The 2022 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[JAKEPEAVY21]

The 2021-22 international signing period is officially underway, and though this signing period is open until Dec. 15, 2022, many of the big names have already signed. Teams have long since lined up deals with newly eligible teenage players, so the news today largely represents confirmation of what was anticipated. Still, it’s a day of no small moment, particularly for the young men embarking upon professional careers.
Let’s round up some of the most notable signings of the day. Most of these agreements have been known for a while, as both Baseball America’s Ben Badler (signings tracker; scouting links) and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter feed; rankings) have listed each club’s expected landing spot and approximate signing bonus on their rankings for months. You can find each team’s total bonus pool and other information on the process right here. Check the above links for further information and other signings. Here are a few key deals reported on Twitter by Sanchez:

• Roderick Arias, SS, Yankees: The Yankees have come to an agreement with MLB.com’s top-ranked international free agent on the market for a signing amount of $4.oMM, reports Sanchez. The Dominican switch-hitter runs well, gets good reviews for his footwork and arm strength at shortstop, and brings a solid hit tool from both sides of the plate.
• Cristhian Vaquero, OF, Nationals: For the second consecutive season, the Nationals appear to have nabbed one of the top prospects on the international board. They have come to a $4.9MM agreement to sign the left-handed Cuban outfielder, the top prospect on Baseball America’s board. The Nats are essentially all-in on Vaquero, who will soak up more than ninety percent of their available pool money.
• Ricardo Cabrera, SS, Reds: MLB.com’s third-ranked international prospect has come to an agreement with the Reds. No signing amount has been listed as of this time.
• William Bergolla Jr., SS, Phillies: Philadelphia has come to a $2.2MM agreement with one of the top prospects on the board. While MLB.com has the Venezuelan fourth on their board, Baseball America is slightly less bullish, ranking him eighth overall in this class. The 17-year-old right-hander is the son of William Bergolla, who was a Reds farmhand who appeared in 17 games with Cincinnati back in 2005.
• Oscar Colas, OF, White Sox: The White Sox reached a $2.7MM agreement with Colas, one of the more intriguing prospects on this year’s board, in part because he’s on the older side for most international prospects. The Cuban outfielder is 23-years-old, but that could make him a quick-rising prospect for Chicago.

Several other well-regarded prospects also secured bonuses of $2MM or more, and we’ll keep this list updated throughout the day as more agreements come to light:

• Rockies, $2.8MM, SS Dyan Jorge
  
• Mariners, $2.5MM, OF Lazaro Montes
• Braves, $2.5MM, Diego Benitez
• Tigers, $2.2MM, SS Javier Osorio
• Giants, $2.2MM, SS Ryan Reckley
• Blue Jays, $2MM+, C Luis Meza
• Rangers, $2MM, OF Anthony Gutierrez

Padres got 3 of the top 50 and had a really nice haul by all accounts...

[stevenash]

Wow Melky Cabrera and Travis Snyder both retired from baseball. Lots of retirements.

It's time Gardner steps down too.
He hasn't it over .222 in three years, every one of his at bats now is useless, a waste.

[JMobile]

It's time Gardner steps down too.
He hasn't it over .222 in three years, every one of his at bats now is useless, a waste.

Gardner? Who's that? What team?

[stevenash]

Gardner? Who's that? What team?

He's like a 1000 years old

[jrgum3]

He's like a 1000 years old

Seems like he's been with the Yankees that long. He probably is reaching that age when its time to hang em up though because you're right he's nothing more than a slap hitter these days.

[Cross]

Gardner definitely hung on too long, agreed.

[EmpireMaker]

The futures of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are “the most pivotal bigger-picture personnel matter facing the Blue Jays,” Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi writes, and it remains to be see if both young stars will remain in Toronto over the long term. Guerrero and Bichette are both controlled via arbitration through the 2025 season, and since their price tags will only rise (Guerrero is already arb-eligible as a Super Two player and projected for $7.9MM in 2022), locking them up sooner rather than later would be beneficial for the Jays. That said, the two players have already done enough to ensure any long-term extensions would cost the Blue Jays a sizeable amount, certainly far more than $200MM and maybe even nearer the $300MM mark depending on the number of years involved.
As Davidi notes, Jose Berrios is the only Toronto player under contract beyond 2026, so the Jays have somewhat kept their long-term ledger clear in the event that Guerrero and/or Bichette are indeed extended to major deals. Speaking of the “and/or” usage, the Blue Jays might opt to just extend one of the two, “and the relationship dynamic between team and player could be impacted if there’s only one extension.” It will make for a fascinating topic for the coming years in Toronto, as Guerrero and Bichette’s contract situations weigh heavily on both the Jays, and on other players and teams around baseball looking to those two as possible precedents and comps.
More from around the AL East…

