Jan. 9: Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports this morning that both the Giants and Angels now “appear to be looking elsewhere” (Twitter links). Heyman suggests that both the Red Sox and Cubs are “very much” still alive in the Imanaga bidding. That runs counter to reports from the weekend and from yesterday, though bidding on any free agent is, of course, quite fluid. Imanaga has a bit more than 48 hours remaining to come to terms with a team.
Jan. 8, 3:55pm: Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the Sox are considered a “long shot” to get Imanaga as things currently stand.
3:45pm: Star NPB left-hander Shota Imanaga will see his 45-day posting window come to a close on Thursday, meaning it’s only a matter of days before the 30-year-old will decide on his first big league team. Bidding for Imanaga has reportedly been strong, as he’s drawn interest from a wide range of teams thus far in his first foray into MLB’s open market. As the bidding period winds down, Imanaga’s market has unsurprisingly begun to take firmer shape.
Sankei Sports in Japan reports that the Angels and Giants are currently the leading candidates to sign Imanaga, although no decision has been made just yet. Similarly, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand suggests that the Giants are emerging as the favorites to sign the southpaw, though Feinsand adds that each of the Angels, Cubs and Red Sox remain in the fold to some extent. While there’s still a number of ways which the left-hander’s final decision could go, it’s at least notable that Feinsand characterizes a final four of sorts, while the reports out of Japan have the field narrowed further yet.
The Giants and Angels are both strong fits for Imanaga, who’s expected to top countryman Kodai Senga’s five-year, $75MM contract with the Mets. San Francisco acquired former AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray on Friday in a surprising trade with the Mariners, but Ray isn’t expected to pitch until midseason as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Similarly, right-hander Alex Cobb will open the year on the injured list while recovering from October hip surgery.
That leaves the Giants with ace Logan Webb as the most (arguably only) solidified member of the rotation. Veteran Ross Stripling, top prospect Kyle Harrison and 2023 rookies Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck are among the candidates to round out the staff, but there’s a good deal of uncertainty beyond that group. It’s true that Imanaga himself comes with his own uncertainty — he’s untested against big league hitters — but MLB scouts are intrigued enough by him that some believe his contract could approach nine figures. Clearly, there’s a prevailing belief throughout MLB that Imanaga is a legitimate mid-rotation arm, at the least.
A few hundred miles to the south, the Angels are facing some rotation questions of their own. Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning and Patrick Sandoval are all locked into spots, although Detmers and Sandoval both had down 2023 showings relative to their 2022 performance. That’s even more true of veteran Tyler Anderson, who had an All-Star ’22 showing with the Dodgers before posting a 5.43 ERA in year one of a three-year, $39MM free agent deal with the Halos. The Angels recently took a low-cost flier on Zach Plesac and have reportedly been prioritizing Blake Snell in the wake of Shohei Ohtani’s departure, but Imanaga presents a mid-rotation option for them as well.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, will roll out a new-look rotation with or without Imanaga. Gone is oft-injured ace Chris Sale, who was shipped to the Braves (with cash) in exchange for second baseman Vaughn Grissom. He was quickly replaced by newly signed Lucas Giolito, who’s currently in line to be joined by some combination of Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford.
As for the Cubs, they’ve been MLB’s least-active team this winter — at least when it comes to actually pushing deals across the finish line. Chicago has been connected to a litany of free agents and a handful of trade targets, but thus far the Cubs haven’t added a single player to their roster aside from catcher Brian Serven, whom they claimed off waivers from the Rockies last week. Chicago’s rotation currently includes Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks and Jameson Taillon, with veteran Drew Smyly and young arms like Hayden Wesneski, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown and Javier Assad all in the mix for starts as well. It’s a relatively solid group, but the Cubs figure to make some kind of move to replace the outgoing Marcus Stroman.
Dating back to 2019, Imanaga boasts a 26.2% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate in addition to a cumulative 2.79 earned run average — including a no-hitter in the 2022 season. He’s not overpowering in terms of velocity, though MLBTR contributor Dai Takegami Podziewski noted back in September that he’d added some life to his heater and was averaging between 92-93 mph during the 2023 campaign. In addition to the guaranteed money owed to the pitcher himself, Imanaga’s new team will need to pay a release fee to his former team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, which would be equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter.
Still think red Sox will sign him they need another 4-5 man rotation starter
Says they are a long shot. Not surprising but I think if we sign one, this is the guy.
agreed
We’ll know within 48 hours. Then we can go Aw chucks! again
Boxscore – When you have limited money and you have 3 excellent 3,,4 and 5 starting pitchers and only need a 1 and 2, why waste money on Giolito or this clown?
I hope Breslow is shooting much higher than this guy!!!
TF – Agreed on Gelato, but Shota is a better risk than Cease and he doesn’t cost any prospects. Hold onto the prospects!!!
TrollFree
Enough
Muted
(Please work)
Edit: Dammit
MLTBR – please fix this
filihok – Thanks. We don’t always agree but your perspective is interesting to me.
Fever – Where does he slot? He’s not a SP1 or SP2 so he is redundant like Yoshida, Giolito and O’Neill. Breslow needs to go after trading Jansen and Yoshida and picking up a SP1 and SP2. He can fire Cora and move Devers to DH any time but he really needs to get a SP1 and SP2 soon before GMs finalize their rosters for the spring. There is no FA that makes sense to me. He needs Burnes BADLY. I still believe in Bieber despite his metrics. Guys who are highly successful and then have a first bad season at 28 have a make-up that will allow them to adapt and fix whatever went wrong. I think he’s less costly due to last year and the damn metric people bad mouthing him so get him cheap and take the upside.rather than buying Giolito at a high prices and likely getting the down side.
I also like the idea of Adames coming in the Burnes deal as long as both sign long term deals as part of the trade. Mayer can go to MIL along with Yoshi and Jordan or Yorke. Or maybe they would want O’Neill or Giolito!!!
RE TF
“Guys who are highly successful and then have a first bad season at 28 have a make-up that will allow them to adapt and fix whatever went wrong. ”
Imagine thinking that this makes any sense
(Maybe it was mistated)
davey – Just as an extra, they used several “real” fans.
And NO I am NOT the guy with the big painted stomach! I am very familiar with him though, he was outside the entrance before every game.
TF – Think of choosing a free agent pitcher as if it were an election.
None of them are perfect, there’s concerns about all of them, so you choose the ones that make the most sense.
Shota is very comparable to Senga, if he lives up to that reputation he would be at least a #2 on most every team.
Nope it’s down to Sox and cubs
Ham – It’s like the rematch of the 2003 Red Sox/Cubs World Series that should have happened.
I’m not so sure. Reports all over the place. We will know in 48 hours or less
The Sox dont have a LHP in the rotation… only RHP
life – Montgomery is a lefty ….
Fever – Monty is likely going to Texas.
TF – As long as they get at least one of Shota, Monty, Snell or Burnes I’m happy. Heck I’d even be happy with YRod. They can’t get two of them because of the money they spent on Gelato … or can they?
Fever – If they move Yoshi and Jansen they can spend $60MM on two SPs.
TF – Not gonna happen. If you’re saying go with an outfield of Duran, Abreu and Rafaela then you might as well just sell off everyone else and call it yet another “bridge year”.
Most rookies have growing pains, even with Yoshida gone there’s still a good chance Rafaela and/or Abreu will start the season in AAA. Let’s see how they look in ST first.
They already said Montgomery was a long run too, so not sure who we are after.
I just got off the phone with him, Definitely heading to the Padres
Funny, he told me he was going to the Rays.
