2018-19 Free Agent List.

[Docwaukee]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/2018-19-mlb-free-agents.html

maybe it's good that Arte is saving his money.  

[ten ocho recon scout]

On the surface it seems like it is. my worry is that were going to aim for the winter and fix our problems with money...and the guys we want will either sign somewhere else, or theyll sign before the winter even gets here.

Im probably just suffering from battered wife syndrome over the bad luck the last few years. But i can see us finally opening the wallet, and the guys we need not being available, and the guys available being at positions were already set at, or something else bad luck-y.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Just browsing the list. some huge names. but kershaw and machado wont be going anywhere, and harper will be too expensive (with the impending trout deal we are saving for)

[nando714]

We can finally sign beltre 

[Oz27]

Drew Butera AND Jeff Mathis?

[Erstad Grit]

Machado a FA at 26?

That contract will be crazy. 

[Ohtaniland]

Stradling is already creating his 2018 wish list for Arte. 

[HALOS23]

5 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

Stradling is already creating his 2018 wish list for Arte. 

1. Extend Scoscia 

[ettin]

1 hour ago, Erstad Grit said:

Machado a FA at 26?

That contract will be crazy. 

Mark my words we will go after him hard then too.

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, CALZONE said:

Stradling is already creating his 2018 wish list for Arte. 

Here is my list of players I want from that list:

1. Machado

2. Harper

We won't get either, but those are the two I like best and will probably perform the best going forward.  

[Stradling]

1 hour ago, HALOS23 said:

1. Extend Scoscia 

You obviously don't know me.  I don't want Scioscia extended, I just defend him against stupidity, so I am a pretty busy guy.  

[Wallerrrr]

Would much rather pay Machado an insane contract than Harper...

[HALOS23]

29 minutes ago, Stradling said:

You obviously don't know me.  I don't want Scioscia extended, I just defend him against stupidity, so I am a pretty busy guy.  

Just needling ya. Lord knows you don't get enough around here. 

[Ohtaniland]

2011 press conference 

2016 press conference 

[totdprods]

The only shred of optimism and excitement I can take from an offseason where our acquisitions may wind up being Maybin, Chavez, Utley, Norris, and Crisp is that there is no way Eppler isn't making those moves without setting himself up for some major acquisitions in the ensuing years. One year commitments for all of them. Coupled with what moves he made last year, it would be clear as day that we would be in fact rebuilding - just not stating it, and not dealing the core. 

Crazy to think that with all of the needs we had going this offseason, we stand to have twice as many needs going into next offseason. Add Street, Escobar, Bailey, Nolasco, and Pennington to the names above and Eppler is needing to replace half the 25-man roster, likely from outside, as the farm doesn't look to have much to offer in the upper levels. 

I think the goal for Eppler was to patchwork up the farm in the fastest way possible in '16 and '17 without harming payroll. Result is a bunch of cheap, short-commitment vets that are worth fringe, filler prospects in trade to replenish the farm's depth, and then waiver wire the hell out of high-upside guys and hope a couple develop to compensate for the lack of high-end prospects. All without harming the current farm. Safe to say he's done a great job of that so far. 

Phase two is re-assessing those needs once Hamilton, Weaver, and Wilson are off the books and cashing in on a couple free agents in the next two big classes - with the new CBA the in effect, the harm to the patched-together farm won't be quite as impactful and the team can add some substance to the core in hopes of building a sustainable winner to keep Trout around.

[Angel Oracle]

And better due diligence on those big signings, no more Hackiltons!

[Kevin]

This potentially gives us a good chance to know where Trout will be after the 2020 season with this class of free agents. Also will be interested to see where the farm is as well. The window is getting smaller but I haven't lost faith yet. 

Having said that, number one choice is Joyce. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

4 hours ago, ettin said:

Mark my words we will go after him hard then too.

The orioles should go hard to extend him, even though hes a dick.

[Second Base]

Hey look! A large collection of very talented free agents that we'll never sign as we continually slide further and further into a mid market team. Meanwhile we have to sit and watch while our competition improves leaps and bounds overnight.

I'm dreading the 2018/19 free agency. It's like being invited to a steak dinner only to watch other people eat, drink and be merry while you nibble in the pop tart you bought six hours ago at the gas station.

