2024-25 MLB Hot Stove thread

[miami_fan]

And we're off

Angels land slugger Jorge Soler from Braves for RHP Griffin Canning - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42114668/angels-land-slugger-jorge-soler-braves-starter-griffin-canning)

[Ksyrup]

Too soon!

I just replaced my MLB tab off The Score widget with CBB on my phone. I'm not ready for this.

[miami_fan]

Rays to play 2025 season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field (https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/14/interim-stadium-steinbrenner-field-yankees-tarpons-pinellas-st-petersburg/)

This should be really interesting. I have talked about the hell that is traveling to Tropicana Field especially on weekdays. Steinbrenner Field is across the street from Raymond James where the Bucs play and maybe three miles from the heart of downtown Tampa if that. It has a capacity of 11,206. Building a stadium close to downtown Tampa would have been the best case scenario for a new stadium for the Rays IMO. The downside is there is no roof. I don't think it can, but I would love any and all positives from this season to influence and ultimately lead to plans for the new stadium to change from St Pete to downtown Tampa.

[Ksyrup]

I don't know if that article goes into the insurance issues and whether the city even has an incentive to fix the stadium at all given they're supposed to build a new one for 2028, but they may need a multi-year solution assuming they'll be able to get public financing to build the new stadium. Or, this may be the chance to get out of town entirely.

[miami_fan]

I don't know if that article goes into the insurance issues and whether the city even has an incentive to fix the stadium at all given they're supposed to build a new one for 2028, but they may need a multi-year solution assuming they'll be able to get public financing to build the new stadium. Or, this may be the chance to get out of town entirely.

Are you a politician in Pinellas County? Because you sound very much like the politicans in Pinellas County.

Pinellas County leaders disappointed by Rays' decision to play in Tampa (https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/baseball/rays/it-leaves-a-bad-taste-in-the-mouth-pinellas-leaders-disappointed-by-rays-decision-to-play-in-tampa)

TBF, I feel like they have every right to be worried. I am sure the city attorneys are pouring over the agreement with the team to see if natural disaster clauses/escapes.

[Ksyrup]

They cut back on their insurance coverage last year to save $250K in premium which is going to end up costing them millions in insurance that would have helped cover much more of this damage. So now the question is, when also considering the public money the team expects the city/county to put into a new facility, do they just cut their losses and let the team go? Dont fix the stadium, don't fund the new facility. They can be nomads for a couple years while they find a new permanent home in city that will cough up the funding they want.

[cuervo72]

Cities should demand ownership stakes in teams. Sure, we’ll help with your stadium — but we own part of you now.

[GrantDawg]

Cities should demand ownership stakes in teams. Sure, we’ll help with your stadium — but we own part of you now.
But that is socialism! Capitalism is when the government gives hand outs to billionaires and also covers any losses they might occur while the billionaires keep all the profit. At least, that is the American version of capitalism.

[Atocep]

Glad to see the voters didn't overthink the NL ROY and gave it to Skenes. Merrill was great, but Skenes year was historic.

[miami_fan]

Tampa Bay Rays asked to state intention on stadium by Sunday - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/42615907/tampa-bay-rays-asked-state-intention-stadium-sunday)

Tick...Tick...Tick

[Ksyrup]

Nashville, here they come!

[miked]

What incentive do they have to stay. The politicians don't want to pay, the fans don't come even when they are winning. I would be looking hard at Nashville, San Antonio, NOLA, and other cities without teams. Charlotte has AAA, but that area isn't bad.

[korme]

The Reds traded Jonathan India to the Royals for Brady Singer.

[Lathum]

My 11 year old daughter told me today completely unprovoked that Angel Hernandez sucks.

Some days I feel like I am nailing this parenting thing.

[Ksyrup]

Glad to see we're not waiting until mid-March for signings. Blake Snell to the Dodgers for 5 years, $182M.

[MrBug708]

Let's go! To be honest, this caught me off guard. Dodgers taking the "Why don't you win one outside of 2020" personally and that's fine with me.

[SirFozzie]

I'll say here what I said to SackAttack...

The Dodgers can... FUCK. RIGHT. OFF.

[MrBug708]

I'll say here what I said to SackAttack...

The Dodgers can... FUCK. RIGHT. OFF.

Thanks for Mookie. He'll look good in a Dodgers hat in Cooperstown :)

[PilotMan]

I'll say here what I said to SackAttack...

The Dodgers can... FUCK. RIGHT. OFF.


How did you feel about the Yankees in the 90's? :D

[JPhillips]

MLB needs to do something about deferred money and the competitive balance tax.

[Danny]

MLB needs to do something about deferred money and the competitive balance tax.


I understand hating on the Dodgers and other big spenders but a huge part of the inbalance are tons of teams whose owners are happy to make profits without actually paying to stay competititve or to try and win.

[JPhillips]

I think that's two separate problems. There's definitely a problem with teams that have figured out the easiest way to a profit is not trying to win, but there's also a problem when teams can get around the CBA with deferred money. I don't really have a problem with the Dodgers spending money, but that should count against them.

[PilotMan]

The Dodgers are spending a ton, but they are making even more as a result of their spending. Building the brand, taking it international, getting even bigger as a result. This is the model of the huge soccer clubs too. If I put my non-Dodgers fan hat on for a moment, it's absolutely a giant pain in the ass for the league. It feels like what's even the point of cheering for your own team? Then again, this is America where the biggest, richest, and loudest run the country. Right or wrong, what's more American than a rich baseball team?

[Atocep]

I need Steve Cohen to give Soto a billion in deferred money. Just break the system and force MLB to make a change.

[PilotMan]

I blame Bobby Bonilla.

[RainMaker]

MLB needs to do something about deferred money and the competitive balance tax.

All these teams are owned by billionaires and if they don't want to compete, maybe they should sell the team to someone who will. It's not the Dodgers fault that they're the only team trying.

[henry296]

All these teams are owned by billionaires and if they don't want to compete, maybe they should sell the team to someone who will. It's not the Dodgers fault that they're the only team trying.

If the Dodgers had the revenue of the Pirates would their owner have the same payroll.

[miami_fan]

The Dodgers are spending a ton, but they are making even more as a result of their spending. Building the brand, taking it international, getting even bigger as a result. This is the model of the huge soccer clubs too. If I put my non-Dodgers fan hat on for a moment, it's absolutely a giant pain in the ass for the league. It feels like what's even the point of cheering for your own team? Then again, this is America where the biggest, richest, and loudest run the country. Right or wrong, what's more American than a rich baseball team?

The other part of the huge soccer club model for the smaller clubs is knowing that your club will never compete for a title and just enjoying the small wins where and when you can. Are the fans going to be cool with their World Series being a three game sweep against the big boys every so often?

TBH, I am enjoying the battle among the owners and among the fans where demands are made of a) teams like the Marlins and Rays to spend more money to be competitive while at the same time b) demanding teams like the Dodgers and Mets to spend less money so that others can be competitive while c) teams like the Cubs and Yankees talk and take in money like a big market team but have restricted spending practices of a small market team and finally d) random smaller market teams that go on a big spending spree and then immediately trade everyone when it does not go well that season.

[PilotMan]

Dodger fans had to endure the shitty 90s of the McCourt years. We totally know when an owner is selling out the fanbase, and the team for his own profits. Thankfully, the anger and noise around him forced the sale of the team to a group that wanted to make use of the brand and franchise, rather than just drain it for his own pockets like we've seen so many do. The entire franchise is a model for the way that the league should expect other franchises to run.

[Lathum]

Tommy Edman gets 15/mil a year from the Dodgers.

[Ghost Econ]

I'm convinced Rob Manfred hates baseball

The Golden At-Bat rule could give MLB a new shine. But is it worth it? - The Athletic (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5961016/2024/12/02/golden-at-bat-rule-mlb/)

[Lathum]

Paywall. Can you sum it up?

[Ksyrup]

Yeah that's a horrendous idea.

Basically, once a game you can PH any hitter in an AB. Doesn't matter if they are already in the game or when it's their turn to hit.

[Lathum]

FFS that is terrible.

[Ksyrup]

You know, this type of situation happened (repeatedly, actually) in an exhibition softball game Caitlin played her senior year. We went up against a big-name organization (Louisville Sluggers), but the girls on both teams all knew each other, played with each other for years in travel ball and HS ball, etc. So it was more than just an exhibition. And as an exhibition, there were no substitution rules.

Sure enough, we battled, score was going back-and-forth, and whenever they got behind, their benefactor/owner would start calling the shots, repeatedly pulling his hitters to take multiple ABs whenever they got anyone on. Like, some girls had 6-7 ABs and other 2-3. He'd also repeatedly put the same 1 or 2 girls to PR at 1B so they could steal extra bases.

We ended up losing. That guy was always a dick. He's dead now.

The end.

[Solecismic]

I thought the tag-line would be that the benefactor/owner was Rob Manfred.

Yeah, baseball has been its own worst enemy for a long time now. They seem aware of that, but keep moving toward patchwork solutions rather than addressing the elephant in the room: there are too many commercial breaks and too many commercials.

Now that they've broken with tradition and started messing with the rules of the game, they can't seem to stop.

