MLB Winter Meetings: Top Three Rumors and Rumblings So Far
The 2018 MLB Winter Meetings kicked off on Sunday, December 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While day one was slow going, it was virtually impossible to keep up with all of the rumors and rumblings that have leaked so far.
Make no bones about it, the MLB Winter Meetings are always akin to the Wild West, reckless, chaotic, and flat out outrageous. With rumors and rumblings surfacing in what seems like every minute, you’ll hear about Player A being close to a deal with Team X and Y all at the same time.
It makes you feel like you’re taking “crazy pills,” as Ron Burgundy once so eloquently said.
3 – The Yankees & Manny Machado
Things really started to heat up when Jon Heyman reported that an executive said that Manny Machado will get paid, “but the market is limited.”
The report was immediately followed by New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman stating that the Yanks are unwilling to pay Machado $300MM. They most certainly don’t want to get in to a bidding war for the 26-year old infielder.
Manny Machado to the Yankees seemed almost like a foregone conclusion toward the end of the 2018 postseason. With the Yankees announcing that Didi Gregorious was to undergo Tommy John Surgery, Machado would be the perfect replacement for Didi.
Also, given that Andujar’s defensive performance was so weak last season, a Machado/Gregorious combo at 3B and SS seems almost too good to be true.
Cut to Machado’s “Johnny Hustle” comments, and the rest is history.
The Yankees have not ruled out Manny Machado. In fact, many believe that they’re actively working to drive Machado’s price down. If they succeed, great! If not, there’s an owner out there looking to spend “stupid” money this offseason.
2 – Phillies Staying Busy
Aside from the Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies were probably the busiest team in days one and two. First rumored to be one of three prime teams in on Dallas Keuchel, the Phillies didn’t stop there.
Braves, Reds and the Phillies are three prime teams on Keuchel. But what if Yankees lose out on Happ. Might they pounce?
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2018
The Phillies are said to be in negotiations with J.A. Happ, and are still in on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, according to Dave Sheinin. If this is true, then Phillies owner John Middleton’s comments to USA Today last month that he was prepared to “be a little stupid” with his spending this winter are to be taken seriously.
The Phillies are probably in the best financial situation moving forward, so much so that the possibility of brining in Mike Trout to Philadelphia somewhere down the line isn’t out of the question. The Phillies only have $67MM committed to the 2019 team. That number drops to just a touch over $15MM the year after.
Look for the Phillies and Yankees to continue to be the most active teams moving forward. They did own days one and two after all.
1 – Thor to the Bronx?
On Monday, Brian Cashman ruled out the possibility of bringing Bryce Harper to the Bronx, according to Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch. It seems that the Yankees are unwilling to pay a guy who would in turn have to switch positions in order to fit in to the roster.
What none of us ever expected, however, is that the Yankees woudl fully pursue a three-way deal with the Mets and Marlins for none other than Noah Syndergaard (aka “Thor”).
I can feel the nausea coming out of Mets fans as I type.
Don’t worry Mets fans, Van Wagenen won’t give up on Syndergaard so easily. He most certainly won’t let Derek Jeter and the Marlins help the Yankees acquire one of baseball’s best arms.
#Mets have discussed trade in which they would land J.T. Realmuto in three-team deal with #Yankees and #Marlins, sources tell The Athletic. Not known if Syndergaard involved. NYM would not part with Syndergaard (three years control) if getting only Realmuto (two years) in return.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2018
What if the Yankees were willing to part with Miguel Andujar? Well, according to Ken Rosenthal, they are. Especially considering that they have not fully ruled out pursuing Manny Machado.
Let’s summarize how this deal would look like for the Mets, Marlins and Yankees.
- Mets would receive J.T. Realmuto, arguably the best catcher in MLB.
- Marlins would receive Miguel Andujar, runner-up to the AL Rookie of the Year award.
- Yankees would get Noah Syndergaard.
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From a distance, the Mets seem like the lowest man on the totem pole, and according to John Harper, Van Wagenen and the Mets would probably want something else in return. This is when I will speculate and add that the Yankees may want to part ways with Estevan Florial, their top prospect.
Given that the Bronx Bombers are out on Harper because of the glut of outfielders on the Yankees, what makes anybody think there’s a spot on the team for Florial?
This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Yankees to strike gold. Given how badly the Yanks missed out on Chris Sale (two years ago) and Gerrit Cole (last year), I wouldn’t be surprised if George Steinbrenner’s ghost of Christmas past comes back and pushes the right buttons to make this happen.
Next. Castellanos landing spots. dark
Stay tuned for more rumors and follow me on Twitter for more Winter Meetings news as it drops.