Pitcher's and catchers for the Cubs showed-up yesterday. Dodgers and Rays Ps/Cs show up tomorrow. Everyone else shows-up on the 12th, and every team should have their first full squad workouts by the 18th.
I dont really have any hot story lines other than I think the world outside of LA is turning against the Dodgers who are now the 2020's version of the 90's/2000's Yankees - spending an absurd amount of money that very few other teams can afford to do and there's nothing that can be done to stop them. I just want any team not named the Dodgers to bring home the WS trophy... literally anyone else.
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I think the Dodgers are even worse than even the Yankees were. At least the turn of the century Yankees won with a largely home-grown roster that was smartly assembled with clutch players. The Dodgers just buy MVPs and jam them into their lineup.
It's obvious that baseball is going to have to adopt some kind of hard salary cap to retain any sort of competitive balance.
hard salary cap, banning deferred contracts, (edit) AND/or a scaling luxury tax that continues to go up exponentially in percentages the more teams spend on an annual basis.
Need to drop that or....Dodgers would duck the tax by extended referrals. Going to be Bobby Bonilla type deals.
I take comfort in knowing that in the coming decades the Dodgers will be so broke because of the deferrals that they'll be paying league minimum for most of their 40-man roster.
In theory, that won't happen as they are making money by not spending it now in order to better afford the payment in the future.
If you have $10M in the bank, and you agree to pay your employee $10M over 5 years, but defer that payment to $200K per year for 5 years, then $1M per year for the 9 years after, you essentially have $9M that you can invest to make money for yourself over the next 5 years, $8M over 6 years, $7M over 7 years, etc. That's why the Ohtani deal is so favorable to the Dodgers. They could pay it now, but by not paying it now, they will get richer off of it.
But, I guess, a major economic recession or changes in MLB rules could change that. There is definitely more uncertainty and risk by writing deals this way. But it's way more likely LA will get richer off a deal like this.
you don't really duck the tax. The total value of the deal is determined at current day value, and divided over the length of the contract. And by length, it's the years the player plays. And by current day value, it takes into account average annual inflation each year.
If you mean state tax exempted, yes. This is how LA gets players to sign these large contracts when California has super high state tax. The players can move out of the state after their playing days, pay less in state taxes when they receive the income.
But, the deferred deals are a problem because as cash value grows exponentially, the LA and NY teams will exponentially grow from a larger starting pot. They can offer more than other teams now, and they can really offer more than other teams 10 years from now.
I don't even mind the deferred contracts, so long as their value is reflected in the cap. If you want to push money out, that money will be there to affect the future cap, so at some point you will be paying for the decisions made in previous years.
As a Braves fan I'm excited to get Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna back. My worry is that Acuna is the next Mike Trout - a generational player that just can't stay healthy
Pitchers and catchers report Wed. =^)
Alex Bregman to the Red Sox for $40 million/year for 3 years. As an Astros fan it sucks to see a leader who was there for the entirety of one of the better runs in MLB history, but I think everyone in Houston knew he was leaving. His bat had dropped off a bit the last couple of years, although he should do well in Fenway.
Bregman to the Red Sox
Meanwhile, the Twins make a huge offseason splash and sign... absolutely no one
Better than the Pirates who decided they are going to stick with their closer who lead the league in blown saves and had the highest era of any relief pitcher. And when he did get a save, the game usually ended with 2 or 3 runners on base.
And the Nats have joined the sisters of the poor. They used to spend, was a top 5 spender when they were at their prime. Now in a bottom 5 for active roster.
They have a huge hole at 3rd base and didn't get anyone. And if anyone is injured in the infield, they will be really thin.
Still an exciting year for the Nats with 3 young outfielders. Hoping for a Dylan Crews run at ROY, but he will compete with Sasaki.