They hit upon the pitch clock and the reliever rule as a partial fix for the commercial issue, which seems to have gotten them back to pre-COVID popularity, but they could have gotten far more from a hard one-minute break between half-innings and no commercials and bullpen golf carts for pitching changes.

So much tinkering. But at least the other rule changes have been about speeding up the game to compensate for the delays. This is more a fundamental change to the structure of the game. I like it even less than the extra-inning baserunner rule.

[Atocep]

I'm a huge analytics guy but I think teams are working with too much data now. All of the data being collected in every ballpark is bad for the game at this point. Some fog of war is good for any sport and baseball has eliminated a large portion of it.

[Ksyrup]

What problem is the Golden AB supposed to fix? Not enough prop bet opportunities?

[sovereignstar v2]

I heard they are also exploring adding the Savannah Bananas as an expansion team to bring the league to an even 31 teams

[Atocep]

What problem is the Golden AB supposed to fix? Not enough prop bet opportunities?

Make the game more exciting. This misses the mark by a great deal though. Forced stuff like this that's outside the basic rules of the game are bad. Kind of why college OT is so bad. This even worse though.

[Ghost Econ]

Maybe they could also make that at bat worth 5x runs like when I have rotating categories on my Chase card.

[Solecismic]

Instead of Abe Stark's old Ebbets Field sign, the entire outfield wall could be filled with bonuses...

"Hit this Sign, gain an extra out"

"Hit this Sign, lose two runs" - teams could set a record for holding opponents to even less than a shutout.

"Hit this Sign, add another Golden At Bat"

"No Whammies... No Whammies... Stop!"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Instead of Abe Stark's old Ebbets Field sign, the entire outfield wall could be filled with bonuses...

"Hit this Sign, gain an extra out"

"Hit this Sign, lose two runs" - teams could set a record for holding opponents to even less than a shutout.

"Hit this Sign, add another Golden At Bat"

"No Whammies... No Whammies... Stop!"

This might just be THE best baseball post in FOFC history.

[Danny]

They should also build in hidden traps in the field like sinkholes, landmines and tripwire

[Lathum]

BASEketball (1998) - IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131857/)

[Ksyrup]

Make the game more exciting. This misses the mark by a great deal though. Forced stuff like this that's outside the basic rules of the game are bad. Kind of why college OT is so bad. This even worse though.

I already despise the NBA's rule that allows a TO to move the ball to half-court gimmick. This would be 100 times worse.

[Sweed]

I'm convinced Rob Manfred hates baseball

The Golden At-Bat rule could give MLB a new shine. But is it worth it? - The Athletic (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5961016/2024/12/02/golden-at-bat-rule-mlb/)

This is just stupid. Let's hope common sense prevails, but if they are even talking about this as an option common sense has already gone out the window.

[Sweed]

Maybe they could also make that at bat worth 5x runs like when I have rotating categories on my Chase card.

I think if the golden batter is walked it should count as a home run. Force the P to throw balls over the plate as a way to increase excitement.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, if they do this baseball will be about as stupid as quiddich.

[Lathum]

Do they take a golden shower after the game?

[miami_fan]

I don't like the proposed rule but I'll be the contrarian.

If having a pitcher hit was the worst thing in the world and the rules were changed to kick them out of the batter's box in favor of a better hitter, is it that much of a stretch to try and figure out how to get out the Oswaldo Cabreras of the world out of the batter's box in favor of the Juan Sotos of the world? My guess is the same number of people that would prefer seeing Oswaldo Cabrera hit over Gerrit Cole would also prefer seeing Juan Soto hit over Oswaldo Cabrera.

[Solecismic]

If the argument rests upon "I'll assume people who support A also support B, so I'll argue against B rather than against A", then the response is to question that assumption rather than the original question.

The argument in favor of the DH is twofold. First, pitchers don't pitch every day and their specialty requires so much training that they rarely learn to become good hitters after high school. There have been notable exceptions, like George Brett's brother. And second, it became rare to complete games and pitchers were trained to throw every pitch harder, and then it became more and more frequent to use three or four pitchers in a game. So it was harder to think of the ninth spot as anything but a pinch-hitter spot in the first place. The game evolved to make the DH make sense.

This is about a specific alteration in how a batting order or lineup works. Similar alterations would be along the lines of allowing a pitcher to return to the game to pitch to a specific batter or having teams start an inning with a runner on base (I refuse to accept that one as legitimate).

[miami_fan]

My understanding of the origins of the DH is that it was much simpler than that. Having a DH would lead to increased offensive production and increased offensive production was/is perceived to be more entertaining. I am not saying that specialization, lack of complete games etc. did not contribute to the adoption of the DH as time went on. I am saying the main goal was to be more entertaining. If it is about being more entertaining, then I can see why someone would want to continue down the road from the game of nine players in the field and the same nine players in the batting line to one that replaces the pitcher with a DH to one that allows for a golden at bat.

[Sweed]

I don't like the proposed rule but I'll be the contrarian.

If having a pitcher hit was the worst thing in the world and the rules were changed to kick them out of the batter's box in favor of a better hitter, is it that much of a stretch to try and figure out how to get out the Oswaldo Cabreras of the world out of the batter's box in favor of the Juan Sotos of the world? My guess is the same number of people that would prefer seeing Oswaldo Cabrera hit over Gerrit Cole would also prefer seeing Juan Soto hit over Oswaldo Cabrera.

The way to do this is to go with an offense and a defense like football. You would still have a set order instead of throwing in whoever you want whenever you want (yes, in that one situation). Think of the gloves that have never played because they couldn't hit. The trouble with this, besides owners having to pay more players, and it might decrease offense so could never be done. Or maybe nine superior hitters would be able to maintain, or even increase, offensive production even while facing only superior gloves? IDK.
Back to the cost... Imagine owners paying those extra players and of course "how much is a "Brooks or Ozzie" glove worth if that player can only play defense?

Don't take this as I would support or want an offense and a defense. :)

[Young Drachma]

The Finnish variant of baseball (https://www.mlb.com/news/first-english-language-broadcast-of-finland-baseball-game-pesapallo), pesäpallo has a version of this "golden at bat" in a much more rational way. They're called jokers, each lineup has 3 of them AND every team still has a pitcher that hits. You can use any of your jokers in the lineup in any inning to replace the next batter in the order, so it becomes a lot more tactical.

It's not that weird, games aren't that much more high scoring, but it's also a completely different sport than baseball --though similar. It would defeat the purpose of the golden at-bat per se, but it would mean lineups could have 2 more DHs for various tactical things. Like pesis has a speedster joker, a power hitting one, and one that's good at advancing runners, but you can't just hit the ball out of the park in Finnish baseball without it bouncing so...that's part of the difference too.

Just saying I have a huge data sample of watching how this basically plays out.

[Ksyrup]

Softball allows players to return to the lineup/position (including pitchers) one time. I've gotten used to that given both my kids played. With slapping/bunting, frequent stolen bases, and a limited number of pitchers, it makes some sense and definitely increases the strategy quotient of the game.

[Lathum]

Softball allows players to return to the lineup/position (including pitchers) one time. I've gotten used to that given both my kids played. With slapping/bunting, frequent stolen bases, and a limited number of pitchers, it makes some sense and definitely increases the strategy quotient of the game.

The bunting thing is infuriating and so far from what I have seen idiotic.

We played a team in our travel teams league title game that tried it. Our pitcher is completely lights out and they kept either missing or tipping. Their coach was putting them in 0-2 counts almost every AB. Of the 18 outs she struck out 16. The other 2 outs were by my daughter, the catcher, fielding them and throwing down to first.

I was like, just swing the damn bat.

[Ksyrup]

Dude, it not only doesn't get better at the college level, it gets WORSE.

Both of Caitlin's college coaches bunted at every opportunity. Sometimes with no one out and the bases loaded. Often early in the game just to try to get a run. It would infuriate me to see a pitcher walk the leadoff batter in the 1st inning on 4 or 5 pitches and then we'd give up an out (at lower levels, not even guaranteeing the runner to advance) with the second and/or third batter just to move a runner to 2nd or 3rd and still not score. Or, down 3 runs in the 5th or 6th, and giving up outs to move runners to try to score a run to get to within 2 runs with like 4 or 5 outs left.

[Lathum]

I'm sure it only gets worse, they learn it somewhere.

What sucks also is my daughter is freakishly fast so they will probably do it alot.

[Ksyrup]

She should learn to slap if she's not already. We did that with all of our fast players, LH or not. If nothing else, it's another skill set for recruiting.

[Lathum]

I think she is a little young for that, plus she hits bombs so not sure she should be going all Willie Mays Hayes

[Ksyrup]

If they have power and speed, even better. There's nothing better than a power slapper putting one over the drawn-in OF, or being able to drop one in if they play back. But I get it. If she's the middle of the lineup, they aren't going to want to use her that way.

Didn't you say she was around 11? That's the age to learn to slap. Especially righties, so it becomes like second nature by their HS years.

[Lathum]

Yeah. She’s 11 and bats clean up.

