*** OFFICIAL *** MLB 2021 Thread

[simpdog]

Will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do with Scherzer.

He's still very much on his game, despite being 37. But how much longer does he have as an elite pitcher? It seemed he was already cracking last year, but somehow regained his form in 2021 -- perhaps due to the lighter load the prior year? (Some are saying that's the reason for Buster Posey's renaissance -- as he took 2020 off!)

Dodgers have been reluctant to give expensive long-term contracts to older players. They also lost Justin Turner because of it. Turner, who would be 36 during the 2021 season, wanted 4 years. Dodgers wanted to keep him, but offered 2. They got stuck for awhile, and ultimately Turner backed down and accepted the 2 years, and took "only" $17m per year. But it looks like they were going to let him walk if he kept demanding more than 2 years.

I think Friedman is just really against having 40-year-olds on the roster making $25m, or whatever.

The Dodgers may lose Scherzer for this reason. Turner ultimately stayed because he was comfortable in LA, and the Dodgers were the team which saved his career. Scherzer has no such history in LA.

It looks like Scherzer deferred $105 million to get paid $15 mill/year until 2028.

Does he take less money to stay with a contender after this contract ends?

Washington is shit so I don't see him returning anytime soon. So maybe there's a chance unless you think he'll bolt to the Yankees or Red Sox?

[shoeshine box]

Will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do with Scherzer.

He's still very much on his game, despite being 37. But how much longer does he have as an elite pitcher? It seemed he was already cracking last year, but somehow regained his form in 2021 -- perhaps due to the lighter load the prior year? (Some are saying that's the reason for Buster Posey's renaissance -- as he took 2020 off!)

Dodgers have been reluctant to give expensive long-term contracts to older players. They also lost Justin Turner because of it. Turner, who would be 36 during the 2021 season, wanted 4 years. Dodgers wanted to keep him, but offered 2. They got stuck for awhile, and ultimately Turner backed down and accepted the 2 years, and took "only" $17m per year. But it looks like they were going to let him walk if he kept demanding more than 2 years.

I think Friedman is just really against having 40-year-olds on the roster making $25m, or whatever.

The Dodgers may lose Scherzer for this reason. Turner ultimately stayed because he was comfortable in LA, and the Dodgers were the team which saved his career. Scherzer has no such history in LA.

It looks like Scherzer deferred $105 million to get paid $15 mill/year until 2028.

Does he take less money to stay with a contender after this contract ends?

Washington is shit so I don't see him returning anytime soon. So maybe there's a chance unless you think he'll bolt to the Yankees or Red Sox?

Yankees.....all kids dream of being a N.Y. Skankee.

[Strokeofluck2020]

All 4 Braves infielers have at least 25 homeruns only second time in history this has been done.

Do you think the Braves can hold off the Phillies, who are somehow hot right now? Braves momentum kinda fell apart after getting swept by the Dodgers. Looks like two exciting division races in the NL this year.

with our starting pitchers coming around i think we can hold them iff.

[Dan Druff]

Will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do with Scherzer.

He's still very much on his game, despite being 37. But how much longer does he have as an elite pitcher? It seemed he was already cracking last year, but somehow regained his form in 2021 -- perhaps due to the lighter load the prior year? (Some are saying that's the reason for Buster Posey's renaissance -- as he took 2020 off!)

Dodgers have been reluctant to give expensive long-term contracts to older players. They also lost Justin Turner because of it. Turner, who would be 36 during the 2021 season, wanted 4 years. Dodgers wanted to keep him, but offered 2. They got stuck for awhile, and ultimately Turner backed down and accepted the 2 years, and took "only" $17m per year. But it looks like they were going to let him walk if he kept demanding more than 2 years.

I think Friedman is just really against having 40-year-olds on the roster making $25m, or whatever.

The Dodgers may lose Scherzer for this reason. Turner ultimately stayed because he was comfortable in LA, and the Dodgers were the team which saved his career. Scherzer has no such history in LA.

It looks like Scherzer deferred $105 million to get paid $15 mill/year until 2028.

Does he take less money to stay with a contender after this contract ends?

Washington is shit so I don't see him returning anytime soon. So maybe there's a chance unless you think he'll bolt to the Yankees or Red Sox?

Oh, there's a chance. I just think he'll get more money if he leaves LA. He can probably find a gullible contender to give him 4 years, based upon how good he looks right now at 37. I bet the Dodgers will offer him 2 years at a high per-year rate, and if he doesn't like it, they'll tell him he can walk, just like they told Turner.