They already said Montgomery was a long run too
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There are 5 teams that will definitely outspend us this year, and maybe 2 that might. We are usually underdogs for all FAs.
Joe – That’s true but there is good reasons. 1 – Devers at 3B and 2 – Cora as manager. Throw in the field dimensions and 4 years of poor performances and there aren’t many reasons a FA would want to be in Boston.
That’s why we need to deal and unload some of Bloom’s bad draft picks that over-rated.
Ham – Sox will likely make a lowball offer and then begin petering out….
“Source: Red Sox weren’t competitive at the end for Teoscar Hernández, with discussions centering around 2-year, $28M framework and then petering out.”
2 years/$28M was high enough to go for Teoscar in my opinion.
suit – You know I agree with you, but I think the point is the Red Sox aren’t doing themselves any favors by making all these lowball offers. Either make serious offers or don’t make an offer at all.
You know what the perception is around the league? Don’t bother negotiating with the Red Sox because they will lowball you almost every time, they are not serious bidders. That’s why Yamamoto didn’t even bother making the 45-minute trip from NYC to Boston. The Sox think players will take a lot less just for the “privilege” of playing for the Red Sox …. delusional.
I still think they will splurge on a top SP because they kinda have to, but I just don’t see that happening with others.
Fever: I guess the question is: Are the Red Sox making low ball offers or are they making reasonable offers that are low compared to other teams overpaying? I think it is probably more of the latter, but I can’t say for sure. I doubt we see a splurge.
So what. The results speak for themselves.
suit – I think that Sox ownership is in denial when it comes to the new cost of acquiring decent talent. The reality is no one is overpaying, they’re paying what the market is dictating. Henry McScrooge wants his roomful of gold to be deep enough to cannonball into, that’s the reason for the lowball offers.
yrnmtnyeti = I think you are reading the situation wrong.
GMs take acquisitions to the board to get the approval on the money. Ownership can’t say yes if nobody comes to them. Bloom never did and it appears Breslow is being highly selective when he goes to the board for money. His Giolito and O’Neill gambles surprised me because I thought he would focus on getting a #1 and #2.
Breslow needs to fix the defense and dump Cora and hasn’t done it so it’s hard to tell where he’s going with his plan since he isn’t doing the obvious stuff.
Ownership is not the bottleneck, Breslow is.
Yeti: Agreed that the market is skyrocketing. I guess Breslow is struggling with this and the need to stay below the first CBT threshold (I’m guessing) and the need to be competitive.
Are the Red Sox making low ball offers or are they making reasonable offers that are low compared to other teams overpaying?
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There is some art AND science to this. To try to out-bid teams like LAD, the NYY & NYMs, is insane. To out-bid Philly, SD, TO, etc., is more art than science.
Like you said, and Fever is one of the few honest enough to admit, not signing Teo was probably the right move. Just imho, a poor RF glove, with a .305 OBP, is not exactly what we need.
they’re paying what the market is dictating
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I agree, but there is a ton of variance within the market. For example, do you want a $26M Monty, or do you want two lesser guys like Clevinger & Stroman?
With our current structure, our regular season would probably aligned with two mediocre, but dependable SPs.
suit – A below market offer is a lowball offer.
Who sets the market? Other teams.
Why did the Dodgers give Yama $325M? Because other teams offered the same amount.
Like the article says, negotiating is fluid. You can’t base your offer on last year’s market prices.
“Reasonable” is all relative. Do I need to post Friedman’s quote again? LOL!
grnmt – Well said!
Henry’s ill-fated “players are expensive” comment at last year’s Winter Weekend will live in infamy.
Players are expensive? Nearly every damn thing these days is expensive …. ESPECIALLY Red Sox tickets and concessions at Fenway.
suit – Remember Breslow is a rookie who has been on the job what, 2 months? Cut him some slack, he doesn’t have anybody good that can mentor him.
And there’s plenty of room below the CBT threshold.
GMs take acquisitions to the board to get the approval on the money. Ownership can’t say yes if nobody comes to them. Bloom never did
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I doubt that a GM has to go to the board for approval. Henry quite likely already has that authority. In addition, I’ve never seen a board have any level of interaction with the daily workings of a company.
Typically, the CFO presents a budget to either the CEO, the Board, or the owner for approval. Once approved, the individual managers have broad discretion on how to implement the budget.
If the RS are run by a board, which I doubt, the members of the BOD would seldom have enough insight to approve or deny baseball decisions.
In the RS case, I assume that 90%+ of all decisions are left to the GMs discretion, and that even the high-level investments have already been agreed to within some parameters. For example, Breslow would likely have said “I need these players, within these contract ranges”.
Lastly, why did you add that “Bloom never did”? You, and I, and everyone in here, have no idea what Bloom did, nor does a single one of us know anything about the RS processes.
That’s why Yamamoto didn’t even bother making the 45-minute trip from NYC to Boston.
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1-A trip to Boston requires a car service to the airport, boarding, even with a private jet, landing, taxiing, a car service to the park, the meeting, car service back to the airport, the flight, landing, taxiing, and a car service back to the hotel.
The car service to LGA alone might cost you 45 minutes.
2-NY and Boston were never even on the radar. It was always going to be SF or LAD. You fly to NYC to drive up the price. Flying anywhere else does nothing.
To some extent I agree, but when you see baseball players making more than firemen, nurses, teachers, and police, it’s an overpay.
That doesn’t affect its own business though.
I know you want them to but Cora isn’t going anywhere this year before it even starts.
Why cut him slack when no one cut Bloom slack?
baseball players making more than firemen, nurses, teachers, and police, it’s an overpay.
======================
It’s like any artistic endeavor. There are millions of people that can do everyday jobs. There are only two Beatles left.
But there are more than two baseball players. Hate to tell you, but it’s nit a great analogy. And honestly, the quality is different.
I know it will never be changed but it’s really dumb how they make so much.
Joe – Completely agree no T Hernandez is a very, very good thing. Didn’t need him, he wasn’t a good fit as you explained and the money has better target areas.
Joe – I think Stroman will be more than you think and Monty is going back to Texas. He wants to and Texas wants him so they are hashing through the details according to the local news down here.
Clevinger is an interesting choice but he isn’t a true #1 or #2 but he would be an upgrade from Giolito in performance but Giolito is probably the more reliable innings eater.
“baseball players making more than firemen, nurses, teachers, and police, it’s an overpay.”
That’s capitalism for you
If you want to pay a lot more for medical care and in taxes vote accordingly.
Or vote for people who want wealth distribution. It just makes sense
Joe – There is a process. Henry is not king, he is one of the owners who sits on the board and discusses proposal put to the board. He participates but he’s not in a position to dictate, only influence.
Joe – Baseball is run by a board of directors for Baseball Operations not the Corporate Board as you suggested. The people on the board are owners and key decision makers in Baseball Operations area. Each board member has an assistant or staff to provide them with information on the players being proposed. The GM requests the player or one of his staff might and then it’s opened up for discussion.
The Red Sox are not a monarchy.
Why do you think I am commenting on this as I have? It’s because I know how organizations work. I’ve been involved in baseball for over 60 years. I’ve played, coached, trained, educated, helped HS players get drafted. My father played and his best friend owned a minor league club for years. I’ve spent my whole life around baseball. I’m not making this up.
My educated guess about Bloom comes from the fact that nothing happened when it needed to. The board approved a bad deal for Story, a bad deal for Yoshida and a ridiculously bad deal for Devers. That suggests to me they didn’t really say no because if they were conservative in their money spending they wouldn’t have wasted $70MM a year for over a half decade.