[SirFozzie]

I want to grab Red Sox fandom by the collective scruff of their neck and tell them that none of this press shit really matters. It's manipulating fans.

Red Sox Spin: "Red Sox want meeting with Boras to set once and for all a "Deal gets done" price". Why would Boras do anything like this? If he names a price and it gets done, then how much more could he have received by playing it off more?

Boras Spin: "Insider for MLB team says his team is favorite." This works as two things for Boras, one, it motivates other teams to up the bid because their fans will put pressure on them, and it puts pressure on that team's fans.. after all, you don't want to be the team that was THIS close to signing a generational piece and left out, right?

I've been down on the red sox spending, but I don't think you can blame them if Soto falls through.. it's not like OOTP or MLB the Show, where you give them a number, they say yes, it's over. There are living, breathing people on the other side, and more factors than just years/$$$. You don't give a more than $600 million offer if you're not serious about spending.

What I DO want from the Red Sox is no matter how the Soto sweepstakes ends, they have an idea on the next steps and pivot to them immediately. Pitching is still the #1 need.

(and at risk of getting dogpiled, I said it last year with Ohtani, but it just boggles my mind we're in the $700 million era, and my reflexive action is to say "We could get more from 3 $233 million players than one $700 million player", but that's just my view.

[JonInMiddleGA]

"We could get more from 3 $233 million players than one $700 million player", but that's just my view.

But could you?

Using this list (https://databases.usatoday.com/major-league-baseball-salaries-2024/) there are only a handful of players signed to contracts even +/- 10% of 233 million

Stephen Strasburg 245m 7 yrs
Anthony Rendon 245m 7 yrs
Christian Yelich 215m 9 yrs
Austin Riley 212m 10 yrs
Julio Rodriguez 209m (a tiny fraction under 10% below but what's a million at these prices? ) 12 yrs

So to get three contracts at that level, without overpaying, requires three players worth contracts of that amount AND those kinds of length AND to be available for signing at the same time (+/- a year let's say). Not sure how easy it'd be to do that.

[Swaggs]

Man, I knew he was young, but I didn't realize that Soto is only going into his age 26 season. Sounds like he wants the 10+ year contract, but I'd probably be a little tempted to do something like a 5 or 6 year at a ridiculously high AAV and hit FA again as a 31-year old looking for that 10 year deal.

[SirFozzie]

Man, I knew he was young, but I didn't realize that Soto is only going into his age 26 season. Sounds like he wants the 10+ year contract, but I'd probably be a little tempted to do something like a 5 or 6 year at a ridiculously high AAV and hit FA again as a 31-year old looking for that 10 year deal.

The current rumor is 15/720+

[Ksyrup]

The A's signed Luis Severino out of the blue at 3 years, $67M. It's the largest contract they've ever given to a player, just surpassing the 6 year, $66M deal with Eric Chavez in 2004 (who wasn't a FA). That's insane.

Even better is that he likely won't ever play for the A's in LV. It was an overpay, but when you're signing up for 1 to 3 years of playing in a minor league oven, I suppose you expect a premium to be paid for your services.

[Swaggs]

The current rumor is 15/720+

So $48M per year. It seems crazy. I guess you have figure: are you more likely to get 7-10 WAR from him than you are 3-4 guys that are making $12-15M and the answer is not so clear, depending on luck and injury. But the upside is getting that all from one position and rolling the dice on other, cheaper (possibly minimum salary) guys at the other spots.

[Danny]

So $48M per year. It seems crazy. I guess you have figure: are you more likely to get 7-10 WAR from him than you are 3-4 guys that are making $12-15M and the answer is not so clear, depending on luck and injury. But the upside is getting that all from one position and rolling the dice on other, cheaper (possibly minimum salary) guys at the other spots.


A lot is how well a team does at developing players. If you have entry level guys in your farm system who give you positive WAR, it makes sense to go with a stud. The good teams tend to always have soms guys who can can contribute.

[Ksyrup]

Also I wonder if everyone else is going to get on the deferral train with the Dodgers.

[Solecismic]

My understanding of the origins of the DH is that it was much simpler than that. Having a DH would lead to increased offensive production and increased offensive production was/is perceived to be more entertaining. I am not saying that specialization, lack of complete games etc. did not contribute to the adoption of the DH as time went on. I am saying the main goal was to be more entertaining. If it is about being more entertaining, then I can see why someone would want to continue down the road from the game of nine players in the field and the same nine players in the batting line to one that replaces the pitcher with a DH to one that allows for a golden at bat.

Sure, those were the origins. Coming after the late '60s and the mound change not having the desired effect on offense. Complete games were still the norm for top starters. In the early '70s, you'd still see the occasional ace complete 30 games in a season - more than the entire league collectively compiled last season.

But, it was called an experiment, and the Ron Blomberg types were ridiculed for a long time. NL fans vowed they would never give in. It became an evolution thing, and the NL was the only holdout for ages.

[miami_fan]

Per Jeff Passan,

Soto to the Mets. 15yrs/$765M.

[Ksyrup]

That's a thing that happens to rich people.

[Atocep]

Per Jeff Passan,

Soto to the Mets. 15yrs/$765M.

Hell yes

[SirFozzie]

Congrats to Soto, that's an insane price.

[Lathum]

Boom!!!

[Ksyrup]

Interestingly, no deferred money. He's got an opt-out in 5 years but the Mets can buy it out by adding $4M/year for the rest of the contract which essentially would add $40M and make the deal worth $805M.

Given the size of the contract, another $40M starting in 6 years doesn't seem like much of an obstacle. Seems like there are only few scenarios in which he would want to opt out but the Mets would let him go. I wonder if that was added more for Boras than Soto?

[Lathum]

Apparently the Yankees offered the same amount but over 16 years not 15 and they didn't add the option. If Soto really wanted to be a Yankee at that point does the difference matter?

[Atocep]

Apparently the Yankees offered the same amount but over 16 years not 15 and they didn't add the option. If Soto really wanted to be a Yankee at that point does the difference matter?

If he had a different agent maybe, but you hire Boras to get you every dollar possible.

[GrantDawg]

Max Fried to the Yankees. 8 years, $218 million dollars.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ghost Econ]

It's Fried, it's more like 4 years.

[PilotMan]

Will his arm last that long?

[Ksyrup]

His arm will be max fried well before that contract ends.

[GrantDawg]

They will get three good seasons out of him. Broken up in chunks over the 8 years.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

I wonder if Jerry Reinsdorf will be staying at any Hiltons any time soon...

[bronconick]

Apparently the Yankees offered the same amount but over 16 years not 15 and they didn't add the option. If Soto really wanted to be a Yankee at that point does the difference matter?

Mets gave him and his family a free suite. Yankees make everyone pay for one, even Judge and Jeter apparently

[Lathum]

Devin Williams to the Yankees giving them another playoff choker to go along with Judge.

[Lathum]

Mets bring back Manaea 3/75 giving them their front end guy to go with Senga coming back hopefully healthy. Now have to sign Amonso and would love to see them bring back Winker.

[Atocep]

Mets bring back Manaea 3/75 giving them their front end guy to go with Senga coming back hopefully healthy. Now have to sign Amonso and would love to see them bring back Winker.

Mets supposedly have a 3 year 90 mil offer with opt outs after each year on the table for Pete but Boras is holding out for a long term $200 million deal.

[RainMaker]

I know it won't happen but Alonso would madh at Wrigley.

[Lathum]

Mets supposedly have a 3 year 90 mil offer with opt outs after each year on the table for Pete but Boras is holding out for a long term $200 million deal.

Pete’s not getting 200 million.

[Lathum]

Burnes gets 6/210 from the DBacks. Good deal for him and that gives them a nasty rotation.

[Lathum]

I love Pete, easily a top 5 favorite Met of mine but it is hard to feel bad for him at this point and ultimately my loyalty is to the team. He turned down a 153 million extension in 22 then signed on with Boras. You know what you are getting with that guy and when is it enough money? Mets offering 3/90 shows there isn't much of a long term market out there for him and them turning it down shows they are willing to play the long game. Fine by me. Maybe the Jays become sellers on Vlad or they can try and get him next off season. Mets can't go in to the season with uncertainty at the corners and Baty isn't the answer. At this point I wouldn't be mad if they got Bregman and moved Vientos to third. I could live with Arenado but I think the cliff is coming fast with him. I prefer that over a stopgap move like a Rizzo/Bell type. Either way Mets will be OK for this season with Lindor/Vientos/Alvarez/Nimmo/mystery third baseman not Baty/Marte/McNeil-he needs to bounce back.

[Atocep]

Diamondbacks come out of nowhere to land Corbin Burnes on a 6 year $210 million deal.

[BishopMVP]

Diamondbacks come out of nowhere to land Corbin Burnes on a 6 year $210 million deal.
The weird part is I'm sure there was a number he'd have been willing to sign elsewhere, but given how much being near the wife and twin baby girls at their Scottsdale home seemed to matter in the end why wasn't anyone talking about Arizona as a possible destination for him before the contract? Baltimore also seemed to draw a line in the sand where they only want to pay homegrown guys, but not the elite starter you traded for a year ago who performed well?