It's possible he'll stay anyway, if he likes the team enough and its ongoing chances.

Dodgers have a few tough free agent decisions coming up this offseason.

[Sanlmar]

Nobody ever publicly appreciates the poetry or the symmetry of Psycho Scherzer replacing Bauer.

I love Scherzer. He’s an animal. He’d pitch with a broken arm. That’s not hyperbole. He is nuts. I don’t mean he’s more competitive than today’s athletes who fondle each other’s testicles post game. Scherzer is beyond even Michael Jordan.

There is something wrong with him. He is unbalanced. This comes from a guy who has written endlessly about his love of Greinke. Trust me.

The episode with the umpire checking for the sticky icky. Telling his manager, Dave Roberts, “don’t fucking touch me!”

The Scherzer stories are so numerous and crazy it is threadworthy.

[Sanlmar]

I am obligated financially to watch this Dodgers game.

Later, I promise to provide some supporting anecdotes. We’ll start with Scherzer’s formative years in college. He’s always been off his rocker. For me, it will be a labor of love.

Dodgers are really hanging on in the NL West. Fun

[Dan Druff]

If you've noticed that the Giants and Padres haven't played each other much, despite being in the same division.... you'd be right.

They will play each other 10 times (!!) between September 13 and October 3. They also get tonight plus 4 more against the Rockies, 3 against the Diamondbacks, 3 against the Cubs, and 3 against the Braves.

Dodgers are stuck playing the Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, and yes, 6 against the Padres in this stretch. So tougher schedule for them. It's possible Milwaukee will be easier if they rest players, as their games against the Dodgers are the final 3.

[Strokeofluck2020]

Braves pushed the NL east lead to 3.5 games tonight with a come from behind walk off. We hit 5 solo homers. The Rockies came from behind to beat the Phillies. 23 games left for the Braves. Chop on

[simpdog]

Jays still on a heater and have caught Boston/NY.

Sale out with covid.
Cole maybe out with hamstring problems.

Both Boston/NY could fall out of the wildcard which is crazy....

[shoeshine box]

Balty +244....8 in a row ain't easy baby...Can't lay -294...........

[Sanlmar]

Dodgers are still hanging in there. They are still live to take the NL West. 2.0 back with 15 left is tough though.

Who do you throw for the Wildcard? Scherzer? The debate will rage. I say Kershaw.

Bellinger .159

[Dan Druff]

Jo Lasorda, who married Tommy in 1950 and stayed with him until he died 70 years later, passed away. She was 91.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...anager-dies-91

This is yet another instance of the second half of a longtime married couple dying only a short time after the first. This is common with very old people, as the depression resulting in the death of their lifelong partner can disrupt their already fragile system, and they can easily succumb to illness. Some of this also occurs randomly, as two very old people are much more statistically likely to die close together than people who aren't super old.

Anyway, I think it was probably the former here, as Tommy and Jo were said to have a good marriage and were always very close.

RIP

[Dan Druff]

Dodgers are still hanging in there. They are still live to take the NL West. 2.0 back with 15 left is tough though.

Who do you throw for the Wildcard? Scherzer? The debate will rage. I say Kershaw.

Bellinger .159

Bellinger may not play again this year. He's got a fractured rib, which hurts like a bitch, and makes it very hard to perform physical activity. Remember when this happened to Hanley Ramirez in 2013? He was great that year, but was useless in the playoffs because of the rib injury. Bellinger already sucked prior to this, so in a weird way this may have done the Dodgers a favor. He was only in the lineup because the Dodgers didn't want to ruin his confidence. Now there's an excuse to keep him sitting.

Highly likely for Scherzer to start the wildcard game, if necessary. He's been super dominating since coming to LA. Last 5 starts: 36 2/3 IP, 0 ER (1 unearned), 48 K. Analysts are saying he was the greatest deadline acquisition of all time.

Dodgers are 1 game behind the Giants. Dodgers are in Colorado, which always has a lot of variance. Giants are visiting the Padres, who are melting down.

Exciting end to the season, for sure. If the 2nd place NL West team finishes 104-58 or better (which is very possible), they'll be the best 2nd place team in MLB history.

[Dan Druff]

Speaking of the Padres...

