2024 Rosterbation

[calsnowskier]

According to MLBTR, she thinks the Giants have an inside edge on him. I certainly hope so and hope they finish the edge with a deal!

West Notes: Giants, Yamamoto, Angels, Leiter

The Giants have long been expected to be one of the winter's more aggressive teams after missing out on megadeals …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

I want Yamamoto so bad. It really is illogical since I have never seen him pitch and hardly ever heard of him before this off-season (I think his name surfaced last off-season as a big FA for this year).

 

[filosofy29]

I want Yamamoto so bad. It really is illogical since I have never seen him pitch and hardly ever heard of him before this off-season (I think his name surfaced last off-season as a big FA for this year).

lol this. Unsubstantiated, but I want him on the Giants so bad and will be disappointed if he doesn’t land here.

 

[sf1giantfan]

Me too. But after that I’m not sure. Bellinger and Chapman are the two names that I have heard the Giants wanting. I just don’t want to be disappointed again.

 

[SF11704]

lol this. Unsubstantiated, but I want him on the Giants so bad and will be disappointed if he doesn’t land here.

A thousand times this .....
Just so disappointed in the past few FA years ... I want them to sign one really big name free agent! Doesn't matter that I never heard of him ... if every other team wants him ... that's a good enough measure for me.
After the Harper and Judge failed signings .... we need to land us a high profile player ... I actually think this bad FA streak started with CC Sabathia ... I seem to remember that falling through at the last minute as well ....
But ... to be honest .... he's not the total answer. Having him and Webb in the same rotation would be amazing ... but we really need some additional offense as well .... Now ... if we could somehow get Soto and workout a long term deal ...... I'd be one happy Giant fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LHG]

I want Yamamoto so bad. It really is illogical since I have never seen him pitch and hardly ever heard of him before this off-season (I think his name surfaced last off-season as a big FA for this year).

lol this. Unsubstantiated, but I want him on the Giants so bad and will be disappointed if he doesn’t land here.

Me too. But after that I’m not sure. Bellinger and Chapman are the two names that I have heard the Giants wanting. I just don’t want to be disappointed again.

A thousand times this .....
Just so disappointed in the past few FA years ... I want them to sign one really big name free agent! Doesn't matter that I never heard of him ... if every other team wants him ... that's a good enough measure for me.
After the Harper and Judge failed signings .... we need to land us a high profile player ... I actually think this bad FA streak started with CC Sabathia ... I seem to remember that falling through at the last minute as well ....
But ... to be honest .... he's not the total answer. Having him and Webb in the same rotation would be amazing ... but we really need some additional offense as well .... Now ... if we could somehow get Soto and workout a long term deal ...... I'd be one happy Giant fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then it is agreed . . . We WILL get Yamamoto.

 

[LHG]

From MLBTR's subscription email on Yamamoto (reduced only to the part about the Giants for brevity):

A year ago, many MLB fans were probably unaware of Yoshinobu Yamamoto entirely. Now, he’s quickly joined countryman Shohei Ohtani as one of the most captivating and coveted free agents in the sport – both among fans and among MLB teams themselves.


We’ve covered Yamamoto’s accolades at MLBTR plenty. He’s a reigning three-time Sawamura Award winner in Japan (NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award) who just wrapped up a comically dominant season that featured a 1.21 ERA. Yamamoto has posted a sub-2.00 ERA in four of the past five seasons in NPB, fanning more than 27% of his opponents against a pristine 5.7% walk rate during that stretch.


Listed at 5’10” and 176 pounds, Yamamoto is of slighter frame than the overwhelming majority of MLB starters, but the quality of his stuff is so good that his size hasn’t given scouts much pause. Myriad reports on Yamamoto from around the media have quoted scouts calling him a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter. Evaluators who spoke to MLBTR ahead of the offseason generally agreed with that stance.


Not only is Yamamoto a playoff-caliber starter, he’s also abnormally young for a free agent. He made his NPB debut at just 18 and is reaching the market (via the posting system) at only 25 years of age. Yamamoto won’t turn 26 until next July. He’s being made available to teams at an age at which many domestic pitchers are still developing in the minors.


Age is one of the most critical factors of any free agent’s journey to the open market, and Yamamoto being made available at 25 and with such a dominant track record is the type of scenario that only comes about once or twice a decade. Teams are frothing at the idea of signing him and effectively plugging a prime-aged, top-of-the-rotation starter into their staff not just for the upcoming season but for the next several years. Yamamoto’s age-30 season would be his sixth in MLB.


On the day Yamamoto’s posting window formally opened, agent Joel Wolfe of Wasserman suggested that he’d already heard from as many as 14 teams. Wolfe called Yamamoto “by far the player with the most interested teams that I have ever seen at the beginning of free agency.” We can take comments from any player’s agent with a grain of salt, of course, but Wolfe is hardly a small-time agent who hasn’t taken many players to free agency. His list of past and present clients includes Giancarlo Stanton, Chase Utley, Brandon Crawford, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Yu Darvish and more. Again, any agent’s comments on his own client might not be worth taking squarely at face value, but it’s of at least mild note that Wolfe chose to publicly discuss the level of demand.


