MLB Chatter Thread

Cotton

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Rangers manager going on about a 6 man rotation.


I think he needs to worry about finding 5 first.
Oh, he can find 5, but it would be nice if he could find 5 that don't suck.
 

Jiggyfly

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It is a shitload in prospect talent but I think it makes the Red Sox the clear favorites to win the AL for the next couple of years. At least right at this moment it does anyway. That offense is ridiculous and now they have Sale/Price/Porcello as the foundation of their rotation. I don't think it was a bad move. It was a great move for the White Sox.

Also, last year when these teams talked the White Sox wanted Betts and Benintendi+. I think they got off a little easier this time around. As with any trade, this could backfire on the Red Sox, but they are trying to win the World Series and this move definitely increases their odds.
I am on the fence regarding prospects these days, it seems they have about a 25% hit rate and it drops even less if they will be more than a above average full time player.

With all of the young guys Boston has up and playing well I understand them going with a proven top of the rotation guy.

As for Houston a lot of the guys who were top 10 prospects plateaued or struggled in the majors last year.

I think after Bregman anybody else should be fair game but most of the almost Major level talent stagnated last year.

Tucker and Whitley are the only top level prospects we really have left, we are pretty deep at middle of rotation type arms..
 
D

Deuce

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The Royals like Jorge Soler, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine tweets. Rated as one of the game’s best prospects just two years ago, Soler has shown only a few glimpses of his potential at the MLB level and doesn’t have a clear path to regular playing time within the very crowded Cubs outfield. The Cubs shopped Soler last offseason, and Levine speculates that a deal could be worked out involving K.C. closer Wade Davis, as Chicago is one of several teams interested in Davis
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Glad Soler is drawing some interest. The Cubs are not going to get the kind of return they would have gotten for him a year or two ago but there simply is no room at the inn. He is the odd man out and does have some trade value so they have to move him. Wade Davis makes me nervous after the arm problems he had last year but if he is right he is a dominant pen guy.

The Cubs have been talking to the Rays since at least last offseason about trading for pitching. I think either Alex Cobb or Drew Smyly will be a Cub. Would love Archer but I don't see Tampa trading him and if they do the cost would be really high. He is the one guy on that staff that would compel me to include Javy Baez in a trade. Not sure what Cobb or Smyly will cost. I'm sure it won't be super cheap but it can't be a crazy high cost. Cobb is a free agent after next season and Smyly, though he has a couple more years of control left, has not proven he can pitch at a high level for a complete season. Thoughts @Deuce ?
I would deal Archer if I were the Rays. He was awful last season and never really turned it around. Showed glimpses, and then reverted back to giving up home runs. Someone will give high some good prospects for him based on his yearly control and the dominant outings in '15. I just don't think the FO will do it.

I like Smyly a lot, but he just doesn't stay healthy. Cobb is an absolute gamer and I expect him to be back to his normal game next year. He's who I would want to trade the least.
 

Kbrown

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I am on the fence regarding prospects these days, it seems they have about a 25% hit rate and it drops even less if they will be more than a above average full time player.

With all of the young guys Boston has up and playing well I understand them going with a proven top of the rotation guy.

As for Houston a lot of the guys who were top 10 prospects plateaued or struggled in the majors last year.

I think after Bregman anybody else should be fair game but most of the almost Major level talent stagnated last year.

Tucker and Whitley are the only top level prospects we really have left, we are pretty deep at middle of rotation type arms..
You will post what a reputable source like CNNSI says about Francis Martes. You will do this next.
 

E_D_Guapo

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I would deal Archer if I were the Rays. He was awful last season and never really turned it around. Showed glimpses, and then reverted back to giving up home runs. Someone will give high some good prospects for him based on his yearly control and the dominant outings in '15. I just don't think the FO will do it.

