jay87shot

As mentioned by many, only trade Pratt for a cheaper controllable young star. I think there is a really good chance Pratt hits the ground running in AAA and becomes a top 25 prospect with his power coming through. Possibly taking over the last couple months in the ml or at least getting a week or two audition if Joey's bat doesn't come around. 26= 2nd Turang SS Joey 3B Durbs 27= 2nd Turang SS Cooper 3B Durbs. Made comes up around June and the team platoons the 4 players somehow. Turang dealt after season if all 3 young guys on track, could send Durbs out as well if Pena is close. If Made and Pratt looking good Pena starts taking some OF reps toward end of year. Brady Ebel start to be relevant by the end of 2027 as well. 28= 2nd Durbs/Made, SS Cooper, 3B Durbs/Made. Pena debuts around June and platoons with the others and gets some reps as a 4th OF'er This also assumes that Fischer end up at 1B or OF.

Mlbtraderumors.com had a report about there being interest in Mears around the league. I wouldnt be against moving him if we could get a nice package. He is cheap and was solid all year however I think last year is about as good as it gets and he is out of options. If we could get a decent young AAA reliever with some upside/full options and a mid level prospect I could be convinced we could trade him, especially if the offers for Megill aren't great.

I like a couple of the Braves younger pitchers but I doubt they would trade them for a year of Freddy. As mentioned before, Michael Harris could be interesting. The Padres only have Jackson Merrill, Kruz Schoolcraft, and Mason Miller as an interesting pieces. Their system is horrific, Ethan Salas would be like a borderline top 10 prospect in our system (Jorge Quintana is their #7 prospect on mlb.com he was around 40 in our system). The Stris have better depth but the only centerpiece (Brice Matthews) is a MI which is ok but not a need for our system (edit= I forgot Cam Smith). They do have depth to make a solid 3 good pieces deal like 3 of Janek, Ullola, Melton, Alvarez, and Neyens but that doesn't really help this year.

Looking at what the Nats got for Ferrer (Harry Ford) we should be able to get a really nice package for Megill. Other flame throwing reliever/closers like Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, and Tanner Scott, Devin, and Hader should be a good guide on a possible return. Obviously he wouldn't get as much as Duran or Miller because of control and age, however he should bring back more than Scott or Devin based on control and salary. In general the price for Hader is probably pretty close, Hader was a bigger name but having a poorer year and had 1.5 years of control. We got back 2 top 10 org. prospects and a usable reliever for that season and I think most people were generally underwhelmed by that return. My goal would be to get at least quality 1 mlb player and one upside prospect if possible add in an upside young reliever in AAA with a big arm. Here are my ideas 1)Mets Ronny Mauricio, Dylan Ross, Edward Lantigua I proposed this or something similar a week ago, we get an upside utility/SS platoon that is blocked in NY. A big arm reliever who could have a big impact and an upside OF prospect. I would probably be ok even just taking out Lantigua. 2)Yankees Spencer Jones and Henry Lalane I am not a big fan of the Yankees system. Jones has the power/speed combo to be a big time OF if he can cut K's and Lalane is has the upside if he can stay healthy to make this an interesting deal. I do think the Yank fans value Jones as the 2nd coming of Judge so I don't know if they would be happy only getting Megill for him. 3)Marlins Edward Cabrera for Megill and Brock Wilken The Marlins are known to be searching for relief help and Megill there makes a lot of sense to me. I love Cabrera if we trade Freddy and adding Wilken to make up for the extra control of Cabrera isn't a big deal for me. 4) Toronto Johnny King, Mason Fluharty, and low level prospect The Jays have been aggressive and are looking for a back end arm. King has a very high ceiling and Fluharty is a young funky lefty that our org likes and probably a 3rd smaller piece to make things in our favor.

I am ok with trading Megill for a good price based on a couple factors. 1)Uribe and the pen. Uribe is going to be a great closer for a while and with the depth of starters Ashby can be the 8th inning man or we have Koenig and good depth. I still think Craig Yoho will be an important piece come the end of the season as well. 2) Only 93 innings past 2 years. This generally points to the fact that closers just don't throw that many innings. However if we can get 2 quality pieces or even 1 mlb ready longer controlled player there is a lot more value to be gained in trading Megill. Also injuries for someone his size and velo are always present. 3)Regression. I think Megill will be a solid closer for a while however optics are easy to change on a closer. Say Trevor gave up 2 more 2 run bombs his ERA jumps to 3.25 which isn't elite. On top of that if he loses a couple mph on his heater he becomes way less effective (I don't see happening in the next 2 years, but there is a little risk.

