MLB Winter Meetings: 1 Thing Every Team Needs to Avoid
The Major League Baseball winter meetings got off to a buzzing start on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, as multiple deals were in the works including an Aroldis Chapman blockbuster that ultimately got held up due to a domestic violence probe.
Historically, the winter meetings have been the busiest time of the hot stove season.
In 2014, the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers were both extremely active during the winter meetings. All in all, 44 players found new homes during last year’s four-day event.
While the free-agent starting pitcher market has already been hot, position players have yet to be signed in mass. Look for this crop of players to start getting attention this week, as guys like Yoenis Cespedes figures to have many suitors, as MLB.com's Cash Kruth reports.
With the second day wrapping up, it’s time to assess each team’s most pressing needs for the rest of the week. How should certain teams be reacting to the current market? What are some signings that just don’t make sense for a team like the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers? How do the meetings fit in with a team’s general offseason plan?
We’ll look to answer these questions and more as we go down the list of MLB teams, alphabetically.
Arizona Diamondbacks
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The Arizona Diamondbacks have already stolen the show so far this offseason by signing prized free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206 million contract. On Wednesday, they followed up that move by trading for pitcher Shelby Miller from the Braves.
With so much money committed to Greinke, general manager Dave Stewart would be wise to watch his spending moving forward. He shouldn't sign an additional arm, even if a player like Mike Leake seems ever so tempting. While the righty represents a fine addition to any rotation, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports it would come at an exceedingly high price.
Atlanta Braves
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Prior to being signed by the Chicago Cubs, top free-agent second baseman Ben Zobrist was targeted by the Atlanta Braves, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (h/t Columbia Daily Herald).
While adding a veteran to the group of young players the Braves have makes some sense, they ultimately should stay away from any names that would command a big contract.
Instead, the Braves should fully commit to their rebuild because they have already given up a ton in trades, including Tuesday's blockbuster Shelby Miller deal. Will pitcher Julio Teheran be next? It may be tough for the fanbase to accept, especially with a new ballpark set to open in 2017, but saving money for next offseason may be the best course of action. Tuesday’s signing of catcher Tyler Flowers was a step in the right direction.
Baltimore Orioles
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While the Baltimore Orioles have some depth concerns in the outfield, their starting rotation may be more of a pressing concern at this point in the offseason. Reliable starter Wei-Yin Chen is a free agent, and as mentioned earlier, the market is hot for starters right now.
In order to replace Chen, general manager Dan Duquette needs to aggressively go after pitching, something he has struggled with a little in the past. While the team continues to chase Chris Davis, as reported by Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun, his price tag just might not make sense for a club that has already traded for Mark Trumbo.
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Boston Red Sox
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So far, the Boston Red Sox have been enjoying one of the best offseasons of any team in the league. After adding Craig Kimbrel via trade, they signed David Price and boosted the bullpen even more by acquiring Carson Smith from the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
All this activity begs the question: What’s next? Well, the Texas Rangers have checked in on Joe Kelly, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan reports via Twitter. But does moving Kelly make sense for a club that ranked 25th in the league in team ERA last year? No, the Red Sox would be wise to hang on to Kelly while looking to add rotation depth to match their stacked bullpen.
Chicago White Sox
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Since the Chicago White Sox have glaring holes in their infield, it has been rumored that they are interested in Oakland’s Brett Lawrie, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
If the White Sox do pursue Lawrie this week, they have to make sure they don’t give up too much for him in return. In his first season playing on natural grass, Lawrie’s defensive metrics were way down in 2015, and he committed 18 errors in 109 games at third base.
Chicago Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs have been built around young talent, and it’s important to keep that in mind during these winter meetings. While it may be tempting to trade up for another starter, one thing the Cubs should avoid is shipping off outfielder Jorge Soler.
Instead, the club should attempt to keep its core together, which includes Soler as a main cog in the outfield. At 23 years old, Soler is still young, with his best years ahead of him. During the 2015 postseason, Soler showed the baseball world just how talented he is, hitting .474 with three home runs.
