MLB 2023 Season

[Syd Thrift]

I was arguing on the Seattle sports Discord that the A's should totally pick up all these guys, pay them for a month, and then give them qualifying offers and rake in the picks when they inevitably don't accept. Then I found out two things:

1. The QO is $20M.
2. Actually I guess that was just one thing.

That's still a loooot of money to give out, on the order of 2 wins on the free agent market, and of that group that was waived I think only Giolito only stands to earn more. Renfroe could and Renfroe could also decide he'd rather take a 3 year $40M deal... but that's a pretty big risk to take (I mean, for the A's, this "risk" is wrapped up in their own incredible cheapness but accepting their worldview for the sake of this). Grichuk has been otherworldly awful, on the order of he literally doubled his OPS+ last night from 25 to 58 by going 3 for 4 (with 2 doubles and a dinger - it was a great night, don't get me wrong) and I think he's pretty much done so I'd stay far, far away if I was anybody with him. Matt Moore is a middle reliever and won't bring in $20M anywhere.

[Le Grande Orange]

A football game broke out in the Pioneer League last night:

Billings defeated Ogden 28-11.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

A football game broke out in the Pioneer League last night:

Billings defeated Ogden 28-11.

Not that it matters, but why are the 2 guys hitting over .400 batting 6th & 7th for Billings? I also have to say it is impressive all that took less than 3.5 hrs.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I was arguing on the Seattle sports Discord that the A's should totally pick up all these guys, pay them for a month, and then give them qualifying offers and rake in the picks when they inevitably don't accept. Then I found out two things:

1. The QO is $20M.
2. Actually I guess that was just one thing.

That's still a loooot of money to give out, on the order of 2 wins on the free agent market, and of that group that was waived I think only Giolito only stands to earn more. Renfroe could and Renfroe could also decide he'd rather take a 3 year $40M deal... but that's a pretty big risk to take (I mean, for the A's, this "risk" is wrapped up in their own incredible cheapness but accepting their worldview for the sake of this). Grichuk has been otherworldly awful, on the order of he literally doubled his OPS+ last night from 25 to 58 by going 3 for 4 (with 2 doubles and a dinger - it was a great night, don't get me wrong) and I think he's pretty much done so I'd stay far, far away if I was anybody with him. Matt Moore is a middle reliever and won't bring in $20M anywhere.

You can't issue a QO if the player was traded midseason so that rules out Giolito and Grichuk. I'm not sure on the rules if a player only gets waived.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Andy

You can't issue a QO if the player was traded midseason so that rules out Giolito and Grichuk. I'm not sure on the rules if a player only gets waived.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I'd have to imagine that you can't QO a waived guy either if that's correct but... I don't know (and while I personally would run the risk of Hunter Renfroe if I could get a pick back for him, I'm not at all the A's ownership so I know it won't happen).

[Syd Thrift]

Cleveland bit on Giolito.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/...rs-angels.html

[Westheim]

Chris Getz is now the senior VP / GM of the White Sox.

This Chris Getz, of Royals infamy.

Not enough is being written about how the *White Sox* are largely a farce as a franchise.

This Chris Getz. What's Rusty up to, though?

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Not that it matters, but why are the 2 guys hitting over .400 batting 6th & 7th for Billings? I also have to say it is impressive all that took less than 3.5 hrs.

The same night Rocky Mountain and Northern Colorado battled to an 18-18 tie, which was then won by Northern Colorado in the first knock out round.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Cleveland bit on Giolito.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/...rs-angels.html

...also Reynaldo Lopez.

Reds took Renfroe and Bader (from Yanks).

Mariners snatched Dominic Leone.

Grichuk is currently Jake Harper waiting in the thunderstorm with his kite, because Alan has totally forgotten to pick him up.

That's as much as I could grasp off the Bally ticker at the bottom of the Yanks-Tigers game right now.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Chris Getz is now the senior VP / GM of the White Sox.

This Chris Getz, of Royals infamy.

Not enough is being written about how the *White Sox* are largely a farce as a franchise.

This Chris Getz. What's Rusty up to, though?

For all I know, Getz will be bad but it's not like iffy baseball players have never made decent managers and GMs in the past. Branch Rickey immediately comes to mind, but the White Sox won a World Series with failed 3B prospect Ken Williams as their guy, didn't they? Also of course the A's with Billy Beane, who was a kind of horrible busted OF prospect himself.

Pretty much every manager in MLB has major league experience (and actually literally every single one except for a guy who managed the Marlins for a season and Ted Turner since jeez, I think the 19th century is how far back you have to go to find another exception to this, played baseball in the minor leagues) and the stars don't really do the manager/GM thing so much anymore so to some extent you're going to have a lot of scrubs occupying those jobs nowadays. And I think if anything, the small amount that stars have been managers, let alone GMs, seems to indicate that having to fight for your job leads some guys to be a lot more observant and also frank about guys' skillsets in ways that stars just don't. Ted Williams in particular was a guy who thought he could teach every hitter to hit like he could, not quite realizing that he hit like he could because he had an incredible eye, and getting frustrated when his charges couldn't follow through like he could.

[eriqjaffe]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

For all I know, Getz will be bad but it's not like iffy baseball players have never made decent managers and GMs in the past. Branch Rickey immediately comes to mind, but the White Sox won a World Series with failed 3B prospect Ken Williams as their guy, didn't they? Also of course the A's with Billy Beane, who was a kind of horrible busted OF prospect himself.

