fenwaysouth posted:Dominik85 posted:What do you think? There was stanton and ohtani but apart from that almost nothing happened so far.
Stanton was a Marlins salary reset and salary offload for a player still under contract control. Ohtani is an international player that was shopping for a team. The market rules are different for these players so their numbers really don't apply that much to traditional free agents where the Hot Stove activity usually is. The lone market exception has been relief pitchers where there is/was a lot of activity but the dollar amount (and risk) is somewhat reduced over a pool of many players. Teams recognize they need relief pitchers so they grab a few...kind of like stocking stuffers. The big presents under the tree are still missing.
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Yeah but the spending this year on non-closer relief pitchers is intriguing to me... several middlemen and set-up men are getting $9M+ per on multi-year deals. That is approaching 10% of some clubs' total payroll.
https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2...-morrow-tommy-hunter
I think Francona's use of Miller with the Indians has really put the spotlight on the importance of a shutdown bridge. But I think you really have to be SHUTDOWN to warrant this kind of money for an occasional hold. I know we can't really think completely in terms of proportion here (everyday player innings vs RP's) but it's hard not to, at least to some extent.
Every time Bryan Shaw entered a close game, most Tribe fans groaned... despite the decent ERA and durability. He was not known to be good in clutch situations, including playoffs. 3 years, $27M !!