2020 Around the MLB Thread

[Benway]

The Padres have signed RHP Mike Clevinger to a two-year contract through the 2022 season.
Clevinger will also undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. (link)

 

[Gson]

The Padres have signed RHP Mike Clevinger to a two-year contract through the 2022 season.
Clevinger will also undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. (link)

Surgery was a success.. his arm is in a titanium frame and cast..he'll be that way for at least ten days.. He's on his way..

 

[xmasbuck]

Charlie Morton to the Braves - 1 year, 15 mil

 

[DerekG123]

Charlie Morton to the Braves - 1 year, 15 mil

Are they out on Carlos then?

 

[Gson]

Are they out on Carlos then?

with Fried, Soroka and Anderson to go with recent signings of Smyly and Morton.. the Braves rotation is pretty much set.. The Braves also have Wright, Muller and Tomlin as depth pieces for their rotation.. Unless someone is heads and tails above their starting five.. the Braves need for an SP are set..

3B and bullpen are the two areas the Braves may attempt to reinforce coming into the 2021 season..

 

[Gson]

Example.. next to be report.. "Gauging" interest in a Carlos Correa trade.. This will continue for no less than 83 days..when Pitchers and Catchers are slated to report to Spring Training.

It's not like everyone who is a true baseball fan doesn't know what this means.. The music will start on or about December 10th, non-tender day, and will continue until teams come to the realization.. the roster they have will be what they start spring training with..

Thoughts?..

 

[Stark]

Are they out on Carlos then?

Fried
Soroka
Morton
Anderson
Smyly

Also have top prospect Kyle Wright waiting if needed. Wouldn't expect them to give up anything of value to further add to their rotation right now.

 

[DCTribefan]

Braves never were an optimal trading partner except in the eyes of many Tribe forum readers.

 

[Gson]

Fried
Soroka
Morton
Anderson
Smyly

Also have top prospect Kyle Wright waiting if needed. Wouldn't expect them to give up anything of value to further add to their rotation right now.

Yes.. their next biggest area for improvement would be at 3B.. Hello, AA?.. We have this guy named Jose..

 

[DCTribefan]

More evidence of the nuclear winter ahead for MLB, per MLBTraderumors.com.


Philadelphia Phillies let go 80 employees on Wednesday, reducing their front office workforce by 80%, reports Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer. A number of Major League teams have diminished their staffs since the pandemic prompted revenue losses all across the sporting landscape, but the Phillies brought their own particular panache to the unfortunate business of layoffs. Hayes reports that employees were alerted of the latest cuts by email the day before Thanksgiving.

The 80 positions that were eliminated came via buyouts and layoffs on both the business and baseball side of the front office, notes Gary Miles, also of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is just the latest in a number of cost-cutting efforts made by the Phillies to counterbalance the losses of the past year. A letter in June gave employees some idea of the scope of revenue depletion with which the organization was wrestling, and a round of salary reductions impacted employees making more than $90K. Middleton himself forewent his salary, but none of it was enough to stave off the eventual slimming of personnel files.

 

[CDAV45]

with Fried, Soroka and Anderson to go with recent signings of Smyly and Morton.. the Braves rotation is pretty much set.. The Braves also have Wright, Muller and Tomlin as depth pieces for their rotation.. Unless someone is heads and tails above their starting five.. the Braves need for an SP are set..

3B and bullpen are the two areas the Braves may attempt to reinforce coming into the 2021 season..

Another good trade partner in case MC/CA want to hear offers for Ramirez. If the Braves offer Riley, Waters, Muller, and Langliers do you bite? That would give them one of the best 3B in the league who is signed to an incredibly team friendly deal, and an IF of Freeman, Albies, Swanson, and Ramirez isn't too shabby. Hell, I'd even take Davidson instead of Mullers if they insisted. For the Indians, 3B is locked up with Riley and his upside is damn good. CF is locked down for years with Waters. Langliers is a top rated C prospect with a great defensive reputation and good offensive upside. Mullers or Davidson are solid LHP prospects that aren't too far away.

 

[DCTribefan]

I don’t believe JRam is going anywhere THIS off-season. The FO focus remains and should remain maximizing the return for Frankie and exploring trades for Cookie. Both can be done IMO without sacrificing WC hopes. Of course, hope for a deep run in the playoffs are pretty much non-existent with the team as presently constituted. 2020 was proof of that.

