Non Mets Off Season News

[Benjamin Grimm]

Or 1-800-CESPEDE. (Leave off the last S for savings.)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

What's the extra E for?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Or 1-800-CESPEDE. (Leave off the last S for savings.)

I'm pretty damn certain savings won't be anywhere near anyone opening the billfold for Yo.

[Frayed Knot]

It appears that that all-LHP Dodger rotation quirk may be on hold as reports have them signing RHP Kenta Maeda -- the latest Japanese hurler to go all Int'l FA on the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) -- to an 8-year deal.
Dodgers have yet to confirm the signing.

[Frayed Knot]

And now the Dodger deal with the Japanese pitcher ^^^ is on hold. Seems like most of the deals the Dodgers have made this winter go on hold for one reason or another: Chapman, Iwakuma, Maeda



In other NL West news: Denard Span to the Giants for 3 years

[Centerfield]

The Giants have a great track record, but this and the Samardzija deal are just head scratchers to me.

Was any other team even offering 2 years on Span?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

3/31M guaranteed, so... just a hair above Cabrera, AAV-wise. Yay.

It's worth noting that he signed with a team that's got a similarly crowded outfield to ours.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Washington's newest #20:

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm like Muffy's weakest supporter ever and this still fills me with regret and dread.

[nymr83]

3 years for Span at 31 mil? not the worst deal IF your doctors say he is ok.

[seawolf17]

Daniel Murphy is now dead to me, as Jose Reyes once was.

[Fman99]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm like Muffy's weakest supporter ever and this still fills me with regret and dread.

Because he's in the division, I'd say the same. Nineteen games per year gives him plenty of chances to park balls over the Whatever-To-Be Porch.

[Guest d'Kong76]

My guess is we're gonna get Muffied some, at least this season.
Or is it Muffy'd?

Edited January 8, 2016 by Guest

[Ceetar]

yeah, and Murphy is a better player than some of the other guys they almost signed, so that's bad.

Personally i think he has a good 2016 and a mediocre 2017-2018. I don't think he'll kill the Mets specifically, though he's sorta like the Royals in a "put the ball in play" kind of way.

[Farmer Ted]

He's wearing an $8 tie, no belt, and a $2,500 TAG Heur watch. A fucking mess.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Farmer Ted wrote: He's wearing an $8 tie, no belt, and a $2,500 TAG Heur watch. A fucking mess.

[giggling a little]

[Guest d'Kong76]

The watch does kinda scream out, or maybe it's the somewhat feminine way
he's holding his hand. He's got a belt on, you can see the holes on a regular
sized screen.

[Benjamin Grimm]

If you had told me it was a cheap watch and an expensive tie, I wouldn't have had any reason to disbelieve you.

[Centerfield]

It looks like Qbert snakes on his tie.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It's actually a patternless tie; he's just that excited to be in Washington.

[bmfc1]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/nats-didnt-get-whom-they-wanted-but-feel-like-they-got-whom-they-needed/2016/01/07/13133ec6-b56f-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html

GM Rizzo praises Murphy "smart baseball mind". Sure.

[Frayed Knot]

In an effort to replace Denard Span, the Nats deal off reliever Drew Storen for the closest thing they could find to Denard Span: Ben Revere

Indeed I often conflated Revere and Span as both are low-power/good-speed, LH-hitting CFs who were former 1st round picks of the Twins
Revere, who was dealt away to Toronto during the Philly phire sale last summer, gives away about 80 points of career OPS to Span although is also 4 years younger, a bit of a better base-stealer, and presumably healthier. He'll be under team control for the 2016 & '17 seasons.

Storen, himself #10 overall draft pick, had a good nearly six year run with the Natinals but had a few too many high-profile meltdowns over the past couple of seasons which constantly left him stuck between eh closer's role and that of set-up man.
You wonder if this means that Washington will hang onto nominal closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had several of his own "choking" moments (both literally & figuratively) late last season, or if they'll clean house entirely regarding their bullpen.

[Centerfield]

I think this is good news. Storen is a pretty good reliever and if he straightened himself out, could have made Washington very strong at the end of games. Revere is good, but is a downgrade from a healthy Span. Also, hopefully this takes them out of the running for Cespedes/Fowler, etc.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Stone Buddha to the Cards, for a one year deal worth up to $5M. Or, about the same money we have endowed for the guy-who-broke-his-pitching-arm-twice-last-year seat in the Citi pen.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Reading between the lines looks like the Cardinals signed this guy for his nickname and whatever future value they derive from signing Asian guys.

[Ceetar]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Stone Buddha to the Cards, for a one year deal worth up to $5M. Or, about the same money we have endowed for the guy-who-broke-his-pitching-arm-twice-last-year seat in the Citi pen.

Stone Buddha? I thought he was "The Final Boss"

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He said today he preferred "The Final Boss."

--Phrase taught me by LWFS a few months ago that I've heard a billion times since then.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Final Boss is nastier-sounding, to be sure.

I wonder if, when teammates get irritated with him, they call him Stone Buddha, just to be all passive-aggressive.

[Centerfield]

Introduce him to Grant Roberts. He can be Stoned Buddha.

[Frayed Knot]

LHP Wei-Yin Chen inks a five year deal with the Marlins - although the deal contains an opt-out after season two and then an option for a sixth season if he's still around at that point.

The 30 y/o native of Taiwan went 46-32, 3.72 ERA, 1.25 WHiP over four seasons with Baltimore.