If you choose not to believe me that’s fine but the results provide a 20/20 insight into what did happen. No good deals, lots of bad deals, and many illogical deals like Schwarber at the deadline when we needing pitching. These examples all suggest there is no stranglehold by Henry on money.
Joe – Wouldn’t you agree that basically every true contender needs a stud #1 starting pitcher?
In 2018 it was Sale.
In 2013 it was Lester.
In 2007 it was Beckett.
In 2004 it was Pedro/Schilling, similar to 2001 Schilling/Unit
If you can think of any championship team that DIDN’T have a true ace, please let me know.
Joe – I appreciate your diligence, but I meant 45 minutes of flight time.
We’ll never know if the Yankees were truly a finalist, they certainly felt they were. If the Dodgers or Giants hadn’t matched the offer, would he still have signed with the Dodgers for less? I guess it’s possible, but not probable.
Joe – Stop sniffing the glue!!! What kind of esoteric response was that!! hahaha
I like the fact that people believe others who are critical to society should make more money. I would simply add baseball players making less than TV Late Night Hosts, Entertainers in General and Drug Dealers is an under pay.
All – Which outfielder do you not like?
Rafaela
Anthony
Duran
Abreu
O’Neill
Bleis
Castro
We have a lot of outfielders so do we really need a guy like Hernandez to displace one of the young guys for 14 times as much money?
Fever = Didn’t need Hernandez so that’s a win for Breslow.
TF – Absolutely! So glad they didn’t sign Terrell Owens.
I think you are reading the situation wrong.
GMs take acquisitions to the board to get the approval on the money. Ownership can’t say yes if nobody comes to them. Bloom never did and it appears Breslow is being highly selective when he goes to the board for money. His Giolito and O’Neill gambles surprised me because I thought he would focus on getting a #1 and #2.
Breslow needs to fix the defense and dump Cora and hasn’t done it so it’s hard to tell where he’s going with his plan since he isn’t doing the obvious stuff.
Ownership is not the bottleneck, Breslow is.
Icon – What great wisdom you show in these words!!!
The Red Sox offered Hernandez two-years for $25m. The Dodgers gave him $23.5 for one season. It seems the Red Sox may be paying a lot of lip service rather than real dollars.
Teoscar’s numbers are dropping. The most he has ever been paid is $14M. The Dodgers significantly overpaid in my opinion.
He is taking a risk of getting injured and miss out on the security of a multi year contract.
Or the Red Sox are just smart now, which is something we weren’t before. As bad as Bloom was, he didn’t make insanely large contracts that would cripple us. Breslow is following suit
Agreed. I think Breslow will have similarities to Bloom…or at least until Breslow switches some of the people in the baseball ops department.
One thing he has that Bloom doesn’t is awareness, and this helps a lot. You can see that he’s piecing things together. Bloom pecked away but didn’t really put the pieces together
I like what I see in Breslow so far. I like that he is thinking for himself and not caving to pressure from fans and media to spend, spend, spend.
Or our FO can’t get it done and Sox will be in last place again making 4 out of last 5 seasons with certain individuals calling that success GTFO
Chaim Breslow – Seriously? Bloom didn’t make insanely large contracts? Have you heard of Devers the DH butchering 3B for nearly a decade and his $5MM over DH value Bloom paid for a decade, or have you not heard of Story an injured SS from COL who got $3.3MM more than our all-star SS Bogaerts so Bogaerts could be let go? What about Yoshida? Did you know Bloom paid $18MM for a DH who Cora couldn’t figure out how to use effectively and he paid him for 6 years?
Bloom DIDN’T MAKE INSANELY LARGE CONTRACTS? Wow, you must have been out of the country.
Chaim – Sorry but this is a second WHAT? response to your comments.
Bloom pecked away but really didn’t put the pieces together? He removed the all-stars from the team except for Devers and he created an albatross for future GMs with his Devers deal. You make Bloom sound a little bad. He was HORRIFIC and destroyed the club!!!
Breslow hasn’t done anything major so the jury is still out with regard to his legacy as a GM. We can say he is deliberate which can also be evaluated as indecisive. Time will tell.
Suit – Glad you think the Story and Devers contracts won’t cripple the team, time will tell.
suit – I don’t know of any head of baseball ops that has made decisions based on fan and media input.
Might as well praise Breslow for going potty by himself too. LOL!
Box – I agree, it’s Stepford Wives level brainwashing when people say Bloom did a good job.
He was truly the worst Red Sox head of baseball ops in my lifetime.
And isn’t it curious that neither Friedman nor Neander offered Bloom a similar position to what he got with the Cards.
TF – Bloom inherited the same core of players that won 108 games and a World Series, and he inherited a very strong farm system that included Houck, Bello, Duran, Rafaela, Crawford and Casas, and yet he turned the Red Sox into a perennial last place team … all within just 2 years!
Bloom inherited the same core of players that won 108 games and a World Series, and he inherited a very strong farm
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He inherited an 84-win team, with the highest payroll in baseball, and the #30 farm system.
Fever – Loved the Stepford Wives reference!!!
Joe = Wow how misguided a comment can you make!!! We were looking at the face of the team with our comments. You must have put your camera on the ground to see the picture you described!!! hahaha
FYI – 84 wins with massive injuries and Cora as manager was a heck of a performance especially in light of the Spring Training screw up. FYI… that 84 is more than Bloom’s average during his four years or even his three years if you throw out 2020. So, no matter how misleading you want to be Bloom got a champion and turned them into cellar dwellers.
The farm system ratings are a joke. Remember #44 Jeter Downs who we DFA’d? Yeah, great rating system.
Farm systems are measured after the fact by production for the MLB team not some baseball wanna be GUESSING the future of each player. DD contributed the guys Fever detailed. We are still waiting on all of Bloom’s great picks!!! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! (Using G Bush Jr. VOICE!!)
The Red Sox offer was pretty fair, considering he’s been trending downwards. The Dodgers just overpaid in order to lock him down, and basically they threw their weight around in an effort to go all-out.
I don’t think Hernandez is a real difference maker like JD Martinez might be at a cheaper cost for the DH spot.
I’m always weary of players that typically only shine in smaller ballparks. Idk, maybe he would have been good in Fenway, but they gave a pretty fair offer.
Plus, that’s only the offer that was reported. We don’t truly know of they offered him a larger AAV one year deal.
I like what Breslow has done thus far for the Red Sox. I’m a Braves fan, but I think Red Sox fans should be happy with the guy they have running the show now.
Breslow just seems much more calculated with his moves.
They’re are much cheaper options if you’re looking for a back of the rotation starter.
Would you really want to commit 100m to someone you view as a potential #4-#5??
I mean, maybe you don’t really view him that way, but I’d pass for the price. That is especially considering you’re also going to have to pay the posting fee, so you’re talking likely 5 years 120 total..or something around that figure.
Reporters are useless. As late as last night they were saying it was either the Angels or Giants– and now in the morning both are out and two other teams are in front? What kind of reporting is this? I can take an educated guess and support my supposition with who I think needs this guy too. It’s pathetic.
Hello hello Hello! Arte Moreno let me try Perry Minasian Hello Hello Hello what the ####! What kind of baseball operation is this it figures no one’s home no wonder no one wants to play for the Angels. No major signings of free agent no trades Arte Moreno how embarrassing no wonder you haven’t shown your face or give interviews in the last five years. This is a a joke you guys can’t be serious, laughing stock of baseball. Who wants to go to the stadium? Watches your home team lose can’t even get a major network. Show your games. Your 2024 grade F you guys would have a hard time winning in your AAA affiliate Salt Lake City
Angel fans time to boycott don’t go any home games watch from your living room Arte Moreno needs to sell the team all the free agents are coming off the board angel aren’t trying to sign anybody I don’t think any free agents wanna play the angels and if you do you will have overpay for One
Now that Bally sports is bankrupt, we don’t have a network to even watch angel games no longer no network wants to even carry the angels. They’re so bad Arte. Moreno should’ve took the money and ran last year with an idiot. Doh!
