MLB 2023-24 Off season thread

[rudel.dietrich]

This whole uniform saga the last few days has been very entertaining but also very embarrassing for MLB

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

This whole uniform saga the last few days has been very entertaining but also very embarrassing for MLB

Transparent uniforms? Youch.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Transparent uniforms? Youch.

Just the overall cheapness in every aspect of the uniforms.

Nike is taking a lot of flak over these uniforms, but I do not mind the designs much.

But Fanatics has been called out time and time again for over a decade of selling cheap overpriced garbage to customers.
I cannot believe that they were used to actual make in game uniforms.

People will always complain about the design and will never agree on that.
But the cheap and shoddy construction of the actual uniform itself just make the sport overall look bad.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

This whole uniform saga the last few days has been very entertaining but also very embarrassing for MLB

I really want to see someone wear garish compression pants under those thin ass pants. That would be so funny…

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I really want to see someone wear garish compression pants under those thin ass pants. That would be so funny…

If I was a player, I would be wearing something under them. We are in danger of seeing a lot of genitalia this season.

MLB may be TV-MA viewing

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

If I was a player, I would be wearing something under them. We are in danger of seeing a lot of genitalia this season.

I wonder what Jordany Valdespin is up to these days...

[Westheim]

It's happening! I am putting on MLB TV for the first time in four months!

Basebaaaaaaaall!!!

It will be like every spring training. A rush for a week, interesting for two, and then "is it Opening Day yet??" after that.

[Boomcoach]

I am still hoping I can actually watch some Reds games this year. Bally/Diamond is still wandering around out there causing problems.

[dsvitak]

Cubs Manager wants a sixth starter...

https://www.si.com/mlb/cubs/news/chi...-pitcher-matt9

Sure. All six starters get 27 starts.

Instead of taking advantage of days off, with five starters, you will dilute the hell out of your rotation.

I would go with four starters, now that they're only pitching five innings a start, and spot start a fifth guy when you have a stretch with no days off. No reason, AT ALL, that an MLB starter can't throw 200 innings a year.

36 starts times six innings per is 196 innings. Have two other pitchers than can spot start, or if the starters are in good shape, go long relief. That's the way baseball was played for decades. 4-5 starters, 1-3 long relievers, the rest true relievers, with one set up man, and one closer.

[dsvitak]

It looks like baseball is going the way of cricket..with a big ol' bunch of bowlers rotating in and out. 13 guys pitching two innings, every third day.

I see the stats..that teams generally crush pitchers the third time they see them. Is this the way baseball is going? Sure seems like it.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

I just don't see how Bellinger is not worth say a 1 year deal at like 25 million
Or two years at 40 million overall and you can make next year a team option with a 5 million buyout.

In no other sport would these two guys still be sitting there as the pre-season began.

But 1/3 of the league has zero interest in competing it seems.

Well, this is kind of what happened.

3 years and 80 million in total. With opt-outs after both year one and year two.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Cubs Manager wants a sixth starter...

https://www.si.com/mlb/cubs/news/chi...-pitcher-matt9

Sure. All six starters get 27 starts.

Instead of taking advantage of days off, with five starters, you will dilute the hell out of your rotation.

I would go with four starters, now that they're only pitching five innings a start, and spot start a fifth guy when you have a stretch with no days off. No reason, AT ALL, that an MLB starter can't throw 200 innings a year.

36 starts times six innings per is 196 innings. Have two other pitchers than can spot start, or if the starters are in good shape, go long relief. That's the way baseball was played for decades. 4-5 starters, 1-3 long relievers, the rest true relievers, with one set up man, and one closer.

This is all well and good but even if you don't want to run with a 6 man rotation you need more than 5 starters. Nobody is lucky enough to have 5 and only 5 guys start for them all year. More often than that, even in a 5 man rotation the last 2 guys on Opening Day are very often not the last 2 guys at the end of the season. Even the 104 win Braves last year had 3 guys start 30, 2 guys start more than 10 (14 and 11 apiece) and a whole bunch of guys coming in and out during the season thanks to injury, trying out new blood, or just plain effectiveness.

