Division Opponents in 2014-2015 Offseason

[Frayed Knot]

Big-butted Heath Bell gets a minor league deal/camp invite from ... the Washington Nationals

Edited December 22, 2014 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

And speaking of aging relievers, 38 y/o Jason Grilli inks a two-year deal with the Braves

[Frayed Knot]

Frayed Knot wrote: And speaking of aging relievers, 38 y/o Jason Grilli inks a two-year deal with the Braves

And now add 37 y/o AJ Pierzynski on a one-year deal

[Edgy MD]

Wow. Weird. But I guess a vet or two is what they see as missing.

But that bullpen has seemed nearly impermeable the last three years. Rarely's the time I've thought, "You know, what they're missing is a mullet-headed veteran right-handed journeyman.

[Frayed Knot]

Dan Uggla is a minor league Nat

[Edgy MD]

I thought that he'd be packing it in. Trying instead to make all the NL East stops, south to north.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Looks like the Phils are going to sign Wandy Rodriguez. He dropped off the face of the earth last season but apparently been showcasing his stuff in winterball.

I would have liked him as a surprise LH reliever/swingman guy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Looks like the Phils are going to sign Wandy Rodriguez. He dropped off the face of the earth last season but apparently been showcasing his stuff in winterball. I would have liked him as a surprise LH reliever/swingman guy.

/Nods vigorously

As someone who's always been a sucker for cheap pitching bets in pretend baseball, I can tell you that right up until last year, he's always had the good-to-great-WHIP/nice K-to-BB that kids crave and parents love.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm sure the Phils are going to give him at least the opportunity to nab a starters job -- particularly if a Hamels trade goes down -- which is something he wouldn't get in Queens.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Well, yeah, there's that. But they're likely not going to give him a shot at postseason play, either. And he IS 35.

[Edgy MD]

Players in his position, unable to score on this contract, are mostly thinking about the next contract. What's going to put me in a position to show my stuff and gets me a payday next winter. At least, that's what the agents are said to advise. So yeah, that's the Phils.

It's pretty much what got us John Mayberry. He looked at the Mets' outfield versus that of the Cardinals, and figured the Mets were a better bet to get him the reps to pad his resume. They reportedly got him for $550,000 less than the Cards were offering.

[Frayed Knot]

Aaron Harang takes his third NL East stop in three years as he inks a one-year deal with Philly.
Remember (even if you don't want to) that he started 4 games with the Mets at the tail end of 2013, and then made 33 starts with decent results [12-12, 3.57 ERA] for the Braves last season.
Turns 37 in May

[Frayed Knot]

Jayson Werth could miss the beginning of the season as there are (as yet unconfirmed) reports that he's about the undergo shoulder surgery which will require a 2-3 month recovery period.
Not sure how the surgery and recovery schedule will mesh with his potential prison schedule.

[Edgy MD]

Maybe we'll some Opening Day Nate McLouth action.

[G-Fafif]

Braves reportedly to rid themselves of Evan Gattis, sending him to the Astros for three prospects.

Hard thrower Mike Foltynewicz, third baseman Rio Ruiz and righty Andrew Thurman are the group headed to the Braves once the deal is made official, a person with knowledge of the trade said. Gattis was in Houston to take a physical on Wednesday. If completed, the trade represents the most talented group of prospects Astos general manager Jeff Luhnow has parted with in a trade yet, signifying a commitment � but also a need � to get better at the big leagues soon.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm not sure I'd be all that keen on sending three prospects away to get Evan Gattis (with the caveat that I don't know anything about those particular prospects) but one
can definitely see Gattis hitting about ninety-eleven HRs/year in that park in Houston.

[Guest sharpie]

So Gattis won't be playing outfield for the Braves and presumably DH's for the 'Stros. Braves now can play that Jordan Shaffer guy alla time along with Markakis and BJ. Not a good outfield.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Bravos also signed Wandy Rodriguez to a minor league deal. I referred to him upthread as a sleeper comeback guy but that was when he was rumored to be going to the Phillies. He didn't, because he failed a physical with them.

Are the Braves punting or what?

[Edgy MD]

The thingus about the Braves, or what seems to be the thingus, is that (again, it seems, for I have not checked the numbers) they've been filling their outfield for years with big names but have gotten Metlike productivity. It's been something like the difference between them being good and very good. They may be thinking that they might as well tone down the arms race and build an outfield instead of buying one.

But yeah, I'm surprised at how much they are in a hurry to unmake Frank Wren's strategy. Instead of zagging off of what he was doing, they're pulling a 180. Very un-Bravelike to blow things up like that.

[Frayed Knot]

sharpie wrote: So Gattis won't be playing outfield for the Braves and presumably DH's for the 'Stros. Braves now can play that Jordan Shaffer guy alla time along with Markakis and BJ. Not a good outfield.