[totdprods]

lol. Y'all are a trip. Moreno has come out of nowhere and stunned us/the world with big FA acquisitions three times in a decade. Out of nowhere.  It's backfired, sure, and I don't think it's the way to go, nor do I think this is the year to do it, but Moreno is so unpredictably insane at dropping money we could wake up tomorrow and sign Jansen, Turner, and Nova and it 20 years from now it won't look anymore crazy than Guerrero, Pujols, or Hamilton.

the baseball world could say Oh, Arte being Arte and that would fall right in with the narrative of the last decade.

[Second Base]

14 minutes ago, totdprods said:

lol. Y'all are a trip. Moreno has come out of nowhere and stunned us/the world with big FA acquisitions three times in a decade. Out of nowhere.  It's backfired, sure, and I don't think it's the way to go, nor do I think this is the year to do it, but Moreno is so unpredictably insane at dropping money we could wake up tomorrow and sign Jansen, Turner, and Nova and it 20 years from now it won't look anymore crazy than Guerrero, Pujols, or Hamilton.

the baseball world could say Oh, Arte being Arte and that would fall right in with the narrative of the last decade.

Arte being Arte is signing a drug addict to suck at baseball, who then takes drugs to cope with the sucking, so you turn on him and make yourself look like a heartless ass to the media and then proceed to explain to them that you don't have any money to spend to improve the team while granting the interview aboard your private effing super-yacht, no more than 2 years after signing a 2 billion dollar TV contract.

That's Arte being Arte.

[Docwaukee]

Going into 2019, we'll have 75.1mil in guaranteed salaries to Trout, Pujols and Simmons.  

Richards will be a FA so I could see an extension if he stays healthy.  

Calhoun, Shoe, Skaggs will be arb -3 but only Calhoun will be a FA after 2019

Cron, Bedrosian and Heaney will be arb-2

Perez, Trop, Marte and Bandy will be arb-1

There are a few others that will be pre or early arb but most are relievers. 

So after the next two seasons, Richards is really the only player of consequence we stand to lose prior to 2019 and Calhoun prior to 2020.  Both of who I can see us extending.  

Leaving 2b, LF, 3b and probably 2-3 rotation spots unfilled by 2019.  

Granted, it could all blow up before then, but that in theory that's some decent roster coverage and a full 2 years to rebuild a farm.  Ideally, you go big on that 2018-2019 FA class giving Trout motivation to stay.  Then roster attrition is actually addressed by the farm system and not the waiver wire.  

I am not saying it's a sure bet by any stretch, but with strong drafting, and some reasonable FA acquisitions,  it's certainly feasible that we could be back on the upswing.  The 2016 and 2017 drafts are really gonna play a huge role.  

 

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, Scotty@AW said:

Arte being Arte is signing a drug addict to suck at baseball, who then takes drugs to cope with the sucking, so you turn on him and make yourself look like a heartless ass to the media and then proceed to explain to them that you don't have any money to spend to improve the team while granting the interview aboard your private effing super-yacht. 

That's Arte being Arte.

....the Aristocrats! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Docwaukee]

15 minutes ago, totdprods said:

lol. Y'all are a trip. Moreno has come out of nowhere and stunned us/the world with big FA acquisitions three times in a decade. Out of nowhere.  It's backfired, sure, and I don't think it's the way to go, nor do I think this is the year to do it, but Moreno is so unpredictably insane at dropping money we could wake up tomorrow and sign Jansen, Turner, and Nova and it 20 years from now it won't look anymore crazy than Guerrero, Pujols, or Hamilton.

the baseball world could say Oh, Arte being Arte and that would fall right in with the narrative of the last decade.

I used to think it was out of nowhere.  Now I realize that it's really not.  Arte's past (hopefully) crazy wasn't about signing big money players, but his influence on who those players would be.  But the expense number he's will to go to was never a mystery.  Or at least it shouldn't have been and to me, it won't be going forward.  This year's payroll will be about 165mil.  Just like last year.  Next years might drop down a bit actually in anticipation of the 2018/19 class.  By the time the 2019 season starts, payroll will probably be about 170-175ish.  Which means about 60mil or so to spend between now and then.  All we can hope for is that he allows his baseball people to choose who that money is spent on.  But I think how much we spend will be very predictable.  

[Docwaukee]

as an aside, it also tells me we aren't going to wake up tomorrow with an additional 30 mil in payroll.  Arte is actually quite disciplined when it comes to how much he's gonna spend.  His unpredictability comes in the form of what he spends it on.