MLB Thread

[Droford]

I definitely wonder it. Everybody masturbates. Napoleon. Gandhi. Joan Jett. Shakespeare.

You are wrong.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Pot calling the kettle black there

[Droford]

He's wrong because I'm proof he's wrong so I know he's wrong.

[Droford]

I saw the Orioles were interested in Mike Napoli. I could see him being good replacement for Trumbo when he DHed. Still doesn't solve the RF problem though.

[Droford]

I still would like to see Trumbo come back though.

[Emperor Smeat]

Yankees pushing for the idea of one of their Red Sox-Yankees series to be played in London by around 2018. Red Sox are not as committed to the idea or location but wouldn't have a problem if MLB wanted it in the end.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18341595/boston-red-sox-new-york-yankees-face-other-london

[ClockShot]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Road to the London Kings and baseball's destruction. #ds9

[Droford]

No way there's ever a team in London. Between the fact that road trips for games there would be brutal..just the general fact that games there would start at 2pm or even 11 am (or earlier for day games in London) and then the London teams road games would start there at midnight or later..

[Droford]

Jesus Montero is an Oriole after he serves his 50 game suspension. Another Dan Duquette garbage bin move

[RP]

below average power hitter who cant field a position.

[Droford]

He was a top 10 prospect not that long ago

[RP]

He was a top 10 prospect not that long ago

that has no position. He's a DH.

[RP]

He was a top 10 prospect not that long ago

that has no position. He's a DH.

and that was like 7 years ago.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Not even that. He's a below average hitter who has no position. Did they give him an mlb contract?

[Evil Vito]

Jesus Montero World Series MVP

[Nicky Fives]

Jesus Montero is an Oriole after he serves his 50 game suspension. Another Dan Duquette garbage bin move

He was very good for AAA-Buffalo in Toronto last season prior to his suspension, not sure how much the roids were attributed to it though....

Solid DH depth signing that could get streaky and help the big club, should the likes of Davis go down to injury....

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Nah he sucks. A guy in his late 20s beating up on AAA pitching doesn't mean much. He has zero history of being an effective mlb hitter.

[Nicky Fives]

He has zero history of being an effective mlb hitter.

Hence my "solid depth signing" comment.... you cannot expect much from signing someone to a minor league deal.... everyone's big prospects are signed long-term or are on the 40-man, every blue moon you steal someone off waivers or sign at AAA that can make a difference to your club (see Chris Colabello with Toronto 2 years ago)

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I'm noticing a correlation to these minor league guys (re: Collabelo and Montero) and PEDs.

[Evil Vito]

Starting to think Sandy packed it up and went into hibernation for the winter after Cespedes signed his contract.

[Evil Vito]

We obviously needed to keep Ces, mind. But at the end of the day the team has not improved at all from the 2016 squad that barely scraped its way into a wild card spot. It's the exact same roster sans Bartolo Colon and some relievers.

Team still needs bullpen help but it sounds like they have no more payroll flexibility until they get Jay Bruce of the roster. And there's no interest in Bruce at all because he's not a very good baseball player.

[Evil Vito]

Mariners get: RHP Yovani Gallardo
Orioles get: OF Seth Smith

Son of a bitch.........the O's were the Mets' best hope at getting rid of Jay Bruce.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Wow that's actually a good deal for Baltimore. Loved Seth Smith when he was in San Diego.

[Evil Vito]

I really don't see how the Mets are going to be able to get rid of Bruce now. The Jays still need a bat but there's little incentive for them to trade for Jay Bruce when they could just sign a guy like Joey Bats for a year.

Thing is the Mets not moving Bruce creates more issues beyond them not having payroll space to help the bullpen. There's not a chance they're going to sit Grandy or Bruce making the kind of money they're making. So that means Conforto isn't playing.

I'd hope they send Conforto to AAA rather than waste a year of team control with him sitting on the bench....but fuck, he needs to be playing RF every day.

[Nicky Fives]

Baltimore really loves "Can't Field" outfielders, don't they....

[Droford]

Seth Smith gonna bust out with 30+ HR. The os always get the advantage on trades with Seattle.

[Droford]

Baltimore really loves "Can't Field" outfielders, don't they....

Adam Jones has a couple of Gold Gloves

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Adam Jones has a couple of Gold Gloves

Won in Baltimore?

[Droford]

Well considering he's played almost his entire career in Baltimore (another product of ripping off the Seattle Mariners) yes

Gold gloves in 09 12 13 14

[Droford]

Nick Markakis even win gold gloves in 2011 and 2014

Which means in 2014 2/3 of their OF won gold gloves

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Lol gold gloves. Jones has been shit defensively in 5/9 years in center. Thosev awards literally had no criteria in which to base them on until the last few years.

And Smith isn't a homerun guy. He's a good get on base and the occasional dinger guy. It's a good pickup for them. He's miles better than Joey Rickard, but then again Rickard sucks so it doesn't say much.

[Droford]

I'm telling you..30 homers. Just you wait and see

[Ruien]

Does any of it matter since the O's will miss the playoffs AGAIN?

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I wonder if their gm will get completely hosed when he has to trade Machado at the deadline.

[Droford]

Does any of it matter since the O's will miss the playoffs AGAIN?

Again?

[Ruien]

Yes again. As in getting to the playoffs. Wild Card Game is just that, 1 game. Not really the playoffs.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

To sell the game and for television ratings the MLB officially recognises the wild-card game as a playoff game. It's stupid af but it is what it is.

[Evil Vito]

The Wild Card game is the playoffs. Still wish they could do a 3 game Wild Card series with the 4th seed hosting all the games.

The division series usually doesn't start for 4-5 days after the regular season ends, so in theory there's time to fit it into the schedule.

[Ruien]

To sell the game and for television ratings the MLB officially recognises the wild-card game as a playoff game. It's stupid af but it is what it is.

No shit Sherlock. I was just STD CORRECTED.

[Droford]

The Orioles should still win close to 90 games. Probably should be able to win the division.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Hahahahahaha they didn't have any pitching to begin with. They're replacing Trumbo with Smith and are down one starter in doing so.

