I honestly don't even get it. You have one of the brightest young pitchers in the league, arguably like the hottest type of commodity you could want in baseball, and you're actively trying to get rid of him... seems like such a Marlins thing to do

Fernandez is gonna be the new guy who has trade rumors swirl around him for the next two years as the Marlins see if anyone is dumb enough to empty the farm for him until it's time to actually think hard about dealing him.

You could argue that his value isn't going to get much higher than it is now, so exploring trade opportunities isn't out of the question.

Sure, but the simpler and maybe more likely explanation is that we're talking about the Marlins.

Probably. Just playing devils advocate. It does make sense to at least put out feelers just in case.

Always have to evaluate one self objectively. Maybe the Marlins feel they don't currently have enough around Fernandez to compete over the next three years. Trading him for a number of pieces to help turn them around sooner isn't a bad idea.

That being said, it is the Marlins.

I'd trade Fernandez in a second, but I'd have to get at least 2 elite players back in return, not to mention a high level prospect for the future....

<font color=goldenrod>The Shelby Miller trade has made Fernandez virtually unattainable. They have every right to ask for the moon for him to see if some team jumps.

He'd figure to be almost a lock to be unloaded before the end of his deal, but they'll settle for a more "realistic" package in return the closer he gets to free agency.</font>

Vito this is my thoughts almost exactly about the Mets.

http://www.barstoolsports.com/newyor...stro-what-now/

<font color=goldenrod>That's all very fair. As I said I thought the lineup would have been good to go with Zobrist and Span. But now Zobrist is gone and the Cubs are apparently jumping in on Span too, so I have little reason to think the Mets will outbid the Cubs for him.

This offseason now has "Asdrubal Cabrera and a random reliever for 2 years, $8 million and that's it" written all over it, and that's a fucking shame.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>I'd toss Neil Walker in as a potential trade option for the Mets. Pirates apparently want to shed his salary, he'd plug 2B for a year without blocking Herrera for the long-term.

But I expect it'd go much like the article said with the Castro deal. Bucs would ask for one of Thor/Matz/Wheeler for Walker, Mets would justifiably say no, and then they'd move Walker elsewhere for a far lesser price.

If I'm the Pirates/Cubs/Cards/Dodgers/Giants/D-Backs, basically anybody in the NL who can realisitically contend for a title next year, I wouldn't be too keen to help the Mets out either. It's known that if they get back to the playoffs they'll immediately be one of the favorites solely due to the pitching. Why do something that could help them even get back to the playoffs in the first place?</font>

Mets might be able to get Aaron Hill out of ARZ....

Dodgers considering making a deal with the Yankees to get Andrew Miller as a backup plan to the Chapman trade that might be getting voided soon.

Clubs haven't confirmed, but MLB at bat just said Mets and Pirates reportedly made a deal.

Pirates get: John Niese

Mets get: Neil Walker

Pretty good get for the Mets to make up for missing out on Zobrist. Walker got quiet strength. Can hit a few homers if he gets in a groove.

See Vito? If you just relax and let things play out they turn out ok. Walker steps in nicely as a one year fix who probably gets offered and declines a qualifying offer next year. So they get an above average hitter and possibly a first round pick.

Pretty good move.

<font color=goldenrod>Love that trade. I like Zobrist more as a player, but I do really like that Walker isn't going to block Herrera long-term.

Also, Niese was wonderful out of the bullpen in the playoffs but as a starter I didn't have much faith in him anymore. They can always use a Rafael Montero/Logan Verrett type out of the bullpen OR, my personal preference, bring back Bartolo for a year and put him in the pen once Wheeler is healthy. I love that big fat bastard.</font>

Tigers trade two prospects for Justin Wilson from the Yankees

@NYY fans, what should I expect outta this guy? I'm glad Tigers filled a glaring need (LHP outta the 'pen) but don't know much about him

Lefty specialist bullpen arm who's pretty good with batters on both sides of the plate. Had an good year. Got him from the trade with Pittsburgh when we sent them Frankie Cervelli.

He'll be your setup man to your brand new K-Rod.

good shit

Avila is shaping up to be the best

Heh heh. One of the guys we're getting back is one of the Mets pieces from the Cespedes trade. Talk about going full circle.

<font color=goldenrod>Phillies make it known that they will be selecting OF Tyler Goeddel from the Rays with the top pick of tomorrow's Rule 5 draft. First round pick back in 2011, transitioned from a career infielder to the outfield this year. Could be a good get for a Phillies team clearly still entrenched in rebuild mode.

Probably going to be lots of arms taken in the draft as per usual. It's basically just a fairly inexpensive $50k dice roll to see if you can get a guy who can stick to a big league bullpen spot all year. RHP Corey Black (Cubs) and LHP Onelki Garcia (LHP) lead the names of arms expected to be taken.

