Finally! Official Hot Stove League Thread

[D-train]

I really like the LaStella signing. It's won't be great if he's starting, but as a bench piece it totally makes sense. I felt pretty similar about Adam Frazier. If either player is starting, you're probably a second division team. But the profiles of both players make much more sense for a contending team, if they're on the bench. Great move. Since this is a major league deal, it probably makes Colin Moran more of a longshot to start the year in Seattle, which is fine.

1B: France
2B: Wong
SS: JP
3B: Geno
RF: Teo
CF: Julio
LF: JK/Trammell/Marlowe
C: Cal
DH: Pollock

Backup Catcher: Tom Murphy
Backup INF: Dylan Moore
Backup INF: Tommy LaStella
Backup OF: Sam Haggerty

That's 13 position players. Assuming JK wins the left field slot, it pushes Trammell, Marlowe, and Moran to Tacoma, but of course Spring Training performance will have a lot to say about that, and injuries of course. Cooper Hummel is another one that likely starts in Tacoma. He's supposed to absolutely terrible as a catcher, so I wonder if he's actually viable as your 3rd catcher call-up guy.

Am I forgetting anyone?

Jerry has mentioned how he is excited about Hummell allowing them to DH Murph and Cal. Also he doesn't want to be in a position to have traded Lewis for a AAA player so I think he makes it.

[D-train]

I really like the LaStella signing. It's won't be great if he's starting, but as a bench piece it totally makes sense. I felt pretty similar about Adam Frazier. If either player is starting, you're probably a second division team. But the profiles of both players make much more sense for a contending team, if they're on the bench. Great move. Since this is a major league deal, it probably makes Colin Moran more of a longshot to start the year in Seattle, which is fine.

1B: France
2B: Wong
SS: JP
3B: Geno
RF: Teo
CF: Julio
LF: JK/Trammell/Marlowe
C: Cal
DH: Pollock

Backup Catcher: Tom Murphy
Backup INF: Dylan Moore
Backup INF: Tommy LaStella
Backup OF: Sam Haggerty

That's 13 position players. Assuming JK wins the left field slot, it pushes Trammell, Marlowe, and Moran to Tacoma, but of course Spring Training performance will have a lot to say about that, and injuries of course. Cooper Hummel is another one that likely starts in Tacoma. He's supposed to absolutely terrible as a catcher, so I wonder if he's actually viable as your 3rd catcher call-up guy.

Am I forgetting anyone?

This is a brilliant low key add! From 2017 to 2020 he was a .294//.358///.441 triple slash good for a .800 OPS guy from the left side. He has gap power and I could see him spot starting vs righties in the two hole.

Where exactly is he going to start??? A 78 OPS+ DH??? lol

[D-train]

Why don't we trade some pitching for Luis Arráez

No idea. We have way too much pitching but now the 26 man is full.

[Donn Beach]

I really like the LaStella signing. It's won't be great if he's starting, but as a bench piece it totally makes sense. I felt pretty similar about Adam Frazier. If either player is starting, you're probably a second division team. But the profiles of both players make much more sense for a contending team, if they're on the bench. Great move. Since this is a major league deal, it probably makes Colin Moran more of a longshot to start the year in Seattle, which is fine.

1B: France
2B: Wong
SS: JP
3B: Geno
RF: Teo
CF: Julio
LF: JK/Trammell/Marlowe
C: Cal
DH: Pollock

Backup Catcher: Tom Murphy
Backup INF: Dylan Moore
Backup INF: Tommy LaStella
Backup OF: Sam Haggerty

That's 13 position players. Assuming JK wins the left field slot, it pushes Trammell, Marlowe, and Moran to Tacoma, but of course Spring Training performance will have a lot to say about that, and injuries of course. Cooper Hummel is another one that likely starts in Tacoma. He's supposed to absolutely terrible as a catcher, so I wonder if he's actually viable as your 3rd catcher call-up guy.

Am I forgetting anyone?

This is a brilliant low key add! From 2017 to 2020 he was a .294//.358///.441 triple slash good for a .800 OPS guy from the left side. He has gap power and I could see him spot starting vs righties in the two hole.

