OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

[romeo212000]

I think at the $ and years it will take, that its certainly going to be an over pay. My question is, even though he had a significantly different first month/second half, he carried the offense to lots of late inning wins and comebacks w some big hits and HR's. Not sure where that comes from w out him last season. That worries me, and I don't count on Gomez much until he proves that last month, is what he is, and he's not the guy DFA'd by Houston

Desmond is much closer to the guy we saw in the second half than the first.

 

[romeo212000]

If Middlebrook is their opening salvo for the offseason i'm not impressed

Jesus, dude. You do this every year. Settle down and wait it out.

 

[DT LUNA]

No way, Man. That's just too much.

We should get a majority on this one.

 

[donaldson79]

We should get a majority on this one.

I like Archer a lot.

However, giving up both Profar and Mazara would be an awful lot. Plus, we would be giving up two, everyday position players who are young and controllable.

Just too rich for my blood.

 

[donaldson79]

Free-agent pitcher Derek Holland is open to returning to the Texas Rangers.

In an interview with 105.3 The Fan's Ben and Skin Show, the 30-year-old left-hander said he told general manager Jon Daniels that he'd give the Rangers a chance to compete with any offers he receives this winter.

"I want to give the Rangers a chance, no matter what," Holland said. "I'm always going to leave that door open. I'm not closing that door. If they close the door, then fine, I guess I have to close the door. But as far as I know it's still open and I'm leaving it open for them as well."

The Rangers declined Holland's $11 million option for 2017, choosing instead to exercise a $1.5 million buyout.

Holland made his major-league debut with the Rangers in 2009 and had been with the team for eight seasons. He battled injuries the last few seasons and finished 2016 with a 7-9 record and 4.95 ERA in 22 appearances, 20 of which were starts. The southpaw did not make the Rangers' postseason roster this year.

Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Saturday that Holland has shown interest in the Pittsburgh Pirates. Holland's agent, Michael Martini, said the Pirates are "on our short list," Biertempfel writes.

 

[Xx srs bsns xX]

I wonder if there are any international pitchers available that are good enough to slot into a rotation spot next year.

Otani.

 

[donaldson79]

RHP Nick Martinez
Status: Pre-arbitration

Stats: 2-3 record (5 starts, 12 GP), 38.2 IP, 5.59 E.R.A., 0.84 K/BB, 1.48 WHIP

Grant: Left little doubt that his role on a championship club is as long reliever. Opponents batted .308 with a .423 OBP and six homers for 78 plate appearances after the first trip through the order. Had a 7.61 ERA as a starter, 2.40 ERA in the bullpen.

Grade: C-

Fraley: Long relief could be Martinez' next stop. He showed well in the role during the final month, going 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA for 11 innings in four appearances. Martinez gained points with the club by going to the Dominican Republic winter league to get more innings and find an off-speed pitch to use against left-handed hitters. They batted .310 with a .606 slugging percentage for 71 at-bats against him.

Grade: C-

 

[saddles]

Otani.

This article is saying that he probably won't be posted for another couple of years.

Shohei Otani Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Ian Desmond rejects the Rangers qualifying offer

No surprise here. Good luck to Des, wherever he lands.

 

[Bmurph]

Hellickson accepted QO in Philly, even less talent in the FA pool

MLB Hot Stove: Jeremy Hellickson accepts qualifying offer, will stay with Phillies
The move makes a weak starting pitching class in free agency even weaker

• by Matt Snyder
• @MattSnyderCBS
• 41s ago • 1 min read

The deadline to either accept or reject qualifying offers by the top-flight free agents is Monday at 5 p.m. ET (more info along with the players involved here). So far, we've had one player accept the one-year, $17.2 million deal instead of testing free agency: Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

Hellickson, 29, was 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA (111 ERA+) last season. Of course, his previous three seasons show a 4.86 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. It's a weak starting pitching class, but it also seems unlikely Hellickson was going to get a deal with an average annual value higher than $17.2 million in the open market, notably once the qualifying offer was extended and draft pick compensation was attached to him. On that front, there's this:


Hearing that during this past week was reason enough for Hellickson to take the money. We've seen free agents in recent seasons forced to accept deals late in free agency that were less than the qualifying offer they rejected (Dexter Fowler and Ian Desmond from last season, for example) while others ended up heading into the season unsigned (Kendrys Morales and Stephen Drew in 2014, for example).

An interesting thought is that there were reports the Phillies didn't deal Hellickson at the deadline because they desired an extra first-round pick more than some of the offers they were getting. So it would seem that this qualifies as a bit of a backfire with Hellickson accepting the offer.

Still, if Hellickson has another good year, the Phillies could again take a step forward as they look to move the rebuild forward, closer to contention. Hellickson will be joined in the rotation by Aaron Nola, Vincent Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher, unless they add more from outside the organization.

 

[Bmurph]

This article is saying that he probably won't be posted for another couple of years.