Happy with the Sox getting Crochet and Buehler in the end given where Fried's market went to (not a big Patrick Sandoval guy but whatever, not like he's penciled in as a starter this year). Thought the asking price would be too high, and still like Teel/Montgomery, but keeping the big 3 out of it sounds fair. Fingers crossed he can stay healthy. Still don't really get why we're so linked to Bregman as the favorite even if Cora loves him, but if the price comes down enough sure why not. Just please move Raffy to 1st or DH if he comes, I don't need him blocking Campbell/Grissom at 2B to massage Devers ego. Would also be happy not adding anyone outside catcher and giving Campbell and Anthony real shots to start Day 1 if they look good in spring training. Catcher is still weird with how much the framing metrics hate Connor Wong, Narvaez seemed like a nice buy low as a 3rd catcher but I hope the Sean Murphy rumors come to fruition if the price isn't too high.

[PilotMan]

MLB has banned the 2 Yankees fans who interfered with Betts during the World Series. The ban is everywhere and indefinitely.

[Lathum]

MLB has banned the 2 Yankees fans who interfered with Betts during the World Series. The ban is everywhere and indefinitely.

I love it.

I could excuse it if they were like, "we got caught up in the moment" but they acted like they were part of the game and just doing their job. Fucking clowns. Should be charged with assault.

[Ksyrup]

Sounds like the Mets might be moving on from Pete Alonzo - or at least, trying to make it seem that way.

Do the Blue Jays finally land a FA, but then have to immediately make a move with Vlad Guerrero?

[Lathum]

I follow a lot of Mets accounts and yes it is being widely reported they are moving on after a final offer of 3/70 with opt outs.

I have really mixed feelings on this. Pete is easily one of my al time favorite Mets, and he would be a presence hitting behind Soto. I would be happy for him to get his bag.

That being said he totally overplayed his hand. He should have taken the 6/158 he was offered a couple years ago. Instead he turned it down, fired his agent, and hired Boras and it has been a train wreck. Do I blame the Mets for kind of lowballing him when it seems like there isn't much interest, I suppose not, but when you have the richest owner who says he is going to do whatever it takes it fees like you should either throw a higher per year amount or an extra year for the guy who is going to break all the club records. I have to think 4/120 gets it done. So from that perspective it is frustrating.

Will he eventually get his 6 year deal? Maybe but it would likely be a bad situation on a losing club. He is now being tied to Toronto as a DH/1B platoon with Vlad. There are rumors the Mets are going to try and trade for Vlad, but unless they can lock him up I don't wanna drain the farm for a rental.

If he does walk, Mets have to get real aggressive for Bregman, because you can't have world series aspirations and break camp with Baty at third.

Bottom line is I am really bummed that this has been handled so poorly all around and seeing Pete play in another uniform will break my heart.

[PilotMan]

Let's go DODGERS! Sasaki to LA! WOOOOOOO!

[Lathum]

dodgers ruining baseball...

[frnk55]

dodgers ruining baseball...
I agree.

[SirFozzie]

See the Dodgers signed Sasaki (to absolutely no one's surprise.). New idea: Let's contract the Marlins, and allow the Dodgers to field two teams in the NL

[Danny]

dodgers taking advantage of cheap, poorly run franchises and rules that let it happen...

Yes I agree.

[Flasch186]

I’m not sure

I think having the monster villain that everyone guns for isn’t terrible.

WWE/F used that formula for years


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

From a broader perspective, I guess having a villain/heel for fan engagement purposes is a good thing. As a 50-something who has zero interest in talk radio/TV, screaming debates, etc., i just want to see good competition. The wild card and expanded number of playoff teams will temper this to some extent, but I really don't want to see a decade list of WS participants that looks like it could have come out of the 40s and 50s.

[JonInMiddleGA]

but I really don't want to see a decade list of WS participants that looks like it could have come out of the 40s and 50s.

And as a 50-something who also doesn't consume most of the modern media stuff, that's exactly what I want.

If I could contract it back down to 24 teams (28 tops) I'd do that in a heartbeat.

[MrBug708]

Good signing. The foundation to sign Sasaki has been there for a couple of years now. Maybe the Dodgers have more than 2.5 starters for the world series now.

[Sweed]

Is it time for MLB to allow teams to sell players like they do in soccer?
The A's tried this in the mid 70's with Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, and Catfish Hunter and it was shot down by Commish. Kuhn.

No idea on CBA and all of the rules, but presently unless you have a no trade contract a player can be moved without consent. If selling could be done within the rules, imagine Pittsburgh after a few years being able to sell Paul Skenes, for massive cash they could invest in other players today/next offseason, rather than a conditional draft pick that could take years to develop or bust?

There are millions of ins and outs (cheap owners pocketing the cash), and keep in mind this is a question with all of 5 minutes of thought behind it as I watch the EPL on a Saturday morning. :) Just throwing it out there as we appear to be in a window of mega dollars being spent by a few teams and the "have nots" falling even further behind. Maybe if the have nots received some of those mega dollars, rather than a draft pick, for players they developed it would help restore some sort of balance?

[JPhillips]

If I were a big market club I'd prefer that to revenue sharing. I'd be pretty pissed if I was paying into a pool so that the Rays and Pirates et al could pocket the proceeds and keep their payroll at the bottom of the league.

[Ksyrup]

And as a 50-something who also doesn't consume most of the modern media stuff, that's exactly what I want.

If I could contract it back down to 24 teams (28 tops) I'd do that in a heartbeat.

I don't mind 24 teams. But a system thst allows only a couple teams to play for the WS sucks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

But a system that allows only a couple teams to play for the WS sucks.

I'm reading that as being "only a few get there" not as being about smaller playoff pools, so forgive me in advance if I misunderstood you.

So we've seen 8 teams -- so only two repeat appearances -- in the last 5 seasons.

Dodgers/Yankees
Rangers/Dbacks
Astros/Phillies
Braves/Astros
Dodgers/Rays

There were 9 teams from 80-84, a time frame I picked solely cause it's was my age 13-17 years and I remember well.

Go look at the 1970s, arguably my peak interest era (certainly if you combine with the early 80s), way more repeats.

There's not a big shortage of final two teams that I can see, the expanded total number of teams today vs those earlier decades just means that more teams don't get there.

[Ksyrup]

Well, the expanded playoffs masks the issue because it becomes a tournament and a crapshoot, so the best teams don't always get through. But only a few teams signing most everyone and other teams rewarded for being cheap is not fun.

[PilotMan]

Dodgers do it again. Nice to have a team that loves it's fans this much.

[Lathum]

Tell me again how this is good for the sport.

[Lathum]

Dola- and yes I’m bitter.

[PilotMan]

I was bitter when the Yankees were doing it in the 90s. Because the Dodgers had new ownership and he was only interstate pumping equity out of the team and fielding a .500 ball club in one of the biggest baseball markets in the world. That was a long, long, decade.

[cuervo72]

If a team dominates for five years or so, or even a few more, not a huge issue. You had that in the 70s, with the A’s, Reds, and I guess even the Pirates and Orioles. But then they gave way to the Yankees and Dodgers for a few years before teams like the Phillies, Royals, Cards filtered in. It wasn’t always the same teams, even if for a while you have clusters.

I found the dominance of the Braves and Yankees in the 90s to be a bit much.

What I don’t want to see is a team get there and stay there, like how the Yankees, Dodgers, Cards dominated the 40s, 50s, first half of the 60s. (Same deal as the Patriots being ever present for 20 years.)

[Lathum]

Yikes

The Pirates Held Their Fan Fest On Saturday And It Sounds Like It Was A Disaster With "Sell The Team" Chants, Expired Sodas Being Sold, Misspelled Player's Names And Fans Already Freaking Out About Losing Paul Skenes | Barstool Sports (https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3536422/the-pirates-held-their-fan-fest-on-saturday-and-it-sounds-like-it-was-a-disaster-with-sell-the-team-chants-expired-sodas-being-sold-misspelled-players-names-and-fans-already-freaking-out-abo)

[Lathum]

Beltran goes in as a Met, no?

[Lathum]

Dodgers signing Yates. I get it dodger fans, but this is a Fuckkng joke.

[Danny]

Its the same thing as last offseason, teams dont want to spend money so the dodgers swoop in. None of the contrscts they are giving out are egregious, most teams just dont want to eat into their profits

[miami_fan]

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner have been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The hunt is on for the one voter who kept Ichiro from being an unanimous selection.

[Lathum]

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner have been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The hunt is on for the one voter who kept Ichiro from being an unanimous selection.

Was hoping Beltran got in.

As for the one voter, F them, they should lose their vote.

[miami_fan]

Was hoping Beltran got in.

As for the one voter, F them, they should lose their vote.

My guess is Beltran is still paying the sign stealing penalty. Not as severe as the PED penalty but severe enough to keep him out this year. No disrespect to Beltran but I would have been pissed if he got in before Andruw Jones. That is not to say Beltran is not deserving, just to say Andruw Jones should have already been voted into the Hall.

