Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Here's the new thread for the 2014 season!

Because it's Jan 9th and pitchers and catchers report in about 5 weeks.  :)

Happy to see Maddux and Glavine make it in with their manager...and nice to see The Big Hurt get in, too.

Was interesting to see Piazza's relatively small bump.  It's going to be a tough climb.  I expected a bigger jump in his 2nd year.

Biggio was OH so close!

Next years 1st years are not particularly strong...so I'm think Biggio will likely get in next year.

aren't Pedro, Randy Johnson, and John Smoltz eligible next year? That's pretty strong, no? Also saw Nomar on the list. Wonder what kind of support he'll get. Not much I'd imagine. He sort of had a Don Mattingly like career. Really good, just not lengthy enough. Plus, he played in the PED era and while he wasn't on any of the lists, we've all seen that SI cover with a shirtless Nomar.

Pedro and Randy definitely would get my vote first ballot. I think Smoltz gets in too i'm just not sure if he'll make it first ballot. He was a good starter but not great. I think he was actually a better closer. I do still remember that world series game against the Yankees where Pettitte beat him 1-0 with 8 shutout innings.

Of those three, I think only Johnson is a 1st ballot guy, and probably not a 97% or 98% first ballot guy.  Pedro is second or third ballot, Smoltz probably the same...maybe even a bit later.  My evaluation of "strength" was more in terms of captured votes. 

Given Biggio was only 2 votes short, I think those 2 votes are easily gotten.

Pedro was the greatest pitcher of his generation, in the steroid era no less. If he's not 1st ballot, I don't know who is. I'd hate to think he'd lose votes because he didn't pitch long enough. If you (proverbially) ever saw Pedro pitch, it was clear he was a HOF. Pedro was a far better pitcher than Glavine. Just because his slight build couldn't hold up long enough for him to get 300 wins shouldn't change that fact. And I realize he was nowhere close to 300, but still, my point remains the same.

^ Agree 100%.  If Glavine is a 1st ballot HOFer, they need a new building for Pedro.

Career duration (17+ years...and some of those were shortened at the end..he basically pitched 11 seasons with 25 starts or more), number of innings pitched (under 3000), low number of wins ("only" 219), duration of "dominance" (about 8 years),  media "unfriendliness" and other intangibles....He's going to get in, but I don't think it will be on the first ballot.  There are too many detractions on his resume.

Greatest of his generation?  Depends on how you define what his generation is, I guess.  He was probably the best pitcher over his 5 to 8 year stretch of excellence.

Remember, we're not talking about whether he SHOULD be a first ballot HOFer....we're guessing how the writers will actually vote.  I don't think enough vote for him to give him the "honor" of being a 1st ballot HOF'er.  We'll see next year, I guess.

Pedro:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martipe02.shtml

Glavine:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/glavito02.shtml

Full Career numbers "count" to the writers...that's why you get "compilers" who played for a long time who get in, and guys who had shorter careers, but were better players DURING their career, who don't.

Glavin has almost 100 more wins, 1600 more innings, 275 more games started, and 20 seasons of 25 or more games started. 

Pedro definitely has some "sexier" stats (largely because he didn't walk anyone and he struck guys out a LOT).  But I do think his career duration is going to cost him a year with the writers. It has before...and sometimes more than a year.

Just farting around with numbers:

If you take Glavines best 18 years, to create a career that matches Pedros in duration, you find:

Pedro's ERA is .34 better than Glavines

Glavine has 66 more wins

Glavine starts 200 more games

Glavine pitches 1100 more innings.

Pedro has 500 more strike outs

Glavine gives up about a 1000 more hits, BUT, Pedro has .7856 hits per inning vs Glavine's .810.  Barely a difference.

Interesting stuff to look at.

Glavine's better stats are all longevity-based (including the wins; Pedro won a much higher % of his starts).  Biggest difference is ERA+.  Pedro's was a dominant 154 (i.e., 54% better than his peers), while Glavine's was 118, about above-average.  

Not to say that I disagree with your conclusion that he probably won't get in 1st ballot.  Very little rhyme or reason behind a lot of the votes.

2 things...check the post I just made comparing Glavine's 18 best years vs Pedros.

Second, that's the point.  Longevity has always mattered with the writers....Pedro doesn't have it, and I think it will hurt him just a little bit.  It certainly won't keep him out!  I think it will just take a year (or maybe two) longer for him to get in.]

PS: You could just as easily say that a lot of the reason Pedro's stats are sexier is that he was more of a strike out pitcher, and he didn't walk people, and played for a shorter period of time (which means his "n" is smaller, which is going to make those "dominant" years have a much greater effect on his career numbers).  Granted, a potent combination..... but you see what happened later in his career.    He was still good, but he came back down to earth quite a bit.

To be 100% clear...if I had a vote next year, I'd vote for him.

I just don't think 75% of the writers will feel the same way.  I bet his first year total is around 60-65%.

I bet Randy Johnson's is around 80-85%.

I agree that longevity matters, but that's Glavine's only advantage; everything else is all Pedro, not just the sexy stats, everything.  And it's not like Pedro was a flash in the pan; 18 years is quite a career.

Also, my opinion that Pedro had a better career than Glavine is not about dumping on Glavine because he was on my pretend HOF ballot this year.

I think we can all agree at least that in the end Johnson, Smoltz and Martinez all get in at some point.

i hope you're wrong. There's no way Pedro isn't a 1st ballot HOF. He and Maddux were on one level, along with Randy Johnson I suppose. Glavine was a step below them.

A-Rod has been suspended for the 2014 season plus postseason:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-rodriguez-suspended-from-baseball-for-2014-season/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-rodriguez-suspended-from-baseball-for-2014-season/)

For anyone wondering...I'm on vacation with the family for the next week. Hopefully, the arod stuff will have worked itself out by then. I doubt it...but hopefully. :)

I'd be shocked if it did.

I would be absolutely shocked if Pedro, Johnson and Smoltz all didn't go in first ballot next year.

60 Minutes is doing a segment on the ARod story tonight, should be interesting.

The union was not too pleased with it, here's part of their statement:

"It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator's decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile on against Alex Rodriguez. It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed panel arbitrator will himself be appearing in the '60 Minutes' segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB's principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB's blessing.

"MLB's post-decision rush to the media is inconsistent with our collectively bargained arbitration process, in general, as well as the confidentiality and credibility of the Joint Drug Agreement, in particular. After learning of tonight's '60 Minutes' segment, players have expressed anger over, among other things, MLB's inability to let the result of yesterday's decision speak for itself. As a result, the Players Association is considering all legal options available to remedy any breaches committed by MLB."

Now ARod is suing the MLBPA and MLB looking for an overturn.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24408397

I personally wish that MLB had banned A-hole for life. He is the epitome of a world class jerk who has lied and cheated his way to fortune at the expense of the game. I hope he not only sits out 2014 but then is cut by the Yankees and never plays again. His fate is sealed, he will not make the HOF and will go down in history as one of the most disliked  and disrespected athletes of all time. And I could not be happier.

He's grasping at straws. He has no chance of overturning this.

Not much chance of ever playing again either.

Not in MLB anyway.

Overturning?

No. Zero chance.  Because no judge is going to overrule the arbitration portion of the MLB/MLBPA Collective Bargaining agreement.  Just like they wouldn't do the same with the NFL during "bounty-gate".

Getting another arbitration hearing during which Selig (and anyone else Arod wants to testify so he can mount a strong defense) is forced to testify, and in front of a new, independantly agreed upon (by MLB, MLBPA, and Arods attorneys) arbitrator?  And getting an injunction against having to serve a day of his suspension until that happens?

Maybe 30%.  Higher if they can somehow wrangle a sympathetic judge who wants to get himself/herself into the limelight.

And getting an injunction against having to serve a day of his suspension until that happens?

Maybe 10%.

But not ZERO percent, which is why he's doing it.

I also think you're all mistaken if you actually think this is the end of him in MLB.  The Yanks cannot void his contract.  I suspect He will be on their 40 man roster....or SOMEONE'S 40 man roster, until the day that contract ends.  They still owe him SOOO much money.   I can't see any likely scenario where they pay him the rest of his contract, in it's entirety, to go away and hide.....even if he sucks.  If they release him...they can't pay that off over the rest of the contracts duration.  They have to pay it...every cent of it...the day they release him...unless they negotiate otherwise with him.  And why would he let them?

No, you'll see him in MLB again.  Maybe not as a PRODUCTIVE player, but as a player (even if on the bench), all the same.

Which only further highlights the utter absurdity of this ridiculous contract your beloved Yanks signed with this clown.

Obviously nothing is impossible but this is as about as close to it as you can get. The bounty gate was a completely different situation. A-Rod took illegal steroids over several years, tried to tamper with an investigation and destroy evidence etc. All of which are crimes. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.

If he doesn't play this year and i highly doubt he will i believe they owe him 61 million. If it were me i'd cut him and pay the 61 million just to get rid of the trash.

A-Rod's attorney has called out Alex's good friend David Ortiz as a steroid user. Well, he didn't use his name, but it's pretty obvious who he's referring to. Nobody is safe, Alex's back is against the wall and he's willing to take anyone and everyone down with him. Stay classy!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/01/14/rodriguez-attorney-points-finger-ortiz/kboOBqyDMGCa3MsQjXWIlI/story.html

If I were forced to bet on it, that's what I think the team will do.  Don't think that's ever happened before at anything near that price, but first time for everything, right?

Kershaw gets 215 over 7 from the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are aware pitchers tend to break and miss a year and a half at some point, right?

Hell, somebody woulda given that and more if he'd hit the market so anyway.

There maybe an opt out clause in his year 30 as well, wow.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/15/30-million-man-clayton-kershaw-and-the-dodgers-agree-to-a-seven-year-215-million-deal/

These contracts are going to be the norm from here on out for top tier players.  Players' percentage of revenues has been sliding for years (63% in 2003 to 42% in 2013... funny how the supposedly strongest union in sports gets its players the smallest piece of the pie).  I think we're going to start seeing a correction of that. 

No arguments there.  Not then. Not now.

But it doesn't change the fact that.....they did sign it.

It's one of the reasons I was not all that sad to see Cano go, considering the contract Seattle offered him.

It's not so different than bountygate, actually.  The reason for the suit is decidedly similar:  A tainted arbitration/appeal process. The specifics are different....sure.

Criminal activity has nothing to do with it, really.  Because MLB isn't the court system. They have no power of prosecution.  He allegedly broke rules and was suspended for it.  How much and to what extent is the point of the process.  He's saying the process is tainted.  We'll see if the courts agree.  They DID agree in somewhat similar situation with the NFL, and, the Collective Bargaining Agreement lays out that the player is allowed to call any witness pertinent to their defense.  All Arod has to do is prove that Selig's testimony would be pertinent to his defense.  NOT THAT it would prove him innocent...just that it COULD be integral. 

Oh, and FYI:  even if he did tamper with MLB's investigation, and destroy evidence...it's not illegal.  MLB has no power of supeona or investigation.  It is NOT a crime of any kind to tamper with their efforts. Period.   

As for his steroid taking..yes, it's a crime if he did it.  But the fed would almost certainly never prosecute based purely off Bosh's testimony and no physical evidence or positive testing.  And the court isn't going to consider it in their determination because it's prejudicial, and, no matter what MLB's findings are, they don't fulfill the burden of proof in a court of law.

In salary.

If you cut him you have to pay every single bonus and milestone remaining, as well, since you're depriving him of the ability to meet them.

Full contract value, with bonuses, would be just north of 73 million.  Remember, there was a couple of BIG bonuses attached to the HR milestones.

So, they can cut him and pay him 73 million in a lump sum.

Or they can keep him, bench him, and pay him 61 million over the remaining term.

Sorry, I would be SHOCKED if they cut him and took that hit.  They'd be even stupider than they were when signing the contract in the first place.

Same here.

Like it or not, I fully expect ARod to be a part of the Yankees in 2015.

That's a BIG annual salary.  The term is good...but 30.7 million per?  Yowza, that's a lot of money.  I agree, per annums are due to slide up a bit...but I'm not sure about THAT much.  Kershaw is worth a big contract, though....

The numbers are beyond comprehension, no doubt.

But so are league revenues these days.  In 2008, when Sabathia signed for 7 years at $23M per, league revenues were $6.5B.  For 2013, they will exceed $8B.  So, in that respect, the $30.7M that Kershaw is getting is relatively comparable from a % increase standpoint. 

That's a good point, I didn't consider the milestone money.  Still, I just have a hard time seeing the Yankees wasting a roster spot like that.  Him stewing on the bench... talk about distractions, seems like a clubhouse disaster.

No doubt about it.

I think the contract works for both sides, the AAV's nuts but the years/total $ aren't and the opt out after year 5 is great for the player.

The Kershaw breakdown per Heyman:

22M in '14 (18M sign bonus, 4M sal), 30M in '15, 32M in '16, 33M in '17 & '18, 32M in '19. 33M in '20

How would you like to be Mike Trout about now?

The dodgers have kinda given themselves an out with Kershaw. I believe i read on twitter that there's an out clause after 5 years.

It's a player opt out so it gives Kershaw a chance to hit the open market after year 5 and his year 30 season.

No matter what they do it's a disaster. Either a catastrophic financial one, or a personnel one.

If you are the yanks, you can try to  bench him and hope his pride hurts enough to negotiate a settlement of release. With Alex...I just don't think that happens. He wants every penny of that contract possible.

We will see. There are zero good options, but paying him over time to do nothing is better than paying him a lump sum to do the same. No roster spot is worth 70+ million. I mean....the yanks had Vernon Wells in a roster spot this year. Hard to imagine Alex is much less productive than he was....and even if he is, it proves the yanks can survive a wasted spot on the 25 man roster.

Now that we know expanded replay is definitely happening. What's everyone think of the specifics on how it will work?

It's a start.

I suspect it'll have growing pains that'll need tweaking along the way and what we see this year isn't what we'll see moving ahead.

Get ready for 3 hour and 30 minute games every fucking night.

But in principle I think the idea is long overdue. We'll see how it goes.

I like that challenges are not limited to 7th inning onward as was originally discussed.

Yeah i like that you get one before the 7th and if your successful you get another in the 7th on. I also like they are gonna show all the replays on the stadiums video board. So we will see exactly what the umps in New York making the calls will. I also like that from the 7th on the umps themselves can order a review of a play. Obviously there are still going to be calls missed here and there with limited challenges available but its a start.

Major breaking news. Tanaka has agreed to a deal with the Yankees 7 years 155 million. With an opt out after 4 years.

Holy crap, that's a lot of dough for a high mileage import. :o

From Jason Stark:

Tanaka has thrown 1,315 IP in Japan. Only pitchers to do that by age 24 in MLB in last 50 years: Bert Blyleven, Larry Dierker, Frank Tanana

That's pretty damn good company, each had long careers and Blyleven made it to Cooperstown.

Hopefully for the Yankees Tanaka follows suit.

Pretty good article on the current Yankees business model, throwing insane amounts of money to fix any problems when all else fails. It worked for them the last time around, but for the most part excessive free agent spending isn't the most effective way to build a team, long term. When you have the money to cover up mistakes though, I guess it doesn't really matter.

http://nypost.com/2014/01/22/without-tanaka-spending-spree-would-have-been-worthless/

Cool article, I've become a huge Joel Sherman honk - he's great on MLB Network.

Not sure if it'll work this time around, at least they're giving it a shot.

I still they they're looking directly up to the Sox and Rays but who knows really.

It's all going to depend.

IF tanaka is as advertised.

IF cc bounces back.

IF Kuroda pitches like he did in the first half.

IF jeter comes back and is quasi-effective and healthy.

IF they can find ONE more effective infielder ( or Brian Roberts can be healthy and productive).

IF tex can be the player he was prior to his injury (stellar defense, .260 hitter, 30 hr).

They will compete for a playoff spot.

