2015 Baseball season/Off Season Discussion

[JAEBALL]

It's the necessary evil if you can't grow your own pitchers. They are obviously better today then they were yesterday, but by year 4 or 5 he will be so hated up there because of his contract and performance... that he will beg to give money back ! (obviously i'm joking)

Is that the case with Sabathia?  I would think he's built up enough goodwill on the front-end of his contract that he's not a hated target among the fanbase even though he's not much good anymore.  Could see that playing out the same way with Price. 

The calls to remove him from the rotation, from the fanbase this year, were so loud I'm surprised you didn't hear them at the Citi Field. Hell, I'm surprised they weren't heard out in L.A.

Is he hated? No, not really.  But he's not universally loved, either. And his opting to enter rehab on the eve of the playoffs didn't ingratiate himself with a lot of fans, either..

BUT his contract is pretty universally hated, because it's viewed as being a big reason the Yanks don't go out and sign another top of the rotation guy. 

Well they did give Tanaka 175 million...

It's not just CC. They need to clear out Beltran tex and Arod before they start spending big again. (I know you realize this)

Would love to see an Ellsbury/ Cano swap. I realize it's unlikely, but it's not completely far fetched.. it kinda makes sense.

[TheBaconman]

So the bluejays have now become te Indians of 4 years ago.   

Great

Time to cut costs and get ready for a 50 million dollar payroll

[faldor]

It's the necessary evil if you can't grow your own pitchers. They are obviously better today then they were yesterday, but by year 4 or 5 he will be so hated up there because of his contract and performance... that he will beg to give money back ! (obviously i'm joking)

I just still for the life me can't understand why they ever let Lester leave.. he was "their guy" too. You also can't use the argument that they don't sign older pitchers anymore either.

I'll tell you why. They outsmarted themselves. They thought they figured out some magic formula where you can build a World Series winner by signing bargain FA's to short term deals like they did with Victorino, Napoli, etc. in 2013. Then they saw KC and Baltimore be successful without an ace and thought they could do the same. Well, that sort of team building does work if you have the right mix. That's hard to identify though. And they did a bad job building a roster around a pitching staff that lacked an ace.

They've changed their philosophies the last 3 years at least. After they rid themselves of the Crawford contract they steered away from the high ticket FA signing, and it worked to perfection in 2013. Unfortunately, it didn't last. So then they overpaid for Sandoval and Ramirez and at the same time came up with this philosophy to not overpay for pitchers over 30. So they traded for Porcello and gave him a crazy amount of money instead and got outbid for Lester. That didn't work out too well either. Cherington is gone now and Dombrowski has a different way of doing things. So it's almost understandable their philosophies would change again. It just looks crazy when you examine it closely. Choose a plan and stick to what works. Dombrowski traded for, traded away, and signed Price in the last 3 years so he obviously likes the guy. He was his #1 target by far.

As for the deal, I agree it probably won't look pretty the last few years, maybe even the latter half. These types of deals never do. But he does have an opt out after 3 years. So it could end up being a 3 year 90 million dollar deal, which would be great in my mind. If he pitches well the next 3 years he could opt out if he thinks he could get more money. Salaries continue to increase, so it's not a crazy idea. At that point, would the Sox be willing to let him walk or would they foolishly extend him like the Yankees did with CC? That's when we'll see how good or bad the deal turns out to be.

They needed to get this done, in large part to cover up the mistakes they made in the past. They could have signed Lester and Miller last year and saved 60 million and the prospects it took to acquire Kimbrel. Or they still could've made that deal and used the extra money elsewhere. I do think Price is better than Lester, maybe not that much monetarily. But Price is more in Scherzer territory than Lester. I never looked at Lester as a true ace, at least not in the regular season. He wasn't consistent enough for the long haul. The playoffs were a different story. He was a big game pitcher for the Sox. Price is a true ace without the post season success. That part is a concern. But you have to get to the post season to put that to rest.