• Yankees officials believe DJ LeMahieu’s lackluster 2021 could be traced to a sports hernia that the infielder tried to play through before finally getting surgery after the season, The New York Post’s Dan Martin writes. A healthy LeMahieu that could return to his 2019-20 form would be an enormous help for the Bronx Bombers as they continue to figure out their infield picture, as LeMahieu’s position next season is still up in the air. Presuming New York does acquire a regular shortstop, LeMahieu seems set to toggle between third, second, and first base, with Gleyber Torres set for regular duty at the keystone and Gio Urshela and Luke Voit penciled into at least part-time duty at the corner spots.
• Renovations to Camden Yards’ left field area are intended to make the ballpark a little less treacherous for Orioles pitchers, and also to any future pitchers the team might be looking to eventually sign. As GM Mike Elias told The Athletic’s Dan Connolly and other reporters, the Orioles’ ability to attract free agent pitchers was “definitely a significant factor in” the decision to renovate. “The conditions here have been very extreme, towards the very most extreme in the league….It has been the case for decades and part of having a winning program is the ability to recruit free-agent pitchers, and that has been a historical challenge for this franchise,” Elias said. While Connolly doesn’t believe the team will ever be a true destination for ace-level free agent hurlers, changing the dimensions might at least help the O’s land some mid-level veterans or bounce-back candidates, who might’ve been normally wary about working at such a hitter-friendly venue.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Seems like he's been with the Yankees that long. He probably is reaching that age when its time to hang em up though because you're right he's nothing more than a slap hitter these days.

Hard to walk away from a big contract.

[stevenash]

Hard to walk away from a big contract.

Yeah, and the Yanks cut him once a few years ago (twice I think but I need to double check that) yet they brought him back like three years ago when Clint Frazier got hurt.

Clint Frazier was supposed to take his roster spot in 2018 going forward. that didn't turn out well.
Yanks never should have traded Andrew Miller for him in the first place, now Cross is stuck with him and the Yanks could have used Miller the past three years.

[Cross]

No idea about Clint Frazier. Any possibility this guy is good? Sounds like he was a really good prospect at one point.

[stevenash]

No idea about Clint Frazier. Any possibility this guy is good? Sounds like he was a really good prospect at one point.

Decent power, 22-28 tater power.
Tons of potential, been hurt a couple of time (concussed and vertigo)
He's a super ginger if that means anything (and it doesn't)
He's more gingerbread than Andy Dalton.

This is a very good read.
He can help if he's right.

https://www.pinstripealley.com/2021/5/1/22413212/mlb-baseball-yankees-outfielder-clint-frazier-swing-mechanics-adjustment-mike-trout-analytics-savant

[JMobile]

Seems like he's been with the Yankees that long. He probably is reaching that age when its time to hang em up though because you're right he's nothing more than a slap hitter these days.

Oh, that Gardner. Yeah, he should be set for life unless he threw away his money. Might be a coach later.

[Chi_archie]

Decent power, 22-28 tater power.
Tons of potential, been hurt a couple of time (concussed and vertigo)
He's a super ginger if that means anything (and it doesn't)
He's more gingerbread than Andy Dalton.

