Mega Thread 2024-2025 MLB Hot Stove

[largebus]

Merrill will be rookie of the year in the NL. Skenes cooled off significantly in the second half of the season whereas Merrill was very much in the thick of getting the Padres to the playoffs.

I looked it up and it's 1.90 ERA before ASB, 2.03 after it, hardly a cool off.

A 5.5 WAR, sub-2 ERA by a bloke who had 6 innings in the minors before his debut is a lot more impressive than anything Merrill did in a team that really should've made the playoffs last year anyway. Ohtani would still have 0 MVPs if playoffs were a primary consideration.
The baseball writers have robbed people before though

 

[Dixie Flatline]

I looked it up and it's 1.90 ERA before ASB, 2.03 after it, hardly a cool off.

A 5.5 WAR, sub-2 ERA by a bloke who had 6 innings in the minors before his debut is a lot more impressive than anything Merrill did in a team that really should've made the playoffs last year anyway. Ohtani would still have 0 MVPs if playoffs were a primary consideration.
The baseball writers have robbed people before though

ERA is a poor measure of pitcher performance.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

I think it's going to be close, and it wouldn't surprise me if Skenes wins the rookie of the year, but I also think he's shaded by Merrill.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Disappointing start for Australia at the Premier12 tournament last night, losing 9-3 to Japan in Nagoya. Every Japanese batter got at least one hit, and put up five runs in the first four innings to take a commanding lead over Australia. Australia did hit home runs in the top of the sixth to cut the margin to 5-3 (a solo shot to outfielder Ulrich Bojarski, and then a two-run homerun by Rixon Wingrove to dead centre), but the Japanese scored another four unanswered runs to cruise to a comfortable victory. Manager Dave Nilsson used 12 pitchers in the game.

For fans of the Cleveland Guardians, Travis Bazzana had a good game, hitting two singles (including a lead-off single at the top of the first) and stealing a base, but he downplayed his personal achievements at the post-match press conference given the final score.



Both teams now head to Taiwan to play the remaining pool games. Australia's next game is tomorrow night against the Dominican Republic.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Free agent lefty Rich Hill is representing the USA in the Premier12. But he is open to returning to the big show in 2025, which would be his age-45 season. He told USA Today that he loves the game of baseball, loves the work and competition and that he would love to play another year and have an opportunity to get into the postseason and win a World Series.

Hill deliberately sat out half of the 2024 season in an attempt to keep himself fresh for the stretch run, but this did not pay dividends. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in the middle of August and he was promoted to their major league roster by the end of August. He only made four relief appearances for the Red Sox, with a 4.91 ERA, and then was designated for assignment and subsequently released by Boston.

If Hill gets an opportunity to pitch in 2025, it would be his 21st season in the majors. Hill was drafted by the Cubs in 2002 and made his debut for them in 2005. He spent four seasons in the windy city, before playing one year in Baltimore and then having his first stint with Boston between 2010-2012. At the age of 33, he played a season in Cleveland in 2013, before spending time with the Angels and Yankees in 2014. He returned to Boston in 2015 and started the 2016 season with the Athletics before finishing the season with the Dodgers, where he would pitch through to the end of the 2019 season (when he turned 40). In 2021, he started the season with the Rays before joining the Mets. In 2022, he returned to the Red Sox for the third time and then split the 2023 season between the Pirates and Padres before signing with the Red Sox for the fourth time this season.

In his 20 year career, Hill is 90-74 with a 4.01 ERA and a ERA+ of 107. Hill's longevity in the sport is his calling card, as he has never been an All-Star nor has he received votes for Cy Young or MVP.

At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA

Rich Hill, who has pitched for 13 different MLB teams over 20 seasons, has always wanted to pitch for his country. Now he has that chance.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Colorado Rockies are willing to explore trades of second baseman Brendan Rodgers and RHP Justin Lawrence according to ESPN. Being open to trade either of these players does not necessarily mean that a trade will occur, but it is notable since the Rockies are generally reticent to make their players available. The Rockies have tended to have ill-placed confidence in their own players, signing C.J. Cron, Elias Diaz and Daniel Bard to extensions they didn't necessarily deserve, but it appears that this attitude is changing after consecutive 100+ loss seasons for the Rockies.