Put more simply: everyone wants Yamamoto, which is why he’s a veritable lock to sign the largest contract of any player ever making the jump from NPB or the KBO to MLB. Because of his youth, contracts of seven, eight or even nine years in length could well be in play. We ranked Yamamoto third among free agents this offseason and predicted a nine-year, $225MM contract. Given the intense demand for him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he exceeded that level.


Where might he land? Let’s run through the possible market for him.


Known/Likely Suitors


Yankees: If there's a perceived favorite for Yamamoto, it's probably one of the two New York clubs. The Yankees have a history of acquiring high-profile players out of NPB, and they're known to have strong interest in Yamamoto. Last offseason's investment in Carlos Rodon flopped in year one, but if Rodon rebounds anywhere close to his 2021-22 levels, a trio of Gerrit Cole, Rodon and Yamamoto would be overpowering. Owner Hal Steinbrenner promised changes were coming to the 2024 Yankees, and adding Yamamoto to the fray would be a massive change.


The Yankees have Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole signed for $40MM and $36MM annually. Rodon's deal pays him $27MM per year. They owe Giancarlo Stanton $98MM through 2028 (with the Marlins paying another $30MM on top of that). Signing Yamamoto would be the type of financial flex that's less common with modern-day Yankees clubs than it was under the late George Steinbrenner, but they clearly have the funds, the pitching need and the urgency to try to right the ship after their worst season in recent memory.


Mets: Not to be outdone, the Mets have baseball's richest owner, Steve Cohen, who's shown he has virtually no limits on what he'll spend to field a winning club. The Mets broke every payroll and luxury tax record in baseball last year and still were sellers by midseason. Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and their record salaries are out the door now, however, and the Mets' payroll might not be as bloated long-term as some would believe based on their recent spending. They're projected for more than a $275MM payroll in 2024, but that number falls to around $145MM in 2025 and could dip below $100MM by 2026.


The Mets need pitching in a bad way, with Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana standing as their only two proven starters. Luis Severino is a fine rebound play, but he's effectively a lottery ticket right now. Max Scherzer said after his trade to the Rangers that the Mets view 2024 as a "transition" season, but even if that's the case, a 25-year-old Yamamoto could be a part of that. Even if the sights are set on 2025, Yamamoto will be firmly in his prime years. He and Senga could anchor the rotation for the long haul. If Cohen wants Yamamoto, any other owner will be hard-pressed to outbid him with pure financial might. It'd likely require selling Yamamoto on a more immediate path to contending and a lengthier history of winning.


Dodgers: Did someone say lengthy history of winning? The Dodgers have entered the chat. Los Angeles has a projected $158MM payroll for the 2024 campaign and will see that number fall to around $86MM the following season. That's practically nothing by their standards, and the need for pitching in L.A. hasn't been this pronounced in years. Clayton Kershaw might not pitch next year due to shoulder surgery. At the very least, he'll be out until late summer. He's also a free agent, so as it stands, he's not even necessarily in the team's plans (though they've made clear they hope he'll re-sign).


Beyond Kershaw, right-hander Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery in August) and right-hander Dustin May (flexor surgery, TJS revision in July) are both mending from major injuries. Gonsolin probably won't pitch next year. Walker Buehler will be on an innings limit in his first season back from his own TJS procedure. The Dodgers are currently slated to rely on young arms like Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Nick Frasso. They need innings. They need quality. They have a perhaps unrivaled blend of winning tradition and borderline limitless financial resources. It all has to sound good to Yamamoto.


Giants: The Giants are hunting for star power this winter after past misses on Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa and others. Their bigger needs are arguably in the lineup, but the Giants have the long-term payroll space to add a marquee pitcher and hitter this winter. Putting Yamamoto into the rotation behind Logan Webb would give San Francisco a potentially dominant one-two punch for the next five years, as Webb signed an extension prior to the 2023 season. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has clearly been reluctant to go beyond three years for any pitchers – hence Kevin Gausman now pitching in Toronto – so he'd need to break that ostensible ideology to make this work. Yamamoto is so young, however, that he's the type of player for whom a GM or president will deviate from his usual playbook.

 

[LHG]

Two more players from Asia have been posted, both from the KBO. I'd say no to both.

Jung Hoo Lee, Woo Suk Go Officially Posted

The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO will post Jung Hoo Lee on Monday, December 4.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[sf1giantfan]

Shohei Ohtani follows back SF Giants ace Logan Webb on IG​

The SF Giants' pursuit of Japanese pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani just got a little more promising when Ohtani followed back Logan Webb on Instagram.

It's a significant move, since Ohtani follows a mere 177 people on the social media app. One of them is Webb, who told Susan Slusser last week that he wanted to take to the 'Gram to recruit the Giants' top free agent target.

