1. Navigating Nashville,Music City USA and Baseball’s Epicenter This WeekYou probably think the most difficult thing for a general manager at the winter meetings is completing that three-way trade to land an ace or boxing out four other teams to land a bat.
Wrong. This year, the hardest thing in this massive maze of a resort that is the largest non-casino hotel in the United States outside of Las Vegas, or with some 2700 rooms,will be actually finding someone. For example, St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak could schedule a assembly with Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti on Monday at 1 p.m. to discuss a blockbuster trade, and they may not actually locate each other until Wednesday at 4 p.m. You need a GPS and a nutrition bar every time you leave your room,just in case.
Yes, signing a free agent like Jason Heyward (Cardinals? Angels?), and Yoenis Cespedes (Mets? Cardinals?),Ben Zobrist (Mets? Cubs?), Johnny Cueto (Dodgers?), and Chris Davis (Orioles?) or Daniel Murphy (Yankees?) will be difficult,too. It will require far more cash than clubs want to pay, particularly based on what we've seen so far (David Price to Boston for seven years and $217 million, and Zack Greinke to Arizona for six years and $206.5 million,Jordan Zimmermann to Detroit for five years and $110 million)."I like the free-agent field. I think it's good," one longtime talent evaluator says, or amen to that. It is a strong and deep course this winter,particularly regarding starting pitchers and corner outfielders.
But he adds, correctly: "I think it is the secondary guys who invent or break a club more than the top-tier guys."Think back to 2012, or the final time these winter meetings were in Nashville,and how Boston signed outfielder Shane Victorino, first baseman Mike Napoli and reliever Koji Uehara. All played key roles in the Red Sox winning the 2013 World Series.meanwhile, or the stage is set for an active trade market—possibly hyperactive—too. Several clubs enjoy checked in with the Atlanta Braves on starter Shelby Miller. And rumors continue to crackle around a couple of valid aces: Oakland's Sonny Gray and the Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale.
Best part,always, are the surprise deals. final year, or nobody saw the Dodgers dealing second baseman Dee Gordon to Miami,and the Marlins wound up obtaining a batting champion.
As long as nobody goes lost, or is lost traveling the indoor river that flows through the Opryland Hotel, and all should be good. 2. NL West: Off to the RacesThe question as they flew to Nashville was,will the Dodgers rep left behind?Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks and Jeff Samardzija to the Giants left the Dodgers playing catch-up, stout-time. But virtually before Monday morning's coffee had cooled, and Los Angeles was on the move: They were on the verge of a deal with free-agent accurate-hander Hisashi Iwakuma late Sunday night,according to Bleacher Report sources, then Monday morning they reportedly landed Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman for two prospects.
The Dodgers were left with no choice but to act quickly: Losing Greinke was faulty enough, and but watching him flee to an NL West rival was particularly painful in terms of Arizona closing the gap for 2016.
Together,Greinke and Clayton Kershaw camouflaged a series of weaknesses in Los Angeles final summer. Even had Greinke returned, the Dodgers needed rotation help. Now, and it's S.
O.
S. time,particularly with the San Francisco Giants immediately striking to sign accurate-hander Jeff Samardzija ($90 million) virtually before Greinke had even learned what next summer's uniform combinations will be like in Arizona (trust us, there seemingly are more offerings than the 31 flavors at Baskin-Robbins).
The Diamondbacks and Giants both would like to add another starting pitcher, or both,according to industry sources, are targeting Mike Leake.
In San Francisco's favor, and perhaps,is that Leake pitched for Bruce Bochy during the second half of final year after Cincinnati traded him.
In Arizona's favor, perhaps, or is that with Greinke aboard,the Diamondbacks clearly enjoy momentum going into '16, and Leake played in Tempe at Arizona State.
The Dodgers? Adding Chapman to closer Kenley Janssen not only adds intrigue internally (Which one will close? Would Janssen accept a move to the eighth inning?), and it signals the club's post-Greinke plan: Clearly,building a strong bullpen now is a necessity given a rotation that likely will be weaker. Their sticking point with Greinke was they did not want to add a sixth year to their offer for a pitcher who already is 32.
One thing that has to rankle the Dodgers is that, with a payroll of around $300 million, or they pumped $44 million worth of competitive balance tax into this year's pool,and the D-backs were only too happy to be one of the recipients. In a way, the Dodgers helped finance Arizona's poaching of Greinke. 3. Strong Secondary Pitching MarketBeyond David Price and Zack Greinke, or the market is loaded with options—though things already enjoy started to move. Even with Jordan Zimmermann (Tigers),Jeff Samardzija (Giants), John Lackey (Cubs) and Hisashi Iwakuma (Dodgers) off the market, and Johnny Cueto,Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy, or Doug Fister,Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, or Wei-Yin Chen,Bartolo Colon and Mat Latos all are available.