Who are the favorites for Soto? Which teams will go all-in this winter? Jeff Passan's ultimate MLB offseason preview

Starting with the best free agent in years, here are the players, teams and themes that will dominate the hot stove headlines.

www.espn.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Texas Rangers have signed RHP Luis Curvelo to a major league contract. Curvelo does not have any previous MLB experience, having made it as far as Double-A in the Mariners' organisation this year. Curvelo has been a full-time reliever for six years (since his age-18 season). He was ranked the 31st overall prospect in the Mariners organisation by FanGraphs, with his slider being assessed as his best pitch in his arsenal. The Rangers had four vacancies on their 40-man roster, so the signing of Curvelo does not require a corresponding move to be made.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

After passing him through outright waivers, the Twins have re-signed RHP Daniel Duarte to a minor league contract. Three other players who were outrighted by the Twins elected free agency, including RHP Scott Blewett and former top prospects Josh Winder and Yunior Severino. Duarte was with the Rangers last off-season, but went from the Rangers to the Reds and then the Twins through the DFA process. He made two appearances in April for the Twins, pitching a total of four innings with one allowed run and three strikeouts. He was placed on the IL with an elbow issue and then underwent season-ending elbow surgery. Duarte has managed 38 1/3 innings in the majors with a combined 3.99 ERA.

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[largebus]

ERA is a poor measure of pitcher performance.

Yeah nah. ERA and awards are based on what actually happened, not what should've happened because of predictive analytics. You use that when you're scouting or drafting a player.

 

[revo333]

I've watched the story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox which is on Netflix. It's pretty well made, but it's very interesting to see which players from that Red Sox team were interviewed for the documentary and which didn't make an appearance.

Why is that?

Also how does it compare to the ESPN 30 for 30?

 

[RPCB]

Why is that?

Also how does it compare to the ESPN 30 for 30?

The Prime episode covers Game 7 2003. The 30 for 30 special covers the 2004 series.

 

[revo333]

The Prime episode covers Game 7 2003. The 30 for 30 special covers the 2004 series.

I thought the Netflix was its own documentary.

 

[RPCB]

I thought the Netflix was its own documentary.

I didn’t know Netflix did a documentary this year. Cool, more baseball stuff to watch.

 

[revo333]

I didn’t know Netflix did a documentary this year. Cool, more baseball stuff to watch.

https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81721570

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Why is that?

Also how does it compare to the ESPN 30 for 30?

There are a couple players central to the drama of that season that are talked about a lot but do not appear on the documentary. I understand that they refused to participate when they were asked by the producers.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Yeah nah. ERA and awards are based on what actually happened, not what should've happened because of predictive analytics. You use that when you're scouting or drafting a player.

ERA is a team-dependent statistic. FIP can be the better measure of pitcher performance because it removes the effect of fielding on measuring the pitcher's effectiveness and focuses solely on strikeouts, walks, hit by pitches and homeruns. The drawback of FIP is that it downplays the success of the pitch to contact pitcher who induces lots of weak contact on the ground or weak pop-ups to the infielders. But Skenes is a strikeout pitcher, so FIP would be a good measure of his personal success, IMO.

If you don't want to go to the extent of determining FIP, then look at a pitcher's WHIP.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Los Angeles Angels have solved the problem of carrying multiple catchers by designating third-string catcher Matt Thaiss for assignment. Thaiss has been designated for assignment to create a roster spot for infielder Kevin Newman, who was signed by the Angels overnight. Newman spent the 2024 season with the Diamondbacks playing at both middle infield spots through the season, and hit .278/.311/.375 (89 wRC+). Newman is a contact-oriented hitter, with only three homeruns in the 2024 season and walked at just 4.8% of the time, but he only struck out 15.4% of the time, so is adept at putting the ball in play.

The Angels are likely to be without starting shortstop Zach Neto to open the season after he went under the knife for shoulder surgery recently.

Newman signed a $2.5 million contract with a $250,000 buyout on a club option for 2026 worth $2.5 million.