That's a lot of "ifs".

I think they are a good, but flawed, team. Great outfield. Potential for greatness in the rotation. Big questions on the infield and their bullpen.

But....then again...the other al east  teams are all flawed, too.  Red Sox are not as good as they were last year, offensively, yet, but have a solid rotation and bullpen (and are still probably the best team in the al east). Rays have a good rotation front to back, unless they trade price, and a shaky offense and midling bullpen (though the apparent addition of Balfour shores that up some). Neither Baltimore nor Toronto look to be contenders....though Baltimore looks closer.

Like last year, a lot is going to depend on injuries and how things break. People forget the yanks contended for a playoff spot right up til the last few weeks, and led the league for a long time, with a team held together by band aids and duct tape. That speaks, to me, to the relative uncertainty in that division.

MLB.com released their Top 100 prospect list this evening, good stuff if ya follow the farmhands.

All of our teams are represented, some more than others faldor. ;)

The Red Sox have 9 of the Top 100 - wow. :o

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/breaking-down-the-top-100-prospects-list?ymd=20140123&content_id=66929504

1 - Byron Buxton, OF (MIN)

2 - Xander Bogaerts, SS (BOS)

3 - Oscar Taveras, OF (STL)

4 - Miguel Sano, 3B (MIN)

5 - Archie Bradley, RHP (ARI)

6 - Taijuan Walker, RHP (SEA)

7 - Javier Baez, SS (CHC)

8 - Carlos Correa, SS (HOU)

9 - Kris Bryant, 3B (CHC)

10 - Francisco Lindor, SS (CLE)

11 - Noah Syndergaard, RHP (NYM)

12 - Addison Russell, SS (OAK)

13 - Gregory Polanco, OF (PIT)

14 - Jonathan Gray, RHP (COL)

15 - Nick Castellanos, 3B (DET)

16 - Jameson Taillon, RHP (PIT)

17 - Mark Appel, RHP (HOU)

18 - Albert Almora, OF (CHC)

19 - Robert Stephenson, RHP (CIN)

20 - Dylan Bundy, RHP (BAL)

21 - George Springer, OF (HOU)

22 - Travis d'Arnaud, C (NYM)

23 - Aaron Sanchez, RHP (TOR)

24 - Austin Hedges, C (SD)

25 - Kyle Zimmer, RHP (KC)

26 - Maikel Franco, 3B (PHI)

27 - Tyler Glasnow, RHP (PIT)

28 - Alex Meyer, RHP (MIN)

29 - Andrew Heaney, LHP (MIA)

30 - Henry Owens, LHP (BOS)

31 - Kevin Gausman, RHP (BAL)

32 - Kyle Crick, RHP (SF)

33 - Jackie Bradley, OF (BOS)

34 - Corey Seager, SS (LAD)

35 - Yordano Ventura, RHP (KC)

36 - Joc Pederson, OF (LAD)

37 - Billy Hamilton, OF (CIN)

38 - Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS (KC)

39 - Jorge Alfaro, C (TEX)

40 - Kohl Stewart, RHP (MIN)

41 - Eddie Butler, RHP (COL)

42 - C.J. Edwards, RHP (CHC)

43 - Max Fried, LHP (SD)

44 - Lucas Giolito, RHP (WAS)

45 - Austin Meadows, OF (PIT)

46 - Allen Webster, RHP (BOS)

47 - Gary Sanchez, C (NYY)

48 - Clint Frazier, OF (CLE)

49 - Jorge Soler, OF (CHC)

50 - Jonathan Singleton, 1B (HOU)

51 - Colin Moran, 3B (MIA)

52 - Lance McCullers Jr., RHP (HOU)

53 - Jesse Biddle, LHP (PHI)

54 - Mike Foltyniewicz, RHP (HOU)

55 - Marcus Stroman, RHP (TOR)

56 - Jake Odorizzi, RHP (TB)

57 - Garin Cecchini, 3B (BOS)

58 - Kolten Wong, 2B (STL)

59 - Rougned Odor, 2B (TEX)

60 - Lucas Sims, RHP (ATL)

61 - Blake Swihart, C (BOS)

62 - Mookie Betts, 2B (BOS)

63 - Zach Lee, RHP (LAD)

64 - Julio Urias, LHP (LAD)

65 - Jake Marisnick, OF (MIA)

66 - Delino DeShields Jr., OF (HOU)

67 - Alen Hanson, SS (PIT)

68 - Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP (BAL)

69 - A.J. Cole, RHP (WAS)

70 - Erik Johnson, RHP (CWS)

71 - David Dahl, OF (COL)

72 - Michael Choice, OF (TEX)

73 - Trevor Bauer, RHP (CLE)

74 - Josh Bell, OF (PIT)

75 - Mason Williams, OF (NYY)

76 - Luis Sardinas, SS (TEX)

77 - Chris Owings, SS (ARI)

78 - Matt Wisler, RHP (SD)

79 - Braden Shipley, RHP (ARI)

80 - Matt Davidson, 3B (CWS)

81 - Justin Nicolino, LHP (MIA)

82 - Christian Bethancourt, C (ATL)

83 - Jimmy Nelson, RHP (MIL)

84 - Hak-Ju Lee, SS (TB)

85 - Rafael Montero, RHP (NYM)

86 - Matt Barnes, RHP (BOS)

87 - Casey Kelly, RHP (SD)

88 - D.J. Peterson, 3B (SEA)

89 - Arismendy Alcantara, 2B (CHC)

90 - J.O. Berrios, RHP (MIN)

91 - Jorge Bonifacio, OF (KC)

92 - Joey Gallo, 3B (TEX)

93 - Roberto Osuna, RHP (TOR)

94 - Taylor Guerrieri, RHP (TB)

95 - Edwin Escobar, LHP (SF)

96 - Trey Ball, LHP (BOS)

97 - Robbie Ray, LHP (DET)

98 - Stephen Piscotty, OF (STL)

99 - Rosell Herrera, SS (COL)

100 - Pierce Johnson, RHP (CHC)

Not that this will come to any surprise from anyone but Joe Torre will officially go into the HOF as a Yankee. Now the Yankees need to step up and retire his number.You don't keep HOF numbers un retired.

Torre's #6 would be the last available single digit for the Yankees... other than Jeter's #2, which is definitely getting retired. I think Torre deserves the honor, but those single digit Yankee guys are iconic and it doesn't seem that he quite fits in that company.  Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle... Torre?

Beyond the book, is there any reason why they wouldn't?

The sooner the better I hope. :)

I can't think of any.

I don't know that he gets a plaque in monument park...maybe...but his number certainly deserves to be on the wall out in the bleachers section.  Book or no book, pissed off Steinbrenners or not..the guy managed 4 WS championship teams over the course of his time with them.  Not many managers can say that, with any team.

I personally could care less about the book. The man deserves the number up on that wall to never be worn again ever. 4 titles in 5 years and 6 world series appearances in 8. Find me another manager with a record like that without his number retired. I doubt you could. If Hal and Hank are still butt hurt over the book they need to suck it up and do the right thing.

I think he is when you think he won 4 titles in 5 years. Came within 3 outs of 4 in a row and appeared in 6 in 8 years.

I just want to see it happen while he's still alive. He deserves that much. He deserves the chance to run out onto that field wearing his uniform one more time and for all the fans the chance to say thank you.

It'll probably be a crap shoot into late September, I don't think any of the 3 has the ability to run away from the pack too far.

I think the Sox (and Rays to a lesser degree) are much more equipped to upgrade in season though, plenty of high end minor league assets to deal from for whatever they may need along the way.

The Red Sox had a lot of "if's" going into last season, and most of them came up on the positive side, which is extremely rare.  They could easily take a step back and become a 3rd place team, or worse, if some of those "if's" regress the other way.  I'm hopeful their pitching staff is good enough to keep them in contention, and that Jon Lester has truly become the ace that he once seemed destined to be.

Like Falcon said though, the Sox seem to have a much better farm system at this time than the Yanks.  So the Yankees are sort of forced to build their team through free agency, because there's not much help down on the farm.  Meanwhile the Red Sox can get adequate help from cheap, young sources which will allow them to spend in other areas down the road.  A much better business model.  But again, it doesn't really matter if the Yankees are willing to spend to no end, like the Dodgers.

Depends (re: filling holes during the season).

I agree, they are not going to make many "position of strength" type trades, sending a good prospect (or package of prospects) for a good MLB caliber player.  At least, not given what we know about their prospects....though, I'd point out, with the MCCann deal, Sanchez becomes almost expendable in their farm system and he's a top 100 guy.  They also have a glut in their outfield...and Brett Gardner, if he could bring the right player(s) back, could always be moved (though he's due an extension by the end of the year, of will be a FA next year..but they could trade and sign kinda thing), too.

But what they do have (as per usual) is cash.  And there are usually a decent number of teams who are out of contention by the trade deadline, and want to unload a big contract with a year or less remaining...and they just want a team to pay off the rest of the contract.  They're not looking for a rebuilding type package of prospects.  It's becoming more rare, with the second Wild Card, but not impossible.

The Yanks biggest problem is their infield, though...and I don't see a LOT of those guys (bad contract/big money single year remaining infielders on non-competitive teams) around this year. 

It's going to be interesting.  I think they can cobble together a bull pen, especially now that Tanaka is signed...that leaves a couple guys who would have been competing for a starting slot in the rotation to fill out the pen.

But the infield is another story....unless they have a surprise break out from their farm system or a cheap veteran who just catches fire (Help us Brian Roberts...you're our only hope!!).  Basically, what they hoped would happen last year and, really, didn't.....

That's one of their biggest what ifs and maybe their hardest to overcome.

But, ya know...if CC doesn't rebound and Tanaka turns out to be a bust...it won't much matter this year, anyway.

Here's Baseball Propectus' Top 101 Prospect list for 2014:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22670#.Uua3aVIsA68.twitter

Great stuff including updated scouting reports on each.

RIP Ralph Kiner.   :(

http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/02/06/67511554/remembering-7-time-home-run-champion-ralph-kiner

M's signed Fernando Rodney...and look to be on Nelson Cruz.

Neither of those, IMHO, makes them much of a danger in their division...or in any less danger of losing 90+ games this year.

A-Rod has dropped his lawsuit. Hopefully this is the last we hear or see of this piece of crap.

This is just Step 1 on ARod's image rehabilitation plan, Step 2 will be not showing up to spring training and Step 3 will be some sort of public contrition.

Odds are you'll see him in a Yankee uniform spring training 2015.

Almost certainly.

The man could find a cure for cancer and still not rehabilitate his image. He should just disappear.

Phillies sign AJ Burnett.  1 yr, $16M.  Seems a bit high, but only one year so...

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10443905/aj-burnett-agrees-deal-philadelphia-phillies

Jeter has just announced that 2014 will be his final season.

I'm not even sure what to say...

First ballot HOFer, all around stand up guy, and the literal pride of the Yankees.

Sad day for Yankees fans...

I think we all knew this was coming, nice to see him going out on his terms.

A little surprised he's going the farewell tour route, probably more for the fans than any "draw attention to myself" motive though.

With Jeter on the way out, I hope Yankee fans are preparing to hear this in 2015:

"And playing shortstop, Alex Rodriguez"

^
 :hihi: if only.   : ok:

As for Jeter --- great career, iconic player and deserving of all the respect and accolades he gets. 

After 2 hip surgeries?

Not likely.  He will be lucky if he can manage 3rd and not be a mostly full time DH.

Another sad day not just for Yankee fans but fans of baseball. Even if you hate the Yankees you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who doesn't like and respect Jeter. I'm glad he's announcing it now so that the fans can say goodbye. I could see the Yankees retiring his number and giving him his monument before seasons end like Rivera got his number retired. Rivera didn't get a monument Jeter will without question. Next stop for Jeter the HOF on his first ballot in 2019.

Definitely, very similar to Rivera. He did it for the fans as will Jeter.

It was tongue in cheek pilf ;)

But..

You know it's already going through ARod's demented mind.

Now that we know Jeter is retiring at season's end. Where does he rank among the Yankee greats? I think he's right up there with Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig and DiMaggio. If he can pull off one more 200 hit season he will finish his great HOF career fifth all time in hits.

I think he's in the conversation and rightfully so.

I also think Rivera should be in there too, and possibly slotted ahead of Jeter when it's all said and done.

Rivera was pretty much the consensus best at what he did while Jeter is more near the back end of the top 10 all time SS list.

All subject to change on what kind of year he has this year of course.

Agreed with Rivera. There's Rivera and then there's everyone else as far as closers go. I'm really hoping he can have one last stellar season go out really on top and get to the top 5 in hits all time. And i wouldn't put it past him to have a special final year. He just seems to have a flare for the dramatic. Just look at what happened when he got hit 3,000. Couldn't have scripted that better. The ultimate of course would be for him to go out holding the commissioner's trophy in October. Now i have to get to a Rangers game this season when the Yankees are in town. I do not wanna miss seeing him in person one more time and say goodbye. I didn't get to with Rivera since seeing him in a game was hit and miss last season. I think he only made it into one of the games when he was here. Jeter on the other hand i should be guaranteed to see him play.

All you really need to think about with how good and consistent Jeter has been is to realize he's the first yankee to get 3,000 hits. I mean just think about that. The first, not Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio or Mantle did it and at a relatively young age of 37. If Jeter didn't have that injury riddled 2013 season we could be talking about him finishing his career with 3rd most hits.

A 200 hit season would surprise me.  I think if he felt he was still a 200-hit per year player, he would not have made this his last year. 

Love the 30 for 30's.  Here's a "short" 30 for 30 about A-Rod almost coming to Boston.  I remember those days well.  I was torn.  I loved Nomar at the time, and as much of a pain Manny was, he produced on the field.  They also would've had to part with Jon Lester, who has turned out to be a pretty good pitcher.  Coming to Boston along with A-Rod would've been Magglio Ordonez and Brandon McCarthy.  I wonder how different things would've worked out initially.  The way things played out, obviously I have no regrets.  But it's interesting to speculate.

http://grantland.com/features/30-for-30-shorts-the-deal/

Could happen.  But it would seem to be asking a lot for a 39 year old SS, and turns 40 during the season, who barely played last season.  I would hope he could stay relatively healthy through the season.  That's a good starting point.

I think Jeter is at least a top 5 SS.  You've got Honus Wagner, Ernie Banks, Ripken... who else?  At this point, A-Rod has played mostly 3rd base.  Even Ripken and Banks played a bulk of their careers at 3rd.  

Saw this yesterday.  Love stuff like this.  They took the best players at each position for a single season for every MLB team and simulated a full season.  The results were a bit surprising.  Some amazing stats though.  Offense rules the day.