How can you objectively think they're better than Boston in any way.

[Droford]

Pitching will be better. Tillman/Gausman/Bundy/Miley/Ubaldo
Full year of Dylan Bundy starting with another full year if Guasman. They replaced Gallardo who I was wrong about with Wade Miley which can't be any worse than Gallardo was when he was healthy. Should still have all the parts back of one of the best bullpens in baseball. Not to mention all new pitching coaches..

Offensively a full year of Kim playing in LF non platoon will be good. Smith for Trumbo is funny cause he's a higher OBP guy slightly better defensively who I think can hit hit 30 homers in Camden Yards so not much of a drop off. Plus there's a the possibility Trumbo resigns and ends up full time DH.

Boston lost one of their best hitters last year and is depending on Sandoval coming back to play 3rd. I'm not convinced their offense will be that greatblike it was last year..even if they have probably the best rotation in the AL on paper.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Dylan Bundy had a 4.02 era, 4.52 as a starter. He's injury prone and sucked when moved into the rotation.

Gausman is solid but he'd be the 4th best pitcher on Boston. Same thing with Tillman. Solid arm but would be 4th or 5th best pitcher on Boston.

Jimenez sucks. Why you'd even mention him is beyond me. Miley hasn't posted an era under 4 in 3 years. It was over 5 last year.

Smith is a platoon player and didn't hit 30 homers in Colorado but you think he's gonna hit 30. Lolol.

Kim had minimal time against lefties but he's not a sure fire bet against them. He could be a platoon bat only.

Boston is stacked in the outfield, the rotation and infield. But you don't think they'll be as good. Lol ok.

Lol you're so full of shit Droford. It amazes me sometimes.

[Nicky Fives]

Only 2 teams are going to be better in 2017 in the AL East. Boston & Tampa..... all 3 will regress with no doubt in my mind.....

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Droford. Jesus Christ. What the hell is wrong with you?

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

The Jays are completely fucked this year. They've been figured out and have not improved their offence this off season. Still slow and one dimensional.

Baltimore is the same.

[Ruien]

Boston added Chris fn Sale. The division is so theirs.

[Frank Drebin]

Depends on how many throwback jerseys the Red Sox plan on wearing this year.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Depends on how many throwback jerseys the Red Sox plan on wearing this year.

LMFAO the great equalizer.

I don't blame the Jays for not getting things "done" this off season. I think building for the future means spending at the right time, and now isn't the right time. They have great pitching for sure, but the farm system is baron and the market simply wasn't in their favour.

Plus, Morales hits well at Rogers centre, and it'd be interesting to see what kind of numbers he puts up unshackled by Kauffman stadium.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Dylan Bundy had a 4.02 era, 4.52 as a starter. He's injury prone and sucked when moved into the rotation.

Gausman is solid but he'd be the 4th best pitcher on Boston. Same thing with Tillman. Solid arm but would be 4th or 5th best pitcher on Boston.

Jimenez sucks. Why you'd even mention him is beyond me. Miley hasn't posted an era under 4 in 3 years. It was over 5 last year.

Smith is a platoon player and didn't hit 30 homers in Colorado but you think he's gonna hit 30. Lolol.

Kim had minimal time against lefties but he's not a sure fire bet against them. He could be a platoon bat only.

Boston is stacked in the outfield, the rotation and infield. But you don't think they'll be as good. Lol ok.

Lol you're so full of shit Droford. It amazes me sometimes.

4 runs in a single game? Whooooooa Bundy!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Boston added Chris fn Sale. The division is so theirs.

It depends on what/how much Cashman the Hypercritical Asshole/Liar spends.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Won't matter. The free agent market sucks. There's nothing out there. The only way the Yankees could make a huge splash is to trade all the prospects they just got.

[Droford]

Boston added Chris fn Sale. The division is so theirs.

They also replaced David Ortiz .315/.401/.620 with Mitch Moreland (moving Hanley to DH) .233/.298/.422

Trumbo to Seth Smith is somehow worse than that

Plus their starting 3b played 3 games last year and even in a full season prior he hit .245/.292/.366 with 10 hr

If you can't see their offense isnt going to be close to what it was in 2016 (#1 with 5.36 rpg, .282/.348/.461 ) then I don't know what to say. They scored 101 runs more than the next best AL team and you expect that to not change with Mitch Moreland and Pablo Sandoval in the lineup..

[Droford]

The Red Sox scored 134 more runs than the Orioles and 119 more than the Jays and it only got them 4 games up on them. Just imagine what happens when they score fewer runs. They're going to need the better starting pitching..

[Emperor Smeat]

Their offense is going to take a hit next season for numbers but still should be pretty good overall. Maybe fewer games where they can bail out the pitchers compared to last season.

Ever since 2011, Sox's rotation is going to determine if they succeed or not. Too many years where on paper they had high expectations and ended up being terrible instead. Sale is an improvement over Buchholz but if Price can rebound and Porcello has a decent season, they should be in good shape.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

They also replaced David Ortiz .315/.401/.620 with Mitch Moreland (moving Hanley to DH) .233/.298/.422

Trumbo to Seth Smith is somehow worse than that

Plus their starting 3b played 3 games last year and even in a full season prior he hit .245/.292/.366 with 10 hr

If you can't see their offense isnt going to be close to what it was in 2016 (#1 with 5.36 rpg, .282/.348/.461 ) then I don't know what to say. They scored 101 runs more than the next best AL team and you expect that to not change with Mitch Moreland and Pablo Sandoval in the lineup..

You're a dope. Nobody said that Trumbo to Smith was worse. You're just now bringing that up. The argument here is you think team is somehow better despite making no moves to improve while the team you think they're better than improved.

Of course their offense is going to take a hit. Nobody argued that.

What you're ignoring is that they've added one of the best pitchers in the league to prevent giving up runs, so that they don't need to score as many runs as last year to obtain the same or more success.

In other words, instead of trying to replace the runs created by David Ortiz, they decided to improve the about they gave up instead to make up for it.

