Finally! Official Hot Stove League Thread

[Donn Beach]

So in January it seems doubtful he gets to play in the WBC

. Ronald Acuña Jr. said he wanted to play in the WBC for his native Venezuela, but that doctors and training staff decided “that’s probably not going to happen” (said through interpreter).
He looked good and sounded upbeat today, said he’s healthy and ready to have a big season

But that changed Wednesday when the Braves cleared him to play

After his knee soreness in 2022, Acuña was not expected to participate this year, but the Braves gave him the green light on Wednesday.

And he responds two days later by demanding a trade, okay

[Donn Beach]

From a WBC preview, didn't know any of that

10. Great Britain’s big baseball year

This could be the biggest year for baseball in Great Britain since 1749 — when the sport was invented near London, according to author and researcher David Block. (It’s true: Baseball is a British sport. You can look it up.)

Great Britain will make its Classic debut after winning a qualifying tournament last September in which Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford played a starring role. Ford, an Atlanta native whose parents were born in the United Kingdom, ranks among the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects in the sport; he batted .455 with three home runs in the qualifier.

Ford, 19, is on the roster again this spring, along with Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson. Great Britain is managed by California native Drew Spencer, a Dartmouth College graduate whose first Classic game will be against Team USA on March 11.

The Classic should generate even more excitement for baseball in the United Kingdom, ahead of the second MLB London Series in June between the Cardinals and Cubs.

Great Britain is arriving to its first WBC with the tournament at its competitive zenith. The margin for error is almost nonexistent – as it is for all 20 teams.

[D-train]

From a WBC preview, didn't know any of that

10. Great Britain’s big baseball year

This could be the biggest year for baseball in Great Britain since 1749 — when the sport was invented near London, according to author and researcher David Block. (It’s true: Baseball is a British sport. You can look it up.)

Great Britain will make its Classic debut after winning a qualifying tournament last September in which Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford played a starring role. Ford, an Atlanta native whose parents were born in the United Kingdom, ranks among the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects in the sport; he batted .455 with three home runs in the qualifier.

Ford, 19, is on the roster again this spring, along with Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson. Great Britain is managed by California native Drew Spencer, a Dartmouth College graduate whose first Classic game will be against Team USA on March 11.

The Classic should generate even more excitement for baseball in the United Kingdom, ahead of the second MLB London Series in June between the Cardinals and Cubs.

Great Britain is arriving to its first WBC with the tournament at its competitive zenith. The margin for error is almost nonexistent – as it is for all 20 teams.

Yep Great Britain now has a new and improved Prince Harry.....

[GL_Storm]

I posted about Acuna a couple of months ago. The guy that I was linking to on twitter claimed to have an actual source and so even though the team came out and immediately squashed any talk that they were seeking a trade, my take on it was that we should all stand by because where there's smoke there's fire.

One of the arguments against an Acuna trade is that his contract is pretty reasonable. But to me, the contract makes it MORE likely he'll be dealt. One possibility I wondered about at the time was the Yankees, especially if they failed to sign Judge. I still think that's a possibility, but not as much with Judge signed long term. However, Boston would make sense, having just lost Bogaerts, but at the same time it's impossible to know what anyone connected with that franchise is thinking. Other possibilities in my mind: Texas, Detroit, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, and San Francisco.

[Donn Beach]

Old news and no big deal but just wow, Gurriel sat on a $2 mil offer? There is a situation where his agent didn't seem to do him any favours. They didn't at least counter?

According to Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Miami had made Gurriel a one-year offer worth a bit more than $2MM this winter. After a week without getting a definitive response from the former batting champion’s camp, the Fish took that proposal off the table.

Gurriel was reportedly seeking a deal in the $3MM range at one point

[Donn Beach]

Dbacks sign Chafin to what seems like a pretty good deal, a year at $5.5 mil.

MLBTR ranked Chafin 39th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected the left-hander for a two-year, $18MM deal

[D-train]

Pecota has us winning 83 games and missing the playoffs.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

[GL_Storm]

[ddraig]

Pecota has us winning 83 games and missing the playoffs.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

Not really surprised. We stand relatively pat while the rest of the division except the Athletics improve. We'll be lucky to win the same number of games against them this season.

[bpj]

Pecota has us winning 83 games and missing the playoffs.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

It's a shame.

Only needed upgrades at LF, DH and #5SP and they did none of the above.