I like Smyly a lot, but he just doesn't stay healthy. Cobb is an absolute gamer and I expect him to be back to his normal game next year. He's who I would want to trade the least.
Control/command was Archer's issue when he was a prospect with the Cubs. Looked like he had figured everything out in 2015 but obviously he did not, at least not completely. I would still give up a lot for him though because he is nasty and still young enough and cheap for a few more years. Not sure he will ever be as consistent as you'd like but I'd take a chance he can be consistent enough. If the Rays don't trade him this winter & he has a mediocre season next year though his value is going to take a big hit. Now may be his peak value. Or not. If he has a great first half of the season he will still have a ton of trade value at the deadline and even next offseason (though the longer they keep him, the less of his reasonable contract is left & that will obviously make him a little less appealing).

I get why you would not want to part with Cobb but do you think the Rays are capable of contending next season? Do you think they have a shot at resigning him? If the answer to both of those questions is no then it would be silly not to get what you can for him before he leaves in free agency.
 
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Deuce

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Control/command was Archer's issue when he was a prospect with the Cubs. Looked like he had figured everything out in 2015 but obviously he did not, at least not completely. I would still give up a lot for him though because he is nasty and still young enough and cheap for a few more years. Not sure he will ever be as consistent as you'd like but I'd take a chance he can be consistent enough. If the Rays don't trade him this winter & he has a mediocre season next year though his value is going to take a big hit. Now may be his peak value. Or not. If he has a great first half of the season he will still have a ton of trade value at the deadline and even next offseason (though the longer they keep him, the less of his reasonable contract is left & that will obviously make him a little less appealing).

I get why you would not want to part with Cobb but do you think the Rays are capable of contending next season? Do you think they have a shot at resigning him? If the answer to both of those questions is no then it would be silly not to get what you can for him before he leaves in free agency.
I think they go into the season thinking they have a shot and see how it pans out. I like the Wilson Ramos pickup, but he's out til June. Morrison was dead weight st 1B last year and I'm excited to see what Duffy can do there.

My my biggest concern is Longo. He was phenomenal last season and I doubt his trade value will ever be higher than it is now as well. Waiting until the deadline for him could cause a dramatic decrease.
 

Rev

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Good, now get Napoli wrapped up.
He is wanting a 3 year deal and I think they are waiting for him to come down to 2. Seems kind of dumb but I think they will get it done somehow.
 

Texas Ace

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Red Sox To Acquire Chris Sale

By Steve Adams | December 6, 2016 at 12:14pm CDT

The Red Sox and White Sox have agreed to a blockbuster trade that will send Chris Sale from Chicago to Boston in exchange for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and two other prospects, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
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I am glad it is the Red Sox and not the Nats. A Scherzer/Strasburg/Sale rotation would be a nightmare in the NL.

The Nats will probably land Andrew McCutchen now. They wanted to try to get McCutchen and Sale, which was a pipe dream, but I am sure they can get Cutch if they really want him. They have some pretty highly rated prospects they can deal.
:towel

We're having a pretty damn good offseason ourselves.

My only concern is the lack of experience on the team. I think having such a young group is what ultimately led to such a poor playoff effort.

Hopefully they learned something from that experience and will be better for it this upcoming season.
 

Texas Ace

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Holy shit...the Red Sox got raped. Moncado was the best prospect in all of baseball...I could see them using Kopech out of the pen...he supposedly hit 105 on the gun last year. Victor Diaz was also clocked between 97-100...and Basabe is a very solid OF prospect.
I don't think it's THAT bad.

Remember, we dealt Hanley Ramirez when he was arguably the best prospect in baseball and we got a championship from that deal and now the guy is even back on the team.

For a guy like Chris Sale, it's worth the risk and I think it makes them a favorite to win the AL.
 

Carp

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You will post what a reputable source like CNNSI says about Francis Martes. You will do this next.
Getting him in the Cosart trade was amazing. Not only him, but Moran, Marisnick, and Cameron. One of the better trades in recent memory.
 

E_D_Guapo

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Cubs Close To Trading Jorge Soler To Royals For Wade Davis

By Charlie Wilmoth | December 7, 2016 at 8:41am CDT

8:41am: If completed, the trade will be Soler for Davis straight up, tweets Rosenthal.

