Around Baseball 2015

[Rajais Mitten]

How can anyone look at a team whose first two guys will be Dallas Keuchel and Scott Kazmir and then say, "yeah this should be no problem"? The only chink in the armour is that Keuchel might not arrive until game 3, depending on which day the ALWC is scheduled.

 

The Wildcard is Oct 6th, First ALDS game is Oct 8th

[burlingtonbandit]

How can anyone look at a team whose first two guys will be Dallas Keuchel and Scott Kazmir and then say, "yeah this should be no problem"? The only chink in the armour is that Keuchel might not arrive until game 3, depending on which day the ALWC is scheduled.

 

Well they are both LH who the Jays mash pretty well.

[RealAccountant]

Pirates better study Arrieta well or they're not getting out of the wild card game next week.. suddenly, it's realistic to think the Cubs have a shot to go very deep into the postseason.. hopefully no Steve Bartman-types pop up.

 

Won't get through cards

[RealAccountant]

Will the playoffs game be played one after another or at the same time

[Stangstag]

Will the playoffs game be played one after another or at the same time

 

Usually different times throughout the day. 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, etc

[BigCecil]

Agreed. The Astros are pretty scary. Only reason that people are (foolishly) cooling on them is because of this huge slump they're in. I'd actually prefer they kept up the freefall to open up the last playoff spot for one of the mediocre-tier teams just below them (Twins or Angels).

 

Was in HOU and watched them bash and pitch their way to a 4 game sweep over our 1st half version in May. They are a good team and Dallas K owned us in his start.

 

We are a dangerous team and so are they. Cant take them lightly.

[HERPDERP]

Was in HOU and watched them bash and pitch their way to a 4 game sweep over our 1st half version in May. They are a good team and Dallas K owned us in his start.

 

We are a dangerous team and so are they. Cant take them lightly.

 

well we did expose their offense when they were here in Toronto, but granted at that time they have no Correa or Springer

[37stieb]

I was thinking of the WC series and it's fairness. Technically the WC teams could have better W/L records over other division leaders. How is it fair for the best team to play the winner of the WC who could have finished second best in the league? and would it be fair to the WC winner not to have home field advantage when it clearly shows they have a better win/loss percentage against their next division opponent? Now would it be justified once the WC game has finished that MLB pairs up the 1-4 and 2-3 teams based on W/L records and let the chips fall where they may?

[KingKat]

I was thinking of the WC series and it's fairness. Technically the WC teams could have better W/L records over other division leaders. How is it fair for the best team to play the winner of the WC who could have finished second best in the league? and would it be fair to the WC winner not to have home field advantage when it clearly shows they have a better win/loss percentage against their next division opponent? Now would it be justified once the WC game has finished that MLB pairs up the 1-4 and 2-3 teams based on W/L records and let the chips fall where they may?

 

If the MLB cared anything about fairness, they would have a balanced schedule. All they care about is finding the right angles to drum up fan interest.

[37stieb]

If the MLB cared anything about fairness, they would have a balanced schedule. All they care about is finding the right angles to drum up fan interest.

 

I'm guessing fairness is relative. But do think my format would make more sense compared to the current state of post season scheduling?

[KingKat]

I'm guessing fairness is relative. But do think my format would make more sense compared to the current state of post season scheduling?

 

Yes I think it does. The wild-card playoff is punishment enough. It's not necessary for them to give up home field advantage to inferior teams as well though I could see it why they do it the way they do it just to simplify scheduling.

[jaysfan2014]

I just listened to Jonah Keri's book "The Extra 2%" on audiobook, and was thinking..

 

Vince Naimoli was known for alienating the fanbase by doing dumb things, like being cheap, even to his employees, heavily enforcing no oustide food bans, and ticking off sponsors, and of course, let's not forget "The Hit Show", where he signed aging sluggers past prime to backloaded deals. Then Sternberg came in and bought the team, and with Friedman and Maddon at the helm, the Rays won 2 AL East titles, 2 wild card berths, and 1 World Series appearance. But after their World Series appearance, attendance peaked in 2009-10... then dropped off a cliff, with the decline accelerating this season to the lowest since the 2005 season(1,167,984), and as it stands now, attendance of 900K-1M(Expos-level) looks likely for 2016, as the team is unlikely to spend and likely to sell off pieces that are about to get expensive (including Longoria). Don't fall for the hype that they'll be a dangerous team in 2016 like Buck and Pat said.. a fire sale is more likely, especially at these attendance levels.

 

WHY won't the fans show up at the games? They tried to make the fan experience better (including the touch tank, opening up a CF porch similar to Toronto, DJ Kitty, a museum, etc..) and yet, the fans don't come to the games. Heck, even when they won, nobody shows up. Compare that to Toronto, where the Rogers Centre sold out multiple times during our current run to the postseason.

