Blue Jays Discussion: Alright, we have a manager now. So it's back to patiently waiting for Vlad Jr.

[Deebo]

What level is Pearson expected to start 2019 at?

 

[canucksfan]

What level is Pearson expected to start 2019 at?

I think he will do what Zeuch did last year. Start at Dunedin and then a fairly quick promotion to AA assuming he is doing well.

 

[The Nemesis]

Yes stay away from video games kids

Except MLB 18 The Show, right Marcus?

 

[Eyedea]

Stroman just killed his chance to go in on 100Thieves with Drake.

 

[phillipmike]

 

[metafour]

We will see, im still a believer in Crawford. I have a hard time believing that his plate discipline has disappeared last year - career 327 BB to 376 Ks to go with batting left, good defense and ok base running and he hasnt turn 24 yet - 6 years of Crawford at the minimum sounds attractive to me. I would take that over a SS turning 29 who is going to get 60M over the next four years. Not saying Segura isnt good but the trade makes sense to me. Santana's contract isnt pretty but he is still a 2 WAR player and his money is gone in 2 years.

Sounds like Nicasio is going back in the deal too.

Mariners after this deal;

2019: Save 4M
2020: Take on 6M
2021: Save 14.35M
2022: Save 14.85M
----------------------
Save roughly 26-27M

Get younger, cheaper and more control. Plus they could retain on Santana and get prospect for him too. Solid switch hitter to an AL team.

They just traded a SS who has averaged just under 4 WAR the past three seasons, TOOK ON salary for some reason to do it, and all they got in return was a guy who's prospect status is stagnating/going in the wrong direction (who at this point is highly unlikely to ever even perform at the level of the guy they just traded to get him). Segura's contract only takes him to his age 32 season, he makes a completely fair (and in fact undervalued) $14.2 million per season which means that not only was this not a contract they needed to dump, but the fact that they actually took on salary to do so makes it even more head scratching. Carlos Santana doesn't hold any real value: he is aging and declining, can't play defense at all, and is owed $34 million the next two seasons. For good measure, the Mariners also sent a half-decent reliever (Pazos) to Philly as well LOL.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Rosenthal: Inside the Phils' pursuit of Segura; is Haniger...

*The Mets have not given up in their quest to acquire Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto – who, like Canó, is represented by general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s former agency, CAA (Roc Nation shares in the representation of Canó).

A trade for Realmuto, however, would appear highly unlikely, given the depletion of the Mets’ already-thin system after the trades of Kelenic and Dunn. The same goes for a trade for Indians right-hander Corey Kluber, unless the Mets acquired youngsters for right-hander Noah Syndergaard, then flipped some of those players along with some of their own to the Indians.

The Mets conceivably could build a package for Kluber around one of their young outfielders, Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo. But such a move would be counterproductive with Yoenis Céspedes out until the second half after undergoing surgeries on both heels.

In any case, the Mets’ talks with the Padres over Syndergaard have cooled, at least for the moment. Their interest in Kluber was first reported by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

The Jays are open to trading any player who is within two years of free agency, but they are not necessarily in a hurry to move Stroman and Sanchez, particularly when their biggest need is starting pitching.

Timing will be everything – the team can act at the non-waiver deadline, next off-season or at the deadline in 2020. In the meantime, the Jays figure to be late movers in free agency, waiting for bargains to arise.

*Speaking of the Jays, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is working out at his alma mater, Long Beach State, and looks great according to two friends who saw him recently.

 

[ShaneFalco]

.....and looks great according to two friends who saw him recently

That's pretty solid

 

[Deebo]

Corbin to the Nationals on a 6 year deal worth over 126M

 

[habamillions]

Thought he would go to yankees. But they only offered 5 years

 

[NeverGoingToWin]

$140 million

 

[Woodman19]

$140 million

Deferred money too, I guess they are trying to be the first team to pay $100 Million a year to players not on their roster or even active in the league lol

 

[Eyedea]

Corbin is bae. Good to see him not join our evil overlords.

 

[phillipmike]

They just traded a SS who has averaged just under 4 WAR the past three seasons, TOOK ON salary for some reason to do it, and all they got in return was a guy who's prospect status is stagnating/going in the wrong direction (who at this point is highly unlikely to ever even perform at the level of the guy they just traded to get him). Segura's contract only takes him to his age 32 season, he makes a completely fair (and in fact undervalued) $14.2 million per season which means that not only was this not a contract they needed to dump, but the fact that they actually took on salary to do so makes it even more head scratching. Carlos Santana doesn't hold any real value: he is aging and declining, can't play defense at all, and is owed $34 million the next two seasons. For good measure, the Mariners also sent a half-decent reliever (Pazos) to Philly as well LOL.

I strongly disagree with the bold.

Segura has team chemistry and locker room issues (Heyman questioned if this was an issue in Arizona too). They wanted to move off him. Similar to guys like Yunel Escobar X2.

Brawl breaks out in Seattle Mariners' clubhouse

Jon Heyman: Clubhouse culture may have been Mariners' ultimate culprit

Pazo is 27, has 2 pitches and has a 2 mph drop in his fastball and slider from the year before. Im not concerned that he turns his less than mediocre career into anything more.