DEC. 7, 12:58am: The teams are reviewing physicals and an official announcement could come in the morning, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.

DEC. 6, 9:32pm: The Cubs are close to acquiring Davis from the Royals for Soler, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The deal is not expected to be done tonight, however, Passan tweets. Soler is still just 24 and retains tremendous power potential, although he has struggled to harness that potential at the big-league level and isn’t likely to get much playing time on a Cubs team loaded with outfielders. Soler hit .238/.333/.436 with 12 home runs in 264 plate appearances with the Cubs last season. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated him among the top 50 prospects in the game prior to the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.
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Sounds like this is going to happen if the medicals check out. I said yesterday that it makes me nervous because of the arm problems Davis had last year. That still stands. If he is right though he is one of the most dominant bullpen guys in MLB and a replacement for Chapman at the back end.

This is another case of the Cubs trading an asset for a short term bullpen option though. Davis only has one year left on his deal. Not in love with that practice but that is kind of where things are in MLB now and where the Cubs are as an organization. If Davis has a nice year they may well extend or resign him though and that was never going to happen with Chapman. Hopefully Davis' relationship with Maddon will count for something. Not that he is going to take significantly less money because of that but maybe he would be more likely to sign a fair market extension. If he is one and done it really illustrates the soaring value of premium bullpen arms that has been the trend the past couple of years. It also probably suggests Soler's value has taken a big hit, but he is exactly the type of player a team like KC should be happy to get in return for a soon to be FA–young, relatively cheap, and some pretty high upside.
 

Carp

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I don't think it's THAT bad.

Remember, we dealt Hanley Ramirez when he was arguably the best prospect in baseball and we got a championship from that deal and now the guy is even back on the team.

For a guy like Chris Sale, it's worth the risk and I think it makes them a favorite to win the AL.
Sale has all the talent in the world, but the guy is just an odd guy. When they had the controversy about Adam LaRoche and his kid in the clubhouse, Sale blasted management, mostly Kenny Williams...and aired that out for the media. Then when he cut of those uniforms he rolled Ventura under the bus, saying that he should have worked things out so they did not wear those uniforms. All that should have been handled privately. He is a great pitcher, but an attention whore.
 

Texas Ace

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Sale has all the talent in the world, but the guy is just an odd guy. When they had the controversy about Adam LaRoche and his kid in the clubhouse, Sale blasted management, mostly Kenny Williams...and aired that out for the media. Then when he cut of those uniforms he rolled Ventura under the bus, saying that he should have worked things out so they did not wear those uniforms. All that should have been handled privately. He is a great pitcher, but an attention whore.
Fair points.

I just hope it works out in the Sox favor.
 

Carp

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Props to the Cubs for making that deal...Mets talked to them and they asked for Amed Rosario...lol...GFY KC.
 

Carp

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Wow...Desmond to Colo 5/70...he slots at 1B for them. Seems an odd signing, but he was good last year...except once AL pitchers had seen him a little more he only batted 230 in the 2nd half.
 

Texas Ace

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I'm sure he was just joking, but David Ortiz posted something on Instagram about the Red Sox getting Sale and how it has him thinking about coming back.

Like I said, I read it as him just saying that in jest, but if he did come back?

:towel
 

E_D_Guapo

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The Nationals traded Lucas Gioliti + for Adam Eaton?! WTF? Eaton is a really nice all-around player but Giolito is the top pitching prospect in MLB. They really must know something no one else does because it seems crazy to move him plus other pieces for Eaton. They were rumored to have offered him to the NYY for Andrew Miller last year too. The organization clearly does not believe he is as good as the prospect rankings have him, right? I don't quite get this one. The CWS are really doing well so far this offseason, at least as far as getting top ranked prospect talent. They will instantly become one of the top systems after adding Moncada, Giolito, and Kopech. Wow.
 

Carp

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That is a terrible trade for the Nats...I have no idea how they felt like that was a fair trade. He is a decent defensive guy, does not steal enough as a lead off guy. Horrid trade.
 
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