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Top 50 Free Agents Chat With Tim Dierkes
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Tim Dierkes
10:01
After a month of hard work by me, Steve Adams, Jeff Todd, and Connor Byrne, our top 50 free agents list was published last night!
10:02
For those wondering about the prediction contest for readers, I'll open it up right after the chat today.
Darren
10:03
Is there a team that is likely to try and acquire 2+ of the top 10 starting pitchers available? Would the $$ also make logical sense?
Tim Dierkes
10:04
The Twins have the ability to do that.  They basically need to fill out their entire rotation after Jose Berrios, and they have a lot of payroll capacity.
Ally T
10:04
can the Angels sign Cole and another top free agent?
Tim Dierkes
10:04
Depends on what you mean by top.   Could they sign Cole as well as one of Rendon/Strasburg?  I find that highly unlikely.
joe girardi
10:04
who am i getting this winter? i need pitching but i also need a 3rd baseman.
Tim Dierkes
10:06
I suppose Segura or Kingery could go to 3B for the Phillies, but certainly they are a possibility for any of the FA 3B out there.  I'd include Rendon in that but I guess I feel a top SP is more likely.
Joe flabbergasted
10:06
Why would you not list at least one player per team? All teams will sign one of them.
Tim Dierkes
10:06
What makes you say that?  I'd have to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure that in the 14 years we've done this, it's never been true that all 30 teams signed at least one of the top 50 FA.
James
10:07
Rendon to the White Sox a reasonable possibility?
Tim Dierkes
10:08
You could move Moncada and do that, and the outlay would be less than they offered to Machado (eight years and $250MM).  I expect them to spread their money around more, but they can afford Rendon.
Steelerbravenation
10:08
Garcia, Moose, Hamels & Castro a realistic free agent splash for the Braves ????
Tim Dierkes
10:09
For the most part, yes (we predicted Moose and Hamels for them) but I wouldn't put them on Avisail Garcia following the re-signing of Markakis.
Mike
10:09
Very nice list, though i wonder: How can/will the Nats re-sign Rendon/Strasburg?
Tim Dierkes
10:10
The question is whether the Nats can handle $60MM+ in new annual commitments, and looking at their payroll, I think yes, they can.  Ultimately I wanted to make some safe choices on those two and I couldn't come up with a good reason to predict they'll be outbid on their guys.
10:11
Don't get me wrong - they could easily lose one or both - but I like them as the favorite.  Of course, it's more likely they sign one than both.
Tanner Allison
10:11
I’m thinking the angels can do a little bit better than signing wade Miley after Cole. I’m thinking Cole and wheeler
Tim Dierkes
10:11
They could do that.  That's mostly a function of where Arte Moreno wants to take his payroll, and we don't know yet.
Mozeliak
10:11
Only Waino? Donaldson or Moose not obtainable?
Tim Dierkes
10:13
I wouldn't take the prediction as a suggestion that the Cardinals will re-up Wainwright and then be done.  More that we didn't like them as a favorite on too many of the free agents.  On Donaldson, I don't believe they reached the point of making an offer last winter, so to jump them up to 3/75 for him a year later seems like a reach.  Moose is plausible enough, but they have Edman and are stuck with Carpenter, and from what I read from Mark Saxon, he didn't seem to think they're huge Moose fans (another player who was available last winter).
Rick
10:13
Thoughts about the White Sox chances of getting Grandal. Should be priority 1 in my mind
Tim Dierkes
10:13
In our discussions for our list, we thought the White Sox signing Grandal was totally plausible.  I can definitely see it.
Bart
10:14
Red Sox sign only one of top 50...do you really think they wont sign a SP ?
Tim Dierkes
10:14
I can see the Red Sox squeezing in one of the $8-10MM type starting pitchers.  I had them on Rich Hill for a while.  But I don't see them going after the big names unless they do something drastic to clear payroll (beyond just moving JBJ).
CJ
10:14
I know Starlin Castro wasn't in the Top 50, but do you see a return to the Cubs as a possibility?
Tim Dierkes
10:15
I don't think the Cubs would see much purpose in that, he's kind of a low ceiling player at this point and they can just plug Hoerner in at 2B.
Andy
10:15
Not about the free agents, more MLBTR related, but what ever happened to the MLBTR Instagram page?
Tim Dierkes
10:16
It kind of died...what's the Grandpa Simpson quote?  
That's me and Instagram.  BUT, I believe we've found someone who actually does understand it, and we're hoping to fire it back up and do some fun stuff on IG this winter.
Stavid Dearns
10:16
Why do you think that the Brewers won't go after Rich Hill? Seems like a good fit to me.
Tim Dierkes
10:17
I don't remember saying that the Brewers wouldn't go after Rich Hill.  As to the fit, sure, it's good, if Hill is interested in playing there.
Farhan
10:17
Madison may leave SF, but why would a southern guy end up in Twinkie land...they can't be the only bidder?
Tim Dierkes
10:18
The short answer would be money.  With this list we can't get into the players' heads, so if MadBum has some sort of geographic preference, we don't know it and wouldn't assume it.  As a good but not great SP with a QO attached, if a contender comes calling with $70MM+, I'd think he'd listen.  Whether the Twins are going to specifically pursue Bumgarner, I don't know.
Mike
10:18
Do you really see the Mets just adding Stammen and Nova, for a team that already has mortgaged  long term assets for this win now window?
Tim Dierkes
10:19
I agree that it's not quite bold enough for Brodie.  But even with a decent payroll increase there's not a lot of money to spend in free agency, unless he offloads someone good.  Maybe some kind of wacky trade is in the offing.
Braves fan
10:19
Can or will the Braves sign Donaldson?
Tim Dierkes
10:20
They'll surely make an attempt.  We assumed they wouldn't push to three years, but we don't know that for a fact.
Clrizzi
10:20
No f.a signing by the yankees on your list except gardner.cant be.
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