NFT: Yank talk 1-19 Rumor mill in full effect

It would take much, much more than Andujar, Gray and a couple of mid tier prospects. I honestly don�t see any way the Rockies deal Arenado. He�s the face of their franchise. But IF they did, they could get a huge return. Much better than the one you suggested

but is he really that much better to give up all that instead of just signing Machado and still having all those players?

In comment 14268193 BigBlueShock said:

Quote:

It would take much, much more than Andujar, Gray and a couple of mid tier prospects. I honestly don�t see any way the Rockies deal Arenado. He�s the face of their franchise. But IF they did, they could get a huge return. Much better than the one you suggested

should be enough. Remember he is a free agent after 2019 so he will get a deal similar to what the dodgers paid for machado.

In comment 14268193 BigBlueShock said:

Quote:

It would take much, much more than Andujar, Gray and a couple of mid tier prospects. I honestly don�t see any way the Rockies deal Arenado. He�s the face of their franchise. But IF they did, they could get a huge return. Much better than the one you suggested

You're right,he would command a much better return but only if the Rockies gave the team looking to trade for him a window to negotiate a long term contract,as he can be an FA at the end of the year. The OP is referring to Andy Martino's post on Twitter where he refers to the Yankees wanting Arenado more than Machado & Martino saying he has numerous sources that say talks have taken place.This would only take place if the Rockies believe there is no way he will resign with them because,as you have mentioned,he is the face of their franchise!Q

-

In comment 14268196 mattyblue said:

Quote:

but is he really that much better to give up all that instead of just signing Machado and still having all those players?

Its so hard to truly gauge the Coors Field guys. That said, Arenado�s defense is probably the best in the game, but Machado�s (3B) defense is a close second. Both are the best in the world defensively at third. I�m sure someone will post Arenado�s home road splits and that will diverge on its own path. One difference I can see making a real difference between these two players is that Machado might be viewed as a nonchalant guy while Arenado is a vocal aggressive type of on field and clubhouse leader. Worth the prospects to get Arenado vs cash to get Machado? Possibly. I�d like to see what Manny could do in Coors Field and if their career locations has been switched how that would impact this discussion

In comment 14268214 Dave in PA said:

Quote:

In comment 14268196 mattyblue said: Quote: but is he really that much better to give up all that instead of just signing Machado and still having all those players? Its so hard to truly gauge the Coors Field guys. That said, Arenado�s defense is probably the best in the game, but Machado�s (3B) defense is a close second. Both are the best in the world defensively at third. I�m sure someone will post Arenado�s home road splits and that will diverge on its own path. One difference I can see making a real difference between these two players is that Machado might be viewed as a nonchalant guy while Arenado is a vocal aggressive type of on field and clubhouse leader. Worth the prospects to get Arenado vs cash to get Machado? Possibly. I�d like to see what Manny could do in Coors Field and if their career locations has been switched how that would impact this discussion

Camden Yards is also a hitters paradise. Let�s not act like Machado has been stuck playing at a disadvantage

So you�re still going to have to pony up megabucks to keep him. He may well be a better player than Machado, I don�t see him enough to know, but it would have to be a significant difference to be worth cashing in the assets it would take for what I assume is no more than a marginal difference. Just sign Machado if you need a 3b, and you get to keep Andujar+.

front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason.

Here is Arenado's splits


and here's Aaron Judge


and for the sake of completeness, here are Machado's

signing this off season has required the release of a player on the current 40 man roster. And each release has resulted in a claim from another team.

The current 40 man roster is chock full of talent to the point where I hope we don't see that again this off season.

My guess (and hope) is that a trade of Gray-which could include other(s) on the 40 man roster, happens prior to the Yankees officially announce the Adam Ottavino signing.

to play 1B. A high effort player unlike Machado.

Looking back, I would have been interested in the ask for Goldschmidt. Very strong defensive 1B and a professional hitter. The Cards didn�t seem to give up a whole lot there.

In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said:

Quote:

front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason.

This is such nonsense.

I get so tired of the entitled Yankee fans who make it sound like they are OWED something by the Yanks. Grow up. Here's a big hint- they don't care one iota who entitled Yankee fans think- and there is no PR strategy here.

In fact, I strongly suspect that the story is really coming from Arenado's camp. The Rockies "only" offered $24M while he asked for $30M in arbitration. The only pressure Arenado has now is to show that some other team is pushing to get him- especially one that has the finances to sign him in FA. That forces the Rockies to "play nice" or he can make it clear he will walk at the end of the season.