[KingKat]

I just listened to Jonah Keri's book "The Extra 2%" on audiobook, and was thinking..

 

Vince Naimoli was known for alienating the fanbase by doing dumb things, like being cheap, even to his employees, heavily enforcing no oustide food bans, and ticking off sponsors, and of course, let's not forget "The Hit Show", where he signed aging sluggers past prime to backloaded deals. Then Sternberg came in and bought the team, and with Friedman and Maddon at the helm, the Rays won 2 AL East titles, 2 wild card berths, and 1 World Series appearance. But after their World Series appearance, attendance peaked in 2009-10... then dropped off a cliff, with the decline accelerating this season to the lowest since the 2005 season(1,167,984), and as it stands now, attendance of 900K-1M(Expos-level) looks likely for 2016, as the team is unlikely to spend and likely to sell off pieces that are about to get expensive (including Longoria). Don't fall for the hype that they'll be a dangerous team in 2016 like Buck and Pat said.. a fire sale is more likely, especially at these attendance levels.

 

WHY won't the fans show up at the games? They tried to make the fan experience better (including the touch tank, opening up a CF porch similar to Toronto, DJ Kitty, a museum, etc..) and yet, the fans don't come to the games. Heck, even when they won, nobody shows up. Compare that to Toronto, where the Rogers Centre sold out multiple times during our current run to the postseason.

 

Much more worried about Boston in the division. That young core going to be a bitch to contend with though hopefully they don't take their big leap just yet. League wide, I'm concerned with the Astros. Correa is a franchise builder.

[jaysfan2014]

Much more worried about Boston in the division. That young core going to be a bitch to contend with though hopefully they don't take their big leap just yet. League wide, I'm concerned with the Astros. Correa is a franchise builder.

 

Not relevant to what I asked. I was talking about the situation with the Rays, not Boston or Houston.

 

But yes, they will be dangerous in 2016.. if they add properly. And Boston isn't a sure thing yet.. that pitching staff is still an issue, and it'll be difficult to add in free agency due to the bad contracts of Porcello, Sandoval and HanRam. Any pitching additions will likely be through trade.. after all, Boston's farm is deep.

[HERPDERP]

Boston will be a threat in 2016 but its not something we have to worry about right now.

[KingKat]

Not relevant to what I asked. I was talking about the situation with the Rays, not Boston or Houston.

 

But yes, they will be dangerous in 2016.. if they add properly.

 

I basically was saying it to agree with you. The Rays are low on my list of threats was what I was getting to.

[jaysfan2014]

Boston will be a threat in 2016 but its not something we have to worry about right now.

 

Agreed, but only if they find takers for clubhouse cancers Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.. their contracts are albatrosses. Plus, with arb raises coming, Boston's payroll flexibility will be a problem in 2017 and 2018, when their young players start getting paid and the backloads of Sandoval, Porcello and HanRam really start to hit. While they will likely add pitching in the offseason, it'll likely be through trade.

[BTS]

The Rays will be back. Archer, Cobb, Smyly, Odorizzi is legit, and they have 5-6 guys in the conversation for the 5th spot. They also have Longoria, Kiermaier, Forsythe, and Souza to build around. If the rotation stays healthy they could get back to 90+ wins next year.

 

Of course the issue with them is that everything has to go right. If a starter or three go down, or they can't fill a couple of lineup holes it will be another year a few games north or south of 0.500.

[jaysfan2014]

I basically was saying it to agree with you. The Rays are low on my list of threats was what I was getting to.

 

That makes sense. When I heard Buck and Pat saying how scary the Rays would be in 2016, I thought it was a Buck blunder.. there is no way the Rays will be able to afford their current payroll next season at present attendance levels. 2016 has $29.08M guaranteed to 4 players (Longoria, Archer, Loney and Moore) and a load of arb raises, with Smyly and McGee expected to get significant raises, and Cobb a bit of a split between whether he will be tendered. And 2017-19 is even uglier, with payroll expected to soar into the $100M range, which that organization cannot afford. It is exactly the reason why I expect a fire sale this offseason, as the organization can't even afford its current payroll with only 1.2M showing up.

[Dr Negative]

I just listened to Jonah Keri's book "The Extra 2%" on audiobook, and was thinking..

 

Vince Naimoli was known for alienating the fanbase by doing dumb things, like being cheap, even to his employees, heavily enforcing no oustide food bans, and ticking off sponsors, and of course, let's not forget "The Hit Show", where he signed aging sluggers past prime to backloaded deals. Then Sternberg came in and bought the team, and with Friedman and Maddon at the helm, the Rays won 2 AL East titles, 2 wild card berths, and 1 World Series appearance. But after their World Series appearance, attendance peaked in 2009-10... then dropped off a cliff, with the decline accelerating this season to the lowest since the 2005 season(1,167,984), and as it stands now, attendance of 900K-1M(Expos-level) looks likely for 2016, as the team is unlikely to spend and likely to sell off pieces that are about to get expensive (including Longoria). Don't fall for the hype that they'll be a dangerous team in 2016 like Buck and Pat said.. a fire sale is more likely, especially at these attendance levels.

