Harper or Machado

[cmoss84]

Piggybacking off of the other thread right now that says we are one of the possible mystery teams in on Harper or Machado.

 

Let's say by either adding extra years, more $/year and/or opt out clauses, you can sign one of them.

 

Harper has been a little injury prone. Machado with the "attitude."

 

 

Who do you choose?? What does the new lineup look like?

[Mike Sixel]

tough call.....

 

I prefer Machado, except I don't like his attitude. The part I don't like is that he's willing, imo, to injure other players. The rest? I don't care about the rest of his attitude "issues", but I can't tolerate being willing to hurt other humans. So, while I prefer him as a player (and he can play SS, 2B, 3B), I don't want him as my first choice.

 

So, Harper.

 

Sign Harper, trade Buxton, Rosario, or Kepler, whomever fetches more in the deal (with our without other players). 

[Squirrel]

I think Machado fills a better hole for us right now and could/would be a better fit moving forward, provided he's okay with moving to 3rd in a couple years. I think Harper allows us to make a better trade considering our outfield depth. So for me ... it's really kind of a toss up. Both could be well utilized and provide a real addition of talent.

[gunnarthor]

Both are great but I want Machado badly. Harper will end up at first base/DH in a few years (I think). 

[amjgt]

 

tough call.....

 

I prefer Machado, except I don't like his attitude. The part I don't like is that he's willing, imo, to injure other players. The rest? I don't care about the rest of his attitude "issues", but I can't tolerate being willing to hurt other humans. So, while I prefer him as a player (and he can play SS, 2B, 3B), I don't want him as my first choice.

 

So, Harper.

 

Sign Harper, trade Buxton, Rosario, or Kepler, whomever fetches more in the deal (with our without other players). 

 

This is about where I fall.

 

I believe Machado will be a better player, but I'd rather root for Harper.

 

Would a Kepler and Graterol package be about right for Robbie Ray?

[sweetmusicviola16]

 

I think Machado fills a better hole for us right now and could/would be a better fit moving forward, provided he's okay with moving to 3rd in a couple years. I think Harper allows us to make a better trade considering our outfield depth. So for me ... it's really kind of a toss up. Both could be well utilized and provide a real addition of talent.

Yes, Polanco could be moved to 2nd or traded for some pitching help and Schoop plays the year at 2nd as planned. Machado moves to 3B eventually and Sano if he comes around moves to 1B.

 

From a defensive standpoint we already have a great OF so less of a need for Harper.

 

Lol, none of this is happening anyway.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Would a Kepler and Graterol package be about right for Robbie Ray?

I don't think so, and not particularly close. I think the Arizona price for Robbie Ray is pretty high right now.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/01/passans-latest-harper-profar-gray-ray-grandal-pollock-ender.html

 

"The Diamondbacks would only consider trading Robbie Ray for a very big return, with Passan noting that Arizona would want more for Ray than the Mariners received from the Yankees for James Paxton back in November."

 

Paxton brought back a top 50, MLB ready SP prospect in Sheffield, plus a couple other pieces.

 

Kepler isn't a bad player, but he can't lead a trade like this anymore. He's almost 26 and making arbitration salaries in a thoroughly average corner outfield career so far. Graterol could be a piece today, but probably not a headliner yet either.

[Circus Boy]

 

Yes, Polanco could be moved to 2nd or traded for some pitching help and Schoop plays the year at 2nd as planned. Machado moves to 3B eventually and Sano if he comes around moves to 1B.

 

From a defensive standpoint we already have a great OF so less of a need for Harper.

 

Lol, none of this is happening anyway.

Hey, now, young man. Let's work on the attitude here.

[amjgt]

 

I don't think so, and not particularly close. I think the Arizona price for Robbie Ray is pretty high right now.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/01/passans-latest-harper-profar-gray-ray-grandal-pollock-ender.html

 

"The Diamondbacks would only consider trading Robbie Ray for a very big return, with Passan noting that Arizona would want more for Ray than the Mariners received from the Yankees for James Paxton back in November."

 

Paxton brought back a top 50, MLB ready SP prospect in Sheffield, plus a couple other pieces.

 

Kepler isn't a bad player, but he can't lead a trade like this anymore. He's almost 26 and making arbitration salaries in a thoroughly average corner outfield career so far. Graterol could be a piece today, but probably not a headliner yet either.

 

We all recognize the name, but Justus Sheffield was a pretty similar prospect last spring compared to Graterol right now. 

[nicksaviking]

I'd go with Harper. He just seems less likely to implode to me and he still feels like he hasn't reached his potential offensively. Defensively Machado is a better fit, but as Milwaukee showed last year, you can find room for another outfielder.

