MLB (Non-Phillies) Hot Stove, 2024-25

[zambonir]

New free agent just dropped

Nationals Non-Tender Kyle Finnegan

[zambonir]

Angels To Sign Yusei Kikuchi

I get he's had a few very good seasons (and peripherals) and a great second half last year but three years $63 million for a 34 year-old pitcher who's never been worth more than 1.8 WAR and has a 4.57 career ERA and 4.53 career FIP makes it easy for me to see why the Phillies didn't really overpay for Walker and still hope to fix him.

[Taudawg]

https://www.mlb.com/news/juan-soto-rumors?partnerId=it-20241126-11828221-mlb-1-A&utm_id=it-20241126-11828221-mlb-1-A&lctg=94965632

5 teams have submitted offers to Soto/Boras

[zambonir]

Here's the original source. Former Phillies beat writer.

Juan Soto has offers from Yankees, Mets, 3 others

So, I guess Nightengale is right until proven otherwise (and they could also make an offer without getting a meeting).

[Taudawg]

and they could also make an offer without getting a meeting

That might be the best route. The odds to sign him being what they are, perhaps just decide on the top number you would go to and send that along. Saves everyone some time and energy.

[andyb]

Interesting that Boras is getting his offers together now rather than his former strategy of waiting out the market. Bryce was signed at the beginning of March for instance.

I think Boras realizes that big free agents require planning and ancillary moves by most teams to fit them within their long term salary structure. He has had bad luck waiting out the market in recent years (albeit for riskier players like Blake Snell) so he may now realize that the top free agents should sign early rather than wait out the market for desperate teams. If the Phillies were to get Soto for instance it probably would set in motion other moves like Castellanos and maybe even Bohm.

Might as well get the best free agent signed while most teams have more money to spend.

[zambonir]

It's different every year. Last year he thought he could control the market because he had so many players. In 2023 he had two of the four shortstops but the Phillies and Cubs were quick to get the ones he didn't have so he had to proceed (and then the Correa thing went sideways twice anyway). In 2019 it was clearly a competition between not only Harper and Machado but Boras and Machado's agent.

He's certainly been burned before. Arrieta was an earlier example, and so was Kyle Lohse.

I think Soto is also the one calling the shots here. He wants to be done.

[andyb]

I think Soto is also the one calling the shots here. He wants to be done.

If the choice was $600 million vs $625 million I think I would want to be done by the Holidays also.

[zambonir]

Hey it might depend on the tax year for the signing bonus (though they could slow play the actual signing if so I assume).

[Taudawg]

Nolan Arenado Reportedly Willing To Move To First Base

Makes little sense to me. What value Arenado has left is at third. His offense no longer fits the profile for first.

[allentown]

It makes a lot of sense to me. Going into his age-34 season he likely recognizes that he doesn't have much 3B time available and isn't going to be stubborn about staying at 3B after he is no longer effective there. (For contrast, see Turner and his strong desire to remain at SS, despite negative dWAR the past two seasons. It is difficult for a team to deploy an expensive, aging FA in a way that is best for the team, if the player has strong wants. Also see Schwarber as our leadoff hitter.)

[zambonir]

But he's still an elite defensive 3B. He would add some -but less - defensive value at 1B, and none at the plate (relative to the position). It would basically be like playing Sosa at 1B (granted the hope is that his bat comes back, just as it would be is the Phillies actually wanted I'm as a 3B). Maybe it prolongs his career as a guy who plays 3B, 1B and DH but it doesn't really help his trade value this year.

[dcsman]

Also see Schwarber as our leadoff hitter.)

I always thought this was more Thompson than Schwarber?

[zambonir]

Definitely Schwarber's preference more than Thomson's but how has it been a bad thing? They did try Turner and Stott there for a while too and it didn't work

[allentown]

It makes too many of Schwarber's HRs solo and puts a slow guy atop the lineup.

[zambonir]

I'm not saying they shouldn't consider another way, but all the team has done is win and score runs with him doing it, and he's also the team's second-best hitter so you want him getting all those ABs.

Marsh. Rojas, Stott - all not good enough (and also not good enough to be on base for Schwarbs). Turner should be but he was in the deep slump when they tried it the first time.

Harper would be good but, same issues (you want him hitting with men on base and also he hits where he wants to, which is third).

[zambonir]

The price of pitching

Left-hander Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a five-year, $182 million contract, pending physical, sources tell me and @jorgecastillo . The World Series champions get the two-time Cy Young winner in the first nine-figure deal of the winter.

— Jeff Passan ( @jeffpasan.bsky.social ) November 26, 2024 at 11:00 PM

[dcsman]

Came here to post about Snell as well. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/dodgers-blake-snell-agree-to-five-year-deal.html#google_vignette the rich get richer.