• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

2018-2019 MLB Hot Stove Thread

Of that group, I think Grandal would be wise to take the one-year offer.
 
Apparently the Cubs are either running the biggest smokescreen ever or they are out on Harper and Machado because they only want to add another 10-12 million, or so everyone is saying. That would put them more in the Brantley bracket (or Daniel Murphy) and a little south of Cutch money. Only guess is the TV revenue is not what was expected. They dont have any expensive moveable pieces, no ones taking Chatwood or Heyward.
 
There was a report on Fox Sports last night that the White Sox of all people were considering signing Machado & Harper.

Anybody know anything further on that front?
 
There was a report on Fox Sports last night that the White Sox of all people were considering signing Machado & Harper.

Anybody know anything further on that front?

Here is an MLB.com report on the White Sox flirtation with both: https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-eye-manny-machado-bryce-harper/c-300251388

White Sox have/had the second lowest payroll in baseball. They could sign both and stay under the luxury tax threshold. Don't think Harper would want to pay for the White Sox as they are about the most anonymous franchise in baseball, but his agent is Scot Boras, who inked ARod to the record setting deal with Texas when they sucked (which was bad for both Arod and Texas, but Boras likes his clients to max out the cash in their deals). Harper would increase ticket sales and TV ratings; plus the ChiSox have a lot of young talent that could suddenly blossom.
 
From MLBN this morning:

Harper's late-season rejection of Nats' 10/$300 offer means they're out, right?

Mariners looking to blow it up completely could mean some interesting pieces get moved.

Yanks apparently mulling dumping Stanton to get Harper.
 
From MLBN this morning:

Harper's late-season rejection of Nats' 10/$300 offer means they're out, right?

Mariners looking to blow it up completely could mean some interesting pieces get moved.

Yanks apparently mulling dumping Stanton to get Harper.

Nats are never out of any negotiation if Boras is involved. Boras has more clients on the Nats than any other MLB roster, and he has a direct dial to the Nats owner. That said, appears that the Nats leaked the offered deal for cover with their fan-base if Harper signs elsewhere.

Yanks will have a hard time trading Stanton as he has a no-trade clause. Stanton scuttled deals to the Cards and Giants when he was with the Marlins. Unless the Yankees can get the Dodgers (or possibly the Astros) to take on that contract, Stanton would veto a trade anywhere else.
 
Looks like the Rays are flipping mallex Smith for Mike Zunino. Zunino has a ton of potential, hasn't lived up to it yet.
 
Nats are never out of any negotiation if Boras is involved. Boras has more clients on the Nats than any other MLB roster, and he has a direct dial to the Nats owner. That said, appears that the Nats leaked the offered deal for cover with their fan-base if Harper signs elsewhere.

Yanks will have a hard time trading Stanton as he has a no-trade clause. Stanton scuttled deals to the Cards and Giants when he was with the Marlins. Unless the Yankees can get the Dodgers (or possibly the Astros) to take on that contract, Stanton would veto a trade anywhere else.

I remember some talk after Stanton was traded to the Yankees that they might try to trade him to the Dodgers if they could sign Harper. Stanton is from the LA area and, IIRC, the Dodgers were one of the teams he was willing to play for.
 
Nats offer of $300 million/10 years and subsequent qualifying offer, both of which were rejected, put Nats in strong position with Harper. They will get $500K in international bonus pool money and 2nd pick from any team that signs him. So they have those advantages. Plus Boras and the Nats have constructed many deals.
 
From MLBN this morning:

Harper's late-season rejection of Nats' 10/$300 offer means they're out, right?

Mariners looking to blow it up completely could mean some interesting pieces get moved.

Yanks apparently mulling dumping Stanton to get Harper.

Nats offer of $300 million/10 years and subsequent qualifying offer, both of which were rejected, put Nats in strong position with Harper.

They will get $500K in international bonus pool money and 2nd pick from any team that signs him. So they have those advantages. Plus Boras and the Nats have constructed many deals.

The 300/10 offer says they are serious and puts a floor out there for Harper.
 
I don't think the Nats want Harper, or more specifically, don't want to undertake the financial obligations and the resulting negative impact it will have on their ability to add other pieces to improve their roster (catcher, starting pitcher, maybe 2nd base). The Nats have young controllable and cheap organizational depth in the OF. Without Harper, they lose power, but improve defensively and on the bases (and can improve in other place with the extra cash). In the end, they will win more games next year and beyond with an Soto-Robles-Eaton OF, another top of the rotation stater and top 10 MLB catcher, than the Nats would with Harper and no significant additions at those spots. The Nats made the $300 million/10 year offer so that they could say to their fanbase that they tried to sign Harper, but the Nats knew he was not taking that deal. They did not want him to.

