The Nationals and Rangers have swung a one-for-one trade that will see first baseman Nathaniel Lowe head to Washington in exchange for left-hander Robert Garcia. ESPN’s Jeff Passan (multiple links) was the first to report the deal, which has now been officially announced by both teams.
Lowe will change teams via trade for the second time in his career, as it was just over four years ago that Lowe was dealt from the Rays to the Rangers as part of a six-player swap. The Rays’ first base depth had left Lowe struggling for playing time in his first two MLB seasons, but he immediately found a regular job once Texas installed him as its everyday first baseman. Lowe has played in 615 of a possible 648 regular-season games in his four seasons with the Rangers, while hitting .274/.359/.432 with 78 homers in 2576 plate appearances.
Between his 123 wRC+ over those four seasons and increasingly strong defensive metrics, Lowe has been worth 10.6 fWAR during his Rangers tenure. It isn’t superstar production and the left-handed hitting Lowe has naturally been more consistent against right-handed pitching, but he has at worst been a steady regular, with hints of a higher ceiling of production. Lowe hit .302/.358/.492 with 27 homers over 645 PA in 2022, though a .363 BABIP may have helped contribute to that career year.
Despite Lowe’s very solid play, there had been some whispers that the Rangers could be looking to clear some room at first base. The recently-acquired Jake Burger figures to get a good chunk of the first base at-bats now that Lowe is off the roster, with Josh Smith, Justin Foscue, or Ezequiel Duran also in the running for playing time depending on how the Rangers opt to arrange their infield. Josh Jung is slated to be the regular third baseman but Burger, Smith, or Duran could also be used at the hot corner based on matchups.
Lowe’s increasing arbitration price tag was also surely a factor in the Rangers’ decision. Now entering his second arb-eligible year, Lowe was projected to earn $10.7MM for the 2025 season. It is hardly an ungainly sum for a Gold Glove-winning first baseman with Lowe’s offensive production, but since Lowe turns 30 in July, Texas might’ve been considering the longer-term question of whether or not Lowe was a candidate for a contract extension.
Today’s trade answers that question, and gaining more flexibility at a premium position allows the Rangers to both see what they have in internal options, or to potentially keep first base open for a bigger free agent or trade target down the road. Or, such a bat could still come this offseason, as Texas now has an even greater need for left-handed hitting depth after dealing Lowe.
It was no secret that the Nationals were looking to upgrade at first base this winter, as such free agents as Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt were on Washington’s radar. Walker signed with the Astros and Goldschmidt joined the Yankees just within the last week, which quite possibly prompted the Nats to complete this trade as the first-base market continues to quickly thin out.
The Lowe deal is the clearest sign yet that the Nationals are ready to end their rebuild after five straight losing seasons. The Nats’ youth movement has led to CJ Abrams, James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Luis Garcia Jr. becoming parts of the everyday lineup, but plenty more offensive help was still required for a team that finished near the back of the pack in several major offensive categories.
In adding Lowe, the Nationals now have a player still in his prime who can bring a veteran voice and championship experience to the clubhouse, in addition to what Lowe can provide on the field. There is even a slightly hometown-hero aspect to the trade, as Lowe was born a few hours’ down the road from D.C. in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Nats have plenty of payroll space available, so Lowe’s salaries aren’t any kind of concern for the team. Addressing first base by trading for Lowe instead of, say, spending much more in salary and draft capital to sign a Walker or a Pete Alonso allows president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo to still keep his financial powder dry for other big moves this winter or (perhaps more likely) next offseason or potentially at the trade deadline. Rizzo and team ownership might prefer to give it one more season to see what they really have in their young core before really putting the pedal down in a full-fledged run towards contention. In this scenario, Lowe is already under control if 2026 is really the Nationals “go for it” kind of year.
Garcia’s role in the deal shouldn’t be overlooked, as the Nationals now have an even greater need for relief pitching after dealing away a southpaw who showed plenty of promise in his first two Major League seasons. Washington claimed Garcia off waivers from the Marlins in August 2023, and the lefty has a 4.03 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 46.6% grounder rate, and 7.4% walk rate over 91 2/3 career relief innings.
Fifty-nine and two-thirds of those frames came last season, as Garcia posted a misleading 4.22 ERA that was inflated by some bad luck. Garcia had a .329 BABIP and a very low 57.2% strand rate, and his 2.71 SIERA is perhaps a better reflection of just how solid Garcia’s performance was in 2024. The left-hander doesn’t bring much in the way of velocity, but his fastball is used primarily to set up his excellent changeup, which was quietly one of the more effective changeups thrown by any pitcher in baseball.
With a swath of above-average Statcast metrics, Garcia will provide a huge boost to the Texas bullpen if he can replicate those numbers on his new club. Garcia joins Jacob Webb and Hoby Milner as recent new additions to a relief corps that was destined to undergo an overhaul with Kirby Yates, Jose Leclerc, and David Robertson all entering free agency. Since this trio is still unsigned, the Rangers could seek out reunions with any of their own free agents, but naturally it makes sense to fortify the pen with other longer-term arms like Garcia. The left-hander turns 29 in June but is arb-controlled through the 2029 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pete Alonso 1B Texas Rangers
I think your lasagna went bad and you’re hallucinating.
Spotrac had the 2025 payroll projecting 20M under 2024 with $10M on for Lowe. They can add Pete, have a healthy deGrom and compete for a 2nd WS title in 3 years
– not a Ranger fan in the least, but an upgrade from Lowe to Alonso would be a strong move
Alonso isn’t clearly better than Lowe over the past 2 years. The Rangers also need to add 2 more relievers and a starter, so they won’t go big for Alonso. Instead, they are giving 1B to Burger.
Honestly seems like a waste of an extra 10-15MM Alonso will cost. I love Pete, but he’s not worth that much more than Lowe. Would be a terrible decision by Rangers brass.
How do people follow the game and still have these notions? Alonso sank to mediocrity in 2023-2024—worth a lineup slot but not much more than that (and barely that in 2024) and you may even have heard the rumor he’ll be a year older in 2025. For players hoping to hang on for a few more years, that’s bad news.
For R-R 30 yo bad defensive 1Bmen already in steep decline, it’s usually the death knell. The chance that Alonso will be better than Lowe over the next two years, even while doubling his salary? 20%, at most. In 2024 Alonso was worth about 1/2 what he was in 2022. He’s no longer a middle of the order hitter on a serious team.
On OBP and glove alone (top 10-20% by Statcast) Lowe’s much more likely to hold value—never mind that Lowe is already the more valuable player.
I’d be surprised if TEX signs Alonso but maybe. (30% chance?)
