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officialsbaseball  
#1 Posted : Tuesday, February 19, 2019 1:23:03 PM(UTC)
officialsbaseball

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As the final week of the 2018 MLB regular season winds to a close and we get set for another exciting postseason http://www.arizonacardin...e.com/pat-tillman-jersey , it's never too early to start looking ahead to free agency.This year's free-agent class has been among the most anticipated in recent memory for years now, with young superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado headlining a star-studded group of players set to hit the open market.The rumor mill won't really kick into full swing until the annual Winter Meetings, but let's take a quick run through some early rumors surrounding some of the top names in this year's class. We've also predicted how this year's qualifying offers will shake out.Moving Parts on the Philadelphia Phillies InfieldMaikel FrancoRich Schultz/Getty ImagesThe Phillies were busy on the free-agent market last offseason, handing multi-year deals to Jake Arrieta, Carlos Santana, Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek. This winter is expected to be equally busy, and an expected pursuit of top-tier free agent Manny Machado could have a ripple effect on the team's infield alignment.Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote:"Recently, [manager Gabe] Kapler has used Santana at third as a way to improve the Phillies' outfield defense. With Santana at third, Rhys Hoskins can move from left field to his natural first base and Kapler can use a stronger defender in left."There are variables to consider when weighing the possibility of using Santana at third base full time. One is Manny Machado. The Phillies are going to make a free-agent run at him this winter. He would look good at third base, but he might want to play shortstop and the Phils would probably be open to that to get him. Another is Maikel Franco. He had some big downs and some big ups in 2018. Will the Phils keep him or look to deal him? The guess here is they will look to move him."Franco, 26, has posted a 105 OPS+ with 22 home runs and 68 RBI this season, and he has team control through the 2021 season.However Authentic Josh Rosen Jersey , limited on-base skills (.314 OBP, 6.2 percent walk rate, per FanGraphs) and below-average defense (-12 DRS, -6.9 UZR/150, per FanGraphs) have limited him to 0.2 WAR.Still, he'd be an intriguing buy-low candidate for a team with the patience to try to unlock his full potential.Either way, there are enough moving parts on the Philadelphia infield to make this one of the more compelling storylines of free agency.Nelson Cruz Interested in Re-Signing with Seattle MarinersNelson CruzJayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images"He's happy in Seattle and wants to stay there," Nelson Cruz's agent Bryce Dixon told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. "He's hopeful we can work something out. From his perspective, he definitely wants to come back. He loves Seattle."Cruz, 38, is having another excellent season for Seattle with a 138 OPS+ and 36 home runs.In four seasons with the team, he's averaged 40 home runs and 102 RBI while posting a 148 OPS+, and he's been good for 16.9 WAR over the course of his four-year http://www.arizonacardin...ne.com/josh-rosen-jersey , $57 million deal.His advanced age makes anything beyond a one-year deal with a second-year mutual option unlikely, but it's hard to bet against another strong season given his consistent production.The Mariners have other factors to consider, though.An aging Robinson Cano might fit best at DH at this point in his career, but Cruz is also limited to DH duties, so there might not be an obvious spot for both players.Starting pitching also figures to be the primary focus of the offseason, so the team might opt to use the $14.25 million it paid Cruz this season to help add an impact arm.Cruz won't be eligible for a qualifying offer since he's already received one in his career, so that should help expand the market of interested teams.The Qualifying Offer MarketBryce HarperMark Brown/Getty ImagesMark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors recently wrote a piece previewing the qualifying offer market. He broke the potential candidates into the following categories:"The Easy Calls":Patrick Corbin, Yasmani Grandal, Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, A.J. Pollock,Elvis Andrus (opt-out) and Clayton Kershaw (opt-out)."The Borderline Cases":Michael Brantley Josh Rosen Jersey Limited , Charlie Morton, DJ LeMahieu and Justin Smoak (team option)."Probably Not":Adrian Beltre, Jed Lowrie, Nick Markakis, Hyun-Jin Ryu, David Price (opt-out)The qualifying offer figure was $17.4 million last winter and will likely sit around $18 million for this offseason.Cruz and Daniel Murphy are not eligible for an offer since they've already received one in their careers, while Machado, J.A. Happ and Cole Hamels can't be extended an offer since they were traded at midseason.So let's take a **** at predicting what will happen with those 17 players.Receives an Offer and Accepts:Charlie MortonReceives an Offer and Declines:Patrick Corbin, Yasmani Grandal, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Dallas Keuchel, Craig KimbrelDoesn't Receive an Offer: Adrian Beltre Authentic Julio Jones Jersey ,Michael Brantley, DJ LeMahieu, Jed Lowrie, Nick Markakis, A.J. Pollock, Hyun-Jin RyuOther:Andrus and Price (opt-in), Smoak (option exercised)Teams have five days after the conclusion of the World Series to extend qualifying offers to players, and players then have 10 days to decide whether to accept or reject, so it's always the first item on a lengthy checklist of notable offseason dates.Will Machado sign with the Phillies and cause an infield shakeup? Is Cruz part of the Seattle Mariners' future plans? How will the qualifying offer process impact his year's free-agent class?We're still more than a month away from the start of the offseason, but there are already plenty of fun talking points surrounding free agency.All stats courtesy of Baseball Referenceunless otherwise stated and accurate through Sept. 25. The Colorado Rockies (91-72) will play in a different city for the third time in three days Tuesday when they visit the Chicago Cubs (95-68) as small road underdogs in the National League Wild Card game.Both the Cubs and Rockies are coming off losses in divisional tiebreaker games on Monday, with Chicago falling 3-1 at home to the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado dropping a 5-2 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers.MLB betting line: The Cubs opened as -128 favorites (wager $128 to win $100); the total is at 7.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or Spotify or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.Why the Rockies can pay on the MLB linesThe Rockies went 44-38 on the road during the regular season Julio Jones Jersey Limited , including Monday's setback. But they still have life and will be playing a reeling Cubs team that probably should not even be in this position right now. Chicago is just 6-6 in its last 12 games while Colorado got into the postseason by winning nine of 11.The Rockies will send southpaw Kyle Freeland (17-7, 2.85 ERA) to the hill, and he has not suffered a loss since August 1. Since then, they are 10-1 in Freeland's last 11 starts, with him going a perfect 8-0 during that stretch. He is 12-4 with a 2.49 ERA in 21 starts under the lights.Why the Cubs can pay on the MLB linesThe Cubs have a lot more playoff experience and hope that will benefit them in this situation. Countering Freeland will be a pitcher who has been here before in veteran Jon Lester (18-6, 3.32 ERA), who also finished strong to close out the regular season. Lester has gone 6-1 in his last eight outings with one no-decision that Chicago rallied to win anyway after he left the game.Lester has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts over that period and pitched well in his lone appearance versus Colorado back on April 30, giving up two unearned runs and five hits in 5.2 innings of a 3-2 victory. Smart betting pickThe Rockies have fared well against the Cubs over the past two seasons, going 8-5 in 13 meetings, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. In addition, they are 6-2 in their last eight games at Wrigley Field. Take Colorado to pull off the upset on the road. MLB betting trendsColorado is 9-2 in its last 11 games.The total has gone under in 11 of Colorado's last 15 games on the road.The total has gone under in six of Chicago's last nine games.All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.
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