Story for Swanson Deal Hits Rocks

TDGTR has learned that Moneygraph Saberbeanes was ascending toward a deal with ChefBoyHardy before discussions fell off a cliff.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was nearly dealt for a package headlined by Atlanta Braves phenom Dansby Swanson after negotiations that could only be described as a cliffhanger. Story, who cracked 27 dingers in a little more than half of a season, would be a solid addition for any team and could be the rock in the middle of any lineup. Acquiring Swanson would have been a rather brave move but the young man’s potential wasn’t enough to save this deal from the chopping block.

Trade talks hit their peak sometime on Friday afternoon but Owner and General Manager, Andrew Faris was swept up in an avalanche of emotion at the thought of trading his prized shortstop. He decided that trading Story might not make for a favorable narrative as the season wore on. There appeared to be a divide between the present value of Story and the future value of Swanson.

A rival executive said, “this trade not happening is nobody's fault, really. But I’m glad they weren’t able to cement a deal.”

Stay tuned for more updates from TDGTR as the deadline for protecting players from the expansion draft approaches at 5pm PST.

— Pedie Gomezz, ESPN

Miguel Cabrera "In The Best Shape Of His Life"

Recent Tom Emanski convert, Miguel Cabrera, affirmed his commitment to fitting into the "Emanski Way" of playing.

"I come here to take all the bases.  I hit lots of homeruns in my past.  Its too easy for me.  Now I challenge myself and I will become a robber of bases."

Cabrera has already dropped 65 pounds from the end of last season.


A recent photo of Cabrera taken during one of his 12 hour running sessions in Miami.

Cabrera stated he was looking to at least match his career steals total of 38.

If Miggy's running ability is even half of his hitting, then Tom Emanski is well positioned for his "Back-to-Back-to-Back AAU Championship" season.

-Kim Turkjian

10 Big Trade Rumors Heading Into The Auction...

1. Twin Killing?

Rumor out of Smash Box HQ is that a massive 12 player deal that includes the baby bull himself "Bryce Harper" has been on the table for about a week with an emotionally unstable manager. It is believed that the deal is on life support but keep refreshing those inboxes because there is still a chance Mike and Bryce may be separated forever.

2. Faris-well to and OF?

After weeks of trying to dump the aging Parrot King Edwin Encarnacion Matthew Faris finally found a home for him with the rebuilding Ghost of Chris Carter. The return netted him yet another OF leaving him with a Sunday Softball sized outfield (rover anyone?). Rumor has it RB has been shopping his bad outfielders to the entire league trying to convince everyone they are good. Secondary rumor has Tom Emanski owner Gregg eager to reunite with car-go jr. time will tell.

3. Gerritt Cole freaked out by Scherzer's eye - asked to be moved.

Speaking of Gregg, there appears to be a major issue with his rotation.  TDGTR cameras were on site last week when Gerritt Cole requested a sit down with Owner Gregg to request a trade. Apparently Tom Emanski ace Max Scherzer's eyes were "tripping him out" causing him to lost control on the mount.  Since the meeting Tom Emanski has been shopping Cole hard. One new rumor has him headed to Whiskey Tango with Xander Bogarts involved in the deal.

4. Tom Emanski uncomfortable with Chapman's Domestic Abuse issues - looking to move him

The internal drama just continues for the two time defending, cheating champmissioner as star closer Aroldis Chapman was cited for firing 8 bullets (we're unclear if he fired a gun or just threw 8  fastballs) through the ceiling of his home during a domestic dispute. Owner and now father of a daughter Gregg Angier has been asked by co-owner and wife to move the closer in favor of a "nicer player". So give Gregg a call if you have no moral compass and a win at all cost mentality.


5. 11 of 12 teams quoted as saying "Not Interested. I'm just gonna get Miggy at auction.

Early this week I had a call with Spruce Bruce Owner Taylor Holiday and asked him about the rumor that he was trying to move Jose Abreu and his $50 contract. He responded that yes he was looking to move the superstar first baseman but with little success at 11 of 12 managers said they would just sign Miggy at auction. Should be a busy season for ol miguel planning first for the whole league. With 10 open CI slots and only 1 premier CI talent available there is little doubt Miguel will approach the $60 price tag he got last year at auction.


6. Stroman concerned about returning to Moneygraph, calls owner "Stalkerish"

I spoke with young stud Marcus Stroman on news of his trade back to the Monograph Saberbeans and while he said he was honored to be consider a valuable enough piece to be traded for Chris Archer he was nervous about returning to play for Owner Andrew Faris. Stroman said that he had received 2183 text messages from Mr. Faris since his departure and had to change his number multiple times. He said he felt like "Ted" in the Mark Wahlberg movies with this guy playing the role of Andrew



7. Sciosca's Doghouse building for two years from now. Sells team for 1 year of Goldschmidt.

In the wake of the off season's biggest trade we met with Doghouse owner Mark and asked for his take on the deal. He said his team is two years away from competing for title and this helps move him closer. When asked if he realized Goldy was on a one year deal he responded "perfect".