[Atocep]

My guess is Beltran is still paying the sign stealing penalty. Not as severe as the PED penalty but severe enough to keep him out this year. No disrespect to Beltran but I would have been pissed if he got in before Andruw Jones. That is not to say Beltran is not deserving, just to say Andruw Jones should have already been voted into the Hall.

Beltran vs Jones is an interesting argument. Jones was better defensively. Beltran was better offensively. Their peak years were similar in value while Beltran had better longevity and Jones fell off a cliff at 30.

I'd probably give Beltran the smallest of advantages but it I can see both sides.

[Lathum]

https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-orioles-announce-all-new-birdland-value-menu-at-oriole-park-at-camden-yards

[PilotMan]

If they're anything like the Reds, then this will be only found in one corner of the stadium, and the line will be 40 deep until they run out of food in the 3rd inning.

[Lathum]

If they're anything like the Reds, then this will be only found in one corner of the stadium, and the line will be 40 deep until they run out of food in the 3rd inning.

Gotta do the Handlebar. It’s a great deal, at least it was last time I went a couple years ago.

[PilotMan]

I haven't yet, but my wife has decided that she only wants to do the Club seats with food, drink and most importantly, air conditioning and separate bathrooms, for games.

On one hand, I love it, on the other, it's a very different price point for games.

[Lathum]

Handlebar has a outside area and also a deck so you could go between. The price wansnt bad and included a buffet and drink tix.

[Lathum]

Are Dodgers two playoff teams in one? We split them in half - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43548838/2025-los-angeles-dodgers-superteam-two-playoff-teams-one)

[PilotMan]

That was an interesting read. I haven't played Action PC, but I know it similar. Plus, it's always fun to take that 1 in 5000 result out and see what the heck happened. I think the bottom line is there's no way they are two playoff teams in one, but replace some of those young players with actual, serviceable vets, and maybe they could get close. But that really wasn't the point of the article anyway. Still entertaining to ponder though.

[Mota]

They also have a good farm system, so it is quite possible that they could do it. Tampa Bay does a good job of pulling it off every season with a mix of young players and 2nd (or 3rd) chance players.

[Ksyrup]

Nice move by Detroit to re-sign Jack Flaherty, even if it's likely only a one year rental again. He did well for them last year, they traded him for their eventual starter at SS, caught fire, made the playoffs, and brought him back for another run at it.

Of course, by July, after the magic of last year has worn off and they're sitting in 4th in the AL Central, we'll be hearing about the trade offers for Skubal...

[Arles]

IMO, the two things I would do to improve the competitiveness in the MLB:

1. Only allow 25% of a contract to be deferred.
2. Every team must have a floor payroll of $100 million.

You do those two things and it is much harder for the Dodgers to sign everyone and it's much harder for the Pirates, Marlins, White Sox and Rays to just pocket revenue sharing while they put a crap product on the field.

[Ksyrup]

But Faye Vincent just died. He was the last commissioner who believed his job involved more than just doing what the owners wanted and maximizing profits.

[miami_fan]

MLB fires umpire Pat Hoberg for shared betting accounts - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43680990/mlb-upholds-firing-ump-pat-hoberg-gambling-violations)

I have no idea if this guy bet on baseball or not. However, if the evidence as described in this article is true, he sure as hell acted as someone who was betting on baseball and trying to hide it from his bosses. Also in the debate of who in sports should and should not be allowed to bet on sports, I feel comfortable saying that game officials should definitely be in the not allowed category.

[spleen1015]

It's a shame, too. Hoberg was a really good umpire. He called a 'perfect' game behind the plate in the 2022 WS.

[cuervo72]

But Faye Vincent just died. He was the last commissioner who believed his job involved more than just doing what the owners wanted and maximizing profits.

I had NO idea he was still alive. I'd have said he died 20, 30 years ago.

[Lathum]

Polar bear is back baby! Fick yeah! Dodgers top three is awesome but Mets top three rivals it.

[Lathum]

Bregman signs with Boston. The Sox have had a monster off season and if Anthony produces they will be nasty.

[Atocep]

Anthony Rendon out for 2025

[Ksyrup]

He's got to be the biggest FA bust of all-time - or surely, in the age of $100M+ contracts. He's barely played, and even when health isn't the issue, makes stupid comments about how baseball isn't his biggest priority. Sheesh.

[bhlloy]

The Angels can field half a lineup of them, but he's probably the most egregious. My old boss is a huge Angels fan and we had many discussions that offseason about how they were a top end starter away and joked that Arte would blow instead his wad on Rendon who would then get a career ending injury in Spring Training. We were pretty close on that prediction.

There are many people in that South OC/North San Diego corridor who are die hard Angels and Chargers fans (or at least were, I'm not sure how many said FU to the Chargers after the move). I'm a very nominal casual fan of both teams, I can't imagine living and dying with those two teams. At least the Angels have the one WS title but I think watching them waste prime Trout/Ohtani due to utter mismanagement from top to bottom might be worse.

[Lathum]

If I am the Red Sox I am looking to move Devers. I know he is a great offensive talent but no way I want a guy on my team who isn't willing to do what it takes to make the team better.

Devers is literally the worst defensive 3B is the sport and Bregman is coming off a gold glove. It's a joke.

[BishopMVP]

If I am the Red Sox I am looking to move Devers. I know he is a great offensive talent but no way I want a guy on my team who isn't willing to do what it takes to make the team better.

Devers is literally the worst defensive 3B is the sport and Bregman is coming off a gold glove. It's a joke.
Okay Nico Harrison, maybe it's best to let the situation play out a bit before trying to move a franchise icon who is in his prime and brings elite offensive production. (Especially considering the number of teams who would even take that contract is like 4) It seems to me like Cora bungled this whole thing, starting with spending a really weird amount of time this offseason talking about how good Alex Bregman could be at a position he's barely played in 2B if the plan is to move Raffy to DH more or less full time. I don't even think he's asked Devers to move off third to DH, he's hiding behind "when roster construction leads to it" or "in certain matchups", if it's up in the air how much Bregman will play at 2B or 3B of course Devers is going to want to play 3B as much as possible, he's a gamer. I even watched part of the interview, it really spiraled downhill when our relentlessly negative Boston reporters started asking him if he was moving to DH because he is fat and/or because he can't throw coming off the shoulder issues, that's where he started putting his foot in the ground and saying he's a third baseman not a DH.

Shoot I'm not even convinced we're a better defensive team with Bregman at 3B if both Raffy and Masa are in the lineup as they should be vs righties, Yoshida is terrible in LF and I love Kristian Campbell but he's not an elite or very experienced fielder at either 2B or LF yet. Campbell LF/Bregman 2B/Devers 3B/Masa DH seems fine to me in comparison to Masa LF/Campbell 2B/Bregman 3B/Devers DH

[Lathum]

Franchise icon? He’s not Ted Williams. Clearly his ego is more important than the team winning.

[Lathum]

dola- Trout got moved today to RF and he took it like a pro. All Devers had to say was he thinks he should be 3B but will do whatever is best and helps the team win. Instead he drew a line in the sand causing a distraction that will last all camp and in to the season.

[BishopMVP]

dola- Trout got moved today to RF and he took it like a pro. All Devers had to say was he thinks he should be 3B but will do whatever is best and helps the team win. Instead he drew a line in the sand causing a distraction that will last all camp and in to the season.
He didn't create this distraction, Cora and the Boston media did. If the plan is to have Bregman take over 3B from Devers it's pretty weird Cora has spent so much time talking about how good a 2B Bregman could be, but either way they should have been clear about that with Raffy and with the media once he signed. If the plan is to have Devers and Bregman split 3B depending on who is healthy and who is pitching and Devers says "I told them I want to play 3B every day and we'll see what happens" he's not even refusing to DH, he just making his preference clear.

This could spiral into a big issue if Devers demands to play 3B and Cora insists on putting Masa or Cedanne Rafaela in the OF over him at 3B, but we have no idea if that's the plan because Cora wants to play coy and vague and blame Chaim Bloom like he wasn't here when Devers signed the extension. And no Devers is not Ted Williams he's just a homegrown World Series champ in his prime who has gotten MVP votes each of the last 5 real seasons and has 9 years and $270 million left on that extension we agreed to last season, he's not promised 3B but he deserves an honest comversation about it if they're trying to move him off. I really like all of the Sox moves this offseason but for whatever reason Cora and FSG can't stop putting their foot in their mouth.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Worst 3B dWAR in the major last year of any regular with 70 or more games at the position. And twice as bad as any regular who saw 100 games at the position.

If they AREN'T trying to move him off, they're dumber than rocks.

[Lathum]

He literally says no when asked to DH and states repeatedly his position is 3B. I agree Cora hyped up the 2B part, but the reality is Devers should want to do what is best for the team and he is literally saying he won't change positions for the reigning gold glove 3B. Totally selfish and ego driven. He could make this all go away by just saying he will do what the manager thinks is best for the team. It really isn't that hard.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rafael Devers on being asked to DH:<br><br>&quot;No. I play 3rd... I gave them the answer that I just gave, no.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedSox?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RedSox</a> <a href="https://t.co/uEZiCtarhx">pic.twitter.com/uEZiCtarhx</a></p>&mdash; NESN (@NESN) <a href="https://twitter.com/NESN/status/1891563206637765081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[RainMaker]

This is a new one.

