Hot Stove and Winter Meetings

So, what does everybody think about all the hot stove action before next week's Winter Meetings?

1. Were the Cano and Ellsbury (as well as the McCann and Granderson) signings too expensive and too long, or did the Mariners and Yankees score?

2. Was Billy Beane's lighting round of moves netting Jim Johnson, Gentry, Gregerson, and Kazmir further proof of his genius?

3. Did the Nationals sucker the Tigers in the Fister trade as most people (including me) think they did?

4. Is David Price gonna get traded, and if so, to whom and for what? (I predict the Mariners for Nick Franklin, Taijuan Walker, and Danny Hultzen).

Please share your thoughts on any of these questions or any other thoughts you have on other past and future Hot Stove developments.

So, what does everybody think about all the hot stove action before next week's Winter Meetings?

1. Were the Cano and Ellsbury (as well as the McCann and Granderson) signings too expensive and too long, or did the Mariners and Yankees score?

2. Was Billy Beane's lighting round of moves netting Jim Johnson, Gentry, Gregerson, and Kazmir further proof of his genius?

3. Did the Nationals sucker the Tigers in the Fister trade as most people (including me) think they did?

4. Is David Price gonna get traded, and if so, to whom and for what? (I predict the Mariners for Nick Franklin, Taijuan Walker, and Danny Hultzen).

Please share your thoughts on any of these questions or any other thoughts you have on other past and future Hot Stove developments.

1. The Yankees more or less traded Cano for Ellsbury, I think they lost on the exchange. It's nice to see the Mariners act like a major league club for a change, but it will be moot if they don't surround Cano with some other good bats.
2. Yes!
3. This IS a head scratcher. It looks like the Tigers got a bag of marbles for a solid middle rotation starter.
4. Price will be pitching for the Dodgers next season

Is Boston really going into 2014 with 1/3 of their lineup young unproven players:

CF - Bradley Jr
SS - Bogaerts
3B - Middlebrooks

Bogaerts seems like the real deal and a no-brainer, but so did Middlebrooks after his partial rookie season.

I don't like the Cano signing at all. It seems to me that the Mariners are so far away from winning the division that to put that much money into one player who will lose most of his power in that park is crazy.

Now that the Yankees have Beltran, Ichiro, Gardner, Soriano, Wells and Ellsbury, I expect to see Gardner traded for pitching.

It would seem that the Nats suckered the Tigers but remember when Dombrowski traded with Arizona for Schlereth and Scherzer? I think everyone thought he got robbed then too. Dombrowski always seems to get the best end of the deal in the long run.

I think the smart GM's will be trading to improve their team instead of buying free agents at this point.

1 - Cano will help Mariners short term. But that park will reduce his HR stats and will become a hindrance in the latter half. Giving 10 years to anyone is foolish. But for the next 3 years or so he should help. Question is whether their young team can improve enough around him.

2 - Not sure if proof of genius. But good signings and he got the better of Daniels.

3 - Tigers may have been fleeced but they apparently are on the fence on finances playing the delicate game of keeping the key elements you really want and affording to fill in around them. So I understand it.

4 - I am unsure on Price. They have historically not spent to keep such stars but if they see a window of opportunity and Price does not go all out for best money he could stay. If traded it is difficult to say where he will go because prospects are more important than financial strength when it comes to landing a guy like this.

1. It's only money and it's not mine so Cano will help the Mariners. That being said, way too much money for too long. Have teams not learned anything about bad deals. Pujols anyone????

2. 10mil for a closer seems very un-Billy Beane like. Actually has me scratching my head a bit. As does the signing of Kazmir but he's obviously a good judge of talent. I have a feeling he's not done and that the A's will win the division.

3. I don't get it from the Tigers perspective, unless there is something behind the scenes that we don't get. Maybe they don't like something about Fister. That being said they still win the central. Are they going with Castellanos at 3rd or does Dombrowski have something else up his sleeve? Headley?

4. I think the RAYS hold onto Price and go for it this year. They will at least get a pick in the draft next year when he signs elsewhere. They could also hold onto him until July and if not in the race trade him then.

1. Cano got a whopper of a contract, and I think in time both he AND the M's will be unhappy with it (Cano's gonna miss the center of attention; the Mariners will miss having a spare dime around to spend when Cano is 39 and is a marginal player).
Yanks overpaid for Ellsbury, but not by a ton, probably 135 or so would've been reasonable. McCann was a a lot of money but he's a very good ballplayer whose skills are maximized in Yankee Stadium. Grandy was not worth his deal - he's basically a speedy version of Adam Dunn at this point.
2. Billy Beane made that team much, much better as he always does. The question is, the only thing that team lacks (especially now with an up and coming ace in Sonny Gray) is some hitting that can hit the best pitching. That's the only thing that has held them back in the playoffs. Great defense, great energy, they always come back, pitching is really solid, and they hit plenty of HRs, but several of them look overmatched against the best.
3. Nats flat out stole a really solid innings eating pitcher. Fister will really help them.
4. I'm not sure Price will get traded. I kind of think Tampa may hang on one more year because they think they can be relevant. I can't make a call on this one.

Now that the Yankees have Beltran, Ichiro, Gardner, Soriano, Wells and Ellsbury, I expect to see Gardner traded for pitching.

Wells and Ichiro have very little value. I would use an OF of Gardner/Ellsbury/Beltran and use Soriano at DH. Ichiro would be the backup at all 3 OF spots and cut or trade Wells.

The Yankees more or less traded Cano for Ellsbury, I think they lost on the exchange

I disagree. For the 240 Seattle gave Cano they Yankees signed Ellsbury and McCann. Plus 5 years from now they will have those contracts coming off the books to retool with whomever is quality free agent at the time. Seattle will have an aging Cano with a bad contract they cannot unload without eating part of the money still owed.

I think part of reason Yankees let Cano walk was they have seen how a bad long term contract can hamper a team with their Arod experience. I was never concerned about the Yankees throwing money around wildly. But I have been concerned what they might accomplish if they ever started spending money wisely.

On the Mariner side there are several things to consider. They had money to spend. They went after Pujols but failed. They went after Hamilton and failed. To their credit they did not go out and just throw money at someone because their preferred plan failed. But I think they felt coming up empty a third straight year was completely unacceptable. Cano may not make them a playoff team but should make them playoff contenders again. You have to not only look at his impact on the lineup but also on the difference he will make in terms of fan happiness, marketing, and attendance. So this contract could end up making sense from a financial perspective even though it will cover his declining years.

Where does the Halladay retirement leave the Phillies? I think they are better off. Now they only have 2 super expensive members of starting rotation and a little financial freedom to perhaps address a declining offense. Does this put an end to the endless rumors of a Cliff Lee trade?