Hot Stove League 2017

First up. R. A. Dickey signs one year deal with Atlanta. Good fit. Braves want a veteran who will eat innings and be a good influence on their young arms. Dickey is from Tennessee and gets to work closer to home.


Braves sign Bartolo Colon! gulp

Braves To Sign Bartolo Colon

By Steve Adams | November 11, 2016 at 9:30am CDT
9:30am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Colon will earn 2.5MM in 2017 (Twitter link).
9:24am: Colon’s contract is a one-year deal, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Unlike Dickey’s contract, it does not contain any kind of option, he adds.
9:14am: Right-hander Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with the Braves, pending a physical, reports MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). FanRag’s Jon Heyman had tweeted just prior to that report that Colon signed with a team other than the Mets.
Colon, 44 next May, has spent the past three seasons with the division-rival Mets, undoubtedly leaving many New York fans feeling jilted with this new deal. He’ll add another veteran source of innings to a Braves rotation mix that is teeming with young arms but also with uncertainty. Atlanta picked up veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickeyon a one-year, $8MM deal yesterday, and Colon figures to do better than that coming off a superior season. Atlanta fans may question the decision to ink a pair of pitchers that are a combined 85 years in age, but both have been highly durable workhorses in recent years.



Neil Walker accepts the Mets' qualifying offer.

A good deal for both sides, probably a bit better for Walker.


my guess us that they trade Flores now. Too bad.



FilmCarp said:

my guess us that they trade Flores now. Too bad.

Hope not. Walker is a bit fragile, and there has to be room for heart on the team.



FilmCarp said:

my guess us that they trade Flores now. Too bad.

Remember that Johnson and Loney are FAs. Jose can't be the only backup 2B,SS, and 3B-man. Unless they go with Ceccini or Reynolds or Rivera, Wilmer could be safe.



jimmurphy said:



FilmCarp said:

my guess us that they trade Flores now. Too bad.

Remember that Johnson and Loney are FAs. Jose can't be the only backup 2B,SS, and 3B-man. Unless they go with Ceccini or Reynolds or Rivera, Wilmer could be safe.

Who would you rather have at 1B ... Loney or Duda?


Duda can hit you 30 bombs. Loney can hit you 30 weak pop ups to third base.



Robert_Casotto said:

Duda can hit you 30 bombs. Loney can hit you 30 weak pop ups to third base.

And what's the operative word there?

Go ahead ... Hit me with it.


I'd rather have Duda. Streaky, but more upside.



Robert_Casotto said:

weak?

Can is the word ... Duda's only hit 30 HR (wait for it) ... ONCE.


in 2013-14, he hit 30 and 27 HRs, with OBP of .349 and .352. Loney tends to hit for higher BA, but Duda walks a lot more. And as much as Loney is better with the glove at 1B, he really doesn't have any more range at the position than Duda. For those who care about defensive metrics, Loney has been on the decline for several years in Defensive Runs Saved, and at this point, he's about average, near 0 DRS per season. Duda is around average as well, but was at +5 and +4 in his last two full seasons, which was an improvement over his previous seasons. So there may still be some upside in his fielding.

As long as Duda is fully healthy, he's the pretty clear choice.



ml1 said:

in 2013-14, he hit 30 and 27 HRs, with OBP of .349 and .352. Loney tends to hit for higher BA, but Duda walks a lot more. And as much as Loney is better with the glove at 1B, he really doesn't have any more range at the position than Duda. For those who care about defensive metrics, Loney has been on the decline for several years in Defensive Runs Saved, and at this point, he's about average, near 0 DRS per season. Duda is around average as well, but was at +5 and +4 in his last two full seasons, which was an improvement over his previous seasons. So there may still be some upside in his fielding.

As long as Duda is fully healthy, he's the pretty clear choice.

Full agreement here. Loney was a godsend when he first arrived and replaced Campbell, but watching him everyday you understood why he was released.


Kendrys Morales signed by Blue Jays, meaning Encarnacion is almost definitely on his way somewhere else. Boston is a great fit for him, with Ortiz retired. Has to be an AL club with a DH position available.

This also makes it slightly more likely that Toronto tries to re-sign Bautista.


"Hey MLB, I thought I was the only one allowed to (bleep) Justin Verlander?!" - Kate Upton



Train_of_Thought said:

"Hey MLB, I thought I was the only one allowed to (bleep) Justin Verlander?!" - Kate Upton

Stay classy, San Diego ...


"Hey Kate, don't look at us. The dame you want is the BBWAA." - MLB



When they play Columbia, I love to not love Seton Hall Prep. But in this case, I'm definitely happy for Porcello, the Prep guy.


And his taste in colleges was impeccable, even if it went no further than a letter of intent.


McCann to the Astros for two young but promising arms.

Yanks now put all the weight of catcher on Sanchez, with Romine as the backup.

Meanwhile, the Yankees Class A teams suddenly got a whole lot better.


The Astros are really stocking up early. They also signed Josh Reddick to a four year deal the other day, and late last year they signed Gurriel to add to a pretty decent team on the field. The downside is Reddick is mainly a platoon player as he sucks against left handed pitching. Still, watch out for Houston next year.


finally rid of McCann. thank you Hal.


He was not the thumper they thought they were signing, that is for sure. Like so many free agents, their best years are behind them when they get the next big contract. But every so often you get a Cespedes or Beltran or Cano who continue to perform pretty darned well even as they age out, and that is why FAs keep getting signed after a few good years.


I hadn't paid attention to Beltran after he left the Yanks, so I was only aware of his slow start last season. But he ended up having a great year at the plate.

mfpark said:

He was not the thumper they thought they were signing, that is for sure. Like so many free agents, their best years are behind them when they get the next big contract. But every so often you get a Cespedes or Beltran or Cano who continue to perform pretty darned well even as they age out, and that is why FAs keep getting signed after a few good years.



Nats looking to add Andrew McCutcheon in return for trading some young talent to the Pirates.

Not sure that this helps the Nats a whole lot, unless McCutcheon returns to his previous form. And he is locked down for two more years at not-quite Cespedes numbers but still big enough to restrain spending in other areas. But if he gets rejuvenated in new digs to be the guy he was a few years ago that can spell trouble for the Mets and the rest of the division.


Red Sox get Chris Sale from the White Sox to build an awesome top of the rotation for next year (along with Price and Porcello). The price was heavy: Yoan Moncada who the Red Sox signed out of Cuba and has the potential to be a Robertson Cano-like second baseman, and Michael Kopech who has shown a really live arm and decent control in the minors (plus two other prospects).

A good trade for both teams, I think.


There's something to admire in the news below, I guess, but the Phillies fan in me who learned to cheer Charlie Hustle for at least a season or two (and who thinks he once detected Boggs and Clemens in pinstripes) can accept it only so far:

Dan Duquette: Orioles won't pursue Jose Bautista because he is a 'villain in Baltimore'

Also, Desmond to the Rockies -- and another switch in position.



DaveSchmidt said:

Also, Desmond to the Rockies -- and another switch in position.

That's some batting order, though.


And I wouldn't think he'd have any trouble handling first base.


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