Alonso lost a potential spot in WASH. If he agreed to be Full Time DH more teams would be possible, but I don’t think he wants to do that
Globe Life Field was decidedly a pitcher’s park in 2024 based on BRef.’s park factors statistics 92/200
Alonso’s numbers were down last year, but he is not a “bad” defensive first baseman. He has average range, a terrible arm, but is actually the best at scooping throws in the dirt amongst all first baseman (which arguably is the most important part of that position defensively). Pete may not age well, but calling him a bad defensive first basement is just flat out not true.
Pretty much everyone calling pete a terrible defender also said lindors defense at SS was meaningless. They all called ohtani mvp and soto is overrated bcause of his D. They just make up whatever suits them atm
No one should want Alonzo unless they are desperate and no one else wants him and he’s surprisingly cheaper than anyone thought.
Much rather have discount Burger until he gets too expensive. Lowe better than Alonso. 2 arbitration years much cheaper than Alonso. Elite defense. Elite obp. Much rather have Santana Goldschmidt. Short term is way to go when viable option.
Scooping is where it’s at. You are signing him for hrs not his range. So many times a 1b is holding a runner or protecting the line anyways. With today’s exit velocity there’s not much time for range on the corners. It’s nice but down on the list of things to want.
@Boodge106 Pete is indeed a bad 1Bman, and scoops have a great deal of luck to them and aren’t measured for degree of difficulty. They also go into stats like fielding runs.
Fielding Runs is much more accurate than ‘hey, he scooped a lot of throws last year,’ and FR has him at the worst 11th percentile in MLB. By range he’s in the worst 3RD percentile. That’s a DH, really.
And do you think at 30 next year he’s going to get better? In 2025 or 2026 he’s a very good bet to go from “bad” to “completely unplayable in the field.”
Ive never one thought pete is a bad first basemen and ive watched many many games. This narrative is bs and wont change my mind under any circmstance. Yes he is 30, yes thre re better fielders. No he is not bad. Its really that simple. Ajyone watchi g baseball more thamn 5 years kmows what bad fielding is, and thats not pete
Do you actually watch Alonso play regularly? The eye test of any dedicated baseball fan will tell you he is not a poor defensive first baseman (unless he is trying to turn a double play, as his arm is quite bad).
It’s not that far fetched when you consider the Rangers only have 5 players signed to guaranteed contracts for 2026 and 4 in 2027.
@Rsox Rangers front office:
“Hey, we only have 4 guys under contract in 2027. What do you say we set a real big pile of money on fire?”
Not happening, he will be back in Queens
Two years ago when Steve wanted Brandon back he met with him in early December and the result was an 8 year $160M overpay. If Steve wanted Pete back, he would have overpaid him by now.
The difference between now and then is that Stearns is running the show now for the Mets. I doubt he’s going to move quickly at first base… I think Pete returns to New York, but for four years and $100M, tops.
Not an overpay. About what he deserved, mayb a year or two long, but not a high injuy risk
More than that. it will be a five year deal because others will offer more. Most likely in a fifth year even if the AAV is slightly less.
@ Raymond
100% agree, plus there’s sentimental value with Nimmo being a homegrown good guy that will be a career Met. Not saying Alonso isn’t, just Alonso plays a less demanding position than Nimms. One could argue, but I see the bigger picture.
@Sunday Lasagna Steve DID want Pete back, before he had a GM who knew better than to chuck $158m at Pete for his age 30-36 seasons. Good god.
8/162m to Nimmo was much more likely to be worth it on the field than was Alonso at the 7/158m he was offered. A 4-5 win CFer turning 30 vs Pete, a 2-3 win 1Bman going into the 2024 season, turning 30 when the deal would have begun?
Nimmo hasn’t been what the Mets hoped, but he’s still a very useful player whose 2024 was as valuable as Pete’s and if the injuries in the 2nd half of 2024 are transient Nimmo will still be an above average LFer capable of 3-4 win seasons.
Steve Cohen still has final say over Stearns I would think and it would interesting to know (but they would never admit) that at any time in the Soto negotiations did Stearns try to talk Cohen out of signing Soto (especially when it passed the 650M threshold)
If the NYM does bring back Alonso I hope they convince him to DH like 30 games and take some days off (Start only 145 games instead of 160)
@Camikey Even $4/100m for Alonso doesn’t make sense for the Mets.
He doesn’t project as a useful player in 2026-2028 and with the steep decline may not be more than Dave Kingman 1972-1975.
Alonso at 4 years also cements the worst corner infield defense in baseball—unless the Mets are going to wing it with Vientos at DH and at this point either sign Bregman, too, or also wing it with Mauricio / Baty at 3B.
If you’re going to spend 25m a year on a corner guy Bregman makes infinitely more sense than Pete, even at 7/175m—and Bregman can probably be had for 8/170m. GG defense at 3B, and Vientos gives you average defense at 1B, where he’s played before.
I’d rather move Vientos to 1B and wing it at 3B, adding a backup IFer who can play solid defense at third and put that 25m AAV towards pitching. Even Cohen has payroll limits, so 4/100m towards Alonso is 100m not spent elsewhere.
Manaea + Vientos 1B + Maurico / Baty / FA backup (Kim?)
….has to be a better bet than…
Alonso + Vientos 3B + the worst 25-30 starts the Mets will suffer.
Just the improvements on corner defense alone should snuff an additional 25 outs.
@YaGotta Well, they don’t have to convince him—they can just tell him ‘these are the conditions…’
But Alonso playing ANY games at 1B at age 30 when he was already one of the worst def 1Bmen in baseball? Don’t do it!
@metsfan1992 Not happening. Stearns, being a reasonably smart guy, wants nothing to do with Alonso while Cohen, who did want Pete back when Eppler was leading FA decisions, has to be careful about playing GM the way he did in 2021-2023 when he ran the team into the ground, and careful about alienating one of the game’s better GMs by taking all the major FA decisions out of his hands.
Stearns didn’t move to NY to be Cohen’s assistant GM.
Could be. Better for mets if nats need a 1b than rangers. No way alonso wants to be sitting behind the mets going forward, texas a better bet for him
Jake Burger 1B Texas Rangers
If that’s they case they are going to finish .500 or less and miss the playoffs
Sure seems a good number of teams are making moves to drop payroll, this offseason.
Maybe because of diamond sports.
@ Dogbone
Inflation has taken a toll on many.
A weak move. Texas is emulating the Astros’ approach to 1B, 2022-23. RIP.
Yea I can’t imagine what other plans they have and it honestly seems like a great fit
yeah…… no
I do think Alonso will re-sign with the Mets, but he will have to take some kind of a very steep humble pie discount on years and total dollars, unless that original $158M offer stands.