Click on the list of teams to see which players made the cut.  Here are some interesting notes, players who appeared on multiple teams, etc.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24439395/all-time-single-season-series-by-the-numbers

AL regular season results
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24440028/all-time-single-season-teams-the-american-league-simulation

AL regular season stats
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/lg1_lgbatldrs.htm

NL regular season results
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24440059/all-time-single-season-teams-the-national-league-simulation

NL regular season stats
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/lg2_lgbatldrs.htm

Playoff results
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24440046/all-time-single-season-teams-the-simulated-playoffs

A look at some of the teams that get talked about most around here.  Starting with the Red Sox, of course.  : ok:

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24426475/all-time-single-season-team-boston-red-sox

STARTING PITCHERS - 1901 Cy Young, 2000 Pedro Martinez, 1990 Roger Clemens, 1914 Dutch Leonard, 1936 Lefty Grove

RELIEF PITCHERS - 2006 Jonathan Papelbon, 2013 Koji Uehara, 1953 Ellis Kinder

LINEUP

1. Tris Speaker, 1912
2. Wade Boggs, 1987
3. Ted Williams, 1941
4. Carl Yastrzemski, 1970
5. Rico Petrocelli, 1969
6. David Ortiz, 2006
7. Dwight Evans, 1981
8. Carlton Fisk, 1977
9. Dustin Pedroia, 2011

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24427709/all-time-single-season-team-new-york-yankees

STARTING PITCHERS -- 1904 Jack Chesbro, 1937 Lefty Gomez, 1975 Catfish Hunter, 1978 Ron Guidry, 1997 Andy Pettitte

RELIEF PITCHERS -- 1982 Goose Gossage, 1996 Mariano Rivera, 2011 David Robertson

THE LINEUP

    1999 Derek Jeter
    2007 Alex Rodriguez
    1921 Babe Ruth
    1927 Lou Gehrig
    1956 Mickey Mantle
    1961 Roger Maris
    1956 Yogi Berra
    2006 Jason Giambi
    2012 Robinson Cano

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24407993/alltime-singleseason-team-st-louis-cardinals

STARTING PITCHERS - 1968 Bob Gibson, 1985 John Tudor, 1934 Dizzy Dean, 1948 Harry Breechen, 1942 Mort Cooper

RELIEF PITCHERS - 1984 Bruce Sutter; 1975 Al Hrabosky; 2001 Steve Kline

THE LINEUP

1. 1924 Hornsby, 2B
2. 2009 Pujols, 1B
3. 1948 Musial, RF
4. 1937 Medwick, LF
5. 2004 Edmonds, CF
6. 1971 Torre, 3B
7. 2012 Molina, C
8. 1987 Smith, SS

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24434323/all-time-single-season-team-new-york-mets

STARTING PITCHERS - 1971 Tom Seaver, 1985 Dwight Gooden, 1969 Jerry Koosman, 1998 Al Leiter, 2008 Johan Santana

RELIEF PITCHERS - 1999 Armando Benitez, 1983 Jesse Orosco, 2006 Billy Wagner

THE LINEUP

1. 2011 Jose Reyes, SS
2. 2007 David Wright, 3B
3. 2006 Carlos Beltran, CF
4. 1987 Darryl Strawberry, RF
5. 1985 Gary Carter, C
6. 1998 John Olerud, 1B
7. 1969 Cleon Jones, LF
8. 2000 Edgardo Alfonzo, 2B

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24438508/all-time-single-season-team-philadelphia-phillies

STARTING PITCHERS - 1915 Grover Cleveland Alexander, 1972 Steve Carlton, 2010 Roy Halladay, 1953 Robin Roberts, 2011 Cliff Lee

RELIEF PITCHERS - 1950 Jim Konstanty, 1980 Tug McGraw, 2008 Brad Lidge

THE LINEUP

1. Richie Ashburn, 1958
2. Sherry Magee, 1910
3. Chuck Klein, 1932
4. Mike Schmidt, 1981
5. Ryan Howard, 2006
6. Darren Daulton, 1992
7. Chase Utley, 2008
8. Jimmy Rollins, 2007

And I don't think we have any Indians fans on the board, but they tore it up so they deserve a look.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24414720/all-time-single-season-team-cleveland-indians

STARTING PITCHERS -- 1908 Addie Joss, 1918 Stan Coveleski, 1946 Bob Feller, 1968 Luis Tiant, 1972 Gaylord Perry

RELIEF PITCHERS -- 1979 Sid Monge, 1982 Dan Spiller, 1995 Jose Mesa

THE LINEUP

    1912 Shoeless Joe Jackson
    1916 Tris Speaker
    1995 Albert Belle
    2002 Jim Thome
    1953 Al Rosen
    2006 Travis Hafner
    1904 Nap Lajoie
    1948 Lou Boudreau
    1961 John Romano

That's pretty cool.  My nitpick is that Mets' best LF season was 1996 Bernard Gilkey, not 1969 Cleon Jones.  Also, Armando Fucking Benitez in the bullpen over Tug McGraw?  No way. 

Gilkey was the runner up it seems.

LEFT FIELD - Cleon Jones, 1969

The Amazin' Mets won 100 games and the World Series in 1969, and Jones was the best all-around position player. He hit .340/.422/.482 (151 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 12 homers, 75 RBI, 92 runs and 16 stolen bases while flashing good leather in left. He also had a huge NLCS (.429 with two doubles, a homer and four RBI) in a three-game sweep of the Braves.

On career acumen, Kevin McReynolds would have probably gotten the call here while Bernard Gilkey's unlikely 1996 explosion was the runner up here in a single-season judgment. Cliff Floyd and George Foster each had a nice power season and Joel Youngblood's 1979 season was also worth mention either here or in right field.

As for Armando

RELIEF PITCHERS - 1999 Armando Benitez, 1983 Jesse Orosco, 2006 Billy Wagner

Benitez holds the single-season franchise record in saves (43), but his best effort -- rather easily -- came in '99 when he wasn't even the closer until around mid-June. He posted 17 holds and 22 saves against six blown saves with a 1.85 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a whopping 128 strikeouts in 78 innings. Opposing hitters managed just a .148/.260/.236 line against him.

Orosco is our ironman reliever, one like we've seen pop up on several teams. He worked 110 innings that season while winning 13 games and saving 17. He had a 1.47 ERA (229 ERA+) with a 1.04 WHIP. Perhaps the best illustration of his value is that he finished third in NL Cy Young voting that season despite not being predominantly used as a closer.

In terms of the ironman role, Orosco barely nudged out a few seasons from Tug McGraw.

In Wagner's first season with the Mets, he was outstanding, saving 40 games in 45 chances with a 2.24 ERA (196 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings.

Others who a worth a mention: Randy Myers, Rick Aguilera, Skip Lockwood, Francisco Rodriguez and Braden Looper.

[NOTE: John Franco was the first guy who missed out. Had I gone to four, he would've been on it. And then I forgot to list his name as others considered initially. My bad.]

Arky Vaughn, Ozzie Smith, Barry Larkin, Alan Trammel, Luke Appling are all in the mix.

The rub on Jeter is defense - he's nowhere in the neighborhood of Smith, Larkin or Trammel and it's not even close. 

If you're going on offense alone, I think Jeter is Top 5 easy. 

My only gripe:

They decide to "go back" before Cleveland was the Indians (For Nap, as a Nap).

But they don't go back to Boston's Americans days, or the Yankees Highlanders days.

I know Advanced Defensive metrics say Jeter has always been a mediocre (and, in most cases, terrible) defensive shortstop.  I don't buy it.

I've watched the guy for 20 years...seen most of the games he's played....and I don't see it.  They say his range has always been terrible....but they fail to metric in his lack of errors. It's one of the things I hate about UZR and even, to some extent, defesnive WAR. 

I know you're all going to cry "cop out" or "bias", but his "terrible" defensive reputation for his career, to me, doesn't pass the eye test.  In his younger days, he routinely made spectacular defensive plays and throws. He has been as sure handed as any shortstop in history.  And his ability to start double plays is almost unprecedented.  Jeter TODAY?  Sure, but then....name me a 37+ year old shortstop who's defense HASN'T been "terrible".

I also submit that his "limited" range to his left is, at least in part, indicative of having the benefit of playing with STRONG defensive (Soriano excluded) 2nd baseman through most of his career.  Again, something UZR fails to consider.

To me, Jeter is number 4 on the list.  That being said, Wagner is number 1 by such a wide margin...nobody else is remotely close.

FYI: Banks doesn't make my list because he played more than half his career at 1B. 

1) Wagner 2)Ripken 3)Appling 4)Jeter

Not quite offense alone, but I would put a premium on bat over glove. I think over the course of a season, a good bat wins more games than a good glove, though granted SS is an especially important defensive position.  And while Jeter did not have the glove of the guys you mentioned, he was an above-average fielder for most of his career (despite his detractors often saying otherwise).  

I agree. It would surprise me too, but watching him for 20 years i've learned to put nothing past him.

I still remember that incredible play Jeter made in the playoffs years back when he went deep into the hole got the ball jumped made the throw and got the runner at first. I can't remember when it was exactly. I'm sure you guys remember the play i'm referring to though. Bad defenders do not make plays like that.

Many bad defenders have made great plays along the way.

And I don't classify Jeter as "bad", I fall in more with an average defender who had a flare for the occasional spectacular play.

Or "the flip" vs the Oakland a's in the 2000 alds.

He def has a flair for the dramatic, and I've always felt he excels at the things the defensive saber metrics devalue (or don't value). He makes every routine play look easy. He never makes errors. He has great field sense. He has great anticipation. He hustles every play. He has a strong arm, in general. Again, I mean this in accessing his career.

Really, the defensive metrics hammer him mostly on his range to his left. And it's not that thse plays don't get made...it's that he doesn't make them.

I don't think he's Ozzie Smith....but I'd grade him above average, who seems to almost always excel in the big moment. The advanced saber metrics make him look like he stumbles over his own feet every other inning...

But then...excelling in the big moment is what he does best, on both sides.

That flip play i put up there with his best ever. It was simply incredible. I'd never seen anyone make a play like that before. I'm not sure we'll ever see someone do something like that again.

Hey guys, check out Skinny CC Sabathia:

http://deadspin.com/cc-sabathia-is-skinny-now-and-its-weird-1522399837

I'm SURE this is going to help him increase his velocity back up..... :P

Seriously, we'll see.  But there was already enough speculation that his weight loss was, in part, to blame for his decrease in velocity.  I don't see this helping.

Maybe his weight is some part of it but i think just simply aging is the bigger reason. If he's gonna be effective he's going to have stop trying to be a power pitcher and become more of a control pitcher. Every aging power pitcher goes through it. Its just a matter of can he adapt and change.

Agree, 100%.

My point is more that the New York media pushed the theory last year, and this isn't going to help.

Because I doubt cc is going to find 95 again, any time soon. Wether he's 240 or 310....

I have faith he can adapt and become a finesse and control pitcher that can pitch to the corners to compensate for the lower velocity.

You know i have to admit selfishly that i wish Rivera would play one more year so that he and Jeter could now go into the HOF.

Dempster announces he will not pitch in 2014:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140216&content_id=67833240&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos&partnerId=ed-7914486-653540143

I know it was looking like he was going to be the odd man out, come the end of camp...but still...I think this is a "big deal" for the Sox. 

could be. But I think it'll be a bigger deal off the field than on the field. He was, by all accounts beloved by all of his teammates and kept everyone loose with his humor and carefree attitude. That sort of stuff can get overlooked but it can be real important to team chemistry. He was a huge part in the complete turnaround in culture last season.

On the field, it hurts their depth a bit. It's always good to have a veteran presence in your back pocket in case an injury arises with another starter, and that's pretty much inevitable. But the Red Sox have 4 capable young arms of filling that void.

If any of you guys are bored today, here's a nice statistical analysis on 'Hustle', using Jeter and Cano as the subjects.

http://regressing.deadspin.com/quantifying-robinson-canos-lack-of-hustle-does-it-act-1525478158/@kylenw

Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list was released tonight, here it is:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-baseball-america-top-100-prospects-free/

The Yanks just gave Brett Gardner 52 million for 4 years.

They now have over 200 million dollars invested in guys on the wrong side of 30 whose main asset is their legs.

 ???

Apparently the Angels and Trout maybe close to a 5-6 year deal worth 150-160.

It also looks like the Cards Jaime Garcia surgically repaired shoulder is acting up, back to STL for an MRI tomorrow.

Speaking of  ??? contracts, the Cards extending him in 2011 for 4 years at 27.5 was goofy then, it's beyond goofy in hindsight as well.

He's only 31 so its not terrible. Not great but not terrible. I'd have a bigger problem with it if it were until his late 30s. By then he'd definitely would have lost a step. By 35? Maybe not.

only 5-6 surprises me. With how young he is if there's anyone you could give an 8-10 year deal to it would be him.

I actually think Gardner's deal is OK, it's more of a reflection on how far overboard the Ellsbury contract was - they're basically the same player.

It appears the Trout camp wants to keep it 5-6 so he can hit free agency in his age 27-28 season.

Someone will undoubtedly give him 8-10 years at God knows what then.

Great for Trout, not so great for the Angels if it does happen.

Huge AAV overpay probability during his arbitration years while only buying out 2 years of free agency, not the smartest business move it would seem.

Angels are either gonna get screwed big time or have to overpay an insane amount if that happens.

While the Angels are overpaying Trout for his arbitration years, they'll be way underpaying him in his free agent years.  By the time Trout hits free agency, assuming he continues this level of play, I think he would be a $40M per year player, so the $25M they'll be paying him is a bargain.  That difference is about the same difference in the $25M and what he would average out through arbitration (about $10M per year). 

Baseball Prospectus released their organizational rankings, always a great read:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22906

Was surprised to see the Mets in the Top 10.  Since Alderson and co. took over (4 years already), none of their 1st round picks have rated well based on their minor league performances.  To his credit, his 2 big trades (Beltran and Dickey) have yielded some nice talent (Wheeler, Syndergaard, D'Arnaud). 

We're about a week into spring training games, any youngsters on our teams of interest making in early noise good or bad?

A couple in Cards camp impressing are power hitting OF Randall Grichuk (came over in the Freese deal w/ Angels) and LHP Tim Cooney.  Grichuk could force his way onto the team as an extra man if he continues to play well.  Cooney will start in Memphis but will see STL at some point in '14 if the opportunity arises.

On the not so good, 2B Kolten Wong (generally considered the best 2B prospect in baseball) has had a rough spring thus far and may not be ready for prime time as hoped.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Mark Ellis breaks camp as the Cards starting 2B..

^ Noah Syndergaard looked good in his spring training debut yesterday, throwing 2 scoreless and dialing it up to 98 a few times.  He's projected to be an early summer call-up this season.

Per Ken Rosenthal, the Cards are on the verge of extending All Star Matt Carpenter.

Carpenter led the NL in hits, runs and doubles last year.

Numbers are around 6 years in the 50-55 mil range.

The deal buys out 2 years of FA and will take Carpenter through his age 32 season.

A good deal for both sides on the surface, Carpenter gets security and the Cards tie up a core player for his prime years.

Cards sign Cuban infielder Diaz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cards-sign-cuban-infielder-diaz/article_fb69fbbe-be6f-5e54-b585-fe5bae2b0570.html

VIERA, Fla. ? It didn't happen as swiftly as both sides expected after the Cardinals had the Cuban infielder over to their complex in Jupiter, Fla., for a private workout.

But it did happen.

The Cardinals have agreed to terms on a four-year, major-league deal with shortstop Aledmys Diaz, a Cuban who defected from the country and had to wait out a years suspension before being eligible as a free agent. The team announced the deal Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals scouted Diaz several times, and they invited him to the Roger Dean Stadium complex earlier this spring to get their coaches and front office officials a look at the 6-foot-1, 195-pound righthanded-hitting infielder.

He will report to spring training on Monday and join the team.

He is the 40th member of the team's 40-man roster.

Financial contract details were not immediately known.

Whatever the final numbers it will be the biggest contract the Cardinals have ever given to an international player, free agent or amateur.

At the time of his workout for the Cardinals, there was a sense that his market would be anywhere from $15 million to $20 million for the total value of his contract. The New York Yankees also had a private workout with Diaz and reports surfaced soon after that they would not make an offer to the infielder, who has the potential for a potent bat.

Diaz could play shortstop, second base, or third base. An NL scout said earlier this spring after seeing Diaz that his bat has the potential to play at any of the positions, and that his ability to stick at shortstop had a greater likelihood than some of the other Cuban infielders chances of being offensive threats.

Diaz, 23, hit .315 with 12 home runs in last professional season with Cuba. He has not played a game in 18 months.

Mozeliak called the signing "a significant benchmark" for the team as it looked to expand its presence in markets outside of the United States and Latin America and into what Mozeliak called "emerging markets" like Cuba and Asia.

Check back throughout the day here for updates on Diaz.

It looks like the Yankees are finally seeing the Pinaeda they thought they had a few years back. He has looked sharp so far this spring. The only thing is do they want to give the no.5 spot to a guy they know they have to keep on an innings limit for this season. I personally think he's earned the spot with how well he has pitched.

