It’s pretty clear that neither Bryce Harper nor Manny Machado are going to wind up in Flushing. At the start of the off-season I pegged Harper for Philadelphia and Machado for the Cardinals. At least that’s what I listed on my entry form for the MLBTR free agency contest. Since then, other moves have taken place that may set up other possibilities. I now think the Dodgers have cleared the way for Harper. Machado is trickier to peg, but I have a feeling the Yankees are motivated by the Red Sox parade to make a big splash.

7 comments on “Friday open thread: 1/4/19

  • Brian Joura

    I was catching up on the Daniel Robertson signing and came across this, which I found interesting –

    “Robertson, who negotiated the deal himself, is 53-32 with a 2.88 ERA and 137 saves in 654 relief appearances with the Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He enjoyed a breakout 2011 season as Mariano Rivera’s setup man, going 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 70 appearances.

    “He was very well prepared, he knew the market very well, he knew what was important to him and he was able to articulate it well and that helped us get to a deal,” Klentak said.

    I felt like maybe he was leaving money on the table but if he doesn’t have to pay an agent commission, it probably works out the same for him.

    • MattyMets

      Always liked Robertson. Some Mets fans are saying the we should have gotten him instead of Familia. Money might not have been the deciding factor though. Perhaps Robertson primarily wanted an opportunity to be the closer again. He’ll have that in Philly but would not have in Queens.

    • Name

      He negotiated higher AAV than Familia while being 5 years older. If the Phillies exercise the option, he’ll end up making 3 mil more than Familia. If they decline his option, he’ll be able to match Familia if he can get a 1 year/ 7 mil deal, which seems more than doable to me. I’m not sure how much more you think he could have gotten.

      • Brian Joura

        He’s a co-closer (or better) and is only making, what, a million more than a setup guy. That’s not usually how it works in free agency. Maybe it’s a sign of the times. But I’m thinking if BVW was his agent, he would have gotten more money.

        • Name

          I don’t think there’s a distinction between “closer” salaries and “set-up” salaries anymore. Teams just overpay for anyone in the bullpen now.

          Robertson’s 11.5 mil AAV is 6th highest for 2019 (probably 7th after Kimbrel signs)
          Wade Davis, Chapman, Melancon, and Jansen are making 15+, but they were also <32 when they signed their deals and Robertson is entering his age 34 season.

          Andrew Miller is the only other guy making a higher AAV, and he only signed for 2 mil more (2/25). I suppose an agent could have matched that contract that but Miller is much more known because of his postseason exploits while Robertson is pretty obscure and not a household name, so the 2 mil difference seems reasonable to me

          • Brian Joura

            I don’t believe clubs give players salaries based on how well the average fan knows the player.

  • Eraff

    I agree Matty—I think Robertsom wanted to be The Man

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