All that said, the Nats 90 year-old owner Ted Lerner is a wildcard. He negotiated the Matt Wieters deal directly with Boras - which turned out to be a disaster. He negotiated the Strasburg extension directly with Boras which looked like a good deal at the time. If Boras does not get the deal he wants for Harper from another team, he will make another run at Lerner. Lerner is desperate to win a W-S before he kicks, and he is running out of time.
 
I don't think the Nats want Harper, or more specifically, don't want to undertake the financial obligations and the resulting negative impact it will have on their ability to add other pieces to improve their roster (catcher, starting pitcher, maybe 2nd base). The Nats have young controllable and cheap organizational depth in the OF. Without Harper, they lose power, but improve defensively and on the bases (and can improve in other place with the extra cash). In the end, they will win more games next year and beyond with an Soto-Robles-Eaton OF, another top of the rotation stater and top 10 MLB catcher, than the Nats would with Harper and no significant additions at those spots. The Nats made the $300 million/10 year offer so that they could say to their fanbase that they tried to sign Harper, but the Nats knew he was not taking that deal. They did not want him to.

All that said, the Nats 90 year-old owner Ted Lerner is a wildcard. He negotiated the Matt Wieters deal directly with Boras - which turned out to be a disaster. He negotiated the Strasburg extension directly with Boras which looked like a good deal at the time. If Boras does not get the deal he wants for Harper from another team, he will make another run at Lerner. Lerner is desperate to win a W-S before he kicks, and he is running out of time.

Good insight into the Boras-Ted Lerner relationship. Also Lerner would mortgage 10 years of team being salary constrained for one good run at a World Series.
 
Also, guessing the revenue projections are better for the Nats with Harper than without, regardless of on field play. He's one of the most marketable players in MLB - much moreso than Trout and more than Turner, Rendon or Soto for the Nats.
 
Also, guessing the revenue projections are better for the Nats with Harper than without, regardless of on field play. He's one of the most marketable players in MLB - much moreso than Trout and more than Turner, Rendon or Soto for the Nats.

100% true and part of the economics equation in present day baseball. Whomever signs Harper will get a bump in TV ratings and at the gate.
 
I don't think the Nats want Harper, or more specifically, don't want to undertake the financial obligations and the resulting negative impact it will have on their ability to add other pieces to improve their roster (catcher, starting pitcher, maybe 2nd base). The Nats have young controllable and cheap organizational depth in the OF. Without Harper, they lose power, but improve defensively and on the bases (and can improve in other place with the extra cash). In the end, they will win more games next year and beyond with an Soto-Robles-Eaton OF, another top of the rotation stater and top 10 MLB catcher, than the Nats would with Harper and no significant additions at those spots. The Nats made the $300 million/10 year offer so that they could say to their fanbase that they tried to sign Harper, but the Nats knew he was not taking that deal. They did not want him to.

All that said, the Nats 90 year-old owner Ted Lerner is a wildcard. He negotiated the Matt Wieters deal directly with Boras - which turned out to be a disaster. He negotiated the Strasburg extension directly with Boras which looked like a good deal at the time. If Boras does not get the deal he wants for Harper from another team, he will make another run at Lerner. Lerner is desperate to win a W-S before he kicks, and he is running out of time.

This is a pretty huge set of assumptions packed into one statement. What pitcher are they getting? What top-10 catcher are they getting? Eaton's been hurt and under 100 games played the last two years. Who's the fourth OF? That's also a ton of expectation to lay on Soto and Robles.
 
This is a pretty huge set of assumptions packed into one statement. What pitcher are they getting? What top-10 catcher are they getting? Eaton's been hurt and under 100 games played the last two years. Who's the fourth OF? That's also a ton of expectation to lay on Soto and Robles.

Taylor is the Nats fourth (maybe third) outfielder. He's played a lot the last few years.
 
This is a pretty huge set of assumptions packed into one statement. What pitcher are they getting? What top-10 catcher are they getting? Eaton's been hurt and under 100 games played the last two years. Who's the fourth OF? That's also a ton of expectation to lay on Soto and Robles.

I think his point was you could get a TOR pitcher and catcher for Harper money, and likely make the team better off (includes a dropoff from Harper to Robles). On paper makes sense. Its probs gonna cost a bit more than Harper to get those exact pieces, though.
 
Back
Top