2022-23 Off-season (non-Nats)

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Varsho for Lourdes Gurriel and Gabriel Moreno.  I guess Varsho can do what they both do combined.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/blue-jays-close-to-acquiring-daulton-varsho.html

Conforto to the Giants for 2 years, $36 million.  Let's see if he passes the physical. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/giants-michael-conforto-agree-to-two-year-deal.html

[Natsinpwc]

Phils sign Craig Kimbrel. One year $10 million.

[Slateman]

Varsho for Lourdes Gurriel and Gabriel Moreno.  I guess Varsho can do what they both do combined.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/blue-jays-close-to-acquiring-daulton-varsho.html

Conforto to the Giants for 2 years, $36 million.  Let's see if he passes the physical. 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/giants-michael-conforto-agree-to-two-year-deal.html

Kind of. Varsho is a lefty and the Blue Jays needed left handed hitting. They have a surplus of quality catching.

Diamondbacks needed catching and right handed hitting outfielder to balance out their lefties. Big price to pay  for Varsho

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Kind of. Varsho is a lefty and the Blue Jays needed left handed hitting. They have a surplus of quality catching.

Diamondbacks needed catching and right handed hitting outfielder to balance out their lefties. Big price to pay  for Varsho

I like it precisely for the left-handed hitting, the D, and also because it lets them use Kirk as a DH when Jansen is catching.  Their roster now has better balance.  Gurriel was not getting much playing time up there going forward.  Varsho can force himself into the line up.  I don't think many balls fall in in the LF CF gap between Kiermaier and Varsho.  This helps Springer some to allow Kiermaier to shade that way.

[Slateman]

https://twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/status/1606693832699138048?s=46&t=u7nTQK_emxTrAyHdSw5CJA

Mets concerned with Carlos Correa’s physical. Story with
@DanHayesMLB

Story at the Athletic: https://theathletic.com/4033222/2022/12/24/mets-correa-physical-concerns/

[Slateman]

I like it precisely for the left-handed hitting, the D, and also because it lets them use Kirk as a DH when Jansen is catching.  Their roster now has better balance.  Gurriel was not getting much playing time up there going forward.  Varsho can force himself into the line up.  I don't think many balls fall in in the LF CF gap between Kiermaier and Varsho.  This helps Springer some to allow Kiermaier to shade that way.

Theyre betting a lot on last year's Varsho being for real. And he is woeful against LHP.

[imref]

https://twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/status/1606693832699138048?s=46&t=u7nTQK_emxTrAyHdSw5CJA

Story at the Athletic: https://theathletic.com/4033222/2022/12/24/mets-correa-physical-concerns/

NY Post reports the concern is with his lower leg that he had surgery on in 2014.

Time to step in Rizzo! One-year, $25 million, and flip him for prospects at the deadline.

[welch]

CalzGr8 posts The Athletic story, as well.

t’s the physical. Again.

The New York Mets, like the San Francisco Giants earlier in the week, have raised concerns about Carlos Correa’s surgically repaired lower right leg, potentially jeopardizing their 12-year, $315 million agreement with the star shortstop, according to people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly.

[Natsinpwc]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/latest-on-mets-carlos-correa.html

Still unresolved.

[HalfSmokes]

Remember Kumar Rocker? Correa is going to another team

[Five Banners]

NY Post reports the concern is with his lower leg that he had surgery on in 2014.

Time to step in Rizzo! One-year, $25 million, and flip him for prospects at the deadline.

Sound strategic thinking. However, there’s got to be a better way to get prospects at the deadline without integrating one of the most prominent of the asterisk gang. Of course, they figure to probably do nothing further or close to it.

[imref]

Gotta think the Mets work out something like 4 years guaranteed with mutual options beyond that.

[Natsinpwc]

Remember Boras is his agent. He will not go from 12 years to 4 years. Hard to say what will happen. He may get a mega one year offer from another team. Seems to be his ankle. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2022/12/27/ap-source-nate-eovaldi-agrees-to-multiyear-deal-with-rangers/?p1=hp_featurestack

2 years, no dollars announced.  Deals not quite finalized, but this would give them a rotation of DeGrom, Gray, Perez, Eovaldi, and Heaney.  Acquired Odorizzi too, so Dunning bumped back to the minors.

[Slateman]

Sean Murphy extended. 6 years, 73 million

[Natsinpwc]

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2022/12/27/ap-source-nate-eovaldi-agrees-to-multiyear-deal-with-rangers/?p1=hp_featurestack

2 years, no dollars announced.  Deals not quite finalized, but this would give them a rotation of DeGrom, Gray, Perez, Eovaldi, and Heaney.  Acquired Odorizzi too, so Dunning bumped back to the minors.

