2018 Hot Stove League

[tdawg87]

Whoa settle down there flop.

[Chuck]

Jon Heyman of Fancred reports that the Indians' recent payroll-shedding trades have reduced their motivation to trade starting pitchers Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer.

The Indians have traded away Edwin Encarnacion, Yonder Alonso and Yan Gomes this offseason -- moves that have reduced their 2019 payroll by $18 million even after accounting for the addition of Carlos Santana. Both Heyman and Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com are hearing the team may have shaved the payroll down enough to where they don't need to make any more financially-driven moves. This may make it harder for other teams to pry away one or both of the Indians' ace pitchers. Both Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer have been made available on the trade market but they might be more likely to stay put as things now stand.

 

 

Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

[ukyah]

On 12/14/2018 at 12:21 PM, Kevinb said:

I am sure being a year older and coming off surgery he will be much better this year than he was last year. Guy had a great year in his contract year got paid and went back to being who he was prior to his contract year.

perhaps you could actually digest what i wrote, and see that you're wrong.

he was massively better last year, than his career averages. once again, what killed his numbers was his atrocious hitting at angel stadium and injuries. his road numbers, which is slightly more AB's were legitimately fantastic. significantly above average. 

cozart needs to either get better luck at home or learn to hit in angel stadium. in either case, if he improves in that one category and does what he did last year, then you have a fantastic 3b.

feel free to look at his career splits and you can easily see he significantly outperformed his previous averages.

https://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?playerid=2616&position=SS&season=0

[OK-LA Angels]

I know just because you dont land a guy doesnt mean you weren't trying. I know sometimes you get em, sometimes you dont. I also know a good GM is smart about spending big money on players and great ones know who is worth it or not. With all that being said.

 

Good God this has been a boring off season so far! I need some of you guys to just cough out some Angels related rumors somewhere so I can get my fix. 

[ukyah]

23 hours ago, Glen said:

Why will he suddenly improve hitting at home?

fair enough question that's been asked about many players over many seasons. see my previous post above.

[ukyah]

17 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

But what if he thinks his brother in law is a DB?

whaaat? that never happens.

[Docwaukee]

22 minutes ago, ksangel said:

I appreciate that insight...but to go back to my original comment...2nd round players typically don't become productive MLB players...that's indisputable because the facts are there. And that information possibly would play into choosing between Grandal and Ramos if Grandal is viewed by the Angels as a much better FA choice.

Somehow posters on this site skewed off on a tangent from my original comment (2nd round players typically don't make the majors) to whether Eppler was part of the decision making on Yankees drafting players.  Whether Eppler was part of the Yankees draft choices is irrelevant to whether 2nd round players make it to the majors and how that impacts Angels deciding whether or not to go after Grandal rather than Ramos.

Seems posters are more concerned with bashing other's posts then understanding them.

the relevance is that with new draft rules and the first 10 rounds being part of a pool, the first two, and possibly three picks are somewhat tied to one another.  Historical data of who we picked under different systems with different people in charge isn't really relevant.  At the end of the day, your 2nd round pick is someone you are putting the 2nd most amount of value on that is available to you.  There is only one draft per year so you have to consider and assign value to the various opportunities to add talent to your organization.  

The jury is out on whether Marsh, Canning and Jackson are going to spend time in the majors and be relevant.  But for the time being, they bring value and additional currency to the org regardless of what they become.  

Eppler's history of being involved in the draft and his potential influence on 2nd round picks for the yankees (which turns out to be nil) is more relevant to whether we should keep our pick than the history of 2nd round picks in general.  And more recent patterns of second round potential success or failure is even more relevant than both even in a small sample because they may have found a market inefficiency.  

What is most relevant is the value of Grandal to the team vs. Ramos to the team for the length of their contracts and whether that value and any difference thereof justifies giving up that 2nd round pick.  Personally, I don't think it does.  By the time it will be potentially justified, you want the flexibility to actually make that choice and not be locked into Grandal at age 32 and 33.  

[Blarg]

6 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Exactly, it's the value of the dollars more than the player itself.   The Angels having had success with that pick is gravy.

I checked the Angels history of #2 draft picks and there were a few winners in the bunch, most notable was Lackey along with Corbin and  Chatwood, with long forgotten Boche, future World Series manager and Dave Kingman. 

What is intresting is the last four drafts may produce four major league players. Counting back is Johnson, Canning, Marsh and Jones. 

In any case the Angels have seen 18 of their 31 picks over the years graduated to the major leagues with varying levels of success. 

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, ukyah said:

whaaat? that never happens.

Ha. I happen to have two really great brother in laws, but I've heard some stories from friends. 

[happybat4]

James McCann and Ian Kinsler off the board now. Somehow San Diego gave Kinsler two years.

[kevinb]

12 minutes ago, ukyah said:

perhaps you could actually digest what i wrote, and see that you're wrong.

he was massively better last year, than his career averages. once again, what killed his numbers was his atrocious hitting at angel stadium and injuries. his road numbers, which is slightly more AB's were legitimately fantastic. significantly above average. 

cozart needs to either get better luck at home or learn to hit in angel stadium. in either case, if he improves in that one category and does what he did last year, then you have a fantastic 3b.

feel free to look at his career splits and you can easily see he significantly outperformed his previous averages.

https://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?playerid=2616&position=SS&season=0

Zach Cozart in 2017 his contract year his 297 385 548.

2018 his numbers were 219 296 362

his highest numbers prior to 2017

at age 29 258 310 459

He will be 33 years old to start this season, he missed half the year due to injury and had surgery. The guy had a big year in his contract year. Which is so unheard of in MLB....rolls eyes.... Who knows what he will do this up coming year but people don't usually repeat career years at 33 years old. He will most likely be what he was before 2017 and probably a little worse being older and ya... Oh well only two more years left of him.  I didn't like the signing when he signed I don't like it now. But his salary isn't obnoxious or halting anything the Angels can do from a financial sense so it is what it is. 

