Wei-Yin Chen to the Marlins (5 yrs - $80M)

[tntoriole]

He'd do well in the NL.

Very well, indeed.

[wvw011166]

I still see chen as a cheap David Price I would love to see the Orioles resign him

[El Gordo]

I still see chen as a cheap David Price I would love to see the Orioles resign him

Not for 5/100M. Maybe for 4/60M.

[MDtransplant757]

Not for 5/100M. Maybe for 4/60M.

I'd pay him 4/60. That's not unreasonable.

[Frobby]

Here's a fangraphs article predicting a Kazmir-like deal for Chen and that the Orioles will pursue him:

[T]his slots Chen ahead of Leake and very close to Kazmir. Kazmir owns the upside, Chen the floor. For me, Leake was a clear overpay, and Kazmir a fair deal. Even in this belated market phase, I still believe that Chen will find a deal similar in length and size to Kazmir’s.

Who’s going to give it to him? Well, the Dodgers would seem to have already signed the number of southpaws they need. Many potential suitors have shopped elsewhere, or are now likely to move on to position player targets. The one glaring exception would appear to be the Orioles, Chen’s only U.S. employer to date. He’s waged the wars of the AL East successfully, the club has the money to spend and the positional need, and knows the player very well. Once the Chris Davis situation plays itself out, I expect Chen to be next on their list.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/still-on-the-board-wei-yin-chen/

Also some interesting metrics cited in this article, too complex for me to summarize or post here.

[clapdiddy]

I would not have a problem with Chen returning for that type of deal. He's probably a low #2/solid #3 starter, but he's probably the best we'll have if we re-sign him.

[Frobby]

Can you imagine an offseason in which Wieters, O'Day, Davis and Chen all returned? That would blow my mind! However, I still very much doubt that it happens. I don't see Chen signing for 3 years.

[Can_of_corn]

Can you imagine an offseason in which Wieters, O'Day, Davis and Chen all returned? That would blow my mind! However, I still very much doubt that it happens. I don't see Chen signing for 3 years.

Would be pretty exciting to bring back keep members of an 81 win team with substantial raises.

[UpstateNYfan]

I would not have a problem with Chen returning for that type of deal. He's probably a low #2/solid #3 starter, but he's probably the best we'll have if we re-sign him.

And, maybe he can opt of 5 starts against Toronto in the schedule.

[Can_of_corn]

Funny, but it's not really that simple.

-Wieters potentially fully healthy

-Full year Schoop

-Hardy potentially healthiER

-Add Trumbo

-Add Kim

It might not be the best strategy, but it's not the worst either. The team as constructed with Wieters, O'Day, Davis, and Chen back is already better on paper than last year's team.

Someone always gets hurt.

Taking a .500 team and retaining a substantial core of them past the age of 30 isn't going to work. It might work for 2016 but we are only discussing one of them on a one year deal

[thezeroes]

Someone always gets hurt.

Taking a .500 team and retaining a substantial core of them past the age of 30 isn't going to work. It might work for 2016 but we are only discussing one of them on a one year deal

Two of these are a one year deal. (Wieters and Trumbo)

[Frobby]

Someone always gets hurt.

Taking a .500 team and retaining a substantial core of them past the age of 30 isn't going to work. It might work for 2016 but we are only discussing one of them on a one year deal

First of all, I agree with your point that someone always gets hurt. We can assume that we will have some key injuries in 2016.

That said, I think it does oversimplify things to say this is "a .500 team." Performance fluctuates year to year. I'd say that of the many things that can go right or wrong for a team, last year more things went wrong than right, especially with the corner outfielders and the starting pitchers. Off the top of my head, I'd say if Davis and Chen returned, I'd say my median expectation for that team would be about 85 wins -- but with the potential to be anywhere between about 77 and 93.

I'm also a bit reluctant to get down on a team because they have a substantial core of players in their early 30's. There aren't a lot of truly old players on the Orioles (Hardy and O'Day are the oldest key players and they'll both be 33 this season), and they do have some young guys with potential for growth (Machado, Schoop, Gausman, Givens) that could outstrip any declines. Trumbo and Kim provide some potential to upgrade last year's dismal corner OF production, though it's not certain how much of an upgrade they'll be.

Longer term, a lot depends on how the younger guys develop, including the four I mentioned, but also guys such as Bundy and Mancini. They could be anything from non-factors to significant contributors.

Bottom line, there are too many unknowns for me to have a strong feeling about 2016 or beyond. For 2016, I'd certainly like our chances better with Davis and Chen than I would without them.

[Can_of_corn]

Two of these are a one year deal. (Wieters and Trumbo)

True, but I was talking about the folks they retained, not added.

[TonySoprano]

Could the Nationals trade Gonzalez for another center-field type, then sign free-agent left-hander Wei-Yin Chen?

The Nats are discussing such a scenario, sources say. Their frequent business partner, agent Scott Boras, represents both pitchers.

Officials with the Orioles, Chen's original club, originally believed that he would land with a West Coast club. But the Giants signed added righties Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, while the Dodgers added lefty Scott Kazmir and righty Kenta Maeda, and the Mariners ended up with righty Hisashi Iwakuma and lefty Wade Miley. The Athletics and Padres, meanwhile, are unlikely to spend big on a starter.

source - Rosenthal

[TonySoprano]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marlins?src=hash">#Marlins</a> remain in active negotiations with free-agent LHP Wei-Yin Chen.</p>— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="

">January 12, 2016</a></blockquote>

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