The Official 2013 MLB Thread
 

Spring training games started today. Offseason is over! (except for Kyle Lohse)

spring training thread :P

Go Jays

Mark Prior signs a minor league contract with the Reds.

Rumors are false that Dusty Baker then grabbed a gun and said, "Why don't I just do this right now and we'll get it done quick this time..."

He did strike out 38 in 25 innings at AAA last year. On the down side, he also walked 23. I was hoping the Sox would get him in some games anyway strictly out of pity, but it didn't happen.

Let the spring of eternal optimism begin. Will this be the year the Royals finally have a +.500 record? Pretty please?

So what's the consensus on the Angels giving Trout a $27k raise after his 2012 season?

I noticed when looking that the last several ROY winners have all gotten more like $60-90k (and the Rays gave Hellickson an $80k boost after he won ROY).

My initial assessment is "Yeah, the Angels are within their rights, but I have to think shifting the guy to right field and then giving him a paltry raise after the year he had are going to smell like 'moves designed to suppress his value in arbitration' to Trout and his representation," and that the Angels might be costing themselves money in the long run by shorting Trout now.

Well I have to say he's earned it.

But also, to me the idea that when he does come into his big-time salary negotiations at whatever point later on, I guess arbitration, it seems silly that it would swing based around whether they bumped him 30K or 75K in 2013. To me this is spring training talk because there's nothing much else to talk about.

I think they just spent a ton on Hamilton and Pujols and they don't want to pay out right now -- especially off of one season. In addition, I think they're going to wait and see if he tests positive for anything this year, especially HGH now that they will test for it.

The conventional thinking I have seen is that neither side cares right now about an extension, and that the money Trout gets won't affect his arbitration pay out, should the Angels let him get to arbitration before signing him to an extension.

The Angels don't want to sign him to an extension yet off of one season. And Trout/his reps don't want to tie his value to this one season when he could quite possibly get even better (amazingly enough).

The arb figures two years from now are going to be based more on market comparables based around his performance through that time, not what he gets now from the Angels. Future arb years do use that first arb year as a base to build on, but his current CBA established salary guidelines won't be a consideration.

i think its his agent being a blowhard. this means nothing.

The thing is, the last ten ROY winners have averaged something like a 26% pay raise from one season to the next. Ryan Braun got a 16% raise, and until Trout (5.5%), he was the lowest.

So from where I sit, it doesn't MATTER that they aren't ready to extend him yet. That's cool. But Jesus H. Christ, this guy nearly did the double on hardware as a rookie, and you're rewarding him with a $27,500 raise, while even the Rays gave Jeremy Hellickson a $77k'ish raise.

That is skinflinty as fuck, especially after the money you dropped on Hamilton and Pujols. And if the agent doesn't come back in 5 years and say "Hometown discount? I'm afraid you got that in 2013," then he's not doing his job representing Trout.

Of course neither side cares right now about an extension; Trout wants to maximize his earnings, and the Angels don't want to pay him those dollars until he proves that his 2012 season wasn't a random one-off.

But cheaping out to the tune of $50k now is going to either cost the Angels the player when his agent takes him to free agency and says 'bid for his services there,' or it's going to cost them much more in the long run than the goodwill they might otherwise have earned could have saved them once both sides ARE ready for an extension.


Right. What he gets paid this year won't affect him in arb. The shift to right field will, though, because he'll be getting compared to corner OFs instead of centerfielders, where his offensive output stands out much more.

That's why I say it's the two moves in conjunction that look like an attempt at suppressing his value come arbitration.

If his agent is being a blowhard now, what makes you think that's going to change in 3-5 years when he has more leverage and now has an axe to grind?

I'm not saying it doesn't look weird, but it seems to me you're jumping to a massive conspiracy theory here without considering more logical conclusions.

I don't know what math the Angels organization uses to figure what they pay second year players, but I'm guessing they did the same thing with Trout they do with all of the others. I can't see an organization that spends $160 M on payroll two years in a row getting chintzy to save $20-30 K. Does that make sense to you?

Do I think someone in the front office could have put more thought into that? No doubt. But I figure they did it on a "treat everyone the same" kind of approach.

And the right field thing, it could be to get his value down. Or it could be because Peter Bourjos is a better centerfielder.

Since you bring him up, here's Bourjos' salary history:

Peter Bourjos Salary Info and Value - Los Angeles Angels Salaries -- Baseball Player Salaries

Trout is going from $487,500 to $510,000.

*Bourjos* got a bigger raise from his rookie year to his sophomore season and he didn't even win the ROY, never mind finish 2nd in MVP balloting.

The move to RF on its own isn't necessarily a big deal. It's that combined with the WTF on the salary that has me wondering. If they were cheaping out but he were staying in center or vice versa, I wouldn't blink twice at it. It's the combination of the two that has conspiracy gears turning in my head.

i think some accountant made a stupid decision. nothing to see please drive through.

