I'd say they aren't great, but I can see the rationale. Pair a lefty bat with Bethancourt, ease his transition. They have shown an inclination to take on some risk, and he is a guy who could deliver some value.

Nothing much, just chatting. What is up with you?

Do I have to answer every question? No? Okay ...

They have to be involved to a certain point, sure, but that isn't the direction things have been headed. I expect Cashman to look to take advantage of a full mid-tier market to build out the staff. But you can obviously never count them out.

No idea, and I haven't seen any reports really giving much away. Preller indicated that the search is going to be wide-ranging, so in theory they could go in just about any direction.

That is a great question, and it's not clear. Ownership came out big time in his corner before and after the acquisition spree. I think they knew it could blow up and had a longer-term plan in mind also. Barring a true disaster in 2016, I think he'll get another year at least.

Ha, someone just asked "what are top White Sox needs and how can they address them"? And the first thought that came to my head was: Desmond at SS, Wieters at C. I can see the merit to both and would expect Chicago to be in the market. Could offer some nice value to the club.

I expect they will commit to Taylor and pair him with a somewhat lesser veteran who hits from the left side and can also spell Werth. Taylor showed a lot in his first year, and there's no reason he's stuck with that batting line. Even if he's a slightly below average hitter, he has game-changing speed and rated extremely well in the field.

I could see Span coming back IF a lot of things break right ... could depend whether they roll the dice on a qualifying offer.

Price, and it won't be close. Age is the key difference there.

Hipalito Pichardo (my old fav)

He doesn't seem like their kind of player, honestly, and I don't think they'll put out a team-record contract for him. Heyward? Maybe. They certainly have had a chance to see how they feel about him.

Twice a week, at least, yes.

He's a tough guy to figure on a total guarantee, but I don't see Baltimore coming close. Even if he'd take a slight discount, it would be a surprise if he took something dramatically less to stay.

I am kind of bullish on the Davis market, personally, and I don't think the O's will make a serious play. But we'll see!

Thank you for taking the time to thank me. Seriously.

Yes, but an arb-only extension (like last year's Lance Lynn deal) seems more likely to me than a Kimbrel-type contract.

I think they should, yeah. Odds of him taking it are very, very low.

I don't know, but I am really interested to find out. I do think that Iwakuma will be back, and that will probably be at a nice price for Seattle.

First order of biz is probably deciding what to do with Logan Morrison ($4.1MM arb projection) and Mark Trumbo ($9.1MM). I could see LoMo being non-tendered and Trumbo being shopped.

There aren't really any lights-out closers in free agency this year, so they'd have to look at the trade market for that kind of guy. (I hear Jonathan Papelbon might be available.)

What they could do, and arguably should do, is look to add a few good arms in free agency and not worry too much about who exactly has the 9th. But that is easier said than done, even in this era of statistical understanding.

Maybe. I think that would be competitive. Personally, though, I don't see the rationale for Sandy and co. to give him that contract and I don't think he will. Just not the best fit there long-term, in my view.

If I'm Rick Hahn, I'm talking with Alexei right now about a restructured deal. Maybe a lower guarantee with a vesting option year or something. If the price doesn't come down, I'm thinking you decline the option and look for another possibility in FA/trade.

That is quite rare, it's true. I have no idea what happened -- you can see some of what Kiley McDaniel, Keith Law, and Jesse Sanchez have written for some chatter on the topic -- but it was very surprising.

Ooh, "what will Boras ask for" is a fun game, because it will be high. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he starts out talking about a deal worth north of $200MM.

Doesn't mean I think he'll get that, but it'll be a fun ride, no doubt.

Chapman. I don't think the Nats will move Stras, who is still rather affordable at $10.5MM and who means too much to the franchise. I don't think they'd get the value back out of him that they'd need.

As for Chapman, though, it's kind of hard to see the reasoning behind not moving him, though I guess you could always wait for the summer.

I'd be shocked.

There's a lot to like there, sure, but can you reliably count on guys like Duffy, Panik, and Crawford to put up those kinds of years again? Pagan is a concern in center and the staff needs multiple upgrades.

I mean, we all know they are going to win the World Series (even year), but doing it won't be quick or straightforward.

I expect them to add mid-level guys as they did last year. They'll be able to draw talent by offering the opportunity to work the late innings. They could stick with Vizcaino there, sure, or they could add a closer type. The arb cost savings would pay for the signing.

I could imagine the Mets having more willingness to consider a Harvey deal than they might have otherwise, but that doesn't mean they are going to sell him for anything less than a very high price. Look at Alderson's trade history -- he has extracted a lot of value for premium guys.

Totally.

I'm going to guess no, but ask me again when we know who gets offered. I think we'll see it eventually, though it'll be a unique case.

Gotta have the game on in the background, yeah.

No. Both because wow, that would be a tough pill to swallow, and more importantly b/c they already assessed and decided he was worth the money. A couple months doesn't change that.

Sure they can. Will only take money. Lots of money. And a willingness to spend it.

These are things that Arte Moreno has.

I'm taking the Cubs, just because they are fun as heck to watch.

I guess, but that might be difficult logistically.

Doubt it.

Eric really wants me to answer a Ryan Howard question. This one would send him to pretty much the single least logical AL destination in baseball.

My guess: Howard will end up getting cut loose at some point this winter. Don't see anyone taking on any of the contract at this point.

I grew up going to Camden Yards, so I'll take it for the personal nostalgia.

I am kind of a baseball history guy, though, so I love going to the old ones.

I have always seen them being on Zimmermann. He's the kind of pitcher they seem to love and would round out an excellent 1-2-3 without breaking the bank.

He has some things to answer to, but this is an easy one: NO.

Review Rizzo's draft and trade history. It's pretty impressive.

How short of a leash can one be on? About that short.

I don't see them rolling the dice on that given the overall contract situation they have. Solving third will be an interesting challenge for LAA.

Very tough guy to predict. We saw Brandon McCarthy get four years and 48 mil, so there's money for high-performing injury risks, but I guess it would be surprising if Kaz got that fourth year (or that much guaranteed).

I doubt it.

I hadn't realized. Seriously, this is a whirlwind.

Thanks!

Nah.

Red Sox, probably.