This is a very good read.
He can help if he's right.

https://www.pinstripealley.com/2021/...alytics-savant

he should settle in and be very good

[EmpireMaker]

Last season, as most of Major League Baseball moved incontrovertibly towards a high velocity, strikeout-forward approach, the Cubs put together a soft-tossing rotation not at all focused on missing bats. Headlined by Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies, perhaps the two preeminent control artists in the sport, the Cubs unique approach aimed–quite literally–to induce weak contact rather than avoid it. If success was a long shot, there was at least a strategy, even if their zag to the league’s zig was prompted by need.
Chicago’s pipeline of pitching talent had gone dry. The Jon Lester– Jake Arrieta-Hendricks triumvirate was the engine of the 2015-2017 peak Cubs. When they came to power in 2015, Cubs’ starters finished third overall in the Majors with a 3.36 ERA. They topped the sport by measure of ERA in 2016 with a 2.96 mark. By 2017, they had begun to slip, down to seventh overall with a 4.04 mark.
The magic was gone. As Arrieta’s superhuman years faded into the background, the Cubs let him walk in free agency. They made moves to replace him–trading for Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, and Jose Quintana–some moves came before he left and some came after, but none could stand up to Arrieta in his short, but astronomical peak. Lester began to age, Darvish’s return to frontline status was a slow burn, and the Cubs settled into a groove of good, but unremarkable rotations, finishing 10th overall by ERA in 2018 and 2019.
David Ross’ squad sprinted to a sixth overall finish in 2020 by ERA as Darvish and Hendricks gave them a semblance of the staffs from the peak Cubs. Maybe their success emboldened the front office to give the offensive core one more opportunity to recapture the magic of the 2016 title run. But as we now know, the Cubs were at their best when driven by a top-notch rotation, and in 2021, they were stuck in the slow lane.
Only Hendricks and Davies made all 32 starts, but both posted the worst seasons of their careers as the Cubs lost 91 games. The rotation ranked 26th overall with a 5.27 team ERA, easily the worst performance since the Cubs took off in 2015. A power pitching game isn’t strictly necessary to field a competitive squad, but the Cubs do need something more.
They’ve already made strides, putting together a less gimmicky rotation than last year, scooping Wade Miley off the waiver wire and signing one of the top free agent arms in Marcus Stroman.
On the offensive end, the speculation continues that they might make a bid for Carlos Correa. If not, the Cubs would roll out a starting middle infield of Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal. While the young pair is promising, one could also argue that they represent the hitter version of last year’s rotation gambit. While the rest of the baseball world hunts dingers, a Hoerner/Madrigal combo boasts turn-of-the-century talent – and not this century.
Hoerner has hit three home runs in 378 career plate appearances, while Madrigal has two over 324 plate appearances. Steamer suggests a whopping 14 combined home runs between the two of them if given regular playing time. Home runs aren’t everything, so we can check their isolated power: Madrigal owns a .089 ISO and Hoerner a .078 ISO. Where .167 ISO is league-average, Nico and Nick are decidedly punch-less. Granted, neither has played even a full season in the Majors, so their numbers must be taken with a grain of salt, but neither has shown much power in the minor leagues either.
Signing of Correa or Trevor Story changes the calculus, but either way, the Cubs expect Hoerner and Madrigal to be regular cogs in the lineup. There’s upside there for Chicago, but whether it’s enough to charge this new era of Cubs baseball remains to be seen. The Cubs have long had a strikeout problem from a team perspective, and getting 500+ at-bats from Hoerner and Madrigal would definitely see more balls put in play. Neither walks a ton, however, so there’s heavy lifting to do in other parts of the lineup, as well as for manager David Ross in putting together a lineup with two contact-first bats who don’t walk or hit for power. (As a counterpoint, Hoerner posted a 10.0 walk rate in 2021, which is better than the league-average rate of 8.7 percent, and a 9.5 percent walk rate the year before.)
Of course, the Cubs don’t like Madrigal and Hoerner because of what they don’t do.
Both are regarded as strong defenders, making them necessary supports for the new-look rotation. Stroman and Miley finished in the top 10 among qualified pitchers for groundball rate, and though Hendricks’ 43.1 percent groundball rate wasn’t as high as many years, he still finished 20th in the Majors by that metric. Infield defense will have to be a plus for the Cubs new rotation to succeed, and their young, contact-oriented duo will be key.
For that to work, however, their infield duo needs to be on the field, and both have struggled in that regard. More than a lack of power, poor health will doom the potential of the Nico and Nick show.
If they do stay healthy, they are the beginning of a movement underway in Chicago. We can even add first baseman Frank Schwindel to the list of Cubs infielders who excel at making contact. Of course, Patrick Wisdom strikes out enough for the whole infield (40.8 percent strikeout rate over 375 plate appearances in 2021). That certainly helped land the Cubs the highest strikeout rate in baseball last season at 26.7 percent. They finished 27th-ranked in 2020.
Strikeouts are a death knell for an offense, killing momentum and vaporizing the potential favor of BABIP good luck. It’s not “the answer,” but it’s certainly a piece of what could be a winning strategy. Put the ball in play and good things can happen. And believe it or not, the Cubs’ brass still wants good things to happen for this ballclub. The peak era Cubs boasted big-time power, so they could weather higher strikeout rates, but that team is gone, and this team is still forming its identity.
The Cubs tried putting together a pitching staff that didn’t strike anybody out, so it’s only natural that when that failed, they should try an offense that puts the ball in play. After all, they know it works because they’ve seen it work. With Nico and Nick leading the way, if nothing else, these new Cubs should put the ball in play, just to give themselves a chance.