I would like to explain that this is a dream scenario that I know will never happen. Trade 1) We get Byron Buxton (money from Mets $15, 5 per for 3 years) Mets get Freddy Twins get Brandon Sproat, Luis Angel Acuna, mid-tier prospect from Mets We turn pitching into offense and get the Mets to save us some money on Buxton. The Twins get a solid haul of prospects and save cash. The Mets get a top of the rotation arm they can extend and by giving us cash for Buxton don't give up a top prospect Trade 2) Trevor Megill, Isaac Collins, Aaron Ashby to Arizona for Ketel Marte and Byran Garcia (Arizona pays 15 million, 3 per for 5 years. This is a hefty price to pay for Marte but it makes our offense unbelievable. Again I get the D-backs to pay up some cash to make the money close. I would keep Marte for two years (cheaper contract) and then trade him when Pena/Made are ready to recoup prospects. The D-Backs get 3 really valuable pieces that really fit needs well. Sign)German Marquez 1/2 with incentives to 4 and team option 1/6 with 250k buyout Trade Perkins for mid level prospect This would create a super offense with a young pitching staff. I would go with a 6 man rotation for the 1st half of the year and maybe even a couple piggyback situations in there at least for the 1st month. C: William Contreras ($11.10M) 1B: Andrew Vaughn ($7.80M) 2B: Ketel Marte ($11M) 3B: Caleb Durbin ($0.80M) SS: Brice Turang ($4.4M) LF: Byron Buxton ($10.1M) CF: Jackson Chourio ($7.25M) RF: Sal Frelick ($0.80M) DH: Christian Yelich ($26.00M) OF: Joey Ortiz ($0.80M) Utility: Andruw Monasterio ($0.80M) OF: Garrett Mitchell ($1.00M) 1B/OF: Jake Bauers ($2.00M) Backup C: Siegler/Quero ($0.8M) SP1: Gasser ($0.8M) SP2: Brandon Woodruff ($22.00M) SP3: Jacob Misiorowski ($0.80M) SP4: Logan Henderson ($0.80M) SP5: Quinn Priester ($0.80M) RP: Yoho/Garcia ($0.8M) RP: Abner Uribe ($0.80M) RP: Grant Anderson ($0.80M) RP: Jared Koenig ($0.80M) RP: Nick Mears ($1.60M) RP: German ($2M) RP: Hall ($0.8M) RP: Tobias Myers ($0.80M) Payroll is 2.75% over budget

I would be surprised if Bichette doesn't get 8/200 mininmum. I also don't like that Bichette is already a poor fielder at 27 last year, he needs to move to 2B now and maybe off of that in a few year after that. If we spend money I would rather go big for Schwarber and put Yeli back in left. I don't really like that move either but for me it would help the offense more. Buxton, Ryan, and Bichette also put us near $200 million in payroll, I think most of us are hoping we can stay around $135 and not drop a bunch this offseason.

I dont really like anything the Knicks have to trade if Giannis truly want to go there. Bridges, OG, or Kat a couple eventually very late 1st and some low upside young guys who were 2nd round picks. No thanks I think the Spurs, Thunder, Hawks, Rockets and maybe but unlikely the Lakers, Heat, Warriors, Pistons, Raptors, or 76ers really have enough capital to get Giannis and still be competitive.

If we end up trying to save money there really aren't many options. Chourio and Yelich aren't logical options. I cant imagine that the organization would entertain trading Contreras unless it was an ultra high return. In the same vein I doubt we would want to trade Vaughn and weaken the offense especially since he likely would only get back a midlevel prospect or 2. That basically leaves Freddy, Ashby, and Megill as options because of the pitching depth. Even there they dont make a ton of money so the savings really aren't huge.

I think we are past the point of Hall ever being a top of the rotation starter. However as a long man from the pen/6th starterI think he can have a long career. He looked good for most of the year. I could see him maybe becoming a 7th/8th inning reliever if he finds his groove.

I like Duran, I think the issue is that there will be around 10 teams that would be interested in Duran. His price is going to be very high as likely the best bat trade option. I think a team like the Mariners would can pay more than what we would want to offer. I do think that the Red Sox would want Freddy for Duran and probably a 2nd piece as well. Ashby and a couple prospects would be a good offer but likely one another team would top.

I agree that Marte's contract is a bit to big, the bat however would be perfect. Also I do think that he would be tradable in 2 years when Pena is ready. That would sidestep the later years and more expensive end of the deal. Arizona would likely want more pitching and we would try and get rid of some salary. We get Marte, Will Watson, and Jonathan Santucci. Mets gets Freddy and the Dbacks get Jonah Tong and Aaron Ashby. We drop 13-14 million to fit Marte in. The Mets get a top of the rotation arm they can resign and the Dbacks get two high potential starters. Think of it as Freddy and a portion of Ashby for Marte and a bigger portion of Ashby for the 2 pitching prospects. We still would have pretty good pitching depth especially if one of the 2 arms we get could go to AAA right away. If need be we could even send someone like Mears or Perkins out to even things out a bit more.

I still have some faith in Mitchell's abilities. The problem is he will likely never stay healthy long enough to be a trusted long term piece. I agree with most of you who would rather have him as the 4th OF over Perkins. However the switch hitting end of Perkins does split better with Collins. I doubt they would keep Lockridge as a 5th OF with Yeli and Bauers as OF options. Perkins should have a little trade value where Mitchell likely doesn't have any. That added to Mitchell's still potential upside and depth to sustain an injury do give Mitchell the edge if healthy in my book.

