A Hot Stove Recap Before the Winter Meetings
The Hot Stove has been boiling the past few days. With a total of seven All-Stars on the move, it looks like the annual Winter Meetings, set to commence on December 10th in Las Vegas, are going to be turning up the heat even more. Let’s look at some of the week’s most notable moves.
Mets Get Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano
In a bit of a shocker, the New York Mets, who had a sub-.500 record last season, decided to make a splash by trading for two All-Stars from Seattle. In return, the rebuilding Mariners were able to snag top prospects Jarred Kelenic (OF) and Justin Dunn (RHP). However, they were also forced to swallow Jay Bruce’s large contract, and pay half of the remainder of Cano’s megadeal.
For the Amazin’s, this is certainly a high-risk first move by new General Manager Brodie van Wagenen. Cano is overpaid and 36, while Diaz – as great as he has been – still doesn’t have as much value as a starter or position player. Couple that with the removal of two of the team’s top prospects, and it’s fair for fans to be a bit miffed by the trade. With that being said, the upside is also worth a mention.
When healthy, Cano has produced like one of the top second basemen in the game. Last season, Robbie hit over .300 in 80+ games, despite a PED suspension. He assuaged fears of a post-PED / age-appropriate regression by mashing to a .345 average over the season’s final 28 games. Over the course of his time in Seattle, the lefty hit .296 while averaging 21 homers and maintaining an OBP of .353. He will most likely be an albatross by the end of his deal, but for now, Cano remains a high-level producer.
Edwin Diaz is the young prize for the Mets. At just 24, he already has over 100 saves to his name, accompanied by a tidy 2.64 career ERA. Last season was even more dominant than usual. On his way to being crowned the AL’s best reliever, Diaz lowered his ERA to 1.96, raised his strikeout totals by 35, and saved a
Seattle was able to kickstart their rebuild by getting the promising duo of Kelenic, a smooth-swinging outfielder, and Dunn, a hard throwing right hander. While those two are certainly prized commodities, the same can’t be said for the other pieces heading to Seattle. Jay Bruce is set to make 26 million over the next two years while Swarzak will cost the Mariners an additional $7M. Dumping half of Cano’s salary – potentially over $120 million through his age-40 season – still means the money still works out in Seattle’s favor, but the contracts coming back are not cheap for the production they’ll deliver.
Mets: B
Seattle: C+
Jean Segura heads to Philly
Last season, the well-traveled Segura found his way to a second career All-Star Game, boosted by Mariners fans who pushed him in as the Final Vote. Now, they’ll have to cheer him on elsewhere as the shortstop heads to the National League, where the young and hungry Phillies will welcome his clutch table-setting abilities. For a squad that has a ton of power, getting someone on base was an issue all year, making this deal even more important. In a division that has made plenty of noise this offseason (well, maybe not the Marlins), the need to keep up was critical, and Philadelphia now has one of the better looking lineups in the Senior Circuit. One Bryce Harper or Manny Machado-sized addition would probably make them NL East favorites.
Another factor in the deal was moving lefty reliever James Pazos to Philly in addition to Segura. Pazos has pitched over 100 innings in Seattle, with an ERA of 3.39 to boot. Although he doesn’t generate many whiffs, his ground ball pitching style could serve him well in Citizens Bank.
For Seattle, the trade feels a bit uninspiring, maybe due to what they had to take back. The positive: J.P. Crawford is a solid young player. Despite having struggles over the past two seasons in the majors, there was a reason he was Philly’s best prospect for so many years. With a phenomenal glove and plenty of room to grow, the young shortstop could develop into a good player in Seattle, maybe even a great one. However, being forced to take on Carlos Santana’s deal makes little sense. Already being forced to foot the bill on Jay Bruce, Seattle is now stuck with yet another mediocre and overpaid DH-type on a team lacking versatility. Although winning obviously isn’t a high priority for them right now, the financials that Seattle is now taking on in their deals significantly minimizes the impact of ridding themselves from Cano, at least for the next two years, all while ridding themselves of a star still in his 20’s.
Phillies: A
Mariners: C-
Patrick Corbin Signs With the Nats for S140 Million
We here at Off the Bench, just like almost everyone else, did not see this coming. The industry favorite in the Corbin sweepstakes was the New York Yankees, while the Phillies remained an alluring dark horse. Nobody pegged the Nationals – who will most likely be without the services of Bryce Harper next season – to aggressively make a move to bolster the one solid component already on the roster: starting pitching.