[jrgum3]

Last season, as most of Major League Baseball moved incontrovertibly towards a high velocity, strikeout-forward approach, the Cubs put together a soft-tossing rotation not at all focused on missing bats. Headlined by Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies, perhaps the two preeminent control artists in the sport, the Cubs unique approach aimed–quite literally–to induce weak contact rather than avoid it. If success was a long shot, there was at least a strategy, even if their zag to the league’s zig was prompted by need.
Chicago’s pipeline of pitching talent had gone dry. The Jon Lester– Jake Arrieta-Hendricks triumvirate was the engine of the 2015-2017 peak Cubs. When they came to power in 2015, Cubs’ starters finished third overall in the Majors with a 3.36 ERA. They topped the sport by measure of ERA in 2016 with a 2.96 mark. By 2017, they had begun to slip, down to seventh overall with a 4.04 mark.
The magic was gone. As Arrieta’s superhuman years faded into the background, the Cubs let him walk in free agency. They made moves to replace him–trading for Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, and Jose Quintana–some moves came before he left and some came after, but none could stand up to Arrieta in his short, but astronomical peak. Lester began to age, Darvish’s return to frontline status was a slow burn, and the Cubs settled into a groove of good, but unremarkable rotations, finishing 10th overall by ERA in 2018 and 2019.
David Ross’ squad sprinted to a sixth overall finish in 2020 by ERA as Darvish and Hendricks gave them a semblance of the staffs from the peak Cubs. Maybe their success emboldened the front office to give the offensive core one more opportunity to recapture the magic of the 2016 title run. But as we now know, the Cubs were at their best when driven by a top-notch rotation, and in 2021, they were stuck in the slow lane.
Only Hendricks and Davies made all 32 starts, but both posted the worst seasons of their careers as the Cubs lost 91 games. The rotation ranked 26th overall with a 5.27 team ERA, easily the worst performance since the Cubs took off in 2015. A power pitching game isn’t strictly necessary to field a competitive squad, but the Cubs do need something more.
They’ve already made strides, putting together a less gimmicky rotation than last year, scooping Wade Miley off the waiver wire and signing one of the top free agent arms in Marcus Stroman.
On the offensive end, the speculation continues that they might make a bid for Carlos Correa. If not, the Cubs would roll out a starting middle infield of Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal. While the young pair is promising, one could also argue that they represent the hitter version of last year’s rotation gambit. While the rest of the baseball world hunts dingers, a Hoerner/Madrigal combo boasts turn-of-the-century talent – and not this century.
Hoerner has hit three home runs in 378 career plate appearances, while Madrigal has two over 324 plate appearances. Steamer suggests a whopping 14 combined home runs between the two of them if given regular playing time. Home runs aren’t everything, so we can check their isolated power: Madrigal owns a .089 ISO and Hoerner a .078 ISO. Where .167 ISO is league-average, Nico and Nick are decidedly punch-less. Granted, neither has played even a full season in the Majors, so their numbers must be taken with a grain of salt, but neither has shown much power in the minor leagues either.
Signing of Correa or Trevor Story changes the calculus, but either way, the Cubs expect Hoerner and Madrigal to be regular cogs in the lineup. There’s upside there for Chicago, but whether it’s enough to charge this new era of Cubs baseball remains to be seen. The Cubs have long had a strikeout problem from a team perspective, and getting 500+ at-bats from Hoerner and Madrigal would definitely see more balls put in play. Neither walks a ton, however, so there’s heavy lifting to do in other parts of the lineup, as well as for manager David Ross in putting together a lineup with two contact-first bats who don’t walk or hit for power. (As a counterpoint, Hoerner posted a 10.0 walk rate in 2021, which is better than the league-average rate of 8.7 percent, and a 9.5 percent walk rate the year before.)
Of course, the Cubs don’t like Madrigal and Hoerner because of what they don’t do.
Both are regarded as strong defenders, making them necessary supports for the new-look rotation. Stroman and Miley finished in the top 10 among qualified pitchers for groundball rate, and though Hendricks’ 43.1 percent groundball rate wasn’t as high as many years, he still finished 20th in the Majors by that metric. Infield defense will have to be a plus for the Cubs new rotation to succeed, and their young, contact-oriented duo will be key.
For that to work, however, their infield duo needs to be on the field, and both have struggled in that regard. More than a lack of power, poor health will doom the potential of the Nico and Nick show.
If they do stay healthy, they are the beginning of a movement underway in Chicago. We can even add first baseman Frank Schwindel to the list of Cubs infielders who excel at making contact. Of course, Patrick Wisdom strikes out enough for the whole infield (40.8 percent strikeout rate over 375 plate appearances in 2021). That certainly helped land the Cubs the highest strikeout rate in baseball last season at 26.7 percent. They finished 27th-ranked in 2020.
Strikeouts are a death knell for an offense, killing momentum and vaporizing the potential favor of BABIP good luck. It’s not “the answer,” but it’s certainly a piece of what could be a winning strategy. Put the ball in play and good things can happen. And believe it or not, the Cubs’ brass still wants good things to happen for this ballclub. The peak era Cubs boasted big-time power, so they could weather higher strikeout rates, but that team is gone, and this team is still forming its identity.
The Cubs tried putting together a pitching staff that didn’t strike anybody out, so it’s only natural that when that failed, they should try an offense that puts the ball in play. After all, they know it works because they’ve seen it work. With Nico and Nick leading the way, if nothing else, these new Cubs should put the ball in play, just to give themselves a chance.