In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said:

Quote:

front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason.

Do you really believe that? There�s a ton of fans that don�t want Machado so who exactly means more to the fan base, those that want him or those that don�t?

This whole PR stuff is weird, they want to field a great team without committing to players too long term. It�s smart.

Sounds like a very good idea. Hope it happens, however unlikely it seems to be at the moment.

Jon Heyman
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Verified account

@JonHeyman
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Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend.

He would thrive in pitcher friendly SF though.

that much for Arenado. True he is a star, but that is a lot for a guy that your only guaranteed to have one year, and then have to outbid the rest of MLB to keep. I'd package Andujar or Frazier but not both.

In comment 14268196 mattyblue said:

Quote:

but is he really that much better to give up all that instead of just signing Machado and still having all those players?

Maybe, but Rockies players hitting stats are generally skewed because of where they play their home games.

In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said:

Quote:

Jon Heyman ‏ Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend.

That's a pretty good haul for Sonny

In comment 14268263 Percy said:

Quote:

Sounds like a very good idea. Hope it happens, however unlikely it seems to be at the moment.

If the yanks decided to spend big at 3B, I would rather have Machado- younger, better AL East performance, only costs $$ as opposed to the prospect haul that Colorado would require.

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said:

Quote:

In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman ‏ Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny

Keep in mind that IF the Yanks get that pick from the Reds, it will either be the #36 or #37 overall pick in the draft- comes after the first round.

While it doesn't sound impressive at first, realize that the pick comes with a $2M slot value of its own. In other words, just getting that one pick would shift the Yanks draft pool from somewhere around $6.5M to around $8.5M. That is a HUGE difference.

It would allow the Yanks to cut a deal with a guy with a huge price tag who falls in the draft- the kind of player you usually have to have a top 10 pick to get.

The other option would be to grab a couple guys who want a few hundred thousand over slot and pick a college SR power arm who will sign cheap with one of the top 3 picks. The Yanks have had huge success with those profile picks.

The pick alone would be a great get for Gray- getting a legit prospect too would basically mean that they are maxing out the return.

In comment 14268285 rich in DC said:

Quote:

In comment 14268263 Percy said: Quote: Sounds like a very good idea. Hope it happens, however unlikely it seems to be at the moment. If the yanks decided to spend big at 3B, I would rather have Machado- younger, better AL East performance, only costs $$ as opposed to the prospect haul that Colorado would require.

Plus a year from now they would have to spend big to keep Arenado. I'd sign Manny, and save the prospects.

In comment 14268248 rich in DC said:

Quote:

In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said: Quote: front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason. This is such nonsense. I get so tired of the entitled Yankee fans who make it sound like they are OWED something by the Yanks. Grow up. Here's a big hint- they don't care one iota who entitled Yankee fans think- and there is no PR strategy here. In fact, I strongly suspect that the story is really coming from Arenado's camp. The Rockies "only" offered $24M while he asked for $30M in arbitration. The only pressure Arenado has now is to show that some other team is pushing to get him- especially one that has the finances to sign him in FA. That forces the Rockies to "play nice" or he can make it clear he will walk at the end of the season.

Rich, just stop. Your act is tired now. I've been a Yankee fan since the 1980s, I was there for the Dallas Green and Stump Merrill mess. I rooted for Kevin Maas thinking he was going to be the next great thing.
I watched Andy Hawkins throw a no-hitter and lose.

Are there entitled Yankees fans? Yes. Just look at the NYDN cover the other day with the Snore 4. I said in a post the other day that Hal came back with a budget that was over the cap but not the highest threshhold. Cashman was given a choice and decided not to tie up the cap all in Machado or Harper, but strengthen depth at pitching. I think he made smart moves, outside of Gardner and CC, who I don't agree with the amount of $$ they gave them. But if you don't think the Yankees front office put out signals they were getting out from the luxury tax at the same time as Harper and Machado being free agents, somewhat similar to NBA teams clearing space when LeBron was a free agent, you are kidding yourself.

But I'm not going to not watch the Yankees because they didn't get Machado or Harper. I'm not burning my jerseys. That stuff is 100% crap, I agree.

In comment 14268251 UConn4523 said:

Quote:

In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said: Quote: front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason. Do you really believe that? There�s a ton of fans that don�t want Machado so who exactly means more to the fan base, those that want him or those that don�t? This whole PR stuff is weird, they want to field a great team without committing to players too long term. It�s smart.