Odorizzi is terrible now.  Perez had a big year last year and will regress.  And deGrom's arm will falll off.  They look like a team to take the under in Vegas wins odds for 2023. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Sean Murphy extended. 6 years, 73 million

so, AA working more Jedi mind-tricks on agents?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Odorizzi is terrible now.  Perez had a big year last year and will regress.  And deGrom's arm will falll off.  They look like a team to take the under in Vegas wins odds for 2023. 

Odorizzi is in the bullpen and just rotation depth at this point.  Dunning stays stretched out in the minors.

[Natsinpwc]

so, AA working more Jedi mind-tricks on agents?

It’s amazing. They must be offering employment for life with the Braves.

[imref]

Jean Segura to Miami, 2 years / $17 million.

[Natsinpwc]

Jean Segura to Miami, 2 years / $17 million.

Jeanie Jeanie Bo Beanie.  Good for him.  Finally got his playoff shot last year. 

[welch]

"Post-traumatic arthritis" suggests an orthopedic surgeon.

The biggest question is what exactly the Mets and Giants found in the physical that was so alarming. Dr. Laith Jazrawi, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone who has not treated Correa, said the two teams likely saw post-traumatic arthritis in the ankle. This could possibly lead to problems with the ankle within the next decade, which is well within the range of the 12-year contract the Mets offered Correa and the 13-year deal the Giants offered him before it fell apart and he agreed to terms with the team in Queens.

“Post-traumatic arthritis — meaning even if you stabilize it and make it perfect, there’s still an injury that’s impacted on the ankle,” Dr. Jazrawi told the Daily News in a phone interview on Thursday. “And there may be finding suggestive of some other issues there that may necessitate surgery later on, that doesn’t necessarily have a great outcome.”

Correa could suffer from degenerating cartilage degeneration later on his career, which may require another surgery. This could be what gave the Mets and Giants some trepidation.

“Sometimes you can clean it out, right? But that’s an issue that they don’t want to have to deal with because it’s unpredictable,” Dr. Jazrawi said. “Once you have sort of arthritis set it in, it’s unpredictable how the athlete will respond to it, and it’s a degenerative process.”

Story at:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/doctor-weighs-in-on-carlos-correa-s-ankle-as-deal-with-mets-remains-on-hold/ar-AA15MJlR?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=e90b59eb272f4fd9b23e9ab10f712f8f

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/pirates-rich-hill-in-agreement-on-one-year-deal.html

1 year, $8 million.  I'm a little annoyed at this one.  I had figured Hill was going to a contender so didn't seriously say he was a guy the Nats should target. He's projected to be in the Pirates rotation, which maybe the Nats could not offer after signing Williams, but I would feel a lot better about the Nats pitching if you could pencil him in for 120 quality innings that he's been doing the past 7 or 8 seasons.  About the only way he would not have helped is if the Nats are confident that they will have 5 of Gore /Cavalli / Gray / Corbin / Williams / Stras healthy and ready to start from April-September.   Also, that's an easy to flip contract.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2022/12/31/corey-kluber-five-things-to-know-red-sox-signing/

I don't think it is official, but apparently Cory  Kluber has signed with the Red Sox for 1 year with a club option for the second.  Kluber lives in a Boston suburb, Winchester, where his wife is from.  Nice town with a quiet center that has a number of good restaurants. Next town over from where my S-i-L is from and where she and my brother lived before moving to NH.

with Kluber, Eovaldi, and Hill off the market, I'd say the best remaining starters are Cueto, Greinke, and Miley for the older guys, and Wacha, Bundy, and Zach Davies for the 30- 31 year old and under. 

[Slateman]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/pirates-rich-hill-in-agreement-on-one-year-deal.html

1 year, $8 million.  I'm a little annoyed at this one.  I had figured Hill was going to a contender so didn't seriously say he was a guy the Nats should target. He's projected to be in the Pirates rotation, which maybe the Nats could not offer after signing Williams, but I would feel a lot better about the Nats pitching if you could pencil him in for 120 quality innings that he's been doing the past 7 or 8 seasons.  About the only way he would not have helped is if the Nats are confident that they will have 5 of Gore /Cavalli / Gray / Corbin / Williams / Stras healthy and ready to start from April-September.   Also, that's an easy to flip contract.

There isnt much difference between Hill and Williams