The newest transactions are on top. I only analyzed the important ones. Boston extended Garrett Whitlock in a smart deal. Pittsburgh extended 3B Ke‘Bryan Hayes for 5 years/$70 million in a good move for them. Big trade between Minnesota and San Diego. SD add to their rotation with Chris Paddack, who slightly improved an already weak staff, but weaken their
Read moreI decided to look at potential bargain pitchers. These players are all likely to be affordable for most teams and available on short-term contracts. RIGHT HANDED PITCHERS 1. RP Taylor Williams He has never been able to put it all together, but at 30 years old there might still be a chance. His K/9 the last 3 seasons: 9.68, 9.20,
Read moreI will keep track of everything happening this month here. Boston smartly extended their closer at bargain prices. Matt Barnes is from New England and was willing to take a hometown discount. Pointless move by Atlanta, but a good one for the Chicago Cubs. Atlanta should just sell, but at least Chicago got something for free agent-to be Joc Pederson.
Read moreThe most recent transactions are at the top of the page here. Solid move by the New York Mets as they locked up SS Francisco Lindor to a 10 year/$341 million contract. Solid move by Texas to pick up Manager Chris Woodward’s option. Potentially solid move by Houston, if SP Lance McCullers Jr. can stay healthy. Debatable move by Kansas
Read moreI‘m focusing on the most important transactions. Weird early move by Houston. Yuli Gurriel is not worth that contract and wouldn’t even come close to it on the open market. Logical move by Boston to fire manager Ron Roenicke, as he was terrible. They never should’ve been that bad this season. The Chicago White Sox surprisingly fired manager Rick Renteria,
Read morePhiladelphia now has a new closer. It’s a move that makes sense for both clubs, though for Philadelphia it depends a lot on them making the playoffs. Brandon Workman is a big upgrade over Hector Neris, but is a free agent at the end of the season. Boston is missing the playoffs, so it made sense for them to move
Read morePhoto courtesy of BostonHerald.com. It finally happened, the Boston Red Sox traded RF Mookie Betts and SP David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts is a free agent after this upcoming season and already rejected at least one extension offer and wanted over $400 million to change his mind about testing the free agent market. Betts has shown repeatedly
Read moreBoston Red Sox superstar RF Mookie Betts is a free agent after next season and is so far refusing to sign an extension, it’s risky to let him hit the open market, so could Boston trade Betts? And if so what package could they receive? I’m going to look at teams that I think could be potential matches in a
Read moreThe New York Yankees got their ace. Gerrit Cole is now a New York Yankee. The Bronx Bombers are now the favorites to at least win the pennant next year. The biggest losers are the Los Angeles Angels, who failed to get starting pitching help that they needed yet again. I’m personally glad because I’ve been predicting this signing and
Read moreThe Atlanta Braves signed SP Cole Hamels to a 1 year deal worth $18 million. He’s not the pitcher that he used to be, but it’s a great one year deal as it poses little risk for Atlanta and gives them a solid inning eater. That said, he’s not an ace any more. The Philadelphia Phillies signed SP Zack Wheeler
Read moreCincinnati added a new 2B. Mike Moustakas is a third baseman, but can play second base as well. This is a blow for the Milwaukee Brewers who keep losing bats this offseason. I think that this is a risky signing, as Moustakas may not ultimately last at second base and third base is already spoken for by Eugenio Suarez. Cincinnati
Read moreI’m prioritizing the more important moves and letting MLBTR tell you the details. The Chicago White Sox got a new catcher. This is a solid move, though I think that Yasmani Grandal is overpaid. They then locked up 1B Jose Abreu in a solid but risky move. Great move by Atlanta, they’ve been the most active team so far and
Read moreGreat result for Minnesota as SP Jake Odorizzi accepted his Qualifying Offer. I don’t think that he would’ve made that much on the open market and if he improves in 2020 and proves himself to be consistent and not just a one year fluke, he should command more money, especially without attached draft pick compensation. This also gives Minnesota less
Read moreAtlanta improved their bullpen. Good move for both sides. A good change-of-scenery that could be a bargain for Tampa Bay. Good move for Washington until you look at his peripherals. Good depth move for Oakland and a solid one for Cincinnati. Surprise trade that might help both sides. Atlanta acquired an overachieving relieved who will likely not be worth the
Read moreCincinnati, Cleveland and San Diego just pulled off a blockbuster trade. Cleveland can actually afford to take the hit to their rotation and now suddenly have a loaded lineup. Trevor Bauer wasn’t pitching particularly great this season and would be traded in the offseason anyway. Yasiel Puig is a rental, but they get a nice long-term piece in Franmil Reyes.
Read moreThe New York Mets acquired a replacement for likely soon to be traded SP Noah Syndergaard in SP Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays. My initial reaction is that the Mets are making another pointless trade. They’re not going to be contenders before Stroman hits free agency, so why bother? Toronto are the winners here, selling off a shaky
Read moreThe Minnesota Twins finally acquired some bullpen help in Sergio Romo. This is a great move for both teams. The rebuilding Miami Marlins received a solid prospect for a declining average reliever about to hit free agency and Minnesota received bullpen depth. Minnesota needs far more bullpen help, but it’s a solid start.