I'd agree, except this is a front office who gave Ellsbury a dumb ass deal because of PR in losing Cano. Same guys. I thought Ellsbury was a bad move the second I heard about it. PR matters to the Yankees and they read the back pages. Again, the Hal is cheap stuff isn't really true. He's not George. George 100000% would have signed Harper or Machado. Anyone who would doubt that knows nothing of how George operated. However, Hal has gone over the luxury tax threshhold, though the Gray deal will bring him closer. He gave a bigger budget for Cashman to use and Cashman used it to fill in on pitching and holding the fort for Didi. As I said in the other post, I didn't like the Gardner deal, but I think Gardner is done. And CC also was a lot of money to throw at a 5th/6th starter. The rest of the moves the Yankees made all make sense. If the Yankees decided to just bring in Tulo on the major league minimum and make no other moves, then everyone should get the pitchforks out for Hal and Cashman. The fans wanted 2009 again and didn't get it. Let's see if it was enough to beat Boston this year.

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said:

Quote:

In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny

Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were
PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's

Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's

The Reds know that they are fleecing us.

The only times the Yankees won were when he was not the GM. If the Yankees payroll is 220 million this year it's foolish to call Hal cheap. That doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake to pass on Harper and Manny. It means they decided to spread the money around on more players and for shorter contracts than to commit to one guy long term. In the case of two 26 year old all stars or more that may be a mistake.

In comment 14268331 superspynyg said:

Quote:

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said: Quote: In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's The Reds know that they are fleecing us.

Whatever I'd take a bucket of balls for gray at this point.

In comment 14268332 arniefez said:

Quote:

The only times the Yankees won were when he was not the GM. If the Yankees payroll is 220 million this year it's foolish to call Hal cheap. That doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake to pass on Harper and Manny. It means they decided to spread the money around on more players and for shorter contracts than to commit to one guy long term. In the case of two 26 year old all stars or more that may be a mistake.

Arnie, very fair and I agree. The best thing to happen to the Yankees was Howie Spira and Stick Michael. But once George was stopped from stripping the farm system, he used his financial advantage to supplement big ticket players and made the Yankees into the dynasty they became.

as it also turns the screw on Machado, it they are in fact in on him. Just reminding him they have other options

In comment 14268331 superspynyg said:

Quote:

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said: Quote: In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's The Reds know that they are fleecing us.

Everyone who knows the Reds minor league system believes differently. This guy covers it for a living: Doug Gray
‏

@dougdirt24
1h1 hour ago
More Doug Gray Retweeted Jon Heyman
Just going to go on the record again:

I wouldn't trade one of those guys on their own for Sonny Gray, much less both of them AND a draft pick.

That is a wild overpay. The guy had a 4.90 ERA last year with a high walk rate and has 1 year left.

Doug Gray
@dougdirt24
29m29 minutes ago
More
Using the Fangraphs valuation tool for prospects, a "50-grade" prospect has a surplus value of $28M. Both Tyler Stephenson and Shed Long are "50-grade" prospects. That's $56M in surplus value for Sonny Gray, who even at $7.5M, would need to be 2000 Pedro to bring that value.

Lance McAlister
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Verified account

@LanceMcAlister
17h17 hours ago
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I'd be more inclined to hand Tyler Mahle to Derek Johnson than hand Shed Long and Tyler Stephenson to Yankees AND pay $7.5M for one year of Sonny Gray.
#Reds

Cincin
‏

@Nati_Sports
54m54 minutes ago
More Cincin Retweeted Jon Heyman
Shed Long AND a draft pick better be pulling something more other than just Sonny Gray.

I can�t see Nick Krall & Dick Williams trading away Tyler Stephenson for one year of Sonny Gray. Tyler is a prospect you include in a deal for an elite player, not a 1 year rental.

And more linked below. They're trading a 1 year Sonny Gray rental, not Severino. The Reds media and fans are very unhappy with the proposed deal.
Link - ( New Window )

#36 pick as part of the deal, that might make them more inclined to sign Harper.

In comment 14268331 superspynyg said:

Quote:

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said: Quote: In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's The Reds know that they are fleecing us.

NYY aren't getting fleeced here.

In comment 14268351 Phil in LA said:

Quote:

#36 pick as part of the deal, that might make them more inclined to sign Harper.

Interesting point Phil. I still think he's going to Philly because they have the money and they are just waiting to see how much they are bidding against themselves.

In comment 14268207 The_Boss said:

Quote:

-

It will be a Sonny day when it happens, sounds like they
are getting close.