I can see why the Mariners wanted to move off Segura and if you arent competing then no need to keep him around when you can get 6 years of control in a potential starting SS and clearly long term salary relief. If Crawford is a bust (which i highly doubt) then i can see why you dont like it but i still view him as a potential 2-3 WAR SS in the next year or 2 and with 6 years of control at the minimum, thats a big win for me.

SS trade market wasnt that strong for teams to take on Segura so all things considering i understand why it was made and i see value when there wasnt much to be dictated by the market.

The Phillies Were Jean Segura’s Entire Market | FanGraphs Baseball

Santana still has value from a WAR perspective but the value comes similar to the Braves-Dodgers deal. Braves took on more money to get contracts that expire sooner so they can have money freed up. In 2 years Santana will be off the books and Segura will still have 28M remaining... Santana's expiring (2 years vs 4) fits Seattle's timeline much better. Plus they can retain on Santana and still probably get something back next season.

 

[Cor]

Ah good to see Marcus Stroman on Twitter taking on [checks notes]...video games?

Every 2 weeks I wish Stroman would delete is twitter.

I want to like the guy, but he makes it hard

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Kurtz]

I bet the Yankees turn around and bring back Happ for around 2/30.

 

[phillipmike]

I bet the Yankees turn around and bring back Happ for around 2/30.

It would be a much smarter investment than Corbin.

Happ is battle tested in the AL East and comes with less term and playoff success.

Plus they have a ridiculous pipeline of pitching, no need to block them. Always thought short term FA deal were the way to go for the Yankees. I would even keep Gray as your 5th or 6th starter unless someone is offering a deal you can’t refuse.

 

[dredeye]

That is a lot of money on starting pitching

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Cor]

Jays: “This is the time to trade Martin and we’ll even pay a significant portion of his salary to help make a move happen”

Every other MLB team: “We are also trading our catcher”

 

[phillipmike]

Jays: “This is the time to trade Martin and we’ll even pay a significant portion of his salary to help make a move happen”

Every other MLB team: “We are also trading our catcher”

Yup its a very unfortunate timing with such a strong catching market. As i said weeks ago if the Jays want to move Martin they will have to retain a significant portion and not expect anything back at face value. Martin is viewed at best as a glove first 1st catcher who is declining on the field and is becoming less durable.

I think he will be very useful for a team but due to the market his performance will likely outweigh his return, similar to Pearce. Not that the Pearce deal is a bad deal as i make it again but you take what you can get so you can get more playing time for your young guys and give these players who have no future on your team a chance to contend.

 

[Discoverer]

Martin is viewed at best as a glove first 1st catcher who is declining on the field and is becoming less durable.

Glove-first catcher coming off wRC+ of 101, 101, and 91 in the last three seasons. Factor in his pitch framing, game calling, and experience/reputation for working with a pitching staff, and I think there's some value there if they pay most of his salary.

Hell, Jeff Mathis just got a $6+ million commitment and he's been easily the worst hitter in baseball over the last decade. The market being flooded with options will hurt, but teams put a lot of value in the things Martin brings. Let someone take him on for just a couple million and you'll get something at least semi-interesting in return.

 

[phillipmike]

Glove-first catcher coming off wRC+ of 101, 101, and 91 in the last three seasons. Factor in his pitch framing, game calling, and experience/reputation for working with a pitching staff, and I think there's some value there if they pay most of his salary.

Hell, Jeff Mathis just got a $6+ million commitment and he's been easily the worst hitter in baseball over the last decade. The market being flooded with options will hurt, but teams put a lot of value in the things Martin brings. Let someone take him on for just a couple million and you'll get something at least semi-interesting in return.

Sure he is all those things in a vacuum but you have factor in health, age, durability, control, and declining value in addition to the market and the likelihood the Jays likely are VERY motivated to move him to get Jansen, Maile and McGuire time. All these extra factors are working against the Jays and for any teams that want to acquire him, if there are any that have serious interest.

We will see, i doubt the bold part very much. Its not what we think he can do, its how other teams view him and if there are more than 1 team that views him that way to get the offers up.

 

[Discoverer]

Sure he is all those things in a vacuum but you have factor in health, age, durability, control, and declining value in addition to the market and the likelihood the Jays likely are VERY motivated to move him to get Jansen, Maile and McGuire time. All these extra factors are working against the Jays and for any teams that want to acquire him, if there are any that have serious interest.

We will see, i doubt the bold part very much. Its not what we think he can do, its how other teams view him and if there are more than 1 team that views him that way to get the offers up.

Health, age, and durability all boil down to the same concern: can he stay on the field? I'm assuming a team would acquire him as a backup/semi-regular who can fill in on a full-time basis if needed, so they wouldn't be looking for him to play every day anyway.

The Jays aren't forced to move him at all given he can play elsewhere on the diamond and they presumably like him as a mentor for the young catchers.

As for teams valuing what Martin brings, I can't imagine disputing that given that excellent defensive backup catchers always tend to have a lot of suitors, and they almost never come with a bat as good as Martin's.