Read moreBoston acquired rotation help. Without knowing more, this is a great move for both teams. Boston get a solid starter and Baltimore cut costs in a rebuilding season.
Read moreSeattle trades Edwin Encarnacion to the New York Yankees yesterday. This is a great salary dump trade, that is an odd one for New York. The Bronx Bombers already have Luke Voit at first base and Giancarlo Stanton at DH. They could of course move Stanton to LF, which seems to be their intention, but that means benching Brett Gardner
Read moreAtlanta signed Dallas Keuchel to a most likely one year deal. This is a great signing for a team that needs a stable top of the rotation starter. Keuchel may not be an ace, but he’s capable of being one and did win a Cy Young award only a few years ago. Atlanta now has an edge in the NL
Read moreThe trading deadline promises to have some interesting players available to contending teams, but there are some players who will likely not be moved, but should be. 1. SP MAX SCHERZER, WASHINGTON NATIONALS The Washington Nationals aren’t going to the playoffs this year. They also clearly have significant areas to improve in a competitive division that includes the Atlanta Braves
Read moreThere’s been a lot of talk about this free agent market being unfavorable for free agents. I decided to analyze whether the top free agents have been underpaid based on expectations. I’m not including free agents who didn’t yet sign. 1. SP PATRICK CORBIN Expectation: 6 Years/$129 Million Result: 6 Years/$140 Million Corbin was clearly not affected by the free
Read morePhotos courtesy of Google images. What’s going on? Why are two of the best young players in the game still free agents? Are they refusing to take less than some astronomical number? Are they not receiving any even remotely acceptable offers? It seems that it’s a combination of the two and it seems to be heavily influenced by the luxury
Read moreI decided to look at some famous and not as famous trades where star players and future star players were traded. I tried to avoid most recent trades as it’s too early to tell as to which team won the trade. I’m using WAR to analyze these trades and counting the WAR received by the team for the players that
Read moreI like this deal for the New York Mets. They finally get a good catcher. Solid move by both teams. Cleveland saves money and the Chicago White Sox get a replacement for Jose Abreu. I don’t understand this one for San Diego. Are they moving Luis Urias to short stop? Are they trading him? Solid deal for Houston. I don’t
Read moreTampa Bay made a splash. This is actually a surprising but a good move for them, though I’m not sure that his track record makes the deal worth it. Cincinnati acquired rotation help, but not the kind that will make a difference. Washington saved money and will likely replace Roark with someone cheaper and just as effective. I think that
Read morePhiladelphia signed Andrew McCutchen today. It’s an OK move that I don’t really see making much of a difference for them going forward. McCutchen is in decline and they should’ve acquired someone younger and with upside, considering that they’re just now becoming a contending team again.
Read moreArizona traded 1B Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis in a blockbuster trade. This was a good trade for Arizona, as Goldschmidt has already shown signs of a coming decline and would command a significant contract next offseason. They’re a rebuilding team and locking up a player in his 30’s doesn’t make sense for them. They also received a good package
Read moreThe Seattle Mariners and the New York Mets just completes a blockbuster trade. It’s a typical New York Mets move: weakening an already weak farm system in return for a bad contract. The New York Mets are still unlikely to go to the playoffs anytime soon and now have a bad contract on their hands. In the meantime, Seattle got
Read moreThe Seattle Mariners are actively shopping Robinson Cano and the Arizona Diamondbacks are actively shopping Paul Goldschmidt. I decided to look at possible destinations. Photo courtesy for NBCsports.com. 1. SEATTLE TRADES CANO TO THE NEW YORK YANKEES FOR OF JACOBY ELLSBURY This trade has already been considered but didn’t happen because the Bronx Bombers wanted “significant cash” as part of
Read morePhoto courtesy of Lindyssports.com. Arizona is actively trying to trade Zack Greinke. Greinke has the highest AAV of any starting pitcher and for a rebuilding team, he’s simply not a fit due to that salary and his age. What teams would make sense to acquire him and for who? With all of the starting pitching free agents in Arizona’s near
Read morePhoto courtesy of WikiMedia. Bryce Harper is “custom-made” for Yankee Stadium. He is a lefty bat and the Yankees just happen to need lefty bats. Just look at the amount of righties in their lineup: C Gary Sanchez, 1B Luke Voit, 2B Gleyber Torres, 3B Miguel Andujar, RF Aaron Judge, DH Giancarlo Stanton. He’s also great at getting on base
Read moreThe season is over and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions, eliminating New York along the way. The Bronx Bombers will want to have an offseason that will keep this from happening again in 2019. With that in mind, I decided to write my suggested blueprint for it. The number one concern for the team should be starting pitching.