Not only was it the team, but also the money. New York was said to have offered a contract of about 5 years and $100 million. When they refused to budge any further, Corbin then elected to head to the nation’s capital. It is certainly worth noting that both the Phillies and Yankees, arguably the two teams expected to be the most active in free agency, didn’t deem Corbin worthy of a deal that high. This makes one wonder whether payroll constraint or Corbin’s future potential held them from going higher in their contract talks with the lefty.
Despite future payroll constraint, the deal has to be considered a major upgrade for the Nats. They now boast three All-Stars at the top of their rotation in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Corbin. In addition, the move may go a long way in convincing Bryce Harper to stay. With that being said, the Nats may have also decreased their chances at bringing back the slugger due to Corbin’s high price tag. Regardless, at the very minimum, the team has positioned itself pretty well for life without Bryce, erasing any doubt over whether the team would turn into a bottom feeder come 2019. In the wide-open but highly competitive NL East, this was a move Washington had to make in order to keep pace.
Nats: B+
Paul Goldschmidt Heads to the Cardinals
It feels like Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak has been waiting to pull the trigger on a big move for quite some time. Last winter, the club entered bidding with the Giants on building a trade package to nab reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, only to have the slugger turn both down via no trade clause on his way to the Yankees. Rumors about Manny Machado also materialized here and there but nothing ever came of it. Now, St. Louis finally has their man, nabbing six-time All Star first baseman Goldschmidt from Arizona.
As a D-back, Goldy was phenomenal. Now 31, some cracks in the armor are beginning to show. Despite knocking over thirty home runs, Goldschmidt saw decreases in his OPS, batting average, and total walks. Despite the downturn, he still managed to post another All-Star season, with a WAR over 5. It is clear that the Cardinals needed another slugger to pair with Marcell Ozuna in order to get back to the playoffs, and the club finally has their man. This trade’s grade goes up significantly if they manage to sign Goldschmidt beyond this season.
Heading back to St. Louis in the deal are pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, and infielder Andy Young. While Young is a throw-in, the other two have serious potential. Kelly entered last season as the
In the end, Arizona knew that it had to get rid of Goldschmidt. While they definitely didn’t fleece the Cardinals, they basically got fair value for a 31 year old on the last year of his deal. St. Louis was able to nab the big bat it needed as well, making this a rare win-win trade.
Cardinals: B (assuming extension is signed)
Diamondbacks: B-
Red Sox Bring Back Nathan Eovaldi
If there was a breakout star of last year’s postseason – sorry, Steve Pearce – then the choice has to be Nathan Eovaldi. Acquired midseason from the Rays, the 28-year old right hander was a solid get for the Sox, pitching to a 3.33 ERA with Boston over twelve appearances. However, in the Fall Classic, he really proved his worth. After pitching two innings of relief over the previous two games (another added factor in his value is the versatility Eovaldi can provide as a starter and reliever), he went out for six innings in an 18-inning Game 3 classic at Dodger Stadium. Although he eventually gave up a solo shot to Max Muncy and was handed a loss, virtually everyone praised his performance in defeat.
With all that being said, it would appear that the market for Nasty Nate would be filled with pitching-starved contenders. When on his top game, Eovaldi is capable of dialing up the fastball to speeds in the triple digits, something he displayed frequently in October. Ultimately, the Red Sox won out and brought him back on a four-year deal.
A major reason for this may be because of Eovaldi’s extensive injury history. Having undergone two Tommy John surgeries, including one in 2016 that kept him sidelined for almost two years, it is fair to say that plenty of teams were scared of making a large financial commitment to a guy many around the league view as a ticking time bomb. However, there has never been a budget Dave Dombrowski has adhered to, and baseball’s largest payroll got a bit bigger by luring the flamethrower back to Beantown.
If he had a clean track record when it comes to injuries, it is reasonable to think that Eovaldi could have commanded more money than every pitcher outside of Patrick Corbin. However, the reality of his injuries makes it hard for anyone to shell out that kind of cash. With initial reports saying that his annual value is around $17 million, Eovaldi certainly won’t be making pennies. This is a deal that will look great should the trips to the DL be few and far between. But ignoring the reality of past surgeries would be foolish on a lengthy financial commitment of this magnitude, and it prevents the Red Sox from getting a high grade.
Red Sox: B
-Bryan Armetta
