Bear Down Wildcats

Cubs have fired Rick Renteria as manager, presumably to hire Maddon.

Someone is going to get a very good bench coach.

Dave Martinez to take over in Tampa??

Is this common to do??

Anyone wanna bet me that Tulo won't be a Met this offseason? Anything else wouldn't make sense considering the Mets basically forfeited their 15th overall pick for 36 year old Michael Cuddyer, a guy whose missed half of his game these past few years..

Diamondbacks net Hellickson for prospects for OF Williams and SS Velasquez.

Would have liked to hang on to Williams, but adding young pitcher with upside while buying low seems solid on surface.

Shit deal. Hellickson is an awful fit for Chase and isn't very good. All on top of being hurt and a complete unknown going forward. To actually deal relevant prospects for that is terrible.

The Goat wrote:Shit deal. Hellickson is an awful fit for Chase and isn't very good. All on top of being hurt and a complete unknown going forward. To actually deal relevant prospects for that is terrible.

Are they really relevant prospects, though? They have variable, and unknown ceilings, and neither is what any would consider a sure thing to even be a starter at the MLB level. Solid prospects, for sure.

I've read about his flyball rate. That worries me. But going from AL to NL and AL East to NL West should be worth whatever issue the ballpark brings.

Plus it's not the same staff that fucked up Cahill, others. Perhaps they see something they can fix, or at least work with.

Moving from the AL East to the NL West means nothing outside of the DH and park factors more than negates any of those effects. They are both very real prospects with high ceilings. A 129 wRC+ from a 19 year old SS in low A and a 130 across 2 levels for Williams. They are legit prospects and this is not a buy low.

http://forum.diamondbacksbullpen.org/vi ... f=4&t=2397

Post 8 in that thread pretty much explains why this deal is bad even before accounting for the loss of 2 very real prospects. Hellickson just isn't that good.

Well, at least we've shown interest in making moves. I think he definitely has a lot more upside than a lot of what we have in house. Also, if we get Billingsley, we could get two high end value starters for little in the long run. We had to do something, all we can do is up. And in my honest opinion, this deal is a step in the right direction.

Freidman sucks. I miss the wisdom of Ned.

Coop Cat wrote:

Looks like they are building a NASCAR track.

Hanley Ramirez has agreed to sign with Boston for $90 million five years.

Panda to Boston as well. That prevents the Padres from making a HUGE mistake!!

Pricey left side of the infield in Fenway

Yasmany Tomas to DBacks for 6/68.

I hope both Panda and Hanley get enormously fat.

wooha wrote:Yasmany Tomas to DBacks for 6/68.

Seems like a good signing, albeit pricey. Has some good power, and while he doesn't appear to translate into a high on-base guy, he had a solid average. Might not be .300 hitter, but .280?

I hope this means Trumbo is on his way to the AL where he can play DH.

Rumblings on some bigger names:

FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that the Orioles, Rangers and Padres are among the teams still involved in trade talks for Justin Upton.
Noticeably absent from the list are the Mariners, who have long been listed as a potential landing spot. Of course, Morosi didn't explicitly say the M's or other clubs were no longer involved. But, it could be that the teams he does list are now the favorites to land the outfielder. Upton will almost surely be traded following the Braves' signing of Nick Markakis.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles have had further discussions with the Dodgers about a possible Matt Kemp trade.
It makes sense, as the Orioles have watched Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis sign elsewhere this week. However, Rosenthal notes that one potential obstacle for the Orioles is their scrutiny of medical issues, which is relevant given Kemp's injury history. The Padres and Mariners are also involved in trade talks for the 30-year-old.

Chase Headley has a four-year offer [from the Marlins] on the table worth around $65 million, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
Is it a coincidence that the Marlins were just floated as a possible darkhorse by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman? Miami appears motivated to make some serious upgrades this winter after locking up Giancarlo Stanton to a record 13-year, $325 million contract, and Headley would be capable of providing a boost both offensively and defensively. He could take over at third base, with Casey McGehee shifting to first. The Giants, Yankees, and Indians are also thought to have interest in Headley.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians are "guardedly optimistic" about acquiring Brandon Moss from the Athletics.
The exact timetable on a deal isn't yet known, but Moss is known to be on the block. The 31-year-old saw his production slide during the second half this past season due to a hip injury and underwent surgery in October, but he boasts big-time power. The Indians would have a bit of a log jam if they acquire him, but the situation could become less complicated if they are able to deal Nick Swisher.

Samarjdzia and Robertson to the White Sox.

Meanwhile the Yankees continue to pull on their collective peckers wondering how those things work. From all reports they aren't in on ANYONE of any value except Headley who has had exactly one good year and plays the same position as a guy they owe $40M to. Ugh...

Jon Lester to the Cubs for 6 years, $155M. Going to be an interesting year in Chicago, that's for sure...

Dodgers just fleeced the Marlins for some prospects. Feels like a Cole Hamels kind of trade coming up. If we keep Heaney, that's cool.

Was also hoping we could flip Ethier for Montero. Despite being kind of a jackass, Dodgers need an upgrade at catcher.

MrBug708 wrote:Dodgers just fleeced the Marlins for some prospects. Feels like a Cole Hamels kind of trade coming up. If we keep Heaney, that's cool.

Was also hoping we could flip Ethier for Montero. Despite being kind of a jackass, Dodgers need an upgrade at catcher.

Heaney gone

Yup. Now Kemp too!

Going to be closer to $32 mil sent with Kemp. Great deal for the Padres with Kemp living in SD, wanting to play here, and the Pads essentially paying him $15 mil per. Lots more moves needed, but I think they go after Upton, not risk there. Hes a FA after this year so they either resign him, flip him at the deadline or lose him and pickup a 1st. Padres need another bat and a lead off hitter. Preller should be doing work over the next few weeks.

Astros must be feeling confident about their moves:

Padres are doing things!!

Coop Cat wrote:Padres are doing things!!

Dealing for outfielders with arthritic hips.

The Yankees are officially a clown show at this point. They're not going to bid on the best pitcher left on the market?

Have fun trying to fill that gaudy new stadium putting out the same crappy team you had in 2014 minus Derek Jeter and plus ARod.

Fire Cashman and Levine. I'm done with this bullshit.

Upton to Padres...

Plus acquire Middlebrooks from Boston. Preller is playing a baseball simulation game right now.

Gattis to the Astros for Folty, Ruiz, and Thurman

Ugh!!