8. Vultures are circling around Jimmy Dugan waiting to pluck Kris Bryant

Man that roster is on life support. Rumor has it every team in the league has reached out to Ashley (Kurt's soon to be wife) and asked him for his log in so they could just trade Kris Bryant to their team assuming Kurt was dead. We will see if he can pull a late Christmas miracle and revive this once proud... wait never mind.

9. FICA not open to any deals. Considering starting only Rizzo and Correa on offense saying "Anyone else will just be a distraction"

TGDTR undercover team this week posed as a league owner and offered Jeremy a trade to gauge his interest in moving starts Anthony Rizzo and Carlos Correa. The trade offered ping back an auto-response email that read "Please stop emailing me about Carlos Correa and Anthony Rizzo". After finally getting through the wall we were able to get a comment from Jeremy. He assured us that "he has nothing brewing with any manager" and that he was planning on making a big splash at the auction. I guess Adrian Beltre is getting paid again!

10. League newcomer Whiskey Tango hires trade consultant and former league manager Jason McIver.

After experiencing his first dose of "slightly, rapey trade antics" in his first trade with Matt Morris, Whiskey Tango owner was contacted by Jason who offered his services as a consultant. Jason's list of trade targets for Whiskey Tango was said to include all of the angels, Ken Griffey Jr., Mo Vaughn and Brandon Phillips.


As always please don't hesitate to reach out with scoop.

- Geeter Pammons

A Christmas Kimbrel

In the early hours of the Daily Grind offseason FICA owner and general manager Jeremy Ficarola has put former Atlanta Braves all-star closer Craig Kimbrel on the chopping block. 

In a post titled Cut Date for Current Contracts Ficarola made it clear to the league that Kimbrel would not begin 2016 on FICA's roster. Since then TDGTR has learned that Kimbrel has been shopped to at least three unidentified teams. No deal appears imminent. One thing is clear, FICA seems determined to move Kimbrel before Christmas.

Kimbrel was the focal point of much of the MLB offseason after a blockbuster trade sent him from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox for a package of prospects. 

Kimbrel is the best relief pitcher to pitch for Boston since Jonathan Papelbon. 

"He’s a younger version of me," Papelbon said of the Sox's new closer. Certainly high praise from the league's biggest villain.

— Pedie Gomezz, ESPN

James Shields Update

James Shields' off-season has baffled many in the baseball community. A top five free-agent and flying high after leading the Kansas City Royals to the World Series, Shields was expected to sign a deal near the nine-figure mark sometime before the Winter Meetings. For some reason, that hasn't occurred and his future remains unclear. 

Insiders at The Daily Grind Trade Rumors recently reached out to Shields for comment, but he initially declined the invitation. Sources close to Shields gave some rather shocking insight into why he is taking so long to sign. One source, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, "Jimmy is holding out on signing a MLB contract until he is extended in The Daily Grind." 

It is a surprise that James Shields is aware of his contract status in TDG. He is currently headed into the last year of 2-year/$15 contract. The contract seems like a bargain now that Clayton Kershaw has signed the richest contract in league history at 4-years/$50. 

Shields ended his silence after Kershaw finalized his deal. When told that he could not be extended because it was against TDG rules to extend a player that is under contract, Shields said, "My new owner is the Commissioner and a Rules Committee member.If he wants me to play this year, he will find a way to extend me in The (Daily) Grind. Until then, I'm not putting no ink to to no contract those MLB teams are offering." 

 

Shields can be seen flashing the "dueces" sign in a mocking fashion at both the Kansas City Royals and Smash Box. Both franchises finished in 2nd place in 2014.

A League of Our Own

This might inspire hope or it might crush your dreams. Or maybe you just don’t care enough, but have fun playing anyway. If nothing else this should at least paint a cleaner picture of where this fantasy league came from, and where it is going.

I have always wanted the office of general manager and when asked where my loyalties would be if the Oakland Athletics were moved and their name changed, my answer was I would go where Billy Beane goes. Constructing a perfect baseball team has a fascination of mine for the majority of my short life.

You could say that is what this league is about. At first there was 11 of us, mostly strangers, whose idea of baseball wasn't perfect yet. Our playing careers lasted varying lengths of time and our favorite teams were scattered around the United States. We each came with a unique image of the sport.

Enter the Daily Grind.

Andrew Faris joins the 2013
auction via Skype 

We didn't know what we were doing. There was nothing like what we were about to create. The only thing that we knew was that we each wanted to imitate Major League Baseball as best as we could with our fantasy game. 

