2020-2021 Hot Stove Thread

[AT Funchal-Madeira]

Has anyone heard if we are having a minor league season this spring? If they move forward with a full season than hopefully Evan white and maybe even Mitch Haniger start there and Get there problems fixed, Evan at this point is looking more like a bust at the plate, sure he might figure it out at the big game, but it’s hard to do and he looks like he just guessing at the plate at this point. To project that Mitch will be ready when we break camp is a stretch which leaves us with several big holes on opening day.
Add it all up and it just seems to be jumping the gun to go all in this yr for a season that is so full of question marks. Sure this team has a horrible history of never really spending when they needed to, However with the wuflu being so politicized to the point of punting on another yr, We are really in a great spot with no payroll and tons of talent. I would love to see Bauer in a Mariners uniform, but if he really only wants a one yr deal then pay him $45 for 2022

Lack of play this past year, Majors and minors.... we don't know what we have, we don't know how much or how well we'll play next year, so in too many areas, we don't know what we need, we don't know if we'll even have a full season this year, or a minor league season... it's all political... seems to me Jay is totally right....

This year, I still be trying to add prospects, young developing talent for veterans.... not spending big in free agency but investing in rule 5.... besides, spending in free agency is a bit like dating.... the players I'd like to sign would have to like the Mariners, and we're not an attractive landing site right now..Trevor Bauer isn't coming to Seattle, Francisco Lindor isn't coming to Seattle...Boarded up storefronts, homeless encampments litter freeways, sidewalks, and parks, restaurants and bars shut down, the "emerald city" is being transformed into a Haitian/Afgan ghetto... with Tech Companies leaving town, Airplane manufacturing almost completely gutted, and massive taxes.....I hadn't been in Seattle for three years and the transformation here is shocking when it hits you all at once... If I were a free agent, Florida would look pretty good to me... but not this emerging shit-hole...

[bpj]

That's a good point Terry. Many players probably aren't going to sign on to come to BLM/Antifa-central. I don't blame them, I'm not heading to a game any time soon either.

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Great point Terry....Downtown Seattle used to be such a cool destination, we would stay right downtown walk everywhere and have a lot of fun....

Not any more and Baseball players have families

I really dont see Seattle fixing this anytime soon either

[Donn Beach]

Every professional athlete says this.

no they don't, i have never heard of one before wanting a one year contract

“Why would you lock yourself in a situation that may not make you happy? I think that’s highly inefficient. Everybody is afraid of risk. Everyone is scared."

Donn you seem to be focusing in on the "I want to be on a contender every year" comment.

Flexibility and the player taking on the risk of going year to year with the end result being more dollars earned with the risk being getting injured, is what I believe was implied in the risk part.

Also implied, who pays the most money for one year of a player? Contenders.

I am focused on it, I hadn't realized there would be a question about it. I did not see working on one year contracts as a strategy to increase your income, perhaps it is, i hadn't considered it. Its all speculation at this point, who knows what sort of offers he is getting or what he ends up deciding to do. But if the offer was $150 mil over five years, or $40 mil for a single season, i would think the five year contract is the safer more assured avenue.

[D-train]

Has anyone heard if we are having a minor league season this spring? If they move forward with a full season than hopefully Evan white and maybe even Mitch Haniger start there and Get there problems fixed, Evan at this point is looking more like a bust at the plate, sure he might figure it out at the big game, but it’s hard to do and he looks like he just guessing at the plate at this point. To project that Mitch will be ready when we break camp is a stretch which leaves us with several big holes on opening day.
Add it all up and it just seems to be jumping the gun to go all in this yr for a season that is so full of question marks. Sure this team has a horrible history of never really spending when they needed to, However with the wuflu being so politicized to the point of punting on another yr, We are really in a great spot with no payroll and tons of talent. I would love to see Bauer in a Mariners uniform, but if he really only wants a one yr deal then pay him $45 for 2022

Divish wrote about him today. I will save you the gushing about his D and the macabre recount of his disasterous season at the plate. Here is the portion on the future which is all that matters.

A look ahead to 2021: Even if the surface numbers were ugly, the Mariners believe this season was beneficial for White. They don’t think he’s the sort of player that would react impulsively or negatively to the struggles and do something drastic. He’s too disciplined and driven.