What people are saying is they're still good. Their outfield is absolutely stacked. Their middle infield is stacked. Moreland had a down year based on balls in play. He's actually a good bounce back candidate. Of course you would've actually had to have looked up numbers to know that.

The only blip on the radar is Sandoval and whether or not he'll bounce back. That's it.

The rotation is ridiculous.

Baltimore meanwhile has an aging first baseman, and mediocre at best second baseman, a mediocre shortstop who can't hit anymore, a centerfielder who can't get on base or field and is declining offensively, a platoon right fielder who can't field, and a left fielder who might be an everyday player but know one knows because his manager benched him half the year.

Then you get to the patch job rotation who's number one starter isn't as good as 3 of the other 4 division rivals' number one.

Followed by one more solid guy, then 2 scrubs who haven't been good in years and a walking dead shoulder who sucked as a starter and gave up 1.5 runs more as a starter than a reliever.

Lol. You just don't have ability to be objective. You try to find ways to upsell your team even when the writing is on the wall.

[Droford]

Lol if Chris Davis is "aging" I guess Mitch Moreland who is a year and a half older found the fountain of youth.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Excellent way to deflect Droford. Guess it means you're done trying to look dumb by arguing your team is better than the team that's actually trying to get better.

[screech]

lol all the points he listed and that's your takeaway?

[Droford]

Its the first one I thought of because the article I read said Moreland was older than Chris Davis

[Ruien]

They also replaced David Ortiz .315/.401/.620 with Mitch Moreland (moving Hanley to DH) .233/.298/.422

Trumbo to Seth Smith is somehow worse than that

Plus their starting 3b played 3 games last year and even in a full season prior he hit .245/.292/.366 with 10 hr

If you can't see their offense isnt going to be close to what it was in 2016 (#1 with 5.36 rpg, .282/.348/.461 ) then I don't know what to say. They scored 101 runs more than the next best AL team and you expect that to not change with Mitch Moreland and Pablo Sandoval in the lineup..

Chris Sale is use to winning games with 1 or 2 support runs. So maybe they score less runs but they received CHRIS FUCKING SALE.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

The need to score is offset when your rotation features arguably the best lefty in the league

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I will admit it is pretty unfair to the rest of the league, but Price will still suck in the playoffs.

[Ruien]

You can pitch Sale 3 times in each series. Fuck Price.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I think Price will eventually be fine. Not to mention, the goal is to get there. That rotation should do at least that.

[Evil Vito]

Boston is head and shoulders above the rest of their division at this point.

[Nicky Fives]

Boston is head and shoulders above the rest of their division at this point.

As a Jays fan, it hurts me to admit it, but it is true.... Boston should be heads above the division, Toronto/Baltimore/New York will battle it out for second and Tampa, who will be better than 2016, will bring up the rear in the division.

[ClockShot]

Manny Ramirez is back playing baseball, this time in Japan.

Here's the catch. He signed a deal with the Kochi Fighting Dogs of the Shikoku Island League Plus, an independent league. This league only has 4 teams, and has no ties to NPB.

I'd like to know how much he's getting paid. And if this interferes with Hall of Fame voting since he's about to go on the ballot.

[Droford]

Chris Sale is use to winning games with 1 or 2 support runs. So maybe they score less runs but they received CHRIS FUCKING SALE.

Which is funny because that's roughly what the Red Sox scored in 3 games of the ALDS (7 runs in 3 games). Even the AL Cy Young couldn't win with that lack of support.

[Ruien]

Yup. So bad they beat the O's for the division.

[Ruien]

Hey Droford, how many runs did the O's score in the ALDS? I know the Red Sox only scored 7. Wondering who scored more though.

[Droford]

Yup. So bad they beat the O's for the division.
By 4 games
Hey Droford, how many runs did the O's score in the ALDS? I know the Red Sox only scored 7. Wondering who scored more though.

Same number as how many games the Red Sox won

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Did Baltimore win the division Droford?

[Ruien]

Oh, so they scored 0? Damn. Must suck to be worse than those shitty Red Sox. Does that make the O's extra shitty? Guess so.

Only if the O's could have won more games.

[Ruien]

Did Baltimore win the division Droford?

Only by 4 games. You know if you don't win by at least 5 it does not count. No matter how shitty the Red Sox apparently are and how amazing the O's are.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Only by 4 games. You know if you don't win by at least 5 it does not count. No matter how shitty the Red Sox apparently are and how amazing the O's are.

But they won the division right?

[Ruien]

Ya but you see on August the 5th the Red Sox played a game where the ump made a bad call which allowed them to win the game. If that never would have happened they would have lost 8 more straight and then would lose the division. - Droford logic.

[Droford]

Ya but you see on August the 5th the Red Sox played a game where the ump made a bad call which allowed them to win the game. If that never would have happened they would have lost 8 more straight and then would lose the division. - Droford logic.

They beat the Dodgers 9-0. They were 2 games behind the Jays and os who were tied..Amusingly with the best record in the AL.

[Droford]

The Orioles might sign Hammel since he's not getting any interest. Perfectly Dan Duquette move

[Ruien]

They beat the Dodgers 9-0. They were 2 games behind the Jays and os who were tied..Amusingly with the best record in the AL.

You do realize I made that entire post up right?

[Droford]

I figured you knew something I didn't about august 5th which is why I looked it up

[Damian Rey 2.0]

So Droford are you attending the division championship flag raising this year for Baltimore?

[Droford]

I'm going to fan fest on the 28th for the 1st time.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Maybe you can get Buck to sign your 2016 American League eastern division championship banner

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

or your ubaldo jimenez jersey

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Or your Jake Arrieta jersey

[Droford]

The only sports jersey I own is an authentic Joe Flacco jersey I got in January of 2009 after the ravens lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship.

I've never found a baseball jersey that fit

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Maybe they'll sign a commemorative 2016 ALCS program.

[Droford]

Britton almost got as much for 2017 in arbitration ($11.4 mil) as Machado did ($11.5)..

Also Trumbo has supposedly come way down on what he wants to the point where he might be able to stay in Baltimore.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

And you think they're gonna be able to afford Machado lol.

