I have no interest in him. As for the domestic violence issue - he has consistently gotten a pass from the media and fans. I am not sure if it is because it was like 8 years ago and he hasn’t had another one or not…. But I do know, his teammates, especially with the Reds and Yankees, will tell you he is a POS.
Yariel… Astros are one of 2-3 teams most interested in him and think he can start or go to the pen. Obviously any free agent linked to the Astros has less than a 50/50 chance of joining - but Yariel is a legitimate candidate.
Seems like a lot of risk if he’s gonna get $30M+ for <5 years. But I trust the Astros on that kind of thing.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/2023-24-top-50-free-agents-with-predictions.html 28. Yariel Rodriguez. Four years, $32MM Tim: White Sox / Anthony: White Sox / Darragh: Padres Rodriguez, 27 in March, is an unfamiliar name to many fans. A 6’1″ right-hander, he’s a native of Cuba. Rodriguez reached Cuba’s highest level as an 18-year-old in 2015 and pitched there for six seasons. He worked to a 3.30 ERA in 91 appearances for Camaguey before moving to Japan. In January 2020, Rodriguez signed with NPB’s Chunichi Dragons. He split his first two seasons between NPB and the Dragons’ minor league affiliate despite generally solid results at Japan’s top level. By 2022, he secured a permanent spot in the Dragons’ bullpen. Rodriguez tossed 54 2/3 innings over 56 appearances, pitching to a 1.15 ERA. He punched out 27.5% of opponents against an average 8.3% walk rate. Rodriguez joined the Cuban national team for last spring’s World Baseball Classic. He started twice, allowing two runs in 7 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts and six walks. Rodriguez decided not to return to the Dragons, reportedly remaining in the Dominican Republic after the conclusion of the WBC. Chunichi placed him on the restricted list. He didn’t pitch professionally in 2023 outside of the World Baseball Classic. Last month, Francys Romero reported that Rodriguez had been granted his release from his contract with the Dragons. He’s since reportedly been declared a free agent by MLB, and MLBTR has confirmed that no posting fee is owed to the Dragons. Rodriguez is firmly on the radar for MLB teams. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported a few weeks ago that the Rays were among more than a dozen clubs to attend one of Rodriguez’s recent workouts in the D.R. Evaluators who have seen Rodriguez suggest he could stick as a starting pitcher, with one indicating he could command between $30MM and $50MM as a free agent. While MLBTR was able to talk to one evaluator who backed that assessment up, information has otherwise been scant on Rodriguez so far this offseason. We feel that he belongs on this list, but our confidence level in this contract projection is not high.
Not a single catcher played 125 games last year *as a catcher.* And there was ZERO chance, regardless of the manager, that Diaz - who never caught more than 51 games in any minor league season - was going to break that ceiling. For younger catchers, the range is generally 105-110 games *as a catcher* This is likely where Diaz will fall next season.
Quincy Hamilton might be a guy to keep an eye on as a potential sleeper to make the team next spring. Left handed hitter, can play all 3 OF spots, doesn’t strike out too much, walks at a good clip, has some speed. Biggest wart is below average power but if his defense in CF or LF is good, he could be a quality 9 hole hitter lined up next to McCormick defensively. If nothing else he should be in the mix with Singleton, Loperfido, Wagner, and Barber for that 13th position player spot.
How does Hamilton's fielding rate? He has always impressed me with his BB-K and I think i've read that he actually has a decent barrel rate in spite of the mediocre ISO he has carried through the minors. He could be the next...Wilyer Abreu.
I have read mixed reviews on his defense. I think the athleticism is there for him to be solid in CF and excellent in LF. Fangraphs’ blurb on him this year was “doesn’t have the feel for CF” whatever that means. I think he’s got a slightly below average arm, below average defensive instincts, above average speed, and an average glove. All together that makes me think he’d make an above average defensive LF but a bad CF, but there’s probably more upside than downside there. Think a rich man’s Tony Kemp (in terms of OF defense). Kemp is actually a pretty solid comp for Hamilton, although Hamilton will trade some strikeouts/speed for power/arm compared to Kemp. Kemp has a 3 fwar season on his resume, and generally has been a fringey regular who would look fine in a stacked contender’s 9 hole playing LF or 2B, so that would be a fine outcome for Hamilton. In fact now that I’m looking at it, Kemp might not be a bad add on a very cheap deal ($4M/1yr) to play LF and/or serve as a lefthanded hitter/runner off the bench.
There is always risk with the Cubans, some have done very well and others have really struggled. It seems to come down to scouting and some luck.
Let's just say a lot of the luster has worn off on him in Chicago. I am not ready to write him off, but his handling of the Cubs down the stretch and his relationship with the front office is what got him dismissed. He will land on his feet though and get at least another chance.
Would Crane prefer Hader who's proven for let's say $80 to $100 million or Rodriguez who's unproven and basically a lottery for half the cost? Crane likes the big names but he also likes to save money/not hand out huge money.
Yah no idea about what he did seeing as he hasn’t been charged and no one knows (so not factoring that) we really don’t need toxic people in this clubhouse Just replace Neris with Matt moore (gives us Lefty in mix too) and spend whatever we are going to on guriel or yariel Rodriquez If it’s yariel we could trade from our sp depth to acquire an of
Cheap picks: LF Tony Kemp, C Francisco Mejia, RP Brad Hand Moderate picks: LF Joc Pederson, C Victor Caratini, RP Matt Moore Expensive picks: LF Jorge Soler, C Mitch Garver, RP Jordan Hicks Risk picks: LF Jung Hoo Lee, C Tom Murphy, RP Yariel Rodriguez
