2014 MLB Offseason

[OnWis97]

You know what the Twins need? Pitchers who get guys out so that the team doesn't give up like 800 runs a year. I think that would help the Twins out a lot, the expedited recording of outs. I don't see how A.J. Pierzynski being a douchecanoe stanches the flow of runs against. If anything, his total inability to throw out baserunners will make them worse.

Yes, they had the worst rotation in MLB last year and will again this year, even after pouring a bunch of money into a couple of 4th starters. But AJ money would not get them to far on another 4th starter. I am also not really liking the catchers out there.

[The Six]

If it does happen, their might be some hope in the horizon for Seattle fans.

Hope to turn into next year's Blue Jays, maybe. Which is still a step up.

[McCall]

Talks have ended after Cano rejected their offer of 9 years/$225mm, 2 years and $50mm more than the Yankees offer. Supposedly, they went to Seattle with an 8-year/$200mm offer with eventual assurances of the 9/$225mm offer. At the last minute I guess, Jay-Z again demanded 10/$252mm causing Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln to "explode", ending talks.

And with Seattle out, the Yankees appear to be the only ones left and are not willing to exceed $200mm.

[Kramerica Industries]

Robbie should've never moved away from Boras.

[The_Admiral]

Well, when you fire the best agent in baseball for some pan-faced dilettante, these things happen. But remember, he's a business, man!

[McCall]

Now reported that talks with the Mariners are still ongoing. For the love of...

[NJTank]

Jay Z as an agent is working out as well as Jason Kidd the coach, the only question is who will he get to help spill the soda.

[McCall]

Jon Heyman saying now Cano close to deal with Mariners. With the way it's going back and forth, that doesn't mean much yet.

And Kuroda returning to Yankees.

UPDATE: Cano and the Mariners agree to a 10 year/$240mm deal.

[dbadefense1990]

Brian Wilson will remain with the Dodgers as their setup man, for 1-year/$10 million.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-brian-wilson-20131206,0,4805940.story#axzz2miCjPFU2

[BBTV]

I don't know much about Seattle, but they seem like one of those teams that needs to follow the Rays / A's model, as opposed to signing stars. I don't get the impression that they can commit tons of money to people and still have the flexibility to fill holes, nor recover from costly mistakes, as opposed to other teams that can afford to pay teams to take players away from them.

Cliff Lee said something like it's not an atmosphere that's conducive to winning there. Not sure if that meant the fan support (I doubt that), or if it meant from a management perspective (more likely.) They don't seem to commit to anything - they got Cliff Lee, but nothing else, then had to dump him as soon as things went bad, instead of bolstering the team around him. They probably figured they couldn't afford to resign him, which speaks to why this move would be curious for them, since they're not one of the "have"s.

Jon Heyman saying now Cano close to deal with Mariners. With the way it's going back and forth, that doesn't mean much yet.

And Kuroda returning to Yankees.

UPDATE: Cano and the Mariners agree to a 10 year/$240mm deal.

Apparently Jay-Z ain't that bad. I admit that I don't think I've ever seen Cano play, and I don't know much about the Mariners, but there's simply no way that contract won't eventually cripple that franchise.

[Kramerica Industries]

Robbie should've never moved away from Boras.

Good call, jackass.

[Kramerica Industries]

I guess I should tender a few thoughts on this:

*THIS is what it must feel like for small market fanbases when their best player signs a mega-contact elsewhere

* Love ya Robbie, thanks for everything, best of luck with the M's, but if there is ever a Mariners/Yankees playoff meeting, I'm rooting for a 2012 ALCS redux performance

*Yankees were wise not to match. Don't blame them there. I DO blame them for everything else that allowed it to get to this point, though. No doubt about it.

Scary to think that, if he plays through the entire contract, he will have spent more time as a Mariner than a Yankee during his career. Doesn't matter; he'll always be a Yankee to me.

Sweetest swing in baseball. I'll miss it.

---------------------

Curtis Granderson on the outs now, too. Jeez. Another contract wisely not matched by the Yankees (4/$60M), but, damn, this has been a gruesome morning.

[cmm]

So the Mets apparently signed Granderson, a lefty with power and a low average who strikes out a lot. Or a much more expensive, faster Ike Davis.

[See Red]

Happy he's no longer a Yankee but that's a bad deal for the Mariners. He'll be 41 by the time he plays out this contract.

[OnWis97]

He's going to be stealing money for the last few years of that contract. I don't know that Mariner fans should be happy about this. I know they have deeper pockets than some teams, but are they really among the teams that can afford this big of a mistake?

This does have a counter-intuitive flare...the Yankees being outbid by, well, anyone. But if I am a Yankee fan, I am probably glad they did not outbid Seattle.

[Kramerica Industries]

So the Mets apparently signed Granderson, a lefty with power and a low average who strikes out a lot. Or a much more expensive, faster Ike Davis.

I'm sure you've seen your fair enough share of Yankees games to know that Granderson is nothing like Ike Davis in that department. Ike is legit sub-.200 batting averages; Curtis is between .230-.250, which, admittedly, isn't that great, but he also has an excellent eye at the plate, so he can still work his way on base at a pretty good rate. He may not be 2011 good for the Mets, but I'm not exactly expecting him to be awful, either.

In any case, he's a good dude, so take care of him.

[Sport]

That's a really bad deal for the Mariners and I think they just bought themselves another decade of mediocrity. They're now in "Arod in Texas" territory. They'll be nothing left for a pitching staff or supporting players and I don't think Cano is a guy you build a team around.

I'm more convinced now than ever that dropping all your money into one player is a fool's move. Take that same money, spend it on 4 or 5 guys who hit in the 270's and that's a better math equation for success than one guy who hits .310 (and that's now, his avg will drop as he ages) with teammates hitting 225.

[rams80]

So the Mets apparently signed Granderson, a lefty with power and a low average who strikes out a lot. Or a much more expensive, faster Ike Davis.

UPDATE: Cano and the Mariners agree to a 10 year/$240mm deal.

#StupidContracts

[Kramerica Industries]

Well, I must ask then:

If Robinson Cano, the best player at his position (by a mile), an up-the-middle position at that, and one the best pure hitters in baseball, is not a player to "build the team around", then who IS a player who you can build your team around?

There are only a handful of players, if that many, who I can think of who I would rather have than Robbie. And some of those guys (Tulo, for instance) have nowhere near the durability that Robbie has; Robbie has played at least 159+ games every season since 2007, IIRC. That's pretty damn valuable.

[cmm]

So the Mets apparently signed Granderson, a lefty with power and a low average who strikes out a lot. Or a much more expensive, faster Ike Davis.

I'm sure you've seen your fair enough share of Yankees games to know that Granderson is nothing like Ike Davis in that department. Ike is legit sub-.200 batting averages; Curtis is between .230-.250, which, admittedly, isn't that great, but he also has an excellent eye at the plate, so he can still work his way on base at a pretty good rate. He may not be 2011 good for the Mets, but I'm not exactly expecting him to be awful, either.

In any case, he's a good dude, so take care of him.

I'm actually a fan of Ike (the only one left at this point?) and don't see him as a sub-.200 guy. He might need a change of scenery to do it, but I can see him matching Granderson in average and homers next year at 1/5 the price.

Either way, I am wary of Granderson. His main asset is his power, and that will be diminished now that he won't be playing 81 games in the billion dollar little league stadium in the Bronx.