Cincinnati Reds
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The Cincinnati Reds have made it quite clear that they are having a big sale this offseason. In fact, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that the team has made everyone available, including Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier.
As it seems Cincinnati will be awfully busy, Monday night’s news of the Chapman debacle means any future deals may take some time to pan out. While the situation gets investigated, it’s important that both GM Dick Williams and president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty display patience.
Cleveland Indians
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As Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi opines, the Cleveland Indians have plenty of trade chips in hand during the winter meetings. Unlike many teams, the Indians have six legitimate starters in Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Cody Anderson, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin.
Given the state of the current market, Cleveland figures to listen to a number of offers over the next few days. And while it may not hurt to take calls, the Indians would do best to hang onto all starters, especially Salazar and Carrasco. They provide excellent depth in case of any injury problems next season and are all relatively young.
Colorado Rockies
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The Colorado Rockies have been rather quiet this offseason as they continue to look for ways to shore up their rotation. Earlier in the offseason, GM Jeff Bridich told reporters that he would contemplate trading prospects for a starter, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.
But one area that should remain untouched is the Rockies’ outfield group. The trio of Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez is dynamic. All aged 30 or younger, the three hit a combined 67 home runs last season. Any potential deal for Gonzalez would surely have to blow Bridich off his feet.
Detroit Tigers
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As touched upon in the introduction, the big free-agent position players have yet to find homes this hot stove season. Names such as Yoenis Cespedes, Gerardo Parra and Justin Upton are all available.
According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers have been linked to a number of relievers during the winter meetings. While adding depth to the bullpen is worthwhile, perhaps the Tigers should prioritize signing an outfielder given the current trends in the free-agent market.
Right now, Detroit’s depth chart lists a starting outfield of Anthony Gose, Cameron Maybin and J.D. Martinez. Look for them to address the hole in left field moving forward.
Miami Marlins
11 of 30
There have been rumors all offseason that the Miami Marlins may trade staff ace Jose Fernandez. On Tuesday, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, a fourth team has started to pursue Fernandez.
Even though a potential big payoff would seem tempting, the Marlins should hang on to the Cuban right-hander the same way the Mariners ultimately decided to sign and not trade their ace, Felix Hernandez. A pitcher of Fernandez’s caliber doesn’t come along too often and since he is under team control for three years, it makes more sense to keep him.
Houston Astros
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With Luke Gregerson entrenched as a valuable leader in the Houston Astros’ bullpen, one thing GM Jeff Luhnow doesn’t necessarily need to do is find another closer.
Trading for a Chapman or a Ken Giles would require them to give up far too much young talent in return, and while they do want a power arm, Gregerson had 31 saves last year and was happy in his role. No need to complicate the situation there.
Kansas City Royals
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It’s been no secret that the Kansas City Royals want to re-sign outfielder Alex Gordon. But since Gordon is one of the top position players available, doing so would require a bulk of their payroll.
The situation puts the defending champions in a tough spot, as they try to balance a possible Gordon signing with all their other offseason needs. Adding pieces to the rotation may be one of them. According to a tweet by ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Royals have talked to touted free-agent pitcher Scott Kazmir.
Similar to Leake, Kazmir’s asking price has gone up due to the large contracts other starters have been getting thus far. With that in mind, the Royals would be smart to save their money for the Gordon sweepstakes as his defense and leadership qualities are impossible to replace.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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According to a tweet by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have received numerous calls on right-handed reliever Trevor Gott. Again, while it does no harm to just listen to offers, the Angels will be better off in the long run if they resist any urge to trade Gott.
In 48 games during his rookie year in 2015, Gott only gave up two homers. His 3.02 ERA was the second-best mark in the Angels bullpen. Yes, the future potential is too high to seriously consider trading him.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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When healthy, Yasiel Puig is the Dodgers’ spark plug and an offensive force to be reckoned with. Despite some off-the-field issues involving a domestic violence case, teams have still called the Dodgers about acquiring Puig, per Heyman’s report.
