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You can't question their past success, but Astros 5/95 for Hader is ROFL.
No pitcher is worth ~$400k per inning.
Not to mention that he had that weird period of time where he was getting clobbered, then somehow righted the ship.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Spending a lot of $ on a closer usually ends up in regret.
I did kinda like the Dodgers approach of just trying out whomever they had, and they stumbled into Evan Phillips, a complete nobody, being pretty good.
MLB is more and more a bullpen game with each passing year. Starts in the first inning now. Money skewing to the bullpen. There is a logic to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Astros have the best backend in baseball as of this signing.
Why not extend their run with a win now attitude. They know how to build a post season roster.
I’m gonna over rule your objection
I mean yeah, 100% on that bolded part. If the Stros use Hader like Milwaukee did early in his career, as a multi-inning stopper (since they have Pressly already there closing) then thats better. Hard to say, though...egos and whatnot. Hader might have been promised the closer role. He's getting $5m more a year than Pressly.Quote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarMLB is more and more a bullpen game with each passing year. Starts in the first inning now. Money skewing to the bullpen. There is a logic to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Astros have the best backend in baseball as of this signing.
Why not extend their run with a win now attitude. They know how to build a post season roster.
I’m gonna over rule your objection
Still not my ideal staff-building mode. I like our most recent champion Rangers current model. Throw money at starters, many of them. 162 games is a war of attrition. Hopefully by the end you got 6 healthy, 2 of them move to the pen in playoffs where their stuff plays up and they basically become stoppers (Jon Gray last year). The majority of the regular season pen being guys who are pre-arb.
But again, like I said, its hard to criticize the Astros after 7 straight ALCS appearances. Overrule filed away until later for further review.
Now that Hader has locked up his bag he won’t give as much of a fuck about saves and all the metrics that get you the big dollars. I bet he is amenable to multiple innings and whatever is needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by gutI mean yeah, 100% on that bolded part. If the Stros use Hader like Milwaukee did early in his career, as a multi-inning stopper (since they have Pressly already there closing) then thats better. Hard to say, though...egos and whatnot. Hader might have been promised the closer role. He's getting $5m more a year than Pressly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Still not my ideal staff-building mode. I like our most recent champion Rangers current model. Throw money at starters, many of them. 162 games is a war of attrition. Hopefully by the end you got 6 healthy, 2 of them move to the pen in playoffs where their stuff plays up and they basically become stoppers (Jon Gray last year). The majority of the regular season pen being guys who are pre-arb.
But again, like I said, its hard to criticize the Astros after 7 straight ALCS appearances. Overrule filed away until later for further review.
Hader moves on to Phase II - rings
is there a guy who does custom dodger straw hats on here and we can hang like 5 championships on it in a row cuz fuck yall poor teams
It’s a championship formula for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by lol wow
You've got the looks, I've got the brains
Let's make lots of money
Gonna be a lot of laughs
cant stop wont stop until california runs out of money in like 5 years and then whatevs
although there could be like 58k people left in la and dodger stadium still sells out cuz its awesome
Oh they gonna be the Savannah Bananas this summer. Then we will have our usual heart to heart in the post season.Quote:
Originally Posted by lol wow
lets parking lot that till 2028 after our 4 peat
@gut
Kyle Boddy of Driveline will serve as a Special Advisor to Craig Breslow and the Red Sox on pitching R&D for the coming season.
That’s a big deal. We joke about the Dodgers pitching coaches and development (weighted balls).
Driveline influences pitching from high school to MLB. Boddy changed everything. His importance cannot be overstated.
Boddy was a former poker player. His story is an outstanding listen. There is a ton of stuff out there but this has that stupidity wagering bent.
The story of the century has been the Dodger pitching mismanagement and now the greatest baseball player ever is in their hands and the Dodgers whiffed on Kyle Boddy…. or he wanted no part of them.
Our very own MickeyCrimm was the subject of a Risk of Ruin podcast as well. Two Hustlers.
I am ignorant on any personal details of Rubenstein. If he is a "fan" and wants to spend and win, watch out. Orioles should be the next Astros.Quote:
The Orioles have confirmed yesterday’s reports on a sale of the team, announcing Wednesday that a group of investors led by billionaire David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group private equity firm has purchased the control stake of the team from the Angelos family for $1.725 billion. Notably, former control person John Angelos will remain a “major investor” in the club and will serve as a senior advisor to Rubenstein in his new role. The transaction values the Orioles franchise and assets at $1.725 billion dollars, per the team’s press release on the ownership shakeup.
Esptein BACK
One-time Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is returning to the organization, taking part ownership of Fenway Sports Group and joining in the role of senior advisor, FSG will announce Friday morning.
