2020 Off-Season Rumors/News

[Stark]

Idk. His numbers took a drastic spike in Houston. I see this going horribly. Fly ball Pitcher in that stadium. His strikeouts will also likely go down. Went from a career high of 9.0 K per 9 IP with Pittsburgh to 12 and 13 per 9 IP with Houston. That seems like it won't be sustainable. Maybe he really did improve. But I wouldn't have bet 324 Million on Houston Cole being the real Cole.

All I know is that it is immensely rare for one of these long-term contracts (7+ years) to ever work out very favorably for the team that dished it out:

- C.C. Sabathia signs 7-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees in 2008. Only three of those seasons (2008-2010) did he have a bWAR of 4.0+. Was done being an ace caliber talent after the 2012 season. Ended up getting two more years and $18 million after that deal ran up, had a combined FIP of 4.78 in those last two years.
- Albert Pujols signs 10-year, $254 million contract with the Angels in 2012. Only one of those seasons he has had an OPS of over .800, after being over .900 in 11 straight seasons in St. Louis.
- Miguel Cabrera signs 8-year, $248 million contract extension with Detroit in 2014. He had a combined .939 OPS in the first three seasons of that extension, but has fallen off drastically since then .749 OPS. Detroit is still on the hook for a while too.
- Robinson Cano signs 10-year, $240 million contract with Seattle in 2013. Cano hasn't been horrible, but still has only had an OPS of .800+ in half of the seasons so far, has faced a drug suspension, and has already been traded. The Mets (or whatever team) will be paying him $24 million a year the next four seasons, all the way up through his 40th birthday. Doubt he'll be worth it.

Jury is still out on recent mega-contracts like Harper, Machado (under .800 OPS last season), Cole, and Strasburg, but these things historically just do not work.

The only big-time contract in recent memory that has went well is with Max Scherzer and Washington. He signed a 7-year, $210 million deal in 2015 and his worst ERA since signing that deal was 2.96 in 2016 and his worst bWAR was 5.8 in 2019. He's only got 2020 and 2021 left on that deal, and I really don't see him falling off the face of a cliff next season. He's still a top-5 starter in baseball.

 

[sportscoach]

@Derek @BimboColesHair and whomever else

Who do you think we have a chance of losing in the Rule 5? Tom, Robinson, Hill?

 

[Kevalier]

@Derek @BimboColesHair and whomever else

We do have an open roster spot for the Rule 5 draft, anyone you would be interested in taking if they decided to take someone?

Also who do you think we have a chance of losing in the Rule 5? Tom, Robinson, Hill?

The Indians roster is currently set at 40.

 

[sportscoach]

The Indians roster is currently set at 40.

Ill Edit my original post, I forgot they resigned Hoyt to a major league deal. So I guess I am curious about who we could possibly lose in the rule 5 draft.

Though to be sincere, I am curious why the Indians never seem to use the Rule 5 draft. It almost feels like small market teams should be more willing to use it in my mind. I always do in the console games at the end of the day just to pick up more talent. But then again I probably make more trades in real life than they ever would.

 

[NMCav]

Ill Edit my original post, I forgot they resigned Hoyt to a major league deal. So I guess I am curious about who we could possibly lose in the rule 5 draft.

Though to be sincere, I am curious why the Indians never seem to use the Rule 5 draft. It almost feels like small market teams should be more willing to use it in my mind. I always do in the console games at the end of the day just to pick up more talent. But then again I probably make more trades in real life than they ever would.

Indians are trying to contend. Selecting a Rule V prospect means you have to keep them on your 25 Man roster for a whole season and usually their is a reason players are left unprotected.

 

[BMAN]

That deal is going to blow up in the Yankees face and I’m going to love it.

 

[AZ_]

That deal is going to blow up in the Yankees face and I’m going to love it.

How does one reasonably expect Cole to perform from age 35-39 at $180M

 

[Derek]

Idk. His numbers took a drastic spike in Houston. I see this going horribly. Fly ball Pitcher in that stadium. His strikeouts will also likely go down. Went from a career high of 9.0 K per 9 IP with Pittsburgh to 12 and 13 per 9 IP with Houston. That seems like it won't be sustainable. Maybe he really did improve. But I wouldn't have bet 324 Million on Houston Cole being the real Cole.

He did it for two years in Houston, so it's definitely sustainable. He made some adjustments that helped him increase his spin drastically, and he completely abandoned his sinker, which was heavily featured in Pittsburgh.

Not only did his strikeouts increase, but his swing and miss % went from 9.5% in his last season in Pittsburgh to 14.1% and 16.8% in his two seasons with Houston.

 

[Urban]

His AAV is more than his career earnings, up to this point

 

[BMAN]

How does one reasonable expect Cole to perform from age 35-39 at $180M

You would of thought they would have learned their lesson by now.

 

[Cassity14]

I don't think Cole will regress much. He won't be that dominant again because it was a career year, but I don't see a reason why he won't continue to be a top 5 starting pitcher.

I though the Astros juice would be apparent when Charlie Morton left to join Tampa Bay, but he finished as a Cy Young candidate. Whatever Houston's doing with pitchers, it's clearly able to be replicated once those guys leave.

 

[Obscured By Clouds]

So who fills the void at SS mid summer or in March 2021? We’re only replacing one of the best in the world?

There's a good chance that Lindor stays here throughout his current contract, we make a QO, he declines and becomes a FA. There is nothing set in stone that he will for sure be traded. You just have to look at someone like Brantley to see the Indians do not trade all players they know they can not resign.

 

[Obscured By Clouds]

Idk. His numbers took a drastic spike in Houston. I see this going horribly. Fly ball Pitcher in that stadium. His strikeouts will also likely go down. Went from a career high of 9.0 K per 9 IP with Pittsburgh to 12 and 13 per 9 IP with Houston. That seems like it won't be sustainable. Maybe he really did improve. But I wouldn't have bet 324 Million on Houston Cole being the real Cole.

He will continue to be as good in NY as he was in Houston as long as he continues to use pine tar on his pitching hand. Same with Verlander. Watch when we play them this upcoming season, if they zoom in on their hands, the inside is literally brown, there is so much pine tar on them.

 

[Derek]

I would guess Cole still has 3-4 years of elite production in him. He might manage to stay good/solid for the remainder. The last 4-5 years could be rough, but I'm not sure it matters to the Yankees. We will have to wait and see. Every team has a budget.

 

[Chris]

Yankees won’t care about his back four after they win a ring or two.