Giants need to sign Imanaga then sign bellinger and soler as dh I think that will improve the team th I s year
bellinger and soler make no sense – it would make a lot more sense to get imanaga and trade for Kim. the left side of the IF is going to depend on a riokie and a guy who took strides but has been historically bad defensively and the OF already has so many options that Haniger moving only helped clear it up so there is no point in bellinger.. You also right now can platoon your DH posiition with flores, davis, wade, conforto so signing a full time DH just suck up a valuable roster spot with zero added defense
Who would you send to SD for Kim? SD would want pitching…SF has??
a crap ton of young pitching – black, whisenhunt, teng, roupp, at the top of the list and then if they want someone to pitch now beck and wynn both have major league experience, you could also throw in schmitt who is a hometowner in SD and they could slot him in the major league lineup in place of kim
SD needs a lefty…Harrison is probably too green and so far not that impressive
Padres would want MLB pitching, not prospects.
bag o balls—don’t trade my boy Schmitt! He has a rocket for an arm and I think he can figure it out at the plate, he showed flashes.
Pads can have Bart, JD or Villar, Winn, and Teng for Kim, he only has one year left on his contract!
I agree with you that Imanaga and Kim would be sweet!
If the Friars won’t trade Kim in the division, maybe Zaidi finds another partner to trade for a SS. Zaidi has stated he wants to give Luciano a shot at SS but I think maybe he ends up in LF, especially if Conforto traded at the deadline. Just a guess. Schmitt can also be a SS/utility guy but I like him at 3B. Lots of talk of signing Chapman but I don’t think we need him with JD and Schmitt, and Schmitt is homegrown/cheaper!
It doesn’t matter if you think Harrison was unimpressive. The Giants aren’t trading him. But if they did, it would be for a lot more than just Kim, and I’m a big Kim fan.
He was considered the top lefthanded prospect in the game. He showed flashes of brilliance. 1st taste of the big leagues very few dominant immediately. Lincecum had a 4 plus era his first year. No way i see Giants trading him for one year of kim. Padres are in win mode so i don’t see a match.
Kim has a mutual option at the end of the season. They are almost never picked up. Anyone trading for Kim would have to assume he’s a one year rental, so the return won’t be great. He could be traded for a decent pitcher, also with only one year of control, but that team would have to have an abundance of SPs and a need for what Kim provides. So if they don’t want prospects, the best they can probably get is some back of the rotation guy.
SD is not trading Kim. He’s on a bargain contract with a team trying to reduce payroll. Kim also an excellent player.
5.8 WAR means that even with just one year of control Kim would still be worth a great deal.
Pads Fans, I agree, but still not as much as Harrison.
Ballz,
Without Bellinger who’s batting 3rd ?
I think he’s needed there.
oldgfan, Short term? Sure. But MLBTR predicted 12 years/$264M for Bellinger. Hopefully the Giants avoid anything that comes close to that. Even if half that, he’s a potential landmine. I’d stay away from Bellinger.
8/200 is about as far as I would like to see. I don’t think his market is as strong as was thought. He’s a risk sure, but potentially can have upside as well. Still young with speed and defense that doesn’t slump. I feel his down years were injury caused. I just don’t see a good #3 hitter on the current roster. I also think Zaidi still wants to try to make a splashy signing to save face.
8/200 would be more palatable, but would still be excruciating should he turn back into a pumpkin. But I don’t think he can be signed for only 8 years. That make him a FA again at age 36, and with guys signing deal into their age 38, 39, and 40 seasons, he’s going to want something longer. I think that’s why MLBTR predicted 12 years.
I agree that Kim would be a great acquisition but I have to echo the sentiment that getting him will cost you a price that will hurt your feelings. If the Padres are willing to take prospects than you need to go straight to the top of your list. You’re talking Harrison, Whisenhunt with company or maybe Harrison and Luciano and company because they may want a SS of the future. Three years of control with a very team friendly contract is going to cost a whole lot.
SalaryCap— Kim only has one year left, not three. He’s a FA next year.
No way the return for Kim gets Harrison alone. It’s not even close.
Kim is a proven star player on a team friendly deal with three years of control. As talented as Harrison may be he hasn’t done anything. He comes with all the same volatility as any prospect. I understand why you wouldn’t want to pay the price it would cost to get Kim but you’re implying Harrison is worth more than Kim and that’s pure fantasy.
Kim doesn’t have 3 years of control. He only would if he and the team agree to the mutual option at the end of this season. Mutual options are very rarely exercised. No mutual option has been agreed to since 2013, and only 4 have been in the past 25+ years.
It’s incorrect to say, Harrison hasn’t done anything. He had a 102 ERA+, which is very promising for a rookie pitcher, along with some strong appearances. In his last 2 starts, both against the Dodgers, he went 10 1/3 innings, and gave up only 2 runs on 3 hits total. As a prospect he is the top ranked LH SP in MLB. And he has 6 years of control.
The fact that Kim is on a team-friendly deal is exactly why he’ll decline the option. He can do much better as a FA. That one year of control for Kim, versus the 6 for Harrison makes Kim’s value at half that of Harrison’s. Not fantasy, but fact.
I was significantly incorrect about Kim’s deal. Just glanced at his contract status on b-ref and assumed. That really does change everything. My bad.
No biggie. I thought the same thing at first. I still believe that SD would be foolish to trade Kim. I’m a fan.
1 penny salary paid up front per season, $99,999,999,999.99 deferred until the expansion of the sun.
Expansion of the sun. Man, you really want to make sure nobody is around to collect short of humanity becoming a stellar civilization. =)
If Hoyer gets Imanaga for the Cubs, I can live with a low strikeout rate. Flyballs will die uf the wind is blowing in, April, May and sometimes June it’s not hitter-friendly and Swanson and Hoerner can handle anything up the middle. I think I’d take this guy over Stroman.
i see him as a great fit for cubs, prob even over giants bc of the fact that the giants suck at signing fa’s
Explain how they suck at signing FA?
The fact that they missed Judge,Ohtani,Yamamoto,Correa in 2 years…
They signed correa. He failed a physical with two teams. Judge never wanted to leave NY and Ohtani has been a dodger since last season. Don’t get too excited over your brilliant takes.
First of all in my opinion correa is considered a failed signing but if u would like to think otherwise, ur entitles to ur own opinion, second of all, who said judge never wanted to leave ny, if he rlly didnt he woulda signed a extension earlier, and about ohtani, dodgers were defintly favorites but saying he was a dodger since last year is a bit much…
Judge said it.
Barry Bonds was the last position player free agent signing who actually moved the needle.
Which means the Giants have been in on most of the big free agents.I can’t fault them for missing out. Can’t sign someone if you’re not in on them like a lot of clubs. At least they’re trying.
You don’t know much IMHO.
Depends on your definition of moving the needle. You forget Giants signed a fresh Cy Young winner in Barry Zito… was he worth the money, no of course not, but I think he fits the bill of coveted FA’s that year.
I would say he was worth the money for that ring he helped get.
If I remember correctly Zito played a huge roll that playoff year that helped grab that ring.
That he did indeed! He was big in the 2012 playoffs!
Love your username. Jon Miller is a treasure
A half dozen teams pursued Ohtani and Yamamoto, and all but one failed. Singling out the Giants says something about you.