For the second straight year ownership and management were raucously booed at the Red Sox Winter Fan Fest 2 weeks ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by simpdog
Boston sports fans. Not gay.Quote:
I want you to know the boos, the anger, the hate we see on social media … we get it,” Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said
Red Sox had to do something to correct the damage done by Andrew Friedman’s protege L’Chiam Bloom. Complete disaster.
Fenway Sports Group was spread thin with hockey, soccer, motor sports and golf. Epstein is the best there is and will bring focus back to baseball
I've come to genuinely dislike the Red Sox. Theo Epstein coming back 20 years later isn't going to deliver results anytime soon. Its lipstick on a pig as far as I'm concerned. Sox fans have to face facts that baseball is dying in Boston and pick another team until they stop trying to ruin every season before it even starts.
I'm not forking over one red cent for a ticket to Fenway until the team stops sucking and starts contending and I'm not wasting 3 hours of my spring and summer watching them on tv. The owners can fuck off. These assholes ruined the Sox. They think bringing back an executive is gonna make us all forget they got worse over the winter? Fuck them.
Well at least the Red Sox are consistent.
78 wins in 2022. 78 wins in 2023.
Maybe they can go for a trifecta?
Offense doesn't look that bad. Hell, maybe Vaughn Grissom will finally break out after being mishandled for 2 years in Atlanta.
But the pitching... oy vey. Right now they don't have a single starter whose ERA computer-projects under 4.28.
Attention Sanlmar:
Kershaw back with the Dodgers: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...each-agreement
Terms not disclosed yet.
He will miss at least half the season. Dodgers already have a 5-man rotation with Yamamoto, Glasnow, Miller, Buehler, and Paxton. None of those five were starters on the team during opening week 2023.
As long as Kershaw is ready to start in the playoffs, Druff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Well, guessing that the timing of the sale was not a coincidence, as they immediately trade 2 marginal (marginal to the O's at least) and a pick for 1 year of Burnes. Burnes has already stated he won't sign an extension with anyone, wants to test the market.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
O's still have the prospect depth to acquire another ace if they want. They might not need it if G-Rod makes a leap this year.
Yankees vs Orioles will be fun to watch this year. Stars-n-scrubs vs a full 25-man roster of talent and depth. Rays will somehow find a way to win the division.
Dodgers shipped out Margot before he played a game for them... so they could bring back Kike' Hernandez.
They also sent some cash to Minnesota to help deflect some salary, and they got this good defensive SS (plus another SS prospect) in return:
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/sta...42144151142852
In other news, Kodai Senga, one of the few bright spots for the 2023 Mets, is having issues with his shoulder, and has been shut down for a minimum 3 weeks.
And Jose De Leon, who played in MLB from 1983-1995, died at age 63. De Leon had 201 K in 1989 for the Cardinals, back when high strikeout totals weren't as common. However, he also lost 19 games in both in 1985 and 1990.
The Dodgers actually included a SS prospect as well. Consider the trade as basically Margot, Doncon, $6m for Kike', Miller.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Neither of the prospects currently have especially bright futures, unless they start hitting. Both of them have been playing above their age level though, so perhaps it will come.
You can also read through the lines and see exactly how this trade happened. Kike' let it leak a few days ago that he had offers from 4 teams, the Twins were one of them, the Dodgers were not. Dodgers really didn't have room for him without shedding a non-optionable player. Its obvious Kike' likes playing for the Dodgers, and obviously the Dodgers like him. Dodgers have no ties to Margot, that was eating salary in the Glasnow trade.
So kike' presumably lets Dodgers know he was gonna sign with Minny for 1/$4. Minny is primarily looking for a 4th OF who can play CF. Dodgers Call Minny and say you can have Margot and we'll pay him down to, whattya know, 1/$4! Then they hammer out a prospect swap they feel is equitable and there is the trade.
My guess (and my $$) is going to say they going to finish last in the AL east again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
They are going to sell off the rest of what they got by the break and bring up Mayer, Roman and Teel. They will
Keep the 3 other kids in tbe lineup.
I have no idea how they solve the pitching problems. They need an entire rotation
Sounds logical.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Kike' and the Dodgers just kinda belong together. I don't blame him for taking the bag to play for the Red Sox, but he was never a starting caliber player. He's a utility guy with some power and very streaky hitting. He can deliver big clutch hits, and he can also go for long stretches as an automatic out. He and Chris Taylor have some similarities, except Kike' has a bombastic personality and Taylor is quiet.
Everyone was surprised to see Kike' end up back with the Dodgers, though, because the Dodgers were showing zero interest in re-signing him. I think they realized the team needed some personality, as their stars are big on stats but all on the quiet side.