[Roy Hobbs]

15 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I checked the Angels history of #2 draft picks and there were a few winners in the bunch, most notable was Lackey along with Corbin and  Chatwood, with long forgotten Boche, future World Series manager and Dave Kingman. 

What is intresting is the last four drafts may produce four major league players. Counting back is Johnson, Canning, Marsh and Jones. 

In any case the Angels have seen 18 of their 31 picks over the years graduated to the major leagues with varying levels of success. 

That's Bruce Bochte ,1st baseman not Bruce Bochy the Giants manager.

[Inside Pitch]

 

20 hours ago, ksangel said:

From MLB.com

"From 2004 thru 2015, Eppler worked his way up the New York Yankees baseball operations department. He was initially hired as Assistant Director of Baseball Operations, Nov. 1, 2004. Eppler would eventually be promoted to Director of Professional Scouting from 2006-09 and Senior Director of Professional Personnel from 2010-11. He finished his fourth season as Assistant General Manager and first as Vice-President in '15. His responsibilities for the Yankees and assisting General Manager Brian Cashman included player acquisitions, roster composition and management, staffing and personnel decisions, and player contract negotiations. In addition, he oversaw all phases and personnel in the Yankees' Major League and professional scouting departments both domestically and internationally." 

Yeah sure he wasn't involved in the draft for the Yankees...

And read this article - Eppler undoubtedly was in on scouting Justice.

https://www.mlb.com/news/oral-history-of-yankees-drafting-aaron-judge/c-278026828

But believe what you want.

 

I'll believe what the guy (Tim Naehring), that worked under him (Eppler hired him as a scout), and has replaced him with the Yankees has told me about the position.  Damon Oppenheimer runs the amateur scouting -- Eppler ran the professional scouting while they know what each other is doing, they work independently of each other.  Your article even states PROFESSIONAL scouting.  Being an assistant GM, he sat in on everything but again -- he had NO say into the amateur drafting.   

BTW -- Naehring while having NOTHING to do with the Angels has two years running tipped me off to who the Angels were supposedly hard on and been right both times.   It's not a huge industry -- people who know each other also know what the others are doing.

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by Inside Pitch

[Fullmer17]

24 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

 

I'll believe what the guy (Tim Naehring), that worked under him (Eppler hired him as a scout), and has replaced him with the Yankees has told me about the position.  Damon Oppenheimer runs the amateur scouting -- Eppler ran the professional scouting while they know what each other is doing, they work independently of each other.  Your article goes states PROFESSIONAL scouting.  Being an assistant GM, he sat in on everything but again -- he had NO say into the amateur drafting.   

BTW -- Naehring while having NOTHING to do with the Angels has two years running tipped me off to who the Angels were supposedly hard on and been right both times.   It's not a huge industry -- people who know each other also know what the others are doing.

 

So has he tipped you off about anyone for the Angels this off-season?

[Inside Pitch]

8 minutes ago, Fullmer17 said:

So has he tipped you off about anyone for the Angels this off-season?

Nah ... other than what everyone else already knew -- the Angels were looking for pitching.  The POS never tells me shit about the Yankees either...     I tried asking him about Gray when word first got out them being willing to trade him and he asked me how my brother was doing.   He's good for opinions on players and non essential stuff but, he's pretty tight lipped about anything juicy.

Edit: like Eppler - -dude thinks Cashman is amazing.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Inside Pitch

[beatlesrule]

Outfielder Jabari Blash has signed a one-year contract worth approximately $1.06MM with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball

[KingsAngels24]

Reds will acquire Realmuto and then flip Tucker Barnhart to us. Well then sign Kikuchi and Keuchel...please?

[ukyah]

7 hours ago, Kevinb said:

Zach Cozart in 2017 his contract year his 297 385 548.

2018 his numbers were 219 296 362

his highest numbers prior to 2017

at age 29 258 310 459

He will be 33 years old to start this season, he missed half the year due to injury and had surgery. The guy had a big year in his contract year. Which is so unheard of in MLB....rolls eyes.... Who knows what he will do this up coming year but people don't usually repeat career years at 33 years old. He will most likely be what he was before 2017 and probably a little worse being older and ya... Oh well only two more years left of him.  I didn't like the signing when he signed I don't like it now. But his salary isn't obnoxious or halting anything the Angels can do from a financial sense so it is what it is. 

ok. you ignored every single point i made twice. good talk.

[Stradling]

Hahab

[Lou]

lolb

[Lou]

7 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Nah ... other than what everyone else already knew -- the Angels were looking for pitching.  The POS never tells me shit about the Yankees either...     I tried asking him about Gray when word first got out them being willing to trade him and he asked me how my brother was doing.   He's good for opinions on players and non essential stuff but, he's pretty tight lipped about anything juicy.

Edit: like Eppler - -dude thinks Cashman is amazing.

well? 

[maestro]

Man f*ck Zack Cozart

 

I’m jk haha, he had some good stretches for us last year and I don’t see why he can’t fall between what we got last year and his standout season. That would honestly be huge for us. almost like an extra free agent signing this offseason

man, talking about cozart in the hot stove thread fml

[kevinb]

1 hour ago, ukyah said:

ok. you ignored every single point i made twice. good talk.

Yup. Splits don’t matter. You can’t subtract numbers you dislike and input numbers you do like. That’s not how this works. 

[kevinb]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

Hahab

 

43 minutes ago, Lou said:

lolb

Incredible as always. 

[nando714]

Keep third base open 

throw the bank at arenado next winter