Finally! Official Hot Stove League Thread

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Doubt he'll be an upgrade over healthy Mitch Haniger. Obviously they don't think paying Mitch is worth the gamble, but let's not pretend having to give up a good relief pitcher and lighten the farm system yet again in order to replace him doesn't hurt.

He is a replacement for 2021 Mitch. The concept of a healthy productive Mitch is past tense.

If Mitch stayed healthy and was a bargain there’s plenty to complain about this deal. We shall see if Teo can hit in t mobile and wants to stay and we extend him. I like the trade but if Mitch doesn’t take another one in the nuts and stays healthy we might miss him around here

[Sexymarinersfan]

Doubt he'll be an upgrade over healthy Mitch Haniger. Obviously they don't think paying Mitch is worth the gamble, but let's not pretend having to give up a good relief pitcher and lighten the farm system yet again in order to replace him doesn't hurt.

He is a replacement for 2021 Mitch. The concept of a healthy productive Mitch is past tense.

If Mitch stayed healthy and was a bargain there’s plenty to complain about this deal. We shall see if Teo can hit in t mobile and wants to stay and we extend him. I like the trade but if Mitch doesn’t take another one in the nuts and stays healthy we might miss him around here

The question isn't whether Teoscar can hit at T Mobile. The question is, can he "continue" to hit at T Mobile?

[D-train]

I get wanting Nimmo or trading for someone else. Im just curious what everyone wants to do with our surplus of outfielders nobody wants to start on our team. What are we doing with Lewis, Trammell, Kelenic and Winker. Hell throw Dylan Moore in there too. Haggerty can be utility but Thats 4-5 guys hogging payroll that nobody wants to start on our team. What do we do with them? What can we get for them?

Haggerty and Moore are not full time OFs. They are utility players. So throw them out of the equation right now. Winker has been rumored to being shopped. I can't imagine that there would be a lot of takers considering he can't field, is coming off of a horrible injury plagued year and is set to make $8M next season. At best you slot him in as you're DH in 2023. Then there's Lewis. How is that knee? Because it looked "wrecked" to me. If you aren't hitting, then you definitely can't be on this team. I'm not even sure he can play the OF anymore if we're being honest. Hoping for a full recovery, but I'm not holding my breath. Then you have Trammell and Kelenic. Both serviceable in the field, but can't hit their weight in the majors. They both look like 4th OFs to me. There's still time left for both, but how much can you give them on a contending team? The train is leaving the station and both of those boys are still stuck on the AAA platform. Might be time to pull out and make a trade. No, what Seattle needs right now, is proven MLB hitters with a track record. Teoscar is the first piece to fall of what I expect is to be a busy offseason for Dipoto.

Now if they can offload Gonzales, Flexen, and Winker, that would create some wiggle room to go out and get P Kodai Sengal, OF Masakata Yoshida, and potentially one of the Big SS like Xander Bogaerts or Trea Turner.

1.SS-Turner
2.CF-JRod
3.RF-Hernandez
4.LF-Yoshida
5.1B-France
6.C-Raleigh
7.3B-Suarez
8.DH-??(Haniger)
9.2B-Crawford

You still have a hole at DH if you trade Winker. So a potential return for Haniger coming back to play the OF part time isn't quite out of the cards.

Ace-Kirby
P-Castillo
P-Gilbert
P-Ray
P-Sengal

I know a lot of you are like wait what?! Castillo is our Ace! Just calling it like I see it. The M's will no doubt roll out with Castillo as our opening day starter and be touted as our current Ace. But I think when it's all said and done, Kirby will be above all the rest. Might find some takers on Ray's contract when Emerson gets closer to being ready.

I got one right in the Teoscar trade! Woo!

Great post Ben!!!!!

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Yoshida solves the lefty for the lineup

[Sexymarinersfan]

I get wanting Nimmo or trading for someone else. Im just curious what everyone wants to do with our surplus of outfielders nobody wants to start on our team. What are we doing with Lewis, Trammell, Kelenic and Winker. Hell throw Dylan Moore in there too. Haggerty can be utility but Thats 4-5 guys hogging payroll that nobody wants to start on our team. What do we do with them? What can we get for them?

Haggerty and Moore are not full time OFs. They are utility players. So throw them out of the equation right now. Winker has been rumored to being shopped. I can't imagine that there would be a lot of takers considering he can't field, is coming off of a horrible injury plagued year and is set to make $8M next season. At best you slot him in as you're DH in 2023. Then there's Lewis. How is that knee? Because it looked "wrecked" to me. If you aren't hitting, then you definitely can't be on this team. I'm not even sure he can play the OF anymore if we're being honest. Hoping for a full recovery, but I'm not holding my breath. Then you have Trammell and Kelenic. Both serviceable in the field, but can't hit their weight in the majors. They both look like 4th OFs to me. There's still time left for both, but how much can you give them on a contending team? The train is leaving the station and both of those boys are still stuck on the AAA platform. Might be time to pull out and make a trade. No, what Seattle needs right now, is proven MLB hitters with a track record. Teoscar is the first piece to fall of what I expect is to be a busy offseason for Dipoto.

