Frayed Knot

Hey Brodie: GM more, talk less.

Certainly the floor of the deal -- which the early reports are saying that the $11 is the minimum guarantee. -- seems higher than I expected. (Not that I've been spending my off-season wondering what Matt Harvey was going to make this year)

Matt Harvey to the Angels. Team has not confirmed but reports say a one year $11 mil deal w/incentives for more.

A bigger and longer package than I expected Fman getting old and not showing that range. 5 years ago, no way this one gets past him. I actually didn't intend that line as a set-up or even realize how teed up it was -- even if just for a simple: 'That's what She said!'

Mex17 wrote: Wasn't Ramos once a Mets farmhand who they let get away to the Nats in the Rule V Draft? Or am I thinking of somebody else? Ramos was never NYM property. Signed originally by Minnesota out of Venezuela, the then-2nd place Twins dealt Ramos, then stuck behind Joe Mauer, to the Nats for reliever Matt Capps at the 2010 July 31st deadline. The Twinkies wound up winning their division that year with Capps saving 16 games over the final two month but then -- repeat after me folks -- lost to the Yanx in three straight in the opening round. Capps next two seasons weren't nearly as successful and he pitched his last ML game at the age of 28 in 2012 and by 2013 Mauer was no longer capable of catching. Not sure who you might be thinking of.

Nymr83 wrote: I like the signing, its hard to imagine 2 years 19 million as a TOTAL disaster - "total disasters" require a 3 year minimum commitment! If he misses half the season or more in either or both of these next two years (as he did in 2012, 2013, 2014, & 2017 when he averaged 64 GP/season), and/or he puts up a .275 OBA w/a total of 26 HRs in 800+ ABs (as he did in 2014 + 2015), then there's going to be a whole lotta bitching about why BVW convinced the Wilpons to cough up nearly $10 million a year on a very large, very slow, oft-injured catcher on the wrong side of 30.

Frayed Knot wrote: ... but the extremes seem to be more in play on this one as compared to most. What may also be more in play with this one as compared to most is the 'pending physical' thing.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Reportedly two years, $19 million. A bigger and longer package than I expected he'd get and a BIG risk considering his age (32 next August), position, size (claims 6' 1" - 245), and injury history (avg of 92 Games/331 ABs played from 2011-18). He's reached 450 PAs just twice in his career [2015, 16], sports a below average walk rate [.044 career], and there's that 76 OPS+ he rung up for 2014-15 combined that I'd hate to see repeat itself in Queens. On the other hand, the upside is pretty decent too [118 OPS+ for 2017-18] so this could wind up as an Asdrubal-like good signing, or a total disaster, or anywhere in between. I mean, I guess you could argue that all deals have that kind of risk/reward potential, but the extremes seem to be more in play on this one as compared to most.

I can't see adding an OF -- not a starter anyway -- unless you're nabbing someone who'll be a plus-glove CF which the now 33 y/o Jones once was (he won GGs in 2009 and in 2012-14) but isn't anymore. And it doesn't help that his only two seasons of 800+ OPS came back in 2012 & 13, or that 2018 was his worst hitting season since he was 22 y/o and in his first full season a decade ago. As a 4th OF/reserve/injury insurance? ... Sure, maybe.

Ian Kinsler - Padres, two years The infielder -- 37 in June -- split 2018 between the Angels and the Red Sox. He's had several 800+ OPS seasons during his now 13 year career but was sub-700 last season and (like most players I've found in my research) he isn't getting any younger.

Fman99 wrote: He looks like a real shit eater in that hat. He looks like a guy in a low budget sitcom portraying what he thinks an idiot sports writer would look like. And, yeah, Martino was 'track suit'.

Joel Sherman lays out the case for why teams think Realmuto is so valuable.

There's also cash involved including some going from Tampa to Seattle so I guess that completes the third leg of the triangle and makes it officially a tri-swap. (I've just coined a new word) Also it appears another minor leaguer is heading to Cleveland from the Rays.

Six teams are said to be in pursuit of Realmuto: Mets, Reds, Rays, Braves, Dodgers, Padres Multiple suitors has a habit of driving up the price and, as always with these imagined deals, you've got to be willing to walk away if and when the cost gets too high. In this case one just hopes that they don't get so crazy-fixated on this one target that they decide it's worth it to pay any price, bear any burden, oppose any foe, etc. So in conclusion and to continue the JFK theme I've got going here I implore the Brodie Bunch to ask not what a Realmuto trade can do for the Mets, but ask also what it will take from the Mets.

Carlos Santana, signed to a major bucks deal early in last year's off-season (and therefore expensively according to most observers and as compared to subsequent deals) by Philly and then sent last week to the Mariners in the Jean Segura trade, is now on his way to Cleveland as part of a three-team swap. M's to Cleveland = Santana Inuns to M's = Edwin Encarnacion seriously, I just used a racist word when I really meant "Guardians" to Rays = Yandy Diaz (27 y/o Cuban infielder) Rays to Cleveland = Jake Bauers (23 y/o 1B/LF) Not sure I could parse that deal even if I was of a mind to try and do so.