Beavers, Mayo, and Gibson would be a package at or slightly better than what we got for Burnes. Ortiz=Beavers Would be the top 100 prospect with a solid AAA season behind them. Hall=Mayo. Guys struggling to get there footing in the bigs but have solid prospects pedigree. Gibson=Comp A pick. Probably a pretty close value.

It's nice to see Lara getting some respect as the teams 4th best prospect. I really expect him, Pratt, Adams, and Wilken to all set AAA on fire after getting out of the tough confines in AA Biloxi.

I would agree that we need a 3 and probably a 2 upgrade. The problem is we dont have much. We could probably trade Bobby, Cole, or Kuzma for an iffy 2/3 but they likely wont be the impact players we are looking for. We dont have much in the way of trade assets. KPJ looked great tonight so maybe one of Rollins or KPJ could build some value. But in reality we just lost to the 2-16 Wizards with a healthy roster and KPJ went 12-15 and 4-5 from 3. Marvin Bagley just destroyed us. I really really hate it but this team is trash and we'll be dismantled in a couple months. Doc should be fired any day as an only means to try and rejuvenate this team but that is about the only thing I can see that would work.

I think the O's would be a good spot for Peralta. They have already signed Helsely and traded for Taylor Ward so it would seem they will be aggressive. They should be desperate for pitching and I doubt they sign a top free agent based on past spending. Dylan Beavers might be a good starting piece if you think he can be a CF'er. They drafted a ton of pieces I like and have some interesting pitching in there top 15 as well. It would be a decent option at least.

I think basically everyone is right here. The team should be able to stretch payroll up like 20 million for 1 year. Since a lot of money does/could come off the books next year the 2027 cba shouldn't play much into this years salary. When Woody comes off the books next year with Peralta and possibly Contreras it will be easy to get back on budget. If there is a year to go for it this year should be it. However we really dont know what the books look like. When Mark bought the team he did raise payroll from the putrid Selig numbers. However when you look at TV deals you do see how much less the org. has When compared to other organizations. Mark has been a good owner and yes I think he could open the checkbook a little more. I dont really get the feeling like he is making huge profits of the team on a year to year basis.

Giannis, Thanasis, and Trent to San Antionio Devin Vassell to Miami Bucks get Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Terry Rozier (expiring contract) 26' pick swap (ATL/SAS) from Spurs, 27' ATL pick from Spurs, 28' pick swap (Bos/SAS) from SA, and 26' pick from Miami and Kasperus Jakucionis The spurs gets a big 3 with lots of good rotation guys to go around them or trade for other pieces The Heat get a quality young player for a late 1st round pick and Jakuc who hasn't played. We 2 star young guards and 1 young unknown , future salary relief and 4 1sts to build back out reserves. Trade Bobby in the offseason for a pick and there is a good young core with a couple vets to guide them.

I believe this years pick is a swap with the Pelicans (Hawks now own?). Since the Pelicans have like 3 wins we can get a lotto pick not #1 however.

Saving money ideas obviously not all at once but individual ideas that aren't Freddy based. 1) Megill to NYM for Ronny Mauricio, Dylan Ross, Edwin Lantigua Mauricio helps the IF mix and Ross is a big arm that could replace Megill. It would save 4ish million and Uribe and others would keep the pen stable. 2) Ashby to San Fran for Carson Wisenhunt and Keynar Martinez. Ashby's trade value is tough to determine, Wisenhunt would offer some similar upside with risk and Martinez is a young projectable arm. The Giants could be a team that would be on the lookout for a guy like Ashby who could be an upside starter or solid multi inning arm. 3) Vaughn to SDP for Kash Mayfield/Boston Bateman (2nd smaller piece) and sign/trade for cheap right 1B option. Would would make a great return on Vaughn. This really only works if you believe in Bauers or think there is a cheapish young 1B option to buy low on out there.

Would there be any interest in trading William Contreras? I would think that we would get a monster return and it would solve some of the budget issues if you believe there is one. I dont think I would because I think he will get the offense back to previous standards and we dont need to hurt the offense at all.

I think with the 32 or 22 (depending on how you look at it) that alone is a big chunk or payroll weather it is a 125 or 135 budget. Especially when we have 7 or 8 capable starters. I do expect that the team sheds some payroll, however it doesn't need to be Freddy. That being said I do think if we get a good offer around what we got for Burnes it does make it a lot easier to trade Freddy.

Edouard Julien, however his 1st/2nd versatility doesn't interest me. Will Wagner would be a guy that I would bet on rejuvenating himself that could be close in value.

7/210 for Dylan Cease is going to go down as a horrific contract. I get he has has ace stuff and has been super durable. However he doesn't go deep into starts and is super inconsistent 3.88 career era (3.67 FIP). At 30, I doubt he is a guy who can adjust his style of pitching if he loses a couple mph. He could very well be a Cy Young winner but he could also be someone who doesn't post a sub 3.5 era during the contract.