Lerners took huge hits to their personal wealth in the Covid downturn in terms of malls and office buildings. The patriarch got his World Series and the rest of the family isn't as dedicated to winning over profit. Nats are also bottom third in television revenue. Over $250M shortfall annually compared to the top 5 teams for TV revenue. They wanted to sell but the MASN deal is a huge handcuff on them reaching a deal because the new owner wouldn't own his TV rights. There was hope that the new owner of the Orioles would be willing to make a deal regarding the TV rights, especially since he is buddy buddy with Ted Leonsis, who is thought to be the top suitor for the Nats but nothing has moved on that front.
Yea. It's definitely a bit of a scenario of financial downturn, the kids don't want to be owners, and Angelos/Selig ensured the franchise became the most unsellable team. It's sucks for the fanbase.
The Nats did sign Paul Dejong today to play 3B. I think he will be another failed cheap signing, but I guess it's better than not trying anything.
The ghost of Peter Angelos has handcuffed mid-Atlantic baseball for decades.
IT'S OPENING DAY, FAM!
Those who are into prop betting, may I suggest betting on Tyler O'Neill to hit a homerun today? He's hit homeruns in the past five opening days, and is at +350 to hit one today. Solid bet.
I'll be honest, this is the least excited I've been about opening day and baseball (in general) in a couple decades. I'll probably have some game on in the background if I can find a TV broadcast, but I skipped my annual MLB.tv renewal as I have zero hope for Minnesota doing anything this year... the ownership sucks and wont invest, they continue to be plagued by injuries to key players (Royce Lewis starting the year on the DL, again), and I'm just generally down on sports (thanks, NCAA and NIL).
I think coming up short at the end of the year the way the Twins did is significantly worse than just having a bad year. Although I also get just being down on sports in general. It's always been a money grab, but it's at absolutely gross levels now, even beyond the NCAA. I think the insane amount of sports betting ads is one of the many things that have really soured me of late. The big fuck-off motorola patches on the sleeves of the Cubs uniforms does make me feel good either.
I hope you placed that bet.
I did. =^D
Wondering how long MLB lets this torpedo bat last. Either we get an immediate rules clarification to force the Yankees to stop using it or everyone ha bats by the end of next week. Also many of the batting stats (barrel % specifically) will need an asterisk for anyone using these bats.
You can work your way against the Yankees mega hitting stars, illegal bats, and 285 million dollar payroll with a few scrappy triple A types that will eventually give you Judges same production.
You CAN, but those bats are doing two things:
- Barrel % is (likely) WAY up. I dont have any statistics, and its a very small sample size, but when the barrel is just bigger there's going to be an increase in barrel %, and thus, harder hit baseballs, and,
- When more swings are connecting well it means mistake pitches s are going to be punished at a higher rate as well.
What does that mean? Pitchers, not the other 8 guys, are going to have to be PERFECT to keep run totals low this morning. Strong defense will mean a lot less this year because they aren't going to have as many chances to field the ball as they are watching it fly into the stands. Buster Olney reported that Atlanta has already ordered their first shipment of bats, and I would expect the remainder of MLB teams to have their first bats in hand by the end of this week.
If you like offense, this is going to be an enjoyable season to watch across the board. The fallout after the season will be interesting to watch - do we get rules adjusted to get more stringent on the bat requirements? Do teams move the fences back to account for the new power? Does MLB just say "screw it" and 15-12 scores become the norm?
all this salt about "illegal bats" but they aren't illegal, they're just the first to do it. unless we find out they're corked or something i dont see why people are complaining instead of just kicking themselves for not thinking of it first
Freddi Gonzales said the orioles were experimenting with this 2 years ago. FWIW
and the guy who first designed these for the yanks works for the marlins now -- it's not illegal and its the fans who are upset and not anyone within baseball. the meme above with judge and a huge bat is an example -- he's not even using a redesigned bat
I dont think they're illegal, but I do think that those are using it are gaining a competitive advantage when compared to bats with a traditional barrel. What concerns me is the HR rate ... if double-digit percentages of all at-bats end up going yard its going to get old fast.
SMH... the Twins are absolute trash. Based on the early sample size I think they can make the historic year the White Sox had in 2024 very short-lived.
Ronald Acuna Jr is back, baybee!
The Rockies need to be broken up after this three game series sweep. MLB simply cannot afford to have one team winning this much.
