Luke Warm Stove

[Ken]

Wow...the rangers could have a historically bad pitching staff this year. Worse than the Marlins last year even.

It's not good, but it doesn't seem worse than the Marlins.
They are going with a 6 man rotation so you should expect it to look a little different than a typical staff.

Can you expound on why you think it's worse than the Marlins? No one close to the level of Conley and Kohler as far as ineptitute that I can see.

[Pauly]

It's not good, but it doesn't seem worse than the Marlins.
They are going with a 6 man rotation so you should expect it to look a little different than a typical staff.

Can you expound on why you think it's worse than the Marlins? No one close to the level of Conley and Kohler as far as ineptitute that I can see.

Clearly the Rangers are going with the same theory as the Marlins did last year, where they are trying to score 10 runs a game to make up for the 5+ they will give up every time out. This staff is a wasteland. To compare them to last year’s Marlins:

1. Cole Hamels - clearly on the downside of his career. A 4+ ERA last year is almost a full run worse than his career average. Here's your ace. I will take Straily, who had the same ERA last year and is still under 30 yeras old. I would take Urena too, who was better than Hamels in every regard last year.
2. Mike Minor - Literally hasnt started a game since 2014. No way you take this guy over at least the potential of Wei Yin Chen. Or Straily. or Urena.
3. Matt Moore - This guy just destroyed people last year in a pitcher friendly park. Negative WAR and a 5.52 ERA. Now he moves to Arlington and is pitching to DHs. Even if he bounces back, is he better than Edinson Volquez? Not really.
4. Martin Perez - Started 32 games last year and came away with a sparkling 4.82 ERA, which isnt horrible when you consider his career mark is 4.43. But yeah...adam conley's career ERA is 4.60 and he posted a 6+ ERA last year. If you dont think Perez can do the same thing...well I do. Again, you probably want everyone I listed ahead of him.
5. Doug Fister - He was OK for the Red Sox last year but yet another guy with a nearly 5 ERA (4.88). Certainly comparable to Volquez or O’Grady.
6. Bartolo Colon. Tim Lincecum. No comment.

[Ken]

Clearly the Rangers are going with the same theory as the Marlins did last year, where they are trying to score 10 runs a game to make up for the 5+ they will give up every time out. This staff is a wasteland. To compare them to last year’s Marlins:

1. Cole Hamels - clearly on the downside of his career. A 4+ ERA last year is almost a full run worse than his career average. Here's your ace. I will take Straily, who had the same ERA last year and is still under 30 yeras old. I would take Urena too, who was better than Hamels in every regard last year.
2. Mike Minor - Literally hasnt started a game since 2014. No way you take this guy over at least the potential of Wei Yin Chen. Or Straily. or Urena.
3. Matt Moore - This guy just destroyed people last year in a pitcher friendly park. Negative WAR and a 5.52 ERA. Now he moves to Arlington and is pitching to DHs. Even if he bounces back, is he better than Edinson Volquez? Not really.
4. Martin Perez - Started 32 games last year and came away with a sparkling 4.82 ERA, which isnt horrible when you consider his career mark is 4.43. But yeah...adam conley's career ERA is 4.60 and he posted a 6+ ERA last year. If you dont think Perez can do the same thing...well I do. Again, you probably want everyone I listed ahead of him.
5. Doug Fister - He was OK for the Red Sox last year but yet another guy with a nearly 5 ERA (4.88). Certainly comparable to Volquez or O’Grady.
6. Bartolo Colon. Tim Lincecum. No comment.

Chen pitched 33 innings last year for the Marlins - he isn't really relevant to the conversation in my opinion.

Looking at raw ERA is not very useful. Hamels' ERA+ at 120 was better than anyone Miami threw out there as a starter.

Minor and Bush were relatively dominant out of the pen and the 6 man rotation is partly related to the converted reliever rotation concept. It's an experiment. This is not a season Texas is going to compete, they might as well give it a shot. If they don't work out as starters they'll strengthen the bullpen tremendously, Minor was worth almost 3 wins out of the pen last year.

Moore was bad last year, but it came with a decent dose of bad luck. And he's still better than Koehler and Conley.

Lincecum is a pen option and Colon is simply depth. Neither is in the plans as a starter at this point.

Granted, this is a bad pitching staff, but nowhere near as bad as Miami threw out there last year (or this year for that matter).

[Pauly]

The Royals sign Lucas Duda to a one-year deal.

Maybe Moose is next.

[Sour Masher]

Moose may not sign till after the June draft now. Not good for current Moose owners, but it should deflate his price a good bit so he may turn into a nice value in some leagues.

[Ken]

Moose may not sign till after the June draft now. Not good for current Moose owners, but it should deflate his price a good bit so he may turn into a nice value in some leagues.

Sounds like posturing to me. Will he really get a significantly larger contract in June? Teams don't even give up a first round pick anymore for signing a QO free agent (at least not their 1st one)

[Pauly]

Moose may not sign till after the June draft now. Not good for current Moose owners, but it should deflate his price a good bit so he may turn into a nice value in some leagues.

Link?

[Sour Masher]

Link?

Rotoworld. Boras said it. Having to do with the comp pick teams have to give up to sign him.

[Ken]

Rotoworld. Boras said it. Having to do with the comp pick teams have to give up to sign him.

Is a 2nd round pick really worth 1/2 of a season of an all star 3B to a contender? I'm having trouble buying this play. There's no way he gets more in June than he gets now right?

[chancellor]

Is a 2nd round pick really worth 1/2 of a season of an all star 3B to a contender? I'm having trouble buying this play. There's no way he gets more in June than he gets now right?

Not likely, but maybe. Let's say Drury and Torreyes flame out in NY, or get hurt. I could see the Yankees throwing more years and money at him at that point if they're in contention - especially if he'd take a light first year, allowing them to stay under their cap for 2018.

[cavebird]

I don't see the Yankees doing that given that their long-term third baseman is penciled in as Machado. I could see them trying a large one-year offer, but that runs into the luxury tax threshold. Not really sure where he goes.

[Ken]

Not likely, but maybe. Let's say Drury and Torreyes flame out in NY, or get hurt. I could see the Yankees throwing more years and money at him at that point if they're in contention - especially if he'd take a light first year, allowing them to stay under their cap for 2018.

No doubt, if there's an injury or poor play demand could go up. I just think the June issue is silly. A second round pick is not worth enough to dramatically change a contract value.

[Gregg]

Arrieta supposedly talking the Padres.

[revo]

Moose back to KC. One year, $5.5m with mutual option for $19m in ‘19. Oooh, that’s smarts!

[chancellor]

Moose back to KC. One year, $5.5m with mutual option for $19m in ‘19. Oooh, that’s smarts!

First thought: Yeah, I suspect there's going to be a LOT more players next year who take the QOs if their last name isn't Harper or Machado or Kershaw....

Second thought: I wonder how many GMs are wondering "Why didn't we offer him 2/32 or 3/45?"