Free agency thread

[interloper]

42 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

The Rockies are one of the worst-run teams in baseball, I'd rather not follow their "model" of completely random moves and non-moves.

I'm all for the Os signing guys and trying to be competitive, but yeah the Rockies is absolutely not the model they should follow.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

4 minutes ago, interloper said:

I'm all for the Os signing guys and trying to be competitive, but yeah the Rockies is absolutely not the model they should follow.

They are basically following the Orioles' model from the 00s- spend enough to win too many games to get top-end draft picks but not enough to actually compete, and wait too long to trade guys who could net them quality prospects (if they trade them at all). Basically the worst of all possible worlds.

[Ripken]

Mariners trading for Jesse Winker.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

6 minutes ago, Ripken said:

Mariners trading for Jesse Winker.

Basically not much more than a salary dump to unload Suarez's contract, poor Reds fans. 

[btdart20]

24 minutes ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

They are basically following the Orioles' model from the 00s- spend enough to win too many games to get top-end draft picks but not enough to actually compete, and wait too long to trade guys who could net them quality prospects (if they trade them at all). Basically the worst of all possible worlds.

And they don’t play their prospects when they have the chance.  

[btdart20]

17 minutes ago, Ripken said:

Mariners trading for Jesse Winker.

M’s will be tough this year.

[connja]

 

RHP Garrett Richards

For years, Richards was a popular breakout candidate due to his high spin stuff and heavy fastball. However, after a lengthy struggle to get his arm right with the Los Angeles Angels, finally resulting in UCL reconstruction, the potential just isn’t there anymore. However, in 2021 he landed with the Boston Red Sox and had his best season since 2015, putting up 136 ²⁄₃ innings of decent backend starter work with a 4.87 ERA and 4.72 FIP. 

Richards still has those high spin rates, and gets outstanding depth on his curveball and slider. The fastball continues to be that oddest of ducks; the high spin sinking fourseamer. Richards gets a lot of gyro on it, and still tops 94 mph on average with some seam-shifted wake effect that makes the pitch hard to barrel in the air, though he doesn’t miss many bats with it either. Like Pineda, he still has to be regarded as a real injury risk who at best will give the Tigers 20 starts. I’d be curious to see what the Tigers’ coaching staff would do with him, but Richards is a lesser option than Pineda and not a lock to get a major league contract.

LHP Tyler Anderson

With the Chicago White Sox currently ruling the AL Central with a killer lineup stacked with right-handed hitters, a lefty isn’t really the ideal fit for the rotation. The 30-year-old Anderson came up with the Rockies before brief stints with the Giants, Pirates, and the Mariners, who dealt for him as depth at the 2021 trade deadline. Over the past two seasons he’s managed to post solid numbers for a backend starter, but certainly isn’t going to wow anyone.

Anderson features a riding fourseam/cutter combination, with the heater sitting 90-91 mph with some funky hesitation in his leg kick to throw off hitters’ timing. He also has a solid changeup. None of these offerings will wow anyone, but Anderson has the command and the understanding of how to pitch to set hitters up and induce a lot of weak contact. He boasts excellent chase and hard hit rates, and doesn’t walk many. The lack of strikeouts keep him from being a particularly desirable starter in the modern era, but the results are pretty solid. In 2021, he put up a 4.53 ERA and a 4.37 FIP, though his numbers got a little worse coming over to the American League mid-season. 

While we’re not that keen on another lefty, Anderson is interesting and if the Tigers could tune his stuff a bit further, there is actually potential for solid mid-rotation production here, rather than just an arm who can eat some innings.

[waroriole]

Not great to be a Reds fan right now. 
 

 

[Aglets]

Isn't Chris Davis going to be like our 2nd highest paid player this year?

[waroriole]

25 minutes ago, Aglets said:

Isn't Chris Davis going to be like our 2nd highest paid player this year?

I assume he’s the highest. 

[Aglets]

6 minutes ago, waroriole said:

I assume he’s the highest. 

His $17M salary for 2022 was spread out over 3 years when he retired.  (22-24)   So I assume his number is around 6M for this year.   Looks like Mancini might get paid more than that for '22.

[Moose Milligan]

Julio Teheran is still out there.  Apparently he's got a showcase tomorrow.

IMO, that's a dude we should have been in on two years ago and we should be in on now.  He's certainly not great but I wouldn't mind this team picking up a guy who's got a career 3.80 ERA and a 4.34 FIP.  

[DrinkinWithFermi]

MLBTR reporting that the Padres are apparently showing interest in Freddie Freeman, perhaps they think they have found a taker for Hosmer's contract?

No Trey-for-Hosmer+prospect(s) deal now I guess, not that I ever really expected that to begin with.

[SteveA]

Colin McHugh, who some of us had mentioned we would like to see the O's sign, signed with Atlanta,

2 years  / $10 million / $6 million club option for year 3

 

[SteveA]

Yankees re-sign Rizzo so are they out of the Freeman sweepstakes?