Offseason Changes / Non-Nats Hot Stove (2019-2020)

[Slateman]

Trading Grisham HAD to have something to do with the error.  He would not live that down in Milwaukee.  I say he gets a standing O next year at Nats Park.

https://mobile.twitter.com/mlbdeadlinenews/status/1201358691523604480?s=21

[Slateman]

Moustakas to the Reds. 4 years, 64 million

[JCA-CrystalCity]

JurPro to Padres for Catcher Allen.

Catcher Leon to Indians for minor leaguer.  Vasquez wins Red Sox Survivor, beating out Swihart and Leon.

[Elvir Ovcina]

JurPro to Padres for Catcher Allen.

Catcher Leon to Indians for minor leaguer.  Vasquez wins Red Sox Survivor, beating out Swihart and Leon.

Barely able to hit his weight at the Oakland Coliseum, Profar will now escape his deserved non-tender and get to try again at Petco.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Villar to the Marlins.

[imref]

quite the fall for Taijuan Walker.  I wonder if he'll try to reinvent himself as a reliever.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cesar Hernandez and Yolmer Sanchez are 2d basemen who were nontendered. 

[imref]

Cole Hamels to Atlanta on a one-year deal for $18 million

[Natsinpwc]

Cole Hamels to Atlanta on a one-year deal for $18 million

Overpay. Expect him to regress in 2020. 

[Elvir Ovcina]

Overpay. Expect him to regress in 2020.

Perhaps, but considering that JA freaking Happ got 2/34 last offseason at the same age, this seems like a decent deal for Atlanta.  For a one year contract to really be enough of an overpay to really matter, he'd need to be remarkably awful. 

[Natsinpwc]

Perhaps, but considering that JA freaking Happ got 2/34 last offseason at the same age, this seems like a decent deal for Atlanta.  For a one year contract to really be enough of an overpay to really matter, he'd need to be remarkably awful.

Probably you are right. I thought MadBum was going there? I guess not.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Probably you are right. I thought MadBum was going there? I guess not.

I think people who assumed Bumgarner was going to the Braves because of his accent are likely to be some of the same folks who thought Trout was a dead lock to sign with the Phillies.  They are best ignored.

[imref]

Wheeler to Philly, 5 years $118 million

[Dave in Fairfax]

I think people who assumed Bumgarner was going to the Braves because of his accent are likely to be some of the same folks who thought Trout was a dead lock to sign with the Phillies.  They are best ignored.

Some of these people also said the same about Georgia native Zack Wheeler. As soon as he signed with Phillies, though, the masters of 20/20 hindsight then said, "well, his wife's family is from south Jersey."

[imref]

The rumor mill says the White Sox and Twins are making strong pushes for Bumgarner. 

[imref]

O's trade Dylan Bundy to LAA for some minor leaguers.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Wheeler to Philly, 5 years $118 million

The rumor mill says the White Sox and Twins are making strong pushes for Bumgarner. 

Time to poop or get off the pot with Strasburg.  We can't let every potential replacement get signed while he weighs offers and tries to extract the last $. 

[Slateman]

Time to poop or get off the pot with Strasburg.  We can't let every potential replacement get signed while he weighs offers and tries to extract the last $. 

Cole is his replacement

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cole is his replacement

Which begs the question, how can you give Stras an ultimatum when his agent also represents Cole?

[bluestreak]

Which begs the question, how can you give Stras an ultimatum when his agent also represents Cole?

I don’t understand how Boras can represent all of these guys effectively. This seems to be clear conflict of interest. I don’t see how he can fulfill his fiduciary duty to multiple guys at the same position or negotiating with the same team.

[Slateman]

I don’t understand how Boras can represent all of these guys effectively. This seems to be clear conflict of interest. I don’t see how he can fulfill his fiduciary duty to multiple guys at the same position or negotiating with the same team.

His job is to get his client the most money.

Do you want Player X? Okay, it costs this much. Oh, Player Y? Costs this much. Team A will pay this much for Player X. Will you pay more?

[HalfSmokes]

I don’t understand how Boras can represent all of these guys effectively. This seems to be clear conflict of interest. I don’t see how he can fulfill his fiduciary duty to multiple guys at the same position or negotiating with the same team.

He can’t. Representing multiple people competing for the same limited pool of money and job openings should be impossible under a fiduciary standard. Of course it’s just athletes, so no one cares

[HalfSmokes]

His job is to get his client the most money.

Do you want Player X? Okay, it costs this much. Oh, Player Y? Costs this much. Team A will pay this much for Player X. Will you pay more?

We want player X, player X plays the same position as player Y who we also want, but only if we can’t get player X. There is no possible way to represent player x and player y without creating a conflict of interest

[Elvir Ovcina]

His job is to get his client the most money.

Do you want Player X? Okay, it costs this much. Oh, Player Y? Costs this much. Team A will pay this much for Player X. Will you pay more?

His job is to get the best deal he can for his clients according to their wishes.  Whether that's the most money or not depends on the client.  In terms of the potential for conflicts, it makes a big difference that not all his clients are looking for the same thing.

But:

I don’t understand how Boras can represent all of these guys effectively. This seems to be clear conflict of interest. I don’t see how he can fulfill his fiduciary duty to multiple guys at the same position or negotiating with the same team.

Still seems accurate.  In particular, Strasburg and Cole are likely to be fishing in the same pond.  I don't think any team will sign two of them.  Several teams will likely offer contracts to both.  I don't see how one person can effectively represent two applicants for the same job, possessing confidential information relating to both, without it impacting negotiations.   For example, say the Angels plan to hand out a single bajillion-dollar contract to a pitcher, but they will only do it for one, and no club is coming anywhere close to the AAV they're offering for either pitcher.  So how does Boras choose which player to screw out of several million dollars per year?

[bluestreak]

Just look at last year and this year with an example closer to home. If the Nats had signed Harper, it affects their ability to pay Rendon. Assuming Rendon wants to stay with Nats, maximizing Harper’s money hurts Rendon. He either has to take less money from the Nats or go somewhere else.

Yes, this isn’t how it actually happened, but very easily could have. I don’t see how he can competently represent all of these guys.