Really don't see how Gyorko fits with the cards. He's not starting over Wong at second, he's sure as shit not starting over Carpenter at third either. So now he's a moderately extensive backup/platoon player with no real position and 2.5 years of futility.

Maybe he progresses to become an average regularly (roughly 2 WAR) but I don't see him suddenly breaking out when playing time is already limited.

Can he play anywhere else? Or might he get flipped?

Clearly I know a ton about him.

He really doesn't play second base well and he's seen minimal time elsewhere. I'd be stunne if they could flip his contract. $19 million for a below average hitter with no position is a tough sell.

<font color=goldenrod>Zobrist reportedly has a 4 year, $80 million offer on the table.

Welp...if it's true I guess I can scratch him off the list. I was actually okay with giving him the 4th year, but a $20M/year valuation on him is insane. I'm guessing the Nats were the team to give him that offer.

That'll probably do it for the Mets' 2B search, too. Unless Murph's market completely collapses and he can be had for like a 1 or 2 year deal late in the offseason, I really don't see a better option than just hoping Dilson Herrera works out.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Could just be the usual bullshit that reporters make up during winter meetings, too.

Hope so. I've kinda gotten my hopes up on Zobrist now so I don't wanna be let down.</font> :(

<font color=goldenrod>In seemingly unrelated news, the price of domestic draft beer at Citi Field has risen from $8.75 to $358.75</font>

It can't hurt to give it the old college try. That's expensive for a backup.

It is.

And I agree Vito. $20 million is a lot. Supposedly $7 million is what one WAR is worth, so in theory, it's not really that outlandish given how good Zobrist has been even this past season, which was maybe his worst in a while, he's still likely a $15, maybe $20 million player for a couple of years, but probably not 3 and certainly not 4.

That line up is not good.

Yankees & Cubs are working on something involving Starlin Castro.

I honestly don't think he's the solution to our shortstop problem.

No but he could be a solution to the second base problem.

<font color=goldenrod>You don't think so? I mean to each their own but I can see why it'd be good. You'd have a speedy leadoff guy in Span, the veteran trio of Grandy/Zobrist/Wright to give you stability in the middle of the lineup, your power guy in Duda, d'Arnaud and Flores above-average hitters for their positions, and a budding star in Conforto.

I mean yeah it's not a strong lineup compared to the loaded ones you typically see in the AL, but I feel like that group would get the Mets enough runs to support their pitching and win a lot of games in the mostly weak NL East.

Feeling less optimistic about Zobrist now, though :( the 4 year/$80 million deal was said to be false, but now it's confirmed that the Cubs have jumped in. Zobrist and Maddon are really tight. Feel like he's going to pick them. Bollocks.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>And just as I say that, there it is. 4 years, $56 million. Zobrist to the Cubs. Fuck.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Feel like this makes the Mets look really bad tbh. Went out of their way to declare he was their top guy on the board and still couldn't land him in favor of him going to a team that right now has about 5 million infielders.

I know the Cubs will trade some guys to free up room for him, but still. Fuck. Dilson Herrera better be the real deal or this was a huge miss by Mets brass.</font>

Mets should have just ran with this.

Wow. World of possibilities on the trade front now.

<font color=goldenrod>Castro to the Yankees now agreed upon pending medical review.</font>

w00t

<font color=goldenrod>It's Starlin Castro for Adam Warren, apparently.

Waiting to see if there's more to it. If not then WTFFFFFF @ the Yankees being able to pry an All Star SS away for basically nothing.</font>

YANKS BABY

I like Warren a lot (no evidence to support), but he feels replaceable in a still strong bullpen, and *as a Yankees fan* I like that they're always making moves. I appreciate that they're not the lame ass Mets

Castro is cool, now to Frank Drubben to tell me why he's not...

Will Warren get a chance to compete for a rotation slot?

Rotation was a bit of a log jam. I can see Warren being the odd man out and sending him out. Castro's nice. I guess he's an improvement over Sir Didi, although Didi figured it out the 2nd half of the season.

Didi #1 love in my heart forever

Castro can move his ass over...

D-Backs get Shelby Miller from the Braves for Ender Inciarte and a few others.

Arizona ain't screwing around. Got themselves another good arm. Although, this trend is almost like the Padres last season. And look how that turned out.

