Winter Meetings Thread

[Bil522]

That also means Nico Hoerner will probably be off the table now too, I believe they could have moved Parades or Hoerner and been fine with their depth but not both.

I'm guessing they asked for one of our younger starters. So do we roll the dice on Hyeseong Kim?

Can someone please explain to me the allure of that little midget?

Bro is going to hang a .300 slugging % in the majors.

Stay the hell away from him.

A long time ago, that is what they said about the midget from Houston too

[Bil522]

Well Parades is now an Astro. Unfortunately, we did not get Kyle Tucker...the Cubs did

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/ ... ucker.html

It sucks ownership won’t do anything cause we finally have a chance to take down the Astros. Especially if they lose Bregman as well

The are obviously not going to retain Bregman. Parades is a 3B

They need 1b as well unless they plan on running out Singleton again and Parades has over 400 MLB games there.

[D-train]

I'm guessing they asked for one of our younger starters. So do we roll the dice on Hyeseong Kim?

Can someone please explain to me the allure of that little midget?

Bro is going to hang a .300 slugging % in the majors.

Stay the hell away from him.

Agreed. His only asset is that he's 24. So maybe Ha-Seong Kim, then? He's 29, and his numbers shouldn't really drop going from San Diego to Seattle.

Funny how those two guys almost have the same exact name. I'm guessing that in Korea nobody in a crowd ever yells "Hey, Mr. Kim!"

There was a guy on my HS Tennis team name Young Kim. I guess that is how people will tell those two apart, Young Kim and Old Kim....

[D-train]

[Seattle or Bust]

I'm guessing they asked for one of our younger starters. So do we roll the dice on Hyeseong Kim?

Can someone please explain to me the allure of that little midget?

Bro is going to hang a .300 slugging % in the majors.

Stay the hell away from him.

A long time ago, that is what they said about the midget from Houston too

The difference being that Houston was horrible when Altuve debuted and he was free to play.

He also had hung a 1.017 OPS in AA as a 21 year old.

You think Kim and his slappy-ass approach is gonna be Altuve? Please, go on record.

[D-train]

By Adam Jude
Seattle Times staff reporter
As prices for high-end starting pitchers have swelled this week, the Mariners have received an increasing number of calls from other teams interested in veteran starter Luis Castillo.

Discussions about a potential trade have not advanced beyond the “exploratory” stage, a source with knowledge of the situation said, but the Mariners have been willing to listen on Castillo.

The Mariners appear to be well-positioned to take advantage of market demands for pitching, and Castillo’s contract — $72 million over the next three years — could make him an attractive alternative for clubs seeking a proven arm.

Column Skeptical the Mariners will make a splash this winter? It’s warranted.
Castillo, who turned 32 on Thursday, does have a full no-trade clause through 2025, which could represent a hurdle in any trade. The Mariners have notified Castillo about the possibility of a trade, MLB.com reported.

Since the end of the season, Mariners executives Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander have been consistent in their public comments about the team’s starting pitchers. They would rather not trade any of them, and Dipoto called that possibility “Plan Z” this offseason.

But the rising market for pitchers — coupled with the Mariners’ need for offensive upgrades — makes a trade of a Seattle starter more likely now.

Notably, free-agent left-hander Max Fried, 30, agreed this week to an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees. That leaves Corbin Burnes, 30, as the last remaining ace available in the market, and Burnes is expected to top Fried’s deal in ongoing negotiations with the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays, among others, per reports.

Other veteran pitchers — Blake Snell (seven years, $182M), Nathan Eovaldi (three years, $75M), Luis Severino (three years, $67M) and Yusei Kikuchi (three years, $63M) — have signed deals above industry expectations.

Aaron Boone on the Yankees' offseason plans

The Boston Red Sox have been persistent in their pursuit of a Mariners starter, a source said, even after the Red Sox traded four prospects to the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.

Earlier this offseason, the Mariners shot down a one-for-one offer that would have sent one of Seattle’s young starters, Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, to Boston for 24-year-old first baseman Triston Casas.

The Mariners have had free-agent first baseman Christian Walker atop their wish list since the start of the offseason.

The 34-year-old Walker has a 123 OPS+ with 95 homers and three NL Gold Gloves over the past three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he is expected to sign a free-agent deal that would currently be beyond the Mariners’ budget.

Industry projections expect Walker to sign a multi-year deal with an annual value between $20 million to $25 million.

As things stand, Mariners have about $15 million available in their 2025 budget, sources have told The Times.

If the Mariners traded Castillo, though, that would free up his $22.75 million salary for 2025, pushing the Mariners’ payroll space to roughly $38 million.

That, in turn, could allow the Mariners to target two of their most coveted hitters: Walker and Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.

Dominoes would have to fall just right for all of that to align for the Mariners. Could it work?

The Mariners and Cubs have had discussions this offseason about alignment on various deals, and the Cubs have expressed interest in Castillo, a source said.

Hoerner, 28, is owed $11.5 million for 2025 and $12 million for 2026.

It is not clear how the Cubs’ blockbuster trade for Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker, as ESPN reported Friday, could affect any possible deal between the Cubs and Mariners.

But the numbers would conceivably work for Seattle’s budget with Hoerner slotted in at $11.5 million and Walker signing for something in the neighborhood of $25 million per year.

Walker’s interest in the Mariners is not known. The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals are other teams reportedly interested in signing Walker.

Any potential trade of a starting pitcher would likely be independent of the Mariners’ pursuit of Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, who will generate robust interest from virtually every major-league team.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said the 23-year-old right-hander won’t sign until after Jan. 15, when MLB’s new international signing period begins. As an international amateur, Sasaki is only eligible to sign under bonus-pool limits.

Sasaki’s intentions aren’t known, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are widely viewed as the favorites to sign him. The Mariners are considered a long-shot.

[Seattle or Bust]

I like Walker... don't like the idea of handing him a massive contract at this stage in his career.

M's will cut Haniger/Garver loose following next season and be free of $30 million. Do we want to give all of that to Walker considering the clear budget restraints?

[bpj]

I like Walker... don't like the idea of handing him a massive contract at this stage in his career.

M's will cut Haniger/Garver loose following next season and be free of $30 million. Do we want to give all of that to Walker considering the clear budget restraints?

Not when a move for Triston Casas clears $60+ million off the books (Castillo) to sign additional players with.

[Donn Beach]

the Red Sox attempted to strike a deal with the Seattle Mariners, offering up their hitting star Triston Casas. However, the Mariners, known for their rotation of young arms, declined the alluring proposal. As MLB insider Peter Gammons revealed, “Casas is born to hit in Fenway. Craig Breslow worked hard with Seattle, but they were not interested in Casas in their park. Ball doesn’t travel. Hitting background tough.”

https://motorcyclesports.net/mariners-d ... eir-squad/

[Donn Beach]

Kinda interesting, Mike Elies, the orioles gm being characterized along the lines of what some think of dipoto. Refusing to spend money offered by the owner because he wants to build a team the antithesis of the Yankees or dodgers approach

https://pitcherlist.com/orioles-gm-unwi ... rom-owner/