Now if they can offload Gonzales, Flexen, and Winker, that would create some wiggle room to go out and get P Kodai Sengal, OF Masakata Yoshida, and potentially one of the Big SS like Xander Bogaerts or Trea Turner.

1.SS-Turner
2.CF-JRod
3.RF-Hernandez
4.LF-Yoshida
5.1B-France
6.C-Raleigh
7.3B-Suarez
8.DH-??(Haniger)
9.2B-Crawford

You still have a hole at DH if you trade Winker. So a potential return for Haniger coming back to play the OF part time isn't quite out of the cards.

Ace-Kirby
P-Castillo
P-Gilbert
P-Ray
P-Sengal

I know a lot of you are like wait what?! Castillo is our Ace! Just calling it like I see it. The M's will no doubt roll out with Castillo as our opening day starter and be touted as our current Ace. But I think when it's all said and done, Kirby will be above all the rest. Might find some takers on Ray's contract when Emerson gets closer to being ready.

I got one right in the Teoscar trade! Woo!

Great post Ben!!!!!

Thanks DT! Just my two cents for what it's worth.

[Pharmabro]

I get wanting Nimmo or trading for someone else. Im just curious what everyone wants to do with our surplus of outfielders nobody wants to start on our team. What are we doing with Lewis, Trammell, Kelenic and Winker. Hell throw Dylan Moore in there too. Haggerty can be utility but Thats 4-5 guys hogging payroll that nobody wants to start on our team. What do we do with them? What can we get for them?

DFA Lewis, Trammell in AAA, JK and Winker traded. Moore as Super UT, Sam as 4th OFer. Any other questions?

Nope:
Moore and Sam are super utilities

Winker is likely traded

JK, TT, Lewis, are all competing to be depth. They may be put into a trade or not.

Hogging payroll? Winker is the only guy that gets paid at all. Moore is a couple of million for a couple of WAR.

[D-train]

I get wanting Nimmo or trading for someone else. Im just curious what everyone wants to do with our surplus of outfielders nobody wants to start on our team. What are we doing with Lewis, Trammell, Kelenic and Winker. Hell throw Dylan Moore in there too. Haggerty can be utility but Thats 4-5 guys hogging payroll that nobody wants to start on our team. What do we do with them? What can we get for them?

DFA Lewis, Trammell in AAA, JK and Winker traded. Moore as Super UT, Sam as 4th OFer. Any other questions?

Nope:
Moore and Sam are super utilities

Winker is likely traded

JK, TT, Lewis, are all competing to be depth. They may be put into a trade or not.

Hogging payroll? Winker is the only guy that gets paid at all. Moore is a couple of million for a couple of WAR.

How many games did Super UT start in the INF this season? Hint: Starts with a "O" and rhymes with won.

[Big_Maple]

So Hollander missed the Rookie of the Year awards, purportedly because he was working on a trade/deal. How many of you think the Teoscar Hernandez was that trade? I mean it wasn't a blockbuster. It wasn't even all that nuanced or complicated.

I guess my question is "do you all think this was a primer trade, and a much bigger and bolder one is coming down the pike?" Or is this it? This is why the GM missed the ROY awards...?

[Sexymarinersfan]

So Hollander missed the Rookie of the Year awards, purportedly because he was working on a trade/deal. How many of you think the Teoscar Hernandez was that trade? I mean it wasn't a blockbuster. It wasn't even all that nuanced or complicated.

I guess my question is "do you all think this was a primer trade, and a much bigger and bolder one is coming down the pike?" Or is this it? This is why the GM missed the ROY awards...?

If this is all the M's do, you can bet you're ass we'll be pissed!

[D-train]

That was my point. The bar for 4th outfielder in MLB is pretty low. You're basically hoping to get a replacement level player that has some useful skills that can help you win here and there. Maybe think of it as "replacement plus" or something. That's sort of where I see Tapia. He's not good really, but he's probably useful enough in a bench role to get another year of ML service time in 2023.

We have Sam, Moore, TT, JK and Marlowe as 4th+ OF options. We certainly don't need another of Tapia's ilk.

I wasn't suggesting the Mariners pick him up. I just thought it was notable that the Jays let him go. He got 433 plate appearances last year, so was nearly a full time player, and his BA, at .265, was above average. I'm guessing it was a money thing, that he must have projected to make enough in arbitration that they didn't feel like he was worth it, so by letting him go they avoid that cost, presumably $4 million or more, maybe $5 million. And then we see with the Teoscar trade that the Jays are shedding $12 million while only taking back whatever Swanson will get in return. But I'm curious what the Jays are going to do next, if the money shuffling is simply reallocating payroll or if they're planning to go big via trade or free agency. They really need a left-handed hitter. I could have easily seen Trammell or Kelenic included in the Teoscar deal.

0.3 WAR trumps his .265 BA.

I was literally praying it was JK to see the meltdown and to never have to see another, He's still young, he just needs to "figure it out", "he is way too talented!" tweet.