***Official 2017-18 Hot Stove League Thread: Peter Bourjos & Ryan Flaherty are signs the end is near (3 Viewers)

[Eephus]

Jaime Garcia and Jason Vargas probably aren't going to make the Hot Stove League's "One Shining Moment" video

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Really like the Twins getting Lance Lynn. I think they're poised to make another solid run, playing meaningful baseball into at least late September.

If I'm giving up a draft pick, I personally would have liked to lock him up for more than one year, but still a solid addition.

That's a fantastic price for Lynn.  I didn't want the Cardinals to throw 3-4 years of guaranteed money at him, but would have loved to bring Lynn back on the deal he signed.  

Not sure how many more years he has left as a starter, but his four-seamer and cutter would make a nice closer combo if he has trouble getting through the order three times.  

 

[Capella]

What did Arrieta want? 5/175?

 

[Wrigley]

What did Arrieta want? 5/175?

Boras thought Jake was a $200M player

should have taken the cubs offer

 

[shadyridr]

Yanks sign Neil Walker 1/$5m

Guess that means Drury at 3B and Walker at 2B to start the year. Who knows when we see Torres or Andujar.

 

[Man In The Box]

Yanks sign Neil Walker 1/$5m

Guess that means Drury at 3B and Walker at 2B to start the year. Who knows when we see Torres or Andujar.

Probably when Walker gets hurt. So, around April 10th. 

 

[Smack Tripper]

Jeff Passan

@JeffPassan

As most of the solid free agents find landing spots, it's incredible to look back and see some of the deals that were made. The Mets guaranteed Jay Bruce $39 million. Carlos Gonzalez, Jonathan Lucroy, Lance Lynn, Logan Morrison and Mike Moustakas combined were guaranteed $39.5M.

12:30 PM · Mar 11, 2018

But hey! Go METS!

that was a fair, good deal, I mean with the benefit of hindsight, would they sign frazier for 16 mil over Moose for 6?  I think their worst move was actually the Cabrera option.  

 

[tommyGunZ]

Justin Upton leveraged his opt-out into an extra year with the Anaheims but he's coming off a semi-career year.  Heyward and Cueto didn't perform in their opt-out year.  Both their clubs would have been overjoyed if the players opted out but they agreed to the contracts with the likelihood that they would run to term.

We'll see if the FA contracts this year contain these clauses.  While they don't cost much in dollars, they can have a significant impact on the trade value of players approaching their opt-out window.

Interesting to revisit this now after the offseaon - especially w/re to the Hosmer deal.  His deal is basically 5/105 with a 3/39 player option at the end.  Much different structure than Heyward and Cueto.  

 

[Eephus]

Interesting to revisit this now after the offseaon - especially w/re to the Hosmer deal.  His deal is basically 5/105 with a 3/39 player option at the end.  Much different structure than Heyward and Cueto.  

Arrieta also has an opt-out in his final year.

Next year is shaping up to be a test with a bigger name group of FAs and the uncertainty about the new CBA in 2021-22.

 

[Eephus]

Interesting Jeff Sullivan piece on the evolution of opt-out clauses

 

[Northern Voice]

Cobb getting a multi year deal with the O's. No numbers yet.

 

[Eephus]

I've learned my lesson on Andrew Cashner and thrown away my ten foot pole but Baltimore has put together a decent rotationn.

 

[shadyridr]

Cobb getting a multi year deal with the O's. No numbers yet.

4/60

Kind of surprised he got that much but it's a fair deal imo. He's always been a good pitcher and proven he can pitch in al east.

 

[Eephus]

I'm more surprised by the 4 years than the $15M AAV.   Cobb has the usual injury record of an age 30 pitcher.

 

[Kraft...]

Cobb doesn't seem like he should be that old, guess the injuries and missed playing time make him seem younger. 

 

[Eephus]

Cobb doesn't seem like he should be that old, guess the injuries and missed playing time make him seem younger. 

Cobb has only ever appeared as a MLB starter but he's managed to reach free agency with only 700 IP under his belt.  I guess his arm is fresh.

Lance Lynn missed a full season too but he has 977 MLB IP.  Arrieta has 1161 IP in his seven pre-FA years.

 

[Capella]

I’m sure the Rays also held Cobb back a year so they could have him for their 78 win season last year. 

 

[PIK95]

  It seems like a couple of years back it was just Tampa and a couple of others that would leave prospects down until June or whatever to gain that extra year of control.  This year it seems like EVERYONE is doing it and pretty much all the younglings on the verge already got sent down. 

  Are there any kids besides J.P. Crawford that are going to have a shot at breaking camp with the big club to start the year? 

 

[Eephus]

There are huge financial benefits for teams gaming the Super Two eligibility rules.  The extra year of team control can be worth millions for top prospects.  There's also the risk of rushing someone (e.g. Dansby Swanson) who could benefit from more time in the high minors.

I personally think this makes less sense for pitchers because TINSTAAPP and it's just as easy to sprain a UCL in the minors. 

 

[PIK95]

I get it, I was just caught off guard by the amount of teams doing it.  Are there any hitters that made the cut?

 

[Eephus]

Lewis Brinson and Ryan McMahon are the top hitting prospects who still may break camp with the big league club.   I haven't been following Austin Hays but I expect the Orioles to take the cheap road every time.

Other guys probably need a MLB injury or underperformance to get the call up before their Super Two timetable.  It happens sometimes; Cody Bellinger made his debut in late-April 2017 following injuries to Gonzalez and Toles.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I have read that McMahon is headed to Triple A because the Rockies have nowhere to play Ian Desmond. 

 

[Eephus]

I have read that McMahon is headed to Triple A because the Rockies have nowhere to play Ian Desmond. 

and because they signed Carlos Gonzalez to a 1 year deal.

I don't think McMahon is a can't miss prospect and the Rockies know a lot more about him than I do.  HRs come cheap in Albuquerque.  He may not turn out to be good enough to even worry about arbitration three years from now.

 

[Eephus]

Atlanta signs Ryan Flaherty and Peter Bourjos to major league deals for some reason.

 

[Kraft...]

Wondering if the Kingery type signing will start to become more the Norm. We saw the Astros sign some young guys early a couple years back with mixed results. The league seems to be trending young so I can see things going this way. Despite the risk factor the long term savings could be huge, you just have to hit the right player is all