I think they might even treat it almost like one extra year of arbitration and give offer him 1 year/$30M but no more than that…. maybe 2 years/$45M or something….
Bottom line is Alonso bet on himself, but he bet wrong and will likely have to go crawling back and accept scraps compared to the original extension offer.
crazy accepting “scraps’ is 20-30 million.
There is one team that might throw a wrench into Alonso going back to the Mets, and it could be the SF Giants. They have been looking for an upgrade to their first base position and Alonso would get the local fans to start talking baseball.
Rangers making room for Alonso?
Nah they just got Burger and need money to add 2 reliever and a starter.
They just traded for Burger so I doubt it. I’m guessing they’ll use the financial savings to sign a closer and Joc Pederson
Yawn
I get it. The Angels have put you to sleep every year since 2002.
That was a positively half interesting post. Now go find 50% more intelligence and try again, claude.
nice one!
That would still only be 75% interesting… yikes
noooo…
Looks like there’s nobody left but the Mets for Pete Alonso. Should’ve taken the offer last year,Pete!
He really should have
The rangers would be. Mariners still possible
Rangers traded for 1B Jake Burger, right? And Mariners are actively trying to lower payroll.
Don’t laugh as I expect Pete to stay in Queens but IF he’s still available and the Sox are able to trade both Yoshida and Casas for pitching, they can make a play for both Alonso and a third baseman. I don’t see it happening unless the Mets only offer a four year deal max.
Dewey who are they trading casas to for pitching?
Triston Casas is a golden god and not leaving Boston
I think the mariners will have to settle for Connor Joe.
Mariners need Alonso at 1B more than any team, but ownership wants nothing to do with a big salary. I think they’re still fuming over Santana returning to CLE. Nothing much left of value in the 1B market. Jerry & Co probably also irritated CLE traded Naylor to AZ at a doorbuster price.
Just curious, have you looked at Luke Raley’s 2024–especially the last two months in which he played regularly?
Seattle really needs help at 3B, 2B, and DH. At 1B, they really just need a RHH to complement Raley.
Raley’s fascinating: for a pretty good defensive outfielder, he’s really not as good at 1b. I do think they’ll platoon Raley and Locklear, put Garver/Haniger and maybe Turner at DH. They really need a new 3b, though.
Raley was kind of thrown in to the job at first last season. With an offseason of preparation and spring with Perry Hill, I think there’s a good chance we see significant improvement defensively at first.
I still have a hard time believing they can/will carry both Mitches next season.
I read somewhere that Raley doesn’t actually like playing at 1B. No idea if it’s true but that is something to consider.
I listened to an interview with Raley on a local Seattle sports radio show when he was first traded to the Mariners from the Rays and he said that “first base is my preferred position.” Not that he is awesome at it, but that is what he said. The M’s Badly need a 3b, 2b, high leverage reliever and 1b/DH who hits lefties, in that order in my humble opinion. . Hope they have a wonderful plan that all of us just cannot see or make out jus yet…….Yep. New years Resolution- “Be Optimistic.”
Raley’s not great at 1B, admittedly but he’s not in the tier with the worst of them, the likes of Alonso for example.
Put him there for the season (in 120 games) and he’ll be -5.
I agree, though the first base platoon partner to face LHPs could be an outfielder as well, especially if they move Haniger.
Good point
Mets aren’t getting Pete Alonso back and it’s a blessing. Not to say they are better off without him. Typical ny sports mess there with the Mets.
or they could fix their uneven mound
@chemfinancing Agree with the 1st sentence. It’s hardly a mess, though.
Overrated home-grown player says he desperately wants to come back after being unconscionable greedy and turning down far more than his play warranted—a different PBOPS than made that offer says all the right things while resisting the team owner’s pressure to re-sign him.
The Mets are handling this well while avoiding hurting the player’s market by saying, “are you kidding? Do you know the track record of 30 yo RR 1Bmen?”
It’s all on Pete. Boras had him dreaming of Judge money, but no one made Pete dump his prior agent to go with the greedy man’s agent.
I wonder IF NYM wants to wait till Alonso signs somewhere else before they find someone else to replace him.
Is it possible they concerns they will take a PR hit from some fans IF they sign or trade for somebody first. – meaning they prefer not to bring him back but they want to make it look like they got outbid,
@YaGottaBelieveAgain I wouldn’t think so. It’s pretty well understood even among some casual fans what the track record is for players like Pete, the Mets are targeting 90 wins, and payroll’s already up to $250mso it’s not like accusations of ‘the Mets are cheap!’ kind are going to get traction.
It’s more a kindness to a former player than anything else: They don’t want to kill his market by saying early last month “no, we’re going in a different direction.” Plan A seems like Bregman, Plan B also involves moving Vientos to 1B but putting Ronny at 3B and / or picking up a good backup IFer who can handle 3B without embarrassment.
Btw, look at all the things the Mets DIDN’T do. There were a lot of 1Bmen available on one-year deals and they didn’t sign any of them, so the plan almost has to be to move Vientos to 1B since if they were going to make him a DH they wouldn’t be sitting with two holes at the corner IF spots heading into Christmas.
All these first basemen playing musical chairs and the Mariners seat is still empty.
Justin Turner will share that seat with Luke Raley
Luke Raley is the reason Seattle hasn’t been in on any of these bigger names at first base.
If they bring Turner back, I would imagine he would DH most nights and play first vs. LHPs.
But I don’t think Turner’s a lock to return.
I think Turner prefers the West Coast, and there aren’t that many other clubs who needs someone like him like Seattle. He will see the writing on the wall soon and take Seattle’s lowball demand.
Turner is 40. He might not find a team willing to pay him and could be done.
There are no guarantees in baseball. I wouldn’t have a problem with Turner returning to Seattle, but I could see him with a number of teams.
My belief before the offseason kicked off was that he’d be looking for 10-12m and Seattle would offer around half of that.
I’m curious where he goes and for what amount. After watching Santana get 12m, I’d imagine Turner won’t be quick to accept any low-ball offers.
On a side note, I don’t respond to commenters who have proven themselves worthy of the mute option, Blue Baron. I can’t see muted commenters comments and I like it that way.
This reminds me, special thanks to everyone at MLBTR for providing a great site of concentrated news and a place for respectable baseball fans to interact and discuss what’s happening in the baseball world.
And extra thanks for that mute option to easily ignore those who have trouble being respectful!
Nah Santana has much more value than Turner defensively and as a switch hitter. Turner is now a passing 1B who’s better suited a part time DH.
Santana is the closest comparable player and his value as a switch-hitter is limited because he didn’t hit RHPs that well. He’s far better as a RHH now.