L.A. Dodgers Pitcher Dustin May Details Near-Death Salad Experience - Yahoo Sports (https://sports.yahoo.com/l-dodgers-pitcher-dustin-may-225107770.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFzPuxiq_RZ_TrxlkrxCTVZLlk-3E-50CgAPMrIen58jrQ4689djy60omKqQOLiQF198My3zIu991Z8J2ekAEBmp4vZghK_yG3AYIG-EQuLvivRqQsqrH8-5L78ovIza1V4Po9mONouHq790mTxTWoPpDDGlKKl4Q7Wicbt5-XgT)

[BishopMVP]

Worst 3B dWAR in the major last year of any regular with 70 or more games at the position. And twice as bad as any regular who saw 100 games at the position.

If they AREN'T trying to move him off, they're dumber than rocks.I looked at UZR/150 the other day for this, using 1000 innings as a qualifier and 2021-24 as the sample Devers grades out 36th of 45 3B, ahead of Austin Riley and well ahead of Justin Turner & Max Muncy who bring up the rear. Alex Bregman is 24th of 45, slightly above average but not exactly up with Ke'Bryan Hayes, Nolan Arenado & Matt Chapman even if the media did give him a shiny gold glove last year, he's smooth with great footwork and reactions but just doesn't have the cannon to be elite there. But he's not elite and Devers hasn't been atrocious there, he just shows up that way in counting stats because teams don't stick with bad 3rd basemen, "last" sounds so much worse than "14th" among MLB 3B.

End of the day it's obvious Bregman is a better defender at 3B than Devers and both should be in the lineup every day, it's not obvious to me that the best lineup construction will never include Raffy at 3B. Bregman is also a better 2B than Campbell right now, and Campbell is a better LF than Yoshida (let alone Duran if Ceddy takes CF). So naturally people want to question Devers dedication and work ethic because he wants to compete for the job in spring training and play as many games at 3B instead of taking the lazy way out and switching to full time DH? Devers is still 5th in 3B WAR and 24th among position players over the last 4 years, moving to DH during the contract always seemed likely and I hope he DH's more this year with Bregman here, but I'm also not interested in putting him in a full time DH bucket with 9/$270m left on his deal and Bregman possibly not being here more than 1.

[RainMaker]

Worst 3B dWAR in the major last year of any regular with 70 or more games at the position. And twice as bad as any regular who saw 100 games at the position.

If they AREN'T trying to move him off, they're dumber than rocks.

I feel like this isn't getting enough play in the media. Devers is an abysmal defender at a position that is more and more important. He should be a 1B/DH and emergency 3B.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I looked at UZR/150 the other day for this, using 1000 innings as a qualifier and 2021-24 as the sample Devers grades out 36th of 45 3B

But since his 24 y/o season (2021) his RF has steadily declined as has his fielding percentage.

There's more rationale for moving him off than simply being the worst defensive regular 3B in the majors last year, it's that he slowly but surely getting worse for several seasons in a row.

[Lathum]

So naturally people want to question Devers dedication and work ethic because he wants to compete for the job in spring training and play as many games at 3B instead of taking the lazy way out and switching to full time DH? .

This is some next level mental gymnastics.

If he actually said he wants to compete for the job no one would have an issue. But he actually said he is the 3B and said he refuses to switch positions.

those are two very different things.

[Ksyrup]

Nestor Cortes talking about how the Yankees were the better team in the WS and that specifically, they "should have won Game 1" - the game in which Cortes gave up a GW-grand slam! - is certainly something.

I've always said that, even putting aside physical attributes and skill level, I was never cut out to be a professional athlete. I just can't fathom thinking like most of these guys. I have the same reaction when I see the motivational stuff, too. Like, it's so childish to invent strawman arguments to pump yourself up. I guess I think too logically to have ever been able to relate to these types of people.

[Lathum]

You could argue every playoff team in the NL would have beaten the Yankees.

[Ksyrup]

On the subject of Anthony Rendon, I just saw a hilarious stat.

Since Rendon left the Nationals, they have used 19 third basemen.

Since Rendon signed with the Angels, they have used 28 third basemen!

[SirFozzie]

So what you're saying is that Anthony Rendon is irreplaceable right? (Rendon's agent)

[miami_fan]

Rays to play 2025 season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field (https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/14/interim-stadium-steinbrenner-field-yankees-tarpons-pinellas-st-petersburg/)

I don't think it can, but I would love any and all positives from this season to influence and ultimately lead to plans for the new stadium to change from St Pete to downtown Tampa.

Uhhh...

Tampa Bay Rays not moving forward with new stadium plans - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44236578/tampa-bay-rays-not-moving-forward-new-stadium-plans)

MLB and the Rays could evaluate attendance and fan interest during the team's season in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field -- which seats 11,000 -- as they consider alternate sites.

"The opportunity to play on the Tampa side could give insights into the Tampa Bay market as a whole that could be useful for the club moving forward," Manfred said during a Wednesday interview with The Associated Press.

[Atocep]

After being released by the White Sox, Joey Gallo has decided he will try to make the switch to pitching.

[miami_fan]

Living with a kid that was close to tears just hitting 80mph on the gun with his strong arm last summer, I tend to agree.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you’ve ever thrown a baseball in your life, you know that throwing 92MPH with one arm, then throwing 95MPH with the other arm, both for strikes is the most diabolical attribute a baseball player can ever have…<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/qFLluCxPwL">pic.twitter.com/qFLluCxPwL</a></p>&mdash; KingofJUCO (@KingofJUCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingofJUCO/status/1901040436380398064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Ksyrup]

Well, I got my wish, but not in the way I wanted - Kirk Gibson is out as a Tigers broadcaster because his Parkinson's is apparently getting worse. I wanted him out of the booth, but not because of his health.

[PilotMan]

After being released by the White Sox, Joey Gallo has decided he will try to make the switch to pitching.

He hits about as often as one, so why not?

[BishopMVP]

This is some next level mental gymnastics.

If he actually said he wants to compete for the job no one would have an issue. But he actually said he is the 3B and said he refuses to switch positions.

those are two very different things.
So the "funny" denouement here is that it looks like Devers will begrudgingly but acceptingly be full time DH'ing, with Bregman at 3B and Kristian Campbell at 2B. Which I love, but considering our manager - whose team didn't have an obvious 2B but did have a 3B - spent the offseason yelling from mountaintops about what a great 2B noted free agent Alex Bregman would make and Campbell was OPS'ing about .576 when he locked the job in leads to the same questions. Seems like Raffy just needed a talk with Big Papi and a week or so to wrap his head around it after being told by his manager in texts this offseason the Bregman/Arenado rumors were not part of the plan to replace him at 3B, but they've successfully managed to throw his reputation under the bus with a sizable portion of Sox and baseball fans because they didn't want to have that talk with him before spring training or get in front of it with the media themselves, sweet.

Also amusing to see Roman Anthony fantasy owners and Rookie of the Year ticketholders in disbelief he's not on the opening day roster... I'd like him up sooner rather than later too but if you took him at shorter odds than Kristian Campbell had you really didn't do your research, pretty sure he'll need an Abreu/Duran/Ceddanne Rafaela injury to make it up before June even if he's crushing the ball in AAA like he did this spring.

[miami_fan]

So the "funny" denouement here is that it looks like Devers will begrudgingly but acceptingly be full time DH'ing, with Bregman at 3B and Kristian Campbell at 2B. Which I love, but considering our manager - whose team didn't have an obvious 2B but did have a 3B - spent the offseason yelling from mountaintops about what a great 2B noted free agent Alex Bregman would make and Campbell was OPS'ing about .576 when he locked the job in leads to the same questions. Seems like Raffy just needed a talk with Big Papi and a week or so to wrap his head around it after being told by his manager in texts this offseason the Bregman/Arenado rumors were not part of the plan to replace him at 3B, but they've successfully managed to throw his reputation under the bus with a sizable portion of Sox and baseball fans because they didn't want to have that talk with him before spring training or get in front of it with the media themselves, sweet.


This reads like the origin story of a future Devers heel turn.

[miami_fan]

Am I the only one who thinks it was not a good idea for the Rays to announce yesterday that Friday's home opener is sold out? To me, that suggest that they sold the last of the 11,026 tickets was just sold yesterday and if that is the case, they can go ahead and back up the moving vans.

[JonInMiddleGA]

but they've successfully managed to throw his reputation under the bus with a sizable portion of Sox and baseball fans

No, he did that himself.

He's made around $50m of a $313m contract. (not counting the previous $40m+ he'd been paid)

There was literally nobody who wanted to hear him utter a fucking sound. At that price, if they tell the motherfucker to sell peanuts between innings and help the grounds crew so be it.

[BishopMVP]

No, he did that himself.

He's made around $50m of a $313m contract. (not counting the previous $40m+ he'd been paid)

There was literally nobody who wanted to hear him utter a fucking sound. At that price, if they tell the motherfucker to sell peanuts between innings and help the grounds crew so be it.As much as I disagree with how you express it I think our viewpoints are the same here, it's the manager's job to talk to the press about playing time not the players. Rafael Devers is paid a lot of money mostly because he hits the baseball well, Alex Cora is also being paid a whole lot of money and I'm not really sure what part of the job he is doing all that well. The team & the future look really bright but they continue to have these self inflicted PR disaster's that seem pretty avoidable.