Inciarte, Aaron Blair and 2015 #1 overall pick Lieutenant Dansby Swanson

<font color=goldenrod>Mets reportedly "shellshocked" from losing out on Zobrist and thought they had it in the bag. They have no real backup plan at 2B and will just go with Herrera unless Murphy's price drops.

Oh and of course the Yankees played a big role in proceedings too, Cubs don't sign Zobrist if they can't find a suitor for Castro first. So they at least played a hand in dicking the Mets over.

lol. as if the World Series wasn't a reminder, I'm gradually remembering what it feels like to be a Met fan again. :( somebody tell me it's going to be ok</font>

Nice trade for both Atlanta and Arizona.

Az gets the number two they were in the market for, even if it means they their shortstop of the future who could've contributed as soon as next year.

Atlanta gets their shortstop of the future, and another arm to add to the two they got in dealing Simmons.

Read on Twitter that DBacks were discussing Jose Fernandez deal. Would have included Pat Corbin AND Lt. Dans. This is way better than that from a cost perspective, at least.

Arizona is gonna be that team that adds a bunch of studs and gets off to a slow start, everyone panics before they start playing better in June.

Something tells me there's not a market for Chris Davis to get a monster deal and he ends up staying in Baltimore. I can't see him taking less to go elsewhere

I do wish they could find a starter for the rotation though

Did I mention the DBacks pitching was a tire fire last year? Hopefully the Miller trade (vs. a Leakee Mike signing) frees up a little cash money to get a couple decent bullpen arms.

Castro is a guy with tons of unfulfilled potential. Those 300 batting averages are all hollow as fuck. I swear to god, 9 out of 10 base hits I saw from him this year were dribblers through the infield just hit in between defenders. Terrible pitch selection at the plate. Swung at 36.2% of pitches out of the zone he saw. Embarrassing mental miscues in the field. Used to happen when he was 19-20 and everyone was like "hes just a kid" but it never stopped happening. If it wasnt for playing well in a part time role in August/September he would have totally tanked his value. I honestly thought his value was at the point where he needed to be part of a package in order to trade him. He also apparently loves to party and not spend alot of time "honing his craft" which might explain his lack of growth as a player.

Despite all this, he's still only 26 and his contract isn't the worst (2016: $7M, 17: $9M, 18: $10M, 19: $11M, 20: $16M club option ($1M buyout)) and he is supposedly a decent enough guy in the clubhouse so in theory he still may be able to get better but he may just be what he is: a pretty decent defensive infielder who will hit 270 with a 310 OBP and hit 12-15 HR.

I think Warren gets a chance to start as the Cubs really have no one past the current projected starting 5. They need a couple of those guys who could pitch out of the pen and take over a spot in the rotation in case of an injury and maybe grow into the role as a guy like Lackey fades or retires.

Read a renowned scout's take on the the Arizona/Atlanta, advising Atlanta just fleeced Arizona for a good not great #2 starting pitcher.

Lt. Dans is the 2nd coming of Chipper Jones. They totally got fucked. But win now moves!

<font color=goldenrod>Apparently Zobrist's deal with the Cubs was agreed upon on Monday night but both sides were able to actually keep their mouths shut while the physicals were going on.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, John Ricco very publicly said that Zobrist being a Met was good as done. Collins held a press conference in which he said he envisioned Zobrist batting second. Jeff Wilpon flew to the winter meetings to make the official signing announcement. Yet the whole time, the Cubs knew they had already landed him.

What a fucking disaster for the Mets. They are the only team in baseball that this shit happens to. It's like the Gomez non-trade all over again.</font>

Lowe deal updated, $11m over the two years instead of $13m, seems a bit better... yeah... go Tigers

Happy to replace castro with zobrist, but I'm very confused by the signing. I get it in that it gives you flexibility on the field and that's exactly the kind of bat they need in the lineup and whatnot but it really goes against the MO of the braintrust to sign a 35 year old to a multi year deal that includes a no trade clause. They still need a CF unless they honestly think Javy Baez can play there. Took a big gamble that any issues zobrist had last year were injury related and that a 35 year old can pick up where he left off.

Great points Frank. I know Zobrist is versatile but really with the knee injury he may be limited to just second. I wouldn't be stunned if Baez is still moved to upgrade in centerfield.