Turner may end up with less, but I’d be surprised if he accepts a 4-6m offer, which is what I’d expect from Seattle.
But who knows, maybe Seattle will ante-up if they go cheap elsewhere.
Stevil: I agree. There are several trolls who are on here to make personal attacks. They get the Mute every time.
who’s making personal attacks, and what are they?
@Stevil Likewise, but if he’s not willing to sign for his age 40 season for something like 1/8, 1/9m he’s likely to be on his couch on March 1st.
Strange career. Age 29 on he’s put up about 3/5ths of a HOF career. If he’d come up with one of the well-run teams we’d probably be talking about Turner’s HOF case.
No wonder he looks miffed in his BB-Ref photo.
Lmao what is Texas even doing smh what do they have that we need
Doesnt look like much, saving some bucks
Everyone is making moves but…The SS Mariner is sinking into the Puget Sound…Texas has something up their sleeve I believe!
The Poseiden Adventure in 2025 for SEA? Not as bad as Titanic.
First movie version was Great!
Cheer up, there’s still time for the Seattle front office to panic and overpay for Santander.
Am I missing something on Robert Garcia? Seems like Texas sold low here.
Could be signing Pete Alonso????
@junior
Shouldn’t have anything to do with getting such a low return. It wasn’t like they were dumping salary.
KnicksFan: The article says that Lowe’s increasing arbitration price tag is a factor in the Rangers’ decision, so they are dumping salary in a way.
@Blue
If Vlady was traded today for a meager relief pitcher then are the Jay’s dumping his salary?. To me the players value and his contract have to be upside down to call it a dump. Trading a player to lower payroll isn’t a dump when the player is performing well with 2 years of arbitration left. Trading a player whose performance isn’t worth good cost is dumping a player.
OK
Burger 1b maybe. Better there than 3b
Garcia will be setup or closer rest of this decade. Lowe 2 not cheap years and declining. Smart move by Texas.
@greatgoodbye
They definitely sold Lowe.
Garcia had some very good perpherials. 2.71 SIERA, 2.77 xFIP, 2.38 FIP, 30% K%, 6.4% walk rate, 98th percentile barrel rate, 107 Stuff+. Strikeouts+lots of bad contact+low walk rate is usually a recipe for success. Based on just that, he looks like he has closer potential.
low vs Lowe
The Rangers could’ve just non-tendered Lowe if they wanted to shed his salary. Maybe Garcia’s slightly better than nothing, assuming he’s actually worth a roster spot.
Say what? Non-tender 3 WAR 1Bman turning 29 who has 2 years of team control and will make something like 10m and 14m?
It’s remarkable they got this little in return, and you want them to give him away?
He is a very good strikeout pitcher but suffered when games were on the line.
No!!!
For a potential closer who strikes out a ton of guys as a lefty is fine, but giving up a Gold Glove/Silver Slugger for that is not ok.
His silver slugger days are over it appears.
I think Washington is getting solid MLB player. Good for them.
There have been so many first basemen changing teams just the last few days,they had to make a move or they would have had to get Connor joe.
More than solid. Above average borderline good. Just not good enough for 5 years of Garcia. But if you value defense and can live with low hrs he is nice.
@westcasey They must be over the moon. Strange that the Rangers didn’t shop him around. This can’t be the best they could have gotten.
Another 1B signing! Who “might” be available sign ir trade besides Alonso? Yandy Diaz? Tork? Lamonte Wade Jr? Getting down to the nitty gritty here. Wasn’t there a rumor last year that Texas was looking at Diaz?
Yeah, but we didn’t have room for him on the roster. We certainly do now! I hate this trade, but if it gives us a guy like Alonso, maybe I’ll support this…
I hope you guys grab Alonso. I’m rooting for the Tigers to trade for Diaz.
Last resorts Rizzo Bell Tellez. I’d look at the trade market.
Ryan Mountcastle, Triston Casas, Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth. All logged innings at first last season and have been floated as trade candidates in recent months. That’s just the trade market. There are plenty of names still available with a highly reasonable salary.
Not sure how I forgot all them since they’ve been in the rumors recently! It will be interesting to see which 1B gets signed or traded next with the recent run on them. The trade returns have seemed pretty low so far.
Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner got us a very average reliever? There must be more coming back.
That was my first thought.
Pretty nice return indeed for a guy the Nats claimed off waivers just last year.
Silver slugger days or should I say day is over. Nothing average about that reliever other than his velocity. He will work back of pen for rest of decade.
Garcia is actually pretty good… 2.38 FIP and a ton of red on his Savant page. Also controllable through the end of the decade. I think you guys are gonna end up liking this trade a lot.
I watched Garcia everyday last year. Davey over taxes all his relievers, but Garcia was maddening. Anecdotally, at times, he was lights out and other times…not so much. He is a hard thrower, though.
Obviously some scout is in love with him. To me guys like this are a dime a dozen on the waiver wire. Texas just gave away a solid everyday player for financial savings.
No joke overtaxing relievers. Kid had 72 appearances.
He has about average velo for a reliever, a little on the low side for a late inning guy (about 94).
Alonso’s going back to Queens I think. The Nats and Yanks were two of the biggest threats to sign him, and both have got their 1B elsewhere.
Surprised of the little market for the Polar Bear, the draft picks hurt him. I can see him taking a short term deal with player options like Bellinger did last year..
Santana Goldschmidt Lowe Horowitz Naylor Walker whoever else all near as good as Alonso. So why pay him 200m? I wouldn’t even want to pay him 100m. Might be worth it but Goldy will be just as good at 12.5 or whatever he got.
Pete’s gonna linger. I don’t think the Mets really want him back. I think they REALLY want Bregman at 3rd and Vientos at 1st. Of course they’ll take him if he ends up a bargain or someone goes wild and snags Bregman for a huge number (watch the Blue Jays). But their preferred infield doesn’t include Alonso and I don’t blame them. Vientos/Bregman at the corners is a lot better defensively than Alonso/Vientos.
I doubt it’ll happen, but Alonzo at W Sox Park could put up video game numbers. If no one makes him a realistic offer, Reinsdorf would be wise to make him a one year offer that he can’t refuse.
It could result in a Win-Win for both sides. Sox could trade him at the deadline for a building block, and Pete would be in an even better situation to negotiate after the season. But I doubt Jerry is willing to spend that much money.
@seamaholic 2 Yup, that’s the winner. Vientos at 1B / Bregman at 3B saves something like 25-30 outs vs what the Mets ran out there most of last season. Call it 15 runs and in one sense you’re close to adding a free regular.
Best news of the offseason so far for Nats fans. Bonus is they won’t have Alonso’s contract weighing down the roster into the next decade.