Every team needs pitching depth because injuries are inevitable. I think I can only remember one season when the Red Sox had their 5 starters avoid DL trips. So Pineada should get the nod with the full anticipation that he may spend some time on the DL this season. Yanks have a lot of potential with their starting pitching, but also filled with questions. Can CC bounce back? He's older, but lighter. Will Kuroda regress? He's been their most consistent pitcher the last few years, but he's pushing 40. Tanaka. Is he the real deal. Is he Darvish? Dice K? Somewhere in between? Can Nova show some consistency? If all those are answered affirmatively they'll be a definite factor. If not, it could be another long season. I think they'll be a better team than last year, but not good enough to make the playoffs. I still think the Sox and Rays are better than them. I expect a bit of regression for Boston. They will miss Ellsbury. Jackie Bradley Jr. still doesn't look ready. Grady Sizemore does, but even if he's healthy (a big if), he can't be counted on to play every day after missing the last 2 years. I think Tampa is the best team in the division. Great pitching, decent offense. Their bullpen should be improved. They're my pick to win the division. Once again though, there's not a weak team in the bunch.

We'll see, he's looked very good so far he's k'd 14 batters. If he does end up on the DL or on some kinda limit the Yankees do have other options for that fifth starter. CC its just a matter of how well he can transition from power pitcher to control pitcher. I am concerned about Kuroda he hasn't had a good spring. I am less concerned about Nova after today. He had his best outing 6.1 innings only 2 hits allowed.

I've been keeping tabs on Pinaeda's progress this spring in hopes he could finally prove my 2 year old proclamation of the Yanks fleecing the M's in that deal correct.

So far so good, Pinaeda's looked healthy and Montero still can't play defense or hit a breaking ball to save his life and has been optioned back to minor league camp. 

The Yankees have to very encouraged by what they've seen so far. Yesterday he was very very good. It is just a matter of what can he give us this season. He is still coming off of major surgery so you don't wanna push it. If he gets through this year without any issues next year he should have no restrictions and be a major part of the rotation.

It's official, Pinaeda is the fifth starter and he earned it.

Alright guys, time for the annual picks:

NL EAST - Nationals
NL CENTRAL - Cards
NL WEST - Dodgers

AL EAST - Rays
AL CENTRAL - Tigers
AL WEST - A's

NL WILD CARDS - Giants, Braves
AL WILD CARDS - Yanks, Red Sox

NL CHAMPS - Nationals
AL CHAMPS - A's

WORLD SERIES CHAMPS - Nationals

Nats for champs? That's pretty bold after the down year they had last year.

I like their pitching and pitching plays in the post season.

Not really that bold considering the Red Sox and how they were in 2012 and their run to a championship last year.

Of course, it could all go straight to hell if Gonzalez and Strasburg go down...

Putting all homerism aside, I damn near went with the Cards - they're loaded and have a shot to bulldoze the NL.

Just not sure how the new parts will fit, a lot of roster churn and youngsters that will have to play as well as they did last year.

NL EAST - Braves
NL CENTRAL - Cards
NL WEST - Dodgers

AL EAST - Red Sox
AL CENTRAL - Tigers
AL WEST - Angels

NL WILD CARDS - Nats, Rockies
AL WILD CARDS - Yanks, A's

NL CHAMPS - Braves
AL CHAMPS - Yanks

I think the AL east race could be VERY tight.  Yanks have a lot of question marks...but I think they'll work themselves out by the end of the season.  I actually think they're a better team than they were last year....but we'll see.

SI's baseball preview out today, same WS prediction as mine

Yikes.

You know you're screwed, now, right?  The SI curse still runs strong.....

NL EAST - Braves
NL CENTRAL - Cards
NL WEST - Dodgers

AL EAST - Rays
AL CENTRAL - Tigers
AL WEST - A's

NL WILD CARDS - Pirates, Mets
AL WILD CARDS - Red Sox, Angels

NL CHAMPS - Braves
AL CHAMPS - A's

WS CHAMPS - Braves

Breaking news out of Detroit. The Tigers and Miguel Cabrerra have agreed to an extension. Its reportedly 8 years and 248 million.

No question about that whatsoever, screwed indeed.

Total deal along with what he's already owed is sounding like 10 years at 292 per the twitter.

Oh to be Mike Trout. :yes:

Holy shit, per Heyman:

"cabrera commitment could reach $352M. there are 2 vesting options, in yrs 11 and 12, at $30M each. #tigers"

Who holds the key to those options?

Somewhere Mike Trout is smiling lol.

They're "vesting" options so I assume it's based on AB's/games played/performance etc.

Forbes release it's franchise valuations for 2014 yesterday, interesting stuff.

http://www.forbes.com/mlb-valuations/

Yanks most valuable, Cards most profitable.

Ahh ok, i could definitely see those options happening.

This is a helluva read (watch the vid too) - an inside look by all involved at the obstruction call that ended Game 3 of last years Word Series

Fascinating stuff.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10647034/mlb-2013-world-series-obstruction-call
 

MLB/MLBPA are about to announce major changes to the JDA. A first offense now will be 80 games. Violate it a second time and your gone a season. The third time you're still gone forever. There will also now be a 25 game ban for inadvertent use. Also, players are not paid for difference between 183 day season or 162 game season. They will also now be ineligible for playoff play and will not get their playoff share. A suspended player will now be subject to 6 additional urine tests a year and 3 additional blood tests. Carbon isotope Ratio mass spectrometry will be performed on at least one specimen per player.

Sounds like Trout's getting 140+ over 6.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/28/report-angels-and-mike-trout-close-to-agreement-on-contract-extension/

I can't even begin to fathom what he'll get when this deal expires - when he's only 28.

No kidding. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes the deal Cabrera just signed look like chunk change.

Mets and Red Sox both lose. Will go 0-162. They should both shut down and trade away everything.  :rofl:

Seriously, watching the post games on sny and nesn, you'd actually think the above was true, and not hyperbole.  Hey guys, it's ONE game!

And boston nearly came back in the 9th!

Sox just couldn't get the clutch hits when they needed them today.  Baltimore looks like they'll have a solid team again.  Good lineup, but the questions begin and end with their pitching as always.  And I have my doubts it'll be good enough.  Again, they have a bunch of #3 starters on their staff, no true ace.  Their bullpen was pretty good today, but on paper it scares no one.  So we'll see how it plays out.

Red Sox look pretty solid on paper.  They will miss Ellsbury out of the leadoff spot.  Their overall team speed will obviously take a big hit.  If he can stay healthy, big IF, Sizemore can fill in admirably but they're taking it slow with him at the start.  Overall their lineup looks pretty solid again, even without Jacoby.  Bogaerts looks so poised in the box, far more mature than his age.  On the flipside, Will Middlebrooks is frustrating for me to watch.  He's got talent, and legit power.  But his overall approach is lacking, and his defense leaves a lot to be desired. 

The Blue Jays off to another disappointing start with Reyes already landing himself back on the DL.  Bad move, for a guy with chronic hamstring and leg issues going to a team that plays of turf

I think the Rays will outlast the rest of the teams in the AL East this year.  They're always there, and they seem to be well balanced.  Pitching is always good, bullpen should be better, and offense is better than it has been in the past. 

I expect the sox to be very good this year.

I just think it was funny the level of panicked outrage that was going on during the pieces of post game coverage I watched for both teams.

Just like the whole "cubs have lost 10 straight opening day games" thing has gotten mentions. It's one game of 162.  No team is going to lose (or win) them all...

Losing games that you're winning in the 9th inning will always trigger all sorts of existential hysteria.  That aside, I thought the team looked pretty solid, other than the bullpen in the late innings.  And it was nice to see Bryce Harper get kicked in the head when he went in too hard to break up a double play. 

It's only one inning but not liking what i'm seeing from Sabathia so far. He's still trying to be that power pitcher with fastball topping 89. Hey thick head you can't challenge hitters at this level with an 89 mph fastball they'll pulverize it every time!

Once he got loose...he topped out around 90.  I think I saw one reading of 91.

He was also victimized by piss poor defense in that first inning.  That should have been a 2 run inning, not a 4.

But, that being said, he still wasn't very good.  Once again, victimized by the bomb (shades of last year).  It's early, and CC is a notoriously slow starter.  I'm not worried,yet.

Having said that, for all the talk of "learning to pitch with the velocity he has"...I didn't see anything different than last year.

Didn't see the game. Was the poor defense in the infield? Many have commented on how bad their infield defense should be this year. Wondering if that's showing early on.

All over. But..the thing is...not from the places you'd think.

Tex had a terrible throw home (which would have certainly beat the runner if it was good).

Girardi made the unexplainable decision to pull the defense in with a guy on third base, 1 out, and with the score 0-0....which meant a hot smash went under jeters glove (not jeters fault).

CC. had a wild pitch (which, IMHO, looked a lot more like a passed ball).

Bobble by Betran in the outfield (the only Error charged in the game) in the 2nd.

Again...I'm not saying CC was effective.  He wasn't.  But after 2, it probably should have been 4-0 (with 3 ER) instead of 6-0 (with 6 ER).

Defense certainly didn't help  for sure.

Exactly and that's what worries me. He seems to still wanna try and be that pitcher who can throw 95 and he's not that anymore. You just can't consistently throw a 90mph fastball by these guys unless you can hit your spots and use off speed pitches more effectively. At least velocity increased a bit. I didn't see the rest of the game. I got disgusted and turned it off.

It was pretty bad. I hope that defense isn't an indication of how its gonna be this season. Otherwise we're in big trouble.

I wish the discussion could be about teams other than the Yankees.  :no:

You start..we'll follow. :)

I'm a baseball fan, and watch a TON of teams.  While I'm certainly a Yanks fan, if you want to talk about other teams, all you have to do is bring them up.   We've had LOTS of discussions, in past years, on LOTS of topics and teams.  But stuff really doesn't heat up until we start to hit June-ish.  Til then..you're really not sure what any team is going to be.  Ex: Does anyone really think the brewers are going to win 120 games (their current pace)?

So far, though, other than the Brewers being amazing, and the Mets not being terrible...I'm not sure there are many other "surprises" going on right now.

A cool feature on Yadier Molina in todays New York Times:

From Behind the Plate, a Dutiful Master Orchestrates the Cardinals
By TYLER KEPNER, NY Times

Baseball on television is nothing like basketball and football. In those sports, the primary camera angle shows most, if not all, of the participants. In baseball, you mostly see just two of the defensive players on every pitch.

What luck, for students of the game, that one of those positions is catcher. Hundreds of times as the Mets host St. Louis this week for four games at Citi Field, the Cardinals? Yadier Molina will face the center-field camera from his crouch behind the plate, offering a view of the master at work.

?He looks like a shortstop behind the plate,? said the Yankees? Brian McCann, a seven-time All-Star catcher. ?He makes it look so easy, and it?s so hard. Every time I play against him, I watch him closely.?

Molina offers a course in advanced catching, a daily seminar on the nuances of the game?s most demanding position. But only he has the answer key.

?The things he does midgame, you?d have to watch him with a pretty educated eye as far as realizing when he does something that has meaning,? said Mike Matheny, the Cardinals? manager and Molina?s predecessor as their starting catcher. ?The other side won?t even know.?

Matheny was speaking in the visiting manager?s office at Miller Park last week before a game against the Brewers. In the second inning that night, starter Shelby Miller, who had walked two already, fell behind Khris Davis, 3-0. Molina called time and marched to the mound.

?My bad,? Miller told Molina. ?I?m going to try to settle down right here.?

Molina did not break his stride. He reached for the rosin bag, tossed it back to the ground and returned to the plate. ?He didn?t say a word,? Miller said later. ?I think he was just giving me a break.?

This was vintage Molina, recognizing danger before it struck. Miller threw a ball with his next pitch, but he struck out the next hitter on three pitches. Molina later told him that he was falling off to the left side in his delivery. Miller realigned his body and cruised to his first win of the season, without another walk.

?I pretty much worship the ground he walks on,? said Miller, who was 15-9 as a rookie last season. ?I know for a fact that I was more of a thrower in the minor leagues. We have a lot of great catchers down there, but once you get to the big-league level, it?s weird because when you feel like you should have more pressure on you, you have less.?

Molina is the reason, Miller said, because of his impeccable pitch selection. Molina often arrives six hours before a game to prepare, but he is a master at improvisation based on clues he reads from his pitchers and opposing hitters.

?I?ve often heard guys say about Yadi, ?Man, I feel like he?s a psychic,? ? said Jonathan Lucroy, the Brewers? catcher. ?He knows what you?re thinking, and he does the exact opposite.?

Miller said he shook off Molina?s signs no more than five times a year. Kevin Siegrist, a Cardinals reliever who made 45 appearances last year, his rookie season, said he had never shaken off Molina. The veteran Adam Wainwright said he and Molina knew each other so well that they sometimes communicated signs by a simple look or shrug ? no fingers necessary.

The factors behind Molina?s pitch selection usually, and understandably, remain a mystery. Molina, who calls every pitch on his own and often sets the defense, would gain nothing by explaining his hundreds of decisions each game. The youngest of three brothers, all major league catchers, Molina said his attention to detail came from a sense of duty.

?My family taught me about that, about being the leader, being there for your teammates and caring about everything during the game, after the game, before the game,? Molina, 31, said by his locker last week. ?Just care about your teammates, care about the game, try to be good each day. That?s the way I do my part.?

When he entered the majors in 2004, Molina said, he cared so much about defense and helping the pitchers that he did not have time to concentrate properly on his offense. In 2006 ? the year his Game 7 homer in the National League Championship Series devastated the Mets ? he hit just .216 in the regular season. He constantly changed his stance and seemed not to trust himself as a hitter.

?Now he knows what type of hitter he is, so he?s kind of a right-field, right-center hitter,? said the Yankees? Carlos Beltran, who played with Molina in St. Louis the last two seasons. ?Now he?s not trying to hit homers, and just by not trying, now he?s hitting homers.?

Molina has hit above .300 in each of the last three seasons, with a high of 22 homers in 2012, and his average this year was .338 through Sunday. Molina can be as cagey at the plate as he is behind it. Pat Neshek, a veteran reliever who signed with the Cardinals in February, said he had seen Molina bait opposing pitchers into thinking he would not swing ? and then surprise them by smacking a hit.

Molina, who entered the majors at 21, said he fell for similar kinds of deception when he was younger, and sometimes still did. ?I?m human,? he said. ?There?s going to be a case when that happens. But right now, I?m faster to get it. You play more games, you get more maturity, and you get smarter.?

Molina said the physical parts of his job were so ingrained that he did not need to think about them. On Friday, he made a rare miscue when he was not able to keep a wild pitch in front of him and his throwing error allowed a second run to score. Teammates, though, say he arrives at the Cardinals? complex at 6 a.m. during spring training to practice blocking drills so pitchers will feel confident throwing breaking balls with a runner on third. He controls the running game with a quick transfer and a strong, accurate arm. He gets borderline strike calls mostly by keeping his glove still.

?Watch the way Yadi receives balls, how soft his hands are,? Wainwright said. ?There?s nothing violent. If he catches a ball that?s below the zone, he?s never pushing it down. He?s always gently receiving it. He?s going to pull it up to the zone ever so slightly, or he?s just going to stick it. And he has those soft hands, so there?s no jerking.

?He sets up his target as wide as he can, puts the target right in the middle of his body, and he doesn?t move. A lot of catchers, you?ll see them give you the target and then drop their glove for a little bit and then pull the target back up. So if you?re a pitcher like me that follows the glove, you?re trying to hit a moving target as opposed to a very still glove, which is a lot easier to do.?

Wainwright, who jumped into Molina?s arms to celebrate the final out of the 2006 World Series, smiled and added, ?Little things.? The accumulation of little things, and a combination of talent, effort and conscientiousness, has made Molina as respected as perhaps any player in the game, referred to with the kind of reverence one might hear for Derek Jeter, or the retired Roy Halladay or Mariano Rivera.

