Looking Ahead - The 2020 Offseason Thread

bravesfanMatt said:
Nolan is not a realistic option in my opinion. We would be shopping the KB section if we go trade route.
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Honestly I don't really feel like either is a realistic option. The issue with Arenado is the contract and opt outs, along with the Rockies supposed need to get big name talent back.

The issue with Bryant is he's owed $20 million this year, and has clearly been regressing. At this point it's almost like you're paying for name brand value with him, when there could be better options for cheaper. Sure he could bounce back, but not necessarily a bet you want to take at $20 million.
 
This thread reminds me of the same discussion last year. We were lamenting that the Phil's, Mets, and Gnats were all getting better while AA sat on his hands.

What he is doing seems to be working out okay from year to year. Maybe this year will different?
 
Jon Morosi
@jonmorosi
·
47m
Nolan Arenado trade talks between #Rockies and #STLCards have gained momentum in the last week, source confirms
@Ken_Rosenthal
report.
@MLBNetwork

@MLB
 
NYCBrave said:
Are the Nationals and Phillies really better this year than last year? In my opinion they've simply treaded water if anything. Both have serious holes that they haven't plugged, and depth will once again be an issue for both.
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The Phillies have upgraded their pen which was a big weakspot last season and brought back JTR. I still expect them to get a SS. The gNats have improved their pen as well, plus if Bell returns to form, they have added a potentially massive power hitter.
 
mfree80 said:
This thread reminds me of the same discussion last year. We were lamenting that the Phil's, Mets, and Gnats were all getting better while AA sat on his hands.

What he is doing seems to be working out okay from year to year. Maybe this year will different?
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True, we do seem to be in this position a lot under AA and it has been okay so far. But remember the other year where we started the season with an awful rotation until we finally added Keuchel late in the season. Maybe a full season of Keuchel or another starter could have changed the outcome of that series vs STL.

Eventually, playing the waiting game will come back to bite us in the ass.

This team proved last season they can go toe to toe vs the Dodgers. This shouldn't be the time we are bargain shopping for the one piece that could put us over the top.
 
Man....Joc and Duvall would have gotten the job done. This seemed like a very “AA” move....maybe he doesn’t like him.

I don’t want Nolan for that money and I’m surprised that the Cardinals and Braves (two famously frugal teams), are rumored to be in on him. It’s not a good contract and the Rockies would expect a nice haul also. This would be a Yankees or Dodgers type move....a team that doesn’t mind spending cash.
 
OT, but have you guys saw the trade proposals being mentioned for deshaun Watson (Houston Texans qb)? How long before you think nfl GMs pick up the surplus value of trading? The trade ideas I've saw are like 3 1st round picks for the right to pay deshaun Watson at market value. Just seems weird to me.
 
The Braves need 2 OFers, and one of them has to be a LHH.

When Brantley signed for 2/32 it was easy to say that was too much for a complementary player, or that he wanted to be an Astro.

Now that Joc has signed for $7M, it's harder to explain away. He would have fit perfectly in the platoon role, and was very affordable.

If the Cubs made some silly promise not to platoon him, and that really was a deal breaker, then he wasn't a fit for the Braves...or any serious contender.
 
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msstate7 said:
OT, but have you guys saw the trade proposals being mentioned for deshaun Watson (Houston Texans qb)? How long before you think nfl GMs pick up the surplus value of trading? The trade ideas I've saw are like 3 1st round picks for the right to pay deshaun Watson at market value. Just seems weird to me.
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The calculation in the NFL is a little different, because a great quarterback is such a unique center of gravity in a football game. That's not to say you can't overpay for a great quarterback, and maybe the eventual Watson trade will end up being an overpay, but there's just nothing and no one in baseball that equates to the importance of a quarterback in football.
 
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Enscheff said:
The Braves need 2 OFers, and one of them has to be a LHH.

When Brantley signed for 2/32 it was easy to say that was too much for a complementary player, or that he wanted to be an Astro.

Now that Joc has signed for $7M, it's harder to explain away. He would have fit perfectly in the platoon role, and was very affordable.