A week in and the Royals are undefeated. Break out the champagne, baby! We're going to have a winning record in Cactus League play!

I live 10 minutes from the complex they share with Texas so I make a few games every spring. If nothing else it is definitely the best place to catch a spring training game in AZ IMO. The park is very nice and they have a great selection of vendors.

Teixera out 8-10 weeks with a strained tendon in his wrist. This means he'll have three less hits in April than he usually does.

I'm sure finding someone to go like 15-87 with 45 K's won't be too hard.

As it turns out, that someone is out until the All Star break.

Good God. KC is getting giddy about this spring training start for the Royals. 11-0?!?!?!

Excited to see the pitchers we picked up all performing to expectations thus far. Alex Gordon looking like what we hoped for when we selected him in the draft.

Perhaps you could start a thread about how your team looking good in preseason.

Too Raider-esque. Can't stoop to that level.

Rafael Furcal.

I remember back in his rookie year, the guys I was in a fantasy league with were at BW3's the night before our draft and the Braves were on tv. Furcal stole 18 bases in that game and everyone was determined to get him in the draft the next day. I think he ended up auctioning for $50-60 and he wasn't worth it.

Mariano Rivera will announce on Saturday that this season will be his last. I suspect last season would have been it had he not gotten hurt. Hopefully he stays healthy all year so he can go out on his own terms. Guy has a career .70 postseason ERA, he was certainly the greatest ever at his role.

Anyone voting against him on the first ballot needs punched.

Agreed.

No Yankee fan here by any means, but he deserves to go out on his own terms afaic. An absolute beast of all beasts.

There will be some who refuse to vote for a closer for the HOF.

I saw this last year and enjoyed it. A breakdown of his cutter.

How Mariano Rivera Dominates Hitters - Video - The New York Times

This is crazy. Netherlands beat Cuba and Japan and Chinese Taipei are in extra innings in the World Baseball Classic. Japan leads (they're the "visiting" team despite playing in the Tokyo Dome), but Taipei, who was one strike away in the 9th, have two on and one out.

(If Japan loses, then Japan-Cuba tommorrow will knock one team out of the tournament)

Finally getting to watch of the WBC today. Italy were not even a thought to make it out of the first round, but a win yesterday and if they can hang on here today, will put them in fantastic shape going forward.

Yes, an incredible performance by four Italians and a bunch of major leaguers with Italian sounding surnames :)

So, um... glad the Mets sold high on Dickey...

I'm comfortable in going out on a limb and predicting my Cubs don't win it all this year

Netherlands are on a roll, another win over Cuba after the most recent World Cup final. One more win over Japan or the Cuba-Ch.Taipei winner away from the final four.

17th century colonial expansion is really paying dividends for the Netherlands now!

I always knew they were playing a long game ;).

I was watching Canada-Mexico in the WBC, and a hockey game broke out.

Now that was a pretty decent brawl.

This could hurt Canada, since anyone thrown out can't come back for the rest of the tournament.

Seriously.

So weird but happy moment to see the Spanish national team playing the World Baseball Classic.

The sport is slowly growing here thanks to the south american immigration in the last 10 years.

The sad part is that only a player form the whole team is born is Spain, the rest are mainly Latin Americans that have been nationalized because having Spanish ancestors, that i find some way of cheating.

The Spanish coaches went on a tour to the USA minor leagues trying to find all the players that have Spanish ancestors and offered them to become Spanish and to join the national team, and some did and are now the national team base, like Engel Beltre (Rangers).

Hope at least it will help to make the sport more popular here now that it is on the news etc.

Heh, the Nertherlands getting destroyed by Japan at the moment. Another clash with Cuba is upcoming.

I really like the storylines coming out of the WBC. Quite a game that just finished up. Venezuela gets knocked out, and the US loaded with stars plays very lackluster baseball, but hangs on to stay in there. Korea, who was heavily favored doesn't get out of the first round, and now the Netherlands knock off Cuba to move on.

Yeah, so it's not perfect, but it's the best that we can do right now, and it will grow in stature by the nature of the games being played right now. It's certainly provided drama, and something to talk about moving forward.

I watched from the 7th inning-on in the Canada/USA game last night, and have to say it was pretty exciting. The commentators even noted that both benches and all the fans were standing during (I think) the 8th inning when the US ended up taking the lead. It had a great atmosphere.

Holy crap, I can't believe Cuba got knocked out.. by the Netherlands twice as well. And the US having to come from behind to make it to the next round. Wow!! Very exciting!

The World Champions advance!

I didn't see anyone post this, but GREAT NEWS:

Gold Glove Awards Take Another Step Forward | FanGraphs Baseball