2018 (MLB) News & Transactions

[stanford the manford]

He did. The A's picked him up and one of their two catchers is down for an extended time to injury. He'll at least platoon for the A's.

just a short BART ride away to the sunny side of the bay

 

[SFGRTB]

Finally:


Blue Jays ready to embrace change, finalizing minor-league...

This will hopefully be the first of many teams. They can all easily afford it. I just don't get (I mean I do, because they all cheap AF) why they wouldn't want their minor leaguers to have better quality of life instead of having to buy cheap food and pickup second jobs instead of focusing on their baseball careers full-time.

 

[BeerMe]

I thought this was an interesting article on how trades at the deadline will change this year.

1. The volume of minor league trades will grow significantly. Contending teams have typically used the August waiver period to add depth -- a late addition of a veteran to round out a roster, by picking up the extra reliever, a pinch hitter, a pinch runner or a pricey late-season salary dump (think Jay Bruce to the Indians in 2017).

Because clubs will no longer be able to do that, the early expectation of some executives is that there will be a ton of movement among those players working on minor league contracts. Fringy major leaguers on Triple-A and Double-A rosters will become coveted, to the degree that one club official expects the agents representing those kinds of players to seek out clauses before the trade deadline, or for August, to give the player the flexibility to pursue big-league jobs elsewhere.

For example: Let's say the Red Sox suffer a series of injuries just after the trade deadline and are forced to scramble for an additional middle infielder. A Triple-A journeyman -- somebody like Adam Rosales, not on a 40-man roster -- could use a contractual out clause to jump to the Red Sox for a promised roster spot in the big leagues. Because there is no restriction on minor league moves in August, teams could use this as a loophole around the new July 31 deadline.

2. The new hardened deadline will greatly help the teams that decide to sell. It was very early last season that the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles communicated to other clubs that they were ready to listen to offers. But the potential buyers that blanched at the initial asking prices had the luxury of waiting weeks and weeks for a lot more options to emerge.

Now contenders will be forced into decisions on major league trades earlier, and teams that are on the fence about whether to be buyers or sellers won't have access to an August trading period. This means that there will be fewer selling teams, and the sellers are better positioned to maintain high asking prices. That'll be good for the Orioles, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Royals and other teams not expected to contend. If Madison Bumgarner pitches well and the Giants decide to auction him off to contenders, they're better positioned to get a big haul because the potential buyers won't have the luxury of waiting.

3. It's possible that there will be more June or early July trades. Teams that are unsure about whether to be buyers or sellers might feel compelled to make a move or two or three in order to gain clarity which way to go by July 31. Let's say the Los Angeles Angels are six games out of first place in mid-June and trying to determine whether to trade away assets on July 31. They could push to augment the team before the All-Star break -- and if the club drifted backward even more, they could in good conscience decide to become sellers.

Nos. 1-50 » | 51-100 »
Surprises, reaction » | More MLB Rank »



4. There would seem to be potential for waiver-wire collusion in August. Already, there is concern among officials that there will be prearranged waiver dumps -- rival executives arranging a player transaction through an understanding that Team A will place an established (and pricey) player on irrevocable waivers, and Team B will be positioned to claim.

"That's something that [MLB] will have to monitor," said one official.

5. The sellers will have to be prepared to eat more salary in making trades. Let's say a decent (but not great) player making $15 million is available in the trade market. In the past, his team would probably carry him through the July 31 trade deadline and into August, understanding that few teams have the payroll flexibility to take on a third of that player's salary for the final two months.

Now, with August basically off limits, the sellers will have to act more aggressively with a player like this, and be willing to absorb more salary in any July deal in order to improve the prospect return -- or just move the contract and save a little money.

6. Late July will be hotter than ever. There are going to be a ton of moves in the last days and hours leading up to the July 31 deadline, some club officials believe.

 

[SFGRTB]

I thought this was an interesting article on how trades at the deadline will change this year.

1. The volume of minor league trades will grow significantly. Contending teams have typically used the August waiver period to add depth -- a late addition of a veteran to round out a roster, by picking up the extra reliever, a pinch hitter, a pinch runner or a pricey late-season salary dump (think Jay Bruce to the Indians in 2017).

Because clubs will no longer be able to do that, the early expectation of some executives is that there will be a ton of movement among those players working on minor league contracts. Fringy major leaguers on Triple-A and Double-A rosters will become coveted, to the degree that one club official expects the agents representing those kinds of players to seek out clauses before the trade deadline, or for August, to give the player the flexibility to pursue big-league jobs elsewhere.

For example: Let's say the Red Sox suffer a series of injuries just after the trade deadline and are forced to scramble for an additional middle infielder. A Triple-A journeyman -- somebody like Adam Rosales, not on a 40-man roster -- could use a contractual out clause to jump to the Red Sox for a promised roster spot in the big leagues. Because there is no restriction on minor league moves in August, teams could use this as a loophole around the new July 31 deadline.

2. The new hardened deadline will greatly help the teams that decide to sell. It was very early last season that the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles communicated to other clubs that they were ready to listen to offers. But the potential buyers that blanched at the initial asking prices had the luxury of waiting weeks and weeks for a lot more options to emerge.

