Hot Stove League 2019-2020
mfpark said:
On the good side: He will give up less home runs in Citi Field because that is where home runs go to die. Porcello has always given up a lot of dingers. And, yes, facing a pitcher 2 times in five innings is a plus. But his ERA has been around 5.00 the last few years and that is not a good thing with a line up that struggles to plate 2 runs a game quite often.
HRs really aren't his problem. In 2019, he gave up 1.6 HR/9. His career average is 1.1 HR/9. Compare that to Dallas Keuchel -- 1.3 HR/9 last year, and 0.8 HR/9 for his career. His big issue last year was how much hard contact he gave up overall. More hits per nine, and more hard contact. Maybe he can get his control issues straightened out. If not, it's going to be a long season for Porcello and the Mets.
DaveSchmidt said:
I’ve toured the bowels of Citizens Bank Park. One highlight was an entire room just for the team’s caps.
I was on the field at CBP for a concert a few years ago. I was standing 20 or so feet in front of the right center wall, and when I looked back toward the infield, I couldn't believe how close I was to home plate. I can't believe MLB lineups aren't hitting five HRs a night in that place.
I went to Wright's first game back off the DL when he hit a HR. I knew by the end of the first inning that there was no way my kids were going to make it to the end of the game, even with breaks to go to the playground down the first base line. Have they mentioned anything about changing the balls again? I couldn't believe the amount of times I watched last year where I thought what was a lazy fly ball to the opposite field ended up being a HR, and not just at CBP.
ml1 said:
I can't believe MLB lineups aren't hitting five HRs a night in that place.
You’re not accounting for the grease fans blowing in from Ashburn Alley.
DaveSchmidt said:
You’re not accounting for the grease fans blowing in from Ashburn Alley.
the low drag baseballs would overcome that.
Phils sign my hero, Matt Szczur. This makes me SO happy, that he's getting another shot after stints with Cubs and Padres. If you don't know his story...
Bumgartner signs with the Diamondbacks, and the Rangers get Kluber in a trade.
It might be me, but it seems like every year the Diamondbacks go big on free agents only to wind up being a mediocre team. Other than taking it all in 2001, the Diamondbacks have not been to the World Series despite having some good years (especially 2011). It feels like Bumgartner just went to Death Valley for the rest of his career.
Kluber to Texas is another deal where an ace may wind up ending his career on a down note. The Rangers are rebuilding, again, for the third year in a row, and they are a thin bunch behind their new ace. It is likely that Kluber will round back into form after missing most of 2019 with injuries. He was sidelined by a broken arm (hit by line drive) and then a strained oblique, so no apparent damage to his pitching tendons and ligaments to worry about. But the rest of the team is full of question marks.
Not sure about the Indians' side of the deal. DeShields is a good outfielder, but his offense has declined, and offense is something the Indians need more of. The Tribe could afford to trade Kluber because they have a really deep rotation already, but I would have thought they could have gotten more for Kluber.
Couple of small headline FA signings.
Teheran to Angels for one year. The Angels need pitching, badly. Teheran immediately becomes their number one or two starter. That is how bad they need pitching. Teheran has great stuff and is durable as all hell--good for 30+ starts per year every year. But for some reason he can never seem to avoid that one really bad inning where he gets pounded. As a result he has been a .500 pitcher on some pretty good teams where he could have been an 18 game winner many years. Not sure how he will fare with the Angels, but it is a good signing for one year. On the other hand, Ohtani has been cleared to start pitching again, which will help their rotation. If healthy, Ohtani is a legitimate number one starter on a par with Cole and Verlander. But he will remain a part-time starter and closer to a full-time DH and this will limit his ability to front the rotation. The rest of the Angels starters are questionable.
Gio Gonzalez has been signed by the White Sox, another team that is steadily making the right moves to turn into a consistent contender. Like the Angels, the Sox will score a lot of runs, but their pitching is middle of the road. Gonzalez immediately slots as their number 1 or 2 starter and he should fill that role well. They still need more starting pitching depth as both Giolito and Nova were mediocre last year.
Toronto signs Ryu. 4 years at $20M per year. Risky signing for a guy who is prone to injury, but when he is healthy he is one of the top five pitchers in baseball.
Yankees trade Chance Adams to Royals for an A ball shortstop. Basically a roster move.
Arizona signs Kole Calhoun to a corner outfield spot. Good power, not much for average. Fills a spot for Arizona, but I still cannot get excited about their prospects for this year. Nice place to live, however.
White Sox continue to get better. Keuchel and Encarnacion signed. Definitely making a run for the roses in 2020.
Reds sign Akiyama. A really good signing for the Reds. First, they did not have to pay his Japanese team as he was a true free agent. Second, he is a good center fielder who can hit for average with some power. The guy posted a .390 on base percentage the last few years in Japan. Perfect lead off hitter for them.