“Threats” to sign him? Comrade, the Mets just want to be done with the p.r. matter of not signing Pete while making nice noises.
Even if Toronto was selling on Vald, I don’t think the Mets have enough to get him.
Sure they do. The question is, do they want to part with what it would take? Personally, as a Mets fan, I say no.
I think theyd part with almost any of the hitters. Controllable pitching is another story
Also, if Toronto was selling they would not do so after the entire market found solutions for 1B. They would get more value by being ahead of the free agents. It’s just not happening.
Thats 100% incorrect. They have a price, that price has nothing to do with anything else going on. Either it is met or it is not (@sgt)
@Ray
You have an amazingly annoying arrogance about your opinions. @sgt is right. If the Jay’s felt the need to end extension talks and to move him now then it wouldn’t made much more sense to offer him right after Soto signed with the Mets or we saw the Tucker situation unfold. Vlady is a difference maker offensively. His limited position polarized where he might go. Teams that need offense and have the DH or 1b positions open.
Im not sure what youre saying. Sorry if i offended you but people who dont realize america is at war are a huge problem
Our country has been at war for my entire adult life.
Vlad is only one year. It wouldn’t take as much as you think. Similar to the return for Tucker, who set the market for “one year of an All Star but not MVP hitter at a low leverage position.”
Vlad Jr. should have been traded last off-season. I don’t see him signing an extension now. Would not be surprised if Toronto pulls what the angels did with ohtani and regret it for many years.
Trade him at low ebb?
A 2 win player in 2023? The return would have been dismal.
The Mets could do a deal with Baty, Drew Gilbert and one of Mauricio/Acuna/or Jett Williams and another minor leaguer. The Jays could in turn take the money Guerrero is expect to make this season (he’s projected at $29.5 million) and shock the Baseball world by signing Alonso, who at absolute best will still only get about half of what Guerrero will get in free agency next winter
And be worth about 10% of Guerrero over the life of their deals.
Yanks couldn’t match that offer?
Am I missing something on this Garcia kid?
I dont think so. Decent k/9, but I think Garcia was like the first guy out of the pen for the Nats. He wasnt the main set-up guy
@bucs
I would have to believe a decent prospect arm beats a low leverage relief pitcher.
I was answering the question, “am i missing something?”
Almost same price and Goldschmidt almost as good maybe as good. It’s close. Potential to be better.
Garcia 7 8 9 inning guy. What 5 years? Not many teams have that. They wouldn’t want to trade it. I wouldn’t want to beat it with a prospect.
Also not a kid. 28 and a late-bloomer.
No. They don’t have any good lefty relievers which limit homeruns and have five years of control remaining.
I think the Rangers fell for “smartest guy in the room” syndrome. Garcia’s deep numbers are indeed much better than his back-of-the-card numbers, and so they flattered themselves at how smart they were to chase him. But he’s still just a 28 year old middle reliever with an OK K rate. And coming off a year when he was overused, too, which is alarming.
This trade makes 0 sense to. Can someone fill me in?
*to me
Apparently, Robert Garcia is a potential closer who has great FIP and strikes out many batters, and is worth 15 trade value. Lowe “only has” 6-7 trade value.
Interesting. I just think RP are not worth much at all in terms of contracts/trades, so moving an above average MLB hitter for a flyer at RP just strikes me as odd. Feel like they couldve gotten more for Lowe
Era over 4 in his career? I want him nowhere near the closer role lol
ERA is pointless when you don’t give up base runners to the other team unless you give up a lot of home runs for every hit you give up.
Where do you get trade value numbers?
baseballtradevalues.com/
The value is a hypothetical number. But I digress it’s practicality.
Thanks for the link!
Traded for Burger to play 1b who is cheaper with more years. Lowe declining no longer cheap. 5 year of late inning reliever more valuable than 2 years of Lowe. Easy win. Easy trade to make.
For Washington they can find relievers. But if they want 1b it’s massively pay Alonzo, make a more expensive trade, or dumpster dive remaining free agents.
Were the rangers affected by diamond sports trouble?
The Rangers had one LH Reliever last year make at least 25 appearances (Jacob Latz). They get a second LH Reliever for next to nothing and dealt from a position of at least some depth
@Benjamin The Rangers sold very low.
Does this mean Smith or Jung, or Crim or Burger take over 1B? Maybe a platoon? Does this open up DH for JD Martinez?
If they traded Lowe just to put Smith there I’m gonna lose my mind. Nothing against the guy but you traded away a gold glove defender and a silver Slugger just to play Smith?
Maybe they’ve saved enough dough to bid on Alonso.
I’d guess burger. Did they really trade for him to play 3b?
NYM fans can have attachment issues with players. Alonso gave fans a ton of thrills 2019-2022. And one 2024 WC homer that will join the Todd Pratt 1999 post season blast in team legend. But his last 2 regular seasons were not an illusion. He transformed into Lucas Duda. Would virtually disappear for a week with feeble listless at bats and come up empty with RISP. That happened. Team can do better.
They cant do better right now. (Without knowing trade options). Alonso is best available option. Simply a mtterof cost. Except perhaps bregman
Rangers sold Lowe.
@Top – LOL! And Nats got Nate.
Rangers got Rob’d.
Totally unrelated but I have to mention it. Jon Stewart said about the trumpster mixing up two guys “If the plane’s going down, that’s not willie brown. If the flight’s not going great, you’re probably flying with nate.”
Smh I’m reserving judgment, but on the surface you traded a Silver Slugger and gold Glover to get a guy with an era over four for his career. If you shock the world and sign Alonso then okay but you’re going to put burger at first when he’s a horrible Defender?
It’s not the end all, be all. His Babip was .331 so he had some bad luck. League average groundball rate but excellent flyball rate limiting homeruns. 5 years of control.
Era is awful irrelevant stat. Who gives a it what it was in 2024. You want to know what it should have been in 2024. Hint under 3. What it should be in 2025. Hint under 3.
Are you betting on another silver slugger? Hint it would be a awful bet.
If the Rangers made that trade to sign Lowe, who will be better in 2025-2026 than Alonso just to pay Pete twice what Lowe will make plus however many more years the deal requires, they’re unfathomably imbecilic. They’re godless heathens worshipping at the altar of Baphomet. They’d use the wrong fork for the plain salad!!!
Seriously, that alone would warrant ownership firing everyone on the spot.
This trade is a major coup for a Nationals team with plenty of payroll space. Lowe’s glove will help the pitching staff and a defense that was bottom three last season. Nationals park is more conducive to base hits than Globe Life field so I expect his hitting will improve further. The young nucleus is much closer to contention than many realize. At this point they just need a couple of relievers and a third basemen.