 

[Gson]

Another good trade partner in case MC/CA want to hear offers for Ramirez. If the Braves offer Riley, Waters, Muller, and Langliers do you bite? That would give them one of the best 3B in the league who is signed to an incredibly team friendly deal, and an IF of Freeman, Albies, Swanson, and Ramirez isn't too shabby. Hell, I'd even take Davidson instead of Mullers if they insisted. For the Indians, 3B is locked up with Riley and his upside is damn good. CF is locked down for years with Waters. Langliers is a top rated C prospect with a great defensive reputation and good offensive upside. Mullers or Davidson are solid LHP prospects that aren't too far away.

Braves have the prospects and the "go for it" approach right now.. The question with trading JRam.. will become.. whos a better trading partner..

The Braves get: Jose Ramirez and One "T" prospect (Tena, Tolentino or Torres). Tena would be the obvious choice as he's by far the most likely to become a ML'er.

The Indians get: Drew Waters, Patrick Weigel, Brandon Shewmake and Shea Langeliers

On most of the trade boards that have valuation systems.. this deal would present as a pretty good overpay by the Braves.. Reality has little to do with a lot of those values especially when a return is ALL minor leaguers.. The only proven player in that group would be JRam.. so an overpay is in order.. Brandon Shewmake is a big kid.. He's played SS all his baseball life.. but, as he's physically matured, his foot speed makes him a 3B candidate or move over to the 2B slot. He has the hands arm and instincts to play the hot corner or to make the relay as part of a keystone combination.. and he hits. Langeliers is as you've described. Waters has all the makings of a long term ML CF'er..

Here's the twist.. I would pair Weigel up with Torres or Hentges or Moss as a pair of potential ML Ready SP's to send to the Angels for Brandon Marsh.. If the Angels wanted Muller, then I'd insist on Muller as part of the JRam deal & still pair him with one of the Indians depth SP's to get Marsh..

Effectively, this kind of "deal" would net the Indians two starting OF'ers, one infielder, probably a 3B, and the understudy to Bebo Perez at catcher.

The other trading partner.. the Dodgers..

Dodgers get Jose Ramirez
Indians get Gavin Lux, Keibert Ruiz and one of Kody Hoese or Michael Busch.

This allows the Indians keep ALL the starting staff.. possibly fills two spots on the field with two ready now guys.. and keeps the options open on who the Indians will trade Lindor for: Reds or Yankees..

Thoughts?...

 

[CDAV45]

I don’t believe JRam is going anywhere THIS off-season. The FO focus remains and should remain maximizing the return for Frankie and exploring trades for Cookie. Both can be done IMO without sacrificing WC hopes. Of course, hope for a deep run in the playoffs are pretty much non-existent with the team as presently constituted. 2020 was proof of that.

DC, you could be right. My idea was just a "what if" scenario stemming from Gson suggesting that the Braves need a 3B.

@Gson, if I'm sending Ramirez to the Dodgers then I'm not accepting anything less than Lux, Ruiz, and Gray. I'm afraid Hoese and Jones would get in the way of one another. The same goes for any team that would like to acquire Ramirez. It's gonna hurt and they'll have to "pry" him from the Indians, but if a team can do so then they'll have one of the best 3B in the game on both sides of the ball on the cheap for 3 more seasons. If the Dodgers have a need it's Ramirez and not Lindor IMO.

 

[Gson]

DC, you could be right. My idea was just a "what if" scenario stemming from Gson suggesting that the Braves need a 3B.

@Gson, if I'm sending Ramirez to the Dodgers then I'm not accepting anything less than Lux, Ruiz, and Gray. I'm afraid Hoese and Jones would get in the way of one another. The same goes for any team that would like to acquire Ramirez. It's gonna hurt and they'll have to "pry" him from the Indians, but if a team can do so then they'll have one of the best 3B in the game on both sides of the ball on the cheap for 3 more seasons. If the Dodgers have a need it's Ramirez and not Lindor IMO.

No.. DC is wrong.. he's almost always wrong...

Hoese or Busch represent the kind of position player talent the current roster, both minor leagues and major leagues lack.. We have plenty of SP candidates.. and we'll draft and develop more.. That we can all agree has been and continues to be the strength of the Indians system. Adding a pitching prospect as a "key component" of a deal.. when position player talent IS the most glaring need.. seems to be the wrong move..

As far as trading JRam..now is the time.. better a year too early than a year too late. This year, there are at least four ML teams that are viable trade partners for a quality 3B that is controllable or more than a one year rental.. Trading JRam can bring home the bacon.. including his replacement..

As far as someone getting in the way / blocking another player.. that's EXACTLY the kind of situation the Indians NEED to have.. it's the only way for EVERYONE to get better..

Thoughts?..