The official Hot Stove League Thread 2025-26 Offseason

[Captain 97]

Compare Dustin Pedroia's age 22 season with Cole Young's age 21 season:

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/TEdEi

It's a longshot that Young will have a Pedroia career but anything is possible.

I am curious about the difference in Defensive evaluation between Stathead and Fangraphs. This has Young as a positive defensive palyer. Fangraphs has him as the second worse 2nd baseman in the game.

[Seattle or Bust]

Only 98 PA sample for Pedroia. Jose Ramirez age 21 season wasn't much better with similar PAs as Cole:

Screenshot 2025-12-23 143146.png

All fine and dandy.

My stance is the M's cannot afford for Cole Young to do what Ramirez did in his first 2 years.

If he does what Pedroia did in year 2, I'll fully eat my words. I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think he has the physical tools to be anything more than Adam Frazier. Perhaps slightly more pop but worse bat to ball skills.

[D-train]

Only 98 PA sample for Pedroia. Jose Ramirez age 21 season wasn't much better with similar PAs as Cole:

Screenshot 2025-12-23 143146.png

All fine and dandy.

My stance is the M's cannot afford for Cole Young to do what Ramirez did in his first 2 years.

If he does what Pedroia did in year 2, I'll fully eat my words. I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think he has the physical tools to be anything more than Adam Frazier. Perhaps slightly more pop but worse bat to ball skills.

Great Comp. Not great for us.

[D-train]

Not a great pick but we didn't miss out on any one.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/draf ... type_unk=0

[harmony]

Compare Dustin Pedroia's age 22 season with Cole Young's age 21 season:

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/TEdEi

It's a longshot that Young will have a Pedroia career but anything is possible.

I am curious about the difference in Defensive evaluation between Stathead and Fangraphs. This has Young as a positive defensive palyer. Fangraphs has him as the second worse 2nd baseman in the game.

FanGraphs rated Cole Young a 50/60 defender as a prospect so his FanGraphs defensive metrics were highly disappointing last season:

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/cole- ... ts/batting

[Pharmabro]

I didn’t really think of this until after Wilson Contreras was traded. But one of our popular trade candidates is Brendan Donovan. Another poster brought up a bullpen stud in Rielly O’Brien and I think DT introduced catcher DH Yvonne Herrera as a candidate but what if we just rearrange that for Donovan, Contreras and O’Brien plus the cards pan down Willson Contreras‘s pay by say I don’t know $20 million in the Mariners not trading their to 3 but sending like 5 top 100$

What are you even talking about?

What the fk are you asking about.

DT brought up trading for the Cards catcher/Dh Herrera who had a OPS+ over 120 and over 130 the last two years. I thought him being Pre-Arb would make the asking price too high. But I see they traded Wilson Contreras for prospects that were out of the Sox top 20 and I hold that although Wilson has been playing 1B/DH in 2025 He did play in over 50 games at C in 2024. Willson had a 138 OPS+ in 2024 and a 123 last year. We could have acquired him to be our back-up C, 1B, and usual DH. I think that would have been a great way to partner with Cal and lengthen the lineup.


Donavan we have been coveting in trades for a few years and discussed in many offseason/ trade deadline plans.


O’Brien is another backend BP part that would improve our BP.


I don’t know how it is difficult for you to appreciate that I am lamenting that another team swept in a potential upgrade for our team.

[GL_Storm]

I didn’t really think of this until after Wilson Contreras was traded. But one of our popular trade candidates is Brendan Donovan. Another poster brought up a bullpen stud in Rielly O’Brien and I think DT introduced catcher DH Yvonne Herrera as a candidate but what if we just rearrange that for Donovan, Contreras and O’Brien plus the cards pan down Willson Contreras‘s pay by say I don’t know $20 million in the Mariners not trading their to 3 but sending like 5 top 100$

What are you even talking about?

What the fk are you asking about.

