| John Shea |
| @JohnSheaHey |
| Bob Nightengale |
| @BNightengale |
| Bleacher Report |
| @BleacherRepor |
Hornets announcers couldn’t believe this Miles Bridges dunk 😂 pic.twitter.com/
@JohnLundRadio
Yesterday’s news 📰 nbcsports.com/ba
| KNBR |
| @KNBR |
knbr.com/2021/11
D- HUH?
Offense doesn’t look like it’s being called by Kyle or with intent. No lance? Something just seems or feels fishy with everything 11/8/21, 10:33 AM
| Sports Business Journal |
| @sbjsbd |
John Skipper explains whether he would buy, sell, or hold the @NFL 🏈 #SBJMIS pic.twitter.com/
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrew Baggarly |
| @extrabaggs |
https://theathletic.com/2940507/2021/11/08/top-25-mlb-free-agents-of-2021-22-jim-bowdens-rankings-contract-predictions-and-best-team-fits-for-a-stacked-class/?source=user_shared_article
Max Scherzer, RHP
Age: 37
HT: 6-3 WT: 208
2021 WAR: 5.3 ERA: 2.46 Salary: $34.5M
Agent: Scott Boras
I expect the three-time Cy Young Award winner to finish second behind the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes for the NL award after another strong season: Scherzer registered a 2.46 ERA (second in the NL) with 236 strikeouts and a 0.864 WHIP (first in the majors). He went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 11 starts for the Dodgers after being acquired at the trade deadline. I believe Scherzer, an eight-time All-Star, will become the first $50 million a year pitcher in history this offseason, breaking the record set by Trevor Bauer. A slam dunk Hall of Famer, Scherzer would love to continue his career with the Dodgers.
Best fits: Dodgers, Giants, Angels
Contract prediction: 3 years, $150 million (IS THIS A MISPRINT 3-150??/)
9. Kevin Gausman, RHP
Age: 30
HT: 6-2 WT: 190
2021 WAR: 5.3 ERA: 2.81 Salary: $18.9M
Agent: The Legacy Agency
Gausman had a breakout year in the shortened 2020 season, when he struck out 79 batters and walked only 16 in 59 2/3 innings. He accepted the qualifying offer, then showed everyone that 2020 was just a glimpse of what he offers. Gausman went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 33 starts this past season, striking out 227 batters in 192 innings. He earned his payday with a career-best year.
Best fits: Blue Jays, Giants, Angels, Cardinals, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs
Contract prediction: 5 years, $118 million
11. Marcus Stroman, RHP
Age: 30
HT: 5-7 WT: 180
2021 War: 3.7 ERA: 3.02 Salary: $18.9M
Agent: The Legacy Agency
Stroman plays with a big chip on his shoulder and competitiveness that both work to his advantage. He went 10-13 with a 3.02 ERA over 33 starts this past season, the third year in a row he finished with an ERA under 4.00. One of the best defensive pitchers in the majors, Stroman gives his team a fifth infielder when he’s on the mound. Clubs will be lining up for the athletic right-hander this offseason.
Best fits: Mets, Giants, Angels, Cardinals, Cubs
Contract prediction: 5 years, $110 million
15. Kenley Jansen, RHP
Age: 34
HT: 6-5 WT: 265
2021 WAR: 2.3 ERA: 2.22 Salary: $20M
Agent: Wasserman
Jansen was arguably the NL’s best right-handed closer in 2021, recording 38 saves and a 2.22 ERA in 69 appearances. He incorporated a curveball he learned from teammate Joe Kelly and changed his midsection mechanics to have more of a turn, and the results were overwhelming: 69 innings pitched, 36 hits allowed, 86 strikeouts.
Best fits: Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels, Giants
Contract prediction: 2 years, $40 million
18. Justin Verlander, RHP
Age: 38
HT: 6-5 WT: 235
2021: Did not pitch Salary: $33M
Agent: ISE Baseball
Updated: Nov. 8, 6 p.m. ET: Verlander, who received the qualifying offer from the Astros, threw in front of teams such as the Yankees, Tigers and Rangers during a workout Monday in Florida. His velocity was clocked as high as 96 or 97 mph, according to reports. Verlander did not pitch this past season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery in October 2020. I just can’t leave Verlander off my top 25 list because the two-time Cy Young Award winner has so much upside if he can make a recovery. I expect him to reject Houston’s one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer,
Best fits: Angels, Giants, Yankees, Astros, Cardinals, Tigers, Rangers
Contract prediction: 2 years, $40 million plus incentives
Two-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who has pitched just six innings since the conclusion of the 2019 season due to 2020 Tommy John surgery, held a free-agent showcase this week. Representatives from as many as 15 to 20 teams this week, tweetsJoel Sherman of the New York Post, adding that Verlander’s fastball was clocked from 94 to 97 mph. He’s presently about 13 and a half months out from the surgery and will be 17 months removed from the procedure by the time Spring Training is set to begin.
