Major League Baseball: 2015-2016 Off-Season and Spring Training

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JohnBM01

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Base hits. Home runs. Stealing bases. Dramatic catches. The previous season may have ended, but sometimes, the off-season moves can be just as clutch performances as any regular season action. This thread is the thread to discuss various off-season moves as well as covering Spring Training games. I also hope I could possibly get thoughts from GTPlaneteers on thoughts concerning the upcoming season with their favorite teams and players. It may be a cold Fall/Autumn and Winter, but leave it to the Hot Stove to discuss some great moves. Then imagine all the Spring Training games to see teams warm themselves up in preparation for the upcoming 2016 season of Major League Baseball.

So what do you say, GTPlanet? Let's talk off-season baseball moves and Spring Training!
 
The Houston Astros got themselves Cy Sneed from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Jonathan Villar. Also shipped off from the 'Stros are Luis Cruz and Robbie Grossman.

I learned our season opener for the 2016 season will be against the New York Yankees on April 4, 2016 at about 12:05 PM (assuming Central Time). So I would imagine the Yanks will be seeking revenge after we knocked them out in the Playoffs this past season with a 3-0 victory in their house.
 
It looks like the Reds will be shipping off Chapman soon. It's pretty much a given. With that said, he may not be alone. We are going to be rebuilding probably for a couple years, so no one is really safe from being traded.

I anticipate at least two lousy seasons (think 90+ losses each year) before we start to semi-compete again. We have a ton of young players, so maybe they can develop and start producing earlier than expected (especially those arms in the rotation).
 
The Boston Red Sox and pitcher David Price agree to a 7-year, $217M USD deal. Perhaps Price will put some charge into the Red Sox's pitching rotation.
 
Would you want Barry Bonds as your hitting coach? The hot issue is that Barry Bonds may become the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. It would be interesting to see what kind of impact Barry Bonds would have as a hitting coach even among the steroid controversy he's endured. I'm sure if he does become hitting coach for the Fish, unless the guy gets traded, he probably won't have to coach Giancarlo Stanton too much, since he has no problem banging balls out of the park.

But again- would you want Barry Bonds as hitting coach for your team?
 
Spare some thoughts for New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson, who is dealing with cancer. This cancer, however, is treatable. Hope for the best.
 
Word has it that the Los Angeles Dodgers are trading to try to pick up the Cincinnati Reds' Aroldis Chapman. I think this would be good for the Dodgers after having unloaded Z. Greinke. All I wonder is who (or what) the Reds will get in return for Chapman.
 
The Reds will probably just get a few more prospects. We're going to have a ton of them on our hands after all these trades this past calendar year. :lol:
 
Interesting. I hadn't heard about that. It may be a little harder to move him now. Though it's had to say exactly what happened. Who is telling the truth?
 
Apparently, the Ranger's GM is now the President of Baseball Operations, and has been since 2013. I totally forgot about that.

According to a little blurb on ESPN, (I would quote you an article, but it is hidden behind a paywall), the Rangers is one of the most complete teams in the league right now, so I won't expect any moves during the Winter Meetings (if they haven't happened yet.)
 
Diamondbacks were so eager to get a good pitcher that they accidentally clicked on "trade for Shelby Miller" instead of the "send offer to Miami for Jose Fernandez" button, and sent away OF Ender Inciarte, P Aaron Blair and 2015 1st round pick SS Dansby Swanson.

LolBacks will be a trend this year.
 
Just because a player is bad on one team doesn't mean they will be at another.
Miller wasn't terrible for the Braves. His win loss record had to do with the poor offense provided to him by the Atlanta lineup. The reason the trade is bad is because Arizona gave up way too much for a non-ace. They gave up an ace package, one that could have gotten or been close on getting Jose Fernandez, for a non-ace.
 
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Good move by the Astros keeping P Tony Sipp. He does a good job whether closing games or providing needed pitching support late in games. We picked up pitcher Ken Giles from the Phillies recently. I'm guessing the Astros want to side more with pitching than getting solid hitters. Of course, it isn't like the Astros have many hitting woes. We have no problem banging balls out of the park, though we aren't as fire-breathing as Texas or Toronto. But still... you hang 'em, we bang 'em.
 
