Hot Stove Thread 2014-15

The Giants way has been to go for pitching and defense, then go for more pitching and let the hitting come along. They have not signed a big bat FA since Bonds; all the others have been drafted or come on the cheap. It wasn't the Royals who were the first to find success through a solid bullpen, the Giants weren't the first either, but the Giants have for the past 10-15 years been very aggressive in building a solid bullpen and paying for expensive middle relievers (more than a closer.) Had the Tigers spent some of that Fielder (and other hitting) $$ on some middle relief and a closer they would have had a title or two by now.

 

As a Yankee fan, I hope they don't sign scherzer. They should have gotten him years ago in the granderson deal, but if you don't learn your lesson about giving long, huge contracts to pitchers over 30 from sabathia, you deserve what you get.

 

At least there's Kendrys Morales! Not just one Kendry, but multiple Kendrys.

 

They can absorb sunk costs. They know this and don't care.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but didn't they just let Billy Butler go and replace him with another version of Billy Butler for about the same price? Why didn't Dayton do his favorite thing and get a Brave. Evan Gattis could have filled the DH role and made it so Salvy wouldn't have to catch 150 games next year.

 

This is simply not true. First, they have lost plenty of players they wanted to keep because they didn't want to spend having spent elsewhere, cano, Robertson, even Martin. Also, look at their team. While they can pay these guys, it's not like they release them or even bench them, so they still clog up the roster and lineup turning what should be a competitive advantage into a disadvantage.

 

This is simply not true. First, they have lost plenty of players they wanted to keep because they didn't want to spend having spent elsewhere, cano, Robertson, even Martin. Also, look at their team. While they can pay these guys, it's not like they release them or even bench them, so they still clog up the roster and lineup turning what should be a competitive advantage into a disadvantage.[/QUOTE]


Plenty of players? That's two (no, Martin really doesn't count), and the list really doesn't go far past that. And it wasn't that they had already spent elsewhere with Cano, it was that they knew he was going to get a lot more money than they thought he was worth. They had the resources to keep him, as they had the resources to keep Robertson. They chose not to. The Yankees are absolutely able to spend their way through mistakes in a way that no other franchise can.

 

Plenty of players? That's two (no, Martin really doesn't count), and the list really doesn't go far past that. And it wasn't that they had already spent elsewhere with Cano, it was that they knew he was going to get a lot more money than they thought he was worth. They had the resources to keep him, as they had the resources to keep Robertson. They chose not to. The Yankees are absolutely able to spend their way through mistakes in a way that no other franchise can.[/QUOTE]

Maybe Hank and Hal don't want to spend so much. It's not a question of can, but possibly want.

 

Guy, I present one ALEX RODRIGUEZ as evidence.

 

Ken Rosenthal says the Nationals offered Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond to the Mariners for Tijuan Walker and Brad Miller. Having never heard of Brad Miller, I'd say that'd be a pretty lopsided deal for the Mariners. However, the Mariners rejected the offer. So....is this Miller guy supposed to be good or what?

 

Plenty of players? That's two (no, Martin really doesn't count), and the list really doesn't go far past that. And it wasn't that they had already spent elsewhere with Cano, it was that they knew he was going to get a lot more money than they thought he was worth. They had the resources to keep him, as they had the resources to keep Robertson. They chose not to. The Yankees are absolutely able to spend their way through mistakes in a way that no other franchise can.[/QUOTE]

- 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.

 

Harper and the Nats reached agreement at two-years, $7.5 million, avoiding the grievance arbitration, according to the Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...evance-hearing-after-settling-on-2015-salary/