caulfield12

Frazier basically averaged a 1.4 fWAR for four seasons before 2021. That said, he’s going to be 30 next year and likely jumping in salary from $2.5 to around $7.5 million…plus only one year of control. Compared to the money Hernandez would have made or Leury is projected to get…and the fact he MIGHT have figured some things out like Chris Taylor later in his career, or Graveman as a pitcher, a very much calculated risk. For SD, shedding 2022 payroll was the biggest point, when they already have Profar, Kim, Cronenworth and a full outfield. “In Seattle, we are happy. The M’s have a gapping hole at 2B and a LH bat. Frazier fills those needs. We were looking at Marcus Semien. He is still an option but now the team is no longer desperate. His price may come down as a result. There is no infield log jam here. The M’s can afford the $7.5M for one year. Then they re-sign him or let him walk. Instead of needing a 2B the team can look for an infield bat at any position. Kerr had no role in Seattle due to the numerous young pitchers at AAA. Corey Rosier looks like a good prospect but is too far away to predict what he will become. So, I think it works out for all involved.” It’s kind of ironic that he’s both LH and a slappy/gritty contact-oriented player in the Madrigal or Chris Getz mold.

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."

Need the Indians to sign Jose Ramirez to a massive deal now…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Stove_League_(TV_series) You can watch this with her…just search the title and dramacool. Then she will get it.

There were never going to be more than 5-6 teams to begin with. Dodgers, pretty unlikely with all their options…and Jansen potentially returning. Have Treinen and Knebel already. Phillies and Blue Jays…the Rays hate to allocate that kind of money even for one season on a relief pitcher. Angels if Iglesias doesn’t resign. Padres too financially strapped, Melancon could return on a relatively cheaper deal despite his 2021 headline numbers. Finally, the Brewers are looking to trade Hader for the right return.

Gausman, Scherzer or Ray signing will basically force suitors remaining at the altar to take a hard look at Rodon. You’d have to believe Kershaw somehow ends up back with the Dodgers. Will believe it when I see it about all these options coming to fruition in the Keuchel and Kimbrel markets.

Haven’t heard any S.Suzuki mentions for awhile…if he doesn’t sign with a West Coast team, anything is possible.

If they were so prescient, they should have recognized Eduardo Escobar’s quad was going to hold up and Hernandez would go into a free fall on both offense and defense. Or are they going to blame that on Allen Thomas as well, instead of their scouts? On the other hand, the one who scouted Tepera deserves a promotion.

I never thought it was a good fit, because they already had five infielders for essentially three positions and a crowded outfield…so why would the Pirates not try to sell high on him? All it did was ended up putting more players used to being out there nearly every day on the bench, and the entire team lost its offensive rhythm. The White Sox discovered the same lesson trying to change Kimbrel’s role into something he has never been. Sometimes mo move is better, and certainly just making cosmetic changes without addressing the core problem (starting pitching) isn’t going to fix anything.

Never a good fit in SD…classic first half over performance based on career history followed up by a total fizzle.

Sounds like the same exact things we heard about Adam Dunn…although Conforto is obviously a more well-rounded player, that was supposed to be a slam dunk signing. The skepticism about the Sox setting a new Sox overall contract dollars record on a guy who in previous markets would have been a solid buy lower guy is quite natural because it’s only taken one Cohen to distort the market upwards. And that’s largely without the Yankees and Dodgers making themselves heard, or the Angels. Heck, even the Cubs are in a situation where they can’t wait another 4-5 years to be competitive again after shedding all those stars.

Probably just a misstype...hang in there and don't do anything too hasty or out of desperation with the market suddenly moving so fast now.

Except for the significant age difference...

Except Graveman is adding stuff to his arsenal, not slowly losing it.

Well, about the only guarantee here is Conforto is gone now or Cohen is personally attempting to corner the entire FA market as he blows through luxury tax thresholds.

I would be shocked if Jansen got 4 years. You hedged a bit with 3, but 2 or an incentives~based third year feels like the likeliest scenario. Also depends ultimately on what happens with Raisel Iglesias. Just not sure it's such a slam dunk that Dombrowski will risk his last GM job on overpaying for Craig Kimbrel as some of these scenarios are suggesting.

That money has to go to Scherzer, Semien, Seager, Gausman, etc. Backup plan is S.Suzuki when Conforto becomes too expensive to justify for a complementary player...especially as he ages with a 4 year deal.

Chicago Cubs Sign Carlos Rodon No, this isn't some sort of ham-handed gesture to stick it to White Sox fans. The Cubs need a starting pitcher in the worst way who misses bats. One presumes that Chicago isn't ready to dabble at the top end of the free-agent market, so that rules out Max Scherzer and probably also Robbie Ray. Rodon is a significant injury risk, but in terms of performance, he found himself in 2021. The risk part of the equation is what makes him affordable, or at least more affordable than Scherzer, Ray and Gausman. Rodon is also just 29, so if he is entering a post-injury phase of his career, now could be the perfect time to acquire him. Chicago White Sox Sign Marcus Semien The second-best second baseman in the free-agent market is Cesar Hernandez, which pretty much means that if the White Sox want to upgrade what they had at the keystone last year, they are looking at spending on Semien. OK, there are trades. Maybe the Cubs would be willing to accept a do-over request on the Codi Heuer/Nick Madrigal/Craig Kimbrel/Ryan Tepera trade, though Tepera is a free agent, so I guess that won't work. Maybe the Guardians would part with Jose Ramirez. If that's the case, great, but who do you have to give up? Seems like the increase in payroll from just signing Semien would be worth it rather than further thinning out the Sox farm system. https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/32698041/one-bold-offseason-move-every-mlb-team-make

Escobar to the Mets, $20/2 as predicted. The New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $20 million contract with free-agent infielder Eduardo Escobar, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Escobar, 32, is a versatile switch-hitter who can play second and third base but also played 18 games at first after being traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Milwaukee Brewers last season. EDITOR'S PICKS

Why wouldn't the Phillies simply sign Kenley Jansen for cash?

They would laugh at that...look at his fWAR last year. Kelley would have to have been absolutely dominant to be the second piece.

Well, there's nobody in or around baseball that can question our young core...other than some lingering doubts on Kopech and Cease, or Crochet starting. On the position side, no way. Unless we want to go back and quibble over the Madrigal pick.

When’s the last time there was a team with too much outfield defense? The 2014-15 Royals? Seems to have worked out pretty darned well for them running out Gordon, Dyson, Cain, etc. It obviously depends on the asking price…and the Sox paying a “divisional premium” like we similarly saw in the Q and Kimbrel trades with the Cubs. But man would it suck if he (now) finally lives up to his massive potential in the AL, especially with the Astros.

Cue the we need a LH hitting, contact-oriented hitter crowd…seems Baez will get roughly $90-105 million, would the White Sox gamble even more on an offensive rebound compared to the obvious concerns over Conforto’s 2021? Can definitely see Detroit shying away from Correa’s price tag, especially with the Miggy Cabrera contract fresh in mind.

The White Sox, as you asserted heading into the offseason, are the #2 team in baseball. Why can’t we find examples from their fan boards where they are lauding the Sox organization…by attempting to compare themselves to US? Why aren’t the White Sox considered the gold standard, instead of us always chasing them? We keep saying they’re so brilliant for almost acquiring Burnes, or at least targeting him…so why don’t we credit the Brewers for properly valuing their asset and not trading him away? It can’t be that we trade assets away like Tatis, Bassitt, Montas, Narvaez and Semien and nobody could have possibly foreseen their development…when that’s exactly what happened with other organizations. Somebody evaluated and obviously wanted to acquire those specific players.