Best crowd at Nats park in a while
Prob since Savannah Bananas played there.
They giving away free beer or something?
Savannah Bananas are playing at Nats Park tonight. And they sellout everywhere.
Nats are on west coast.
I missed this very minor bit of MLB news but it's worth sharing. Tanner Schobel was promoted to St. Paul, the Twins AAA squad, back on June 26th. It's a nice bright spot on an otherwise underwhelming season so far in Minnesota.
A bigger piece of Hokies news in MLB.
Nic Enright after battling Hodgkins Lymphoma made his MLB Debut for the Cleveland Guardians on May 25th. Topps made it a Topps Now card.
Enright pitched for the Hokies from 2016-2019. He was drafted by Cleveland in the 20th round in 2019 and then was diagnosed in 2022 and made a comeback this year. He pitched 13 innings as a reliever with a 2.08 ERA before being sent back to AAA. It seems like they plan to alternate him between MLB and AAA the rest of the season depending on workload. I believe he is on a medical pitch count that plays a role.
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day everyone!
That is quite possibly the lamest way to end a baseball game. I know it's an exhibition game, but this is pretty sad
especially when this outcome determines the home team for the World Series. One more lame rule like the one we saw last night and MLB will just be the pro circuit for Banana Ball.Edit: I apparently haven't paid any attention to rule changes that impact the WS. This is what happens when you are a Twins fan and playoff baseball doesn't exist beyond the divisional.
It doesn't determine home field advantage anymore (and hasn't since 2017), now it's just whichever championship series winner that has the better record.
FWIW, I thought it was cool way to handle a tiebreaker in an all star game. No one wants it to end in a tie but you also don't want to play the extra innings and risk injury during an exhibition. It was kind of like a penalty shootout, but with homeruns and the players were having fun.
This. According to the statistics I've seen reported, 14 percent (13 of 92) of All Star Games have gone to extra innings, two of which have gone to 15 innings (1967 and 2008). That 2008 game was 4 hours 50 minutes long. Since it's an exhibition game, I think it's a good idea that they don't let it go to extra innings anymore, mainly because a manager can plan to use all of his players in nine innings versus saving them for a potential extra innings and then not being able to let them play.
Yeah I have very distinct memories of an Orioles pitcher being saved for extra innings and being disappointed when they didn't get into the game.
Edit: that 14% doesn't surprise me, I actually am a bit surprised it's not higher. I haven't done the research but going off of memory I think most All Star games are low scoring (because good pitching beats good hitting) and the pitchers can cut loose a little more only getting an inning at most and low scoring games tend to be the ones that go to extras.
It wasn't extra innings, it was regular time, and arguably the best pitcher in the game - Mike Mussina spitefully held out of the game in front of his HOME fans by legendary prick Cito Gaston. Prick. The worst. Mussina wasn't some mid reliever, he was a top 1-2 pitcher in the league. Why didn't he pitch in his home park all star game? Cito Gaston is a cunt, that's why- the only reason.
'
I remember hearing about the Mussina one, but I was very young at the time, I was thinking of a reliever in the 2010s like Darren O'Day or Britton. Can't remember which one though, just remember being disappointed.
Didn't the Orioles manager (Showalter maybe?) hold their closer for extra innings in deciding game in the playoffs?
This thought occurred to me after I posted it that, if it was Britton that I was thinking of, it wouldn't be the last time I was disappointed he was left in the bullpen. That one was already in extras and Showalter went with Ubaldo Jimenez instead of Britton and Encarnacion hit a ball that probably still hasn't landed.
I love Buck, he is probably the best orioles manager of my lifetime (apologies to Davey Johnson), but I will never forgive him for that decision.
Earl Weaver is the best Orioles manager of all time.
You will not hear me dispute that at all, but Earl coached his last Orioles game 6 years before I was born. That's I why I made sure to specify that Buck is probably the best manager in my lifetime.
Gotcha- and yeah Buck and Davey are the best since then. Earl was actually a manager- his job and skill is literally 180 degrees from Aaron Boone, AJ Hinch, etc. Those guys use an excel spreasdheet and their GM sets the daily lineup. Weaver would laugh at that- literally.
