Morning Mound Visit: sabermetrics news - 12/10/19

FanGraphs | Craig Edwards: There was really little excuse for the Nationals not to bring back Stephen Strasburg, especially after his World Series MVP. He joins good company, as most pitchers of his age-27-30 caliber do not decline that quickly; in fact, some would say it’s a Hall of Fame bunch.

Baseball Prospectus | Jeff Wiser ($): The Detroit Tigers lost 114 games, a remarkable number even for a tanking affair. And a tank it was. They relied on veterans like Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer, and they flipped good players in Nick Castellanos and Shane Greene; they’ve added to their great farm system that already includes Riley Greene and Casey Mize.

ESPN Insider | Buster Olney ($): For the team that doesn’t acquire Gerrit Cole, there is going to be a lot of immediate soul-searching. The Yankees will need another pitcher not for 2020 but 2021, looking at Madison Bumgarner or trade options like Robbie Ray. The Angels need to make the most of Mike Trout’s tenure, so they may go thew Hyun-Jin Ryu, Bumgarner, and/or Dallas Keuchel route. The Dodgers are in luxury territory, so it’s certainly not make-or-break.