The Angels drafted Thaiss 16th overall in the 2016 draft and the Angels converted him from catcher to a corner infielder role to fast-track his power to the big leagues. While he crushed the ball in the minor leagues, Thaiss never really found his stroke as a big league hitter, recording a slashline of .202/.291/.405 in 189 plate appearances in his first two seasons (2019-2020) in the big league. With a surfeit of corner infielders on their team, the Angels converted Thaiss back to catcher for the 2021 season.

Unsurprisingly (given that most catcher struggle to hit), his offence didn't improve significantly, and he ends his time with the Angels with a career .208/.313/.342 slashline, and his defence at catcher was not good.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Boston Red Sox have signed LHP Justin Wilson to a major league deal and placed him on their 40 man roster. According to reports, Wilson will be paid $2.25 million with up to $750,000 in incentives available based on games pitched. Wilson most recently pitched for the Cincinnati Reds.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Atlanta Braves have signed infielder Charles Leblanc to a minor league contract. Leblanc was with the Angels in 2024, getting 28 plate appearances at the big league level (his first appearance at the MLB level since he played briefly with the Marlins in 2022).

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tampa Bay Rays have a new home for the 2025 season, as the club announced that it will play home games at the George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Steinbrenner Field is the spring training home of the New York Yankees, and the regular season home of the Tampa Tarpons (affiliated with the Yankees).

Rays plan to play 2025 season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field

In need of an interim home following hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, the team has a deal in place with its American League East rival.

www.tampabay.com

This means that two MLB teams will be playing their home games at minor league stadiums in 2025, with the Rays joining the Athletics.

 

[largebus]

ERA is a team-dependent statistic. FIP can be the better measure of pitcher performance because it removes the effect of fielding on measuring the pitcher's effectiveness and focuses solely on strikeouts, walks, hit by pitches and homeruns. The drawback of FIP is that it downplays the success of the pitch to contact pitcher who induces lots of weak contact on the ground or weak pop-ups to the infielders. But Skenes is a strikeout pitcher, so FIP would be a good measure of his personal success, IMO.

If you don't want to go to the extent of determining FIP, then look at a pitcher's WHIP.

The problem with FIP for the purpose of awards is it tries to measure what should've happened rather than what actually happened. Its basically moral ERA. Fine for evaluating future performance but you don't give awards based on what should've happened or what might happen next season.

Nolan Ryan for example was a strikeout pitcher and is hilariously overrated by FIP because it doesnt take into account his own terrible fielding and wild pitches.

 

[JLC]

The Colorado Rockies are willing to explore trades of second baseman Brendan Rodgers and RHP Justin Lawrence according to ESPN. Being open to trade either of these players does not necessarily mean that a trade will occur, but it is notable since the Rockies are generally reticent to make their players available. The Rockies have tended to have ill-placed confidence in their own players, signing C.J. Cron, Elias Diaz and Daniel Bard to extensions they didn't necessarily deserve, but it appears that this attitude is changing after consecutive 100+ loss seasons for the Rockies.

Who are the favorites for Soto? Which teams will go all-in this winter? Jeff Passan's ultimate MLB offseason preview

Starting with the best free agent in years, here are the players, teams and themes that will dominate the hot stove headlines.

www.espn.com

Rodgers is made of glass.

JL could go ok pitching somewhere else - maybe as a set up guy.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

I'm here to eat crow, after Paul Skenes, RHP, won the NL Rookie of the Year award. He garnered 23 first place votes compared to seven for Jackson Merrill, who finished runner-up to Skenes (136 points to 104). The Brewers' Jackson Chourio came a very distant third, while LHP Shota Imanaga came fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year award.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

This is important for Skenes, as Skenes now earns a full year of service time despite not being called-up to the Pirates' major league roster until the season was already under way. The Pirates do not earn a bonus draft selection as a result of Skenes being named NL Rookie of the Year.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The New York Mets have signed RHP Justin Hagenman to a major league contract after Hagenman elected minor league free agency earlier in the month. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2018 but was traded to the Red Sox in 2023 as part of the return for Kike Hernandez. The Red Sox never added him to their major league roster, so he qualified for minor league free agency after 2024 as a player with seven seasons of minor league experience. Hagenman signed a split contract with the Mets, which will pay him $850,000 if he sticks in the majors and $225,000 if he is demoted to the minors.