If the Cubs made some silly promise not to platoon him, and that really was a deal breaker, then he wasn't a fit for the Braves...or any serious contender.
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This is correct and Passan confirmed it earlier - "Cubs were very appealing to Joc Pederson because he's going to get the opportunity to play every day. He's got a reputation as a RH killler, but if he hits lefties and re-enters the market after a strong age-29 season -- Wrigley fits him well -- he could command much more."
 
MadduxFanII said:
The calculation in the NFL is a little different, because a great quarterback is such a unique center of gravity in a football game. That's not say you can't overpay for a great quarterback, and maybe the eventual Watson trade will end up being an overpay, but there's just nothing and no one in baseball that equates to the importance of a quarterback in football.
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Imagine if MLB teams played once a week so they could use a single SP for every game. That’s about how valuable a QB would be in terms of MLB rosters...roughly 5x the average value of the best 30 SPs.
 
bravesfanforlife88 said:
The Phillies have upgraded their pen which was a big weakspot last season and brought back JTR. I still expect them to get a SS. The gNats have improved their pen as well, plus if Bell returns to form, they have added a potentially massive power hitter.
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not huge upgrades for the Phils. there's basically one SS left for them to get, and he's the same guy they had last year.
the Braves have improved more than the Phillies this offseason. i'd say they have more than the Nats, too. Nats got a bunch of post-hype spare parts and Hand.
 
Super said:
not huge upgrades for the Phils. there's basically one SS left for them to get, and he's the same guy they had last year.
the Braves have improved more than the Phillies this offseason. i'd say they have more than the Nats, too. Nats got a bunch of post-hype spare parts and Hand.
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At this point, all we have done is improve our rotation depth with Morton and Smyly. But we have taken a step back in the bullpen with the presumable losses of Melancon and Greene. Plus, we have presumably lost Markakis, Duvall. and more importantly, Ozuna,

So if AA stands pat, we go into spring training with a lineup of

Acuna RF
Albies 2B
Freeman 1B
TDA C
Riley 3B
Swanson SS
Inciarte CF
Pache LF

That lineup is a giant thud from the 6th spot down. Even the bench is weaker.
 
msstate7 said:
OT, but have you guys saw the trade proposals being mentioned for deshaun Watson (Houston Texans qb)? How long before you think nfl GMs pick up the surplus value of trading? The trade ideas I've saw are like 3 1st round picks for the right to pay deshaun Watson at market value. Just seems weird to me.
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I think they'll find a hard time getting that in return. Him demanding a trade sort of takes away some of the negotiating power. They'd be better off trying to swap Watson for another QB like Stafford or Wentz along with getting a couple of picks too. Maybe Dallas would be willing to swap Dak with them.
 
TheBravos said:
Man....Joc and Duvall would have gotten the job done. This seemed like a very “AA” move....maybe he doesn’t like him.

I don’t want Nolan for that money and I’m surprised that the Cardinals and Braves (two famously frugal teams), are rumored to be in on him. It’s not a good contract and the Rockies would expect a nice haul also. This would be a Yankees or Dodgers type move....a team that doesn’t mind spending cash.
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A lot of this hinges on exactly how much money the Rockies are willing to eat to make him "attractive".

If they were willing to eat $10 million/year to get a good return for him and Freeman gets a 5 year extension (like many expect whether it's "smart" or not), you're looking at having Acuna, Freeman, and Arenado hitting in the first inning for the duration of Acuna's contract.

It's a really big stretch, but if you could do that with a package of Riley, one of Wright or Wilson, one of Newk or Touki, one of Contreras or Langeliers, and one of Muller or Shuster, it might make a modicum of sense. You'd need Pache and Waters to hit and Shewmake to be a viable replacement for Dansby, but if they do the money's probably not "unworkable" - the question is whether that's enough of a package to get them to eat that much money. The numbers folks would need to work that out. With Morton, Smyly, d'Arnaud, Dansby, and Martin coming off the books next winter you could look into buying out the first two free-agent years for Fried and Soroka and you'd have one *elluva core.

Not saying I'd do it by any stretch, but it might not be quite as off-the-wall as it seems - it's impossible for Colorado to get free-agent Pitchers to come there, so they'd probably be the ONE team that might just be swayed by the Braves' pitching "surplus". They could then turn around and look for more young pitching in a Marquez deal get a compensation pick if they don't trade or extend Story, and would have cleared $20 million AAV to spend on a 3B/LF "replacement for Arenado next winter.
 
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