Trumbo is realizing the jig is up. He's a low on base homerun only bat with no value outside of the batters box and now he's coming back to the one place that makes the most sense.

Padres signed Wil Myers to a 6 year, 84 million dollar extendion. Love it. Locked up thru age 31

[Droford]

The Orioles have shown no loyalty in the past to closers. I figure Britton is on the trade deadline block to be dealt this year unless the Orioles are in first place. I would be upset but its what they do.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I don't know why you'd be upset. Logically speaking, Britton is likely to regress while getting more expensive. They'd be smart to trade him while his value is high.

[RP]

Britton is getting traded for sure. Most likely to the Yankee's or Nationals. Nationals love trading for closers every years. It's weird.

[Droford]

Why would the Yankees want him?

[Damian Rey 2.0]

They just had Chapman, Miller and Betances in the same bullpen. Why do you think they'd want him?

I doubt he goes to the Yankees. He'll go to a team like Washington who needs a closer and has the cash and prospects to get it done.

[Evil Vito]

I don't want the Nats to trade for anyone because I want them to suck this year.

[Evil Vito]

Also I want Daniel Murphy to take a fastball to the ear.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

They might suck this year. They're a weird team.

[RP]

Why would the Yankees want him?

They want everyone

[Nicky Fives]

Looks like Bautista back to Toronto will be announced either later today or tomorrow, Marcus Stroman may have revealed his return on Twitter....

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

If it's short term and on the cheap I guess it's okay.

[DaveWadding]

I read 2 years, somewhere between 17.5 and 20 mil AAV.

[Evil Vito]

Two days until the Hall of Fame class is announced and because I'm a geek for the Hall - 50% of the ballots are now public and, while unlikely, there is still a fighting chance that the BBWAA could elect five players in one class for the first time since the inaugural HOF class of 1936. Raines (91.5%) and Bagwell (89.2%) both felt like safe bets coming in to this year and fans of theirs may very well have booked trips a while ago. But Pudge (78.4%), Vlad (74.2%), and Hoffman (72.8%) are all right there.

Given that the pool of voters who won't announce the ballot early likely trends older and therefore more strict about PED implications, I'm thinking Pudge will end up falling just short this year. A phrase I've read from some voters who did not go for Vlad are that they feel he is worthy of the HOF but not good enough where he should get in first ballot, which is an even higher honor. Seems silly to me, but he'll likely miss out this year because of it. Hoffman might still have the best chance at sneaking in as a third man as older voters tend to favor saves a lot more.

No matter which of the three miss out, they're all very likely to go in someday. Historically once you get to around the 60-65% voting threshold it just becomes a matter of time. Edgar Martinez and Mussina are in that range...and so are Bonds and Clemens. It's going to be such an awkwardly fun ceremony if/when those two eventually make it.

[screech]

Why is first-ballot "an honor?" Feel like people only say that about active players, not members.

I've thought this for years, but I think I heard Simmons/Cousin Sal discuss it recently.

Technically a #BillSimmonsPost

[Nicky Fives]

Not sure I like a 2-year deal unless the second has a team option....

[Evil Vito]

Why is first-ballot "an honor?" Feel like people only say that about active players, not members.

I've thought this for years, but I think I heard Simmons/Cousin Sal discuss it recently.

Technically a #BillSimmonsPost

I think it's dumb personally. But for whatever reason people think you can separate the legends for the super legends by who got in on the first try.

To me, a Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer.

[Nicky Fives]

Sources confirmed that if Bautista signs with Jays, it will be 1-year with a mutual option. Not confirmed yet.

Michael Suanders also close to a deal with Philadelphia.... Good signing for them, a cheap-ish power bat with lots of potential

[screech]

Saunders deal is done: 1-year, $9m. Club option for $11m.

I like it. He can actually hit. And it takes the Phillies out of the Jay Bruce talks (thankfully).

[Evil Vito]

I can't say Sandy fucked up by exercising Bruce's contract, because there was no guaranteed of Cespedes returning and nobody could've imagined the hitters market playing out this slowly.

But man....it sure looks like the Mets are gonna be stuck playing Bruce over Conforto, and that really fucking sucks.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Saunders is a worse version of Jay Bruce, Screech

[screech]

At least he's cheaper

[Emperor Smeat]

Baseball Writers' Association of America recently approved to make Hall of Fame ballot voting results public starting next year. Writers will no longer be allowed to be anonymous on who they pick.

Could have started this year but the voting for the rule change occurred after voting for the 2017 class started.

[screech]

Maybe not. I don't know. I didn't want Jay Bruce, and just about anybody would be an upgrade at this point.

[Evil Vito]

So Bautista's deal ended up being 1 year, $18 million. Different vesting options and performance escalators could potentially turn it into 3 years, $60 million.

[RP]

BAUTISTA COMING BACK TO WIN THE RUMBLE!

[Evil Vito]

White Sox prospect Michael Kopech, acquired from Boston in the Chris Sale trade, is now hitting 110 MPH on the radar gun.

[Droford]

They should pull him over for speeding

*rimshot*

[Droford]

I saw where he's coming off a broken hand when he punched a teammate. Maybe that makes him sorta like Henry Rowengartner.

[Evil Vito]

Bagwell, Raines, and Pudge to the HOF.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Wooooooooooo!

All deserving but it's about damn time for Raines and Bagwell.

[Emperor Smeat]

Raines and Bagwell were locks based on votes but the difference between Pudge and Hoffman was really close.

Hoffman missed joining the class by 5 votes while Pudge's win total was only 4 votes higher than the amount needed.

Probably a safe bet Trevor Hoffman is joining next year and maybe Vlad Guerrero since he missed getting inducted by 15 votes. Chipper Jones should be a lock based on the new guys for next year's ballot

New to the ballot in 2018: Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel, Johan Santana, Johnny Damon and 269-game winner Jamie Moyer

[Evil Vito]

Yeah it'll be at least a 4 man class next year: Hoffman, Vlad, Thome, Chipper

I gotta say though, Hoffman getting 74% and Wagner only 10% defies logic.