Read moreThis offseason is going to have plenty of trades. However, there are five big trades that especially need to happen. These trades are big and so will most likely actually not happen, but they should. 1. NEW YORK METS TRADE SP JACOB DEGROM TO THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS FOR LHP A.J PUK, SS FRANKLIN BARRETO, C SEAN MURPHY AND LHP JESUS
Read moreThe New York Yankees acquired Andrew McCutchen in a trade that would’ve been huge a couple of years ago. San Francisco received at least something in return for the former superstar, while the Bronx Bombers now have a temporary replacement for Aaron Judge that is better than Neil Walker and Shane Robinson and a solid bench piece upon Judge’s return.
Read moreBryce Harper and Manny Machado entered this season with the general expectations being that they would be the recipients of record-setting contracts after the season, that hasn’t changed. What has changed however, is that Harper has been having a “down season of sorts” and Machado has the advantage of no longer being tied to draft pick compensation due to being
Read moreThis is my analysis of the trading deadline and the week leading up to it. I only covered the most important trades and in the end reveal my picks for the “winners” and “losers”. The New York Yankees acquired J.A. Happ. This is a good move for the Bronx Bombers, as they needed another solid arm in the rotation. There
Read moreSome big trades went down recently… First, Manny Machado was traded by Baltimore to the Los Angeles Dodgers, then Brad Hand was traded by San Diego to Cleveland, and then even more trades went down… Baltimore waited too long to move Machado, they should’ve traded him last Summer, when it was already clear that they weren’t contenders and that they
Read morePhoto courtesy of WikiMedia. With all the talk of Baltimore trading Manny Machado ahead of his potentially historic foray into free agency, Bryce Harper has been in the background. Obviously it makes sense why he is, his team is in playoff contention and he’s basically the face of the team. That said it doesn’t change the fact that Washington are
Read moreThere are players who should be traded but will not. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my list in the comments and on Twitter at @NeilfromNYC. 1. BRYCE HARPER, CF WASHINGTON NATIONALS Washington are in playoff contention and presumably want to re-sign the free agent to be, but he’s having a down year and with all of
Read moreAfter the New York Mets lost the World Series in 2015, it looked as if it was the beginning of a dynasty rather than the peak for that particular roster. Fast forward three years later and aside from an exit at the wild card playoff game the following year, they have been a bottom of the division team unable to
Read moreIt’s no secret that Giancarlo Stanton has been a disappointment so far in New York. This offseason Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are hitting free agency and while the New York Yankees can afford either one with Stanton under contract, it would make things a lot easier with more available payroll. Besides what about future extensions for Aaron Judge and
Read moreThe trade deadline is coming and contending teams will be trying to improve their rosters for the stretch run. Here are five trades that should happen… 1. BALTIMORE ORIOLES TRADE SS MANNY MACHADO TO THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS FOR RHP MITCHELL WHITE, C KEIBERT RUIZ & SS/2B GAVIN LUX Baltimore are not going to the playoffs, and it’s doubtful that
Read moreWe’re still a month and a half away but let’s take a look at who could be traded and what their likely destinations are. I think that we can reasonably assume that the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and now the Toronto Blue
Read morePhoto courtesy of MLB.com. Last week I wrote an article about what I think that the Los Angeles Dodgers should do based on how their season has been going. I decided to focus on one particular issue: Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has the chance to opt out of his contract at the end of this season, and
Read morePhoto courtesy of MLB.com. The Baltimore Orioles are bad this year, as in they’re horrible. Their best player is a free agent at the end of the season and is unlikely to sign an extension. It’s unknown if they will trade him or not, their asking price was unrealistic during the offseason. Will that change now? What teams could be
Read moreMike Moustakas is staying in Kansas City. The big story here is that he rejected 1 year/$17.4 million to receive…… 1 year/$6.5 million instead. Photo courtesy of Pinterest.com. Did Moustakas hire George Costanza as his new agent? On the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, George once negotiated his and Jerry’s contracts to write a pilot with NBC to a lower price. All
Read moreI decided to go through the top free agents and decide on how much they’re worth, how much they want and whose fault it is that they haven’t signed. 1. YU DARVISH A quick look at his stats, indicates that he wasn’t an ace in 2017. He’s a recent TJS survivor, and had well-known struggles in the playoffs (despite the
Read moreLast week the Milwaukee Brewers pulled off a blockbuster trade and a major signing. I won’t discuss the Christian Yelich trade due to it being a great trade for both sides, and there not really being much to add to what was already said. Milwaukee basically replaced Lewis Brinson with Yelich and sent expendable players, while Miami deepened their farm
Read morePhoto courtesy of piratesprospects.com The Pittsburgh Pirates traded their ace Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros for four players last night. Before we analyze the players involved, let’s look at the decision to trade him in the first place: Pittsburgh is a small market team not expected to contend this upcoming season, and Cole is a free agent in two
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MLB & FANTASY BASEBALL ANALYZED 