Looks like the Cubs are making a concerted effort to improve their team in 2022. They should given the fact that they basically stripped their team apart and started the rebuild effort last season.

[Cross]

Yep, 2022 is probably going to end up similar to 2016, figggghhhhht!!

[stevenash]

Oh, that Gardner. Yeah, he should be set for life unless he threw away his money. Might be a coach later.

I followed Gardner's entire career, not really a NYY fan, just live in Yankee country.
I'm in Ct. halfway between Boston and NYC, I get 24/7 exposure to Celtics, Knicks, Nets. Red Sox, Yanks, Bruins...
Anyway, Gardner would make a good coach, he understands the art of hitting, good bunter, good bat control, can teach kids how to go opposite field...
He's good like that.
Little bit of a hot head, but good guy.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

No idea about Clint Frazier. Any possibility this guy is good? Sounds like he was a really good prospect at one point.

He can hit with power but is an absolute abomination in the field.

[Otters27]

He can hit with power but is an absolute abomination in the field.

Who's the worst fielder but has to play because they can hit

[Chi_archie]

He can hit with power but is an absolute abomination in the field.

I wasn't aware he was a butcher

[stevenash]

I wasn't aware he was a butcher

Yeah, always looks confused on defense, can't play CF like Gardner could, but has power that Gardner doesn't have.
Like JP said, butcher in LF and RF and NYY doesn't need any DH help. Hardly.

There were talks about maybe 3B, that wasn't going to work.

I love doing research, you find things out the more you dig.
Gardner suffers from vertigo, unlike when Nick Esasky suffered from Vertigo 30 years ago the meds are better now.
It's an inner ear thing, causes a sense of off balance dizzy spells...

Frazier was explaining that a sinking line drive to him in left field looked like it was going one way but in reality it was going a different way.
Anyways, before I get too long winded Frazier bat is legit, HR power is there, he hit that clutch playoff dinger against TBR. he's just an adventure on defense.
But he tries.

