Hot Stove Thread 2014-15

Seems fairly reasonable. Doesn't change his free agent year or anything.

 

Heyman: Yankees get Chase Headley for four years, $52 million.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/12/15/new-york-yankees-chase-headley-return

 

Too much. Desperation makes for bad decision making.

 

I don't know how you can begin to say that. Aaron Gleeman just tweeted this comparison with Sandoval:

Pablo Sandoval, 2012-2014: .759 OPS, 116 OPS+, 8.2 WAR, $90 million
Chase Headley, 2012-2014: .782 OPS, 123 OPS+, 13.6 WAR, $50 million

 

Everybody in free agency appears to get too much, until next year when those deals are dwarfed.

 

- Sandoval is 2 years younger.
- I hated that deal too. Both teams are paying through the age 34 year, which while not crazy, is less than ideal for players who will be in decline and were never (with the exception of a freak season) great to begin with.

That said, when my son went to a game this summer he said that Headley was the only one who went out early and signed autographs, so good for him.

 

Yes, but Headley has been in a tailspin since 2012; the question is whether he'll continue to hit .220 with little power.

 

Other than you don't like where the market has gone, what exactly were the alternatives to signing Sandoval and Headley that make you think the Red Sox and Yankee should have walked away from those deals?

The price the Yankees paid takes that drop off into account. There's risk involved with every signing.

It's been pretty widely reported today that Headley turned down a significantly higher offer, as well.

 

Whatever you want to read into the small sample size, he was pretty good after the trade in New York, especially on defense.

 

- What about the second sentence?
-Why doesn't Martin count? They replaced him with no one, had a hole in their lineup all year, and were outbid by the Pirates for a player they wanted to and tried to resign.
-As for having the resources but choosing not to go as high on Cano and Robertson, every team makes those choices when they lose players, with very few exceptions. The Mauer and Stanton signings and many in between teach that small market teams, if they want can keep their own players, they just often choose not to. Everyone is making choices with allocation of assets. Boston is also a high market team, but they couldn't start spending again until LA gave them a Get Out of Jail Free card. The Yankees haven't gotten that lucky yet. Even the big contracts they took on (IMO, foolishly for the most part) last year were replacing money coming off the books.
-3OF, the ARod extension is a disaster that they are still trying futilely to dig themselves out of, and the last contribution of Hank as an active part of the operation.[/QUOTE]

Sorry Guy, but I have a hard time taking you seriously when you claim the Yankees really wanted a player and they allowed the Pirates to outbid them. Martin doesn't count because he struggled during his two seasons in New York, including a .211/.311/.403 line the season before they let him go. No way the Yankees let him go for two years, $15 million if they really wanted him.

Everyone is making choices, but the Yankees have shown they can always find a way to make the choice "yes" whenever they want.

 

That is completely misleading. Headley had a monster 2012, then reverted to his relatively mediocre form since. He did play well for the Yankees and that is a significantly better situation for a hitter, but assuming the 2012 version of Headley will return would be a big mistake.

 

Does this mean A-Rod is stuck at DH or bench?