2019 Winter Meetings Rumors

[Eye Black]

I figured we could start a thread for random MLB rumors that come up over the next week leading up to and during this year’s Winter Meetings.

 

 

To kick things off here is one from a reporter (Frank Castillo) in the Dominican Republic...

 

@FrankCastillo22: Marcell Ozuna viaja mañana a EUA, firmara con los White Sox el acuerdo sera anunciado el Lunes.

 

Translation: Marcell Ozuna travels to the US tomorrow, he will sign with the White Sox the agreement will be announced on Monday.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I figured we could start a thread for random rumors that come up over the next week leading up to and during Winter Meetings.

 

 

To kick things off here is one from a reporter (Frank Castillo) in the Dominican Republic...

 

@FrankCastillo22: Marcell Ozuna viaja mañana a EUA, firmara con los White Sox el acuerdo sera anunciado el Lunes.

 

Translation: Marcell Ozuna travels to the US tomorrow, he will sign with the White Sox the agreement will be announced on Monday.

 

I’m ok with that. Not an Ozuna fan, even though technically he fits the Brewers’ need I suppose.

[JDBrewCrew]

Jon Heyman

@JonHeyman

11m

Brewers, White Sox, Bour Jays and Twins were also in on Jordan Lyles before he went to Rangers for $16M over 2 years.

@Ken_Rosenthal@JeffPassan 1st on signing

 

Jon Heyman

@JonHeyman

3m

Mets are talking to Rick Porcello. Perhaps AL to NL switch would spark nice bounce back.

@matthewcerrone linked Porcello/Mets

 

Jon Heyman

@JonHeyman

1m

Hear Yankees “total focus” right now is on Gerrit Cole. PHI, TEX, LAD, LAA are other teams known to be in but Yankees don’t want to be denied.

[TURBO]

Lets sneak in and grab Strasburg while those teams are bidding on Cole.

[Eye Black]

From Chicago reporter Bruce Levine...

 

Source - Marcell Ozuna has not signed with the White Sox

 

 

Meanwhile Hector Gomez appears to think enough of the sports reporter that announced it initially to also put it out there.

[reillymcshane]

From Chicago reporter Bruce Levine...

 

Source - Marcell Ozuna has not signed with the White Sox

 

 

Meanwhile Hector Gomez appears to think enough of the sports reporter that announced it initially to also put it out there.

In Spanish, FrankCastillo22 means HighHeat19.

[pacopete4]

Trade or sign for the Brewers? I’ll go with another trade.

[RollieTime]

Trade or sign for the Brewers? I’ll go with another trade.

 

Definitely a trade. I feel like there will be a trade and a signing, but I do think a trade is going to happen in the next week.

[brewmann04]

The brewers will add to the rotaion by the end of the meetings.

[Devinep]

Trade or sign for the Brewers? I’ll go with another trade.

 

Definitely a trade. I feel like there will be a trade and a signing, but I do think a trade is going to happen in the next week.

 

They’re getting to the point, in terms of lack of trade assets and plenty of $, that they’d be better off utilizing free agency to try and keep what few decent prospects they have. Plus there Are options currently at all positions of need on the market right now

[billymac]

Don’t know how to link tweets on mobile, but @redsoxstats said Boston is floating that they’d be offering David Price and attach a younger player like Benitendi to lower payroll, both controlled through end of 2022

[JohnBriggs12]

Trade or sign for the Brewers? I’ll go with another trade.

 

Definitely a trade. I feel like there will be a trade and a signing, but I do think a trade is going to happen in the next week.

 

They’re getting to the point, in terms of lack of trade assets and plenty of $, that they’d be better off utilizing free agency to try and keep what few decent prospects they have. Plus there Are options currently at all positions of need on the market right now

 

There's always options but they need to focus on quality options before they're all gone. They need one impact bat and one starter to be their number 2 behind Woodruff. The best bat out there is Rendon, but he's probably beyond their reach. Castellanos would look great in the lineup though he requires some moving around of their current pieces. Trading for Dominic Smith while taking on a some payroll with a Lowrie makes sense too. Bumgarner makes sense to me but if they can't get him, I'm fine with them targeting Robbie Ray in a deal. Hard not to like Ray's 235 K's in 174 innings. With only one year of control, Brewers should have the pieces to get him.