I agree with you, dankyank. The Nationals are a well-run team and they’ve stocked up on lots of young guys with high ceilings. The pitching is still a work in progress but i could see them having an above-average offense next year. I wouldn’t be shocked if they finished above .500.
They needed a lefty hitter who draws walks. Would like josh bell for dh.
Nats lost trade already. Garcia is simply more valuable. Lowe is a good fit. Best fit compared to what’s left. See why they made move. But not a coup.
I was good with the Bellinger acquisition, especially if he was playing 1b. But now, after seeing the relatively underwhelming returns for Naylor and now Lowe or verbs the question, wtf Cash? Those are younger, in the short-term term, cheaper and likely as good, if not better, options than Goldschmidt. Unless the Guardians and Rangers were asking for far more but willing to settle, then I have to believe we could best those offers without giving up top talent. Plus, they’re both lefties. I know Cash is a smart guy and knows what the team needs better than I do because he mentioned it several times. So why couldn’t we have gotten those guys? The only thing I can imagine is that they really like Ben Rice and plan on using Goldy as a placeholder, but that still wouldn’t prevent them from acquiring Naylor or Lowe, even if for 1 year.
I think he thesis that cash and stein panicked after losing soto gains more evidence as we go. What was the rush, where was the patience? We’ll see what stearns does and until then we wont know but his patience seems to be paying off. It will bebineresting to compre their offseasons eventually but its looking spotty for he yankers and the mets obviously have work to do
@Ray, yawn!
@Ray
That’s the thing, he didn’t rush. He started talking to Walker almost immediately. He knew what he wanted. But as soon as Walker signs, 4 1b are signed or traded. So it wasn’t a rush it was a calculated choice. I just don’t understand the “why” when the FA without QO were signed on the cheap and the trade costs were modest for Naylor and Lowe?
I think you are contradicting the first part by the second part. They didnt wait to assess all options and figure out which way the market was moving. But i wasnt talking strictly of the 1B situation. The cost of lowe seems absurdly small, not sure i get it. We will see what burnes gets before we know how badly they messed up
@Ray
Again, I don’t see it as a rush. The market for Walker stagnated. I’m sure every GM worth their sale has had conversations internally and with other GMs and agents about every viable 1b. One Walker signed, 4 top 1b were either signed or traded for. I’m sure it happened quickly nevertheless the groundwork had already been laid. My only question is “why Goldy over the others”. The others were the same or less expensive and most importantly lefties that were arguably better.
I honestly don’t see the panic part that keeps getting put forth. Whether they signed Soto or not they still had many moves to make as do many teams. What exactly did they need to wait for? For guys they like to get picked up or traded? These front offices draw up plans beyond one guy as they prep for the offseason well in advance. What else do you think these guys do all day?
The odder thing, to me, was the Mets getting Montas, Bellinger, the Angels guy (blanking right now lol) so early. Those guys weren’t coming off the board any time soon.
To gauge the markets. Thats why patience would have made sense. Fried is the big one, 8 years is absurd imo but we will see what burnes gets. Fried and bellinger seem reactionry to me, attempts to placate the fan base. Could be wrong
@Salzilla, “We’re going to pay you 760 million dollars, and you can’t pay for your own suite?”, doesn’t sound like panicking to me (; That sounds calculated and measured.
Some people value their opinions quite highly.
No that sounds emotional and petty
We lost the World Series, man, we were always going to have a big offseason. Yanks have always responded with big moves to things like that.
In 2008 we didn’t go to the postseason for the first time in forever, and responded with Tex, CC, AJ, and Swish and subsequently won our last WS. This feels like that reaction. It may seem panicky to some, but this is standard practice for NYY.
Last season the entire market hinged on Ohtani and Yamamoto, but got going after each. This time it was Soto. There’s nothing else to gauge, he was off the board and the work needed to be done.
Fried was one of the best FA pitchers, he was going to get paid. Personally I preferred Burnes and less years, but I dont hate Fried at all. The dude is really, really good! Talks of Bellinger to the Yanks goes back a bit, too, since his dad played here as well. That’s a trade I though was happening at the deadline tbh. Both of those do a lot for this team and for me it doesn’t feel like panic, it feels like getting the job done.
And for those that say Yanks covet the big names over a lot. Well, yes! It’s the NEW YORK YANKEES, there’s massive marketing involved as this is one of the hugest markets and that Stadium has to be full at all times. So of course making big deals and getting big names is part of it. Anyone that wants otherwise here is rooting for the wrong team because it’ll always play that way.
I can understand hesitating on Walker out of a desire to avoid draft pick penalization. However, there were perhaps a dozen candidates on the trade and FA markets available for $12.5 million or less. Heck, Spencer Horowitz was traded all of a week and a half earlier.
If we believe all available reporting, Cashman immediately locked in on Goldschmidt after the Astros grabbed Walker. He wasn’t looking to be persuaded on any alternatives, no matter how practical. That’s why they never advanced out of the talks phase with Santana. That’s why the trade market was never explored. Its really hard to look at the optics and not blame the GM.
I think we can safely dismiss the argument that Goldy was the only option, or even the best value when Cashman cared more about signing a big name.
@dank, all that is speculation as I doubt you were in the war room when these decisions were made. You don’t like Goldy’s signing. Okay. But it seems you’re being a little dramatic (“already aging poorly.”). Since he hasn’t even taken an AB, is he refusing to shave his beard?
@Ray, nah… That sounds like the biggest “gethefoggouttaheeah” (in my best NYer accent). And I love it.
I edited my post. There’s no need to argue against deleted argument. I’ve yet to see a single piece of evidence from posters defending the signing that proves the Yankees offered a contract to another first base eligible player (excluding Christian Walker).
Your side wants to play up a fear of the unknown precisely because they’re incapable of refuting the criticisms.
Talks are not a contract tendered. Live with it.
A suite is no different than the paycheck. Saying no was arbitrary and petty. Just give the cash and offer one reserved for him every year. Absolutely insane if this impacted the deal
Ray, tbh, I have a feeling Hal just got the feeling he was being played and stopped where he did. Boras and Soto kept adding till one of them said they were either out or this was it.
I hated losing out in the moment, but in hindsight with that same feeling and stories that he never had any intention of coming back, I’m honestly glad Hal stopped there.
@dank, okay, my bad!
Maybe they didn’t. I would have rather had Naylor or Lowe, but I am not making those decisions. Perhaps the “brain trust” (used loosely) didn’t think those guys were a better option. That’s what we have, and here’s to hoping that Goldy hits .280, 28 HR, and drives in 85. My bad, for the young kids a 3-4 WAR (highly unlikely).
He’s hit .268 and .245 the last two seasons and even his second half average was all of .271. You may want to lower your expectations. If he hits .260 and produces a win and a half in 130 games, I think that’s the absolute best we can expect.
