Is somebody calling? How do i tell if my ringer’s on?
You’ll have to speak up, I’m wearing a towel!
Gleyber Torres to the Tigers on a one-year deal. I kind of like this move for them.
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It’s odd. I really never expected Bregman back. He’s been a fine, above average player since 2019 but not what I thought he’d end up being when I first saw him in 2017. I loved that he constantly tinkered with his swing, thinking he’d constantly be adjusting to the adjustments pitchers were making to him but it always seemed like he was one step behind, leading to “Popup Bregman”. I found this video interesting. Not that I am some expert swing designer…
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Alex’s OPS #s have consistently gone down the last few years. Clearly, he is not a player to invest in at this time based on what he and Boreass are looking for.
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I feel the same.
Somewhat disappointing career arc given the start.
There’s a fine line between details-orientated and tinkerer/overthinker
I don’t know enough to know if that explains his post 2019 production.
Bregman has still been damn good but there’s a reason Mike Schmidt stands alone among third basemen. Careers like that are by definition outliers.
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This was a great post. I have always thought Bregman was a “paralysis by analysis” type. I’ve been disappointed since 2017 but I bet he has been too.
Analytics are great but I (as a baseball idiot) have always thought he’d do better with a “see the ball hit the ball” approach.
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Teoscar back to LAD, 3/$66M.
Corbin Burnes to the Dbacks 6/210
Well…that’s a bunch.
Other than his Cy Young award, Burnes’ stats are very similar to Framber’s.
One year age difference.
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Maybe this will start a feeding frenzy of stupidity for Valdez. I’ve really enjoyed him as an Astro and, when he is on, his yakker is super fun to watch. But, I’ve had this feeling that he is dangerously close to jumping the shark. Based on nothing and certainly not on his excellent performance last year.
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Historically, groundball specialists tend not to have the same longevity as strikeout pitchers. There are obvious exceptions but the odds are against Framber maintaining his performance for the better part of a long-term deal. Trade him now, trade him at the deadline, or let him walk after the season, but he’s probably not going to be a good investment on his next contract.
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Framber has seemed on the edge of decline since his rookie season. I wouldn’t bet against him.
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Jon Heyman with the full details on Walker’s contract. Flat 20M/y, pretty standard awards bonuses, and not sure if it’s been reported, but there’s at least a limited no-trade clause (which, knock on wood, will remain irrelevant).
$60M/3
$20M - 2025
$20M - 2026
$20M - 2027Plus: $200K for MVP ($175K-2nd;$150K-3rd; $125K-4th; $100K-5th)
$100K for WS/MVP
$75K for LCS/MVP
$75K for All Star, Gold Glove, Silver SluggerLimited No Trade
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Only $200k for an MVP? I’d think that’d be worth a couple mill….
Miguel Castro gets a minor league deal. Injured for most of the first half of 2024, DFAed at the deadline.
Why is that, pray tell?
Watched some video of Castro. Arm slot reminds me of Montero.
Beats me, but it’s one of the trends that sticks out in the data over the past thirty years. Of the best and longest-lasting pitchers of the era, the great majority are strikeout guys who don’t rely on grounders the way Framber does. Like I said, there are exceptions—Tim Hudson, Roy Halladay (although he became less of a groundball guy as his career went on)—but a lot of the guys who really excelled by getting outs on the ground (e.g. Brandon Webb, Dallas Keuchel) have had short peaks.
Framber is a weird pitcher, he gets more strikeouts than the typical groundball ace, while also getting even more grounders than basically anyone in the Wild Card Era save Brandon Webb. And he’s been a strong workhorse. But if you’re a team offering Framber a six-year contract, you’re hoping he’s the exception who can succeed by getting extreme numbers of grounders over that length of time.
Much like Montero, he seems to have some electric stuff. Good velocity and some nasty movement on his pitches, if it can just be harnessed.
Like the signing. A flyer that is low risk high reward.
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