With his contract, the Mariners made him their first baseman of the future. They believe it was a savvy investment.

But it goes back to that wry observation a few years ago:

“I don’t know if Evan White can hit or not, but I’d start him at first base right now because at least you’ll know he will catch everything and that matters.”

We know White will catch everything. He’s proven it.

But the hitting?

“I’m confident in being able to handle the big league pitching,” he said. “I think it’s just getting back to being myself. Obviously, you are still gonna strike out, you’re gonna have the struggles. These pitchers are there for a reason. They make good pitches. But at the end of the day, I’m confident in being able to make those adjustments and being the best hitter that I can be in this league.”

[D-train]

Even if you cherry pick his best stretch last season when he was "excellent" that is only a .767 OPS, isn't that great for a 1B. That would rank him 16th of 25 1Bs this past season.

[D-train]

Great point Terry....Downtown Seattle used to be such a cool destination, we would stay right downtown walk everywhere and have a lot of fun....

Not any more and Baseball players have families

I really dont see Seattle fixing this anytime soon either

The east side was still pretty much immune to that when I left................but I haven't seen it for 9.5 months so who knows.

[D-train]

no they don't, i have never heard of one before wanting a one year contract

“Why would you lock yourself in a situation that may not make you happy? I think that’s highly inefficient. Everybody is afraid of risk. Everyone is scared."

Donn you seem to be focusing in on the "I want to be on a contender every year" comment.

Flexibility and the player taking on the risk of going year to year with the end result being more dollars earned with the risk being getting injured, is what I believe was implied in the risk part.

Also implied, who pays the most money for one year of a player? Contenders.

I am focused on it, I hadn't realized there would be a question about it. I did not see working on one year contracts as a strategy to increase your income, perhaps it is, i hadn't considered it. Its all speculation at this point, who knows what sort of offers he is getting or what he ends up deciding to do. But if the offer was $150 mil over five years, or $40 mil for a single season, i would think the five year contract is the safer more assured avenue.

Depends how risk averse a person it. White was was risk averse so he accepted $24M. Far less than he might have made if he ends up being a good hitter. Seems like a very smart move for him at this point.

[D-train]

Here is JD trying to remember that exact stretch where he was decent. Still only hit .235.

“It was a really rugged start for Evan White,” Dipoto said at the end of the season. “From about the middle of August or the third week of August, to the third week of September, he was excellent. He found a way to pull himself out of out of the hole he was in, but his numbers were never going to look good based on how poorly he started and the general length of the season.”

That “excellent” period saw White post a .235/.316/.447 slash line (batting average/on-base percentage, slugging percentage) in 26 games with 20 hits in 95 plate appearances. He had five homers, 18 RBI, 10 walks and 35 strikeouts in that span.

[D-train]

you think your baseball world is more real than Dipotos"s?...ok

Jesus and you wonder why you drive people f-ing nuts. Every move you posted was administrative shuffling of our own players on and off the 40 man an IL. Any idiot knew what I was talking about and didn't need me to spell it out as in I wonder why JD has not completed a trade for another teams players for some of our players or signed a free agent to a major league contract.

Did you honestly think you were informing me of roster moves that I was unaware of by posting that link. Rhetorical question.

those were FA signings, yeah minor league contracts, that why i asked, you meant like a major move. I didn't think i was telling you something you didn't know. I was wondering about the not being surprised part. I thought he had set us up to not expect much, his just dealing with the bp and all that. He is busy on his little moves, those are cannon fodder for bp competition i am going to guess

Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Matt Magill to a minor league contract.
11/17/20 Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Gerson Bautista to a minor league contract.
11/16/20 Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Brady Lail to a minor league contract.
11/06/20 Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Moises Gomez to a minor league contract.
11/06/20 Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Vinny Nittoli to a minor league contract.

Just saw that Morton is the first and only FA to switch teams so we are not alone. Usually there quite a few trades and signings by now. I guess its the winter meetings when things start humming. If not much happens in the next few weeks then we could be looking at a whole new post Covid market and the obligatory cries of collusion from the union.