@Ray, maybe 765 was the ceiling for the Yanks and i doubt Soto would have taken 16/750 + a suite from the Yanks over the 15/805 + a suite from the Mets. In the end, Soto wanted top $ and he got it. I ain’t mad at him. But only in a haters mind is what the Yanks have done post Soto panicking. If they would have lost out in some of the signings theyve made, you would’ve ridiculed them for not doing enough.
@dank, if I’m gonna hope I am going to hope big. If I’m going to rely on the empirical, I don’t need hope.
@Sal
I agree with you 100%. It was never a “if then” scenario. Soto or no, Soto, they still had to replace their starting 1b, 2b/3b, LF, CF, and closer. It would’ve been incredulous to give Soto $760 mil, then go bargain shopping on the other positions. Now, it doesn’t mean you have to sign Bregman to a contract you don’t like, but you do have to address it in a meaningful way. Maybe Fried doesn’t happen if they signed Soto, but that’s because they already had 6 SP under contract. They could’ve gone all prospects to fill 1b, 2b, and CF, but the team is already pretty young, and it would’ve put a lot of pressure on the kids to succeed quickly. I’m not in love with the devision to go with Goldschmidt, but it’s a short-term deal at a position we can easily pivot from if needed. Something tells me that if Bregman would accept 5/$150 then he’ll be a Yankee. Yanks had $81 mil of old money coming off the books. Between Fried, Belli, Williams, Goldy minus Cortez and Trevino I would guess The Yanks michy be under that $81 mil that came off the books. I have to imagine, having offered $765 mil with multiple holes to fill they bug be willing to go above last years spending. I do think the loss of draft picks and pool money might be more of an issue which is why they may hedge tried to get Arenando in a trade instead.
@Ray
We were almost dead last in offense from the 1b position and Belli checks a lot of boxes. He’s relatively young, can play multiple positions at an average to above average level, is a lefty and has good pedigree bring a former WS and MVP winner. And I bring up pedigree not to sell him to the fanbase but to build a good locker room. No player on this team has ever won a WS other than Cole prior to this winter. Judge is the captain but he’s still trying to figure out winning in the post-season. By no means am I saying they can win WITHOUT him being a major or part of it but maybe Belli, and hopefully others can big brother him? I also like that Fried has won a WS too and clinched the deciding game in a 6 inning shut out.
It had been speculated that TEX was open to trade Lowe for weeks..
I’d be surprised if Cashman didn’t talk to them about a trade for him. According to BR he isn’t going to be a FA until 2027
Maybe they think there is a good chance they can convince Bellinger to stay in 2026 and having him and Lowe was kind of redundant
I don’t think Goldschmidt will have a bad 2025
I think thats true, biased by they knew cohen would just keep raising so finally the yankees decided they were raising future prices higher for no reason
Burnes and Buehler are definitely taking their time to decide where to sign and Sasaki isn’t allowed to sign till Jan 15th
I think they are the best 3 FA still available
@Ray
If you have a standing policy that players have to pay for their own suite then it’s neither arbitrary or petty. It’s one thing for Aaron Judge to tell mngmt that he won’t be jealous of Soto if he’s signed to a much larger contract but it’s another of you grant him privileges you didn’t make available to others in the lady 30 years. At $760 buy your own suite and don’t invite clubhouse jealousy.
“We’re going to pay you 760 million dollars, and you can’t pay for your own suite?”,
==========================
If I were the NYY, I’d have walked out at that point. What’s next, his dry cleaning tab? An omelet bar? Flavored coffee?
Out of all the moves the NYY have made I think the Fried contract was the worst one.
The other ones I think will generally work out.
The only failure of the other ones would be opportunity cost, the investmemt risk othrwise is miniscule to nyy
While I agree with you that I’d rather have gotten Naylor, I’m more iffy on Lowe. I guess it comes down to exactly what the Rangers would have asked from the Yanks and/or Cash’s willingness to deal away more pieces. Sometimes cost is different depending on the team.
I also think he’s still in the process of working out that Arenado deal. He may also not like those guys and more than likely has a plan for next season. Lots of options for 1b tbh and the one thing I keep saying, the one year deal we did get is both good for the prospects of getting Arenado and keeping us in the market next offseason. Or Rice, but I’m less inclined to believe he’s the long-term plan.
Either way we still upgraded over Rizzo, and I’m not sure Lowe would have much better, so I’m not complaining.
But just to comment on the actual deal, Rangers SHOULD have gotten more. That’s very cheap for a decent–not great–1b.
Where would Arenado play? Jung is a pretty good 3B.
Arenado to the Yanks, seam, not Texas. 😉
I think we can safely say that as a deeper pocketed organization with an even weaker farm system, the Yankees are an even better fit as a salary dump destination. In the event that the Rangers stuck to their demand for a reliever, I still wouldn’t be too worried since Matt Blake is an absolute wizard with obscure bullpen arms.
If he’s so smart,why is Aaron Boone still the manager?
Maybe he likes to be the smartest guy around to keep himself employed?
I am also confused by their acquisition of Goldy over Lowe for all the reasons Knicks stated. The only thing I can think of is that, aside from a “Yankees tax” by the Rangers, they see something they don’t like with Lowe. Otherwise, I don’t get it. Yankees breed RPs that are just as good as the one the Rangers received (or at least it appears so), so what was the holdup?
Interesting offseason for sure. I’m hearing some of the more reputable pundits talk that the Yanks have another move for the IF coming…. Many think it’s Arenado, but a few have postulated it’s a 2B acquisition on the horizon.
Nonetheless, it finally feels like a Yankees offseason….
These returns were expensive. Yankees have a high round pick with mid rotation or closer potential failed to develop but still possible to pitcher? 5 years of setup man closer? I know they don’t have a competitive pick.
Goldschmidt just as good. Probably will be in 2026 as well if they want to sign him again. Or Santana may be still going.
Trash trade for Texas.
Weird trade for The Rangers. Even if it’s a money dump, Lowe should be able to bring back something better than a AAAA reliever. But then again, I thought the same about Cody Bellinger, and we all saw how that turned out.
Winning trade for Texas. Got a 7 8 9 innings guy for 5 years.
Don’t think it’s for Alonso. Possibly Burnes though since they were in on Fried…
Seems pretty obvious they’re gonna go big bird hunting here shortly, although they may not get anyone.
Imo if they are gonna shoot their shot, the better land them if your dumping salary to take the shot. Otherwise you did the trade for nothing
Burger or whoever there already is 1b imo. Unless no one wants Alonzo.
Lowe is a really good player. Can’t complain he’s out of the division.