Molina said he was proud of that reputation, even if fans did not always cheer him. Molina has not homered against the Mets since that N.L.C.S. crusher, but the sting of that hit reverberates in the booing he hears at Citi Field. Molina does not care about that. By then, he is working, a master to witness but oblivious to anything but his job.

?It doesn?t bother me,? he said. ?Seriously. Whenever I?m on the field, I?m another guy.?

Nice win for the Mets over the Cards last night, but the next 3 games of the series against Wainwright, Wacha and Lynn could get ugly.

Not even a month has gone by and the Mets are on their 3rd closer of the season, this time Farnsworth (who they cut in spring training). 

They finally pulled the trigger on dumping Ike Davis.  Of course, last night he hit a grand slam on a broken bat swing.  Seriously, if the trade ends up getting him on track, that's great for him, but what a disappointment his Met tenure ended up being. 

Finally, I can't take all these stupid uniform variations any more.  They have now worn 7 different jerseys in the past 7 games.  This has to stop. 

Agree, from top to bottom.

ESPECIALLY the uniform variations.  Terrible.  I get the occasional change/special day, but it's getting to the point where it seems like we've got 50 different uniforms for 162 games.

I admit the ones the the Mets wore last night were pretty awful. My uncle came home from work turned the game on on MLB EI and the first thing he said was how ugly their uniforms were.

On a more important note it looks like surgery is in Ivan Nova's future. He has a partial tear of his UCL.

Congrats to Albert Pujols on home run number 500.

3rd fastest to 500 behind Jimmie Foxx and ARod.

And the best hitter I've ever seen, congrats AP. :)

I got to see it too. I turned back to the Yankees/Sox game on mlb network just in time to see him hit it. They were showing split screen.

Jason Stark breaks down Albert's career thus far, absolutely insane numbers.

He's reached the rarified air of Ruth, Williams and Foxx - not bad.

The .300/.400/500/.600 Club

This is one of my favorite sets of numbers, because it provides us with one of the most exalted group of hitters who ever lived. You need:

?.300 batting average or better.
?.400 on-base percentage or better.
?500 home runs or more.
?.600 slugging percentage or better.

Now here are the three men in history who get to hang out in this clubhouse:
?Ted Williams .344/.482/521/.634
?Babe Ruth .342/.474/714/.690
?Jimmie Foxx .325/.428/534/.609


Read here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/jayson-stark/post/_/id/769/appreciating-albert-pujols

So far hitters against Tanaka in 2 strike counts are 5 for 61. Ouch.

I heard a stat yesterday that seems to clearly indicate how much the Red Sox miss Ellsbury and how much he's helped the Yankees. I've often wondered how a lead off hitter can be so important, when he only really leads off once a game. But a good lead off hitter can provide stability to a lineup, something the Sox have sorely missed this year. They've tried Nava, Gomes, Pedroia, Holt, and Sizemore in the role so far and without much success. Victorino may get a shot when he returns, and he and Middlebrooks should help bolster the lineup a bit. But so far, the offense has been severely lacking. Defense has been bad as well. Pitching was good until recently, but 4 of the last 5 games they've gotten behind big early. Which exemplifies this stat. So far this season, the Red Sox have scored 2 first inning runs. The Yankees have 12. I can't even imagine how badly the Sox have been out scored in the first this year. Not a particularly good trend.

Yep and Ellsbury was responsible for runs right off the bat last night with the lead off triple. I see Nava has been optioned to Triple A. It likely won't get any easier tonight for the Sox against Pinaeda. They need to hope he has his first bad start.

It's early for the Sox.  They had a terrible start last year, too.   

I expect they'll be right in the thick of it this year, too.  If, in June, they're still at or near the bottom of the divison...then worry.  They're in the midst of a KILLER stretch of games in their schedule. Yanks, White Sox, O's, Yanks, Blue Jays, Rays, A's.  Crazy stretch....the only positive being a lot of it is at Fenway.

Though the story of cellar to WS champ to cellar would be a pretty interesting one...I don't think it's very likely to happen.

The tale of 2 Michael's tonight.

Wacha has 9 K's through 3 innings against the Mets. :yes:

Pineda gets tossed for pine tar on his neck after getting away with pine tar on his wrist a start or 2 ago. :rofl:

On a cold night like tonight when its hard to grip the ball i have no issue with pitches using a little. He was just too obvious with it. I'm sure if you were to thoroughly check every pitcher you'd find something more often then not. Its clear Boston pitchers last year were seen using substances as well.

Indeed.

Especially after all the stink the wrist incident caused, you'd think he'd have sense enough to at least try to disguise it.

Very well could get a 10 game suspension ta boot....

Yeah, earlier they were reporting there's an automatic 10 games suspension but it now appears that part of the rule only applies to the minors. At the Major League level they are permitted to give whatever they deem suitable. In recent years two other players ejected for substances were given 10 and 8 games respectively. I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow and i am positive he's going to miss a start at the very least.

Looks like the Mets have gotten to your team again tonight Falcon even after striking out the first 7. Good job by the Mets.

Yep, Cards 9th inning rally fell short damn it.

They're a bit weary it seems, 17 outta the first 23 on the road and at the tale end of an 11 game trip.

Day game after a night game tomorrow then back to STL.

It was an exciting game though. Almost completed that comeback but a terrific put out at the plate preserved the win for the Mets. At first i thought he was safe and they'd overturn it but the replay clearly showed he got him on the back just before he touched home.

Everyone knows pitchers use some substances to help them get a better grip on the ball and such, but they at least try to be a little discreet about it.  Pineda must've thought he was above the law or something.  How could he possibly think he'd get away with that after what happened 2 starts ago.  He had to have known all eyes were going to be on him.  It would've been hard for him to sneak anything by all the cameras pointed at him.  But he didn't even try.  He blatantly slapped that stuff on his neck.  He should get suspended for at least 10 games for being an idiot first and foremost. 

I'm sure the Yankees will be keeping a close eye on Boston's pitchers from here on out.  I hope they're "smart" about doing whatever it is they might do.

Yes on his neck definitely was not his brightest idea at all. Its like he had to think quick of where to put it cause he had to get back out there so quick and put it first place that came to mind. I don't know if he'll get 10 games but there's no doubt he will not make his next scheduled start. If they try they better be more sneaky cause you know Girardi will be looking for something to get back at Farrell for it even though he admitted Pinaeda got what he deserved after the game.

10 or 8 or 5...he really only misses one start. And has another pushed back a day or so....depending on how quickly MLB levies it.

He was stupid, that's for sure.

Use the belt, or the hairline, or the hair goop (bucholz fav).  But...the neck? Jeesh. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I mean, Farrell had to check, it was so obvious.  And now you'll see Lester and bucholz checked a bunch of times over the rest of the season series...even in mid summer when they are unlikely to be using it.

That was a nice game last night, good series all around.  Weird outing by Wacha, 10Ks in 4 innings, but all those walks... 

I'm looking forward to the Mets hitting the road again, they just don't hit at Citifield at all (though Duda hit a nice bomb last night). 

On the pine tar issue, don't you think it should be either enforced or not?  I don't get the whole, 'everyone does it, just don't get caught' approach.  Either enforce the ban it or allow it, no?  My take, if everyone does it and the only real advantage is to improve the pitcher's grip, then let em do it. 

That ball hasn't landed yet, it just passed me - in Tulsa. ;)

I agree.

But the rule is the rule. And managers don't mind turning a blind eye if it's not obvious. But once it is...you force their hand. Because f they ignore it, they get skewered by the media (like pinaeda's last start).

What he did was stupid. Because it was so obvious, esp after the last start being "caught".  The 10 games he got today....one start...is like the idiot penalty.

Certainly agree he was pretty stupid about it. 

If it were to be allowed, I heard an interesting idea that suggested the pitcher can have a 'pine tar towel' near the mound just like there's a rosin bag near the mound.  He can use the rosin bag for sweaty hands (as currently permitted) and the pine tar towel for cold, dry hands.  If it's something in plain view of everyone, maybe that can control cases where pitchers are putting obscene amounts of crap on the ball that maybe would create an unfair advantage. 

Falcon, allow me the indulgence of savoring the Mets taking the series with today's 4-1 win.  First time Mets have taken a series against the Cards in 2 years! 

And now we're at our 4th closer!  Dice-K the save with the 1-2-3 ninth.   : ok:   :nervous:

Personally i say allow it. The batters use it to keep the bats from flying all over the place. So let the pitchers use it to keep the ball from nailing someone in the head. Just look at how wild he was in the 1st inning last night. I think hitters would be fine with it to help keep a pitcher from being that wild.

On a bit of another note, i have to take a minute to laugh at the Ian O'Connor article on ESPN about this claiming this ruins the Yankees season. Yeah casue Pinaeda missing one start in April dooms them.  ::)

Savor at will George, they played well.

I had no idea about the 2 year series streak - wow. :o

The Mets are pitching very well right now. Their bigger issue is scoring run especially at citifield.

Articles are meant to get people talking. That's an extreme view. I doubt it'll happen. But it could. Nova is out for the season so they have to deal with that. I don't know Pineda, but you have to wonder how he'll react to all this. If he's fragile, this could get in his head. I don't think the pine tar made him a good pitcher, but let's say he goes out next time without it and gets roughed up. That could have a negative long term effect on a guy who was off to a promising start.

My personal belief is, he had the balls to be so blatant about the pine tar that maybe this whole thing won't phase him one bit. We'll see though. Clay Buchholz is a little fragile, so many thought he'd struggle after Jack Morris called him out last year. He was fine. He's not now, but he was fine dealing with the scrutiny. Guys handle these things differently. If Pineda folds and ruins the Yankees season it'd be surprising but I've seen stranger things.

Of course they could come out today and win 11-2 and rally around this incident. You never know.

Not shocking from this particular writer either. He has a history of writing some seriously stupid crap.

So moronic.   

I understand that this is a job for these guys and it's not nearly as easy as it seems to put out the volume of columns that's expected of these guys and write something insightful each time.  Even accounting for that though... ruins the season!!!???  Beyond stupid.

Yep the title of the article is "Pineda's folly could sink the season"

It looks like the league is gonna look into letting the pitchers use pine tar for gripping the ball in the offseason.

Interesting factoid: every single team in the al east has a negative run differential right now.

Not surprising, its gonna be a wild east this season.

O's are even after yesterday's win, and tb are +2....but the point remains.

And there have been a lot of divisional games so far.

I think you're going to see a lot of beating up on each other. I agree...wild year.

Is that mostly because of a glut of terrible relief pitchers in the division? 

Cano meets Yankee fans - hilarious! :rofl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b9rOji_PWY

IDK. If you look at ERA 7+, it's not way out of whack with previous years.

I think it's a sign of just how competitive and balanced the division is.  If you look at the head to head...they're doing relatively well vs the non-division opponents, but they beat the crap out of each other IN the division.

There's been some lopsided relief efforts, too.  But, most of them happen during games that are already blow outs.  So...maybe it's terrible middle relief making lopsided games more lopsided.  But I don't think that's all of it.

Or...maybe I'm wrong

Obviously, net run differential inter division has to sum to 0...

But the net run differential OUT of the league is still a big negative number....-42 runs and an overall losing record (22-25).

So, maybe it's not them beating up on each other....

The NL East is beyond competitive this season.  At 16-14, the Mets are 1 game out of 1st... and a 1/2 game out of last. 

Some REALLY good baseball being played in that division!  I've seen the Mets, Phillies, Braves, and the Nats play multiple games this year (haven't seen a single Miami game)...and they all look good.  The mets are vastly outplaying their baseball cards...with lots of young players stepping up.  They are definitely the dark horse/cinderella story.

I think the Mets have solid pitching (at least the starting rotation), but they're not quite as good as they were in April.  May got off to a bad start, as the starters got shelled in 3 out of 4 in Colorado.

Offensively, they're certainly below average, but they've been completely dreadful so far. 

So the arms won't be as good as they've been and the bats won't be as bad as they've been... which I expect to keep them around .500 in the middle of the pack in the NL East.  Which is where they are now.  With a good stroke of luck and discovering a solid, reliable closer at some point this season, I think a Wild Card could be in play...

Those games against Colorado were pathetic especially the game Saturday.

Tim, pilf - gotta get your opinions on this, it's a bit of a "WTF?" from this angle.

Tino Martinez? ???

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/08/tino-martinez-is-getting-a-plaque-in-monument-park-for-some-reason/

I'm not so sure about Tino but all others are deserved and long overdue. Tino did replace a legend in Mattingly and had some really great years with us but i can't say they're monument worthy. Torre, Gossage and O'Neill however? Absolutely. I'm so happy the Yankees are finally doing right by Torre and giving him the monument and retired number he deserves. Also, next season Bernie Williams will also finally be honored.
'

The monument for Tino seems a bit much.  While he was one of their best hitters during their run of 5 WS appearances in 6 years, his only All-Star year during that run was the year they didn't make it, in 1997.  He was 2nd in MVP voting that year.   

Agreed, i liked Tino but i wouldn't consider him in the same category as Torre, Gosssage, O'Neill and Williams.

The Yankees really need to consider getting Betances in the starting rotation. This kid has some kinda stuff. He just struck out six in a row.

I'm happy with the split with the Yanks, but I can't get over how inept the Mets' bats are at Citifield.  21 runs at Yankee Stadium and then 0 at Citifield. 

How about that gift for Derek Jeter?  Nice, I guess, a giant number 2 on subway tile... but it also looks like a bathroom wall (with an ominous number 2 on it).

For whatever reason balls just don't jump out of Citifield like they do Yankee stadium.

I saw the highlight last night, great breaking stuff.

One of the guys on MLB Network said he's second on the team in strikeouts, is that true?

leave him in the bullpen. don't fuck with him (ex Joba... Phil Hughes). kid has amazing potential and could be a lethal combo with Robertson similar to the way Mo got started...

Caught a cool interview with Rick Ankiel today, great guy with a helluva story.

He's in the midst of writing his autobiography and is mulling over multiple offers to option the movie rights.

Talk about inspiring shit, wow.

Rough childhood, dominant rookie year, Dad goes to prison on drug trafficking charges, meltdown in the playoffs, reinvents himself as a power hitting outfielder and retires on his terms at the ripe old age of 33.

Still the best pitching prospect I've ever witnessed in person and it's not even close.

Joba we messed up by moving back and forth. I would put Betances in and leave him there.

Unless the stats haven't been updated he's a few behind Sabathia for second.

Yikes.

Not good when a reliever is up there in team leaders in K's, doesn't speak well for the starters.

Well we do have 3 starters out right now, Sabathia, Nova and Pinaeda. Can't increase your strikeouts if you aren't playing.

I hadn't followed who was out, just heard the stat and thought it was interesting.

But you're right, can't K anyone if you're on the DL.

Yep Sabathia is now out until at least July, Pinaeda is out with the pulled muscle in his back but is getting close and Nova had TJ surgery.

Alright guys, we're at the quarter pole - any thoughts on your respective teams?

Cards seem to be finding a bit of traction, starting pitching is living up to expectation and the lineup has started to produce runs at a better clip of late.

Still not hitting for power and the bullpen has been suspect, that should get a boost with Jason Motte's return so hopefully everything will click soon enough.

Oscar Taveras is raking in AAA and will likely get called up to DH when the Cards make their first run of beer league games in early June.

Keep an eye out, he's one of the the best hitting prospects in the minors and seems to be ready for prime time. 8)

My biggest issue with the Mets these days is how Citifield has gotten into the heads of what seems to be the entire roster.  It used to be just a few guys in a given season who let it get in their heads, but now it's the whole team.  Which pisses me off.  Citifield's dimensions are considered big only because most new stadiums these days are so small.  Back in the day, it would have been your average stadium.  Also, nobody uses the size to their advantage.  When Jose Reyes was here, Citifield was his personal triple factory --- anything that got past the right fielder was an automatic triple for him.  So they need to use what speed they have (and maybe add more speed to the roster) to generate extra bases on their hits.