DT brought up trading for the Cards catcher/Dh Herrera who had a OPS+ over 120 and over 130 the last two years. I thought him being Pre-Arb would make the asking price too high. But I see they traded Wilson Contreras for prospects that were out of the Sox top 20 and I hold that although Wilson has been playing 1B/DH in 2025 He did play in over 50 games at C in 2024. Willson had a 138 OPS+ in 2024 and a 123 last year. We could have acquired him to be our back-up C, 1B, and usual DH. I think that would have been a great way to partner with Cal and lengthen the lineup.


Donavan we have been coveting in trades for a few years and discussed in many offseason/ trade deadline plans.


O’Brien is another backend BP part that would improve our BP.


I don’t know how it is difficult for you to appreciate that I am lamenting that another team swept in a potential upgrade for our team.

What you wrote didn't make any sense. It still doesn't. It's like you're just vomiting words onto the screen.

[Seattle or Bust]

I didn’t really think of this until after Wilson Contreras was traded. But one of our popular trade candidates is Brendan Donovan. Another poster brought up a bullpen stud in Rielly O’Brien and I think DT introduced catcher DH Yvonne Herrera as a candidate but what if we just rearrange that for Donovan, Contreras and O’Brien plus the cards pan down Willson Contreras‘s pay by say I don’t know $20 million in the Mariners not trading their to 3 but sending like 5 top 100$

You didn't think about trading for Contreras until after he was traded... Ok, fine.

You then proposed a trade for Contreras, Donovan, O'Brien... after Contreras was traded... even went as far as suggesting that Cardinals hypothetically (I don't even know if something can be hypothetical in the past tense) could pay down $20M of Contreras's $$... again, after he was traded. The Cardinal's paid down $8M, for reference.

I have no idea how you came to the conclusion that it would require 5 of the Mariners top 100 prospects to get a deal done that again... can't happen because Contreras was traded. According to MLBTV, Contreras's contract was under water ($-14.1), Donovan ($32.5M) is worth a fringe top 100 prospect and maybe a couple guys 15-30, O'brien ($4.5M) is worth almost nothing. In total, if the Cards were to give the M's $20M that would put Contreras at a surplus of $6.1M, Donovan $32.5M, O'Brien $4.5M... totaling $43.1M. That is basically the equivalent of Michael Arroyo and Johnny Farmelo... yet you went with 5x backend top 100 prospects going back to the Mariners. Huh.

I also have no idea why there is a "$" after top 100.

One of the crazier posts I've ever had to translate. Good work.

I don't get why you get upset when people tell you it's hard to understand your posts a lot of the time. They're so scatter brained and jumbled around.

[harmony]

Only 98 PA sample for Pedroia. Jose Ramirez age 21 season wasn't much better with similar PAs as Cole:

Screenshot 2025-12-23 143146.png

All fine and dandy.

My stance is the M's cannot afford for Cole Young to do what Ramirez did in his first 2 years.

If he does what Pedroia did in year 2, I'll fully eat my words. I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think he has the physical tools to be anything more than Adam Frazier. Perhaps slightly more pop but worse bat to ball skills.

Adam Frazier four years ago is a Brendan Donovan comp ... lefthand-hitting second baseman who can play outfield, around 29 years old, coming off his only All Star appearance.

[desbcoach]

Only 98 PA sample for Pedroia. Jose Ramirez age 21 season wasn't much better with similar PAs as Cole:

Screenshot 2025-12-23 143146.png

All fine and dandy.

My stance is the M's cannot afford for Cole Young to do what Ramirez did in his first 2 years.

If he does what Pedroia did in year 2, I'll fully eat my words. I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think he has the physical tools to be anything more than Adam Frazier. Perhaps slightly more pop but worse bat to ball skills.

Great Comp. Not great for us.

Give me a few of Adam’s good years out of Cole and would be happy, I can remember when many members of this forum were jonesing so bad for him and Reynolds.