Phillies sign David Hernandez to a one year deal, "showing interest" in Doug Fister.

I'm good with the signing and would be good with Fister. Definite upgrades, even if they're not earth-shattering moves.

Perusing MLB Trade Rumors re: Jose Fernandez. Marlins want teams to really unload for him. I get it, but these are some steep "offers."

Apparently they wanted at least Pederson, Urias, and Seager from the Dodgers.

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>

<font color=goldenrod>Tony Sipp goes back to the Astros. 3 years, $18 million.

Blimey...I would have liked to have Sipp back but that feels like an awful lot for a good, not great, middle reliever. Good on him for managing to pull that kind of money.</font>

Rays lost some OF depth....Never heard of Biangini that Jays picked up, doubtful he'll not be returned....

Rule 5 draft lost a lot of luster when they pushed the cutoff out an extra year. Unlikely you'll see the likes of Dan Uggla or Yohan Santana again.

Never understood how some of these teams could afford to tie up a spot on the 25 man roster all year for one of these guys. I remember the cubs drafted David Patton who had never pitched above A ball and just used him in garbage time. Eventually he got "hurt" and was on a minor league rehab for what felt like forever.

The Padres have had moderate success in their rule 5 history. In the early 90s, the picked up Bip Roberts, who, despite injuries, was a solid contributor.

Everth Cabrera had a few decent seasons as well.

The guy they picked up from Oakland has 4A outfielder written all over him. Mid 20s who smashed minor league pitching. I doubt he sticks.

In other Padres news, Ken Rosenthal reports that the Padres and Braves are finishing up a deal that would send former top 100 catching prospect Christian Betancourt to San Diego.

If that deal goes down, the Padres then have 4 catchers who could take a spot on the big club in Norris, Hedges, recently claimed Josmil Pinto and now possibly Betancourt. I'd have to think Norris is being dealt if this move goes through.

<font color=goldenrod>Last year was the most successful Rule 5 draft to date for what it was intended to do. Gave guys like Mark Canha, Delino DeShields, and Odubel Herrera a chance to play regularly. Moreover though, 9 of the 14 guys picked ended up getting a full year of big league pay (either from being on the 25 all year or on the DL). Additionally 2 of them served suspensions but are still with the teams that claimed them, with the Rule 5 restrictions still in place for next year. Guys who were stashed on the DL for long periods, like Daniel Winkler on the Braves, will still have the Rule 5 restrictions next year too.

I think your best bet to stick is to make it as a reliever though. Every team keeps at least 7 relievers at all times, so it's the cleanest route to try to earn a job.</font>

some OF/IF with speed will stick more on the NL side of things coming off the bench....Herrera in Philly had a pretty good season last year, probably not a starter on the better teams but he could turn out to be pretty valuable if he continues to develop with big-league experience....

<font color=goldenrod>O's reportedly offered Chris Davis a 7-year, $150 million deal. Davis countered with a 8-year, $200 million demand. O's then retracted their offer altogether.

Good going there, Boras.</font>

Some team will pony up the dough. For all we know, he may have upped the offer with the intention of scaring off Baltimore all together.

Davis could have a preference of teams he'd like to go to and perhaps Baltimore isn't one of them.

I'd be very happy to keep watching Herrera do baseball things here. Love that dude.

Jason Heyward got a $200 mil. offer on the table right now. The Nationals are gunning for him, but they weren't the ones who made the offer. Cubs & Cardinals are the front runners for his services.

The Os DFAed Junior Lake and signed Edgar Olmos who was released by the Cubs.

So that Tommy Hunter trade was pointless

Well he was a career mediocre pitcher who wasn't very good. Not sure what you were expecting there.

Jake Arrieta

"Lol who would give Jason Hayward 200 mil? Lol. He has like 50 RBIs. Lol"

Sore point in perpetuity for Orioles

O's Starters had a 4.47 FIP, fourth worst in baseball. That's with Chen as their best pitcher.

Welcome to Chicago Jason Heyward. Wow

Orioles rotation looks like
Jiminez
Tillman
Gausman
Gonzalez
TBD FA (Kazmir or Gallardo?)

Kazmir is almost same as Chen if not a bit better with less HR and more Ks.

Think he slots in at CF or do the Cubs make another move?