[Evil Vito]

The disparity in the polling from a couple of days ago vs. the final numbers is astounding. I thought Edgar and Moose were going to finish mid to high 60s and be safe for next year but nope, both saw a 10% drop from the group that didn't reveal their ballots publicly. I still think they could go in someday but 20-25% for next year would be a huge jump. All ballots will be public next year so that could force some of the more crotchety members of the BBWAA to change their strategy.

[DaveWadding]

Really think that next year might be my favorite class of all time. Love Thome, Rolen, and Vizquel.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Yeah it'll be at least a 4 man class next year: Hoffman, Vlad, Thome, Chipper

I gotta say though, Hoffman getting 74% and Wagner only 10% defies logic.

It's because writers still believe in TEH SAVEZZZZ. Wagner was better last time I bothered to check.

[DaveWadding]

Bro, how many times have you faced a team's 3 worst hitters in the 9th inning of a 3 run game?

[Evil Vito]

Curt Schilling argues with a fake Sidney Ponson Twitter account (http://deadspin.com/curt-schilling-is-convinced-he-is-beefing-with-the-real-1791374161)

[screech]

Curt Schilling is one of my favorite Phillies ever.

But goddamn, he is not smart.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Lol that was a fun read

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Baltimore to lock up Trumbo for 37 mil over 3 years. He gets twice as much as his qualifying offer but over 3 years.

Decent sign fit Baltimore assuming he only hits and stays off the field.

[Droford]

Curt Schilling is one of my favorite Phillies ever.

But goddamn, he is not smart.

Ponson was my favorite fat Judge beating Orioles pitcher from Aruba

[Droford]

Baltimore to lock up Trumbo for 37 mil over 3 years. He gets twice as much as his qualifying offer but over 3 years.

Decent sign fit Baltimore assuming he only hits and stays off the field.

Supposedly DHing with Seth Smith in RF

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Man I hope their pitches get ground balls galore because that outfield sounds pretty dire

[Droford]

How did they ever manage to win 89 games last year? Right? Basically the same team as last year..+Castillo -Wieters

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Well it's not. The guy in left didn't start last year, and Seth Smith wasn't on the team. So no not the same. They also haven't gotten any better.

[Droford]

I don't think they're any worse either

[Damian Rey 2.0]

So they're spinning their wheels while the division winner from last year got even better? Yeah they'll be fine.

[Droford]

We went over how the Red Sox didn't get any better. Sheesh
And don't even get me started on the Blue Jays. Lol

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Lol no you tried to bs your way to short changing them and when presented with facts you tried to move on to some irrelevant point about Davis being younger than Moreland.

The Blue Jays are better. The Baltimore rotation couldn't luck the gum off the Toronto rotation's cleats.

[Nicky Fives]

No doubt Boston got better and Jays got worse.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

=
And don't even get me started on the Blue Jays. Lol

Hey remember that time the O's lost to the Jays in the Wild Card game :lol:

[Damian Rey 2.0]

The Jays got worse but not by a significant margin. A full year of Devon Travis will help. A full year of Aaron Sanchez will help.

I don't think Morales will be very good but I don't think he'll be useless either. They still have a very good roster and that pitching tho

[Ruien]

Please stop badly about the team who won it all last year. Can't wait for the O's to repeat.

[Nicky Fives]

The Jays got worse but not by a significant margin. A full year of Devon Travis will help. A full year of Aaron Sanchez will help.

I don't think Morales will be very good but I don't think he'll be useless either. They still have a very good roster and that pitching tho

Significant enough in my eyes. EE was the key piece, without him batting cleanup, pitchers have to be less careful with Donaldson & Bautista and they'll get less fastballs to mash with runners on base knowing that Morales is hitting cleanup opposed to Edwin.

I'd don't care how much of a step down Morales is from EE, its a clear step down when a pitcher gets down 3-1 and has to groove a strike down the plate and he's not facing Edwin.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

It depends on what kind of year Tulo and Bautista have.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Lineup protection is largely a myth. Losing Encarnacion will likely net them, give or take, 3 additional losses. However, I don't expect Bautista to be horrible assuming he's healthy, and that could help offset their loss.

They're still a very good team and very much in the hunt for a playoff spot as it stands.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Edittttt

[RP]

Just popped up on my twitter that Yordano Ventura died in a car accident . Not sure how accurate this is.

[poopfromweiner dude]

wtf

[road doggy dogg]

SI is reporting it... seems real

absolutely awful news

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Another crash in the DR. Fuck

[Bad News Gertner]

Andy Marte died a few hours earlier in a separate car crash in the Dominican.

Ventura was reportedly drunk.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

one of the #heels of the game. Definitely will be less interesting without him.

[Evil Vito]

Fucking hell. RIP

[Droford]

Personally thought he was an asshole but seeing the pic of him dead on the ground on Twitter was surreal

[Bad News Gertner]

Ventura was the opposing pitcher in Marte's last MLB game

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I saw that pic. Pretty weird seeing him just laying there. Dead. Sad. Especially if he essentially took his own life by drinking.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

where'd you see the pic?

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

honestly just curious like where the eff is this shit just chillin. So morbid.

[Droford]

Yahoo linked to somebody with a Twitter account that was taking pictures

https://twitter.com/Jacobommoquete/status/823193264346042368

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

bah! So fucking sad. Always hard to be reminded of your own mortality. Know a few guys from around here who've died under similar circumstances.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Yea had a friend from middle school who died similarly when he was 21. Guy was always trouble/ in trouble in school.

[Nicky Fives]

These Dominican kids need to hire someone to drive them around in the off-season.... Like pay one of their scrub friends $500 a night to stay sober and drive them home....Absolutely ridiculous....

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

You just get the idea that these athletes in general think they're bullet proof because of what they're physically capable of.

[Bad News Gertner]

On the bright side, at least it didn't happen to a Blue Jay!

[Shisen Kopf]

Even more brightside. Tigers have a better shot at winning the division now that KC is down an ace

[Droford]

KC was probably gonna finish 4th

[Droford]

Going to Fan fest tomorrow. They have clubhouse andvdugout tours..can't wait

[screech]

Got to tour the Baltimore stadiums when I was in college. It was awesome. Have fun!