[BishopMVP]

This reads like the origin story of a future Devers heel turn.
Ha, maybe. To me it looks more like Cora is following the Harvey Dent arc. :D

[miami_fan]

It's early but I don't think umpires are going to tolerate players looking at the dugout and tapping their helmet when they think the ump got a ball/strike call wrong.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Red Sox's Rafael Devers first with 10 K's in opening 3 games - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44462261/rafael-devers-first-open-year-10-strikeouts-3-games)

[Ksyrup]

MLB's apology for the MLB.TV fuck-up on opening day is to offer $10 off a $25 purchase I wasn't going to make on MLBshop.com. Not just an empty gesture, but one designed to make them more money. Nice!

[JPhillips]

Not enough data yet to know, but these torpedo bats the Yankees are using sure do look impressive after one weekend.

[bhlloy]

Just reading up on the bats and I’m going between wondering how on earth nobody has thought of this idea before and wondering if it’s not a flash in the pan how on earth MLB is going to deal with the record books being absolutely destroyed overnight.

Basically “make the sweet spot bigger and heavier so contact there is more likely and powerful”. Like if that’s legal nobody has already done it? Maybe I’m oversimplifying things, but I was expecting it to be a bit more space age than that.

[Danny]

Keep in mind, the biggest yankees hr guy so far Judge is not using the torpedo bat. Could just be a real hot start. We will see.

[RainMaker]

Red Sox's Rafael Devers first with 10 K's in opening 3 games - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44462261/rafael-devers-first-open-year-10-strikeouts-3-games)

Now 0 for 19 with 15 Ks.


Genuinely can't remember a string that bad ever for a player.

[JPhillips]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I wonder how many home runs I would’ve hit with a torpedo bat ��</p>&mdash; Bartolo Colon (@BColon40) <a href="https://twitter.com/BColon40/status/1906740327903264803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[JonInMiddleGA]

Profar gets 80 game suspension for flunking a PED test.

Braves acquired Stuart Fairchild from the Reds for cash this afternoon. I assume he'll take that roster spot until Verdugo looks ready down in the minors.

[PilotMan]

Now 0 for 19 with 15 Ks.


Genuinely can't remember a string that bad ever for a player.


How can you forget Chris Davis?


He ended 2018 on an 0-for-21 slump, and entered Thursday at 0-for-29 in 2019. The 0-for-50 for Davis is the longest hitless streak by a non-pitcher in major league history.

[Ghost Econ]

Braves thinking long term by not making their bullpen pitch in the 9th so far.

[PilotMan]

This has been a very special start for the Dodgers.

[Lathum]

Imagine being the Padres and starting 7-0 and being second in the division.

[Ghost Econ]

The braves finally pitched in the 9th and lost.

Coincidence?

[JPhillips]

Over the last three games the Reds have an ERA of 1.00.

They are 0-3 in those games.

[PilotMan]

Over the last three games the Reds have an ERA of 1.00.

They are 0-3 in those games.


The fans are dying of boredom, but the pitching is as good as advertised. They have some good talent there.

[Danny]

Looks like Devers is out of his slump

[Atocep]

Interesting take from someone I saw testing the torpedo bats, he said this may be more of a sign that players should have been moving to shorter bats with the increase in velocity and spin rates we've seen over the past 5+ years than anything else.

[Ksyrup]

I loved this lead-in from Craig Calcaterra in this morning's Cup of Coffee newsletter:

Pop quiz hot shot: your team has an inner-circle Hall of Famer whose athletic heroics, personal trailblazing, and heroic death has served as an inspiration to people the world over for over half a century. However, a shitty canned cocktail company has offered you what can only be negligible dollars to take down a sign honoring your hero and to replace it with an ad for a shitty iced tea and vodka canned cocktail that no doubt makes Zima taste like a glass of 1982 Mouton Rothschild. What do you do. WHAT DO YOU DO?

[JPhillips]

The Reds are the same house of pain they normally are, but Hunter Greene is a legit Cy Young candidate at this point. He's one of the best pitchers the Reds have ever had.

[RainMaker]

At least De La Cruz is fun to watch and you get to play in a shitty division with a bunch of teams who's owners won't spend either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I loved this lead-in from Craig Calcaterra in this morning's Cup of Coffee newsletter:

Except that the "21" in question has only been there since 2022, and was never meant to be permanent. It was corporate logos, such as FedEx, prior to that. Clemente was a helluva ballplayer and by all accounts a good guy but it's a ballpark not a shrine.

Honestly, the family came off like a pretty entitled bunch afaic.

[Ksyrup]

Least surprising take ever.

[miami_fan]

Except that the "21" in question has only been there since 2022, and was never meant to be permanent. It was corporate logos, such as FedEx, prior to that. Clemente was a helluva ballplayer and by all accounts a good guy but it's a ballpark not a shrine.

Honestly, the family came off like a pretty entitled bunch afaic.

Honestly, when I first heard about it, I immediately thought that there was a less than zero chance that the Pirates might have begun editing their history.

EDIT: Only like .5% but still it was not zero.

[Lathum]

Octavio Dotel killed in a roof collapse at a night club in the DR.

[JPhillips]

And Tony Blanco.

[Atocep]

1st and 3rd, 1 out, down 1 in the 6th. You intentionally walk Soto to load the bases for Pete Alonso.

WHY DO YOU THEN PLAY THE INFIELD IN? You loaded the bases to set up a double play and then play for a force at home?

[JonInMiddleGA]

1st and 3rd, 1 out, down 1 in the 6th. You intentionally walk Soto to load the bases for Pete Alonso.

WHY DO YOU THEN PLAY THE INFIELD IN? You loaded the bases to set up a double play and then play for a force at home?

Wouldn't that be looking for something like a 5-2-3 or 6-2-3 double play, with the less than fleet-footed Alonso as the batter/runner? Worst case you get the force at home.

I mean, it's not textbook exactly but maybe it isn't THAT egregious either.

[Atocep]

Wouldn't that be looking for something like a 5-2-3 or 6-2-3 double play, with the less than fleet-footed Alonso as the batter/runner? Worst case you get the force at home.

I mean, it's not textbook exactly but maybe it isn't THAT egregious either.

He ended up doubling in the gap and clearing the bases. One problem with this is that Pete has a career 62% flyball rate. It's somewhat defensible, but it's not the textbook play nor is it playing the percentages.

If it were anyone other than Pete at the plate I could actually get behind it. But he seems like the worst hitter in the lineup to try that strategy against.

[Lathum]

1st and 3rd, 1 out, down 1 in the 6th. You intentionally walk Soto to load the bases for Pete Alonso.

WHY DO YOU THEN PLAY THE INFIELD IN? You loaded the bases to set up a double play and then play for a force at home?

Garys reaction was amazing.


Mets are going to regret not signing Pete to a 5 year deal.

[Ksyrup]

I saw a picture of Dotel in a Tigers uniform and didn't remember him playing for Detroit. That was his last team, though, so it makes sense that would be one of the pictures they would show. I remember him mainly as an Astro. And then I saw that he played for 13 teams in his career, so I suppose he could have been shown in nearly any uniform.

[Ksyrup]

Over the last three games the Reds have an ERA of 1.00.

They are 0-3 in those games.

4th time is a charm!

[miami_fan]

Amid fan concern, Pirates say new 'Bucco Bricks' display on way - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44602149/amid-fan-concern-pirates-say-new-bucco-bricks-display-way)

Free advice for the Pirates.

It looks like the Pirates are heading out of town for the weekend. It seems like a good time to go through the stadium and check out all the monuments and displays that you have around the stadium to franchise greats and to the fans and make sure they are in tip top shape. If not, let's get that information out on your terms instead having to react to the news breaking some other way.

OR

You don't have to worry about any of this if you start making the playoffs more than once a decade.

[Swaggs]

Not that the Pirates' ownership deserves any benefit of the doubt, but the blood is in the water and fans came into this season really pissed. I think fans are looking for any way, whatsoever, to inflict pain upon Bob Nutting. I'm expecting this is going to be a season long effort, but that man does not care about anything except making money and it won't matter.

[Ksyrup]

Guerrero's $500M contract is $325M in signing bonus. This appears to be another variation on tax avoidance, as bonuses are taxed in your home state (FL) and not where you play (CA). It's not all an up-front payment, of course, so it's doled out kinda like salary. Except presumably, he'd get paid whether or not games are played (strike, pandemic, etc.) since it's not tied to performance, just dates to be paid. Seems fishy, at best.

[Ghost Econ]

Most of the time I feel like the internet shouldn't exist, but then once in a while you come across something like this and remember it could be useful.

Finding Andrew McCutcheon's Home Run from The Pitt (https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1jweh4v/finding_andrew_mccutchens_home_run_from_the_pitt/)

[Ksyrup]

I suppose this should be renamed to Hot Stove and Season thread.