Also, trying to turn the Correa thing into an inability to sign a FA is really weak, and says even more. The important part of signing a FA is getting the player to agree to a deal. Correa agreed to a deal with the Giants. It was the Giants that walked away (as did the Mets). Listing Correa as evidence of an inability to sign FAs defies logic.
I’d also say your take on Judge is indicates a misunderstanding of how free-agency works.. All you need to do is look back to what the extension offer from NY was. going into the 2021 season. Judge wanted yo stay in NY, but he also wanted to maximize the contract.
I meant the 2022 season.
That extension offer to judge was 7 years/$213M, and with the 1 year/$17M remaining, brought the value to $230M. He got 9/$360M.
Saying that, if he wanted to stay with NY he would have signed an extension is just silly, and shows a woeful lack of understanding exposing AirYordan’s opinions as lacking credibility.
You must not listen to Miller on the radio, it is torture.
Yes. That bunt RBI and the RBI slap single are two my favourite memories. Loved it !
Re Zito in 2012 playoffs.
That take on Miller may be worse than all of your bad baseball takes combined.
If your reply is to me on my Jon Miller take, I apologize for having an opinion that doesn’t agree with yours. And I’m very flattered that you follow my posts so closely that you can trash me on my “bad baseball takes”. Coming from you it’s heartbreaking to me. Or not. I’ll leave you be so you can continue to be the smartest baseball expert I’ve ever come across. Please forgive me.
acoss – Shota led the NPB in strikeouts, why do you think he’s not a strikeout pitcher?
Fever,
It’s just me expecting a little bit of regression and the adjustment to MLB hitting, but if Shota continues his having that 25% plus strikeout-rate I’ll be very happy!
acoss – There is always regression for every Japanese pitcher coming to MLB, but he won’t regress THAT much! Haha!
Lol no offense Fever but I’m crossing my fingers that supposed report that the Red Sox aren’t interested in Imanaga is true, to force Hoyer into a corner!
And yes, true about every Japanese pitcher regressing some when joining MLB, but hopefully it’s not too bad, hoping he’s as good as Senga Kodai!
NPB is not MLB.
I’d rather see Hoyer overpay for Montgomery than Imanaga… And just fyi Steve, Smiley bombed as a starter last season. He is long relief at best now.
Is Yamamoto’s old club mad that he didn’t let the Mets counter offer? I know there is an understanding to get their posting club the most money.
Shota is fine but the Giants should be shooting higher: Smell, Montgomery, Beiber, Burnes (!).
Burnes would be ideal not just for the Giants but for Cubs too. Giants have a better shot at getting Burnes though!
If we can wait one more year and go after Fried next year I would. Let the young group solidify themselves. Wouldn’t be mad at a Montgomery signing though. Great fit
As long as they keep shooting Pete.
There are still roster spots, free agents left, and trades to explore. Just stay on all of it !
If Burnes is traded it won’t be until around the deadline, and that’s only if they’re out of it. He isn’t going anywhere now unless someone blows their socks off.
Zaidi’s zoom call on the Ray trade has him talking high on the youngsters. Last years debutants and the next wave. So much so I was thinking after listening to it that Ray could be it.
Worth a listen if you haven’t.
It’s also possible that if you wanted to talk down the aspirations of Scott Boras and Imanaga’s agents, you’d be suddenly talking up how excited you are to see how your kids fare in 2024.
For sure. He left the door open but he was bullish. Essentially saying he would be happy to have the next wave fill the void until Ray and Cobb come back.
Black is looking like a sure thing to see the majors on a fast track. If Harrison can stretch out to five innings he will legitimately be in RoY contention and Webb/Ray/Cobb is nothing to sneeze at when they’re healthy. I’m not super hopeful on Cobb with two hip surgeries now but hopefully we get Imanaga and Snell or at least someone like Stroman that can go out there and pitch well for more than four innings. I think they’re building toward a very good yet underrated rotation and that’s exactly what they needed to do. One more pitcher and maybe even a big move for Bellinger would be a massive step forward as well. Let’s see how it all plays out.
I think signing Belli would throw the Giants in the luxury tax category Dan, and I don’t think ownership wants that so I don’t see it happening but never say never. Lots of kids on the way they want to keep room too.
It’s really hard to take them seriously as a franchise that intends to contend in one of the most difficult divisions when Johnson comes out talking about things like the luxury tax and breaking even so I would certainly hope in the case of Bellinger they’d be willing to sign him with the understanding that he and Lee would solidify the starting outfield for the foreseeable future and that would be worth the price.
Agnes…they would get hit for a season on the luxury tax…a lot of money comes off the books next year, for the right players I’m sure ownership would be willing.
I believe Johnson said that at Melvin’s intro. Definitely got my attention too. I don’t believe him, but he was serious. Break even. Lol
He did say it at Melvin’s intro. There was a “for the right player” and a “for 1 year” at the end of it.
I’m high on the kids too foppert!
Well, if this report is true, let’s hope for Snell being our guy. Maybe Beiber? Monty seems to be holding out hope for a reunion. Would prefer another lefty in the rotation
Zaidi better pull out all the stops & Imanaga. If he fails sure hope Zaidi knows he’s back in the frying pan & the INTENSE HEAT IS BACK ON!!!
he failed on half the free agent in the past 2 years…
He had to do a huge overpay to land Lee, will he do the same here?
If zaidi fails to sign imanaga I’ll be sure to call him up and let him know that redwolves3 is most displeased with him. I’ll even go over there to hold him and feed him ben and jerry’s while he shakes in fear and cries cuz that’s what friends are for lol
It’s more than just Redwolves3. Most of fan base is pretty tired of watching a bunch of boring baseball players circling the drain of mediocrity. Some fans still think Farhan is a genius, and will carry water for him no matter how many free agents he misses on, no mater how many sub 500 teams he puts on the field, no matter how bad the players he drafted struggle, etc. These fans think having the blind loyalty of a golden retriever makes them better fans. The ownership group appreciates their failure to realize they are being taken advantage of.
Some just realise Zaidi’s position isn’t their decision to make so they get on with it. Much better than wasting time coming up with stuff like “farthands”
Ted, “most of the fanbase “ that you speak for ? Really just not the case.
Yeah. That heat from internet warriors is intense.
Not surprising to see the Red Sox are a long shot but I think this guy has a lot of upside at a cheaper price than Monty or Snell.
“The Sox”? I assumed they were not bidding on Imanaga since Reinsdorf doesn’t like the big contracts.
And yes, I know he’s talking about the Red Sox, but it’s pretty stupid regardless.
Red Sox were mentioned in the 3:45 update. The “Sox” in the 3:55 update clearly refers to the red variety as the White Sox are mentioned no where in the post/article. The context is there bro.
Well considering the reporter mentioned works for “MassLive” my guess is they thought most readers were capable of putting 1 and 1 together to get 2 and figure out from the context which “Sox” were being referenced.
Crickets. Sox have no interest in signing anyone beyond a 2 year contract.
It is a soft ( don’t want to commit) to rebuild
Without p I s ing of dan base
I don’t expect the Red Six to sign him but if they were to sign anyone, it would be him…
Don’t hold your breath
Sox will not sign any free agents over 30 mil a year
Sox this year will be yet again basement dwellers
Don’t see any signs as of this moment to change my mind.
It’s all about the trade , if when or whom
Sox67, agreed. And if ownership is committed to a rebuild, why fire Chaim? I’m not seeing a change in strategy. Baffled.
Bloom was good for the minors
He basically destroyed the major team
Bleslow is just trying to better a major team with same budget as Bloom
If the Sox could unload Devers and Story I’m all for that also. Or even Hansen Devers is great with the bat but can’t see being a fullDH with Sox
Story ,well let’s see what he has in a healthy season.
