Free Agency 22

[sportscoach]

I posted this in the off-season thread..I'll blank it out.. no reason to have competing threads...

Thanks, and we all have to get used to all the new places for things. Its a little easier to free agency in this one since we are doing a ton of speculating. We can do a signings page in the main talk eventually...

Hmm..

-Suzuki.. looks and swings like the proverbial "slap hitter".. The CleFO hasn't made a practice of taking on ten$ of million$ of dollar$ in contract committment for someone soooo unknown..

-Gomes at $ 5 MM AAV..would be okay.. the Yanimal may want to return as his coffee bean roasting business was domiciled here on the North Coast..

-Comforto on a one year "pillow" contract..pass..

-Soler / Avisail... are both interesting.. and both RHH's.. Both are corner OF'ers. Both know the AL Central.. Ths is a fit..the question will come down to dollar$ and $enSe..

There are others..

Suzuki has a solid K and BB rate plus his other tools do look MLB ready... Suzuki will be one of the younger Free Agents that we could look at and that is actually within a legit Indians budget for this offseason. He would be signed age 27-31, which normally is a players most productive age. He fits the needs and may not to too unreasonable price wise. If the Guardians were to make a splash, year one would be smart. I just think it's time to gamble some...

At the current moment Hedges is only signed for 22 and our catchers for 23 will be Lavastida and Naylor who likely have no experience in the bigs. Signing a Perez/Gomes for a two year in my mind is a must unless we get Hedges extended. Gomes is the better hitter of the two, so I want a two year deal...

I'm passing on Conforto... I am okay with Canha though as a stopgap guy!

Garcia and Soler both will want multi year contracts so do we want to invest 12 million a season in either? I think it's pushing it more with them because of the inconsistencies they both have shown, but i wouldn't have qualms with either as well... I personally would have Suzuki, then Canha, then Garcia then Soler if I had a list for those guys.

The FA Shortstop situation seems to have two tiers..

The uber tier (10 years, $ 300+ Million): Corey Seager and Carlos Correa

The next tier (about a third less on AAV): Trevor Story, Javier Baez, Marcus Semien

Can you imagine how much whining and crying would be going on if the Indians held onto Lindor.. with the season he had?.. WHY DIDN'T CleFO TRADE HIM WHEN HE STILL HAD VALUE !! would be the crying being perpetrated.. Sometimes..you can't satisfy anyone.. Lindor in NYC is a good thing for CleFO and for Lindor..

Thoughts?..

I am glad we aren't trying to go after a SS I'm free agency. The list just isn't there, which means guys will be overpaid.

Though if I was the Tigers I would put a very strong offer on Correa...

 

[Gson]

$ 13 MM AAV is not reasonable for an unknown Japanese OF'er.. in his prime..is a risk.. one the CleFO has avoided...

 

[sportscoach]

$ 13 MM AAV is not reasonable for an unknown Japanese OF'er.. in his prime..is a risk.. one the CleFO has avoided...

Once in a blue moon ya gotta get a good gamble in... thought its a lot easier to get out of it in OOTP than real life lol I'd so be for it, I just have a Cespedes feel with signing him... (Cespedes was legit when the A's signed him).

Actually I'd give Cespedes a minor league invite honestly... but that's a different story lol

 

[DCTribefan]

 

[sportscoach]

I think the Tiger are a shortlist team for Correa and it may be a year early for spending too much for the Tigers, but he is a perfect fit for them!

 

[DCTribefan]

 

[DCTribefan]

I think the Tiger are a shortlist team for Correa and it may be a year early for spending too much for the Tigers, but he is a perfect fit for them!

At a $300MN contract too?

 

[sportscoach]

At a $300MN contract too?

Well don't forget they went out and spent a lot of money on Cabrera and Fielder at the same as they had Verlander... The owner of the Tigers will spend money when the team is trying to be in contention!

 

[CDAV45]

I want nothing to do with signing a Japanese player for that kind of money. Hard pass on that one.

Get Gomes and Garcia then trade for the last bat. The Franimal slimming down may directly influence who/what they may trade for.

 

[DCTribefan]

Well don't forget they went out and spent a lot of money on Cabrera and Fielder at the same as they had Verlander... The owner of the Tigers will spend money when the team is trying to be in contention!

Wasn’t the owner Illitch who spent all the money and since has passed away?

 

[DCTribefan]

Not an article on FA but fascinating reading on Juan Soto.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/09/juan-soto-contract-offer-500-million/

The idea is simple: Soto is a historically precocious hitter the likes of which this franchise almost certainly won’t find again, not for a long time anyway. But it’s also strategic: Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, will present Soto as a record-breaking player. He’ll have reams of evidence to back up that argument.
So don’t waste anyone’s time by lowballing your organization’s central figure. Don’t make this a tedious, tortuous process by tethering his contract to anything that exists — not the 12-year, $365 million deal the Los Angeles Dodgers gave to Mookie Betts; not the 14-year, $340 million extension Fernando Tatis Jr. signed with San Diego. If Soto is a generational player — which he is — make him a generational offer. That’s smart business and smart baseball. But it’s also smart strategy, because if Soto and Boras turn it down, well, what more could the Nats have done?

 

[Criznit]

I want nothing to do with signing a Japanese player for that kind of money. Hard pass on that one.

Get Gomes and Garcia then trade for the last bat. The Franimal slimming down may directly influence who/what they may trade for.

It's a bit rich, but I also think it might be a bit inflated in the early going. I expect his price to come in quite lower than initial estimates, if he falls in around 10mm AAV is that still a pass?

Is there a figure that would be acceptable?

10 mil a season players are usually bargains or bust. This one could be a bargain - but it certainly carries risk, probably too much for our cash strapped Guardians.

Generally I am not to interested in Suzuki at this point, but do expects his final price tag to be at least 10% less than current figures and probably closer to 20-25%. Depending how much it drops definitely can change my interest level.

 

[CDAV45]

It's a bit rich, but I also think it might be a bit inflated in the early going. I expect his price to come in quite lower than initial estimates, if he falls in around 10mm AAV is that still a pass?

Is there a figure that would be acceptable?

10 mil a season players are usually bargains or bust. This one could be a bargain - but it certainly carries risk, probably too much for our cash strapped Guardians.

Generally I am not to interested in Suzuki at this point, but do expects his final price tag to be at least 10% less than current figures and probably closer to 20-25%. Depending how much it drops definitely can change my interest level.

There is no figure that is acceptable for me. I have no interest in him at all.

 

[sportscoach]

There is no figure that is acceptable for me. I have no interest in him at all.

Is it because of the millions you have no interest in him?

He has had a good 1.000+ OPS in a AA/AAA type of league with a good BB and SO rate. Plus he has played near GG in RF in Japan as well. He'd for sure would have been a top 100 prospect state side when he was younger let alone signing him for his prime years.

If you don't like him cause of his financial price tag, I can understand you on that one. If you don't like him just cause he has those numbers in Japan, I won't and cannot agree with you on that. He has way better numbers than anyone of our current prospects at a similar level of play.

 

[CDAV45]

Is it because of the millions you have no interest in him?

Yes, and there are usually a few teams willing to spend incredibly on the possibility. Has Cleveland ever won a posting for a Japanese player?