I'm not a maaaassive fan of the 6 man rotation - I think managers do a lot of things to try and keep pitcher injuries low and I don't think a lot of them work all that well - but even if you run a 5 man or even a 4 man (which, that ship has sailed but OK), you're going to need a good 8 or 9 starters for depth at the very least.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Well, this is kind of what happened.

3 years and 80 million in total. With opt-outs after both year one and year two.

I like that Belli is signed and will be playing, because I like him as a player and good dude. I also love that Boras had to settle for less than half of what he was asking, and it's still not a bad deal for Bellinger given that $80m is real money, and the opt-outs give him some options...

[monkeyman576]

Anthony Rendon signing a $200M contract, then having 3 straight seasons under 1.0 WAR and saying baseball "isn't his top priority", isn't helping players like Cody Bellinger.

[rudel.dietrich]

Both players have been pretty wrecked by injuries.

Bellingers shoulder was in pretty bad shape. And last year it was back where it was pre-injury, and he had a pretty great season.

[monkeyman576]

Bellinger at least had a WAR over 4 last year though. I am pretty surprised Bellinger got $30M a year though.

[Syd Thrift]

Looking at it, it appears that Belli wanted something in the neighborhood of $250M and the fact that everyone in the league except the Cubs noped out of something that large means that Chicago was able to give him a pillow contract that's basically 2 years, $60M unless he's awful or gets hurt again. He's still getting paid like a 3-win player so the Cubbies better hope that the K rate that got lowered by almost half last year and the .319 BABIP both come back, but at the same time this isn't the Rays we're talking about: Chicago can handle paying a 1-win guy $30M a year should he regress.

And if of course he is this guy, my guess is he takes the first opt-in but there's just no way, again barring injury or collapse, he's in on $20M if he's still a 4 win player in 2 years.

Happy to see Belli or really just about anybody get the bag. This could be the biggest contract of his life or it could be the precursor to one of those old fashioned massive ones where you pay on the backend for frontend production. Looking at the deal itself I'm less of the "whew, 29 other teams dodged a bullet" opinion I came in with (although by and large I still think free agency is a sucker's game unless you're a piece or two away).

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

This is all well and good but even if you don't want to run with a 6 man rotation you need more than 5 starters. Nobody is lucky enough to have 5 and only 5 guys start for them all year. More often than that, even in a 5 man rotation the last 2 guys on Opening Day are very often not the last 2 guys at the end of the season. Even the 104 win Braves last year had 3 guys start 30, 2 guys start more than 10 (14 and 11 apiece) and a whole bunch of guys coming in and out during the season thanks to injury, trying out new blood, or just plain effectiveness.

I'm not a maaaassive fan of the 6 man rotation - I think managers do a lot of things to try and keep pitcher injuries low and I don't think a lot of them work all that well - but even if you run a 5 man or even a 4 man (which, that ship has sailed but OK), you're going to need a good 8 or 9 starters for depth at the very least.

I don't disagree with you at all.

I would have five starters, and two "long" relievers, that can give you five innings when you need them.

[Cobra Mgr]

Angel Hernandez is in Opening Day shape.

[Amazin69]

Well, Angel was completely correct.

(Now there's a sentence you don't see every day!)

Once a player is ejected from the game, they must leave the field AND adjacent areas. Lynn can't get some extra throwing in the bullpen, any more than Bobby Valentine can sit on the bench wearing a fake nose and glasses.

That said, I have no idea why Angel is ejecting players from spring training games. It's an exhibition, doofus. You're within your rights to say "Shut it, Lance. If this was the regular season, I'd run your ass out of here", since the reason for ejecting mouthy pitchers (they might intimidate umpires and gain a competitive advantage) do not apply to a non-competitive exhibition. It's the same reason you let teams agree to a tie after 9 innings, whereas in the regular season, you play to a decision.

(Or decide the winner based on a game of ping-pong, or whatever monstrosity Manfred has turned extra innings into by now.)