Most interesting stat from last night's game: 4 of 5 ABS challenges were successful. That speaks volumes for the possibility of the ABS system being used in the regular season next year.
https://apnews.com/article/mlb-robot-umpires-allstar-game-5aabcdcd07eb90...
For how quick a process it is, I don't want teams limited on challenges. If someone disagrees with a borderline pitch, challenge it, and 5 seconds later we are moving on. Or if you are going to have limits, do it like tennis where you get 1 or 2 challenges per at bat.
Again, its a quick process. If it starts to bog the game down, work to improve the umpiring, not the challenge system.
I'm actually okay with the limitations, especially right off the bat (pun intended). It's easier to allow more challenges going forward, then to rein them in later. Plus, having a limited number of challenges will of necessity limit them to high-leverage situations. I'm good with that. Constantly challenging a 2-1 pitch with nobody on and 1 out would get tiresome. Besides, you'd also see the catcher challenging just to give his pitcher a breather, or a batter challenging instead of calling timeout. It's like a Temu-timeout.
Not MLB directly, but.... Trevor Bauer just gave up one of the longest post-steroids home runs we've seen last night in Japan. 594 feet!
He just wasn't the same after SpiderTack was banned.
Yeah, even if you ignore the fact that there are no major league teammates of his calling for his return, he was in the top 3 pitchers that lost spin rate after they banned spidertack
What an amazing throw by Acuna, and a great deke by Nacho Alvarez at third.
https://www.mlb.com/video/ronald-acuna-jr-unleashes-perfect-throw-to-tur...
He's pretty good on the basepaths, too.
https://www.mlb.com/video/ronald-acuna-jr-goes-first-to-home-in-10-03-se...
https://www.mlb.com/video/field-view-ronald-acuna-jr-s-triple?partnerId=...
The throw was incredible but third baseman probably should have been hit with obstruction. The runner though was an idiot and coach should have benched him for coasting rather than running.
I didn't see a good angle of that play but I have to imagine the coach at 3B needs to take some of the fault.
He should've at least signaled that a throw was incoming, which would've kept him from easing up.
Article Here
Nic Enright got his first save last night for the Guardians. He is up to 19 appearances now with a 2.01 ERA. The Guardians closer is on Administrative Leave due to a gambling probe so Enright is likely to get alot more opportunities this season.
When was last time Hokies had a player in the playoffs?
Kerry Carpenter is in this year with Detroit
He will face Nic Enright for the Guardians in the first series
Go Guardians!
Mantiply with the Diamondbacks, two (?) years ago.
Lot of firings the last couple days.
Nationals* *earlier in season
Orioles*
Twins
Rangers
Giants
Braves Snitker decided to take a senior role
Wait, are you sure about Cincinnati? I don't see that one anywhere.
I got Sports Illustrated...they threw in David Bell with a 2025 firing date. It was 2024.
Hoping that Snitker decides to retire, and we hire Skip Schumacher.
I'd take him, I'd be OK with Walt Weiss (he got a raw deal in Colorado) and I would be in favor of calling Eric Young to see if he'd want to come manage since it looks like Ron Washington's time is short in California.
I gave up on the Twins before the season even started, so its not really surprising I find out about Rocco getting canned here at TKP. What I can say is that his game management was questionable and he could never keep the lineup static to help build any kind of consistency. His assistants have been mediocre at best, and a lot of in-game decisions he's made over the year's absolutely cost the team in a lot of games. He had a lot of potential, but the front office's inability to make smart moves coupled with Rocco's constant meddling in the game are what lead to this, and I'm honestly surprised given how inept the team's ownership is. My guess is that Rocco was too expensive, even for the Pohlads, and you can expect some "up and coming' HS coach leading the Twins next year.
Kerry Carpenter went 1 for 4, scoring a run, for DET in their win against CLE.
Nic Enright was activated from the 15-day IL two days ago, but is not on the DS roster for CLE.