In comment 14268316 Matt in SGS said:

Quote:

In comment 14268251 UConn4523 said: Quote: In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said: Quote: front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason. Do you really believe that? There�s a ton of fans that don�t want Machado so who exactly means more to the fan base, those that want him or those that don�t? This whole PR stuff is weird, they want to field a great team without committing to players too long term. It�s smart. I'd agree, except this is a front office who gave Ellsbury a dumb ass deal because of PR in losing Cano. Same guys. I thought Ellsbury was a bad move the second I heard about it. PR matters to the Yankees and they read the back pages. Again, the Hal is cheap stuff isn't really true. He's not George. George 100000% would have signed Harper or Machado. Anyone who would doubt that knows nothing of how George operated. However, Hal has gone over the luxury tax threshhold, though the Gray deal will bring him closer. He gave a bigger budget for Cashman to use and Cashman used it to fill in on pitching and holding the fort for Didi. As I said in the other post, I didn't like the Gardner deal, but I think Gardner is done. And CC also was a lot of money to throw at a 5th/6th starter. The rest of the moves the Yankees made all make sense. If the Yankees decided to just bring in Tulo on the major league minimum and make no other moves, then everyone should get the pitchforks out for Hal and Cashman. The fans wanted 2009 again and didn't get it. Let's see if it was enough to beat Boston this year.

I believe in learning from mistakes, which they have clearly shown you over the past 4 or 5 years in retooling this team. No reason to hold Ellsbury against them anymore, it�s done and I�m sure they know how dumb it was.

Also, the fan base IMO is split on Machado so I don�t know what the PR move is, who�s is towards?

In comment 14268362 UConn4523 said:

Quote:

In comment 14268316 Matt in SGS said: Quote: In comment 14268251 UConn4523 said: Quote: In comment 14268224 Matt in SGS said: Quote: front office PR spin machine in full effect to placate fans who waited and wanted Harper or Machado and they will come out of it this with neither. I don't see Colorado trading him. Though the Yankees appear to be the New York Rockies based on this offseason. Do you really believe that? There�s a ton of fans that don�t want Machado so who exactly means more to the fan base, those that want him or those that don�t? This whole PR stuff is weird, they want to field a great team without committing to players too long term. It�s smart. I'd agree, except this is a front office who gave Ellsbury a dumb ass deal because of PR in losing Cano. Same guys. I thought Ellsbury was a bad move the second I heard about it. PR matters to the Yankees and they read the back pages. Again, the Hal is cheap stuff isn't really true. He's not George. George 100000% would have signed Harper or Machado. Anyone who would doubt that knows nothing of how George operated. However, Hal has gone over the luxury tax threshhold, though the Gray deal will bring him closer. He gave a bigger budget for Cashman to use and Cashman used it to fill in on pitching and holding the fort for Didi. As I said in the other post, I didn't like the Gardner deal, but I think Gardner is done. And CC also was a lot of money to throw at a 5th/6th starter. The rest of the moves the Yankees made all make sense. If the Yankees decided to just bring in Tulo on the major league minimum and make no other moves, then everyone should get the pitchforks out for Hal and Cashman. The fans wanted 2009 again and didn't get it. Let's see if it was enough to beat Boston this year. I believe in learning from mistakes, which they have clearly shown you over the past 4 or 5 years in retooling this team. No reason to hold Ellsbury against them anymore, it�s done and I�m sure they know how dumb it was. Also, the fan base IMO is split on Machado so I don�t know what the PR move is, who�s is towards?

Fair point. Most of us were screaming to trade Cano when it was clear he was testing free agency and the Yankees were not going to win that year. Ellsbury signing only made it worse. The Miller and Chapman trades showed they learned their lesson. However.... you can't compare Ellsbury to Harper or Machado. Ellsbury was a borderline All Star if (big if) he was healthy. And the Yankees did it to also try to weaken Boston. Harper and Machado are top talents now who are just entering their prime. These are the types of players the Yankees should be in play for. As Arnie said above, Cashman chose a different direction to go or so it would seem.

I�d rather not have Torres be a swing guy, but that seems like the plan unless DJ can play there....and that seems less than ideal.

The 90's Dynasty died when George started buying guys like Musina and Giambi. Stick & Buck built it and George tore it down. The late 70's team was built brilliantly by Gabe Paul and George destroyed that too. At least Goose and Reggie paid off in the short term.

In comment 14268390 arniefez said:

Quote:

The 90's Dynasty died when George started buying guys like Musina and Giambi. Stick & Buck built it and George tore it down. The late 70's team was built brilliantly by Gabe Paul and George destroyed that too. At least Goose and Reggie paid off in the short term.

