BestKosherPolish's Offseason Plan
Arbitration-eligible:
Write "tender" or "non-tender" after each of the following names (note: you can trade before or after tendering a contract):
Tyler Flowers, $3.5M tender (calls a great game and not much around in baseball, he has good rapport with the ace and at least has power)
Avisail Garcia, $2.3M non-tender (tender but traded down in post)
Nate Jones, $900K tender
Zach Putnam, $800K tender
Dan Jennings, $800K non tender (was solid at times, but can give some other guys a chance in this spot)
Contract options (pick up or buy out)
Alexei Ramirez: $10M for 2016 or a $1 million buyout: Buyout he has regressed in all areas and outside of a good month to many mental mistakes for a guy if you ever make the playoffs.
Impending free agents (re-sign, let go, or qualifying offer?):
Jeff Samardzija: $15.8M qualifying offer (offer and get the pick)
Matt Albers: Made $1.5M in 2015 (offer)
Gordon Beckham: Made $2M in 2015 (bye)
Geovany Soto: Made $1.5M in 2015 (good job but bye)
Free agents
1.) Yoenis Cespedes for 7 years 145 million or less (back load a bit of the salary by a few million to keep cap near 130 million for the team). He provides defensive versatility and proven power. I cannot pay Heyward and hope for a career 20 homer year.
2.) Asdrubal Cabrera for 2 years 16 or 17 million. Power hitting second basemen who has playoff experience and a decent glove. Knows the division and switch hits.
3.) Mike Napoli 2 years for 5 million ( he can be the DH and spell Jose at 1st from time to time.
Trades
1.) DFA or trade Adam LaRoche for anything. Even if you have to eat the salary which is 3 times Keppinger this move does not work and constantly singing a DH that plays 1b is a disaster, unless you count his pitching stint. I kind of contradict myself with the Napoli move, but at least he can go in OF in an emergency.
2.) Trade Carson Fulmer, Micah Johnson, and Avisail Garcia for Todd Frazier. This may be a long shot but the reds need to rebuild and they will get a pitcher and two young players to take a shot with. I’ll even throw Montes in this deal if the job gets done.
Projected Team
OF – Melky - $14 mil
OF – Eaton - $2.75
OF Cespedes $16 mil (1st year lower)
OF – Thompson - $550 K
OF – Schuck $580 k
DH – Napoli $2 million
1B – Abreu $11.7
2B – Cabrera - $8 million (2nd year maybe a bit more)
SS – Sanchez $520k
3B – Frazier - $8.5 mill
UTIL IF – Saladino $550k
Util C – Brantley or Nieto $550 k
Pitching Starters
Sale - $9.15 million
Danks - $15.75 million
Quintana - $5.4 million
Rodon - $550 k
Johnson $550 k
Bullpen
Webb - $550k
Robertson $11 million
Duke - $5 million
Albers - $1.5 million
Putnam - $800k
Jones - $900k
Petricka - $550k
Montas if not in trade or a long guy vet – vary between $500 k and $1million
The salary cap would be in the $135 maximum range, but we will not have upgraded defensively and upgraded the power in the lineup. I know the Frazier trade is a long shot, but Cincy I think is getting a lot of value for this and the Sox cannot just keep wasting arms and hoping to hit. The lineup now will have lots of balance and power. The new guys off set each other with pitch takers and free swingers which is also beneficial when playing in meaningful games versus opponents aces. Plus, all the acquisitions have playoff experience.
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