Los Bravos actually lost Schafer last August on waivers to Minnesota so it'll have to be someone else replacing J. Upton + Gattis out there.
But your overall point still stands, that the all the Braves moves this winter have been to the detriment of their defense. Most notably Markakis for Heyward (Heyward for ANYONE was going to be a downgrade), but also adding Callaspo at 2nd (his defensive numbers stink anyway) and Pierzynski catching.
Outside of Simmons and probably Freeman, they don't look to be a very impressive defensive group.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: (Heyward for ANYONE was going to be a downgrade)

Not if they traded him for Laggy, heh, heh.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

So the Nats went and got Yunel Escobar anywhoo, getting him from Oakland for dikhead reliever Tyler Clippard. I guess there's some speculation that the Nats could still do away with Desmond, would be funny if they somehow came to a deal with the Mets after all.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: So the Nats went and got Yunel Escobar anywhoo, getting him from Oakland for dikhead reliever Tyler Clippard. I guess there's some speculation that the Nats could still do away with Desmond, would be funny if they somehow came to a deal with the Mets after all.

That's two big hits to the Nats bullpen this winter. First they let Soriano walk (and despite their fans' complaints about him, he was good for the first 3/4 of the year) and now Clippard (who IS a dick and takes far too long to throw but was more than pretty good).

Part of what the Nats are trying to do -- NEED to do really -- is clear out at least some of the many key parts that are coming up on FA-gency in the next two years.
FAs at the end of 2015, in addition to Clippard, are Desmond, the pitching Zimmermann, Span, and Fister (fist her I barely know her!).
And then after 2016 comes the catcher Ramos plus Strasberg and the rest of the bullpen in Stammen & Storen.

[G-Fafif]

Scherzer ever so close to being a real Natzi.

[Frayed Knot]

G-Fafif wrote: Scherzer ever so close to being a real Natzi.

I'm sure anyone even slightly familiar with Washington DC area sports radio can already imagine the topics this will trigger if he does sign with the Nats.
Topic #1) Who's Max Scherzer?
Topic #2) How will this signing affect RGIII?




But seriously folks, if he does sign I suspect that won't be the end of Mike Rizzo's wheeling & dealing.
Either one of their other starters will need to go -- most likely Zimmermann or Fister, both in the final year of contracts ... or maybe even Strasburg?!? -- or last year's hot 2nd year starter Tanner Roark [career 22-11, 2.54 over 36 starts] will get shoved to the bullpen in order to cover some of their recent losses there [Clippard, Detwiler, Soriano].

[G-Fafif]

Max reportedly getting $180 million for seven years in D.C., or $26 million more than the Tigers offered to keep him off the market.

That's quite the hefty rotation, pending Nat trades. On the plus side, Matt Williams is still the one making pitching changes.

[Edgy MD]

It's tough to settle on an upside. The difference between the Mets being middling team and a kinda good one last season was their wanting record against the Nats (4-15), their most losses against one team since achieving the same 4-15 against the Marlins in 2004 (the year Armando saved 11 games vs. the Mets alone).

In fact, the Mets have been struggling against the Natburgers pretty steadily for quite some time now, capping a disappointing trend of declining success since the Expos came to Washington:

2005: 11-7
2006: 12-6
2007: 11-7
2008: 12-6
2009: 10-8
2010: 9-9
2011: 8-10
2012: 4-14
2013: 7-12
2014: 4-15

Closest things to upside:

1. Starting pitching already represents a position of strength for the Nats, so the possible marginal improvement of Scherzer (6.0 pitching WAR in 2014) over (say) Zimmerman (4.9) isn't really going to buy them as many wins as it would have if he replaced a real stooge. It's almost like giving Scherzer the contract extension they haven't been able to hammer out with Zimmerman. Not really an upside, but... .
   
   
2. Seven years to a pitcher is always a dramatic commitment. You hate to root for injury, but if his seven years is anything like Johan's seven with the Mets, well... he might really hurt us for the next 2.5 years. Not really an upside, but... .
   
   
3. Scherzer disappearing from the market advances the narrative that the Yankees can be seen as possibly just as disappointing as the Mets (or more!) in their non-filling of their alleged glaring need. Not really and upside, but... .

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

With the small-but-prominent a-hole quotient; a deadly, homegrown-with-enrichment rotation; their dominance over us; and the playoff flameouts so far... the Nats are beginning to feel a little '90s Bravesian, aren't they?

Edited January 19, 2015 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

I'm a-thinking of that opening serie between the Mets and Nats, and wondering if the two teams are going to score about five runs total over the three games.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: I'm a-thinking of that opening serie between the Mets and Nats, and wondering if the two teams are going to score about five runs total over the three games.

nah, short ropes early on for starters. we'll mash their bullpen.