[JAEBALL]

You know I never put 2 and 2 together about Dombrowski and price until reading it.

It's just crazy... when does the money end? Every year whoever the best free agent guy has to get just a little more than the last guy.

The average year price is not the killer tho... it's the back end.

I like price... i'd expect him to be real good for the first half of it.

[faldor]

You know I never put 2 and 2 together about Dombrowski and price until reading it.

It's just crazy... when does the money end? Every year whoever the best free agent guy has to get just a little more than the last guy.

The average year price is not the killer tho... it's the back end.

I like price... i'd expect him to be real good for the first half of it.

He won't see years 4-7 of that deal if he opts out after 3 though. And word is the contract Greinke will eventually sign will dwarf Price's. And he's 2 years older. So with salaries continuing to rise, if Price pitches well the first 3 years, he could be worth even more by then. If a team is willing to sign a 32 year old Greinke for 32-35 mil a year for 5-7 years, chances are Price could make even more by opting out at age 33.

It's a risk the Sox felt they needed to take, and they did. If he pitches great for them and he opts out, they'll have a decision to make. Meet his demands and extend him, or let him walk and let some other team give him his last mega contract. If he pitches poorly, gets hurt, or decides not to opt out, then obviously they're on the hook for the full contract. Rumblings are though the MLB is doing quite well financially and team revenues are growing at a much faster rate than player salaries. So while the numbers look ridiculous, and hard for us to fathom, they may not hamstring these teams as much as we would think. Of course the Yankees haven't really spent big the last few seasons and the Mets refuse to spend thanks to the Wilpon's financial issues.

My hope as a Sox fan is that Price has a great 3 years for them. A World Series, maybe a Cy Young. He mentors Eduardo Rodriguez and some of their younger pitchers into becoming studs in their own right. He opts out, and they let him walk. Then they can throw money wildly at someone else and continue the cycle. If they're stuck with him for the full 7, I'll deal with it. But I'll worry about that when the time comes. Presently, this move along with the Kimbrel transaction probably vault the Red Sox to the top of the AL East and put them in the WS conversation at least. That's all I care about right now. 2 consecutive last place finishes are enough for me. Some unenjoyable baseball has been played in Beantown these last few seasons. Hopefully that changes next year.

[JAEBALL]

You know I never put 2 and 2 together about Dombrowski and price until reading it.

It's just crazy... when does the money end? Every year whoever the best free agent guy has to get just a little more than the last guy.

The average year price is not the killer tho... it's the back end.

I like price... i'd expect him to be real good for the first half of it.

He won't see years 4-7 of that deal if he opts out after 3 though. And word is the contract Greinke will eventually sign will dwarf Price's. And he's 2 years older. So with salaries continuing to rise, if Price pitches well the first 3 years, he could be worth even more by then. If a team is willing to sign a 32 year old Greinke for 32-35 mil a year for 5-7 years, chances are Price could make even more by opting out at age 33.

It's a risk the Sox felt they needed to take, and they did. If he pitches great for them and he opts out, they'll have a decision to make. Meet his demands and extend him, or let him walk and let some other team give him his last mega contract. If he pitches poorly, gets hurt, or decides not to opt out, then obviously they're on the hook for the full contract. Rumblings are though the MLB is doing quite well financially and team revenues are growing at a much faster rate than player salaries. So while the numbers look ridiculous, and hard for us to fathom, they may not hamstring these teams as much as we would think. Of course the Yankees haven't really spent big the last few seasons and the Mets refuse to spend thanks to the Wilpon's financial issues.