As one would expect, the list of known teams in attendance at the showcase includes a blend of big-market contenders and a few rebuilding clubs looking to turn the corner and get back into competitive ball. Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic tweets that the Yankees, Rangers and Tigers were in attendance. Sherman notes that the Mets had two scouts present for Verlander’s workout. TSN’s Scott Mitchell adds the Blue Jays to the pile, and the Post’s Ken Davidoff lists the Giants as another suitor. Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters that the Halos had someone present to watch Verlander as well (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Sam Blum).
| Jon Morosi |
| @jonmorosi |
Free agent Justin Verlander has reached 95-96 mph in recent bullpen sessions, as Harold Reynolds said this morning on @MLBNetwork. Verlander, who turns 39 before next season, has said he wants to pitch until age 45. @MLB 11/8/21, 9:42 AMhttps://theathletic.com/2944016/2021/11/08/san-francisco-giants-notes-hiroshima-of-seiya-suzuki-an-unbelievable-talent-possible-ideal-lineup-fit/?source=user_shared_article
14. Seiya Suzuki, OF/INF
Age: 27
B: R T: R HT: 5-11 WT: 185
2021 slash line: .319/.436/.640
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball are expected to announce this week that they are posting Suzuki, clearing the way for the star outfielder to potentially join an MLB team. Suzuki, the MVP of the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament, slugged 38 home runs and logged a 1.079 OPS in 131 games this season for the Carp. He’s a patient hitter with power and speed. Suzuki won’t be subject to international signing bonus limits because of his age and years of pro experience.
Best fits: Rangers, Padres, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Giants
Contract prediction: 5 years, $101 million
25. Brandon Belt, 1B
Age: 33
Bats: L T: L HT: 6-3 WT: 231
2021 WAR: 2.6 OPS+: 160 Salary: $17.2M
Agent: Excel Sports Management
Belt had a tremendous season, slashing .274/.378/.597 with 14 doubles, 29 home runs and 59 RBIs in just 97 games and 381 plate appearances. The Giants’ self-appointed captain followed up his 177 OPS+ in 2020 with a 160 in 2021. Those dominating numbers will surely help him in free agency. Belt remains an above-average defender at first base with plus range and scooping ability. He ranked in the 73rd percentile league wide in outs above average, the 89th percentile in xSLG, and the 94th percentile in chase rate, according to Statcast.
Best fits: Giants, Red Sox, Brewers
Will the low-revenue Brewers be comfortable paying Hader a projected $10 million in arbitration if he is going to remain a one-inning reliever, albeit one who might be worth twice that salary? Or, with Hader at the height of his powers and under club control for only two more seasons, is now the time for Milwaukee to trade him?
Make no mistake, the restrictions Hader and the Brewers agreed upon coming off the shortened 2020 season were successful. Hader, 27, produced a career-best 1.23 ERA, converted 34 of 35 saves and led all major-league relievers with a 45.5 percent strikeout rate. The advantage to limiting outings to one inning or less, Hader said, was that it kept him available throughout a series. Sure enough, he pitched three straight days and four out of five on multiple occasions, and entered the playoffs prepared to stick to the plan.
“I think one inning is the goal,” Hader told The Athletic’s Will Sammon on Sept. 28, shortly before the end of the regular season. “I think multiple innings, realistically, wouldn’t be smart nor, I don’t think, would be healthy. Multiple innings is one of the hardest things to do as a reliever.”
It’s not out of the question that Hader, with a full season behind him, would be open to getting stretched beyond three outs on occasion in 2022. But at this point, he probably will not return to the 75- to 80-inning workloads he produced in 2018 and ’19. Which is not necessarily a problem — Hader’s 2.6 fWAR in 58 2/3 innings last season matched his performance in ’18 and exceeded what he did in ’19.
The bigger issue for the Brewers is that Hader’s current trade value likely is far higher than it will be a year from now, when his salary will be even higher and he will be only one season away from free agency.
Hader, 27, is arguably the best reliever in baseball, more coveted than the White Sox’s Craig Kimbrel, who is available in trade, and Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jansen, who are free agents. The Brewers, meanwhile, have 13 other players eligible for arbitration, including starting pitchers Corbin Burnes, an NL Cy Young Award finalist, and Brandon Woodruff. Their estimated $123 million payroll for 2022 would be a club record, and that’s without outfielder Avisaíl García, who declined his end of a $12 million mutual option for ‘22 and became a free agent.
The Brewers have a closer-in-waiting, Devin Williams, who produced a 2.50 ERA in 54 innings last season before punching a wall and suffering a season-ending broken hand in a curious incident hours after the team clinched the NL Central title. Like many forward-thinking clubs, Milwaukee also has been successful in generating low-cost relievers. A trade of Hader, though, would put the team in a less competitive position, at least short-term.
The issue is timing, the likelihood that the longer the Brewers keep Hader, the less they would get in return, assuming he stays healthy. Even if the Brewers are willing to pay Hader $10 million in 2022, what would be their appetite for keeping him in ’23, when his salary again would spike in arbitration? And what would be their appetite for getting only a draft pick in return if he departed as a free agent, or maybe not even that if the qualifying-offer system is eliminated in the next collective-bargaining agreement?
Such concerns are more acute for low-revenue teams than high-revenue clubs. And the decisions become that much more difficult with players are as dominant as Hader.
No comments:
Post a Comment