Where exactly is he going to start??? A 78 OPS+ DH??? lol

He's the 3rd and 1st depth guy isn't he?

[D-train]

This is a brilliant low key add! From 2017 to 2020 he was a .294//.358///.441 triple slash good for a .800 OPS guy from the left side. He has gap power and I could see him spot starting vs righties in the two hole.

Where exactly is he going to start??? A 78 OPS+ DH??? lol

He's the 3rd and 1st depth guy isn't he?

Yeah, he only played 3 games at 1B. I guess he could start there vs. a tough RH pitcher to give France a day off but he isn't starting at 2B in place of Wong EVER unless Wong is hurt. Wong will get lots of rest days when LH Starters are going.

[Donn Beach]

Dipoto on projection systems like zips, mariners do their own in house

.“We really value it, particularly the projection system Fangraphs uses, which I think is among the most sophisticated in what is available on the internet,” he said. “… And fairly or unfairly, we will look at those ZiPS projections. If you look back a year ago today when our ZiPS projections came out for the 2022 season, effectively we’ve upgraded at eight positions, including the bullpen, year over year. This year the improvement was pretty significant and mostly in line with the way we projected it.”

Dipoto acknowledges there isn’t agreement everywhere, pointing out that external systems need major league performance to project major league performance. Internally they have a more complete picture.

“We’re off with a couple of guys, some guys we see more upside or potential for the season than those systems do,” he said. “We tend to use something that is a little more geared toward the player and some of the traits that player embodies, whether it is physical stuff, power, swing decisions. We tend to rely on our stuff a little more but I think the Fangraphs product is about as good as it gets in what’s available to the public.”

[Seattle or Bust]

Dipoto on projection systems like zips, mariners do their own in house

.“We really value it, particularly the projection system Fangraphs uses, which I think is among the most sophisticated in what is available on the internet,” he said. “… And fairly or unfairly, we will look at those ZiPS projections. If you look back a year ago today when our ZiPS projections came out for the 2022 season, effectively we’ve upgraded at eight positions, including the bullpen, year over year. This year the improvement was pretty significant and mostly in line with the way we projected it.”

Dipoto acknowledges there isn’t agreement everywhere, pointing out that external systems need major league performance to project major league performance. Internally they have a more complete picture.

“We’re off with a couple of guys, some guys we see more upside or potential for the season than those systems do,” he said. “We tend to use something that is a little more geared toward the player and some of the traits that player embodies, whether it is physical stuff, power, swing decisions. We tend to rely on our stuff a little more but I think the Fangraphs product is about as good as it gets in what’s available to the public.”

"Some guys we see more upside or potential for the season than those systems do."

My chief complaint with Zips.

[D-train]

Dipoto on projection systems like zips, mariners do their own in house

.“We really value it, particularly the projection system Fangraphs uses, which I think is among the most sophisticated in what is available on the internet,” he said. “… And fairly or unfairly, we will look at those ZiPS projections. If you look back a year ago today when our ZiPS projections came out for the 2022 season, effectively we’ve upgraded at eight positions, including the bullpen, year over year. This year the improvement was pretty significant and mostly in line with the way we projected it.”

Dipoto acknowledges there isn’t agreement everywhere, pointing out that external systems need major league performance to project major league performance. Internally they have a more complete picture.

“We’re off with a couple of guys, some guys we see more upside or potential for the season than those systems do,” he said. “We tend to use something that is a little more geared toward the player and some of the traits that player embodies, whether it is physical stuff, power, swing decisions. We tend to rely on our stuff a little more but I think the Fangraphs product is about as good as it gets in what’s available to the public.”

"Some guys we see more upside or potential for the season than those systems do."

My chief complaint with Zips.

Zips is highly focused on regression to the mean so they are never going project breakouts or terrible seasons. Career bests or worsts seasons or negative WAR. They literally Never project a guy to have negative WAR. It is designed to hit on aggregate team WAR which they usually luck into.

[desbcoach]

Why don't we trade some pitching for Luis Arráez

They balked at Miami pitching for him

[D-train]