 

Plus, as mentioned it would make at least one of Kepler/Buxton/Rosario expendable and available to be flipped for pitching. 

[mazeville]

 

I don't think so, and not particularly close. I think the Arizona price for Robbie Ray is pretty high right now.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/01/passans-latest-harper-profar-gray-ray-grandal-pollock-ender.html

 

"The Diamondbacks would only consider trading Robbie Ray for a very big return, with Passan noting that Arizona would want more for Ray than the Mariners received from the Yankees for James Paxton back in November."

 

Paxton brought back a top 50, MLB ready SP prospect in Sheffield, plus a couple other pieces.

 

Kepler isn't a bad player, but he can't lead a trade like this anymore. He's almost 26 and making arbitration salaries in a thoroughly average corner outfield career so far. Graterol could be a piece today, but probably not a headliner yet either.

 

Yeah gonna disagree with you on this one.

 

Graterol is a very good prospect. Kepler was one of the top defensive right fielders in all of baseball last year. He can play center and has a couple of years major league experience but is still young and has all sorts of potential.

 

Frankly I'd think a Kepler-Graterol-kid-in-low-minors package would be better than the one the Mariners got for Paxton. 

[Mr. Brooks]

We all recognize the name, but Justus Sheffield was a pretty similar prospect last spring compared to Graterol right now.

That depends on what the team wants though. As fans, we look at these binary rankings to compare prospects. But, for actual real world trades, context matters too.

Sheffield was much closer to MLB ready than Graterol is. That gives Sheffield a significantly higher floor. On the other side of the coin, Graterol might have a higher ceiling, for a team willing to wait for it.

They might have similar value to a team, or one or the other could have significantly more value to a specific team, it depends on what said team is looking for.

[Mr. Brooks]

Yeah gonna disagree with you on this one.

 

Graterol is a very good prospect. Kepler was one of the top defensive right fielders in all of baseball last year. He can play center and has a couple of years major league experience but is still young and has all sorts of potential.

 

Frankly I'd think a Kepler-Graterol-kid-in-low-minors package would be better than the one the Mariners got for Paxton.

Kepler has good trade value to a contending team.

He has almost no trade value to a rebuilding team. Rebuilding teams want a full 7 years of team control and minimum salaries. They aren't going to give up full value for a guy already in his arbitration years.

[Otto von Ballpark]

We all recognize the name, but Justus Sheffield was a pretty similar prospect last spring compared to Graterol right now.

I just saw the new rankings for Graterol, which look good.

 

But, Sheffield is MLB ready to boot. There is value in that too.

 

And the report said they wanted *more* than what Paxton fetched. Even if you led the deal with Graterol, you would probably need to add something else more interesting than Kepler.

[mickeymental]

why not both? then add kershaw and bumgarner! what could be easier?

[Mr. Brooks]

why not both? then add kershaw and bumgarner! what could be easier?

I agree. After all, Dave St. Peter just told Judd Zulgad that ownership has no limit on available payroll. Not flexibility, not increased payroll availability, but no limit whatsoever!

Based on this new information, it's downright incompetent to not sign both of them.

[TheLeviathan]

Harper.  I love the fun way he approaches the game.  He'd be a nice fix to the OBP issues too.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Steve Adams on  todays MLBTR chat:

 

"I don't see why they wouldn't at least add a reliever, but that'd still be underwhelming. If the Twins head into 2019 with their offseason consisting of something like CJ Cron, Jonathan Schoop, Nelson Cruz, Blake Parker and Ryan Madson, and they have $0 on the books in 2020, I feel like they'll be praised for being "savvy" and making solid one-year investments. In reality, I think that'd be a substantial failure for a club that had (or at least should have had) clear motivation and the resources to aim vastly higher."

 

He pretty much sums up what I think as well.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Kepler (or Buxton) plus prospects gets you more starting pitching in trade than the same trade with Schoop.

 

While Machado fills a need directly, the trade can fill an even bigger need in pitching and both Machado and Harper add a ton to the lineup.

 

I’d be thrilled with either, but I couldn’t resist the trade scenario. Harper

[ewen21]

Neither.  I think both are overrated and both have rotten attitudes.  Machado's little sililoquy on not being "Johnny Hustle" and some of his on field tantrums are enough for me.  The guy has a .282 lifetime average playing in that bandbox in Baltimore. Don't like the guy one bit and in fact I hope Chicago signs him so he can set them back.  As for Harper, he rejected a 300 million dollar offer.  In what fantasy is he even worth talking about as a Twins player?  

 

Seriously.  I hope both of them are still unsigned when spring training starts.