Blue Jays' bats are comin' alive :smoking:

Red Sox are a mess right now.  I kept questioning how they were getting things done last year all the way to a World Series win.  Now I'm questioning how they're playing so poorly.  I don't think they're this bad, nor are they as good as they played last season.  It was just one of those years when everything went their way.  This year they've been bad across the board for the most part.  Their starting pitching has been pretty good, at least 3/5 of it.  Defense has been awful.  They've been getting guys on base but haven't been able to hit them in, so obviously situational hitting has been a major issue.  Stephen Drew probably isn't the answer, but he should help in some areas.  They've been awful against right handed pitchers, so another lefty bat will help.  And his defense is vastly superior to Bogaerts' at SS.  And in turn, Xander is a better 3B than Middlebrooks, who it appears they have given up on for now. 

They should still remain in the hunt in the "nobody wants it" AL East.  Couldn't tell you who's going to emerge.  All teams seem fatally flawed to me.  I don't see a wild card coming from the division this year.  Looks like the Tigers and the A's are the 2 best teams in the league.  I'd expect Detroit to emerge.  They're well rounded from top to bottom.  They were about 3 pitches away from beating the Sox last year and facing the Cards in the WS.  This year, with a more formidable bullpen, I think that should be enough to put them over the top.

The Oscar Taveras era begins in STL tomorrow, the 21 year old has been called up tonight by the Cards. 8)

And Taveras goes deep for his first hit in his 2nd big league at bat.

And it's a fucking bomb. 8)

Watch here:

http://m.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/video/v33325603/sfstl-taveras-launches-a-solo-shot-for-first-hit/?partnerId=as_mlb_20140531_25072366

Remind ya of another rookie that homered in his first at bat in 96?

I give Tim, who ya got?

Has anyone been following the Ortiz/David Price  back and forth from last night and today?

Awesome stuff.

Emotional reaction from Ortiz last night was entertaining as hell but Price just absolutely (an quite intelligently) verbally KO'd Ortiz today.

Check out @ken_rosenthal for the quotes from Price - damn.

It was Derek Jeter. It wasn't his first game in the majors he played a few in 95, but 96 was his rookie year and hit a home run opening day. I'm pretty sure it was in his first at bat.

I must be missing something.

Well after today Tanaka is now 8-1 with an era of 2.06. Allowing only 18 earned runs, 88 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP.

Another Sox/Rays dust up last night, Price drilled Ortiz (and someone else) and Ortiz was pissy (and rightfully so) but played the "this is war" card and called Price "a little bitch" and "a little girl" afterward.

Price was questioned about it last night, played it to cool and moved on.

Was told of Ortiz's comments today and succinctly dropped him like a bad habit.

From Price:

"You can't equate the game we play to a war. Kellen Winslow said he's a soldier. No, he's not. This is not a war...not a good comparison."

"He was mad. I get it. You say stupid stuff when you're mad. I'm sure he probably wishes he didn't say some of things he said..."

"Nobody's bigger than the game of baseball. You ask pitchers from 10-15-20 years ago. That's normal. Part of the game."

"For as many people as I quote-unquote lost respect from, I gained respect from a lot more. I know that's a fact."

Jeter already had 2 stints with the Yanks in '95 and about 50 big league AB's, correct?

He did play a bit in 95. I don't know how many at bat's though.

Just checked Baseball Reference, 51 plate appearances and 15 games in ''95.

That was a helluva guess you made then.

Some bit more of bad news for the Yankees today though. Pinaeda's next rehab start has been scratched after an MRI showed inflammation in his upper back. So it looks like we won't have him or Sabathia until after the break.

There's been so many Jeter facts making the rounds since he announced his retirement I think I've picked up some by osmosis. :yes:

Hahaha

The date was April 2, 1996.  Opening Day in Cleveland.  but it wasn't his first at bat.  it was the fifth inning off Dennis Martinez. 

I remember seeing Taveras in person as a  thin 19 year old here in Tulsa playing for Springfield 2 years ago, (Cards AA affiliate) same swing but dude has definitely filled out.

The load and extension was the same but he has definitely grown into his 6'2" frame....

http://i.imgur.com/UxCmlcJ.gif

6 kids from that Springfield team have all graduated and are contributing significantly to STL.

Taveras, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrest.

Pretty cool. 8)

Oh ok :) I couldn't remember when it actually happened.

I have a different opinion on the matter, not surprisingly.  Price is full of shit.  He exclaimed after the fact that hitting Ortiz was accidental and had nothing to do with him taking him deep 2 times in game 2 of the LCS last year.  Then the next day he talks about how Ortiz disrespects the game by standing and admiring HR's.  The very thing he did after his second bomb off Price in game 2.  He stood at home plate to see if the ball would stay fair or not.  It did, and he took his sweet time rounding the bases.  So if he didn't hit Ortiz on purpose for pimping that HR, and many others, then why mention it the next day?

And enough with the, "this is not war, this is just a game" copout.  Obviously Ortiz and the countless others who say "this means war" aren't really equating what happens on the playing field to guys literally killing each other on the battlefield.  It's an expression that's been used for god knows how long.  Price is trying to sound humble and like he's this innocent guy in the whole matter, when he clearly hit Ortiz on purpose that started all the trouble.  Then he hits Carp later in the game and still doesn't get thrown out, and he wonders why David would be mad.  Give it a rest!  No one is buying your bullshit.  At least I'm not.  Way to stick up for your teammates, who you're not even going to be playing with next season when you go to the highest bidder.  I'm sure they'll really appreciate it then.

And if we're keeping score, Ortiz dropped Price like a bad habit first.  He exclaimed how Price acted like a little bitch last year when they roughed him up in the playoffs, complaining to the media, on twitter, and to anyone who wanted to listen.  He then called Ortiz to apologize personally because he knew he was wrong.  So Ortiz said he no longer has any respect for him after pretty much going against his word the other night.  So Price is simply following suit by saying he no longer wants anything to do with Ortiz.  It's already been established buddy.  Don't you worry.  You're off the Christmas card list.  Now go act all high and mighty to someone who cares.  I'm sure all the 100's of Rays fans appreciate it a bunch.  : ok:

Understood faldor, and no - not surprising. :)

The Red Sox colored glasses were expected. ;)

But outside looking in, Price flat out KO'd Ortiz in the court of public opinion - kept cool and didn't admit to a thing the night of and not responding to Ortiz's post game interview until the next day.

It's fun either way, baseball theatre at it's finest.

As unwarranted as it was, I flat out loved the Sox getting bent when the Rays stole 3rd last week and Gomes going all Gomes and equally enjoyed Joe Madden's citing Ellsbury doing the same up 6 last year in the playoffs.

Fun stuff all around. :yes:

Few things in sports more pathetic IMO than pitchers hitting batters who have hit bombs off of them.  If Price is correct in saying that he's gained respect for doing that, then it's just a poor reflection of MLB and its players in general.

I have no doubt Price gained respect, not only in his clubhouse but around the league and from former players as well.

From Mark Mulder's twitter:

"Mark Mulder @markmulder20     ?   May 31   
New favorite player---> David Price.  Just heard interview he did today."

An educated guess would lead me to believe Price drilling Ortiz (and Carp) wasn't just in retaliation for any dinger(s) he'd given up, there's a lot of bad blood between those 2 teams in general.

Here's Gomes today with Casey Stern and Jim Bowden, interesting insight:

https://soundcloud.com/mlbnetworkradio/jonny-gomes-red-sox-of-reacts-to-the-price-ortiz-feud-on-mlb-network-radio-on-siriusxm?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter

It doesn't surprise me that he did get respect, but I just don't share that perspective.  Call me crazy, but I would think respect is earned in a situation like this by going up and consistently getting Ortiz's fat ass out.  I guess Price feels he's unable do that though, so he went route where you get to physically injure a defenseless opponent that is better than you and then hide behind the rest of your team and various MLB fine/suspension rules that protect him from getting his ass rightfully kicked. 

I'm not a huge fan of Jonny Gomes, but I think he nailed it with his comments --- when there's bad blood like that, the best you can do is go out there and sweep them, which the Sox did.  How do the Rays respond to that next series?  Pulling off a sweep of their own or repeating more of the same BS clown act?

Me either, he's a great interview but an A-1 jackass.

When he was a Red a few years back, they received the news of Adam Wainwright's blown out elbow in the Reds clubhouse and he was heard/seen around the by an MLB beat reporter singing/dancing reveling in Waino's injury.

Beyond Gomes' douchebaggery...

I personally don't mind a bit of frontier justice, I don't want anyone injured but I do enjoy the (over)reactions that occur when someone's perceived lack of game decorum is in question.

For me, (whether anything happens or not) the anticipation of retaliation is a kick, adds to the drama of the game.

George, you must've hated the Cards/Mets rivalry in the 80's. 

I have never seen teams despise one another (it made Yanks/Red Sox and Giants/Dodgers look like family reunions) more than those two. 

Intentional HBP's, late slides, gamesmanship and benches clearing shenanigans, my absolute favorite rivalry to this day.

Well, I think a lot of how the teams and players reacted related to how they were playing at the time. For instance, I think the Sox overreacted a bit in Tampa over Escobar stealing 3rd up 5 in the 8th. They were in the midst of a 10 game losing streak and it all came to a head with that one play. Then the Sox start winning and the Rays start losing, the shoe is on the other foot. So Price plunks Ortiz to make a statement. I'm with George, a better statement would be to get him out. Ortiz got the last laugh by knocking in the game tying run off Price later in the game.

Listen, Ortiz is a drama queen. No doubt about it. But I don't respect Price for what he did or said. I would've respected him more if he dropped the subject or refused to comment. I don't really see why his comments are more in the right. Because he waited till the next day? At least Ortiz spoke in the heat of the moment, from the heart. No need to sleep on it and formulate a stance that contradicted what you originally said.

As for Mulder siding with Price. Did you actually think he, or any pitcher would side with the hitter? No big surprise there. I bet Manny Ramirez sides with Ortiz.

Ooh, that one hurt my feelings, Falc.  What can i say, I'm getting old and crabby way too soon.


I loved it.  All of it.  I hate that stuff now (most, not all of it), but as a kid, I was completely swept up in it, even though it was more the Mets that carried the asshole torch of that rivalry.  Looking back, most of the core St. Louis guys, like Ozzie, John Tudor, Pendleton, McGhee, were consummate professionals who I think would have agreed with me now about Price.  Also, I have little doubt that the Mets would have been far more dominant in that era if they weren't so caught up in playing the role of the professional wrestling heels. 

You're right though, it does add a fun drama element to it all.  Again, I'm getting old and becoming a lot more involved in youth sports, so I hate to see professional athletes not being proper role models on the field.  I completely agree that the "role model" obligations end once you step off the field, but between the lines, play the right way. 

End rant!!  :peace:

No question about that faldor, right on the money.


Price didn't say a negative word post game, toed the line and played it cool.  His response came the next day when informed of Ortiz's "this is war', "the gloves are off", "little girl, "little bitch" tantrum so I don't see where there was any contradiction - just response.  So yes, I think timing plays a huge part in perception.

Keep in mind I have no idea on what went down last year, I was knee deep in Cardinal playoff drama so forgive me if I'm not familiar with all the background. ;)


You're probably correct on that although I suspect there are a lot of non pitchers who enjoyed seeing Ortiz get drilled as well, the "drama queen" act has worn thin on a lot of fronts in general.

Just my opinion from outside the bubble.

Well I do agree that Price handled himself well with his post game comments. The pitcher is always supposed to say "it slipped" or it was "unintentional". Which he did initially. Then he changed his tune the next day when he fully digested The comments by Ortiz. He admitted to hitting him on purpose and explained why he did so. I think he would've been better served saying nothing. Responding is just fanning the flames even more. And even after his admission he still doesn't face any disciplinary action. Ortiz, as you could imagine, was not pleased and had some more colorful suggestions for Price. And NOW, Price is choosing not to respond. Should be interesting when they hook up again in July.

Meanwhile on the field, the Red Sox OF is the worst in the majors offensively and the worst in team history for the last 60 years. It's hard to win games with such little production. And it's not an easy fix either. Might have to deal some of their pitching prospects for a proven OF. Bradley is great defensively but he's overmatched at the plate at this level. Sizemore doesn't look like he's going to become the player he once was. Gomes is a platoon player. Nava has gone from a .300 hitter to a .100 hitter. Not good.

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=bostonred-sox&id=37549&city=boston&src=desktop&rand=ref~%7B%22ref%22%3A%22http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FLrNc0frIm4%22%7D

I feel your pain man, the Cards are in an offensive funk as well.

Coupled with their current run of novelty games in AL parks for the next week I'm in absolute baseball hell. >:(

Fuck.

Don Zimmer has passed at 83.

Yep, we lost one of the great ones. RIP Don :(

Well, another great one has passed.

Tony Gwynn, what a class act.

This fucking sucks.

That does really suck.  Forget baseball, there are so few guys in ANY sport who were so dominant yet so admired and respected by their peers, media and fans alike, not just as a player, but as a human being.  He was one of those guys.

Tony Gwynn and Ted Williams talk hitting, a must listen.

http://deadspin.com/listen-to-tony-gwynn-and-ted-williams-talk-hitting-1591439886/all?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Very sad, RIP Tony Gwynn  :(

Keith Olbermann's tribute to Tony Gwynn last night was, in a word - perfect.

Watch here:

http://deadspin.com/keith-olbermann-tearfully-remembers-tony-gwynn-1591925235

That was great, thanks for sharing.

I didn't realize Tony was so sick, or maybe I forgot. Was shocked yesterday when I heard the news.

Yeah i believe it was mouth or throat cancer? I can't remember for sure.

Thanks! I had my DVR set to record Olbermann but it got delayed because of the CWS and i missed it. That was great, i love Keith! If anyone can watch that and not tear up they really suck imo.

So after tonight Tanaka is 11-1 1.99 ERA and 103 strikeouts. It's time to start talking about him starting the All-Star game. There's no way he isn't the favorite at this point. He has been nothing short of spectacular. Another month or so and we can start talking about him being Cy Young favorite and ROY favorite.

Well fuck...

Yadi out 8-12 weeks with torn ligament in his right thumb.

Pilf and Tim can't be doing well with the Tanaka news tonight so I'll cordially invite you 2 to my pity party.

Bring some booze to said party fellas, we're gonna need it.

to
Yeah the news isn't good but its not terrible. There's hope he can rehab since its a very small tear. Dr Andrews was one of the doctors that examined him and even he said no to surgery now and he's the expert. So that gives me hope he can rehab it and continue to pitch. I know there have been some pitchers who have been able to rehab a small tear. So we'll see, even if he does end up needing surgery the bright side is he's only 25. He can still have a long successful career after.

I admire the guy for giving rehab a shot but the odds aren't in his favor unfortunately.

Pitchers are ticking time bombs, they all break at some point.

If it weren't for James Andrews saying rehab could work too then i'd be more concerned that surgery is needed right now, but we all know this guy is the guy when it comes to this. So if he says he doesn't need surgery i believe him.

The idiot award goes to Adam Wainwright for saying he grooved pitches to Jeter then trying to recant it. Just admit you got beat and move on. What about the next two guys who drilled the ball. You just had a shitty inning plain and simple. Also, no mention of Tony Gwynn? Pathetic!

He wasn't recanting to cover his ass on getting beat, he was clarifying to diffuse the idea he grooved a couple to Jeter in a game that decides home field.

And not having an on air tribute to Gwynn was just nuts, bad move on MLB's part.

Been that kinda season for Yanks pitching.

But, what really gets me, is that even with all the injuries, their pitching isn't the worst part.  The worst part is they can't score runs to save their lives.  Other than maybe Ellsbury, the lineup just can't produce. 

