The New York Mets and right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga agreed on a five-year, $75 million deal that sends him from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. Senga, 29, wasn’t posted by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and triggered an opt-out in his contract to become a free agent. He was therefore not subject to the MLB-NPB posting system. The system has brought many Japanese...
I was taking a look at a month old post from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who enlisted the services of one unbiased agent and one unbiased GM to put together their free agent predictions for this 2013-2014 offseason. I was curious to see where they had LaTroy Hawkins, Marlon Byrd and Josh Johnson pegged and surprising all three signed for far less than what many expected. Here is what they came up...
Tom Verducci wrote an excellent analysis of the starting pitching market this offseason in an article for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. The longtime sports editor determined that the free agent market is loaded with pitchers that are the “baseball versions of a ’61 Corvette — only in poor condition.” The pool of 30-plus starters includes four former Cy Young Award...
On Monday, qualifying offers were turned down by all 13 free agents who received them from their former teams. Each of these free agents was offered a one-year deal for $14.1 million. New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson interpreted the turndowns as an indicator a bull market is possible. “That ought to tell you a little bit about their expectations,” he said. If a player who turned down...
Dennis asks… What’s the deal with these qualifying offers? Will we be able to go after those guys? Do you think there’s any chance that we could sign Beltran and Ellsbury and play them in left and right with Lagares in center? Joe D. replies… We posted about the players who received qualifying offers here. But basically it’s 13 players whose teams gave them a...
Sandy Alderson told Mike Puma of the New York Post that forfeiting their second round pick will not keep them from signing a free agent who was extended a qualifying offer. Earlier this evening, Puma reported that the Mets front office deliberated over the draft pick compensation issue. The deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers came and went on Monday and the following 13 free agents...
As over a dozen of our writers get ready to release our MMO Top 12 Free Agent Predictions on Tuesday, I got this email from XtreemIcon which led to an interesting debate that makes for a great segue into tomorrow. Xtreem – Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors predicts that the Mets will sign Curtis Granderson, Stephen Drew, Bronson Arroyo and Roy Halladay to free-agent contracts this winter....
What a difference three days makes… The Giants and right-hander Tim Lincecum agreed to a two-year, $35 million deal Tuesday, pending a physical. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was days away from becoming a free agent for the first time, but the Giants were able to get a deal done before that could happen. Lincecum, 29, is 89-70 in seven seasons with the Giants with a 3.46 ERA....
Sounds so easy, don’t it? Just revolutionize a 40-year institution. Look, the bottom line is this: free agency is dying a slow death, anyway. Each year the class gets thinner and thinner because teams are locking up their young studs early and buying out their prime years so that the players that do eventually hit the market are all on the wrong side of 30 or middling, non-impact players, and...
Masahiro Tanaka made history last night, winning his 24th straight game this season without a loss. In the process, Tanaka led his team to their first Pacific League Championship since their establishment in 2005. What an amazing season, going 24-0 with one save… That’s sick! Joe D. Original Post 10/7 I’m big on international signings — because in some cases, you get to add a new...
Sometimes, reality can be such a damn bitch… I read Joel Sherman’s interview with Hal Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, in which he discusses the decision to get their payroll under $189 million. What really stood out at me was his response to whether this was a soft goal or a mandate. “It is something to shoot for, but not at the expense of having a championship-caliber...
The upcoming off-season is when many Mets fans expect to see action with regard to shaping this roster for a competitive season. We’ve been through the trades that needed to be made, we’ve been through the free agents that couldn’t be signed, and we’ve been through the contracts that had to come off the books. The farm looks healthy-ish, and now it’s time to prove that...