At 25, Puig is still too young to be moved, and given the long list of free-agent outfielders available, his value figures to be slightly diminished right now. Even though the Cuban outfielder can drive you crazy at times, it’s best to keep him around in hopes that he can return to strong form.
Milwaukee Brewers
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The Milwaukee Brewers are a tough team for this list, seeing that they appear to be in full rebuild mode following multiple deals at last year’s trade deadline. More trades have been rumored this week, including one involving catcher Jonathan Lucroy, according to Rosenthal on Twitter.
While trading for even more prospects makes some sense, shipping out Lucroy would present a huge gap at the catcher position with only Martin Maldonado and his .210 batting average from last season left. Since Lucroy is so cheap, at $4 million for next year, per Rosenthal, it’s not like he would be dragging down the payroll if he stayed.
Minnesota Twins
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Another rumor floating around Nashville during the winter meetings is the Minnesota Twins' interest in veteran reliever Fernando Rodney, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN’s tweet.
Rodney, 38, is coming off the worst season of his career and definitely represents some risk for the Twins. In a year split between the Mariners and Cubs, Rodney compiled a 4.74 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, blowing seven saves.
While he pitched well for the Cubs down the stretch, there are better options out there for Minnesota, such as Tony Sipp or Tyler Clippard.
New York Mets
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After losing out on Zobrist, the New York Mets may take another run at re-signing second baseman Daniel Murphy.
While Murphy is a solid player, and a team leader, it can be argued the Mets have some depth to work with up the middle already, given the surprising season enjoyed by shortstop Wilmer Flores.
Instead of focusing on Murphy, it would be smarter if the Mets saved that money for a defensively gifted outfielder such as Gerardo Parra or Denard Span.
New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees made a splash Tuesday, acquiring Starlin Castro from the Cubs to fill their hole at second base. While the deal looked great for the future offense of the club, it did come at a significant cost, as pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named was the return.
Now, the Yankees need to assess how they are going to obtain more pitching and should be wary before trading away any more arms, Andrew Miller included. While the back end of the rotation could use a boost, there's still creative work to be done for GM Brian Cashman.
Oakland Athletics
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Oakland’s Billy Beane has been extremely aggressive so far this offseason, having already acquired three relievers and also adding infielder Jed Lowrie. Now in the middle of the winter meetings, the Athletics have been most recently tied to various free agent starters, including Kazmir, as Slusser reports.
General pitching help is always a good thing, but the Athletics need to be wary of Kazmir’s increased value and can’t afford to just throw money at the lefty. They have some good depth in the rotation as is, and it can be argued that they need to keep their sights on bullpen fixes, even after the additions they’ve made. Last year, Oakland had the third-highest bullpen ERA in the majors.
Philadelphia Phillies
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With Wednesday’s waiver claim of Peter Bourjos from the St. Louis Cardinals, it appears the Philadelphia Phillies outfield is set and the team has no real need to try to re-sign Jeff Francoeur.
Francoeur enjoyed a resurgent season last year, hitting 13 homers for the Phillies. But with Ryan Howard set up as the main veteran presence for next season, Philadelphia would be wise to target some durable pitchers or a replacement for Giles in case they trade him, instead of focusing on Francoeur.
Pittsburgh Pirates
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One player the Pittsburgh Pirates would be wise to avoid this week is free agent Mark Reynolds, who has averaged over 150 strikeouts per season over his nine-year career.
Linked to the Pirates, per Heyman’s tweet, Reynolds will be 32 years old next season. Added strikeouts are not what this Pirates teams needs right now. Last year, they tallied the seventh-most strikeouts in the big leagues with 1,322 on the season.
San Diego Padres
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Right around the winter meetings last year, the San Diego Padres were the talk of the hot stove, swinging multiple trades for All-Star players. Now, GM A.J. Preller has reversed course and appears to be selling rather than buying.
Given the state of the Padres infield, one interesting name that has popped up on the Padres' radar is Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, according to a tweet by Heyman. While he may prove to be a low-cost option, the Padres have to be wary of Matsuda’s glove and his ability to adjust to American ballparks.