Their cobbled together rotation hasn't been that bad, with some bright spots in the youngsters.....they've kept them in a LOT of games.  But..when you're losing 3-2 and 3-0 and and 2-1 (in extra innings, no less)....it's not the pitching that's at fault

I've got no problem with him grooving the pitch, but being "honest" about it comes off as self-serving and pisses on Jeter's double, albeit unintentionally on Wainwright's part.  I think he realized that after the fact, so he recanted (also for the reason about how the All-Star Game 'counts').  Anyway, best thing was Jeter's response:  "If he grooved it, thanks." 

Agree with you guys on Gwynn.  Disgraceful not to have any tribute; criminal to not mention him even once. 

I really thought they'd be fine offensively, would've bet money McCann would've hit 30 bombs and driven in a hundred.  Similar expectations with Beltran as well but both have been total busts.

The Tanaka thing is really unfortunate for them, I suspect they won't see him again until the 2016 season and he won't be back to full strength til '17.

Ironically, I had all 3 on my fantasy teams outta the gate...

Agreed that was wrong on so many level. Not even a mention of his name. Disgraceful.

I'm hoping it's just its taking time to adjust to a whole new league and he'll figure it out before the end of the season or for next year. If not he will be a total bust. With Beltran the injury is clearly affecting his swing. He was starting to get hot when he went down with the bone spur. Hopefully he'll be completely healthy next year. Tanaka's injury is such a shame. He was on his way to having one of the best rookie seasons ever. Possibly ROY and Cy Young award. I'm hoping he can rehab and get back but obviously the chances aren't in his favor. The plus side is his age 25. So if he does need TJ surgery he will be back by the time he's 27. He could still have a damn good career.

Still should've just kept his trap shut imo.

Agreed, although the (initial) massive over reaction via social media was absolutely comical.

Hopefully something good will come from this and MLB will recognize having an exhibition game "that counts" maybe the dumbest thing in sports.

Selig overreacted to the tie in 2003 and created a farce.

Hell, I didn't even turn it on until I saw twitter explode. 

I used to look forward to it every year and now I have little interest in it.

Yep, i mean if he really did what he said then clearly something isn't right with making the game count. That tells me the players aren't trying their best to win the game and if they aren't going to stop making it determine home field in the WS. Obviously having that game in 03 end in a tie was embarrassing but there has to be a better solution like expanding the rosters to 40 maybe to allow ample pitching. That's the biggest issue. The position guys can play for awhile but you gotta be careful with the pitchers for obvious reasons.

I mostly watched it this year for Jeter obviously. I wanted to see how he'd do and how they'd handle taking him out of the game. Which i thought they handled quite well both before his first at bat and when he was removed.

The game itself is such a contradiction.

If it's gonna count, play it straight.

Best 25 guys in each league, no fan voting, no 3 hour commercials for outgoing icons.

But seriously, who the hell wants that?

If that was the case, Jeter wouldn't have even been on the team and an opportunity to honor a sure fire first ballot HOF'er would have been missed.

It's an exhibition for cryin' out loud, a game to celebrate today's stars and honor greats on their way out.

Playing the ASG for bragging rights alone went away interleague play, the lines that were drawn in the sand forever blurred by novelty games and staged "rivalries".

Exactly because then you'll have even more endless bitching about why didn't this guy or that guy make it. It was definitely more fun when it was just an exhibition. Everyone got to play and we get the moments like Jeter and Rivera that the fans want to see. You're right in your scenario Jeter wouldn't have been there starting. I mean he's having a respectable year for a 40 year old but i don't think anyone is kidding themselves thinking he's the best ss in the AL. He did however make a fantastic play on a grounder by McCutchen who just beat it out by inches.

On a bit of a interesting fact from last night's ASG though, Jeter became the oldest player to get two hits in ASG history. A record previously held by Carl Yastrzemski. Who Jeter should pass on the all time hit list sometime over the next week.

Jeter wouldn't have eve been on the squad, let alone starting.

And what a travesty that would've been.

As for the McCutchen play, MLB (well, Ferrell) missed a chance to showcase their goofy challenge replay rule - he sure looked out to me.

This is even more galling..

Per Ken Rosenthal's twitter MLB/Fox just released the following on the Gwynn fiasco:

"Fox and Major League Baseball have issued a joint statement on why the loss of Tony Gwynn was not mentioned during the All-Star Game broadcast last night.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, an extraordinary individual whose memory we have honored in numerous ways in recent weeks. The Baseball family has sadly lost a number of people this year - including Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, Frank Cashen, and former All-Stars Jerry Coleman, Jim Fregosi and Don Zimmer - and did not want to slight anyone by singling out one individual."

They couldn't have taken a few moments out of the Jeter infomercial to pay respect not only Gwynn but the others mentioned above who passed?

Coleman was not only a fine player, he was an HOF announcer and decorated war hero - unreal.

Was he? I didn't get a good look at the replay.

I agree, they could've found time to mention those we lost this year.

It was bang bang but he sure looked that way to me.

I'm surprised he didn't challenge then considering this was deciding home field in the WS.

That tells you how seriously the actual participants take the game. ;)

My suggestion to "fix" the all star game:

1) It doesn't "count" for Homefield.  WS home field just goes to alternating years. Odd years NL gets it, even years AL gets it. That settles it..and gives MLB all the time they need to "plan" (one of their reasons for making the AS game count).
 
2) No NL vs AL in the AS game.  Instead, you turn it into a fantasy game. 1/2 the team is made up of fan voted players, 1/2 the team is made up of the statistical leaders (we can debate what overall sabermetric helps determine it) at each position.  Both managers draft their teams (2 drafts..one for pitching, one for position players), live, on TV, after the HR derby (which would be shortened and made to move quicker).  You get two teams: red and blue.

3) You can tie SOMETHING to the AS games meaning....or not.  I don't think it matters..to the fans or the players.  If you really wanted to make it compelling, have an independant arbitrator preside over a sealed envelope selection of the DH rule for the WS.  In other words, they create 2 envelopes, a blue and a red. One of them has "DH RULE" in it, the other has "NO DH RULE".  After the game, you open the envelope of the winning team..and there you go: Instant drama. :)

Or how about just giving the better team the home field in the WS like every other damn sports league does with the exception of the NFL.

With tonight's start at SS, Derek Jeter will set a major league record for most starts ever at SS passing Omar Vizquel.

Yankees to honor Derek Jeter on Sunday, September 7

The Yankees today announced they will hold a special pregame ceremony to honor the career of Yankees captain Derek Jeter on Sunday, September 7. All fans in attendance for the Yankees' game vs. Kansas City will receive a limited-edition commemorative coin that will recognize the occasion.


Gypsy Note:  Maybe I should have posted this in the NFL thread because September 7th is opening Sunday.  ::)

I wonder if they plan to honor him the way they did Rivera last year by retiring his number before he even plays his last game.

Bingo.

Most regular season wins and some sort of logical tie breaker if needed.

Yep nice and simple the better team during the season gets the advantage. I still wish the NFL would do that. I've always hated the neutral site bullshit.

I'd be 100% OK with that..but MLB isn't.

They say it's too many variables for scheduling, travel, lodging, and logistics.  They want to at least know which league has home field before the playoffs start.  Selig has said that, even if the AS game didn't determine, they would have moved to alternating years.

I know, I know..everyone else does it.  And yes, I know it only really means, potentially, making plans in 3 to 4 cities, rather than just 2. But...does it really surprise you that MLB can't do something that every other league manages? Not me...

It is ridiculous they can't do it. They have the fewest playoff teams of all the major sports.

Hall of Fame weekend coming up this weekend. I cannot wait to see the ceremony. So many deserving people going in this year. Torre, LaRussa, Cox, Glavine, Maddux and Eric Nadel being honored with the Ford Fricke award. I of course am looking forward to Torre going in as a Yankee for his incredible tenure as their manager. I only wish i could be there in person

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=156fDMJnvrE&feature=youtu.be This pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Joe Torre.

Congratulations to Derek Jeter for passing Carl Yastrzemski for 7th on the all time hit list tonight. Next up Honus Wagner.

After tonight's game Jeter also now has 1,005 career multi hit games. Placing him fourth behind Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and Pete Rose. He's only 41 behind Stan Musial. So he has an outside shot at getting higher on that list.

So....Yoenis bein' Yoenis?

The Red Sox basically get a young Manny basically for 2 months of John Lester and Gomes?

IMHO, a nice move.

Yeah, I was shocked at how much major league talent they got in the Lester/Lackey deals. That doesn't happen very often. Allen Craig was expendable for the Cards, so that one wasn't too surprising. I just hope he can regain his stroke at some point because he was a legit run producer the last few seasons. But the A's trading away their cleanup hitter in the middle of a pennant race was a bit shocking. I guess they feel they have enough offense and a Gomes/Vogt platoon will help soften the loss of Cespedes. I thought they had enough pitching to win before, but they must've felt the need for a proven starter who's playoff tested. Lester certainly fits that description.

The Red Sox desperately needed offense and these trades addressed that. However, they now have a pretty large hole at the top of the rotation that'll need to be taken care of in the off season. There was/is thought that Lester could come back, but that rarely happens. There are other options out there and the Sox are loaded with prospects that they're going to have to deal at some point. For now, it's time to take a good luck at some of the young guys these final 2 months to see what they can contribute going forward. For instance, Allen Webster still has a lot of work to do. Solid numbers at AAA, but that work has not translated to the bigs. It seems like he doesn't trust his stuff and is scared to pitch to contact. 6 walks in less than 3 innings is never a good thing.

It appears help is coming for the Yankees who need it desperately. Pinaeda pitched 3.1 scoreless innings today with 4 k's 1 walk throwing 37 of 58 pitches for strikes. Barring any setbacks i see him back by mid late august at the latest.

If he's effective, it's a nice boost to their rotation. Especially considering the potential loss of Phelps, as last nights game just smacks of "Tommy John".

But, really...for the most part...pitching hasn't been their problem.  It's been scoring runs.

Now, that rotation may start to lag...all things considered (workload, relatively inexperience, etc)...but that hasn't been there problem to date. 

And I'm not convinced their trade deadline pickups are going to appreciably help their ability to score runs.

Their offense looked better the last 2 games, or at least last night. But I'm not sure they deserve too much credit, as Buchholz has been awful of late. Drew can hit, if he can get it going he will help. Of course, he was bad in the playoffs last year and so far this year up until this weekend.

Obviously that is the big question after such a long lay off. Hopefully he can come back and be effective like he was.

Some encouraging news for the Yankees today. Tanaka played catch and felt good with no pain. Next he'll play catch again Tuesday. If we can get him back and avoid TJ surgery that would be huge.

Once again congratulations to Derek Jeter who today passed the great Honus Wagner for 6th all time on the hits list.

Keith Olbermann hates the DH and Interleague play as much as I do, and the rest is pretty cool too  :yes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzjmm2mSROk&feature=youtu.be

The second time this week he's cracked on interleague silliness by the way. : ok: :) ;D :yes: :beer:

I saw that too and agreed with most of what he said.

Well after Sunday there will no longer be any single digit numbers left for the Yankees. Jeter's #2 is being retired during the ceremony honoring him.

Yanks are (or were, as recently as yesterday) denying they're retiring his number this weekend.

We'll see...

Blue Jays could make things interesting with the Red Sox and Cubs comin' up.

Yep one official said its happening another denied it. Whether it happens Sunday or some other day its going to happen. Nobody is ever wearing #2 again. I think we can all agree on that.

So Ron Washington resigned today. I know they denied it was drug related but you gotta wonder.

I sure hope not but you do have to wonder.

I always dug Wash, cool cat who caught way more shit than he deserved.

His rant caught on tape about Chris Carpenter before Game 7 of the 2011 WS was one for the ages.

"Fuck Carp!"

Always worth a listen:

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/06/a-recording-of-ron-washingtons-speech-before-game-7/

This is a much watch guys.

A 12 year old boy at Fenway gets a foul ball and without hesitation gives it to a little girl directly behind him.

Talk about cool, this kid's got a future with the chicks. 8) ;D

Give it a look, it'll make your day.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/06/video-smooth-kid-gives-foul-ball-to-the-girl-behind-him/

Yeah he didn't deserve any of the shit he got for this season. They were absolutely decimated with injuries. This could just be an excuse for JD forcing him out. I don't like that guy one bit.

Saw that live. He's got a future with the ladies for sure. The look on the girl's face is priceless. I got a foul ball at Fenway this year at the home opener. Thankfully there were no little girls around to feel pressured to give the ball to. Wasn't going to happen anyway. I've put in my time and had never really come close to getting a ball before. I wasn't giving that up.

Could Jeter's last game at Yankee Stadium possibly end any other way? Of course not!

I was most shocked that Jeter was not removed earlier in the middle of the game for a Mariano Rivera type moment, which I applaud Joe Girardi for not doing with a position player, and which could not have ended up working out better for everyone.  On a night that was just supposed to be about old memories, who knew another great new memory would be made. 
 :beer:

I flipped over just in time to see the bottom of he inning unfold.

That was a fun moment, Jeter's nephew tipping his cap after the game winner was awesome.

If you haven't seen it, take a few seconds to do so. 8) :yes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBqnBeIkxvU

Yeah had he done that we wouldn't have had that incredible moment. The things that had to happen for it to take place though. I mean what are the odds of Robertson blowing that lead by giving up two homers?

Yep i saw the whole thing unfold including the blown save. I was like are you kidding me? The ghosts of Yankee stadium were busy last night i guess. Not surprising people are claiming it was staged. Baltimore was still fighting for home field. No way they threw that game. Even on the off chance they threw Jeter a pitch to hit he still has to hit it and not make an out. Imagine what would've happened if Showalter had decided to walk him and not pitch to him? He might've needed a police escort.

Also, i think Jeter is doing the right thing not playing ss again. That was the way it should end. Just give him a few at bats at DH or PH in Boston so they can at least say goodbye.

Yeah. He did sit tonight, but I get that. Last night was obviously quite emotional for him. So most of the team got the night off. Hope he's back in there tomorrow. I don't really get the outrage by those who say he should have walked away after last night. I'll admit, it's unlikely he'll top that, but I don't think anything he does this weekend will take away from what he did Thursday night. That will forever be etched in history. If he strikes out 4 times on Sunday people aren't going to forget how his last game at the Stadium ended.

Exactly, i heard he went 1-2 today before being lifted for a pinch hitter and will DH tomorrow in his final game. I hope he can have a good final game.

Buckle your seats. We  in for a wild final day of the season. Seattle can force a one game play in with the A's. The Royals can force a one game playoff with Detroit for the division with the loser getting a wild card spot and Pittsburgh can do the same with St. Louis. Wow!

How about some postseason predictions?
KC over Oakland tonight
Pitt over SF
LAA over KC
Washington over Pitt
LAD over STL.
Baltimore over DET
LAD over Washington
LAA over Baltimore
LAD over LAA

Oak over KC (A's just took the lead  ;))
Pit over SF
LAA over Oak
Wash over Pitt
Det over Balt
LAD over STL
LAA over Det
Wash over LAD
LAA over Wash

My predictions:

Oak over KC (wrong already)
Pitt over SF

LAA over KC
Wash over Pitt
Balt over Det
LAD over STL

Balt over LAA
LAD over Wash

LAD over Balt

lol wanna revise that my friend :)

Hope we're right about the Dodgers. I will be ecstatic for Donnie Baseball.

Well looks like we're all wrong with the NL Wild Card.

Welcome to the mid 1980's, in the ALCS. :)

Haha yeah, i was 8 the last time the Royals were in the ALCS. God i'm getting old lol.

Those were 4 outstanding (and yes, highly stressful  :nervous:) ball games.

Didn't expect the Cards to advance which makes it even sweeter, pretty damn cool. 8)

I think we've come to a point where we can honestly say the Giants and Cards are dominating the NL, at least over the past 5 years.

