Running 2015-2016 Hot Stove League Thread

Not sure how I missed this but it's fantastic.

 

MLB in talks to play a regular-season series in London as soon as 2017.

Major League Baseball is making progress in discussions with London officials about hosting a regular-season series there as early as the 2017 season, a source with knowledge of the talks confirmed to FOX Sports on Tuesday night

One question I have, though: Why restrict it to soccer stadiums? Aren't there plenty of cricket grounds all over the place? That's where they played in Australia.

 

Maybe bigger venues? A quick (though probably not exhaustive) Google search finds the largest cricket venue in England holds 30,000 (Lord's Cricket Ground, in St. John Wood, London).

There are seven soccer stadiums that hold between 40k and 55k, which are more common for baseball venues. And, of course, all the larger stadiums are built for soccer.

 

Check out the Premier League on TV this weekend. The soccer stadiums, even the biggest ones, are configured for soccer, period. American football fits, but baseball will be worse than when the Dodgers were in the Coliseum their first years in LA.

 

That may be true, but they aren't going to send a couple teams over there to play in front of 15,000 people.

 

Tigers reportedly sign Jordan Zimmermann

Tigers agree to five-year, $110 million deal with Jordan Zimmermann.

Also, the Blue Jays signed J.A. Happ to a three-year, $36 million deal. Yet another team trusting in Ray Searage's magic pixie dust to continue to work outside of Pittsburgh.

 

It worked for the Royals this year. But 3/36 for Happ is steep.

 

Volquez's numbers weren't as good as they had been with the Pirates, either, but that could have just been the switch to the AL. His ERA went up about half a run, which is about what the Jays should expect from Happ even if he can maintain the gains from 2015.

I think Happ will be useful, though perhaps overpaid. I just wonder what the Pirates are going to do about their rotation now that they have lost Burnett and Happ. Rely on scrubs (Locke and Morton) and youngsters behind Cole and Liriano?

 

Yeah, a big reason Volquez was worth it was the lower cost, both in years and dollars per. 2/20 is way more palatable than 3/36.

 

If they can work it so that he only pitches at home, he should be fine. His Rogers Centre numbers are surprisingly good.

 

This is probably notable:

Red Sox agree to deal with pitcher David Price - The Boston Globe

Seven years, $217 million.