That "I'm glad I'm no longer a Yankee" sound bite didn't go over well though.
He didn't mean what he was saying.
Frazier just wanted playing time (I can relate) Yanks wanted to play him, but where? How?
He's a good kid, outgoing, that's frustrated. I can relate.
There's a reason why the Indians drafted him in the first round (5th coverall)

The last presser with Frazier he said he was "thrilled to be in Chicago"
He'll fit right in there, just keep him out of the outfield in the late innings.

[JMobile]

Who's the worst fielder but has to play because they can hit

Anybody that is DH really

[stevenash]

Yeah, always looks confused on defense, can't play CF like Gardner could, but has power that Gardner doesn't have.
Like JP said, butcher in LF and RF and NYY doesn't need any DH help. Hardly.

There were talks about maybe 3B, that wasn't going to work.

I love doing research, you find things out the more you dig.
Gardner suffers from vertigo, unlike when Nick Esasky suffered from Vertigo 30 years ago the meds are better now.
It's an inner ear thing, causes a sense of off balance dizzy spells...

Frazier was explaining that a sinking line drive to him in left field looked like it was going one way but in reality it was going a different way.
Anyways, before I get too long winded Frazier bat is legit, HR power is there, he hit that clutch playoff dinger against TBR. he's just an adventure on defense.
But he tries.

That "I'm glad I'm no longer a Yankee" sound bite didn't go over well though.
He didn't mean what he was saying.
Frazier just wanted playing time (I can relate) Yanks wanted to play him, but where? How?
He's a good kid, outgoing, that's frustrated. I can relate.
There's a reason why the Indians drafted him in the first round (5th coverall)

The last presser with Frazier he said he was "thrilled to be in Chicago"
He'll fit right in there, just keep him out of the outfield in the late innings.

*edit*
I said Gardner suffers from vertigo, I was obviously referring to Clint Frazier.

My bad, I have an editor for my blog (my wife, she has an English Lit degree) but not for the free sites. lol

[EmpireMaker]

Free agent shortstop Carlos Correa has switched agencies and is now a client of Scott Boras and the Boras Corporation, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Correa had previously been represented by William Morris Endeavor.
Going into the offseason, Correa was widely considered to be part of a two-headed top of the free agent class, along with Corey Seager. Both offered similar appeal to prospective teams, as both shortstops entered free agency at the age of 27 and offered elite production on both sides of the ball. MLBTR placed Correa at the top of the annual Top 50 Free Agents, projecting him for a contract of $320MM over ten years, with Seager just behind in the number two slot and a projection of $305MM over ten years. Seager, represented by the Boras Corporation, beat his projection when the Rangers signed him to a ten-year deal worth $325MM. Correa, meanwhile, did not find a contract to his liking before the lockout and remains a free agent.
Back in September 2019, Correa took the unusual step of hiring WME to represent him, despite the fact that they were more of a show business agency and did not even have an agent that was accredited with the MLBPA at the time. Back in September 2021, it was reported that the company was still trying to expand its baseball operations, hiring former Angels general manager Billy Eppler, along with some agents who had previously been with Excel Sports Management and CAA. (Eppler subsequently left WME to become general manager of the Mets.)
However, the most recent news surrounding the agency had been their attempts to purchase a variety of minor league teams, something which drew the ire of the MLBPA. In a report from Evan Drellich of The Athletic last week, he noted that the union had “warned WME Sports player representatives that they risk losing their certification as agents unless they divest themselves from the company.” MLBPA is in charge of agent accreditation and their regulations prohibit agents from acquiring or holding financial interests in professional baseball teams unless authorized by the MLBPA to do so. There is no evidence that the situation regarding WME and their minor league investments had anything to do with Correa’s departure, nor did Correa offer an explanation for his choice other than to praise the Boras Corporation’s expertise and experience.
Now Correa will exit the lockout with the sport’s most high profile agent in his corner to help him navigate what is widely expected to be a chaotic frenzy of activity, as teams and players try to finalize deals in the short window between a new CBA being signed and a new season beginning. Boras figures to have his hands full in that time, as he also represents other notable free agents, such as Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant and Carlos Rodon.