I’m really looking at what the Sox have done so far that tells all.
Not that Sox don’t have the money. They just don’t want to part with it right now
Need more or better players that are consistent with bat and glove
There isn’t much to had to righten the ship right now
With Cora at the helm I fell also there isn’t any team chemistry
Until that changes,there not competing
The Giants make the most sense for Shota’s profile. I think it’s a good match for both
It is but Farhan always finds a way to mess it up…
Oh, I don’t know. He’s signed a few without a mess up.
With the amount that he missed, I never feel to confident in him… Not saying they not getting him I think there is a nice chance, just he has messed up so much times recently…
You’re caring too much and taking Farhan too serious for a Astros fan….
Classic Yankees fan, getting mad at someone just for being a astros fan lol… same old
Bang bang!
whenever someone says that im not sure wether to laugh or cry.
most people like you are jealous that the astros won and the only way to feel good about themselves and their team is to cry abt something that happened in 2017
Correct me if I’m wrong. And I may be but Giants offered Judge more than Yankees until he gave them another chance to match Farhan’s offer. Yamamoto was also offered the same contract by the Giants as he got from the Dodgers. And Ohtani’s offer from the Giants was pretty close to the same as he signed with Dodgers. That doesn’t sound like Farhan’s fault. It does sound like a couple guys were using the Giants to drive up price. I understand why Judge did that but still lost some respect for him because of it. So yeah, the Giants missed out on some including Harper who was going to sign with Philly all along and Trea Turner wanted to go east to play. We were in on all and maybe some I’ve forgotten. Keep on trying Farhan. Much better effort than most teams get from their PBO/GM.
Oops. Fan base. Lol
No likes/thumbs up on my comment yet. I’m out of here.
I didn’t see the LA Deferrals in the mix soooo
Well, It is an old rant at this point.
Thumbs up is being deferred.
Cmon Jed do something. Come out of hibernation and sign some players.
Rumor is the Cubs have made offers to Bellinger, Montgomery and Hoskins.
I heard that too. Chapman as well. I’ll gladly take Belli and Jordan. But adding Chapman at 3rd would be an absolute insane defensive infield 3rd to 1st. Especially if they re-sign Bellinger.
I left Chapman out because I don’t want it to be real. Unless the rumored price tag went way down
Nah hard pass on this guy the Red Sox don’t need a fly ball pitcher at Fenway. I’m hoping for Snell or Montgomery but with our Ownership I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s either. It’s tough being a Rsox fan these days
I don’t see the love for Imanaga either. Maybe some fans know he is Japanese and that sounds exotic. But this doesn’t strike me as an Ohtani clone. I’d rather go with the more proven Snell or Monty also.
Dodgerfan – Since Cease is the one guy I DON’T want, that means the Red Sox will get him.
They will reunite that tandem that brought so much success to the ChiSox the past few years.
I would take Cease before this Imanaga guy
Signing Imanaga takes only cash. What I’ve read is the ChiSox are asking the moon for Cease.
Minassian’s words cant be trusted if he doesn’t sign Imanaga. This off-season has been anything but aggresive.
Angels are no free agent’s first choice right now. They need this guy badly. Not only to play, but to be able to lure other starters and relievers to a team that has a chance. The Angels are not the frontrunners for Snell or Montgomery– so if they miss on this pitcher, where does that leave them? Moreno may have to sell if they get shutout.
He should have sold last year.
Then i’m rooting for a no hitter. Artie needed to go years ago!
I think there is a lot of risk with Imanaga. More than most people are seeing. His stats in NPB are not all that great. He could be good but I don’t think it’s a sure thing at all.
“That’s baseball” – Bud Black
It’s fun to read the comments with typos and pretend they’re not typos. Very enter taming.
ur so strange… nobody cares if they have a type, this isn’t grammar class.
tis aint no grammer class
Some people do care about grammar. It’s usually the people with good grammar. Just saying.
I had two grammas but was only able to meet one. The other had passed before I came into the world.
Obviously grammar means nothing to you AirYO. Very, very obvious.
If I’d been napping all off-season and woke to the news that the Sox had a new-look rotation, I’d be hard pressed to find it given its present construction….
“According to the latest reports about Shōta Imanaga, the Giants are one of 5 finalists, one of 4 finalists, one of 2 finalists, the overwhelming favorite, and are no longer interested.
So, yeah.”
From McCovey Chronicles on Twitter
As a Giants fan, I’m always in the Hope for the best, prepare (or assume) for the worst. But man is the reporting on this guy been a rollercoaster
Wow, you’re really takin this free agent stuff seriously…
@AirY0rdan
Sure, probably.
Angels always need SP, but they have a bunch of 4,5,6 starters already. They need a frontline, clear #1 type pitcher. I personally don’t think that’s Snell either. Unfortunately, they don’t have much in the farm to flip for pitching. They’d need to give up Neto, Schanuel and more to get a #1 SP, then they’d need to fill those holes plus outfield help.
Serious work to be done. Hopefully Peary can do something
I think Imanaga is undervalued and would be a great pseudo #1 starter for the Angels
Not sure you know the Angel talent to say this? Ward is ranked as a top left fielder with four years of control. Moniak has great value. Adell rebuilt his value after a big triple-A season. Drury has significant value. Sandoval and Canning both have value and can go back for a significant young pitcher. And they also have several minor leaguers that have value. No need to trade O’Hoppe, Schanuel, Neto, Detmers, Silseth or Bachman.
I watch and read everything I can about baseball and have been a lifelong Angels fan, but sure this is a discussion board. So cool.
Ward has had 1 good 1/2 of a season.
Moniak is valued as he should be, backup OF+
Adell, I hope rebuilt some value. He lost it all. He has ridiculous tools but hasn’t shown he can use them in the bigs. I really am hoping he can harness his talent but his value is low at the moment.
Drury has significant value? Ok, maybe at the deadline if the Angels are struggling.
I’m not advocating for the Angels to trade any of their your assets in the bigs. I was just saying if they want a frontline guy via trade they’ll need to include multiple of those guys.
Live in Cincy, very nice but we have crappy areas and homeless. Went to sf for reds series last year and when bengals played in Super Bowl. Spend 6 days traveling all over. Wonderful city, great people. Downside” the coldest winter I every spent was a summer in San Francisco” while their is debate on the saying, there is no debate on the truth of it.
Amen
Thank you Redsman, as a longtime SF resident I appreciate you saying that and I hope your visits here were nice! It is often cold here in the summer when the hot Central Valley air hits the cold Pacific and creates the notorious fog bank. Luckily, the ballpark is on the eastern end of the city and gets less of the fog but still sees plenty of it.
I have a friend in Cincy, haven’t been in awhile but I loved it when I visited. Reds have an exciting young team, good luck this season!
Brian Downer
Are you Debbie’s brother?
The reality is that the Giants need both Imanaga and Snell. Back up the Brinks truck. Webb, Snell, Imanaga, Cobb and Harrison. F Stripling, Beck and others. Trade bait. Ray and Cobb can fight it out when they return.
Whoever signs Imanaga will regret it.
Of course the Red Sox are a long shot. You have to actually try to sign someone for it to have a chance. They have supposedly been interested in every free agent in the past two years, but seldom made a competitive offer. Sell the team to someone who cares.
Seems to be fair amount of doubt about this player among clubs. Caveat emptor
Is it normal for players posted from NPB to take all 45 days to sign?
The dodgers have been the only team that’s spending maybe he was waiting for more offers. He has the highest homerun rate in NPB atleast this year, that could be cause for concern.
So this guy might not get signed by anyone..?
