Hot Stove Thread 2014-15

He'd fit in great in Anaheim alongside the rest of their collection of overpaid, aging (soon-to-be) stiffs.

Indians are too smart for that. And there'd be no upside for the Twins or Astros to bring him in, since they're years from contending.

White Sox? Hmmm, maybe. With Konerko and Dunn gone, there's definitely a vacancy.

Hanley Ramirez and Chase Headley are out there, so 3B is arguably as deep as (or at least has more top-end options than) anywhere other than DH and SP.

 

FA in general sucks compared with the steroid era. Players are aging worse and teams are getting savvy about locking up good ones logn-term.

 

I forgot Ramirez (I'm guilty of still thinking of him as a shortstop sometimes) and don't consider Headley to be anywhere near a top option.

 

Hanley has played shortstop the last couple of years, but I think he's a 3B going forward.

Headley's not a top option for what the Padres were paying him, but at say, 3 years, $21 million, he could be a real bargain for somebody with his defense and on-base skills.

 

Gotcha. I don't think I saw a single Dodgers game this season, so I was sure on Hanley. As for Headley, he's a nice player and could be a bargain, but I wouldn't include him when talking about depth of the position.

It's basically just Sandoval and maybe Ramirez depending on who wants him and whether he wants to play third. My basic point is that any team looking to upgrade at 3B won't have a lot of options besides the farm system and a trade. If you're a GM looking to upgrade at 3B/DH, it might be worth considering paying A-Rod $10 million/year and hoping he approaches a couple magic numbers to drive up attendance.

 

I'd be surprised if Sandoval even hits the market. Teams have a five-day exclusive window and they might just finish a deal in time for the parade tomorrow.

Last year Lincecum was so gone that he waved goodbye to the home crowd in his last appearance. He got a two-year deal.

 

Sandoval will be geting quite a bit longer than two years.

How long and how much for that body type are teams willing to pay?

 

I think the Giants probably will keep him. You kind of have to if you're Sabean, right? The guy is the everyday face of your franchise (maybe Posey is, but Panda seems like more of a fan favorite to me as an outsider) and he just had one hell of a postseason.

 

He's still only 28 so I'd say five years and $20M per. Hopefully, he's not going anywhere.

 

Before the season, Sandoval's people wanted Pence's 5/90.

Sandoval is three years younger, but Pence is a workout freak and one of the fittest players in the game. Pablo at age 33 with no financial incentive to stay in any kind of shape is a risky play, but I think he gets something close to it -- maybe three or four years with a couple of options that become automatic at 500 PAs the previous year.

 

If he hits the market I think he will get more than that.

Teams are getting smarter but all it takes is one team, especially with the money teams are making now.

 

Giants are also more apt than most to make decisions based on marketing, and he is incredibly popular.