2018 MLB off-season news & notes discussion thread

[rangerssharks414]

Chapman got five for $86M a couple of offseasons ago. He was 28. Kimbrel will be 32 in May.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Kimbrel is completely out of touch.

He looked like he was about to fall of a cliff at times in the playoffs. Not sure I'd even give him 3 years/50 M total.

He'll be lucky to get 4 years. 4/60 max IMO.

Agreed. For a pitcher like Kimbrel (relies on snapping his arm to reach 100 mph), term is by far the most important. I'd be hesitant to go beyond 3 years.

 

[Voight]

Kimbrels also got more years on him than most guys his age, he broke in early at 22.

Melancon got 4/62 at 32, Davis 3/52

Kenley Jansen got 5 years/80 million at the same age so I think thats more realistic for him.

Chapman got five for $86M a couple of offseasons ago. He was 28. Kimbrel will be 32 in May.

31, but point still stands. Chapman also has a historic throw as well as some high SO numbers.

 

[MAHJ71]

Someone probably caves and gives him 5 years and $75-90 mil, but no way he's getting $100M.

 

[tony d]

He's a good one, still he had this Red Sox fan nervous more than once during the playoffs. Can't see him getting 100 million.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

 

[John Price]

MLB fined Red Sox for going over the luxury tax. You mean buying a WS in 2018 is expensive and breaks the bank?

Nothing is going to discourage them or other teams from trying to buy championships. They saw the Man City model in Boston.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

MLB fined Red Sox for going over the luxury tax. You mean buying a WS in 2018 is expensive and breaks the bank?

Nothing is going to discourage them or other teams from trying to buy championships. They saw the Man City model in Boston.

Be quiet.

 

[John Price]

Be quiet.

 

[robert terwilliger]

yeah that salary cap luxury tax sure is great.

let's ask those 258 free agents looking for work what they think.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

yeah that salary cap luxury tax sure is great.

let's ask those 258 free agents looking for work what they think.

I don’t think many will mind seeing Harper get $30 mil + annually

 

[robert terwilliger]

I don’t think many will mind seeing Harper get $30 mil + annually

oh, i didn't know they get a cut of harper's 30 million.

only 257 to go!

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

oh, i didn't know they get a cut of harper's 30 million.

only 257 to go!

So, a new benchmark doesn't help everyone making a case for more money? Those 257 like seeing any salary headed north. Major League salaries have increased every year for the last 13 years.

 

[robert terwilliger]

the problem isn't the top of the market.

the problem is the death of free agency otherwise. an artificial spending limit put on by the league is crippling players at the middle and below. and fans are happy about it!

we should be happy that there are teams that want to spend money to win. instead there are lines of people who want their team to sell off and be shitty for half a decade. it's the "astros model" or the "cubs model". then when teams are successful, they're penalized for it. it's nonsense.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Again, the average salary has increased every single year for over a decade. I really don't see where the luxury tax is greatly hurting free agency. I can see GM's relaying more on analytics and seeing that giving a huge deal with term to 30 year old+ players don't typically work out in the team's favor.

 

[tony d]

I've heard Harper to the White Sox as well. He'd be a good add to that team. Still think he goes to the Phillies though.

 

[darko]

the problem isn't the top of the market.

the problem is the death of free agency otherwise. an artificial spending limit put on by the league is crippling players at the middle and below. and fans are happy about it!

we should be happy that there are teams that want to spend money to win. instead there are lines of people who want their team to sell off and be ****ty for half a decade. it's the "astros model" or the "cubs model". then when teams are successful, they're penalized for it. it's nonsense.

Cubs model is being shit for a century not a decade.

 

[Canes]

Baseball is not the only sport where fans want their team to tank and to avoid older free agents if their team can't win it all. Doesn't have a lot to do with supporting the owners or players. It's basically like this with all sports except soccer where that option doesn't exist and where the same teams are the only teams that are competitive year after year, decade after decade (at least in Europe). This is the reality of modern sports, so get used to it.

 

[SSF]

The average salary has gone up sure, but that is driven more by the increase in AAV of the top end guys from say A-Rod's $25MM to $33-35MM now for Stanton/Kershaw/soon to be Manny and Harper. The middle class(which is a far larger group) is being squeezed and the minimum players have kept getting boned.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

The average salary has gone up sure, but that is driven more by the increase in AAV of the top end guys from say A-Rod's $25MM to $33-35MM now for Stanton/Kershaw/soon to be Manny and Harper. The middle class(which is a far larger group) is being squeezed and the minimum players have kept getting boned.

Just going by the eyeball test, I can't believe this is true. Just using recent deals, a declining 32 year-old Andrew McCutchen gets $16M/year, a pitcher (Corbin) with an ERA above 5 in '16 and 4 in '17 and put together a good contract year (ERA above 3) gets $23M/year, and a 3B who has barely played 100 games with a slightly above batting average the last couple years gets $23M. And that's just the last couple weeks.

Luxury tax is in no way hurting baseball.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Just going by the eyeball test, I can't believe this is true. Just using recent deals, a declining 32 year-old Andrew McCutchen gets $16M/year, a pitcher (Corbin) with an ERA above 5 in '16 and 4 in '17 and put together a good contract year (ERA above 3) gets $23M/year, and a 3B who has barely played 100 games with a slightly above batting average the last couple years gets $23M. And that's just the last couple weeks.

Luxury tax is in no way hurting baseball.

I mean, these aren't really what most would consider 'middle class' players. At least not on pedigree. Cutch and Donaldson are former MVP winners. Corbin, I will admit doesn't have the track record as some others but he had a great season last year and pitching usually gets paid. Also who are the other top pitchers on the market this off season? Kershaw was always going back to LA, Happ signed a modest deal based on his previous performance but he's getting up there is age - no one was going to break the bank on him. Keuchel will be the interesting one here.

Anyway, while I do agree that salaries are rising it is becoming like the income gap in North America between the 1 percent and the rest of the country. In baseball teams will pay exorbitant prices for the very top talent that provide game changing ability. It doesn't really lead to a trickle down effect for other players though. Like let's say Stanton is worth 30 million a year. A player that is provides 50 percent of his value likely isn't going to make 15 million a year. He's gonna get a 1 year 8 million dollar contract or something like that. Of course it is case by case but spread out over a large league with hundreds of players it happens enough to hurt the middle and bottom tiers more than it helps.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

 

[tony d]

Still think Machado ends up with the Yankees. The Yanks like making a splash, getting Machado would certainly be that splash.

 

[Elvis P]

Mets GM: "We're the favorites"

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

I like what the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers do. If there were more teams like them then the middle of the free agent market wouldn't be as dead as it is.

Owners are making more money than they ever have. I would rather the guys I actually give a damn about be compensated fairly.