Shohei Otani Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors

Two-way Japanese star Shonei Otani smashes baseball into Tokyo Dome roof
Alas, it was ruled a ground-rule double, not a home run

• by Mike Axisa
• @mikeaxisa
• Nov 13, 2016 • 1 min read

The legend of Shohei Otani continues to grow.

Otani, the best baseball player in the world outside MLB, managed to crush a baseball that got lodged in the panels of the Tokyo Dome roof Sunday. Japan was playing the Netherlands in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game. To the action footage:

Alas, the ball was not ruled a home run. It was deemed a ground-rule double. It surely would have carried out of the ballpark had the roof not gotten in the way, however.

Otani is not the first person to hit a ball into the Tokyo Dome roof, but it is exceedingly rare. Hideki Matsui did it way back in 2002, though his was an apparently catchable fly ball, not a long home run. Here's the video (skip to 2:10 for the fly ball in question):

Otani, 22, is a two-way threat for the Nippon Ham Fighters, who won the 2016 Japan Series. He went 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings in 2016, and also broke his own record for the fastest pitch in Japanese baseball history several times. Otani also hit .322/.416/.588 with 22 home runs in 382 plate appearances.

It's looking increasing unlikely the Fighters will post Otani for MLB teams this offseason. Given the current posting system, which is more of a true free agency that allows the player to negotiate with multiple teams, the club that agrees to let Otani pitch and hit could be the one that gets him. That assumes the posting system doesn't change before he is actually posted, of course.

Japan beat the Netherlands 12-10 in Sunday's game. They went 3-1 in a four-game exhibition series against the Netherlands and Mexico.


A little more for you

 

[Bmurph]

MLB Hot Stove: Derek Holland eyes Pirates, a team used to finding scrap-heap gold
Pittsburgh's annual search for upside, which has proven quite successful, has begun

• by R.J. Anderson
• @r_j_anderson
• Nov 12, 2016 • 4 min read

It's a tradition. Every winter, the Pirates seek cost-efficient starters with a sliver of upside who can slot into their rotation. While there are exceptions -- think Jonathan Sanchez and Jon Niese -- more often than not, Neal Huntington's gambles seem to work out. Hence A.J. Burnett, Edinson Volquez, and Francisco Liriano becoming key bits of evidence in the case that pitching coach Ray Searage is a witch. (You can include J.A. Happ and Ivan Nova in there, too, if you're willing to include midseason acquisitions.)

Predictably, the Pirates are on the prowl once again. But finding another worthwhile fixer-upper won't be an easy task, given how poor this winter's market is for starting pitchers. Nonetheless, the Pirates' reputation might precede them -- to the point where downtrodden pitchers are offering their services to Pittsburgh.

Take Derek Holland, whose agent told Rob Biertempfel that the Pirates are on their "short list."

Derek Holland's agent says the Pirates are on his "short list." USATSI
Does Holland fit the mold? Let's examine him and four others who are likely to be tied to the Pirates throughout the winter -- all with the hope of answering, just whom might become Searage's next pet project?


Derek Holland SP / Texas Rangers
W-L:: 7-9 ERA:: 4.95 WAR:: 0.8

We'll begin with Holland for the aforementioned reasons. It wasn't long ago he seemed to be a budding mid-rotation fixture in Texas. (Remember 2013, when he threw a career-high 213 innings while also posting a career-best 120 ERA+?) Injuries have wrecked Holland's past three seasons, as he's averaged just 12 starts per year. Yet his park-adjusted results have been better than you think (101 ERA+), and his 2.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio is fine, even with his mediocre strikeout rate.

If the upside with Holland is him returning to that mid-rotation status -- and a move away from Arlington ought to help -- then the downside is that his injuries might have robbed him of his stuff. He's missed fewer bats over the last two seasons, and year-to-year saw his fastball clock in more than a full mile per hour slower. There's also the matter of how he struggles with right-handed batters. The Pirates have, in the past, preached pitching inside -- Holland already does that, and the results haven't been kind.

Nonetheless, the reported mutual interest between Holland and the Pirates makes sense. There's potential here -- and enough risk to deflate the cost.

 

[DT LUNA]

BATTER UP! Lets play ball.

 

[Kelleyman]

Yes he is on the radar screen

 

[donaldson79]

Honestly, we've got as many holes as sure things.

Five free-agent priorities the Rangers need to address | SportsDay

 

[DT LUNA]

Honestly, we've got as many holes as sure things.

Five free-agent priorities the Rangers need to address | SportsDay

A huge test for JD. He usually comes thru. He will need to.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Honestly, we've got as many holes as sure things.

Five free-agent priorities the Rangers need to address | SportsDay

Two year deal for Napoli? No thanks.

 

[Kelleyman]

Tough go for Harry. Bennie. Wonder if MILB contract is feasible

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Tough go for Harry. Bennie. Wonder if MILB contract is feasible

If they're eating $13m to be rid of him, I don't think he's got anything left.

 

[DT LUNA]

If they're eating $13m to be rid of him, I don't think he's got anything left.

Good point and probably right