He will be signed my guess is his offers were lower than expected.
Yes. When the big blue fish ain’t biting.
Imanaga = Kikuchi??
Was thinking the same thing
If the Giants are seeking someone who can hold down the #3 or #4 SP slot for the next 5 years from the left side, Imanaga could be a safe bet. He’s not a #1 or #2, and the Giants don’t need him to be. Zaidi seemingly doesn’t want to go 6 years on either Snell or Montgomery, and that’s understandable.
But a rotation after the break next year of Webb, Ray, Cobb, Imanaga, and Harrison with a lineup that can get you 5 runs a game is a WC2 or WC1 team, at a fraction of the cost and time commitment the Dodgers have made. The challenge comes in getting them to that point next season to compete in the second half.
Thanks for a reasonable well thought out post biff! Zaidi gets ragged on for being a bargain hunter but he’s very good at getting value and production out of thin air. See Thairo Estrada and Yaz. Zaidi’s draft picks are finally arriving, there’s some exciting arms coming so he doesn’t want to block them with long FA contracts.
Block them? As the staff sits right now Giants are 500 innings short from last year’s staff.
What would the blow-back be it the Angels signed Urias AND Bowers????!
Urias won’t be coming back, and Bauer has another allegation pending. He’s technically innocent at the moment 2 were dropped, but that’s enough to scare teams off my guess is he will come back if everything is cleared.
Full throttle my eye. John Henry more consumed with every investment but the Sox! I was one of 417 fans attending a game at Fenway in 1966. Those days are on the horizon! Will root for the Braves. The wrong team left town!!
I understand not wanting to overpay but at some point they have to do something. Red Sox offseason has been very underwhelming
Latest report now says the Sox are a long shot. What the heck, isn’t it like super necessary to Ink a number 3 starter at least? Who are they going to count on.., Tanner Houck?
Perhaps Bailey and Breslow feel in-house candidates are suddenly turned into front line starters? Wow not sure about that but okay.
Perhaps it’s the trademarket but they better get moving on one of those Marlins. They could get scooped up quickly by the Yankees or whoever.
Not sure what Sox fans are upset about them being a long shot…. 30 year old lefty that throws low 90’s, gives up a bunch of long balls in Japan and has never pitched in the MLB….. hard pass.
I agree I would much rather of Montgomery or Snell
“I’m-A-Naga”…a Naga is a sort of serpent being in Indian Mythology. Showed-tcha I’m a Naga. Anyway. I’m bored. Don’t tell David Icke.
I thought it was Northern Thailand/Laos. Around the Mekong river. Water God. I’ve offered him quite a few gifts at his temple a number of times. Fiancé is Thai. Needed the big guys approval.
Lol. Phaya Naga is “Lord of Naga” in Laos. So yea. I learned something new.
I think Imanaga is a good fit in oracle. Big outfield, good defense. He’s gonna give up some homers, but he’ll k a lot of guys and solidify their rotation, setting them up for another year of youth development and a strong free agent class next year. No reason to panic
Agree with you except the “good defense” part. I know their goal is to get better but still plenty of work to do. Maybe you meant Yaz and our new CF. Yaz is legit but he gets hurt often from his all out defensive effort. I like his unafraid approach on D. He is underrated for his D. Won’t know how good the new CF is until he’s tested by triples alley, bricks etc.
Defense is supposed to be his calling card. If defense can’t be properly scouted why scout at all?
It is cynical to think that in 1 off season years of mediocrity can be resolved, there are many points to consider in an Organization and to be honest this class of Free Agents is not the one to spend without thinking $$$ if we look at Ohtani is DH at the moment Yes, he is marketable and sells, but he was not so great along with Trout to give the ANGELS a championship, so… a lot of money overpaid by the Dodgers, add Yamamoto, who has not pitched in MLB and yes he was impressive in the WBC, but it is different, he will throw in a full season every 5 days and now T. Hernandez who strike out a lot not even the Mariners pay $$$,Atlanta is even better now with Sale on the 4 spot, So… Craig Breslow in my opinion have not done it wrong because if the next class of free agents is superior, which it is btw ok , well thought. but don’t miss him in a super Trade before starting the season and I would dare to say that it will be with San Diego. just have a little faith my Nation!
NES – What a bunch of Breslow apologist BS!!!
Wow. Where to begin. The guy got here and there are obvious issues.
1 – He has the greatest cheater of all time as the manager
2 – He has one of the worst defenses in MLB thanks to 1 guy
3 – He has no top of the rotation
4 – He has no lefty relievers for big lefty bats late in the game
5 – His catching isn’t good
6 – He has no 3B
7 – He has no 2B.
Of the 7 biggest problems he has solved #7 and got a young controllable 2B that is slightly better than Yorke for $17MM and the loss of our best SP on paper if healthy. Steep cost but at least it was progress.
He went out and got an OFer we didn’t need and he got a SP3 or SP4 we didn’t need and a bunch of minor league players who are completely inconsequential. Bloom often got things we didn’t need so this is not a big change from the worst GM in Boston history.
Having faith in a new GM worked for Bloom because we were coming off the best GM we ever had but it proved to be a very, very bad move. Do we really want to repeat the mistake? I say no. Let’s all be from Missouri the SHOW ME state and ask Breslow to prove his worth by attacking the 7 problems list aggressively. Move Devers to DH and FIRE CORA. Go get 2 SPs for the top of the rotation. Do those top 3 things and we can believe in Breslow. Leave them and the heat will be turned up on him very very quickly because we sat by and watched Bloom burn the organization to the ground while idiots kept saying give him a bit more time.
NO SIR. THIS FAN ISN”T GIVING BRESLOW THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. THIS FAN IS EXPECTING GREATNESS LIKE WE HAD WITH DD.
Yes your right,but let me remind you what’s Dave Dombrowski era also means Yes we won the 2018 WS but that Dave Dombrowski that you love was the responsable for not trade Devers, he was who brings David Price $$$ contract ,he was who hire the biggest cheater as you call Cora on 2017, also the same who extended Crhis Sale on 2019 and there is plenty more, no I’m not saying Breslow is the best but give him a break to at least 1 year then you can judge him we not even star the spring break and think this man is the worst? Come on! No one want this job they interview more than 3 before him and they didn’t want the job,have a little faith don’t hurt anyone
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I feel like Cubs are current favorites. I picked them to sign Blake Snell, but another Lefty for less money makes sense here. Earlier report said Red Sox were not close, but not out, so it’s still anyone’s game.
I agree. Plus them and Red Sox both have had success in Asian market. Not surprised they are two leading candidates
Also not surprised the Angels are out on a pitcher, and not surprised the Giants are out on a free agent in general.
The Dodgers are going to have to sign him as a depth starter in case a few people get hurt. He can start in AA and then move up when necessary. The Dodgers still have some payroll flexibility in 2052, so I think a deferment is plausible. That would be great for the league as a whole.
I have to admit, the Dodgers have a very impressive roster, given their success in spite of all the injuries they have had recently.
48 hours ago wasn’t it “we keep hearing Giants?” Sources ain’t what they used to be
Were they ever ?
It’s the reporters and what they deem to be “sources”. Even if you have a good source, you always try to verify their information. Reporters are too hungry to be the first to report so they mostly get it wrong by jumping the gun. We no longer have news, we have entertainment.
My neighbor knows somebody whose brother in law works for a guy whose 5th grade gym teacher knows a guy named Eddy who used to be tight with Jed Hoyer’s cousin, and he swears it will be the Cubs! I think this is a pretty legit source if ever there was one.
Rockies are in the mix. You will all be surprised.