My hope as a Sox fan is that Price has a great 3 years for them. A World Series, maybe a Cy Young. He mentors Eduardo Rodriguez and some of their younger pitchers into becoming studs in their own right. He opts out, and they let him walk. Then they can throw money wildly at someone else and continue the cycle. If they're stuck with him for the full 7, I'll deal with it. But I'll worry about that when the time comes. Presently, this move along with the Kimbrel transaction probably vault the Red Sox to the top of the AL East and put them in the WS conversation at least. That's all I care about right now. 2 consecutive last place finishes are enough for me. Some unenjoyable baseball has been played in Beantown these last few seasons. Hopefully that changes next year.

Agreed all around.

I'm not a Met fan, but as a New Yorker obviously i'm well versed in their dealings... I cant even imagine how much money that rotation is going to make over the years.

[tim_m]

Lackey 2 year deal with the cubs for 32 million.

[tim_m]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

[JAEBALL]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

[TheBaconman]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

I really should of continued to play ball.  These contracts are crazy! 

Like I have said prior. Mlb owns the players pretty much until free agency   So I am totally a fan of these guys finally getting there pay. 

[tim_m]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

Insane and it's still less overall then Price got.

[faldor]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

Insane and it's still less overall then Price got.

1 year less, so he falls just 9 million short. Any word of any opt outs? I'd say he made the right call opting out this time. Heard the Giants offered 195, fell just short. Dodgers have turned their attention to Cueto and others. There's still plenty of money to be made for some quality arms.

[tim_m]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

Insane and it's still less overall then Price got.

1 year less, so he falls just 9 million short. Any word of any opt outs? I'd say he made the right call opting out this time. Heard the Giants offered 195, fell just short. Dodgers have turned their attention to Cueto and others. There's still plenty of money to be made for some quality arms.

Haven't heard if there is an opt out or not.

[novemberparadise23]

These pitchers are making a shit ton of money!  34 million a year ?!!!!? That is insanity

[JAEBALL]

Greinke to the D-backs pending physical.

34 million a year !

I really should of continued to play ball.  These contracts are crazy! 

Like I have said prior. Mlb owns the players pretty much until free agency   So I am totally a fan of these guys finally getting there pay. 

I don't begrudge any athlete cashing in...

It's just amazing to me that the owners never learn...

[pilferk]

Yanks pick up castro from the cubs for warren and a player to be named later.

Yanks looking for lefty hitting middle infielder, and, potentially, just stole one. 38 million over 4 left on his deal. Warren was a solid guy, but hes not a big loss.

[JAEBALL]

Yanks pick up castro from the cubs for warren and a player to be named later.

Yanks looking for lefty hitting middle infielder, and, potentially, just stole one. 38 million over 4 left on his deal. Warren was a solid guy, but hes not a big loss.

I like the trade. Castro feels like he's been around forever but he's only 25... as long as he's giving max effort...solid player.

[faldor]

Yanks pick up castro from the cubs for warren and a player to be named later.

Yanks looking for lefty hitting middle infielder, and, potentially, just stole one. 38 million over 4 left on his deal. Warren was a solid guy, but hes not a big loss.

I like the trade. Castro feels like he's been around forever but he's only 25... as long as he's giving max effort...solid player.

He had a bad year last year, but did pick it up in the 2nd half. Had a few very solid years prior and he's still young, so worth the gamble.

[JAEBALL]

Yanks pick up castro from the cubs for warren and a player to be named later.

Yanks looking for lefty hitting middle infielder, and, potentially, just stole one. 38 million over 4 left on his deal. Warren was a solid guy, but hes not a big loss.

I like the trade. Castro feels like he's been around forever but he's only 25... as long as he's giving max effort...solid player.

He had a bad year last year, but did pick it up in the 2nd half. Had a few very solid years prior and he's still young, so worth the gamble.

Yup.. and Warren is versatile.. but not much to give up.. plus I wasn't comfortable with Refsnyder and Ackley platooning over there.

[GeorgeSteele]

Ben Zobrist signed with the Cubs for 4 years, $56M.  Disappointing for the Mets, they were after him big time.  Supposedly, their offer was as good as the Cubs but he wanted to play for Maddon again.