[Warning Track Power]

Don’t know how to link tweets on mobile, but @redsoxstats said Boston is floating that they’d be offering David Price and attach a younger player like Benitendi to lower payroll, both controlled through end of 2022

It’s not my money with Price, but I would do this in a heartbeat. Benintendi’s approach at the plate reminds me of Yelich’s and I could see him having a similar jump in terms of productive hitting in Miller Park.

[Austin Tatious]

With Urias in the fold to go with Arcia and rising prospect Garcia, I’m ok with using Turang in a package deal to get the right guy in a trade. He should have value as a guy who has played up for his age. He would provide good value in the right deal.

[Eye Black]

A few tidbits from Ken Rosenthal’s article this morning, Signings and stories that could make for decadent drama at the Winter Meetings...

 

This year looks more promising — as noted by Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, teams through Friday had spent approximately $475 million on free agents compared to $286 million at the same stage in ’18, nearly half of which was the $140 million the Nationals committed to left-hander Patrick Corbin.

Rendon has spoken of retiring at 35, but Boras is asking for seven-year proposals that would take the third baseman through his age 36 season, according to officials with two of his suitors.... Rendon almost certainly will want to top the guarantee Nolan Arenado landed in his extension with the Rockies without the benefit of free agency — $234 million.

He mentions the following big name players as candidates to be traded: Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor and Josh Hader. He says that salary and lack of years of control will factor into the equation for each player except for Hader. He says, “some teams are alarmed by Bryant’s defensive metrics at third base”.

 

Red Sox notes

Considering creating payroll flexibility by ”attaching a young player such as outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a high-priced pitcher such as David Price or Nathan Eovaldi” (neither has a no-trade clause).

 

Yankees notes

Could get creative by, “clearing the $17 million they owe J.A. Happ in 2020 by enabling a trade partner to effectively buy one or two of their prospects.”

 

Padres notes

May continue “to part with players from their loaded system as they consolidate for more immediate help.”

 

Cubs notes

Cubs were one of three teams over the luxury tax threshold last year and with arbitration raises are already projected to be $6 million over this year’s threshold. Rosenthal says, “A reunion with free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos? Not a chance, at least for the moment. Club officials are telling representatives of even low-budget free agents that they need to clear money before engaging in serious negotiations.”

 

Dodgers notes

The Dodgers currently have just $16.25 million in contracts committed for 2022 (Maeda and Pollack), and are positioned to potentially strike big this offseason. Early in the article Rosenthal speculated they may sign Anthony Rendon.

 

Indians notes

Teams are trying to buy low on Corey Kluber, but it sounds unlikely the Indians will trade him at the moment. Rosenthal speculates a better move for the Indians would be for him to rebuild his trade value over the first half of the season and trade him before the July deadline. Says Kluber’s trade value might also increase after all of the free agent starting pitchers sign. Mentions the same being the case for the following collection of 28 year old starters on the trade market, Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray, Marlins’ Caleb Smith and Tigers’ Matthew Boyd.

 

Brewers notes

Says the Brewers will find players this week. Says they are looking for help in the infield corners and in the outfield, as well as the pitching staff. Says the good news is their current projected payroll is just $84.7 million with the 32 players already on their 40 man roster, so they have money to spend.

 

Foreign Players

 

RHP Josh Lindblom, 32, has made it clear to clubs he intends to sign at the meetings.

 

Japanese center fielder Shogo Akiyama, 31, also is a free agent, and a number of other players from Korea and Japan currently are in the posting process.