[jrgum3]

Who's the worst fielder but has to play because they can hit

There's plenty of those guys out there and usually you can find their team hiding them in Left Field or maybe 1B if they're a DH that has to play somewhere in an NL park.

[stevenash]

^
Schwarber

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I wasn't aware he was a butcher

He is best suited to be a DH in the AL.

[Cross]

Schwarber actually gets some assists, has a great arm. Definitely not the most rangy in the outfield though, lol.

[JMobile]

Twins sign Acuna's younger brother

[stevenash]

^
Baseball is truly becoming a family affair.

[EmpireMaker]

The free agent starting pitching market moved very quickly before the transactions freeze. Carlos Rodón and Clayton Kershaw are the clear top two starters remaining, and it seems Kershaw’s market could be limited by geographical concerns. That’d leave Rodón as the lone potential top-of-the-rotation arm available in free agency, but his status is complicated by health questions.
Rodón’s story has been covered a few timesthis offseason. After a few injury-plagued years, the former #3 overall pick broke out with an ace-caliber first half. He was a deserved All-Star and on a potential Cy Young pace until hitting the injured list with discomfort in his throwing shoulder in August. He missed a few weeks — albeit after it was apparent the White Sox were coasting to an AL Central title — before returning to make a few starts at the end of the season.
While Rodón continued to be effective after that IL stint, the average velocity on both his fastball and slider ticked down a couple miles per hour. Rodón’s fastball velocity ramped back up during his lone postseason start (his slider speed did not), but he was knocked out after just 2 2/3 innings during a rough outing against the Astros. The White Sox were eliminated before he got another opportunity to take the hill.
It wasn’t an ideal finish, but Rodón’s season-long production was excellent. He posted a 2.37 ERA with a massive 34.6% strikeout rate over 132 2/3 regular season innings, showcasing dominant swing-and-miss stuff at his best. Yet the White Sox declined to make the 29-year-old a qualifying offer, perhaps indicating some trepidation on the club’s part about his health. Given that durability uncertainty, MLBTR forecasted Rodón to take a one-year, $25MM deal in hopes of duplicating his excellent 2021 numbers in search of nine figures next offseason.
That doesn’t seem to be a course of action Rodón’s considering — or, at least, it wasn’t on the table early in the offseason. Agent Scott Boras told reporters in November they’d have rejected a QO had the Sox made one, saying the southpaw was on the hunt for a multi-year deal. Yet there were essentially no substantive rumors regarding Rodón in the weeks leading up to the lockout, leaving his market highly uncertain. MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined his best potential landing spots last month.
What kind of deal might Rodón command? Perhaps the market’s other starters can provide some idea. Max Scherzer landed the biggest contract of any starter this offseason, signing for a whopping $130MM over three years. He’s a unique case, with the next couple tiers offering cleaner possible comps. Robbie Ray received five guaranteed years and $115MM, with an opt-out possibility after the third season. Kevin Gausman signed for five years and $110MM.
Aside from that trio of nine-figure hurlers, the biggest starting pitching deals went to Eduardo Rodríguez (five years/$77MM, with an opt-out clause after the second season), Marcus Stroman (three years/$71MM, with an opt-out after the second season) and Jon Gray (four years/$56MM). Below them are Steven Matz (four years/$44MM) and Anthony DeSclafani (three years/$36MM).

[jrgum3]

Schwarber actually gets some assists, has a great arm. Definitely not the most rangy in the outfield though, lol.

This actually makes sense because as a former Catcher he probably developed a strong arm and it showed up in his play in the Outfield. Still though he's known for hitting moreso than his fielding despite the fact that he can throw.

[Otters27]

Gausman getting the big time Money

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Schwarber actually gets some assists, has a great arm. Definitely not the most rangy in the outfield though, lol.

Schwarber is brutal in the outfield tracking balls. Either 1B or DH suits him.

[stevenash]

Schwarber is brutal in the outfield tracking balls. Either 1B or DH suits him.

I love Schwarber, gamer, consummate teammate, everything.
But yeah, he's Dr. Strageglove.

Red Sox and Schwarber both knew he can't play 1B, and he proved it by committing that playoff error.
But the Sox didn't want him anywhere near the OF.
I got the feeling they'd rather start JD Martines in the OF, and he's a butcher too.