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I don’t know how often it happens. But it seems like it’s pretty unusual for a player to exercise a no-trade provision unless it’s to extract more money for the player out of a trade. In most cases all the no-trade provision does is afford the player the opportunity to know about a trade that involves him rather than finding out after the fact. But there are exceptions like Joey Votto, and now, Yu Darvish. Regarding Arenado, it’s hard to believe that Arenado would ask for even more money than he’s already owed, and it’s hard to believe that he would reject a trade knowing that the Rockies can’t afford him, and therefore, don’t want him. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen. Just seems unlikely.
I didn’t think of that. I don’t know of a team that could/would make a better offer for Arenado than the Dodgers.
No one knows what the Dodgers are going to do regarding Arenado and Lindor. But if the the Dodgers would acquire Arenado, that would put Lindor back in play. I doubt if there is another team in MLB that would offer their top two, highly regarded prospects for a two-year rental of Lindor. So that would put the Cardinals in play for acquiring Lindor assuming that he would fit into their plans and their budget, and that the Indians would still be willing to deal him. I’d love to see the Cardinals acquire Lindor for a sensible price. Dejong could move to third and Carpenter could move to LF. And if Carpenter could regain whatever he lost of his hitting ability, that would make for as good a starting lineup as there is in the game. (As far as I know it’s still okay to dream, or maybe I should say ‘fantasize’.)
Regarding Price, my two cents worth is that the St. Louis Cardinals will not acquire him. They wanted back when he was a free agent. The word then was that Price grew up a Cardinals fan and that he wanted to play here. The Red Sox came along and swept him off his feet with an insane contract, and so off he went to Boston. Trading for Price, IMHO, would be like the St. Louis Cardinals were settling for sloppy seconds. That ain’t happening. First of all, they’re too proud for that, and secondly, it violates their principle of ‘continuity’. Just my opinion.
It’s really difficult to make any kind of projection for Alex Reyes because of his propensity for injury. But if we just throw that out and assume he will be healthy and able to pitch up to his ability, then I would rank him No. 1 as a prospect. I think he should be in the bullpen. He could be used for long relief where a starter can’t make it past 4 or 5 innings. Reyes could be brought in for the last 4 or 5 innings to complete the game. Nobody wants to talk about a healthy Alex Reyes because of all the disappointments. But if he could stay healthy all season, that could have a profound impact on the coming season and postseason. This player was the number one prospect in the game for a reason.
Now that Arenado is available, you have to wonder if the Dodgers might shift their focus from Lindor to Arenado. The Dodgers would have Arenado for eight years instead of only two years for Lindor. It’s almost a no brainer.
If the Rockies trade Arenado and get something better than a supplemental pick, then the no trade provision is irrelevant.
So the Rockies extended Arenado for eight years last February, and now they want to trade him. Obviously, they had no intention of holding onto him at the time that they were extending him. They must have gambled that they could get more than just an early draft pick by playing it this way. Seems like a smart move for the Rockies.
Wong and Dejong signed extensions that took them past their arbitration years. I think they did it because of the security of being set for life regardless of anything else that happened to them.
I’m crying my eyes out over the poor Boston Red Sox. They just can’t seem to find anybody that will help them unload some payroll.
I’d love to hear what Ozuna’s asking price is. No doubt Boras is trying to get him money based on his 2017 stats.
Can’t argue with that. But, along with the money, there are other factors that are important to a player.
If the Cardinals sign another right-handed reliever, then it must be because they don’t know what else to do with themselves.
Looking at the overwhelming amount of money that certain teams are throwing at pitchers this offseason does strike fear into the fans that support mid market teams. I want to say, first, that Flaherty is still unproven. One half of a season probably doesn’t tell anybody enough to want to make a commitment. Also, I don’t think you can pass judgement on a 24 year old kid based on his past actions and comments. It appears that he does not have a particular affinity for the team and the fans here now, but that could be something that develops over time. Also, there is the risk of injury for any player, every day. If the Cardinals organization offers him an extension that makes sense, it would be irresponsible for him not to accept it. Say, for example, that he demonstrates that he is the pitcher that everybody thinks he is, and the FO offers him $60M over 5 years, wouldn’t the security of $60M now outweigh the risk of waiting? Obviously, Flaherty will have to make that decision himself. Finally, if Flaherty’s only motivation is the money, then maybe he doesn’t really belong here anyway.
I’m not shocked because this kind of insanity has happened so many times before. The Wheeler contract is just as outrageous in its context. Time and time again it has been demonstrated that these kinds of contracts wind up being an albatross for their organization. Maybe there’s a shrink somewhere that can figure this out.
I don’t want a declining pitcher who is going to spend the next five years running out the clock on his career while raking in $20M plus AVV.
Speaking of the Baseball Hall of Fame….. My wife and I did a what is sometimes called a ‘fall color tour’ last October. This time we went to the Adirondacks commonly referred to as ‘upstate New York’. We traveled to Albany, Lake George, Lake Placid taking in the fall color along the way. It just so happens that Cooperstown is located in that general area, also. So we found our way to Cooperstown and to the Hall of Fame. I just want to pass along that going to Cooperstown and the HOF is well worth the time. We only were able to stay there for a few hours and that was not nearly enough time. First of all, the HOF has 3, maybe 4, floors, and each is a museum in itself. You could spend 2 or 3 hours on each floor. The other thing is that the town of Cooperstown is a fascinating little town. I’m sure there are people who spend a day just going in and out of places there. (BTW, there’s a very scenic highway to travel coming up the back way to Cooperstown. It has ‘Scenic Byway’ designation. And on the way out of Cooperstown there’s a park with a quaint old covered bridge to visit if you’re into that sort of thing.)
I haven’t seen or heard of a realistic trade involving Lindor. The rumor that the Dodgers have offered Laux and May for Lindor doesn’t sound to me like a proposal that will go anywhere. The Cardinals could put together a nice package without including Carlson or Gorman, but the Indians no doubt want both of them in a package for Lindor. I’m thinking that the problem for Cleveland is that there is no conceivable trade that would make them feel okay about losing their prized shortstop even though they’re going to lose him in two year’s anyway.
I really like The Athletic because of articles like this. This writer did an excellent job of researching this aspect of the sign stealing scandal and informing readers of what he found. I thought the quotes by pitchers who were affected were in themselves revealing.
I don’t think JMart’s defense is as bad as it looks. What I mean is that getting to the ball for him looks as goofy as can be sometimes. But he almost always makes the play. And I do remember noticing that a misplay by CMart hardly ever hurts the score. (Just don’t put everybody on edge by having him in the outfield in late innings.) I like the energy that he brings to the game, and I’m thinking that his offense is better than what he showed last season. I do wish he would get a decent haircut and knock off some of his antics. If there’s a need for antics during the season to keep his teammates loose, let somebody else do it.