Garcia kid is interesting and I’m sure Texas is not done, but this feels like a deal that sets up something else.
I think Burger set this up. Got a cheap 1b and dumped salary. Picked up cheap reliever.
I don’t love it. Lowe only hits like 15 bombs a year but he is a good OBP guy. I don’t buy into burger really, he has power but he never takes a walk and could easily have a 280 obp next year and could be a DFA candidate if everything goes wrong, those profiles tend to lose it quickly (see baez).
I’m not sure what the rangers plan is. I think langford is solid and seager is still great but other than that there are tons of question marks in the lineup.
Is semien finally age declining or was it just a down year? Is adolis shaky plage discipline catching up to him? Can Evan Carter be good or is he a bust? The offense could be anywhere from bad to great.
I want to see Semien make the HOF. He’s already about 3/4 of the way there and may continue to age well. Btw…
2018-2024
Semien 37.4 bWAR
Soto 36.4 bWAR
So padres are running cronenworth back to 1B
Awesome. Another subpar offense year at the 2nd most important offensive position behind DH.
Preller will do something about this.
Rizzo gets a quality offensive and defensive first baseman for a middle reliever with a 4 ERA.
Well done. This is a nice Adam LaRoche-style addition but the Nats can use more pop.
Let’s see if they can add Santander or Bregman.
@Drew
It’ll be interesting to see if Rizzo and Verdugo have any bounce back left in them? I think Riz will catch on somewhere for 1/$5 mil
He was talking about the Nats president of baseball operations, not Anthony Rizzo.
In response to your comment, I think Anthony Rizzo will have a decent bounce back and end up on a decent team. Verdugo will have a tougher time because he will likely end up on a rebuilding team and have less lineup protection. I think 1/6 on Rizzo for a team like Minnesota. I think 1/9 for Verdugo on a team like the Athletics.
Anthony Rizzo is at least 50-50 not to receive an MLB offer and retire this offseason.
You might not like it when you see his era holds saves in 2025 26 27 28 29. Teams don’t loo at era. His era should have been 2 something. That’s what Texas traded for.
Juan Yepez hates this trade.
Another Solid move for Rangers. Now to get some more pitching help. The Lineup is good.
Why is that a solid move? Garcia is a 28 year old middle reliever with a career era of 4 who might not even make the rangers roster. This was a pure salary dump move.
It can still make sense in the end but unless they sign Alonso this clearly makes the lineup worse and takes a 350 opb hitter away from a lineup that was 19th in obp last season.
Burger has more power than lowe but he projects to like a 290-300 obp. If evan Carter doesn’t bounce back/get healthy this could be a bottom 5 offense in obp, only seager,semien and langford really project for an above average obp, jung, burger, adolis and taveras are all low obp guys.
Ahmergawd that’s d lo brown’s music !!!
Mostly a salary dump. The Rangers do get another arm for the bullpen, even if he’s been replacement level for his career. Texas might well use the money for more bullpen reinforcements. My guess is the Smith gets most of the 1B starts, with an occasional Burger and fries. (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)
This frees up $ for Burnes since they were in on Fried
Pete is losing millions by the day
As he should.
Now, if he could only lose 10 pounds.
It’ll be interesting if he understood this offseason that to have any chance of putting up 3-4 more seasons as a competent regular he has to completely revamp his approach, depth perception, weight, nutrition…. or if he’s just not bright enough to understand how important that is.
I’m betting on the latter. Pete appears to have added no skills anywhere since he reached the majors and appeared to believe he was due Judge money. That’s a bad combination.
NL East – 1. PHI 2. NY 3. WAS 4. ATL 5. MIA
Love to see it but I don’t see Nats beating Braves either. Though division for a rebuilding team to make a move.
Nats need to start extending their core or the all become FA before they ever make their move.
They own the Braves. They just have to play well against NY and Philly. They are heading in the right direction.
Rangers will sign Joc Pederson to be their DH versus RHPs.
They’ll also continue to hope that Kirby Yates and David Robertson re-sign with them.
This is the deal that Cashman should have made. Lowe is 8 years younger than Goldy and a lefty hitter.
I was hoping for the same. 2 years of control too. People seem to think they’ll be in on Murakami next year. Or try for Tucker and move Bellinger to 1b. But it’s hard to go on what could be or maybe next year. I would rather have something more secure now.
Washington seems well-poised to make a huge jump in 2025 if they have the budget to buy more help.
They absolutely have the budget for more help. Question is mostly just whether they’re willing to add any commitments beyond a year or two.
They have literally no reason not to be. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen though lol
Would have expected a bigger retun, not necessarily huge but more. Im surprised that the othee teams looking for 1b choose to go in other directions than beat this return. Id argue lowe would be just as good next year as naylor, santana, and goldschmidt. Seattle could have easily beat this as well.
What out knowing what else TEX has in mind and knowing more about their in house 1B candidates I would have rather kept Lowe for another 2 years or so. His salary isn’t outrageous.
Jake Burger can play there but you just hurt yourself defensively.
I don’t know why TEX traded for Burger anyway he seems like a poor man’s Alonso type of player.
The pitcher doesn’t have that long of a track record and so many are so inconsistent. I get there is an immediate need for a RP and he is inexpensive but smh
I’m not sure what’s worse Nathaniel Lowe or Jake Burger
Guess I’m going to have wait until the New Year for the Mariners to do anything. The Mariners already have their stars in Julio and Cal, they just need some final additions to their supporting cast.
They have their star in Randy Arozarena
What a horrible trade for Texas
I’m thinking what a horrible trade for Washigngton but still confident they are going to field a decent ball club (pitching aside)
A for Texas. 5 years of setup closer for 2 expensive years of declining 1b.
D for Washington. Gets on base and defense low power 1b who makes real $. Little surplus value next year. Will need to trade him, extend him, maybe do a QO but he could accept it. I like Lowe. Just a lit of years and a lot of arm to give up. I might have found production elsewhere and called Rizzo or reunion with Bell. Took on Bellinger. But they got a good 1b and can find another reliever.
The Yankees were in desperate need of a first baseman and they couldn’t beat this offer?????
We sign FoolsGoldschmidt instead. .What The……
We need to catapult Cashman,
What am I missing? Seems like such a light return for a good hitting and strong fielding 1st basemen. Why would the Rangers give up on him and move him for so little?
As a Nats fan, I like adding a solid bat and GG defender, but we really need some right handed power in the lineup. We now have Abrams, Garcia, Wood, Lowe and possibly Tena from the left side, and only Crews and I guess Yepez as righties in the top of the lineup.
Still, getting two years of Lowe, for Garcia, is a good trade.
am i missing something or is this a steal for the nationals?