In any event, if your notalgia meter is running a bit low, have a look at this glorious website:

The Baseball Cube (https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/newspaper/?ref=cupofcoffeenews.com)

[Sweed]

I suppose this should be renamed to Hot Stove and Season thread.

In any event, if your notalgia meter is running a bit low, have a look at this glorious website:

The Baseball Cube (https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/newspaper/?ref=cupofcoffeenews.com)

What a great site. Brings back memories of checking the sports page first in the morning paper. Everything in one place, as it should be. Bookmarked and ready for daily use. Thanks. :)

[Ksyrup]

After yesterday's 24-2 shellacking of the Orioles in which Wynns, the Reds' catcher, had 6 hits, exactly 50% of all catchers in MLB history to record 6 hits are Reds.

[Atocep]

Acuna took at shot at Snitker on social media for not benching Kelenic for failing to run on a ball he thought was out and getting thrown out at 2nd.

[Ksyrup]

I'd love to hear Snitker explain the difference. Other than Kelenic got himself thrown out instead of staying at 1B (which makes it worse, IMO).

[Drake]

What a great site. Brings back memories of checking the sports page first in the morning paper. Everything in one place, as it should be. Bookmarked and ready for daily use. Thanks. :)

Ditto. This was an instant bookmark. Thanks for passing it along!

[JPhillips]

After yesterday's 24-2 shellacking of the Orioles in which Wynns, the Reds' catcher, had 6 hits, exactly 50% of all catchers in MLB history to record 6 hits are Reds.

First guy batting ninth to get 6 hits.

[Lathum]

This may be the most fun I’ve had watching the Mets other than last seasons run. You just feel like they are never out of it.

[Atocep]

Jared Kelenic was optioned today. He has to go down as an all time AAAA guy.

[Atocep]

My son's new baseball coach is former minor league player and MLB broadcaster Victor Rojas.

[Lathum]

Jared Kelenic was optioned today. He has to go down as an all time AAAA guy.

I remember people losing their minds about that trade.

[GrantDawg]

Reds outfielder Tyler Callihan likely shattered his arm on the wall trying to make a catch tonight in Atlanta. It looks gruesome.

Sent from my SM-S938U using Tapatalk

[Lathum]

That was pretty rough to see. Only the kids 4th game

[JPhillips]

6 ABs and he may never play again. Life can be cruel.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Devers proving why long-term contracts are a bad idea.

[Danny]

Devers is the anti Mookie Betts

[JonInMiddleGA]

Devers is the anti Mookie Betts

He's well on his way to being qualified for a new career as an NFL wide receiver.

[miami_fan]

They went and asked the guy who three months ago the team said was the reason the infield defense sucked to go play a infield position he has never played before in the bigs?

A quick look at his career fielding stats suggest that a conversation about becoming a first baseman should have been had BEFORE Devers signed the long term contract. It may have been a good idea to suggest time at first alongside time as the DH while transitioning from Devers to Bregman at third.

I get it. We would love for Devers to say put me anywhere Coach including the outfield if it will help the team. And yes, Devers is acting like a spoiled brat reacting to the team forcing him into a permanent DH role like he has. But after the issues three months ago, the team has to know that trying to make this permanent move "un-permanent" three months later after that conversation is just making a rod for their own back.

[Atocep]

It's going to be difficult to lose more games than the White Sox did last year, but the Rockies are somehow worse by a decent amount. They're about to be -134ish runs after 39 games. The White Sox were -85 at the same point last year.

On that note, the White Sox, since 2017, have 4 of the 10 worse BB/K rates for hitters in MLB history.

[miami_fan]

Pete Rose, 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45115659/pete-rose-shoeless-joe-jackson-players-reinstated-mlb)

In a historic, sweeping decision, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday removed Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and other deceased players from Major League Baseball's permanently ineligible list.

[RainMaker]

I can't believe how good Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned out. The thought was he's an elite defensive centerfielder and would be great if he could be a league average bat. Instead he's been a great hitter and probably one of the top 10 players in the league at this point.

Did have an error in the game today when the ball got lost in the sun but then hit a 3 run homer.

[Ghost Econ]

Mike Trout is still a hall of famer and is getting the money he's deserved, but legacy wise he should have pulled a Koufax and retired young.

[Ksyrup]

He's making Griffey Jr's "derailed by injury" decline or "what could have been" story look tame by comparison.

[Sweed]

He's making Griffey Jr's "derailed by injury" decline or "what could have been" story look tame by comparison.

Just saw Schwarber hit his 300th HR. Made me curious about Kris Bryant. He is currently at 184 career, 160 with the Cubs, 24 since being traded away. He wasn't Trout or Griffey Jr, but still a "what could have been". :(

[Ksyrup]

Wild story.

Also, can we add to the title of this thread as "season" and not just "hot stove?"

Exclusive: How ex-MLB player Eric Anthony learned his dad was Dodgers legend Willie Davis (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/06/01/eric-anthony-willie-davis-mlb/83973074007/?ref=cupofcoffeenews.com)

[Atocep]

I mainly remember Eric Anthony for being the hot name in prospects around 1990 and him hitting the shit out of the ball for a week or 2 when he was first called up.

[Swaggs]

I mainly remember Eric Anthony for being the hot name in prospects around 1990 and him hitting the shit out of the ball for a week or 2 when he was first called up.

That was at the peak of my baseball card collecting. I remember nabbing a whole bunch of his Topps future star cards and thinking they’d one day pay for my college (along with my pages full of 1984 Don Mattingly rookie and 1985 Mark McGuire Olympic cards). Kevin Maas and Matt Nokes deserve honorable mentions here, too.

[Ksyrup]

I think I still have unopened Topps packs with Ben McDonald rookie cards on the top or bottom.

[PilotMan]

I remember by best friend collecting all the Eric Anthony cards in 89 while I grabbed all the Griffey cards. He's laughing about it now, but he was dead serious back in the day.

[PilotMan]

Are the Marlins trying to ruin baseball?

[RainMaker]

What is even the point of having a team there if they can't outdraw AAA teams?

[JPhillips]

For the 39th straight time the Reds have lost a series after losing the first game of the series.

[JonInMiddleGA]

What is even the point of having a team there if they can't outdraw AAA teams?

Ticket sales are only about 30% of revenue in MLB. It's a good baseball town ironically enough, but they've never really forgiven the tanking after the WS win two decades (ish) ago.

Stadium is in a bad neighborhood, it's open-air in a hot & often rainy area, and there's simply a lot of better things to do than go watch a game in those conditions. Hell, Will now works within literally walking distance of the stadium, hasn't been but once in 4 years. And if I wanted to go watch baseball in Miami, it'd be the U probably 99/100.

But as long as they're a top 20-25 TV market, there'll be a desire to keep a team there.

[Ksyrup]

Anyone else looking forward to the upcoming BAL-SAC series? It's the new P00P!

[flere-imsaho]

Stadium is in a bad neighborhood, it's open-air in a hot & often rainy area, and there's simply a lot of better things to do than go watch a game in those conditions. Hell, Will now works within literally walking distance of the stadium, hasn't been but once in 4 years. And if I wanted to go watch baseball in Miami, it'd be the U probably 99/100.

Wow, they only beat out Oakland. Even the White Sox, whose stadium is in a bad neighborhood, open-air in alternatively hot & oppressive weather or freezing weather, beat Miami: 2024 MLB Attendance - Major League Baseball - ESPN (https://www.espn.com/mlb/attendance/_/year/2024)

[RainMaker]

Ticket sales are only about 30% of revenue in MLB. It's a good baseball town ironically enough, but they've never really forgiven the tanking after the WS win two decades (ish) ago.

Stadium is in a bad neighborhood, it's open-air in a hot & often rainy area, and there's simply a lot of better things to do than go watch a game in those conditions. Hell, Will now works within literally walking distance of the stadium, hasn't been but once in 4 years. And if I wanted to go watch baseball in Miami, it'd be the U probably 99/100.

But as long as they're a top 20-25 TV market, there'll be a desire to keep a team there.

Yeah, the financials made it impossible to change. I just think it's a shitty look for baseball.

Then again, I'm a proponent for contraction in a lot of leagues. Teams like this just water things down and offer absolutely nothing to the league. Rarely competitive and no one wants to see them play in person or on TV.

[Lathum]

Braves were up 10-4 going to the bottom of the ninth against Arizona and lost 11-10.

Brutal.

[RainMaker]

Don't they have Kimbrel in AAA? Not sure how washed he is but can't get worse.

[Ghost Econ]

They seem interested in trying to win games, so my guess is they're hoping he does good in AAA and they can get something for him before having to see if he can still survive in the big leagues.

[JonInMiddleGA]

They seem interested in trying to win games, so my guess is they're hoping he does good in AAA and they can get something for him before having to see if he can still survive in the big leagues.

Reportedly called up after today's debacle, with Blewett DFA'ed

[JonInMiddleGA]

Last time the Braves blew a 6 run lead in the 9th inning was July 17, 1973.

Willie Mays pinch-hit 2-run single off Tom House was the margin in an 8-7 win.
It was the next to last multi-RBI game of Mays career.