 

Dec. 19 is the deadline for signing Japanese left fielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, 28; Jan. 2 for Japanese second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi, 29, and right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, 32; Jan. 5 for Korean left-hander Kim Kwang-Hyun, 31, and outfielder Kim Jae-Hwan, 31.

He compares Tsutsugo to Kyle Schwarber. He says Jae-Hwan, also a left-handed hitter, averaged 39 homers from 2016 to 2018, which dropped to 15 last year when the Korea Baseball Organization’s de-juiced their baseballs.

[walleye]

Brewers notes

Says the Brewers will find players this week. Says they are looking for help in the infield corners and in the outfield, as well as the pitching staff. Says their current projected payroll is $84.7 million.

 

if our payroll for this year 84 million I will be deeply disappointed.

[Eye Black]

if our payroll for this year 84 million I will be deeply disappointed.

He meant $84.7 million is where they are currently projected with the 32 players already on the 40-man roster, so he was just pointing out the good news is they have plenty more to spend this offseason. He wasn’t implying they weren’t going to spend more than that number.

 

I updated the original post to remove the ambiguity.

[SRB]

Two thoughts:

 

1 - David Price would help the rotation, but he is owed so much money still that it would be difficult for the Brewers to take on that salary unless they were overwhelmed by a package with Rafael Devers or somebody, which the Red Sox obviously are not going to do.

 

2 - If the Dodgers sign Rendon, we should be burning up their phone trying to snag Justin Turner on the last year of his contract.

[Eye Black]

Jim Bowden’s Picking a Winter Meetings move for all 30 teams predicts that the Brewers will sign Dallas Keuchel for 3 years, $42 million. This isn’t really a rumor, but more of a guess/speculation on Bowden’s part.

[SRB]

Jim Bowden’s Picking a Winter Meetings move for all 30 teams predicts that the Brewers will sign Dallas Keuchel for 3 years, $42 million. This isn’t really a rumor, but more of a guess/speculation on Bowden’s part.

 

I'm not a huge Keuchel fan but I'd definitely take him at that price.

[walleye]

if our payroll for this year 84 million I will be deeply disappointed.

He meant $84.7 million is where they are currently projected with the 32 players already on the 40-man roster, so he was just pointing out the good news is they have plenty more to spend this offseason. He wasn’t implying they weren’t going to spend more than that number.

 

I updated the original post to remove the ambiguity.

 

Ok whew makes me feel much better Thanks

[LouisEly]

If the Brewers take Price, they could cover a lot of holes.

 

Price + Benintendi + Michael Chavis (3B/1B) + Josh Taylor (LHRP) on the trade simulator nets to about zero - send the Red Sox Corey Ray and a couple other minor leaguers, have the Red Sox throw in $10M or so... could it work?

[Eye Black]

Jon Heyman: “Rumor that Marcell Ozuna is signing with the White Sox with announcement coming Monday is not true, I’m told. White Sox appears to be concentrating on pitching at the moment.”

 

Hector Gomez in response: “I trust in @FrankCastillo22.”

[TURBO]

If the Brewers take Price, they could cover a lot of holes.

 

Price + Benintendi + Michael Chavis (3B/1B) + Josh Taylor (LHRP) on the trade simulator nets to about zero - send the Red Sox Corey Ray and a couple other minor leaguers, have the Red Sox throw in $10M or so... could it work?

 

Wait, what?

 

Brewers get all those guys plus 10 million for Ray?

[brewcrewdue80]

Jim Bowden’s Picking a Winter Meetings move for all 30 teams predicts that the Brewers will sign Dallas Keuchel for 3 years, $42 million. This isn’t really a rumor, but more of a guess/speculation on Bowden’s part.

 

That's Garza/Lohse type of contract/money while a better history. That'd be surprising to me for him to sign such a low contract. In this market I fully expect him to be a 4-72mil deal if we're talking by end of the winter meetings. It gets in to the new year, then more a 4-60. It'd be quite the coup to sign him 3/42 though.