Now contenders will be forced into decisions on major league trades earlier, and teams that are on the fence about whether to be buyers or sellers won't have access to an August trading period. This means that there will be fewer selling teams, and the sellers are better positioned to maintain high asking prices. That'll be good for the Orioles, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Royals and other teams not expected to contend. If Madison Bumgarner pitches well and the Giants decide to auction him off to contenders, they're better positioned to get a big haul because the potential buyers won't have the luxury of waiting.

3. It's possible that there will be more June or early July trades. Teams that are unsure about whether to be buyers or sellers might feel compelled to make a move or two or three in order to gain clarity which way to go by July 31. Let's say the Los Angeles Angels are six games out of first place in mid-June and trying to determine whether to trade away assets on July 31. They could push to augment the team before the All-Star break -- and if the club drifted backward even more, they could in good conscience decide to become sellers.

Nos. 1-50 » | 51-100 »
Surprises, reaction » | More MLB Rank »



4. There would seem to be potential for waiver-wire collusion in August. Already, there is concern among officials that there will be prearranged waiver dumps -- rival executives arranging a player transaction through an understanding that Team A will place an established (and pricey) player on irrevocable waivers, and Team B will be positioned to claim.

"That's something that [MLB] will have to monitor," said one official.

5. The sellers will have to be prepared to eat more salary in making trades. Let's say a decent (but not great) player making $15 million is available in the trade market. In the past, his team would probably carry him through the July 31 trade deadline and into August, understanding that few teams have the payroll flexibility to take on a third of that player's salary for the final two months.

Now, with August basically off limits, the sellers will have to act more aggressively with a player like this, and be willing to absorb more salary in any July deal in order to improve the prospect return -- or just move the contract and save a little money.

6. Late July will be hotter than ever. There are going to be a ton of moves in the last days and hours leading up to the July 31 deadline, some club officials believe.

I never liked the idea behind the August deadline. I hope it creates more activity.

 

[LHG]

I thought this was an interesting article on how trades at the deadline will change this year.

1. The volume of minor league trades will grow significantly. Contending teams have typically used the August waiver period to add depth -- a late addition of a veteran to round out a roster, by picking up the extra reliever, a pinch hitter, a pinch runner or a pricey late-season salary dump (think Jay Bruce to the Indians in 2017).

Because clubs will no longer be able to do that, the early expectation of some executives is that there will be a ton of movement among those players working on minor league contracts. Fringy major leaguers on Triple-A and Double-A rosters will become coveted, to the degree that one club official expects the agents representing those kinds of players to seek out clauses before the trade deadline, or for August, to give the player the flexibility to pursue big-league jobs elsewhere.

For example: Let's say the Red Sox suffer a series of injuries just after the trade deadline and are forced to scramble for an additional middle infielder. A Triple-A journeyman -- somebody like Adam Rosales, not on a 40-man roster -- could use a contractual out clause to jump to the Red Sox for a promised roster spot in the big leagues. Because there is no restriction on minor league moves in August, teams could use this as a loophole around the new July 31 deadline.

2. The new hardened deadline will greatly help the teams that decide to sell. It was very early last season that the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles communicated to other clubs that they were ready to listen to offers. But the potential buyers that blanched at the initial asking prices had the luxury of waiting weeks and weeks for a lot more options to emerge.

Now contenders will be forced into decisions on major league trades earlier, and teams that are on the fence about whether to be buyers or sellers won't have access to an August trading period. This means that there will be fewer selling teams, and the sellers are better positioned to maintain high asking prices. That'll be good for the Orioles, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Royals and other teams not expected to contend. If Madison Bumgarner pitches well and the Giants decide to auction him off to contenders, they're better positioned to get a big haul because the potential buyers won't have the luxury of waiting.

3. It's possible that there will be more June or early July trades. Teams that are unsure about whether to be buyers or sellers might feel compelled to make a move or two or three in order to gain clarity which way to go by July 31. Let's say the Los Angeles Angels are six games out of first place in mid-June and trying to determine whether to trade away assets on July 31. They could push to augment the team before the All-Star break -- and if the club drifted backward even more, they could in good conscience decide to become sellers.

Nos. 1-50 » | 51-100 »
Surprises, reaction » | More MLB Rank »



4. There would seem to be potential for waiver-wire collusion in August. Already, there is concern among officials that there will be prearranged waiver dumps -- rival executives arranging a player transaction through an understanding that Team A will place an established (and pricey) player on irrevocable waivers, and Team B will be positioned to claim.

"That's something that [MLB] will have to monitor," said one official.

5. The sellers will have to be prepared to eat more salary in making trades. Let's say a decent (but not great) player making $15 million is available in the trade market. In the past, his team would probably carry him through the July 31 trade deadline and into August, understanding that few teams have the payroll flexibility to take on a third of that player's salary for the final two months.

Now, with August basically off limits, the sellers will have to act more aggressively with a player like this, and be willing to absorb more salary in any July deal in order to improve the prospect return -- or just move the contract and save a little money.

6. Late July will be hotter than ever. There are going to be a ton of moves in the last days and hours leading up to the July 31 deadline, some club officials believe.

Regarding the first point, that may happen this year but with the rosters only expanding to 28 (a rule I very much dislike. Bochy said it well when he mentioned fringe guys getting their only taste of major league ball in September are now getting denied. Its an awful sellout of those guys by their very own union), starting with 2020, I don't see how stocking up on a bunch of fringe MLB players will be of any use.

 

[Hangman]

And now a $430 million dollar 12 year deal for Mike Trout.

 

[SFGRTB]