Around Baseball 2018

[Orgfiller]

Apparently the Royals offered Neil Walker a MiLB deal. That’s completely absurd.

 

The Royals are so dislikeable.

[Jimcanuck]

You're wrong, Jim's right.

 

Right.... look at Moose. 29 years old, 38 dingers in 2017, good for 2-3 WAR a season. 5 yrs/$50M is what is being talked about? $4M WAR/yr

[Jonn]

I understand MLB Front offices not wanting to give out long term contracts to older players but it seems like the money has dried up industry wide. I don't understand how these veteran players aren't signing 1 or 2 year deals for like 8-12 million. Teams just aren't spending money at all. Just a really s***** time to be a free agent.

 

I mean we aren't that far removed from role players getting multi year contracts for decent coin.

[Spanky99]

 

Jesus Christ.

 

His spin rate must be off the charts, kid!

[Abomination]

I understand MLB Front offices not wanting to give out long term contracts to older players but it seems like the money has dried up industry wide. I don't understand how these veteran players aren't signing 1 or 2 year deals for like 8-12 million. Teams just aren't spending money at all. Just a really s***** time to be a free agent.

 

I mean we aren't that far removed from role players getting multi year contracts for decent coin.

 

It's possible the vets aren't willing to accept one or two year deals yet.

[Abomination]

Interesting regarding juiced balls:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/juiced-baseballs/?addata=espn:mlb:index

[John_Havok]

Interesting regarding juiced balls:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/juiced-baseballs/?addata=espn:mlb:index

 

I think it's pretty much an established fact that baseballs are juiced.

 

MLB will never admit this of course, like they will never admit to knowingly allowing its players to juice when it benefitted them greatly, and subsequently threw them all under the bus when the winds changed and played dumb about it.

 

If you can't juice the players, juice the balls.

[Jimcanuck]

I think it's pretty much an established fact that baseballs are juiced.

 

MLB will never admit this of course, like they will never admit to knowingly allowing its players to juice when it benefitted them greatly, and subsequently threw them all under the bus when the winds changed and played dumb about it.

 

If you can't juice the players, juice the balls.

 

This guy was my next door neighbour growing up:

 

http://topmarketingusa.com/about/staff/jon-hodgins/

 

When he was a Rawlings executive he went on a Cardinals broadcast and they asked him if the balls are juiced. He cut a baseball in half, held the two halves up to the camera, and said "see, no juice"

 

true story

[Boxcar]

This guy was my next door neighbour growing up:

 

http://topmarketingusa.com/about/staff/jon-hodgins/

 

When he was a Rawlings executive he went on a Cardinals broadcast and they asked him if the balls are juiced. He cut a baseball in half, held the two halves up to the camera, and said "see, no juice"

 

true story

 

Except it's been empirically proven that the balls are juiced, and your "neighbour" is full of s***.

 

Though upon further reflection it seems you were not actually making an argument. Your neighbour is still full of s***, though.

[nmrch]

I understand MLB Front offices not wanting to give out long term contracts to older players but it seems like the money has dried up industry wide. I don't understand how these veteran players aren't signing 1 or 2 year deals for like 8-12 million. Teams just aren't spending money at all. Just a really s***** time to be a free agent.

 

I mean we aren't that far removed from role players getting multi year contracts for decent coin.

 

The MLBPA is such a joke these days, its sad how far they've fallen. The fact that a guy like Neil Walker is being offered a minor league should be reason enough for a mild step like a spring training boycott, you don't even have to look at the dozens of other cases which suggest the C word, and these idiots couldn't even agree on that.

[Deadpool]

This guy was my next door neighbour growing up:

 

http://topmarketingusa.com/about/staff/jon-hodgins/

 

When he was a Rawlings executive he went on a Cardinals broadcast and they asked him if the balls are juiced. He cut a baseball in half, held the two halves up to the camera, and said "see, no juice"

 

true story

 

Man, that guy used a lot of words to say nothing at all in his "about" page, has he thought about working in marketin.... Oohhhhh...

[glory]

I like the idea of a payroll floor. Teams have to spend a certain amount every year or they are penalized. The issue is getting the owners to agree to it. The PA has F'ed the players for years and years. The owners/teams are just taking advantage of it. There has to be a systematic change. You can't force teams to spend when they don't have to. The NBA forces teams to spend. That's where MLB will have to follow.

[John_Havok]

I like the idea of a payroll floor. Teams have to spend a certain amount every year or they are penalized. The issue is getting the owners to agree to it. The PA has F'ed the players for years and years. The owners/teams are just taking advantage of it. There has to be a systematic change. You can't force teams to spend when they don't have to. The NBA forces teams to spend. That's where MLB will have to follow.

 

Maybe, but comparing salary systems in leagues like the NBA vs MLB is very different. 40 man rosters vs 12 ....

[GreekFatAss]

The price of a floor would be getting a hard cap in place.