[Droford]

https://s24.postimg.org/pc99mguw5/028201711327.jpg

[Droford]

Adam Jones had a Detroit Lions jersey hanging in his locker

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Adam Jones is a nice guy. Held a free baseball camp here in San Diego at his old high school.

[Droford]

I got 30 packs of last years baseball cards free. I got a Darren Oday card and Ubaldo. Also got mark Trumbo in a mariners jersey and Wade Miley in a Sox jersey. Also got Yordano Ventura and Jose Fernadez. I got like 10 giveaway t-shirts a media guide and year book a bobble head a Shorebirds cup a MD Flag Os hat and Os winter beanie hat.

[Emperor Smeat]

Apparently Hall of Famer Frank Thomas is upset this year's Hall of Fame class has members with allegations of PED use. Said the voters might as well no longer pretend to be against the Roid era or certain people from it if they don't have a problem voting for others with similar allegations.

The Big Hurt, a longtime critic of players using PEDs, spoke out again during the Chicago White Sox's annual fan convention Saturday.

"They should be in now, as far as I'm concerned," Thomas said. "They've let a few people in already we all know. It's uncomfortable at this point. I'm sure this year's going to be uncomfortable because we've got two great players going in, but they know. It's no secret. If they didn't do it, they would be stomping and kicking and in interviews saying, 'I didn't do it.'"

Bonds and Clemens, whose careers were tainted by allegations of steroid use, were passed over for the fifth straight year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in voting announced a week and a half ago. But both received a majority of votes for the first time and could be in position to get elected in the next few years.

Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell did get in despite allegations of PED use, along with Tim Raines, Thomas' teammate with the White Sox.

Jose Canseco wrote in a 2005 book that he showed Rodriguez how to inject steroids. Bagwell has faced speculation that he used PEDs mainly because he went from hitting six home runs in two minor league seasons to 449 with the Houston Astros from 1991 to 2005.

Raines used cocaine. But while Thomas was thrilled to see him get elected, he doesn't really think players who used performance-enhancing drugs belong.

"Not happy at all," Thomas said to a round of applause from fans. "Some of these guys were great players, but they wouldn't have been great players without drugs. ... I don't mind these guys doing what they want to do for their families and make their money. But don't come calling to the Hall of Fame and say, 'I'm supposed to be in the Hall of Fame,' when you know you cheated."

He said if those players are going to get in, then Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa should be enshrined, too -- in a wing devoted to PED use. Otherwise, he said, keep them all out.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Writers don't really have a leg to stand on here. They made their money reporting on the increased popularity of baseball and did very little to investigate allegations. Could have done more to get names and discredit people quicker than they were. They made their money and now they have to vote on the people they put on a PED-estal.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Frank Thomas laying down a verbal big hurt

[Damian Rey 2.0]

For all we know, Thomas could've been on PEDs. I don't buy into the notion that they wouldn't be good if they didn't take them. Barry Bonds was pretty amazing before he got juiced.

And accusing guys like Bagwell, who had ZERO suspicion until after his career is a bit ridiculous.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

well his known as one of the biggest assholes in the game.

[Droford]

I missed his interview at Fan fest but Chris Davis revealed he dislocated his left thumb back in April and played the whole season just about with it and still hit 38 HR

[ClockShot]

Judgement came down to the Cardinals from the Astros Hacking Scandal.

St. Louis gotta pay Houston $2 million dollars, and give up their top 2 picks (56 & 75) for the upcoming 2017 draft.

Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa has been put on the permanently ineligible list. He's banned from baseball for the time being.

[RP]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18586344/mlb-orders-st-louis-cardinals-forfeit-top-2-2017-draft-picks-pay-2-million-houston-astros

Wow this is huge!

[RP]

Judgement came down to the Cardinals from the Astros Hacking Scandal.

St. Louis gotta pay Houston $2 million dollars, and give up their top 2 picks (56 & 75) for the upcoming 2017 draft.

Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa has been put on the permanently ineligible list. He's banned from baseball for the time being.

This

[Nicky Fives]

Christ. Seems a bit overkill, but I guess when you're the first you have to set a precedent.

And just because someone has not been linked to PED's from that era, doesn't mean they didn't do them. I'm of the mindset that if a handful of people were taking them, essentially everyone was.

[Ruien]

Pretty sure Frank Thomas took a shitload of drug test to ensure he was never accused of using steroids. Remember White Sox in general doing a lot of extra testing for awhile too for the entire team.

[Droford]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Machado: &quot;When the time comes, I know they will come up and try to get something done...I'd rather get a ring than a long-term contract.&quot;</p>&mdash; Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/masnSteve/status/825399005391810560">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Too bad neither are happening in Baltimore. Machado is gonna be free agent # 1A when he hits the market. He'll cost more than Davis, maybe close to or as much as Harper. Highly, highly doubt he stays.

[Emperor Smeat]

Judgement came down to the Cardinals from the Astros Hacking Scandal.

St. Louis gotta pay Houston $2 million dollars, and give up their top 2 picks (56 & 75) for the upcoming 2017 draft.

Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa has been put on the permanently ineligible list. He's banned from baseball for the time being.

According to Buster Olney, rest of the league is still upset since they think its too lean of a punishment for what happened. They wanted even more picks and fines to really send a message against the Cards. Also for the MLB to imply the Cards played a minor role in the incident and were mostly guilty by association.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some evaluators with other teams believe that the true value of STL draft picks sacrificed and the $2 million is negligible, in MLB context</p>&mdash; Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/826147538143166465">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Machado: &quot;When the time comes, I know they will come up and try to get something done...I'd rather get a ring than a long-term contract.&quot;</p>&mdash; Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/masnSteve/status/825399005391810560">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Macho Man to be 3B for Yankees or Sox?

[Droford]

I need to make some kind of bet with you guys on this but its not going to pay off for 2 years. He's not going anywhere

[RP]

I'm taking the Yankees now!

