The 2013 MLB Random Thoughts Thread

SoulController

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Almighty Garden State
rumor mill in Philly says Utley about to sign a 3 year 45M extension :laff:

why not trade him and do this in the offseason? A's only want to rent him, dumb ass team
 
THASTUNNA

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The War Report said:
29944018ed2fae3b01938320f5fd5fe4_large


:merchant:
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:sadcam::damn:
 
PTBG

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6:56pm: ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Cubs are likely to receive a lower-level pitching prospect for Soriano and that they will eat the majority of the money remaining on Soriano's contract. The two sides are waiting for the formal waiving of Soriano's no-trade clause (Twitter links).

6:33pm: Alfonso Soriano has been scratched from the Cubs' lineup tonight because he is close to being traded to the Yankees, Cubs manager Dale Sveum confirmed to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Sullivan adds that Sveum referred to the trade as "99 percent done."

Reports of a Soriano deal between the Yankees and Cubs first surfaced earlier this week, but general manager Jed Hoyer shot them down, calling them "premature." This time, however, Cubs president Theo Epstein has told Sveum that a deal is nearly complete, as noted by MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Soriano, who can refuse any trade due to a full no-trade clause (he's also a 10-and-5 player at this point), confirmed yesterday that he would be open to joining the Yankees.

Soriano, 37, would be joining the team with which he broke into the Major Leagues back in 1999. The Dominican native played with the Bombers from 1999-2003 before being traded to the Rangers along with Joaquin Arias for Alex Rodriguez. In 383 plate appearances for the Cubs this season, Soriano is batting .254/.287/.467 with 17 home runs.
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:laff: How much :flabbynsick: and old Yank's trying to get?
The Rangers are already in the market for a hitter with eyes on Alex Rios, Hunter Pence and Kendrys Morales, but they may need more help than they originally thought. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that injured designated hitter Lance Berkman has considered shutting himself down for the rest of the season and possibly even retiring due to concerns over his surgically repaired right knee.

Berkman, 37, is currently on the disabled list with hip inflammation, but Grant reports that an inability to extend the right knee on which he has twice had surgery has been bothering him longer than his hip. Grant spoke to Berkman directly:

“I’ve definitely thought about it,” Berkman said of shutting down for the remainder of the season. “But I haven’t reached any final decisions on it. Hopefully I’ll do the best that I can and help the team. It could also depend on what the team’s needs are. This is an uncertain time of the year for everybody.”

Berkman was eligible to come of the disabled list on Monday but just began running on Wednesday, Grant reports. If he does sit out the remainder of the season, the two sides could work out an agreement in which Texas would only pay him a portion of the remaining $4.5MM on his contract in order to provide more payroll flexibility in trades.

Berkman signed with the Rangers this offseason on a one-year, $10MM contract that contains a $13MM vesting option for 2014. The option vests at 550 plate appearances, which Berkman will now surely not reach. In 282 trips to the plate this season, he's batted .254/.355/.377 with six homers. Injuries have limited him to just 100 games since the start of the 2012 season.
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PTBG

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The Braves could become a wild card in the Peavy sweepstakes, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirms. The current frontrunners for Peavy appear to be the A's, Cardinals and Red Sox at this time, adds Heyman.
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The Phillies will listen to offers on starting pitcher Cliff Lee, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports. It doesn't sound like GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is in any rush to move Lee, however. "Although we don't have any desire to move a guy like that because we view him as someone who will be key to our future, I am a businessperson as well and I'll be a good listener," Amaro says.

If the Phillies were to become more receptive to moving Lee, it would mark a dramatic change in the trade market for starting pitching. With the Cubs having found a new home for Matt Garza in Texas, some of the top potential trade targets remaining include Jake Peavy, Ervin Santana, Bud Norris and Yovani Gallardo, and it's far from certain that all those players will be dealt.

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes (via Twitter) that Lee has been scratched from his start on Saturday due to a stiff neck. That's another story line to watch as we approach the trade deadline next week.

As Crasnick suggests, Lee's contract will be an obstacle for potential suitors, particularly those with smaller payrolls. Lee has a salary of $25MM this season, and is owed $25MM per season for both 2014 and 2015. He has a $27.5MM club option for 2016 with a $12.5MM buyout. He has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to decline trades to 21 teams. Lee, 34, has a 3.05 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this season.

The Phillies have lost five in a row, and their chances of making the playoffs are remote -- they're eight games back in the NL East, and 9.5 games back in the NL Wild Card chase. But Amaro still sounds noncommital about selling at the deadline, even if he's potentially open to it. "I can't sit here and say I'm not going to trade Chase (Utley), or Cliff, or Michael Young or Chooch (Carlos Ruiz), or any of these guys," he says. "Some guys are less tradeable than others. But I think I owe it to us as an organization to listen."
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:russ: Remember those Cliff Lee trade rumor sweepstakes 2-3 years ago?
 
HHR

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Before tonight, the Phillies record for an international signing was $2M.

They just signed Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez to a 6-year deal worth $50M+

:merchant:
 
HHR

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The War Report said:
He better be Matt Harvey good. :what:
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Checking a few scouts I respect on Twitter....he's a mid-rotation guy....some see him as a late-inning reliever.

It looks like a crazy contract, but a player doesn't need to be THAT good to earn ~$8.6M a season. If he's worth 2 wins, the Phillies "win"
 
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