[G-Snarls]

Ichiro Suzuki is getting close to finalizing one year major league deal with #Mariners

[Orgfiller]

Good article on the Miguel Sano accusation situation.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-we-can-actually-say-about-the-miguel-sano-situation/

 

It's well written, objective and well researched, something that many of the new fangraphs writers should follow. Ironically their best content from one of their new (or temporary) hires is someone on the legal side of things, not related to baseball the sport itself.

[nmrch]

The price of a floor would be getting a hard cap in place.

 

Don't see why you can't combine a hard floor with a soft cap. MLB pretty much has a soft cap already with the tax threshold.

 

From a player(and many owners) you gotta go after the taker teams first like Pittsburgh, Miami, Tampa Bay etc, you can't be incentivized to spend little, don't bother with trying to grow your business but then end up making money through revenue sharing. That's something both the owners and players should be able to agree with.

[Spanky99]

Hamilton's larceny on Ohtani...

 

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/billy-hamiltons-robbery-of-shohei-ohtani-was-so-unreal-that-the-announcers-couldnt-believe-it/c-267909336

[Terminator]

Ichiro Suzuki is getting close to finalizing one year major league deal with #Mariners

 

I would hate to be a Mariners fan. That was a team in a similar position to the Jays entering the offseason. The Jays had a productive offseason and the Mariners have not so we are looking at WC contention and they are hoping to tread water to be .500. With prices so low on FA this offseason I don't understand what's going on over there.

[saskjayfan]

Ichiro Suzuki is getting close to finalizing one year major league deal with #Mariners

 

 

jaromir Suzuki is giving it a go.

[Terminator]

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/an-interesting-and-bad-suggestion-for-billy-hamilton/

 

Fun article where Sawchick has a discussion with Billy Hamilton and other Reds players on turning Hamilton into a supersub, meaning Hamilton starts on the bench but then pinch runs as early as the first inning of a game. Decreases Hamilton's ABs while increasing his times on base. Hamilton thinks it's stupid but his teammates throw around some ideas to try and make it work.

[glory]

I would hate to be a Mariners fan. That was a team in a similar position to the Jays entering the offseason. The Jays had a productive offseason and the Mariners have not so we are looking at WC contention and they are hoping to tread water to be .500. With prices so low on FA this offseason I don't understand what's going on over there.

 

The M's are basically the Jays from 1994-2014 and have been for years. Directionless, going through the motions. The 2nd WC should make it easier for them to avoid 21 years without the PO, but who knows.

[Ray]

Good article on Neil Walker: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/neil-walker-needs-a-job/

 

I still can't believe he doesn't have a job yet. He has durability concerns, but when he's healthy, he's a good bet to provide 2-3 WAR.

[Boxcar]

Good article on Neil Walker: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/neil-walker-needs-a-job/

 

I still can't believe he doesn't have a job yet. He has durability concerns, but when he's healthy, he's a good bet to provide 2-3 WAR.

 

If he's having this much finding work, I sure wouldn't mind the Jays signing him to a short term deal given Travis's status as perpetually injury prone.

[Jonn]

If he's having this much finding work, I sure wouldn't mind the Jays signing him to a short term deal given Travis's status as perpetually injury prone.

 

I wonder if the Jays knew a player of Neil Walker's calibre would still be available this cheap if they would have made the Solarte trade. Would love to have Neil Walker right now and he can play second and a little third base if needed.

[glory]

Solarte has one cheap year and two cheap option years, while Walker probably wouldn't sign for more than a year since he may want to hit the market again next year. The Jays would probably prefer Solarte for that reason.

 

I'd still sign him though. Screw it. Tulo is done, and Travis is unreliable. The Jays have enough AB's to go around.

[Spanky99]

If he's having this much finding work, I sure wouldn't mind the Jays signing him to a short term deal given Travis's status as perpetually injury prone.

 

Isn't our MIF a little too stacked, he want's and deserves an everyday job.

[G-Snarls]

Royals sign Jon Jay

[Dr. Dinger]

I have to say I really love watching Boras become desperate to save face.

 

---

 

Moose may wait to sign until after June draft

Mike Moustakas' agent Scott Boras suggested to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star that his client might not sign until after the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft.

 

That would no longer tie Moustakas to draft pick compensation and could finally spring open a fruitful market for the 29-year-old third baseman, especially if he is willing to accept offers that would only carry through to the end of the 2018 season. He can not have that draft pick compensation tied to him next winter, per the CBA rules. "Watch what happens," Boras said. "This player has no picks attached to him. It goes away, because they can only put it on him once. So now it's a totally different world for Moose." Boras and Moustakas were believed to be seeking upwards of five years and $75 million when this offseason began.

[TBJ12]

Interesting article on Ichiro http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22624561/ichiro-suzuki-return-seattle-mariners-resolve-internal-battle