"Oh Michael, you can never lose your family" -- Mama Corleone (Part II) Pending a physical (yadda, yadda) Jeurys Familia and the Mets reached a three year agreement for the reliever to return to the team that dealt him away last August, presumably to serve in a set-up role to newly-acquired Edwin Diaz. And we don't have to give back Will Toffey or Bobby Wahl or the $1 million in int'l bonus pool money.

smg58 wrote: ... if the light switch clicks on I want [Rosario] wearing a Mets uniform when it happens. And the light started to burn a bit starting in August: ~.285/.318/.415 over the final 240 PA of his season As much as I'd like Realmuto, if Rosario wasn't a SS and didn't just turn 23 and wasn't just an off-season removed from being an across the board Top-10 prospect in baseball, I'd be less skittish about dealing him.

Nationals deal RHP Tanner Roark to the Reds in exchange for RHP Tanner Rainey. I mean, a Tanner traded for a Tanner ... what are the odds!?!?!?! Rainey, 25 y/o former 2nd round draft pick out of West Alabama University (Roll Damn Tide on that half of the beach!) has been mostly a reliever since the lower minors and appeared in 8 games w/Cincy late in 2018 Sounds like the Nats needed someone to go in order to pay the Corbin money and Roark will likely net close to $10 mil this year.

Just as Martin Maldonado serves as a glove-first fallback for the catching position if other avenues don't work out, the Mets have contacted several glovemen to 'bridge the gap' at SS if Amed Rosario is included in a trade and until Andres Gimenez is ready (probably 2020). By coincidence, the Yanx are talking to some of the same in order to bridge them over their DeeDee Gregorius injury gap. Candidates include: - Freddie Galvis - the ex-Phillie current Padre would be "their top choice" says Joel Sherman, helped possibly by the presence of ex-Philly GM Ruben Amaro now being on the staff. The 32 y/o Galvis "is durable (162 games each of the past two years), is a switch-hitter with a bit of pop, has a reputation as a heady player and a strong gloveman." Career OPS = 664 Adeiny Hechavarria would be No. 2 on the Mets’ list acc to Sherman (which means they've never even spoken acc to Ceetar who believes Sherman made it all up). Turns 30 in April, Played with Pirates, Rays, and the Yanx in 2018. Career 635 OPS And Mets do have some interest in Alcides Escobar as a defense-first utilityman. Brewers & Royals; 31 y/o; 636 career OPS

Phils OF was awful last year - offensively, defensively, Bruce Lee, and even Stan Lee McCutcheon will help even if he's not the McCutcheon of old. Nine seasons w/Pitt and now the Phils are his third team in the last 11 months. Not really a CF anymore but he's got to be better than Odubel Herrera out there so maybe that's where they'll stick him.

#2 was essentially done a few years back. There were 472 ballots submitted this for the most recent vote while 2014's vote saw 571 So between 15 and 20% of the eligible were culled, even more really because some "non-traditional" journalists were added at that same time. But it seems to me that the majority of complaints, both now and over recent years, have been vet's committee choices so I think that's where the fixin' needs to be done. Problem is that it has stayed broken each time they go and fix it.

Speedster Billy Hamilton signs with the Royals ... which seems about right to me.

bmfc1 wrote: Night games in ATL start at 7:20 next year? ... 15 minutes earlier than this year's 7:35 game time. Also the ESPN Sunday night games are moving up to 7:00 - or at least a 7 PM air time with a yet to be announced, though probably 7:15-ish, first pitch. That game had been 8:00 EDT since its inception with only occasional exceptions. While on the topic of baseball and ESPN, they're dropping their simulcast of MLBN's afternoon yuk-fest (or yuck-fest depending on your pov) 'Intentional Talk' with chatty ex-BoSox guy plus that other guy. It was probably drawing an audience of dozens for them. On the other hand the new ESPN prez is said to be less hostile to baseball than the old one (John Skipper) who was shipped out under vaguely-defined drug-related circumstances so that some version of 'Baseball Tonight' might actually be seen more than once a week as the lead-in to SNB. It used to be an almost daily show back when ESPN at least pretended to still care about anything other than pigskins and hoops.

That Baines or Joe Carter are on the ballot isn't a disgrace. But Baines getting in, after never coming anywhere near close during the regular vote, makes it seem like one half of the sport has no idea what the other half is doing. A candidate is overwhelmingly rejected every year he's eligible until he finally get so few that he's no longer even eligible, and then a different group, obviously operating under a completely different set of guidelines, quickly puts him in and does so ahead of a number of other better borderline guys. A bunch of somebodies need to be embarrassed by that. The lack of unanimity doesn't bother me much. Yeah, the whole 'No First Ballot ever' guys are stupid but there used to be a lot more of them while these days I don't think you'd even need a second hand to tally them all up. Griff Jr fell just three votes short for instance and at least one or two rationalized it with the votes needed elsewhere logic. Plus they still get a helluva lot more right than wrong. The biggest problem seems to be that every time they 'fix' the vets vote process it seems to remain at least as broken as it always was and it certainly makes the case for sticking with the larger sampling size over the smaller.

Percentage of votes received by Harold Baines by the regular BBWAA votes: Year 1 (2007) - 5.3% 2 -- 5.2% 3 -- 5.9% 4 -- 6.1% 5 -- 4.8% and out You wonder how his sudden inclusion plays in the minds of those who received considerably more support than him in one or more BBWAA votes but remain on the outside looking in: Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Edgar Martinez, Joe Carter, Larry Walker, Fred McGriff, Dave Parker, etc.