Yup. You look around the AL now and play "which teams are clearly worse than Boston"....White Sox, A's, Angels....Royals maybe? Tigers might have 5 starters I'd rather have over any Red Sox starter.Quote:
Originally Posted by DalyMy guess (and my $$) is going to say they going to finish last in the AL east again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
They are going to sell off the rest of what they got by the break and bring up Mayer, Roman and Teel. They will
Keep the 3 other kids in tbe lineup.
I have no idea how they solve the pitching problems. They need an entire rotation
So I got access to the Dodgers opening day presale.
Was considering either going or selling them BACK on Stubhub.
What a fucking fail. Nosebleeds were $188 before fees, and shitty field seats were like $307.
Right now you can get better deals on Stubhub than at the official team presale, which is disgraceful because secondary market prices are always crappy when far in advance.
Waaaaaaaaaay too fucking greedy for Dodgers to be selling $188 nosebleed tickets at face for a regular season game.
I passed on it. I'll go to a game when the hype dies down.
Don't see that hype dying down for a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
I admit, I was bummed when he left the Angels. Angels games were different when Ohtani was there. I saw him hit a few hrs and wow the place was insane. I didn't see him pitch and I definitely fucked up on that
I was thisclose to buying a couple of tickets for me and my brother. I went through the ordering process and was within a millimeter of hitting the submit order button. I haven't missed too many opening days, but I just couldn't pull the trigger on this one. I may be the ultimate sports fan, but I'm no sucker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Elderly Mookie Betts named shortstop.
I dunno why the alledged smartest organization is still performing improvisation at the third most important position in baseball.
Lux and Turner on the left side of the billion dollar payroll was just stupid. Why is Friedman attending to his infield now? Ive written countless posts about Turner and Lux defense. Fraudman not a listener? When did the Lux problem become apparent to him?
When all is said and done this is the correct move. Dodgers like to load manage their stars but its win now.
Fun
“We don’t need a good defensive shortstop”, said no baseball coach, at any level, ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Kike' starts 80 games at SS, o/u?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Speaking of 80 games....
Noelvi Marte, currently ranked #40 or so regarding MLB prospects, got an 80-game suspension for roids.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...g-positive-ped
Marte had a pretty good run last year, hitting .316 in 35 games.
This helps me fantasy-wise, as it not only takes Marte out for one of my opponents who got to keep him in "rookie" status, but it will get more at-bats for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who I have for $1.
The Reds are hoping to win the (still weak) NL Central, via their young core of hitters such as Friedl, Steer, De La Cruz, Strand, and McClain. Marte was part of that group until his suspension. They added Jeimer Candelario in the offseason, who was going to play 1B, 3B, and DH, but now will mostly be at 3B due to Marte's suspension.
The Reds pitching still looks weird, with an inconsistent-looking rotation. Their best pitcher, Hunter Greene, strikes out a ton of people, but otherwise has issues consistently putting up zeroes.
Its a tall order, but if the Reds can just get 2 starters to take a jump forward, they should have that division.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
IMO
In the "players who don't know when it's time to hang it up" category, we have Joey Votto.
He's 40 years old and just signed a minor league deal with Toronto. He played in MLB from 2007-2023. Despite back-to-back seasons hitting just over .200, he still has a .294 career average, 356 HR, and and a .920 OPS.
He believes that his 2022 surgery is what held him back, but in reality he's 40 and it's just time to sit down.
Maybe he got that Pujols workout.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Padres trading 4 prospects for Cease. San Diego must have the most schizophrenic front office....
LETS SIGN ALL THE SHORTSTOPS
TRADE FOR SOTO
TRADE SOTO
TRADE FOR CEASE
their marketing team should start a campaign called "Wanna see a whole different looking .500 team?!?! Buy tix today"
Thats wildQuote:
Of every five tickets StubHub has sold to Dodgers games this year, one has been bought by a fan IN Japan.
The Shohei Ohtani Effect: Dodgers ticket prices are soaring, both home and away
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other...ay/ar-BB1jXsiA
ascetic /ə-sĕt′ĭk/
noun
A person who renounces material comforts and leads a life of austere self-discipline, especially as an act of religious devotion.
Ohtani got married to a retired Japanese basketball player. Ohtani has led a monk-like existence to this point in his life. This is not hyperbole. It will be interesting to see how his Beatles-like fame, Los Angeles, the Dodgers, money and married life change him… cause it will change him.
I warned Benjamin about this.
I told him, "Not only are we not going to opening day, we probably aren't going for at least a few weeks".
Fortunately it's an 81-homegame season, so there's plenty of time for the novelty to die down, and the prices to return closer to normal.
I'll be monitoring Stubhub on day-of-game just in case, especially during the week, as perhaps I'll find an outlier pair of tickets.
Usually the way it goes is this:
<pick Ben up from school>
"Ben, would you like to go to a Dodgers game soon?"
"Yes."
"Would you like it to be today?"
"YES!"
"That's good, because I bought tickets while you were at school."