 

WHY won't the fans show up at the games? They tried to make the fan experience better (including the touch tank, opening up a CF porch similar to Toronto, DJ Kitty, a museum, etc..) and yet, the fans don't come to the games. Heck, even when they won, nobody shows up. Compare that to Toronto, where the Rogers Centre sold out multiple times during our current run to the postseason.

 

Nobody wants to spend their Florida summer driving out to a stadium in the middle of nowhere to sit inside a dome.

[jaysfan2014]

The Rays will be back. Archer, Cobb, Smyly, Odorizzi is legit, and they have 5-6 guys in the conversation for the 5th spot. They also have Longoria, Kiermaier, Forsythe, and Souza to build around. If the rotation stays healthy they could get back to 90+ wins next year.

 

Of course the issue with them is that everything has to go right. If a starter or three go down, or they can't fill a couple of lineup holes it will be another year a few games north or south of 0.500.

 

Then someone better cut the Rays a big check.. as it stands, payroll will likely be reduced further in 2016. And they're losing Asdrubal Cabrera, who will almost certainly get a multiyear deal elsewhere, as will John Jaso.

[jaysfan2014]

Nobody wants to spend their Florida summer driving out to a stadium in the middle of nowhere to sit inside a dome.

 

And of course, the city of St. Pete continues to drag its feet on a new stadium. Sooner or later, possibly in the next year or two, MLB is not going to let this facade continue.

[Dr. Dinger]

The Rays have no offense whatsoever, I'm not super worried about them next year.

[37stieb]

And of course, the city of St. Pete continues to drag its feet on a new stadium. Sooner or later, possibly in the next year or two, MLB is not going to let this facade continue.

 

I would like to see TB pushed into Canada. Montreal would be nice, whether they can really support a major league team needs to be questioned. I also wonder why can't Vancouver support a baseball team?

[pickoff22]

The only reason people fear the Rays is because they have had so many seasons where "on paper" they shouldn't be very competitive but then they come out and do well. With their current pieces it's hard to imagine them surprising as they have in the past. It's a sad franchise stuck in a town and a stadium that will never allow them to generate the revenue they "should". St. Pete's is a gorgeous city and I enjoyed my visits there, but it's easy to see why they struggle to fill that stadium (I use that term loosely).

[jaysfan2014]

I would like to see TB pushed into Canada. Montreal would be nice, whether they can really support a major league team needs to be questioned. I also wonder why can't Vancouver support a baseball team?

 

No baseball appropriate stadium in Vancouver. At least Montreal has Le Stade Olympique as a temporary facility while a new ballpark is built.. if it worked in Washington(who played at antiquated RFK Stadium from 2005-07), it could work for Montreal. Besides, if Vancouver was going to get a team, it'd be the A's if that situation with the ballpark in Oakland continues. Montreal at least would keep the AL East proper.

[jaysfan2014]

The only reason people fear the Rays is because they have had so many seasons where "on paper" they shouldn't be very competitive but then they come out and do well. With their current pieces it's hard to imagine them surprising as they have in the past. It's a sad franchise stuck in a town and a stadium that will never allow them to generate the revenue they "should". St. Pete's is a gorgeous city and I enjoyed my visits there, but it's easy to see why they struggle to fill that stadium (I use that term loosely).

 

Some of it was due to Joe Maddon. Kevin Cash lacks the personality Maddon had, plus ownership refuses to spend money. And most free agents would rather get hit by a bean ball than play for the Rays according to Twins OF Torii Hunter.

 

Look at what Joe Maddon has done to the Cubs.. he's about to take them to the postseason.

[pickoff22]

Some of it was due to Joe Maddon. Kevin Cash lacks the personality Maddon had, plus ownership refuses to spend money. And most free agents would rather get hit by a bean ball than play for the Rays according to Twins OF Torii Hunter.

 

Look at what Joe Maddon has done to the Cubs.. he's about to take them to the postseason.

 

And don't forget Andrew Friedman. Losing those two stung.

[jaysfan2014]

And don't forget Andrew Friedman. Losing those two stung.

 

Yes. Matt Silverman has his hands full, with no new stadium on the horizon, an unsustainable market and payroll, increasingly expensive young pitching eating up a chunk of the payroll, no offense, and one foot out the door to Montreal.

[Solaxys]

AL West Race ... such post season drama... om nom nom

 

If Sox sweep Yankees... they might not even get WildCard