Pretty much every manager in MLB has major league experience (and actually literally every single one except for a guy who managed the Marlins for a season and Ted Turner since jeez, I think the 19th century is how far back you have to go to find another exception to this, played baseball in the minor leagues) and the stars don't really do the manager/GM thing so much anymore so to some extent you're going to have a lot of scrubs occupying those jobs nowadays. And I think if anything, the small amount that stars have been managers, let alone GMs, seems to indicate that having to fight for your job leads some guys to be a lot more observant and also frank about guys' skillsets in ways that stars just don't. Ted Williams in particular was a guy who thought he could teach every hitter to hit like he could, not quite realizing that he hit like he could because he had an incredible eye, and getting frustrated when his charges couldn't follow through like he could.

The problem isn't so much with Getz himself as with the entire process that led to him getting the job.

The Sox fired Williams and Hahn. Good! This was long overdue! Both of these guys had been in the Sox front office for over 20 years - Hahn had been the GM since 2012, getting promoted to the position when Williams was promoted after 12 seasons as the GM. Hahn had overseen two consecutive failed rebuilds. It was the first time the Sox had fired a GM since 1990.

Instead of bringing in somebody with fresh ideas, though, the Sox simply promoted the assistant GM and senior VP. They're not slapping an "interim" tag on him, either. They didn't conduct any external interviews. There were no rumors of any substance involving candidates. It was a bull**** process but that's exactly how the Sox operate - they are loath to go outside of the organization for anybody, to the point where I don't think they even know how - the only real candidate search of any import they've done in the past 20 years or so has resulted in Pedro Grifol being the manager. And how's that working out?

Hell, maybe Getz will work out. It's possible. But it's just another example of the Sox polishing up a piece of **** and trying to tell the fans it's a gem. We've heard this song before.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

The same night Rocky Mountain and Northern Colorado battled to an 18-18 tie, which was then won by Northern Colorado in the first knock out round.

Do they have senior citizens pitching or the local JR High girls softball team?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Not enough is being written about how the *White Sox* are largely a farce as a franchise.

Which brings up a question I had in my mind this week: Which is the worst managed baseball franchise right now?

W-Sox?
Tigers?
A's?
Royals?
Pirates?
Rockies?
Angels?
Mets?

So many to choose from.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by eriqjaffe

The problem isn't so much with Getz himself as with the entire process that led to him getting the job.

The Sox fired Williams and Hahn. Good! This was long overdue! Both of these guys had been in the Sox front office for over 20 years - Hahn had been the GM since 2012, getting promoted to the position when Williams was promoted after 12 seasons as the GM. Hahn had overseen two consecutive failed rebuilds. It was the first time the Sox had fired a GM since 1990.

Instead of bringing in somebody with fresh ideas, though, the Sox simply promoted the assistant GM and senior VP. They're not slapping an "interim" tag on him, either. They didn't conduct any external interviews. There were no rumors of any substance involving candidates. It was a bull**** process but that's exactly how the Sox operate - they are loath to go outside of the organization for anybody, to the point where I don't think they even know how - the only real candidate search of any import they've done in the past 20 years or so has resulted in Pedro Grifol being the manager. And how's that working out?

Hell, maybe Getz will work out. It's possible. But it's just another example of the Sox polishing up a piece of **** and trying to tell the fans it's a gem. We've heard this song before.

This is pretty much what I was thinking... My only guess is that ownership was thinking they could get the same (sub-par) results if they got rid of two high-salary guys and replace with them with one lower-priced guy; and if the new guy just happens to bring in fresh ideas and the team improves, great! If not, no harm done.

I have no idea what Williams and Hahn were making, nor what Getz is now making, but that seems like it could be what's happening...

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Do they have senior citizens pitching or the local JR High girls softball team?

It would seem the Pioneer League being demoted from an affiliate league to an independent league has had an effect on the talent level.

[Cobra Mgr]

Who had Cleveland picking up 3 from the Angel yard sale?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Pretty much every manager in MLB has major league experience (and actually literally every single one except for a guy who managed the Marlins for a season and Ted Turner since jeez, I think the 19th century is how far back you have to go to find another exception to this, played baseball in the minor leagues)

Braves owner Judge Emil Fuchs put himself on the bench 1929. (Coach Johnny Evers actually ran the club.) So he was Ted Turner before Ted Turner.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Who had Cleveland picking up 3 from the Angel yard sale?

Just thought of something. Does Cleveland picking up Giolito, Moore & Lopez now make them Guardian Angels?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Which brings up a question I had in my mind this week: Which is the worst managed baseball franchise right now?

W-Sox?
Tigers?
A's?
Royals?
Pirates?
Rockies?
Angels?
Mets?

So many to choose from.

Is actual poverty not different from "can't build a ******* team"? So it's probably not the Pirates or Royals. Although that Archer trade is still haunting the Buccos, I bet. Tyler Glasnow, Shane Baz, and Austin Meadows, whom the Rays flipped for Isaac Paredes, for a fake-antique bowl that was not packed carefully enough before delivery and arrived in pieces. Woof.

The Mets meanwhile are pioneering the Mastercard rebuild on Uncle Steve's credit line. It has yet to be seen whether that works better than buying pitchers for $200M that are also a combined 400 years old. Noteworthy enough, we got only ONE pitching prospect from the yard sale in July, and that would have been what we would have needed most, so they're gonna go right back to the free agent market this winter....

...or whether MLB slaps a new rule on that, that you can't retain more than X (hard amount or %) of a player's salary in a trade/dump to prevent something like this in the future because it's hardly competitive balance when Uncle Steve can rebuild the Mets with his good name at the bank, and the Royals can't afford to drop Greinke, who has a six-foot fork sticking out his back.

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Just thought of something. Does Cleveland picking up Giolito, Moore & Lopez now make them Guardian Angels?

Where did that like button go?

[Cobra Mgr]

Ronald Acuna had a somewhat eventful day.