Our 11 men became 13 and we filed into a conference room in Orange County for our 2013 auction draft. Reminiscing over trades, waiver adds, and the previous season’s playoffs we bonded. Most importantly the image we each had of this league became a little clearer and the foundation grew stronger.

A year later it was 16 of us split into 14 teams. We were no longer strangers, but friends, rivals, brothers, and importantly, trailblazers.

Take out batting average, throw in on-base percentage, luxury tax, a rules committee, and one more small orange county conference room and were ready for the 2014 version of fantasy baseball’s new “normal.”

Today marks the first day of the third off-season in Daily Grind history. Our third different league champion was just crowned and we aren't setting our lineups today for the first time in seven months. A little refresher seems necessary.

The 2012 final standings

In our first year we saw a sub-.500 playoff team and only two teams achieve more than 20 games over .500. In our second season we removed ties from the equation, a new team occupied the top seed and a bye, the lowest playoff seeded team and eventual league champion finished eight games over .500, and only one team was more than 20 games over .500. In our third season as a league we added a play-in game to decide the sixth seed in the playoff tournament, four teams finished more than 20 games over .500, and we saw yet another new team occupy first place heading into the playoffs.

Over the course of the league’s history there have been 10 different teams to make the playoffs, three different champions, and we still aren't sure what value minor league slots have (if any). Our constitution is anything but polished. We’ve seen international player and steroid controversies. One of us moved to China! Nonetheless, this has turned into something we all love.

We love playing this game because we love baseball. We love it because, like real baseball, each of us has a chance to win. We love it because we are making fantasy baseball into what we want.

We love it for one more reason, and this one is my favorite: We aren’t done.

End-Of-Season Awards

The top seed is locked up. Two other pieces to the playoff picture are yet to be finalized. Nonetheless, the 2014 season of The Daily Grind has been nothing short of a masterpiece. Kurt, well done and congratulations for not only achieving your first ever winning team, but for also taking Jimmy Dugan to the playoffs. Mark and Mike, what happened? Sophomore slump? Just plain unlucky? The inclusion of the play-in game for the 6th and 7th place teams could not have gone any better. With two trying hard just to get in, and two more trying to avoid the game, these last three games will be exciting!

In looking back at my season preview, I found my top five ranked team are bound for the playoffs. Meanwhile the top-seeded Tom Emanski was projected for 7th, and Moneygraph Saberbeanes and FICA (competing for the play-in game) were destined for 11th and 13th place, respectively. Not bad.

Regardless, it has been a pleasure to join with all of you in making this league the best the World Wide Web has to offer. No one asked for it but I’m doing it anyway. Here are my 2014 regular season awards:

Most likely to succeed beyond 2014: Scioscia's Doghouse, Mark Hennemuth. Mark, you didn’t live up to the expectations set by your 2013 playoff team. However, you did some wonderful work as GM of the Doghouse and put your team in great position to build a championship quality roster for many years.

Least likely to succeed beyond 2014: GotHeeeem!, Albert Ramirez and Jason McIver. No offense intended, Jason and Albert, but you have a lot of work left to do. Mid-way through 2014 you were a contender. Then reality set in and the losses piled up. Without many pieces locked up for the future and only two future minor league slots, the next auction will need to be a turning point for this team.

Rookie of the year: Pennyball, Ryan Kay. Despite missing the playoffs by a wide margin and a near-last place finish, Mr. kay took an expansion team, acquired some elite young talent and got his feet wet in the most intense fantasy league he’s played in. His outlook for 2015 and beyond will be contingent upon his ability to increase spending and leave his mark at the auction.

Most Improved: Jimmy Dugan, Kurt Angier. Kurt, you have lived up to the the hype set back in 2012. Your team is knocking on the door of the second bye for the playoffs. You have some elite players signed to contracts for the future. You have the swagger and the skill to make a championship run. Can you complete it?

The team we should feel sorry for, but we just can’t: The Spruce Bruce, Taylor Holiday: He’s 15 games over .500. He’s near falling into the abyss of the play-in game. He has suffered season-ending injuries to seven of his regular players. Taylor has endured hardship, forfeits, and ridicule. But we still don’t feel sympathy for him. At all.

Executive of the year: Tom Emanski, Gregg Angier. Gregg nearly set a new single-season wins record, has had the top seed locked up for weeks, and we still don’t know how he did it. He made questionable move after questionable move, shuffled through players, and then loaded up on prospects in the offseason leaving us scratching our heads. His moves cashed in, his prospects yielded mid-season reinforcements, and his team’s metamorphosis brought to life a fantasy juggernaut. Gregg sits in managerial glory with the likes of Brian Sabean and Billy Beane. This might be the year he takes home the trophy.