The team is an absolute mess. They were expected at the beginning of the season to be neck-and-neck with the Dodgers. Instead, the projected-78-win Giants are filling that role, and the Padres are just 3 games over .500, and mostly out of the playoff picture.

After Tatis struck out, somehow a huge dugout argument broke out between him and Manny Machado, and a fight almost occurred.




That's the last thing the Padres want -- problems between the team's two stars.

Jayce Tingler is being blamed for not commanding the respect of the players, and it's assumed he will be fired very soon. Here's an article in the SD Tribune about it: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...-tatis-manager

But the Padres' problems run deeper than that.

Eric Hosmer turned out to be a bust, and he isn't happy in San Diego. However, his contract makes him untradeable.

Dinelson Lamet, who looked so promising in 2020, got injured, and just doesn't look like the same guy upon return. He's pitching out of the bullpen, and it seems the team doesn't have any faith in him. He was thought to perhaps be finally breaking out, but now it's looking like he will return to mediocrity.

Blake Snell was underwhelming in his first year on the Padres, and now he's injured. He's under contract for 2 more years, but may not be the pitcher the Padres thought he'd be.

Mike Clevinger, acquired last year for the playoff race, has missed all of 2021 due to injury, and may not come back as the same guy.

Wil Myers, after looking so great in 2020, has returned to mediocrity in 2021.

Adam Frazier was a bizarre deadling acquisition, given that the Padres already had a good 2B in Jake Croneworth. Frazier hasn't hit particularly well in SD, either.

Yu Darvish is suddenly very hittable, even though his last start was very good.


Anyway, the whole team is a big ball of dysfunction, and they've sunk a lot of money into it. They're going to have to do some hard thinking in the offseason.

[Sanlmar]

Giants face .452 strength of schedule with 12 games remaining.
For comparison the Cubs are .477 & Royals .457

Colorado home record is 45-27 so careful with the variance chatter. I know you don’t bet Dodgers. I’m here to ground you.

[Jayjami]

Dodgers are still hanging in there. They are still live to take the NL West. 2.0 back with 15 left is tough though.

Who do you throw for the Wildcard? Scherzer? The debate will rage. I say Kershaw.

Bellinger .159

Bellinger may not play again this year. He's got a fractured rib, which hurts like a bitch, and makes it very hard to perform physical activity. Remember when this happened to Hanley Ramirez in 2013? He was great that year, but was useless in the playoffs because of the rib injury. Bellinger already sucked prior to this, so in a weird way this may have done the Dodgers a favor. He was only in the lineup because the Dodgers didn't want to ruin his confidence. Now there's an excuse to keep him sitting.

Highly likely for Scherzer to start the wildcard game, if necessary. He's been super dominating since coming to LA. Last 5 starts: 36 2/3 IP, 0 ER (1 unearned), 48 K. Analysts are saying he was the greatest deadline acquisition of all time.

Dodgers are 1 game behind the Giants. Dodgers are in Colorado, which always has a lot of variance. Giants are visiting the Padres, who are melting down.

Exciting end to the season, for sure. If the 2nd place NL West team finishes 104-58 or better (which is very possible), they'll be the best 2nd place team in MLB history.

If Roberts doesn’t start Scherzer, I will punch him in the face, or hire Trevor Bauer to do it.

[GrenadaRoger]

top secret intel of Jays about Rays falls into hand of Ray's centerfielder





before the next inning, Jay's sent a bat boy over to Ray's dugout to ask for return of the catcher's card...Ray's said no







okay, then its okay to take advantage...some time in the future deliberately lose a false card

[simpdog]

Jays were losing big today and sent out a reliever to plunk him. Immediately got tossed from the game so nothing came of it.

Would be an interesting series, some extra ammo to make it exciting.

[Sanlmar]

I just took Juan Soto


MLB Player Futures - Most Valuable Player - NL MVP Winner - Juan Soto +2000

Soto is playing unconscious. Read a few articles. His negatives are he hasn’t played a full season and he’s on a losing team. So is Harper. Tatis MVP? Tatis is warring with his bench and the team is unwinding dramatically.

I swear seconds after I bet it cratered. The limits are small so it wasn’t me. Hmmm. See if your book offers +2000 or more. I don’t think it wins but it’s value.

[Dan Druff]

Well, looking pretty likely the Dodgers will face the red hot Cards in the wildcard game.

Giants lucky to play the Padres so many times when they're in meltdown mode. Dodgers stuck playing in tough Coors Field. Sad!