[Damian Rey 2.0]

He sure is. Guys don't stick with their teams like before. There's big money and Machado isn't gonna give a team discount. It's HIGHLY unlikely he stays.

[Droford]

No

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Acceptance is the first step to recovery

[Droford]

Then you accept that he's not going anywhere

They might get rid of everybody else but Manny Machado will continue to play for the Orioles well beyond the year 2018.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Lol what are you gonna say when he leaves

[Droford]

He's not going anywhere

[RP]

Who's playing third for the Yankee's right now? Gonna have to move him to another team.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Headley. Think his deal is done by the time Machado hits free agency

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

He's not going anywhere

hypothetically tho

[Damian Rey 2.0]

No Dale. As Droford outlined, Baltimore will offer and Manny will accept a 3 yr discount before getting into big money just do he can stay in Baltimore and be a good guy.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Very consistent with a player represented by Scott Boras.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

We all know Scott Boras is all about putting his players' teams first

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

lmao fuck I didn't know Boras was his agent. Droford you're an idiot

[Damian Rey 2.0]

C'mon Dale. We all know good guy Scott Boras will work his tail off to make sure Manny and Baltimore strike a deal that will be fair and favorable to both sides, and will even give them a hometown discount.

I mean, look at how he got the owners to outbid themselves on Crushed Davis last year. That deal looks great for Baltimore right now. Imagine where they'd be if they didn't up their offer that no other team was matching? I shudder to think.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Sanchez has Scott Boras as his agent now. Not overly thrilled about that. But more credit to Sanchez, gotta pay them gimmicks that come in the mail called bills.

[ClockShot]

Twins DFA Byung Ho Park.

Signed this guy from South Korea and paid $12.85 million for negotiation rights, and gave him a 4-year $12 million contract.

Kei Igawa all over again.

[Droford]

Orioles should sign him. Must have some sort of power to hit 105 hr in Korea 2014/15

[Evil Vito]

Mets finally get some relievers! Fernando Salas and Jerry Blevins are both back on 1 year deals, and Blevins' deal contains a 2018 option.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Korean baseball is a notoriously hitter friendly league. Maybe Park has some pop, but Baltimore already has 2 1b/dh only hitters.

[ClockShot]

Rob Manfred's crusade to change baseball rules continues.

His latest pitches (no pun intended): increase the strike zone, and eliminate the 4-pitch intentional walk.

[screech]

100p in favor of eliminating the 4-pitch intentional walk

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Agreed. Just let the guy take first. Bigger strike zone sounds like a fun to further suppress run scoring

[Droford]

Korean baseball is a notoriously hitter friendly league. Maybe Park has some pop, but Baltimore already has 2 1b/dh only hitters.

Trumbo and Davis can both play RF/DH so why not 3

4 guys in the lineup with 40+ HR potential would be something

[Nicky Fives]

100p in favor of eliminating the 4-pitch intentional walk

Same here. They need to eliminate the fat-ass umpires having to walk 60 feet and back to the plate over a dozen times a game.. that'll shave off 20 minutes easy....

[Emperor Smeat]

Getting rid of useless pitches for intentional walks is a great idea but making the strike zone bigger seems like a really bad idea.

Feels like the latter is meant to combat batters who constantly hover inside the zone but a better idea might be to not award a free base if they get hit as a result. Just call it a strike zone violation and make it worth a strike regardless of the count.

[Droford]

The American League East is once again a mess. The Boston Red Sox are the class of the division, but the Tampa Bay Rays are projected for second with 84 wins. They are closely following the Toronto Blue Jays (81) and New York Yankees (81). The Baltimore Orioles bring up the rear at 73.


http://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/

Which means for like the 6th straight year the morons that think they know so much about baseball will be WRONG. AGAIN.
71 wins in 2012...oops they won 93 (http://www.rlyw.net/index.php/RLYW/comments/the_2012_mlb_projection_blowout_-_pecota_edition)
74 wins in 2013..oops they won 85 (http://www.azsnakepit.com/2013/2/13/3986514/2013-mlb-projected-standings)
77 wins in 2014...oops they win 96 (http://www.thegreedypinstripes.com/2014/02/pecota-2014-has-yankees-winning-82-games.html?m=1)
78 wins in 2015..the closest miss they won 81 (http://edgevegas.com/2015-mlb-season-win-total-pecota-projections/)
72 wins in 2016..oops they won 89 (http://edgevegas.com/2015-mlb-season-win-total-pecota-projections/)

[ClockShot]

Recent signings:

Royals sign Jason Hammel to a 2-year, $16 mil. deal. He's obviously got some big shoes to fill.

Yankees sign Chris Carter. 1-year, $3 mil.

Mike Napoli returns to the Rangers for his 3rd tour of duty. 1-year, $10 mil.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Droford calling others wrong for thinking they know so much. Lol.

[Droford]

Im figuring the Orioles are about the same 89 win team they were last year. Lets see who is closer on the wins..

For crying out loud they're predicting Manny to only hit 25 home runs. Ill eat my damn Orioles hat and post the video of it if he only hits 25 homers. He should have 25 by July.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Except they're likely playing above their talent level and are absolutely playing above their runs scored v runs against.

Maybe a homer like yourself thinks they're an 89 win team. But when someone who isn't inherently bias looks at their roster objectively, it's hard to see them being a better than average team when they're gonna likely stink on outfield defense and have a paltry pitching staff.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I'd be hard pressed to say they're better than the Yankees right now.

[Emperor Smeat]

MLB considering another idea for making games go faster with this time targeting extra inning games.

Yahoo! Sports, citing sources, reported Wednesday that MLB will test a rule change in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League and the Arizona League this summer that will automatically place a runner on second base at the start of extra innings.

A similar rule has been used internationally and will be in place for next month's World Baseball Classic.

According to Joe Torre, the idea on paper is to prevent extra innings from dragging on too long to the point managers need to use utility players as pitchers. Also to prevent extra inning games from getting too boring because of the slower pace.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Torre stop fuckin with the game you Yankee piece of shit! Fuck you! What runners are put on? What if they are the best hitters. Why would they just be on base. Fuck you!