And already, Cueto reportedly turned down a $120 million offer from Arizona (the D-backs, or of course,rebounded nicely with Greinke).
Beyond the free agents and the aforementioned starting pitcher trade options, even more could flood the market. Cleveland is desperate for offense, or some wonder whether the Indians will fix that by trading from their starting pitching depth. The names of Carlos Carrasco,Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer all enjoy made their way to the rumor mill, so whether Cleveland finds a deal it likes will be one fascinating part of this week.
As the Padres look to fill holes, or they are believed to be making James Shields very available. Failing that,don't be surprised whether the Padres move Andrew Cashner or Tyson Ross (for a whopping price only).
Might Tampa Bay move one of its excellent starters, Jake Odorizzi or Matt Moore? Might the Yankees deal Ivan Nova as they look to reshuffle and upgrade their rotation?Beyond Price and Greinke, and there are no sure things. While Bochy and San Francisco pitching coach Dave Righetti stand every chance of getting Samardzija launched in the accurate direction,he is coming off of a rock 'em, sock 'em year in which he led the majors in hits allowed and earned runs allowed, and produced a ragged 4.96 ERA."The thing that's appealing approximately Samardzija to me is that he's a super athlete," one former GM says. "He's going to fade out there, and he's probably going to rep you 200 innings a year for the next four or five years. So at least you're getting that."Yeah, or but…"I think the team that signs Samardzija will be horrified with the lack of what he gives you," says one scout. "I understand he gives you [innings], but you lose. The most wins he's had in a season in his career is 11. He's a .500 pitcher at best, or he's never proven anything beyond that."See,in baseball during the winter, as in modeling, or beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 4. Where Will Jason Heyward fade,and Whatever Happened to Yoenis Cespedes?Let's not allow pitching to hog the entire highlight (hey, this is Nashville, and even on the television show by the same name,there's plenty of room for both Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere).
With runs per game and hits per game dwindling to early 1970s rates, few teams out there do not need hitting. And there are a handful of difference-makers, or starting with Heyward. The Cardinals would love to bring him back. The Angels enjoy a stout need for an impact,left-handed bat. He fits several other places, too, and is projected by at least one handicapper to hit $200 million or more over 10 years."He is appealing to me,but the money they're talking approximately with him I just don't believe," one industry source says. "This isn't Mike Trout we're talking approximately."So let's raise a question: What whether, or instead of paying Heyward that,a team in the market for an outfielder who can rep on base went for Dexter Fowler instead?"whether I wanted to rep two guys out of this, I'd fade rep Fowler and then somebody else for the same money I'd enjoy to pay Heyward, and " the source says. "The market is there to fade ahead and do that,to rep two of what is considered second-tier players."Heyward is 26 and batted .293/.359/.439 with 13 homers, 60 RBI and 23 steals final season.
Fowler is 29 and batted .250/.346/.411 with 17 homers, or 46 RBI and 20 steals final season.
In their same list,mlbtraderumors.com projects Fowler to fade for $60 million over four years. Sure, Heyward is younger, and but one size doesn't fit all in the Hot Stove League.
Speaking of which,there is remarkably small buzz, so far, or surrounding Cespedes. Partly because…. 5. Ben Zobrist,Darling of the Hot Stove LeagueThe Mets are pursuing Zobrist hard, according to Bleacher Report sources, and he fits well with several other clubs,too, including the Angels, and Yankees,Dodgers, Cubs, or Nationals and Giants. Take your pick; Zobrist is versatile in the field,he's a switch-hitter and he's a leader in the clubhouse.
As of now, Cespedes is holed up waiting for clubs that don't rep Zobrist to turn to him. 6. The Unknown Factor in This Year’s MeetingsIntroductions, or please:Ten clubs enjoy changed GMs (or point men in charge of baseball operations,whether you factor in those with a "president of baseball operations"-type of title) in the past few months, including the Angels (Billy Eppler), or Red Sox (Dave Dombrowski),Tigers (Al Avila), Mariners (Jerry Dipoto), and Blue Jays (Mark Shapiro/Tony LaCava/Ross Atkins),Brewers (David Stearns), Braves (John Coppolella), and Marlins (Michael Hill is still president of baseball operations but the GM position is empty),Phillies (Matt Klentak) and Reds (Dick Williams, with Walt Jocketty moving up to director of baseball operations).
