JotCast | MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: November 8, 2017

MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: November 8, 2017

Jason Martinez

4:32

Welcome to my 1st official chat of the offseason. Not much has happened yet aside from Upton's new deal with LAA. If you want to refresh your memory on how quickly things got going last year, you can see that here ... https://www.rosterresource.com/transaction-tracker-novdec-2016/

4:33

Earliest trades came on 11/3 (Maybin to LAA) and 11/4 (Neshek to PHI) and MLB deals started with Andrew Bailey, LAA (11/9) and R.A. Dickey, ATL (11/10).

4:36

So I would expect things to start heating up soon. In addition to our Free Agent Tracker at MLBTR, I'll be keeping up with the FA moves and trades at Roster Resource on this page here ... https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-offseason-2017/

Cardinals fan

4:36

Would should the cards do this offseason

Jason Martinez

4:40

They are one of the likeliest teams to pull off a multi-player trade that can really shake things up. Their biggest void is at closer but I think they want to add a power bat. I think they'd be fine if they didn't do much, but I think they (and the fans) view last season as a disappointment.

Tyler

4:40

How many (and which) relievers do you see the Astros signing?

Jason Martinez

4:43

Probably just one late-inning guy who can push Giles for the closer's job, but not necessarily given the job. Brad Hand would be ideal, but that's probably the case for many teams. They have Devenski, Musgrove, Harris and they have a lot of good arms on the way.

4:43

Any shot the Angels trade for Dee Gordon and sign Moose? What a deep lineup that would be...

Jason Martinez

4:45

I don't think they have the prospect talent to get Gordon. I think they'll sign one of the top free agents. Not sure how much they're willing to add to payroll, though. They need some starting pitching, too. Mous is an excellent fit and he's from Los Angeles.

Jon

4:46

What do you think about Braves signing Cozart to play 3rd?

Jason Martinez

4:46

I'm fine with that. Not sure Cozart would like the idea, though. They also have a really good 3B prospect in Austin Riley, who is about a year or year-and-a-half away from the Majors.

Jay

4:46

Who will be most desperate to trade for Brad Hand?

Jason Martinez

4:49

There should be a ton of interest. I'd say Dodgers, Cubs and Dbacks would be at the top of that list. Astros aren't desperate after winning the World Series, but I also think they'd aggressively pursue a guy like Hand.

Jason

4:50

What would it take to acquire Iglesias or Rivero for the Cubs?

Jason Martinez

4:53

Ian Happ, Schwarber or Almora, but Pirates/Reds might need to balance it out a bit.

4:54

Don't know if the Cubs would use one of their top trade chips to add an elite reliever with several years of club control. But I think they'd be willing trade one of those guys to upgrade their MLB roster. And they really need a closer.

Jim p

4:54

If the Yankees sign Otani, does that end CC tenure with the Yankees ?

Jason Martinez

4:55

Not necessarily. No way of knowing whether Otani would be ready to step into an MLB rotation right away. If that were to happen, they could just send Jordan Montgomery to AAA. I think Otani will be eased in by which ever team he signs with.

Julian

4:58

What do you think the dodgers will do?

Jason Martinez

5:00

I think they'll end up with an 8th inning reliever. Addison Reed could also be a target. I think they'll try to re-sign Darvish and they'll be in on Otani, but sounds like they're content with their current roster (as an NL champion should be) so I wouldn't expect too much turnover.

Nugget McGinty

5:02

If you had to guess right now, where does Stanton wind up?

Jason Martinez

5:02

I mentioned a few weeks back that the Rockies are my darkhorse pick (mostly because it would be fun if he played regularly at Coors, but also due to their deep farm system and not a lot of $ on the books). If I had to put $ on a team, though, I'd go with the Cardinals.

Michael

5:03

Who do you think the Braves should go after to be the third baseman next season?

Jason Martinez

5:04

I'd go after Moustakas, which would allow them to use Austin Riley as a trade chip with his value on the rise. If they can somehow trade Matt Kemp, Todd Frazier would be a nice fit in the cleanup spot.

Jon

5:06

What about Joe Smith to Atlanta?

Jason Martinez

5:07

Guys like Neshek, Smith, Nicasio, Shaw will fit on pretty much any team. Late-inning relievers are so valuable. It's hard to find a team that wouldn't want have a spot for a guy like that.

Robert

5:08

Do you see royals signing one or all or none at all of there big free agents

Jason Martinez

5:11

I don't think the Royals are in great shape right now and I imagine those guys might feel the same way. Even though they got their WS ring, they're all young and will want to find the best opportunity to win again. And, most importantly, this is their best chance to get paid. Don't know if KC offers either of those things right now.

Alan

5:12

Machado might be up for trade if he doesn’t sound like he’ll sign ling-term. What would the Mets have to give up in order to land him?

Jason Martinez

5:13

I think Machado goes on the trade block if the O's fall out of the pennant race during the season. Don't think it's happening this offseason. Whatever it would take to acquire him, the Mets don't have it. Farm system is bad.

Kevin

5:14

What reliever without closing experience do you expect to make the most money in FA?

Jason Martinez

5:15

Probably Bryan Shaw. A lot of guys with some closing experience (Morrow, Nicasio, Watson, Minor, McGee) will also get paid whether they close in '18 or not.

Anthony

5:16

Do you see Zack Cozart as a fit for the Padres

Jason Martinez

5:18

I do. They don't have a lot of guaranteed $ on the books so they could probably afford to give him up to $12MM per season for 2-3 years. And they're one of the few teams that can guarantee that he'll be their starting SS for the next 2 seasons. Don't think it's ideal for Cozart, who I'm sure would rather play SS on a contender, but there just aren't that many jobs available. It's really a good time to be a pitcher.

5:19

What do you think the chances of the jays trading Morales are

Jason Martinez

5:19

Almost zero. DH in his mid-30's and still owed a lot of $. Would be hard to trade him if he was coming off of a good season, which he is not.

Geejohnny

5:19

Do you think that Colome gets you Schwarber straight up?

Jason Martinez

5:21

I don't. Colome's K/9 dropped to 7.8 after having 11.3 K/9 in '16 and he was also more hittable. He's still a good closer under contract for 3 more seasons, but I don't think Cubs would do that straight up.

Ron

5:24

What uniform is Yasmani Grandal wearing in the spring?

Jason Martinez

5:25

I'm sure the Dodgers will listen to offers, but I think they'll set the price high and not budge unless someone matches that price. They're perfectly happy with 2 really good MLB catchers on their roster. They probably value depth more than any other team.

Load More Messages

Connecting…

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Jason Martinez hosts a chat