Looks like that's it for Hokies in the MLB playoffs.
Suck it Boston.
I dont think either team looked particularly impressive this week. Its going to be interesting to watch the first couple games against the Jays to see which versions of each club show up. My gut tells me we're going to see the Jays finally come to life in the playoffs.
Teams don't suddenly "come to life" in the playoffs after a bye. Just ask the Braves.
I unfortunately have 38 years of post season experience with this remark.
my reference was specifically to their recent post-season history. Based on the first two games it looks like they might have something figured out this time. Vlad has some more confidence (has his GS ball from yesterday landed yet?), and I can't emphasize how solid the Varland pickup was for the back-half of their pen.
That HR was a monster shot, and it will probably orbit something slightly less than Jorge Soler's 2021 Game 6 HR ball (which I believe is still in orbit).
Man, it will be disappointing if the Yanks don't go and win it all, but at least no one can take that absolutely beastly performance from Schlittler away. That was legitimately one of the best outings ever and it came from a rookie making his postseason debut.
Man, it will be disappointing if the Yanks go and win it all.
They got spanked again...down 2-0.
Yeah, all we'll end up with is the Schlittler outing. I'm not falling for that fake comeback they pulled today.
I missed this from Friday. Fuck! I wanted the Braves to hire him.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/rangers-hire-skip-schumaker-as-ma...
Yeah, I saw your earlier post and knew that everyone here in Dallas was saying he was our main target and was pretty much a done deal. Hopefully he can get the bats going again and we don't waste the pitching staff that we have like we did this year.
He's a great coach, which is surprising that I just read in The Athletic that every team with an opening except the Braves had contacted him, thus prompting the Rangers' swift move. =^/
Well, the World Series participants have been set, with the Blue Jays facing off against the current World Champion Dodgers. And if you're wondering which team to root for, let me break it down for you.
Sources: Dodgers' Roster, Blue Jays' Roster
Country of Origin
Dodgers: 19 USA, 3 Japan, 1 each South Korea, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Cuba
Blue Jays: 21 USA, 1 each Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Canada
As you can see, the Blue Jays are the more American team, and should be the rooting interest for all Americans.
Rooting for a meteor strike
Yep. Would've been pulling hard for the Mariners if they'd gotten there but instead it's a big yawn from me
Eh, I'm just rooting for Ohtani to do some outrageous thing to remind us we're living at a time where we can watch the greatest baseball player of all time.
(Posted somewhat to cause discussion)
Probably not watching much out of spite and also because hockey is back, but pulling for the Dodgers unfortunately. Brewers were the only team of the last 4 I wanted in the WS.
Gotta go with the ALED. Go Jays. I very much dislike that the MLB and the media always want either the NYY or the LAD, or both in the WS. I will always root for the Orioles, the ALED representative, or anyone against the NYY and LAD, in that priority order.
San Fran just announced they are hiring Tennessee head coach to be their new manager. First time a college coach will jump with no pro experience.
No meteor strike but still good highlights
Boo Jay's destroyed the Bankroll tonight.
Pinch hit grand slam as part of 11-4 thrashing
The whole baseball (media specifically) world just dumped on their head. I think everyone expected LA to roll through this in 4 games as if the WS was a formality. They just got kicked in the teeth and I think we're going to see 7 games.
the Dodgers and Jays have a day off, so I'm going to take a day off from WS talk and direct some attention to non-WS stuff... Just when I think the Twins ownership can't get any more stupid they go and do something like hire Derek Shelton.
Nats announced their hire too and am kind of hopeful. He did really well in the minors.
I wonder if he'll get Gwen Stefani to sing the national anthem at one of their games. ;^)
Not sure we hired the right "Shelton" to make that happen, but if it did it would make the cheap-ass-and-greedy Pohlad family happy because it would be the only time Target Field gets filled in '26.
well that sucks
The WS always proves that moneyball only gives you a chance to make the playoffs. To win the WS, it takes MONEY.
One more season under the current CBA. Do we get salary reformation in the next CBA?
Doubtful. No way the money let's that happen. Too much invested.