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2018-2019 MLB Hot Stove Thread

The Phils also had money when they ave Ryan Howard that absurb contract. Hopefully these next ones will tie them up for years like that one did.

Different regime, but yeah, that Howard extension was awful the second it was signed. It got even worse when Howard tore his Achilles on what would have been the last play of his pre-extension contract
 
Ryan Howard was so good, and then got old really fast. Just saw him on MLB Network for a series of appearances, and he came across as really good guy.
 
Different regime, but yeah, that Howard extension was awful the second it was signed. It got even worse when Howard tore his Achilles on what would have been the last play of his pre-extension contract


The torn Achilles is part of what made the contract extension so bad. Howard never fully recovered his capabilities after that and just did what he could - which wasn't nearly what he did before the injury.
 
I personally just think the Bryce Howard hype train which started before he even played an MLB game is the primary reason for all this talk. If it wasn’t for that I don’t think he’d be within 100 mil of what is being discussed. If you take the name away and look only at the numbers he is a very good, not great, player.
 
I personally just think the Bryce Howard hype train which started before he even played an MLB game is the primary reason for all this talk. If it wasn’t for that I don’t think he’d be within 100 mil of what is being discussed. If you take the name away and look only at the numbers he is a very good, not great, player.

Hes a top 10 player in the league right now, I don't know where that fits in as good or great - when those players come up for free agency, they all generally break the bank. Most of the top 10 is making in the $25-$30 million range.
 
Btw I obviously meant Bryce Harper but had Ryan Howard on my brain and it won’t let me edit on my phone.
 
Hes a top 10 player in the league right now, I don't know where that fits in as good or great - when those players come up for free agency, they all generally break the bank. Most of the top 10 is making in the $25-$30 million range.

Based on what???? Not sure anyone agrees with you on that unless you want to base your evaluation on hopes. Top 30 or 40 - yes, but you don't have a garbage season like last year and say your top 10.
 
Based on what???? Not sure anyone agrees with you on that unless you want to base your evaluation on hopes. Top 30 or 40 - yes, but you don't have a garbage season like last year and say your top 10.

Salty, I definitely agree with you, but you’d be surprised how many people “in the know” feel like he’s one of the best FAs in recent history. That’s why you aren’t seeing much, if any, articles talking about the 300 mil range being ridiculous.
 
lol machado's wRC+ from last season is one point higher than bryce's career. a down year for him still saw him top 20 in the league in that category.
 
lol machado's wRC+ from last season is one point higher than bryce's career. a down year for him still saw him top 20 in the league in that category.

Machado plays more valuable positions. Defenders of the Heyward contract always played up his defense as a selling point. It’s fucking RF. They get 2-4 balls a game and 99% of major leaguers could catch 95/100 of them.
 
Also, Machado’s numbers are hurt by the fact he was on a shit team.
 
I’ve been pouring my brain to find the best comparison to Harper and I have it. It is Khris Davis. A solid player. Obviously a bit older than Bryce but no one is claiming he’s the best player in the league.
 
Harper is better than Davis. However, Davis does the most amazing stat in the history of baseball. In each of the last four season, his BA has been .247. This is an anomalies anomaly.
 
Harper is better than Davis. However, Davis does the most amazing stat in the history of baseball. In each of the last four season, his BA has been .247. This is an anomalies anomaly.

Haha they tracked his ABs on MLBN the last few days of the season to see if he would do it. Quite an amazing stat.
 
Saying Harper isn't a top 10 player is just dumb. He's 8th in wrc+ since 2012. The guys above him are Trout, Votto, Cabrera, Ortiz, Goldschmidt, Stanton, and Bryant, aka the best player of his generation, three HOFers, a perennial AS, the guy with the biggest contract in sports history, and an MVP.

He's not without his flaws, but let's not go nuts.
 
Harper is a talented ball player, no question. The question all the GMs have to wrestle with is: "Is Bryce Harper worth a $30+million spot on my payroll for the next ten years?"

Its difficult to project Harper's value as a player in his over 35 years.
 
Harper is and will continue to be a really good offensive player, and he is fully capable of a monster offensive year. At age 22, Harper hit 42 HRs, batted .330 with an OPS of 1.110. Harper hasn't even gotten to the 2nd half of his 20s yet, when most players have their most prolific years. Wouldn't be shocked if Harper hit 50+ HRs with a crazy high OPS a couple of times over the next 5 years.

The problem with Harper is that he doesn't play a premium defensive position (like Machado), his defense is poor and getting worse, and injuries are a concern (he has missed 50 games in 3 of his 6 full years in the majors).

Every team would love to have him in their lineup. He is a top 10 offensive player in the game, but a 10 year contract north of $30 million is not worth the risk and the allocation of resources required to build a winning team.
 
Harper is and will continue to be a really good offensive player, and he is fully capable of a monster offensive year. At age 22, Harper hit 42 HRs, batted .330 with an OPS of 1.110. Harper hasn't even gotten to the 2nd half of his 20s yet, when most players have their most prolific years. Wouldn't be shocked if Harper hit 50+ HRs with a crazy high OPS a couple of times over the next 5 years.

The problem with Harper is that he doesn't play a premium defensive position (like Machado), his defense is poor and getting worse, and injuries are a concern (he has missed 50 games in 3 of his 6 full years in the majors).

Every team would love to have him in their lineup. He is a top 10 offensive player in the game, but a 10 year contract north of $30 million is not worth the risk and the allocation of resources required to build a winning team.

His lack of consistency is the problem. Is he capable of years like the .330? Sure. He’s also shown that it is just as likely that he hits .260.
 
On of the few things longtime manager Gene Mauch said that is absolutely true was, "potential gets you fired". Harper is the personification of this. In seven seasons, he's only hit over 30 HRs twice. He's played under 120 games three times.
 
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