Wouldn't mind seeing the Mets grab Jake Cave from the Yankees. Lefty hitting CF, gives the Mets a platoon fallback option in case they can't sign Span or Parra. Not sure he'll make it to the Mets' pick at #24 tho.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Speaking of the Phillies...

Phillies get: RHP Vincent Velasquez, LHP Brett Oberholtzer, OF Derek Fisher
Astros get: RHP Ken Giles</font>

Bummed to see Giles go, but a v good closer on a (probably) 90-loss team.

Gotta look ahead and they 100p need pitching depth, so :y:

I have literally no idea what that post means

World Series ring

<font color=goldenrod>Mets continue to shore up their middle infield, inking Asdrubal Cabrera to a 2-year, $18.5 million deal.

I'm pretty shocked by this. Once they traded for Walker I just assumed it'd be back to being a Flores/Tejada timeshare at SS. But now both of those guys appear to be backups. And with Wright likely to need a good amount of offdays with his spinal stenosis, it's good to have some depth.

Now just grab Span or Parra and I think they'll be ready to roll offensively. Feel way better about things than I did 24 hours ago.</font>

Thats legendary cajun chef Justin Wilson.

incredible

Good pickup for Mets fans. Cabrera isn't great defensively but he's a decent enough bat to give them a moderate upgrade at short.

How long have you been sitting on that for?

And I don't really feel like my post was a senseless pile-on for him, he legit posted a meme of some dude I never seen before...... but keep it up

<font color=goldenrod>Cabrera actually manages to somehow be worse defensively than what they already had...but it's nice to beef up the lineup. Of equal importance is that they now have depth on the infield. I expect Flores to get starts at 2B, SS, and now 3B and still see plenty of ABs in his "everyman" role.

I figure Cabrera got money that had been set aside for Zobrist since Walker and Niese's salaries basically cancel out. That SHOULD mean the Mets will still have the money to move on Span or Parra.</font>

Cabrera was worth more as a ss than Tejada and Flores as an aggregate. It's a solid pickup.

I'm not in on Span. Injury issues limited him and his skill set doesn't age well. They're much improved up the middle. Maybe Lagares gets healthy enough to return to form. That by itself would keep them going.

Oh thank god... Lawrie traded to the White Sox. When I heard that Tigers were one of the teams interested I had a bad bad feeling

<font color=goldenrod>I was thinking of Span primarily as a 1 year deal with a vesting option or something. They could use speed at the top of the lineup and he'd be a really good platoon partner with Lagares.

The BBTN crew just ripped the Mets, Schilling in particular. Saying they didn't get all that much better today and they still need a 30 HR bopper in the middle of the order to get back to the playoffs. I don't think he realizes that the Mets' only real vacancy now is at CF, and with the exception of Heyward who is asking for like a 10 year deal, none of the other traditional middle of the order guys seem suited for CF.

You don't need to look much further than the Royals to show you don't need to have a feature piece in your lineup. No one individual player in that group scares you. It's just a bunch of good hitters in a row. It's not rocket science.</font>

Honestly haven't watched the hacks on BBTN since mlb network's debut. The only espn guy like is Keith Law because he's objective and doesn't use hyperbole.

I think adding Cabrera was a decent move that now gives them depth. Walker has been worth near 4 more WAR than Murphy the last 5 years, and was as good as him last year. Worst case scenario is Walker provides equal value. Can't think it was a bad move if he steps right in and matches last year.

Cabrera is just better than what they have. The pitching is insane and even if Lagares is only a defense player, they still have a full season of Conforto, which will aid them greatly.

I like their offseason thus far.

<font color=goldenrod>Rule 5 results in:

1. Phillies (37): Tyler Goeddel, OF (Rays)
2. Reds (35): Jake Cave, OF (Yankees)
3. Braves (39): Evan Rutckyj, LHP (Yankees)
4. Rockies (39): Luis Perdomo, RHP (Cardinals)
5. Brewers (34): Colin Walsh, 1B (Athletics)
6. Athletics (38): Jabari Blash, OF (Mariners) — apparently traded to Padres
7. Marlins (38): No Selection
8. Padres (36): Josh Martin, RHP (Indians)
9. Tigers (40): No Selection
10. White Sox (38): No Selection
11. Mariners (40): No Selection
12. Red Sox (40): No Selection
13. D-backs (40): No Selection
14. Rays (40): No Selection
15. Orioles (39): Joey Rickard, OF (Rays)
16. Indians (40): No Selection
17. Twins (40): No Selection
18. Nationals (37): No Selection
19. Giants (38): No Selection
20. Angels (34): Deolis Guerra, RHP (Pirates)
21. Astros (37): No Selection
22. Yankees (39): No Selection
23. Rangers (37): No Selection
24. Mets (39): No Selection
25. Dodgers (38): No Selection
26. Blue Jays (35): Joe Biangini, RHP (Giants)
27. Royals (39): No Selection
28. Cubs (39): No Selection
29. Pirates (38): No Selection
30. Cardinals (34): Matt Bowman, RHP (Mets)</font>