Looking Ahead - The 2020 Offseason Thread

Enscheff said:
No matter what the deal ends up being, it’s probably safe to assume the DH is in place. All they are haggling over now is how to split the extra postseason cash and when to start the season.

There is no longer any reason for the Cruz and Ozuna markets to be in doubt. They should sign soon.
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I’m sure AA is out there kicking some more tires, as well as offering up Ender and a few of his lowest rated prospects in some trade proposals. We’ll have our new bats soon enough!
 
clvclv said:
Cleveland (like Tampa, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh) is constantly in a rebuilding state. They've actually probably been the second best-run organization for a while, staying in the mix while trading pieces away. As long as they keep spacing out the pieces they bring in as well as they have, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to remain relevant in that division for a long time to come. They can probably turn Rosario into something like Aristedes Aquino who can be part of their RF platoon right away and another wildcard prospect who's a little further away. Nolan Jones is going to be ready some time this year (Riley would be Ramirez' "replacement", and Jones will slide in to replace Rosario), and Arias or Freeman will be ready to step in at either 2B or SS to save them another $5+ million next season. Langeliers would be part of their catching tandem and Waters would be their CF for a long time.

They control their entire rotation for the next 5 years other than Bieber, so they can spend all their money keeping it together if they keep adding controllable offensive pieces and arms that are farther away - given their track record when it comes to developing pitching, that's a pretty nice spot to be in.
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Organizations like Cleveland really make you feel bad about the economics of baseball. It's admirable how well run they are, but they are constantly fighting an uphill battle of contention, and having to sell their fans that it's ok to keep trading away their top players. Imagine if they actually had money to spend? They are right near the bottom of payroll levels year in year out.
 
NYCBrave said:
Organizations like Cleveland really make you feel bad about the economics of baseball. It's admirable how well run they are, but they are constantly fighting an uphill battle of contention, and having to sell their fans that it's ok to keep trading away their top players. Imagine if they actually had money to spend? They are right near the bottom of payroll levels year in year out.
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What if I told you they have money to spend, their ownership just chooses not to spend it?
 
Beginning to wonder if money isn't much tighter than hoped at this point.

The LH options (platoon or not) are gone, and it would seem the only remotely expensive player left to spend money on is Ozuna. If AA has drawn a line in the sand and said "we're not playing him in LF", why no movement on the other fronts unless there's not enough money to spend in the event you eventually want to sign Ozuna if there's a DH? I like Turner as much as the next guy, but I'm just not buying either he or Bryant are realistic options at this point - AA's not going to give Turner the 3 or 4 years he was fishing for, and there are too many questions surrounding Bryant's performance to give up anything significant for him until he gets to see him play for a bit. If he hits like the old Bryant, I could see making a move for him before the deadline - a deal for him right now would just seem desperate.

That leaves you with Mazara, Reddick, Bruce, Goodwin, and Joyce as LH options and Duvall, Marisnick, Domingo Santana, and old pal Cam Maybin as RH options for a platoon.

I think it's fair to wonder whether there's enough money available to make a platoon with two of that group AND have enough left to pay Ozuna if there's a DH this late in the game. All those guys are probably looking at 1 year/$4-$5 million (at best) deals at this point, so if we assume the cheapest you'll get Ozuna is $15-$18 million AAV (regardless of the years), there must not be $25-$30 million total left available. Otherwise you'd think AA would have picked out the platoon partners he liked best and sign them while crossing his fingers that the DH will be in place when the season starts.

Hate to admit it, but I'm getting a little closer to siding with those fussing about the lack of activity from AA - there's really only one piece out there that feels like a difference-maker for this offense, and if you're not willing to live with his defense in LF (if you have to) and you start the year with a Reddick/Santana platoon in LF this winter will have been a huge failure. It's probably time to give Ozuna whatever it takes and cross your fingers that you can afford to scoop up whoever's left if the DH happens this year.
 
If the Braves were the fallback option for guys like Springer and JTR, then they have the cash for a short term deal in the $20M+ range. There is no way AA would have splurged on Smyly so early if he didn't have enough cash to fill the holes on offense. There is also no way the Braves go into the season with an OF of Acuna/Pache/Ender...it just simply won't happen.