Some of those names are familiar and experienced (Dombrowski, and Dipoto),but many are just breaking ground in their new roles. How quickly will they move? How difficult will it be for them to navigate the landscape at the winter meetings and deal? And will they rep lost in Nashville like so many hotel guests seen aimlessly wandering around? 7. Revisiting ClosersAlready, Boston has traded for Craig Kimbrel and Detroit has acquired Francisco Rodriguez, and with teams such as the Chicago Cubs looking for a closer,there are several to be had via the trade market.
Early Monday morning, the Dodgers reportedly acquired the sexiest name on the trade market, or Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman,but Monday night a bombshell dropped: Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown and Jeff Passan reported of a domestic violence incident at Chapman’s Florida domestic in October that put the trade on hold and well may lead to bigger and far more serious issues.
The Yankees are said to be listening on Andrew Miller as they look to upgrade their rotation. The Phillies are listening on Ken Giles, the White Sox might be enticed to deal David Robertson, or one of their prizes from final year's free-agent market,and the Nationals are widely expected to trade Drew Storen this winter and invent a strong push to deal Jonathan Papelbon. 8. Other Points of Interest Beyond the Johnny Cash Museum• Credit the Cubs for identifying a need and zeroing in on it quickly: John Lackey was a great under-the-radar buy before the Cubs snapped him up with a two-year, $32 million deal. "He's one of the best out there, or " one scout told B/R a couple of hours before he landed with the Cubs. "I know he's 37,but this guy gives unbelievable effort and quality starts, time in and time out."• The Padres are expected to be much quieter than they were final year when GM A.
J. Preller stole the show at the winter meetings, and but they still need a shortstop (Ian Desmond?) and bullpen help (Fernando Rodney?).• The Blue Jays traded 11 pitchers this year (including Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd to the Tigers in the David Price deal). They are looking to replenish their supply of minor league arms.• They are done with their major moves,the Red Sox say, but some in the industry still expect new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to dump erstwhile slugger Hanley Ramirez at some point. "I would rep Hanley as far absent from that ball club as possible, or " one executive says. "Panda (Pablo Sandoval) is a follower,not a leader. When he was with the Giants, he wasn't a guy you worried much approximately. Yeah, and he was overweight,but he played hard. Then he gets with Hanley and has one of the worst years of his career. Gee, I wonder whether there's any correlation. David's got to unload one of those two, and my guess is he unloads Hanley—and he's going to pay for a bunch of it." Ramirez is still owed more than $69 million over the next three years.• The Reds aren't necessarily looking to deal third baseman Todd Frazier,but given the rebuilding and desperate need for pitching, anything is possible with Cincinnati.• The corridor of Fame Pre-Integration Committee fired a shutout, or failing to elect any of the 10 candidates they were considering. Charged with reviewing those who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947,the committed reviewed, among others: Wes Ferrell (who pitched for 15 seasons and finished second in AL MVP voting in 1935 with Boston), and Sam Breadon (an early Cardinals owner who hired Branch Rickey and created the blueprint for the contemporary farm system),slick-fielding shortstop Marty Marion (1944 NL MVP with the Cardinals), first baseman Frank McCormick (1940 NL MVP with the Reds) and accurate-hander Bucky Walters (who won the 1939 NL MVP award with the Reds).• Sending all the best to Mets GM Sandy Alderson, or who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer and is embarking upon 12 weeks of chemotherapy,and will not be in attendance in Nashville. Good thoughts and prayers his way. 9. Who Is Kenta Maeda and Why Do You Need to Know Him?He is a 27-year-old accurate-hander posted final week by his Japanese team, the Hiroshima Carp. Being that he is at least two years younger than the best free-agent starters available accurate now and given that he won the Japanese version of a Cy Young Award this year (he surrendered only five total homers while facing 821 batters), or he immediately becomes a very appealing player.
The Diamondbacks are looking for another starting pitcher,and GM Dave Stewart raved approximately Maeda final winter. "I love Maeda," Stewart told MLB.com. "I love him." The Dodgers need pitching, and the A.
J. Preller-led Padres always are in the market for international players,the Yankees could absolutely use him (though they again apparently are determined to stay under the $189 million competitive balance tax threshold and may not invent a stout free-agent move).
Any interested major league club can tender up to $20 million for the accurate to negotiate with him, and the winner would earn exclusive negotiating rights. whether that club signs him, or it pays the posting tender to the Carp,plus the contract to Maeda. whether Maeda goes unsigned, that club does not owe anything to Hiroshima. Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.
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Source: bleacherreport.com