The results certainly tell this story but I think there's more to the story. They should've won in 2001 and 2003 they were upset by a team that got hot at the right time and we all know what happened in 2004. Sometimes things don't go your way and there's luck involved in most WS runs. In 2005 the Yankees payroll was $209M, average was $65M in baseball and the next highest was $126M. Other teams started spending too which negated the Yankees advantage, otherwise we may have seen a championship or two from 2005-2009.

In comment 14268331 superspynyg said:

Quote:

In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said: Quote: In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's The Reds know that they are fleecing us.

This is a very good deal for the Yankees. According to BP they are the Reds 6th and 7th best prospects plus a draft pick for a 1 year rental of Gray who struggled mightily last season. What did you expect them to get?

Brosius and O'Neil retired, Bernie's decline came rapidly, Knoblauch too. Then they lost Clemens and Pettite and the guys they got to replace them either had trouble adjusting to NY initially (Mussina) or totally bombed (Contreras, Vazquez, Brown, etc)

Are ignoring that Machado wants to play SS. That is not emphasized enough here; youd be signing him to play SS, not 3B. I've heard hes adamant about that.

In comment 14268445 Mike from SI said:

Quote:

Are ignoring that Machado wants to play SS. That is not emphasized enough here; youd be signing him to play SS, not 3B. I've heard hes adamant about that.

Have you heard that about Machado recently? I was under the impression that�s what he said pre-free agency, in part to boost his value.

I�d bet he wouldn�t say no to more money from a team just bc they want him to play 3B at this point

In comment 14268461 mfsd said:

Quote:

In comment 14268445 Mike from SI said: Quote: Are ignoring that Machado wants to play SS. That is not emphasized enough here; youd be signing him to play SS, not 3B. I've heard hes adamant about that. Have you heard that about Machado recently? I was under the impression that�s what he said pre-free agency, in part to boost his value. I�d bet he wouldn�t say no to more money from a team just bc they want him to play 3B at this point

That's what somebody who works in baseball told me in December. He's been right in the past and wrong in the past--as are all people who work in sports leagues.

In comment 14268470 Mike from SI said:

Quote:

In comment 14268461 mfsd said: Quote: In comment 14268445 Mike from SI said: Quote: Are ignoring that Machado wants to play SS. That is not emphasized enough here; youd be signing him to play SS, not 3B. I've heard hes adamant about that. Have you heard that about Machado recently? I was under the impression that�s what he said pre-free agency, in part to boost his value. I�d bet he wouldn�t say no to more money from a team just bc they want him to play 3B at this point That's what somebody who works in baseball told me in December. He's been right in the past and wrong in the past--as are all people who work in sports leagues.

Interesting - could explain why the market for him seems softer than expected, if he�s telling teams he insists on playing SS. Who knows.

In comment 14268399 Jay on the Island said:

Quote:

In comment 14268331 superspynyg said: Quote: In comment 14268283 Strahan91 said: Quote: In comment 14268264 Jints in Carolina said: Quote: Jon Heyman � Verified account @JonHeyman Following Following @JonHeyman More Yankees and #Reds are getting closer on a Sonny Gray trade. Teams are talking about two prospects and a draft pick going for Sonny. One of 2B prospect Shed Long and C prospect Tyler Stephenson may go. #SFGiants, Braves, Brewers are on periphery. A deal should happen this weekend. That's a pretty good haul for Sonny Good haul?? I disagree. Shed was drafted in 2013 and he is still in AA. That's 5 years in the minors. His numbers were PNS (AA) .261 avg, 12 hrs 75 runs and 56 rbi's Stephenson was drafted in 2015 and is still in A+ ball. Really?? He batted .250 with 11 hrs 60 runs and 59 rbi's The Reds know that they are fleecing us. This is a very good deal for the Yankees. According to BP they are the Reds 6th and 7th best prospects plus a draft pick for a 1 year rental of Gray who struggled mightily last season. What did you expect them to get?

From what I am reading now Stephenson is off the table..So it would be Shed Long. Shed has been in the minors for 5 years and he is not even in the top 10 for second basemen. I am just not high on Shed Long. I read his bio that he seems to be coming on but to me Gray is a 2-3 pitcher with the Reds. He is better than all the other guys they have including DeScalifini, Castillo, Roark and prob Wood.

And believe me I would LOVE to be wrong on him. I do like the 2nd rd pick though.

willing to include Stephenson in any deal for Gray...Shed, the pick and a lesser prospect only...

pass on Machado and use the money to go after Arenado next offseason...

WFAN is reporting