| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 11-06-2011 |
The Hot Stove League is under way and we've taken a look at several players that could be the subject of trade discussions or free agent contracts, including third baseman David Wright, outfielder Nick Swisher, first baseman Logan Morrison, free agent Grady Sizemore, and Reds first baseman Joey Votto.
The M's payroll situation is discussed here.
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Comments
The following 15 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: nighthawk180 on 11-06-2011 01:57:15 I like this deal a lot more then the other player mentioned. Dont get me wrong other player is a stud but I think the contract and skills/profile of this player fit more toward the package it would take to get him. If that makes sense lol. A young bopper with a decent contract with potential to be a star cant pass that up if we can keep some of our A prospects. Little of topic but what a game for Franklin and Hultzen yesterday. Franklin's HR went left center from the left side. I'm so excited to see him this coming year in AAA. |
| 2. By: jgstecker on 11-06-2011 09:09:48 I'd love to get ahold of him. I think, given the contract, his trade cost would be higher than Votto's. I'd be tempted to part with Pineda for him. Our other young pitches wouldn't work because this team wants to win now and trading this player would set them back. |
| 3. By: KingFelix on 11-06-2011 11:17:22 I like the bigger deal, I think he could be a stud for years. In addition we would get our future C for 2013 on. If this deal goes through we should also grab Sizemore to play a little DH and fill in the OF until he gets fully healthy. |
| 4. By: Gibbo on 11-06-2011 12:11:49 I have to say I prefer this over votto. He is controlled longer and if we could get a catcher too, then great deal. Do a deal like this and then go get Prado, Wilson Betemit, Sizemore and a guy like Volstad and this team could compete this year without compromising the rebuild |
| 5. By: Gibbo on 11-06-2011 12:11:50 I have to say I prefer this over votto. He is controlled longer and if we could get a catcher too, then great deal. Do a deal like this and then go get Prado, Wilson Betemit, Sizemore and a guy like Volstad and this team could compete this year without compromising the rebuild |
| 6. By: marinerforever on 11-06-2011 15:55:58 This deal seems far more feasible than a Votto deal. We always talk about trading away guys when their value is highest. That doesnt mean we should trade for guys when their value is highest. This guy, while he may not be the same player that Votto is now, has good upside and a more favorable contract while fitting an obvious need this year and into the future. With Ichiro, Guti, mentioned OF, Wells and Carp all soaking up OF/DH AB's where would Sizemore fit? That seems like an unnecessary risk and allocation of limited resources. A RH 3B makes sense but he doesnt need to be an everyday player unless the team doesnt believe in Seager which doesnt seem to be the case. Volstad or another mid-rotation guy would be good and as always it depends on cost, be that prospects or cash. If Bedard would come back I think he would fill that spot more cheaply than trading for an established guy. Cant thank you enough for the work you do Jason! |
| 7. By: Rudolf on 11-07-2011 10:01:46 This would be a dream come true for me. I absolutely love the player. When he's hot he swings the stick as well as anybody. And then there are the cold streaks... I don't see how we pry him away, though. He's such a vital piece to his team's success. Their line-up lacked some punch in 2011 with said player compared to 2010 when the players around him were healthier and a year younger. Who would replace him in the middle of their line-up? Is Pineda more or less valuable than the stud outfielder? I could see as case made either way. Somehow it just feels like Pineda isn't enough to pay. If he can build upon 2011 then I think we could pull it off. But I'd do Pineda/League for the guy and not look back. Throw in Campos and someone else to land the other guy. Yes sir! |
| 8. By: Edman on 11-07-2011 11:59:31 I agree with Rudolf, I can't see them trading either of their top two power hitters. They would have to be very desparate. |
| 9. By: jgstecker on 11-07-2011 14:29:19 The other part of the equation is that said club doesn't really need Pineda. They've got seven pitchers on their staff who have had various levels of success in the bigs over the last couple of years who they can fit into their rotation. They have youth and upside at the position. Its not a given that the boost adding an arm like Pineda gives them would offset the hit they would take on the offensive side, especially when you consider that the club will be left with two outfield vacanies to be filled from a rather weak free agent market. And this is a team that wants to get better next year, not regroup for the future. They'd have to be able to demonstrate improvement on their 2012 roster to make a deal fly. Which, I suppose, is why League's name is always thrown into the conversation. Also, how much better would Pineda's value be right now if he'd stayed in Tacoma for a couple of weeks early on? He'd have demonstrated the same level of success in the bigs with three more years of league minimum salary ahead of him. |
| 10. By: k0o56 on 11-07-2011 15:36:40 I'm enjoying this series of potential targets, especially the player mentioned here. 'IF' he can be had, I'd go for it. You pair him up with another MOTO hitter and there would be a tremendous improvement in the offense. A little OT, but how much does our first round pick being protected weigh on our FA process? I imagine that it would give us more incentive to go after a Type-A player such as a Fielder/Ortiz/Pujols. With our team on the verge of contending, shouldn't we use the compensation while it's protected? Even if next year is not "the" year, we'd still have a star bat in the lineup to add to next offseason without surrendering our first rounder. I'm not really into the notion of putting a bunch of eggs into one basket or locking up a ton of money, but the timing seems right to me. |
| 11. By: Rudolf on 11-07-2011 16:05:00 If we're going to sacrifice our early 2nd round pick, I hope it isn't for a guy like Ortiz. |
| 12. By: rjfrik on 11-07-2011 17:25:57 Jason, What do you think of Yoenis Cespedes, the cuban defector? He broke the record for most HR's in a season last year for the Cuban league, 33 in 90 games. Supposedly he is the best position player to ever be available from Cuba. He would fill an immediate need. Do the M's have any interest in him? Right now it seems like the front runner is Yankees for his services. Trying to get a 30 million contract. Leoynis Martin got 15 million last year from Rangers and I guess he is a second tier player compared to Cespedes. Would a 3 year 30 million dollar deal be a deal worth doing? |
| 13. By: Rudolf on 11-08-2011 11:19:36 Off-topic question: With all this talk about Peter Bourjos I did a little comparison with Daniel Carroll. There are some statistical similarities when you ignore Carroll's 2008-09. Can Carroll become an asset like Bourjos? Was his 2011 in High Desert a mirage? For what it's worth, Bourjos didn't perform nearly as well in the Cal League. |
| 14. By: dawgncarolina on 11-08-2011 19:43:45 I'd trade Pineda for this guy easily. That would be a fantastic deal for the M's. He's a perfect fit. |
| 15. By: StandinPat on 11-09-2011 15:56:19 "go get Prado, Wilson Betemit, Sizemore" Prado, yes. He'd be a real upgrade at either 3B or LF, and could take over the lead-off spot once Ichiro's contract is up. Betemit, no. I've seen his name thrown out quite a bit and just don't get why. Decent bat, horrible defender, not a real upgrade. Over 600 PAs, Betemit's 2011 WAR would have been 1.67, Kyle Seager's would have been 1.49. Paying free agent dollars for a minimal improvement is not the way for this org to dig it's way out of this hole. Sizemore, just not a fit on either side. For Sizemore, he's gonna want a one year deal to improve his value and hopefully get a multi-year deal next year. If part of your value that your are trying to improve is tied to performance at the plate, why would he want to come to Safeco. Look what happened to Beltre when he took his one year deal in a hitter's park, that is what Sizemore will be looking for. For the Mariners, you tie up resources and a position on the field for a player that will be looking for greener pastures the following year. Upside, Grady is good, but not good enough to catapult the Ms into the playoffs, and he signs a multi-year deal somewhere else in 2013. Downside, he's still injury plagued and ineffective. |
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