Surprised at how many homers one pitcher can allow at Coors?
What is Imanaga making in Japan? There is likely a floor level at which he does not come to MLB because the offers are too low. Or perhaps he just signs a one-year deal with the Dodgers 😀
I think 5 million per year is the record for NPB so even starter #5 money in MLB is a significant pay raise over NPB.
Yeah, but where is his private jet going?
Does he throw the Roger Beshens Football Slider yet?
2 or 4 seam on center grip, throw like a football, stiff wrist.
The Sweeper is the Roger Beshens Football slider thrown from a lower arm angle, if over the top it gets vertical drop like Cole, Snell and Glasnow.
When you hear seam shifted wake it is someone copying the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
The fraudster took the 2 or 4 seam and made up :”Seam shift”
and the stiff wrist makes the ball break late, they made up that’s a “Wake”
Seam Shifted Wake is someone trying to copy Roger Beshens Football SLider.
I call it Scheme Shifted Fake.
Best Regards,
Roger Beshens
He’s pretty much a “Nolan Ryan Fastball” guy, but good luck trying to get a pitch named after you.
This tells me the asking price is probably a lot higher than some of these teams are comfortable with. Looking for Yamamoto money
I think the signing has to be pretty solid by Thursday. They have to leave time for a physical, I think. Today is probably the day.
Watch him wind up staying in Yokohama.
Not shocking that the Angels are no longer a player for him. Imanaga wasn’t interested in Moreno’s standard pitcher offer of one year. The Angels will never succeed until Moreno understands that pitching is what wins games…or he sells the team.
i hope these sport agencies send the giants nice christmas gifts every year for their help in running up the cost on their clients.
I’m intrigued. Hope 3 more story lines come out and he signs at the last second
Get this overwith already so Montgomery, Snell, Hader, and Stroman are able to sign!
Hader as a Closer isn’t tied to any of these guys. Snell and Stroman’s personalities are holding back their markets more than Imanga. Montgomery may be the only one directly affected as the teams that miss out on Imanga will probably pivot to him
Hader likely won’t impact most teams, but there were reports referenced on MLB.com that the Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers would prefer Montgomery to Hader but would pursue Hader if they failed to land Montgomery. I think it is at least true that whoever may be holding up Montgomery is then holding up Hader indirectly. Also, on Stroman, I do recall him being a racist or something.
Many indicate that if the Yankees can’t land one of the top three starters left, they will pivot to Hader and Stroman.
So, those teams not investing $100 million plus in a starter may go to mid-tier starter and Hader, so there are indirect connections that can be made with Hader tied to SP market.
@degrom I don’t see why Imanaga has to sign before those other guys do, Imanaga likely isn’t as good as any of them.
This has been the slowest and most boring offseason ever, pitchers and catchers report in a little over a month, and the players you mention and a handful of others don’t even know what team they will be on yet!
Last place Sox, great place to land. Or the 4 games over .500 cubs lol anyone one wondering why contending teams aren’t looking at this guy?
@178iq Probably b/c he is unproven, and does not project to be better than a #4 or 5 starter according to most. He will probably prove to be a legit MLB level pitcher, but Snell, Montgomery, and Stroman are all likely much better.
Where’s our damn mystery team?!
Get it done Breslow, then sign Soler
Soler has one season in his entire career with a bWAR> 1.8. Hard pass.
I don’t know enough about Imanaga, but I would still wager that Monty and/or Snell out-perform him.
Dear god no on both of those guys.
Of course the giants “are looking elsewhere”
I hear that John Heyman has to sign by Thursday or it’s back to Japan for him.
No such luck
Not sure what the hold up is. They are going to end up waiting too long and he’s not going to be able to sign with a team. There’s more to it than just coming to an agreement, gotta sign the contract, gotta take the physical and then gotta submit everything to the league before it can become official correct? If that is how it is then I don’t see how they have enough time to make this happen if they wait any longer than today. I always thought the Red Sox would sign him and I still feel they may but this is weird it’s taking this long.
If Zaidi is truly looking elsewhere (Imanaga) then he better be looking to upgrade & sign Snell or Montgomery.
In his mind, he got Ray. Job done.
Farhan working a deal for either Cease/Burnes or back in on Snell?
We need two out of those three. One is not enough.
I’d take woodruff then trade for Burnes and Ademes sell Lucaino Joe Bart and any young player not named Harrison
Woodruffs more than likely not pitching in 2024.
I wonder if a “mystery team” comes out of nowhere and signs him. Maybe a team like the Jays or Phillies comes out of nowhere and signs him for below the expected amount. Even if he only gets a contract similar to Senga, I can’t see him going back to Japan and risking injury or decline that could hold him back next year.
Maybe waiting on the DSG (Ball) and MLB court decision tomorrow . Teams will know if they have tv revenue coming in to sign free agents .
That runs counter to reports from the weekend and from yesterday,
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Just for those fans that live and die by every utterance by sports writers, most of them have no clue as to what is going on. I’m not blaming them, but if Imanaga is halfway thru the signature page, you won’t know anything until he is finished.
If Imanaga has the upside of a #3 starter then I don’t blame Farhan for not paying Bloomindale prices for a Salvation Army arm. But that does not excuse Farhan. Trade your prospects. If no one values them then you have conned the fan base into believing that you rebuilt the farm system. Play them or trade them.
Did I miss something? The Heyman twitter link in the latest Trade Rumors update only says the Angels are looking elsewhere. Was there an earlier one about the Giants, too?
Heyman’s tweet says “Giants another possible team among 5 suitors,” which is a far cry from yesterday’s update that emphatically listed SF as the frontrunner.
Weren’t the not so mysterious Tigers talking about him only a little while ago?
Looking at his stats, I think Imanaga can be gotten much cheaper and still be just as or slightly less productive than Yamamoto.
He has a better k rate than Yamamoto, and he still has a great ERA. People say this guy is a number 2 or 3, but he may be a number 1 in all honesty. We will have to see how things play out.
FG predictions:
Imanaga 3.84 ERA and 2.6 WAR
Snell 3.66 3.3
Monty 3.94 & 3.2
I wouldn’t go overboard on trying to land the guy.
I’d take him over Snell. I think I’d even take him over Monty. He’s got experience, just a question whether it transfers. Snell can barely get through 6 innings an outing.
Oh god, not Steve Adams again. That two month vacation he took was bliss. “Meanwhile” can’t come in the middle of a sentence, set off by commas. It has to START the sentence.
How did the Giants go from favorites to not being in the final 5 in a matter of like 5 hours??
Cubs
Robbie Ray.
Were they ever really favorites? Or just a speculative fit in the eyes of baseball media?
Heard the SAWX are very in on bringing back Ken Griffey Jr. to parade in Center Field for like 6 innings and $42.00 at $7 per inning. No disrespect to the KID!
Also David Wells thinking to come back for his second stint in Beantown last pitched in 2007 so they’re offering a $1700.00 signing bonus or two TD’s and a field goal times $100 if picks them over the rest of the teams.
Ugh! This is the toughest last two years as a SOX fan. I’ve been a fan since 7 years old in 1986, still glad I picked them as my team but I’m starting to get antsy! Where’s Mike Greenwell Hmm?!
It is unbelievable. I have been a Red Sox fan since 1975 and I remember the bad years with GM Hayward Sullivan and Buddy Laroux along with Duquette. This is going to be a bad team this year. This will be the 4th out if 5th year of another last place finish.
Spendlow Breslow came up a day late and dollar short. I guess this is the all out that Kennedy and Werner talked about. This Red Sox team is going to be horrid this year. Another last place finish should do wonders for the attendance with this mediocre product Henry is putting in the field again.