Yep and i'm getting sick of it. It's gotten boring and predictable. The Nats and Dodgers need to step it up next year.

Not too boring for Falcon!!  I would probably have cardiac arrest by now if the Mets were in the playoffs that often, that's way more tension and stress than I can handle year in and year out.  One year would be nice though. 

Not boring indeed, and definitely a few moments of near cardiac arrest!

I think this is the Cards 9th appearance in the LCS since 2000 and 11th playoff appearance overall since then overall, it never gets old.

Redbird baseball is literally in my blood, it goes back 4 generations and nearly 100 years in my family.

I've never liked another team, never rooted for anyone else.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/11671634/yogi-berra-world-series-rings-mvp-plaques-stolen-museum

Whoever is responsible for this you really suck!

Alright, that series was totally exhausting.

Best team won and my disappointment is minimal.

It was cool seeing the Cards young position players step up in the post season, Kolten Wong and Matt Adams in particular.

The future is bright and the Cards are set up to contend for years to come.

As for the World Series, I'll watch without preference.

I'd like to see the Royals win it simply because they haven't in 29 years. The Giants have won it too often recently.

Is it just me or is there been a big increase in mound issues? It seems like pitchers are slipping left and right and a lot in San Franciso. Makes you wonder what kinda idiots they have for grounds crews there.

Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras has died along with his girlfriend in car crash late this afternoon.

He was only 22, she was only 18.

Just heard the news. I was about to post about it. Very sad news :(

I'm in disbelief.

I saw him play in AA here in Tulsa for Springfield as 19 year old phenom.

He was going to be the Cards RF for years to come, such a bright future.

I'll never forget his first day in the big leagues this year, homered in his 2nd AB...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghcyeYLDJbM

2 kids, sad indeed.

Fox's Ken Rosenthal explains how they found out about Oscar's death and how he tried to convey it to the audience during last nights Game 5 in SF.

It's an incredible read, give it a look.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/bumgarner-makes-history-amid-taveras-death-in-game-5-world-series-giants-royals-102614

I will never forget when, where and how I heard the news.

Same here. I actually knew before they mentioned it on the broadcast. My MLB At Bat app on my phone sent me the notification moments before they mentioned it during the game.

I saw the rumors and subsequent confirmation on twitter, then Rosenthal's announcement made it all too real.

Just watched a Dominican news report from Oscar's funeral today, I couldn't understand a word that was being said but the emotion conveyed by his dad and teammate/best friend Carlos Martinez said it all.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

MLB has announced they will take a moment of silence before Game 6 tonight in KC and a number of players from both teams will be paying tribute to Oscar with "18" on their caps/gloves/spikes.

Finally they're doing something right. They've screwed up too many times this year with situations like this. First failing to mention Tony Gwynn at the all star game. Then they didn't mention the tragedies in Ottawa and the school shooting.

No doubt.

Nice to see them actually broadcast it, pay respect to the young lady and kudos to the KC fans for pin drop silence.

Cards fanbase (me included) is still reeling, the organization lighting up RF in an empty Busch Stadium last night was a helluva nice tribute on the day of Oscar's funeral as well.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1IHx3hCAAA6Rhr.jpg)

I thought that was pretty cool too.

Damn, I can't believe I missed the Grateful Dead guys singing the national anthem in game 3 of the Cards and Giants.

Had heard rumblings in the STL media alcohol was probably a factor in the Taveras crash and subsequent death of he and his 18 year old companion, the rumors were indeed true.

.287 blood alcohol content - hammered.

http://deadspin.com/report-oscar-taveras-was-extremely-drunk-at-time-of-fa-1658138854?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Cards get Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins.

I like the deal (for now) for the Cards, filling RF was a must with the passing of Oscar Taveras and Miller was expendable based on the depth of the Cards pitching both at the major and minor league levels.

J-Hey's a free agent at years end so time will tell if it's a match moving beyond but I like it for 2015 for sure.

Russell Martin gets 82 over 5 from the Blue Jays.

No that's not a typo.

Russell Martin just got 82 over 5.

Russell Martin.

 :rofl:

If you think that's nuts, what are your thoughts on the Giancolo Stanton deal?

Insanity.

Totally agree. That deal is gonna hurt them when they need to resign some of their young talent.

I really liked having Russell Martin on the NYY.  If memory serves me correctly, after a few injuries he didn't bounce back well at all.  But IMO during his overall time here he was above solid both catching & hitting.  Good instincts.  Handles pitching staff well.

82 over 5 does seem a bit much but I'm wondering since he's Toronto born if they're hoping for a big time marketing upswing if he has an exceptional year(s)?  He's certainly capable of exceptional.

Looks like the Red Sox are going to sign BOTH Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to HUGE 5 year deals.

I never, ever, ever wanna hear another bitch, from a Red Sox fan, about the  Yanks spending habits. And to be clear...I think this is a good move by the sox front office. Instantly makes them one othe best, if not the best, in the Al east.

But after all the years of listening to sox fans talk about yanks buying rings.....this is sort of the ult irony. ;)

Sox fans are one thing. The owners are even worse, mainly Lucchino, complaining about the Yanks spending habits and how they can't compete. Truth is, they tried the cheap route last year and they were miserable. The "prospects" weren't ready for prime time, and I'm not sure some of them ever will be. So they needed to do something different. Their lineup has become predominantly right handed, so Sandoval helps balance things a bit and fill the giant void at 3B. They overpaid for both guys, which you tend to do in free agency. But at least it's not long term. They're not close to done either. They need to trade a few guys from their current roster. Sounds like Cespedes is the most likely to go. Possibly for a Latos, Iwakuma, etc. Bundle some prospects to make a run at Hamels? Sign Lester? I've never believed he'd actually come back though, so I'll believe it when I see it.

I expect the lying, double speak, and blatant posturing from ownership.  It's what they all do best (especially the big market teams).  And I'm lucky in that I don't interact with them on an almost daily basis. ;)

Yanks have been almost completely silent this off season...which is stupdendously stupifying.  Given their holes, and the state of their minor league systems...they have holes that they need to address, not least of which is someone (besides Ryan) to play SS every day.  And, you know...some folks who can actually HIT the ball might be nice.  The bullpen...ummm...they might actually need one (I don't think Betances can pitch 3 innings at a clip, every day).

Their rotation is generally OK, I think.

To be THIS silent, give what they need......it's just perplexing.  Unless they are completely writing off 2015 as a rebuilding year.

The Sox and Jays both look legit...and I think Baltimore will be good again this year, too.  AL East is just about back to "AL BEAST" status..just with some shuffling of who the beasts are.

The Yankees are starting to come alive. Reports they're making a strong play for Andrew Miller. That'd be a pretty dominant lefty/righty combo in the pen with him and Betances. Also looks like they're getting involved with Lester too. If they don't end up with him I'm sure they'll make a play for Scherzer. Not sure what they'll do to improve the offense.

About time after the recent moves by Boston. They had to start doing something.

Their offense and bullpen are their biggest needs.  I think the rotation sorts itself, right now.

And they've sat back and watched the big FA bats fall, or nearly fall, one by one...

And with that...Yanks aquire Didi Gregorius. (picture me with my fingers on the bridge of my nose, nodding back and forth)

Who, you know, is obviously the answer the Yanks offense so desperately needs, and the 2B or SS of the future!


I just don't even....

We'll see how much he "cost". If it's JUST Shane Greene....I can only hope this is a view toward depth, rather than thinking he's their every day answer.  But...I'm shuddering right now.

I suspect Didi is the everyday answer for now, sheesh - not exactly an upgrade over Brendan Ryan.

Nice move to sign Miller, he's a stud.

I guess they've moved to "run prevention" mode.

Hell, it worked for KC this year. ;)

Mark my words.   This year will be the year of the Toronto Blue Jays.  We just need a closer and then are set baby!!!!

Yeah, i suspect the same....

The miller move basically shores up their pen. Lefty AND solid in late innings, one fell swoop. Maybe need one more solid arm, but i think they might find that in house.

They need one more starter ( likely resigning mccarthy).

Their offense is anemic. Like celler dweller bad. They need at least 2 .275 hitters in there, and one real power threat, to actually have an offense that might score runs. With the projected lineup, today....they might be better than the rays in the al east....MIGHT. The o's, jays, and sox are all a lot better on paper, right now. I needa se the jays prove they dan actually win.....but the other two are sure fire division title competitors.

I'd like to buy in...they have the talent to compete.

But they did a couple years ago, too...and even last year. For sone reason, they just cant seem to win, esp after the as break. Until they prove they can, color me skeptical.

Having said that, they've def made the moves to put them in position to win.

Lester to the Cubs 6 years 155 million.

I just read a "rumor" that the Red Sox are PISSED.  I'm waiting to see if that smoke turns into fire.

I figured Theo would go all in for Lester. I'm sort of surprised the Red Sox went as far as they did in the end. They screwed this thing up from the beginning, offering him 70 million last March. They could've locked him up if they gave him somewhere around 100 million probably. Luckily for Jon, he went out and had a career year and made himself more than double the Sox original offer.

I'm sure the Red Sox owners are pissed about losing out to Theo, but I can't imagine they're surprised. I'm sure they had plans B, C, and D lined up. We'll find out what those are and if they're better or worse.

Good for the Cubs though. It'd be nice to see them competitive again.

I'm not surprised either. The sox really screwed the pooch up with how they handled things with Lester. The cubs could be very interesting. A good mix of young talent and now some veteran talent, add in one of the best managers in the game and things could turn around in the windy city very soon.

Rollins traded to the Dodgers.

Well a lot sure has happened in the last 24 hours. Dodgers, Reds, Marlins, Tigers and Red Sox have all made huge deals. I can't even remember them all.

Tons of deals and signings coming out of the winter meetings.

Lots of shifts in power,too. 

And that Detroit lineup with Cespedes added? Yikes. Miggy, Vmart, Cespedes, and JD Martinez?

Holy scariness.

Not overly excited about the Red Sox last few moves. Seems like they're stockpiling a bunch of #3/4 starters. Taking the Baltimore/KC route so far. I just hope they're not done yet. Buchholz, Porcello, Masterson, Miley, Kelly might pile up wins in the regular season if they have enough offense and a good bullpen, but that doesn't seem like a playoff rotation to me.

Best team on paper in the AL? Now they have to lock up Scherzer.

Quite a flurry in the winter meetings, interesting stuff.

Not sold on the Dodgers moves, I understand the payroll shed with Hanley and Kemp but not sure if they'll be able to make up the offense lost moving ahead.

I like what Boston did, a total remake through free agency and trades with plenty of $ and prospects to do whatever they need to do moving ahead.

The Cubs are obviously improved with Lester, Montero, Hammel et al.  Same as the Sox, flexibility with dough and plenty of high end young talent to augment the big league roster as needed.

Jury's out on the Yanks, love the Miller deal but Didi as an everyday option is puzzling.  Their best move was not going bonkers to re sign Robertson.  Betances/Miller is a lethal late ending combo although how many leads will they have to protect with that offense?

My Cards did their thing early with the Heyward deal and took care of the RH power bat off the bench with Mark Reynolds signing yesterday.  I'm still not comfy with the health/depth of the starting pitching but who is?  Walden in the back of the bullpen with Siegrest and Rosenthal can literally make it a 6 inning game.
Would love to see them go deep sea fishing with hometown guy Scherzer but they're not going to go 200 million for a pitcher, just not their style.

Nice to see the Marlins making moves to improve, same with the Jays.

Tigers improved offensively but could have screwed the pooch pitching wise dealing Porcello and possibly out of the Scherzer sweepstakes.

Love the Hot Stove, can't wait for spring training. :)

Should be an interesting season to see how it plays out with all the players moving around for sure.

The didi move from the Yanks is just a head scratcher. They had that type of player already under contract. His biggest benefit is...hes cheap?

They have, literally, no offense. The bullpen does them no good if they are losing every game 2-0.

They need an entirely new infield. Tex can stay for his defense. Everyone else currently on the infield roster should be replaced, or playing off the bench. Terrible.

I honestly expect the Yanks to see their first year in the cellar of the al east in a long time.

They are also not filling that stadium with their current projected lineup....

Yep i'm afraid we're in for an extended period of really bad teams like in the 80s.

I don't think it'll get that bad but they've got teams in the division that have passed them (for now) for sure.

Their drafts and sub par player development system over the past 10-15 years have caught up to them, couple that with some really bad long term deals with FA's and that's tough to overcome.

Probably not quite that bad but there is gonna be some very lean years ahead for sure. We have pitching and that will keep us in games but you can't win if you can't score.

The funny thing is...the player development HASN'T been that bad. The bigger problem has been hanging on to them, snd not trading them away. Especially young arms. People forget some of the arms that were in the yanks farm system (like  Ian kennedy) who ended up traded away. I mean....gardner, robertson, hughes ( who played well for Detroit), austin jackson.....they've had good mlb talent come through that system!

But their current mnor league system is definitely empty....the cupboard is bare. Thats part of the problem...

And..the Yanks sign...Chase Headly.

It's not a terrible move...but it ISN'T going to help their anemic offense, and combined with the Didi move...well, it's not good..  This infield is going to hit like wet noodles......

I totally understand NOT going out and signing every big free agent bat on the market.  But..surely we could find ONE player to play in the infield who's better than a .225 to .250 hitter?

Blech.....

Tex at 1st, Martin Prado at 2nd, Didi at SS, Headly at 3rd, McCann catching.  That infield is....defensively good, offensively poor (and I think that's being kind).

About the only positive is we can pretty much be assured that Arod (if he plays) is being pegged as a DH.

I'm now convinced that Brian Cashman has actually begun to allow chimps to make their personell decisions.

On no planet is Prado/Phelps for Garrett/Eovaldi a good trade for them, performance wise.

Unless they have some sort of plan to sign a big bat to play 2nd base....this makes zero sense to me.  You downgrade in every possible category, AND Garett doesn't play 2nd (he plays RF and 1B) by making that trade.  It's only positive function is that it dumps payroll. Brendan Ryan playing 2nd is not a "good option" at this point...

What the serious fuck??

Only thing i can think of is he's getting ready for a serious rebuilding.

Seemed like an odd move to me too. Prado is a nice little player. Maybe they'll make a run at Asdrubal Cabrera? They have retooled their rotation to be much younger over the last few years, and that was somewhat needed. Sounds like they're pretty high on Eovaldi and think they can make him into a better pitcher. Make him miss a few more bats. He seems to have the stuff to do it. But I agree, that offense is filled with question marks.

That's an understatement lol. Unless he has something good up his sleeve its another year at least of no playoffs.

The Yankees just made the best off season move of any team in the big leagues.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24907425

Major props to them for that.

Well looks like we won't have Kuroda next year. It appears he's opted to return to Japan.

I'm not surprised.  There were pretty strong rumors to that effect, late last year: That he wanted to pitch one more year, in Japan, and then retire.

Now we've made another pitching trade with the Padres. Has Cashman forgotten offense and defense are part of baseball as well?

It sure seems that way.

Not that I'm opining the loss off Banuelos.  He MAY turn into something approximating his initial projections, eventually.  But he's a guy coming back from Tommy John...it's going to be "awhile" before he's MLB ready.

The return for him is pretty much equivalent.  The two pitchers they got back are solid prospects who likely have value in the minor league system NOW, rather than whenvever Manny is ready.

But...your point is a good one: They have almost NO offense in that lineup. We'll see what they manage the rest of the off season.  Maybe this prospect loading is to use as fodder for a future bat.

It could be that's why he's loading up on the prospects to get some offense. He better do something quick cause spring training is fast approaching.

Time for pilf to start the 2015 season discussion thread!

yep less than 100 days to pitchers and catchers report.

T minus 40 something and counting!

Feb 19 for the Cards
Feb 20 for the Yanks

As requested, I present the 2015 thread!!

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?topic=66094.new#new