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Yeah this is dumb. It's a solution to a problem that's seemingly not to common.

[Droford]

They should just make extra innings sudden death. If the away team scores first fuck the home team.

[Droford]

Torre stop fuckin with the game you Yankee piece of shit! Fuck you! What runners are put on? What if they are the best hitters. Why would they just be on base. Fuck you!

Leadoff hitter goes to 2nd. Id assume the idea is two sacrifices to score a run however if I managed id walk the next guy to setup a double plsy. Would probably happen 98% of the time.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

You idiot. Adding base runners only increases the chances of scoring.

[Nicky Fives]

Instead of a 3-3 game ending 4-3 in the 12th, with these new rules the games would end 12-11 in the 17th and take twice as long with all the pitching changes. Theonly way it would work is if it was sudden death, which makes no sense whatsoever.

[ClockShot]

Chatter around the net is that Jeff Loria has a "handshake agreement" to sell the Marlins. A New York based real estate developer is the buyer and the price tag, $1.6 billion dollars.

Link to MLB Trade Rumors article. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/02/marlins-sale-rumors-handshake-agreement.html

[Emperor Smeat]

No way the Marlins are worth that much money. Would put them inside the Top 10 and close to the Top 5 for valuable franchises if that was true.

[ClockShot]

Brand spankin' new stadium can always do the trick. And, sorta gotta blame Giancarlo Stanton. Gotta pay $325 million over the course of his deal.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

They could very well be worth that much. New stadium, tv rights deal, revenue sharing plus whatever revenue they generate on their own, etc.

Loria is a shit bag so thank God he's leaving. Feel bad for the people of Miami.

[Emperor Smeat]

Only thought it was odd since Forbes and others have their value at around $675 million. Doesn't mean they can only be sold for that amount but thought it felt a bit strange anyone would want to an extra billion on top for them.

Them actually being worth $1.6 billion would put them around 7th for all of MLB and not around 29th.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/193637/franchise-value-of-major-league-baseball-teams-in-2010/

[Nicky Fives]

If Montreal had a decent stadium that didn't have a questionable roof, there's no doubt in my mind that Marlins would have been gone long ago....

[Bad News Gertner]

I'm all for the extra innings rule. I hate when games go past 9. Bleh.

[Droford]

You idiot. Adding base runners only increases the chances of scoring.

If you walk to setup double play you could theoretically pick off the lead runner first on a ground ball. You could also get the middle runner out but that opens up an opportunity for a sac fly if you don't turn the double plsy. I just wouldn't want the other team to get s shot at scoring a run without a hit. If they get a hit then whatever.

Teams do a variation of this all the time in extra innings anyway when a team gets 2 on no out..they'll walk them loaded to get the force at home and then turn a double plsy. Seem to remember that working for the Orioles recently.

[Nicky Fives]

If you walk to setup double play you could theoretically pick off the lead runner first on a ground ball. You could also get the middle runner out but that opens up an opportunity for a sac fly if you don't turn the double plsy. I just wouldn't want the other team to get s shot at scoring a run without a hit. If they get a hit then whatever.

Teams do a variation of this all the time in extra innings anyway when a team gets 2 on no out..they'll walk them loaded to get the force at home and then turn a double plsy. Seem to remember that working for the Orioles recently.

The problem with that is usually in extras if the reliever puts 2 on, they have to switch pitchers after the walk, resulting in more time....that's what kills the time in my eyes (especially in the playoffs) when you have more than 1 pitching change per half inning....

[Emperor Smeat]

If Montreal had a decent stadium that didn't have a questionable roof, there's no doubt in my mind that Marlins would have been gone long ago....

Could have been like the Twins and really fight MLB's attempt to relocate them. Rember them and the Expos were the teams MLB tried to move since both had similar problems but MLB didn't expect how much of a fight the Twins would give which is why they got to stay.

[Droford]

Orioles got Gabriel Ynoa from the Mets and apparently think he could be a starter. You know ah..

[road doggy dogg]

Illitch nooooo

[Evil Vito]

RIP :(

[Droford]

Died the day after pizza day..hmm

[Nicky Fives]

Could have been like the Twins and really fight MLB's attempt to relocate them. Rember them and the Expos were the teams MLB tried to move since both had similar problems but MLB didn't expect how much of a fight the Twins would give which is why they got to stay.

The Jays' recent success in Canada has sparked a baseball interest in all of Canada. 5 years ago you wouldn't see anyone wearing Jays merch, whereas nowadays there are people wearing hats and shirts all over. Several bus loads of people from Quebec make the 6 hour drive to essentially all Jays home games, not to mention the busloads that head down to Boston as well.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I honestly believe part of it (maybe 15-25%) is that the Jays Merch isn't fucking hideous anymore. Very conservative, effective throwback style.

Your merch has to be appealing to sell IMO. Obviously the rest is the team itself being marketable, but man the Jersies from mid 90s onwards were hideous until the recent throwback incarnation back to the early 90s.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

What Dale said. You don't see a ton of the contemporary Padres stuff here in San Diego. But the 90s blue and orange and especially the brown are huge sellers here.

Which is why it pisses me off that the teams refuses to go to those colors even as the official team colors.

[ClockShot]

Ok. Update to the potential Marlins sale. Y'all gonna love this.

Joshua Kushner is the preliminary buyer. He's the son of Charles Kushner, who served time in federal prison for white collar stuff. The younger brother of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump's husband and the son-in-law of El Presidente himself, Donald Trump.

Supposedly, Charles & Jared have no hands in this. Which would make it a bit easier for owners to approve him.

[ClockShot]

Dodgers re-sign Chase Utley to a 1-year deal.

The Braves' quest to fill their new stadium with butts & stars continues. They're set to acquire Brandon Phillips from the Reds. Who else is involved in the trade is unknown, but Phillips has agreed to waive his no-trade clause and do some tweaks in his contract for this to happen.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Apparently the Reds are getting back non prospects and eating all but $1mil of the salary. Great move for Atlanta, while Cincy comes out with virtually nothing for one of their franchise players.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Why did Atlanta even need a new stadium?