The one downside of the signing is they already have three good young outfielders who may now get squeezed for time when they could be developing in the Bigs (Akiyama is 31). But that is not such a bad problem to have. Aquino is a lock in right field. Senzel was the starting CF until this signing--not sure where he plays now, and he is said to have good upside. Winker will stay in LF and also has good upside.
I really like the team the White Sox are assembling--a nice mix of young talent and older stars. Could be a real force to deal with this year and into the near future.
Today they signed Luis Robert to a 6 year contract even though he has not played a game in the Bigs. OTOH, he is 21 years old, has 7 professional seasons under his belt (4 in Cuba, 3 in the US minors) and last year he burned through A+, AA, and AAA ball. The kid has power, hits for average, and plays a decent center field.
Last year the White Sox did a similar 6 year deal with Eloy Jimenez who went on to hit 31 homers with an .828 OPS for the White Sox, coming in 4th in Rookie of the Year voting.
Nationals sign a very good reliever, Will Harris, last seen giving up a big HR to Kendrick in the WS (who did hit a pretty good pitch). They may have lost Rendon, but keeping Strasburg and adding Harris to the pen means they are still a very good team.
Angels sign Castro, late of the Twins, as a solid catcher. Good behind the plate, not so bad at bat. They still need starting pitching, but this was an important piece of the puzzle as he handled pitchers really well.
Nats continue to shore up bullpen by re-signing Hudson who helped make a bad bullpen better after being acquired part way into 2019. It was no accident he recorded the final out of the World Series for the Nats.
Nats keep on plugging holes while waiting to see if they can land Donaldson at third base. Signed Eric Thames for to protect Soto in the middle of the lineup and to play first base. Not a bad signing given what is available out there. Also signed Cabrera and Castro to shore up second base and perhaps third base if need be.
How come the Mets can't do things like this?
Because the Mets don't need infielders. They need to clear some roster space and add impact players, not mid range mediocre first basemen.
FilmCarp said:
Because the Mets don't need infielders. They need to clear some roster space and add impact players, not mid range mediocre first basemen.
My point is not adding infielders. It is how come they are not making any moves these days?
And after watching the success of many other teams, it is perhaps as important to add pieces as it is to find impact players--there are far fewer of the latter than there are of the former, and you need both to win.
mfpark said:
My point is not adding infielders. It is how come they are not making any moves these days?
And after watching the success of many other teams, it is perhaps as important to add pieces as it is to find impact players--there are far fewer of the latter than there are of the former, and you need both to win.
aside from the bullpen they have log jams at most positions already.
White Sox sign Encarnacion. The are clearly trying to end their playoff drought (last appearance was 2008). They definitely stack up better against the Indians and the Twins this year.
Very interesting trade between Rays and Cards.
Cards sent Jose Martinez, a hard hitting outfielder-qua DH with several years of control left, and very speedy outfielder Randy Arozarena. Rays sent highly rated right handed prospect Matthew Liberatore and a catching prospect.
Liberatore is said to be a potential ace, but is at least two years from the Bigs. Martinez hits lefties like crazy, and the division is heavy on lefthanded pitchers. Arozarena is from Cuba, has little experience in the majors, but did well in the minors and brings a speed component.
Speculation is that the Cards are making room in the outfield for Ozuna to sign with them. Liberatore also makes a nice trading chip this year or next.
Looks like a good old fashioned trade that works for both teams.
Liberatore is a lefty. (I really appreciate your updates mfpark and don’t mean to be pedantic, but I thought that was worth noting.)
DaveSchmidt said:
Liberatore is a lefty. (I really appreciate your updates mfpark and don’t mean to be pedantic, but I thought that was worth noting.)
Not pedantic--I was being unclear. The fact that Martinez hits lefties is unrelated to the fact that Liberatore is a lefty. That is just a coincidence.
Betts, Bryant, and Semien all sign deals to avoid arbitration. Big deals. Especially Betts at $27MM.
Makes sense for the Red Sox. Arbitration hearings can leave a player feeling burned, and fans pissed off. This way the Sox maintain a slim chance of signing Betts to a long-term deal rather than lose him in a walk year. But it likely means Bradley will get shipped off (at $11MM for 2020).
Rangers sign Todd Frazier to a one year deal at $5M. Makes sense for them as they have several top 3B prospects in the low to mid minors, and Texas needs a right handed power-ish bat. This leaves Jed Lowrie as the only full-time third baseman on the current Mets roster. If he can return to his pre-injury 2018 form he will be a good contributor.
mfpark said:
This leaves Jed Lowrie as the only full-time third baseman on the current Mets roster.
That’s one more than the Phillies have.
The Mets have McNeil and JD Davis at 3rd, unless you're not considering them due to defensive deficiences.
The ball room was off limits.