Literally all the impact RHH bats the Braves were realistically going to target are still available: Ozuna, Cruz, Turner, Story, Bryant (folks may be down on KB, but he is still an acceptable option at the right price, if he's even still available). Even though it was a bit distressing to see the complementary LHH bats like Joc and Rosario sign elsewhere for affordable deals, folks need to take a deep breath and realize those types of platoon bats are available elsewhere. For example, Adam Frazier is someone who would fit, and we hadn't even heard of him until last week. Grichuk is not a fit, but if the Jays are really open to a Gurriel for pitching trade, then that's another option we just learned about recently. I don't know if he's available, but if the DBacks throw in the towel, Peralta and his career .869 OPS vs RHP fits perfectly on this roster.

Let's say AA goes out and signs Cruz, Duvall, and Puig (with his reverse splits). Or signs Ozuna and Duvall, and trades for Frazier. Or signs Turner and trades for Peralta. There are still many combinations that fill out the offense just fine. And one of those combinations should allow AA to avoid handing out a 3+ year deal, or promise full time PAs to a platoon bat.
 
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DOB was talking up Turner on Twitter today, though in typical DOB fashion it was unclear if he was reporting interest from the Braves or if he was just offering a personal opinion.
 
MadduxFanII said:
DOB was talking up Turner on Twitter today, though in typical DOB fashion it was unclear if he was reporting interest from the Braves or if he was just offering a personal opinion.
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Turner is an excellent option. Riley was surprisingly acceptable in LF, so he could rotate through 3B, LF and DH with a couple guys like Puig/Duvall/Frazier/Peralta/etc.
 
MadduxFanII said:
DOB was talking up Turner on Twitter today, though in typical DOB fashion it was unclear if he was reporting interest from the Braves or if he was just offering a personal opinion.
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It sounded like a personal opinion to me but he did talk Turner up pretty hard.
 
I definitely do not want Cruz. I know how good he was in a shortened season....but pushing 41...he HAS to start declining and when he does, I feel like he will drop off a cliff.
 
TheBravos said:
I definitely do not want Cruz. I know how good he was in a shortened season....but pushing 41...he HAS to start declining and when he does, I feel like he will drop off a cliff.
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On the contrary, I feel he’s the most solid offensive option especially on a short deal
 
Enscheff said:
Turner is an excellent option. Riley was surprisingly acceptable in LF, so he could rotate through 3B, LF and DH with a couple guys like Puig/Duvall/Frazier/Peralta/etc.
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Turner’s great, but we’re obviously not winning a bidding war with the Dodgers.
 
msstate7 said:
Anyone know who the dodgers options are at 3b if they do pass on turner?
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Edwin Rios. *ell, they could move Chris Taylor there and let Lux play 2B or even play Lux at 3B.

They don't "need" Turner any more than they needed Arenado. Turner's a fan favorite and big part of their clubhouse, but they certainly aren't budging off the number they have on him to get him back. He wants to be there much more than they need him. AA would probably need to go AT LEAST one more year at a higher AAV than they're willing to pay him, so you're probably looking at 3 years/$48-$50 million to get him to even think about coming here.

I'd much rather pay a little more for Ozuna's age 30-34 seasons and put up with his defense in LF this year if you have to rather than pay that much for Turner's age 36-38 seasons.
 
The projections have Turner at 2/24 and 2/26. The Dodgers want him for 2 years, and he wants 4 years.

Could he be had for 1/15? Or would the winning bid have to be 3 years...like 3/35? Would a larger 2 year deal like 2/30 get it done?

A 3 year deal for Turner might mean he is slotted for 1b after Freeman leaves.

One of these guys will be stuck with a 1 year deal, and it’s obvious AA is content to wait for that guy to settle.
 
Morosi: Source: The #Rockies are paying Nolan Arenado's $35 million salary this season; $15 million is owed to the Cardinals in this calendar year, with the remaining $20 million deferred. @MLB @MLBNetwork
 
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