Official 2015-2016 Hot Stove Thread

[Stradling]

HB I completely agree, draft pick compensation hurt the players.

[zenmaster]

Freese, Murphy and Joyce are still available.

[Stradling]

Notable free agents:

Alvarez

Freese

Desmond

Those are all pretty good players that extend a line up.

[Stradling]

Would you rather have Chris Davis and his big ol contract or Pedro Alvarez and his potential deal?

[gotbeer]

Well, with literally hours remaining before the opening of ML camps...

I'm bumping this thread in hopes someone will make a list of the top unsigned FA's. There has to be quite a few, most of them because of attached draft picks.

Expect the draft pick attachment rules to be changed drastically in the next CBA. Could actually be the #1 priority for the MLBPA. 

 

I think only Fowler is the remaining player with compensation attached.  He was actually in the same boat as Howie and should have taken the qualifying offer. 

[Stradling]

Desmond, Fowler, and Gallardo all have compensation attached.

[Angel Oracle]

Wasn't Desmond with the Nats the entire season, and thus also requires draft pick compensation?

The switch to 2B might not be too bad, and thus much better D than Giovatella could give them.

But his hitting has changed.

He's K'd over 180 times in each of the past 2 seasons.

His OBP has fallen some 40/50 pts since 2012/2013, mainly due to BA falling some 50/60 pts since 2012/2013.

He still hits for power (close to 50 XBHs in 2015).

Edited February 16, 2016 by Angel Oracle

[wopphil]

Freese makes way too much sense at this point. He will sign cheap, fills a position of need, and doesn't cost a pick.

[Angel Oracle]

Freese to 3B and Escobar to 2B, at least for 2016? Then revisit 2B after 2016, and hope Cowart is ready to take over 3B by 2017?

But as long as Arte only cares about his yacht for now, nothing will happen.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Angel Oracle

[gotbeer]

Desmond, Fowler, and Gallardo all have compensation attached.

 

Man, didn't think two of those three even received an offer.  LOL at Desmond rejecting a qualifying offer.  Dude hit .674 last season.  Gallardo, ERA good, but a 1.42 WHIP is just Blantonesque. 

[DMVol]

Freese makes way too much sense at this point. He will sign cheap, fills a position of need, and doesn't cost a pick.

He doesn't cost a pick but he'd cost 5-6 million on a one year deal and we evidently aren't spending that type of money unless we move somebody......that doesn't look very likely, at least not right now....

[Stradling]

Sign Freese and trade Hector for whatever young left fielder or 2nd baseman you can get. Or trade Wilson for whatever expensive left fielder or 2nd baseman you can get.

[totdprods]

Sign Freese and trade Hector for whatever young left fielder or 2nd baseman you can get. Or trade Wilson for whatever expensive left fielder or 2nd baseman you can get.

Could totally see this happening mid-ST and it quietly could address all of our needs. Wouldn't be the most exciting outcome but still could be positive.

[Stradling]

We have talked at great lengths about Wilson for Ethier, but it makes a ton of sense for both teams. Now obviously the Dodgers would have to find a way to move Wilson to another team, but they want out of the Ethier contract. The Dodgers pay basically 50% tax for Ethier, so where it might not benefit them this year if they can't move Wilson, next year they would save about $30 million. While the Angels would have left field covered for two years.

[VariousCrap]

I just want to jump on the idea of signing Freese for 3B and move Escobar to 2B because I think it is a great idea.  Having Freese in the line-up will definitely make the platoon in LF hurt a little less.

Edited February 16, 2016 by VariousCrap

[arch stanton]

I don't think draft pick compensation is what hurts the players. What hurts is marginal free agents who don't accept the QO. The teams aren't usually interested in these players. They just want to picks when they leave. If the players had started calling the teams' bluffs 3 years ago and signing the Qo I'd bet these 3 in particular wouldn't have been given a QO in the first place. Neither would Howie.

[Broad Street]

I just want to jump on the idea of signing Freese for 3B and move Escobar to 2B because I think it is a great idea. Having Freese in the line-up will definitely make the platoon in LF hurt a little less.

We're supposed to be getting better defensively and you want to put Freese out there? If you're going to move Escobar to 2nd base (which he hasn't played in how long?) then you should run with Cowbitza and hope it works.

[VariousCrap]

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports some of the parameters being discussed by the Orioles and Fowler (links to Twitter). The two sides are exploring a deal that would pay Fowler $12-13MM per season over a two- to three-year term, Olney hears. 

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/02/orioles-yovani-gallardo-dexter-fowler-jay-bruce-latest-rumors.html

[VariousCrap]

If the Orioles sign Fowler for 2/24 or 3/36, I'll be disappointed the Angels didn't sign him for that.  That is a good deal for him.

[VariousCrap]

We're supposed to be getting better defensively and you want to put Freese out there? If you're going to move Escobar to 2nd base (which he hasn't played in how long?) then you should run with Cowbitza and hope it works.

 

 

Escobar is not a big upgrade defensively at 3B and I don't care how long it has been since he played 2B, he will do better than Johnny G at that position.

 

The reality is having Escobar and Freese in the line-up is much better offensively than Escobar and Johnny G.  Add in that you could probably sign Freese for 1/5 right now, it is affordable too.

[Stradling]

I'd prefer Cowart gets the starting job but I'd be ok with Freese.

[nando714]

I also wouldn't mind freese back.

I sense this organization is going to make a move mid March.

[ABC]

1. Bill Shaikin â€@BillShaikin  6h6 hours ago

   Bill Shaikin Retweeted Ken Rosenthal

   So Matt Joyce found a job before David Freese.

   Bill Shaikin added,

   Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal

   Source: Free-agent OF Matt Joyce to #Pirates on minor-league contract.

    

    

    

Edited February 18, 2016 by CF8

[ABC]

1.  

    

    

    

    
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      More
   2.  
      Jeff Fletcher â€@JeffFletcherOCR  2h2 hours ago

      The Angels have added IF Roberto Baldoquin to the spring training roster.

       

       

      More
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[Docwaukee]

 

1. Bill Shaikin â€@BillShaikin  6h6 hours ago

   Bill Shaikin Retweeted Ken Rosenthal

   So Matt Joyce found a job before David Freese.

   Bill Shaikin added,

   Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal

   Source: Free-agent OF Matt Joyce to #Pirates on minor-league contract.

    

    

    

 

.280/.340/.450.