Historically, Japanese-born infielders have had some difficulties switching from the turf fields in Japan to the natural grass surfaces of the U.S. Even Japanese Golden Glove Award winners have come over and struggled to learn how to properly charge grounders here in the states rather than waiting back on them like you do on turf.
Matsuda would present a somewhat high-risk signing and might not be worth it unless the price was just right.
San Francisco Giants
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In the wake of the Diamondbacks’ acquisition of Zack Greinke, the San Francisco Giants did well to reel in starter Jeff Samardzija for five years. The only problem is they paid $90 million to do so and thus should avoid spending any more cash on starting pitching help this offseason.
Instead, the team could look to add a fourth outfielder or trade for some rotation depth.
Seattle Mariners
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The Seattle Mariners were one of the biggest players during day one of the winter meetings, trading Carson Smith and Roenis Elias to the Red Sox for starter Wade Miley. The move falls in line with what Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto has shown since taking over in late September—that he’s not afraid to pull the trigger on a trade.
However, when examining this trade closely, it doesn’t appear the players exchanged match up exactly in terms of potential. In fact, given Smith’s low ERA of 2.31 and also his proven ability to save, the Red Sox may have gotten a steal.
Sure, the Mariners needed a lefty starter, but Miley may not have been the best option available. Moving forward, I would caution Dipoto against making any more hasty trades this week.
St. Louis Cardinals
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For the Cardinals, the key this week, and this month really, is to stay focused on outfielder Jason Heyward. They must be committed to attempting to re-sign Heyward and not get lured into signing an overpriced arm, as Rosenthal suggests on Twitter.
Linked to starting pitcher Mike Leake, per Rosenthal’s report, St. Louis has to be careful not to overspend in this area. It would be best to put its money toward Heyward, who plays everyday, instead.
Tampa Bay Rays
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Another team that has been rather inactive this offseason is the Tampa Bay Rays, coming off an 80-82 finish to the year. However, reports are that might be changing as the Cubs have shown interest in injured pitcher Alex Cobb, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
While moving Cobb for someone like Javier Baez makes some sense, the Rays should still strongly consider keeping him because he is so affordable. His $4 million tag for next year fits in with the Rays' budget and might be too good of a salary to give up.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Free agent Joe Nathan is attempting to come back from his second Tommy John surgery at the age of 41 and has met with the Rangers, according to a tweet sent out by Sullivan.
Needless to say, the native of Houston, Texas, and former Ranger presents a huge risk due to his recovery, age and lower velocity. While a reunion would be nice to see, GM Jon Daniels should explore all other options before circling back to Nathan.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
On Monday, the New York Post published a piece by George A. King III that stated the Toronto Blue Jays have been connected to free-agent slugger Chris Davis.
As exciting as it is to picture a big lefty like Davis in the middle of that lethal lineup, the thought should not be the Blue Jays’ foremost focus. Simply put, they have other needs, mainly replacing David Price at the top of that rotation. Davis figures to demand a fortune and so would any marquee starter.
Price’s impact was immediately felt following his trade to Toronto last summer.
His domination was arguably the biggest factor in the Blue Jays’ great run to the American League East championship. In not forgetting that, it’s time for Toronto to get aggressive in pursuit of a pitcher rather than another bat. And besides, the tandem of Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak at first base should work fine in 2016.
Washington Nationals
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Having signed both Shawn Kelley and Oliver Perez within the last week, the Washington Nationals suddenly have a crowded bullpen and may look to trade some pieces, according to Chris Johnson of MASN Sports.
The next logical step would be to unload Jonathan Papelbon, who got in a dugout scuffle with star outfielder Bryce Harper in September. But shipping out Drew Storen, who was also mentioned in the report, would be wrong. Despite having a terrible second half, Storen still finished the year with a 3.44 ERA.
His whole role became jeopardized by the midseason Papelbon acquisition, and the Nationals should believe in his ability to regain his form. Thus, it would really benefit the club to deal just Papelbon and not both.
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