phillies rotation in 2023 (unless we get one of the BIG 3 pitchers)
As a Yankees fan, what I will miss most about him is his personality. He’s as good a guy as you’ll see in baseball. His stuff is inconsistent, but he would improve almost any rotation.
A-N-G-E-L-S!
Ya know, I was totally fine with them re-signing Lorenzen, but Taillon is within the same price/age range, and is a slightly better pitcher, plus he has a longer track record as a starter.
I’d prefer lorenzen between the 2. Taillon will make probably double if not more average wise
Weird, I thought I posted this response, so if it ends up being a dupe, that’s the website’s fault (I refreshed like 5 times).
I was totally ok with the Angels re-signing Lorenzen. He was a serviceable pitcher. Taillon might cost a bit more, but he’s about the same age/performance range and with the history of starting pitching for more than a year.
I’m still surprised he wasn’t tagged with a qo. Seemed like a no-brainer.
Taillon would have almost definitely taken the QO if it was offered. I don’t think the Yankees have him in their 2023 plans so they probably decided it was best to just let him go
Compare Houston to the Yankees. How does Taillon make the Yankees better?
More pitching help is needed if you are going to dethrone the Astros.
It will be hard for any team to dethrone the Astros, but the playoffs are like 50% luck.
Luck? I think it’s prayer. Jesus loves the Astros more.
The Angels should be checking in with this guy
He’d be a really good get for the Orioles.
Nobody “chooses” to pitch in Kill City. Only when a player gets no other offers do they end up in Baltimore.
It’s incredible just how many former Pirates end up leaving Pittsburgh, and then go on to have successful careers once they leave. Cole,Taillon,Glasnow,Meadows,Joeybats,Holmes,just to name a few. I really feel for u buc fans. At least u can celebrate having great franchises like the Steelers and Penquins. Nutting must be the one to blame. Also I have no idea why they refuse to trade Reynolds(they probably could get Kirk,Espinal, and maybe even O.Martinez(AA)from the Jaysfor him,and yet they think they’re gonna be competitive in 2 years? Don’t see it.
Yeah, I don’t know that I would say Meadows and Holmes and Glasnow have had “successful careers” ; more like Holmes has had half of a good year , Meadows is dealing with a few different things and Glasnow can’t pitch more than like 75 innings and I believe is 6.25ERA postseason. I think 3 others orgs did time with Joeybats too btw.
Operator-We have grossly different definitions of a journeyman.
Taillon is a solid #3 on a good team.That is why he will get a high rate of pay that he will get.
Your definition basically includes everyone but the best.
Taillon’s problem with the Pirates was injuries,and Pittsburgh management had nothing to do with causing them.I am surprised that he was healthy for the Yankees.
No,he will not make the big money because he is not one of the best pitchers in baseball.
A journeyman to me is the classic definition of a player who changes teams a lot,hence the name regarding taking journeys.He is not one of the highest paid players,but is still good enough that teams want him because he fills a void in their roster.
21-Plus,both Cole and Taillon were good pitchers for the Pirates when they were completely healthy.
Some of the young pitchers did get better when they left the Pirates,but they were underachievers and young when they were on the Pirates.
Cole has been good and Holmes was good most of this past season…but to say Glasnow Meadows and Taillon have had great careers is a stretch.
Jays fan-That depends on one’s definition of competitive.
I think Pirate fans would say that it is having a winning record two years in a row.
From a Padres perspective I would rather see the Padres go hard on Senga who would end up in the #4 slot instead of Taillon who would end up in the #4 slot.
I think both are going to cost close to the same amount of AAV, but with Taillon comes and extensive injury history and league average results when he has been healthy the last 2 seasons. If they offer similar money I think the Padres have an edge on signing Senga since Darvish is his mentor.
If they don’t sign Senga, rather see the Padres go after Walker. He will be cheaper and where he grew up in Yucaipa is driving distance away from San Diego and where he lives in the Phoenix area is close too.
Senga is a total question mark given that he’s never pitched a inning in the Major Leagues…..regardless of Darvish being his mentor………and if you think Taillon is a total question mark with an “extensive injury history” then you are totally ignoring his 61 starts over the last 2 years and his hits to innings in the same period amongst other improving pitching details…………and have never seen him pitch…..as a Yankee fan, watched most of his games and while he’ll pitch a terrific game once in awhile, he is pretty solid in the majority of his other starts……
Are there any free agents that aren’t drawing strong interest?
No reason to get excited for whatever your team is. Yankees don’t want him. Most unathletic “athlete” there is. I would not pay $5MM per.
Another brainiac opinion heard from from somebody who has never seen the guy pitch………guess 61 starts going off of TJ surgery isn’t athletic enough for you right……wow.
Nice hammering on that stupid comment.
The kid had and defeated testicular cancer, too. Not sure why a character assassination needed to be made, but he was always a good guy here in Pittsburgh
And “unathletic?” From a guy who’s likely 50 pounds overweight and parked on the couch. Priceless
Daniel Vogelbach says hold my beer.
How cold the market must be if this guy is hot.
I think we know by now that the top 3 FA pitchers are deGrom, Verlander and Rodon that it doesn’t need to be mentioned in every single post.
Not every article is written for the regular reader of this site. I wouldn’t be surprised if most readers (not commenters) on any given day are occassional or even first-time readers.
Compare the stats over the past two seasons for righthanders Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker and Chris Flexen:
JT 321.2 IP, 4.08 ERA, 100 ERA+, 4.2 fWAR, 3.5 bWAR
TW 316.2 IP, 3.98 ERA, 99 ERA+, 3.9 fWAR, 3.1 bWAR
CF 317.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 108 ERA+, 3.7 fWAR, 4.7 bWAR
The Seattle Mariners reportedly are shopping Flexen, who is two years younger than Walker and two-and-a-half years younger than Taillon. Flexen lost some luster in August when Luis Castillo bumped Flexen from the Seattle rotation. Despite the demotion Flexen matched Taillon’s 2022 bWAR of 1.3.
Many will point to Flexen’s drop in fWAR from 3.0 in 2021 to 0.7 in 2022. However, Walker has never posted an fWAR above 2.5 and Taillon has not exceeded 2.3 fWAR since 2018.
MLB Trade Rumors projects Taillon and Walker with four-year contracts in free agency, Taillon at $56 million and Walker at $52 million.
Flexen is guaranteed a 2023 salary of $8 million in what MLB Trade Rumors reports is his final year of team control (despite Flexen currently sitting on two years and 107 days of MLB service).