THIS JUST IN...

Remember a guy named Johnny Cueto? He was with the Reds, with the Royals, and now based on recent reports... he's a San Francisco Giant. I think the deal is for 6 years. San Francisco will get to see Cueto get jiggy with it and strike dudes out. So this may enhance the Giants' pitching rotation.
 
Looks like he's getting his payday. He's back in the NL pitching in a park with larger dimensions than the Great American Launching Pad, so I imagine he will do pretty well.
 
Rangers News:

- Jon Daniels is looking to keep Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland with contract extensions. Both men enter Free Agency after the 2016 season.

- Rangers sign RP Tony Barnette from Japan, pending physical. Barnette is a former Diamondback Draft pick in 2008, but never made a start for the team, reaching Triple-A level in his four seasons with the D-Backs farm system with a 5.85 ERA. Granted, it was an offensive minded area where he pitched (Reno), where no pitcher survived with an ERA under 5.00 with a minimum of 20 starts. After joining Yakult Swallows, he struggled in the rotation, eventually getting a release from the team. He eventually resigned with the team as a relief pitcher, and in 2015, his numbers were phenomenal, a 1.29 ERA and 41 saves. Barnette would make the second pitcher from Japan that the team has signed (the first being Yu Darvish).

The deal is for two years with a club option for 2018.

- The Rangers have claimed First Baseman Andy Wilkins off waivers from the Mariners. The player joins his third team since September, when the Dodgers put him on waivers, being claimed by Baltimore and Seattle before the Rangers claimed him.

- Minor prospect LHP Will Lamb is going to the White Sox for Minor prospect RHP Myles Jaye.

- Negotiations are expected to reengage with Colby Lewis over a new contract.
 
Todd Frazier was part of a three-team trade. Todd Frazier gets to stay in the great Midwest, but instead of southwestern Ohio, he's in northeastern Illinois... wearing black and white. He also switches leagues. So Todd Frazier gets unloaded from the Reds to become one of the White Sox. I don't know all the specifics of the three-team trade, but all I do know is that Todd Frazier is now with the White Sox.
 
Rangers News:

- Tony Barnette, as previously mentioned in my last post, is now officially a Texas Ranger, the club announced Tuesday. Barnette will make $3.5 million guaranteed over two seasons ($1.5 million in 2016, and $1.75 million in 2017) and a $250,000 buyout in 2018.

- James Jones is now officially a Texas Ranger. Jones was sent from Seattle to Texas in exchange for Leonys Martin. Jones started in 72 games for the Mariners in 2014, mostly in Center Field and batted .250 in 312 at-bats. But in 2015, he hit .103 in just 29 at-bats, most of which was from the bench in September and October. Jones did find some consistency during the off season, hitting .341 with 9 doubles and 2 triples in his 132 at-bats in his 34 games in Venezuela.

- Catcher Bobby Wilson has been signed to a Minor League contract, and will be invited to Spring Training. Wilson hit .221 in 31 games for Texas last season.

- Yu Darvish is on target with his Tommy John rehab. He is expected to return midseason if he continues to progress as planned.

- The team is also talking to OF Justin Ruggiano, according to CBS Sports. Ruggiano played in 57 games last year for the Mariners and the Dodgers, hitting .248. If negotiations are successful, the reported deal would be for one year.
 
I was going to post last night about Frazier, but my connection was horrid and I had trouble loading anything on the interwebs pretty much all evening. Honestly, I had no problem with trading him away. He's a great guy. Seems friendly and was good for the clubhouse. And he put on a heck of a show in the Home Run Derby in Cincy. But we are in rebuild mode, and for a guy who's going to be 30 next season and would likely cost a good bit of money to keep around, I can see why he was shipped off.

I can't remember the exact details, but the Sox got Frazier and sent three prospects off to Dodgerland, who in turn sent three of their own prospects to the Queen City.
 
The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for RHPs Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis and INFs Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda.
 
Scott Kazmir was with the Astros. Now, the native Houstonian has a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at $48M USD. Good luck to Kazmir with his new team.
 
Kenta Maeda signs with the Dodgers.

It's interesting, the NL has clear cut good teams (Arizona, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, Washington), but the AL has every team really with a chance to win it because there is no clear cut favorite.
 
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