MSN

 

[filosofy29]

Shohei Ohtani follows back SF Giants ace Logan Webb on IG​

The SF Giants' pursuit of Japanese pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani just got a little more promising when Ohtani followed back Logan Webb on Instagram.

It's a significant move, since Ohtani follows a mere 177 people on the social media app. One of them is Webb, who told Susan Slusser last week that he wanted to take to the 'Gram to recruit the Giants' top free agent target.

MSN

lol I saw that, supposedly Casey Schmidt as well unless that was a photoshop.

 

[Hangman]

nothing new about the Giants getting anyone good yet

 

[calsnowskier]

nothing new about the Giants getting anyone good yet

No one is off the table YET. So I choose to expect the Giants will have the best off season of anyone.

Plenty of time to be the bitch when that doesn’t happen.

(saying that about MY reactions, not pointing accusatory fingers at anyone else)

 

[LHG]

No one is off the table YET. So I choose to expect the Giants will have the best off season of anyone.

Plenty of time to be the bitch when that doesn’t happen.

(saying that about MY reactions, not pointing accusatory fingers at anyone else)

Yup. I cannot think of anyone who has signed a free agent deal this offseason where I said "why didn't we get him?"

 

[calsnowskier]

Yup. I cannot think of anyone who has signed a free agent deal this offseason where I said "why didn't we get him?"

Only one player of any weight has signed , and that was just a resign by his old team. Nothing at all has happened yet this off-season. It is so weird.

 

[LHG]

Only one player of any weight has signed , and that was just a resign by his old team. Nothing at all has happened yet this off-season. It is so weird.

Eh. It seems like the new norm for the hot stove to take awhile to actually heat up.

 

[calsnowskier]

Eh. It seems like the new norm for the hot stove to take awhile to actually heat up.

Even last year, with one elite whale, there was still lots of activity before he signed. This year has 1.5 whales, but the entire market is frozen. It is just weird.

 

[LHG]

Even last year, with one elite whale, there was still lots of activity before he signed. This year has 1.5 whales, but the entire market is frozen. It is just weird.

I think the market moved a little faster last year than it did in 2021, 2020 and 2019 (if memory is correct). This offseason is moving along like those years.

 

[LHG]

Blue Jays "Believed" To Have Met With Ohtani On Monday

Blue Jays officials are "believed" to have met with Shohei Ohtani at the team's complex in Dunedin on Monday, writes Ken …

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[sf1giantfan]

MLB Rumors: Giants may have made a fatal mistake in Shohei Ohtani chase​

The San Francisco Giants met with Shohei Ohtani, but the two-way star's camp may not want people to know that.

If there's one team Ohtani's camp demands, it's complete silence. Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, is private in nature and demands the same from organizations potentially interested in his top client. In an article written by The Athletic, it was reported that Balelo may penalize teams which leak information to the media:

If Slusser's reporting is true -- and Balelo's team can confirm the information was leaked by someone with the Giants -- they may have shot themselves in the foot.


Oops, that might have been me. But that is only because I don’t want them to throw all their money on one player that will be impossible to live up to and put us in a hole for years. I want the money to go to Yamamoto instead, leaving some money left over to get other players we need. I did it for the team

 

[SF11704]

Oops, that might have been me. But that is only because I don’t want them to throw all their money on one player that will be impossible to live up to and put us in a hole for years. I want the money to go to Yamamoto instead, leaving some money left over to get other players we need. I did it for the team

True words ..... but spoken from a fan's perspective. Whoever signs Ohtani will never be put in a hole (financially). From a financial perspective ... Othani will be a marketing gold mine for whatever team he plays for. He will most likely generate more annual revenue than he will actually receive in compensation. What the individual team does with that generated revenue is where it all becomes questionable ..... there are many ways to utilize that revenue stream .... not all of which will be to the team's direct beneifit ....

 

[LHG]

MLB Rumors: Giants may have made a fatal mistake in Shohei Ohtani chase​

The San Francisco Giants met with Shohei Ohtani, but the two-way star's camp may not want people to know that.

If there's one team Ohtani's camp demands, it's complete silence. Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, is private in nature and demands the same from organizations potentially interested in his top client. In an article written by The Athletic, it was reported that Balelo may penalize teams which leak information to the media:

If Slusser's reporting is true -- and Balelo's team can confirm the information was leaked by someone with the Giants -- they may have shot themselves in the foot.


Oops, that might have been me. But that is only because I don’t want them to throw all their money on one player that will be impossible to live up to and put us in a hole for years. I want the money to go to Yamamoto instead, leaving some money left over to get other players we need. I did it for the team

His visit to the Blue Jays also got leaked. Of the possible suitors most likely interested in him - that leaves the Cubs, Dodgers and Angels (possibly Yankees) without any leaked information. We'll see how much Ohtani covets this rule.