Around Baseball 2024

[Brownie19]

No f***ing s*** lmao

 

And I'd rather have a blowjob than a colonoscopy

 

Nobody is saying that Atkins is better than AA

 

Just funny to see AA's team be mediocre and have multiple position players suck this year, just like the Jays, when he is practically deified by some around here who can't get over him leaving Toronto, while those same posters think Atkins is the worst thing since the female Ghostbusters

 

Oh s*** - well said. POTY candidate.

[John_Havok]

No f***ing s*** lmao

 

And I'd rather have a blowjob than a colonoscopy

 

Nobody is saying that Atkins is better than AA

 

Just funny to see AA's team be mediocre and have multiple position players suck this year, just like the Jays, when he is practically deified by some around here who can't get over him leaving Toronto, while those same posters think Atkins is the worst thing since the female Ghostbusters

 

What about blow job while getting a colonoscopy?

[AMS528]

 

Just funny to see AA's team be mediocre and have multiple position players suck this year, just like the Jays, when he is practically deified by some around here who can't get over him leaving Toronto, while those same posters think Atkins is the worst thing since the female Ghostbusters

 

Man I wish being mediocre for us involved leading the wild card race. Be a lot more fun to be critical of the team not being good enough for the division, then not being good enough to even make the playoffs.

 

It's honestly not even that massive of a difference games back wise, but the vibes would be very different.

[Jimcanuck]

What about blow job while getting a colonoscopy?

 

Sign me up!

[wilko]

What about blow job while getting a colonoscopy?

 

That just scratched my itch!

[max silver]

Would rather have been the Braves since 2021. Having a World Series Title and a couple of seasons of leading the NL East.

 

Don't understand why some of the Atkins cult (Brownie19) love to compare AA's record with Atkins all the time. It's like comparing a bottle of Dom Perignon with a bottle you find at a 7 Eleven.

 

Braves lost Acuna, Soroka, and Ozuna in 2021, snuck into the Postseason and won a ring, but only one, so AA sucks.

 

Braves lost Freeman and Swanson as two big FA's and they still won 100 games the following season. Though AA sucks.

 

Braves lost Acuna again, Strider, Murphy, and all their major bats have sucked this season, but still sit at 36-30 with a +27 run differential, leading the NL Wildcard. But AA sucks.

 

A lot of these members of the Atkins cult really need to chill out and stop comparing AA with Atkins. It's not even close. It's like comparing a bottle of The Macallan Double Cask 18 Year Old with a bottle of Crown Royale.

 

Nobody here ever once said that AA sucks, but every time there is even a tiny shred of reasonable criticism sent his way you start slathering all over his balls with the barrage of white knight posts. We get that you absolutely idolize the guy, but eventually you should just move on with your life and accept that he chose to leave to greener pastures.

 

Give it a f***ing rest with the Atkins cult nonsense. Nobody on here praises Atkins anywhere close to the degree that you are constantly carrying on about. Get some new material, it's not funny, remotely interesting, adds zero value to any discussion here, and is nothing more than inflammatory troll level nonsense.

[Terminator]

Braves leading the NL Wild Card, at 36-30 with a +27 run differential, even without Strider, Acuna and majority of their big bats sucking. Murphy just got back as well.

 

Jays sit at 33-35, 3 GB of WC3 with two other teams ahead of them and with a -35 run differential.

 

Braves are still in a much better position especially if their big bats come around and AA makes some movies at the deadline.

 

But I thought AA was the greatest GM since Branch Rickey? And I thought Atkins was a worse GM than the head of the Rogers Centre ground crew? Surely the Braves should be better than just 3 wins than the Jays if that were the case?

[Brownie19]

But I thought AA was the greatest GM since Branch Rickey? And I thought Atkins was a worse GM than the head of the Rogers Centre ground crew? Surely the Braves should be better than just 3 wins than the Jays if that were the case?

 

Let's not make this a Braves v. Jays debate. The initial point was simply the Braves offense has gone from incredible (most runs scored in a full season since the 2007 Yankees) to below average over night. Even to a VERY GOOD organization with a very good GM and recent history of strong development. AA said himself on the FAN590 that if he could figure out why, he'd have fixed it already. It's an example of now random baseball can be and how sometimes, the people driving the ship have less control than we think. That's really it.

 

Decisions to go with Arcia at SS, move out Contreras for Murphy, bring in Kelenic/Duval also illustrate how even very good GM's make moves that don't work out.

 

The Braves are so good, they'll probably overcome most of this and will still make a run for the playoffs this year, but there are some bizarre similarities to the frustrating developments we've seen on the Jays over the past couple of years.

[Terminator]

Let's not make this a Braves v. Jays debate. The initial point was simply the Braves offense has gone from incredible (most runs scored in a full season since the 2007 Yankees) to below average over night. Even to a VERY GOOD organization with a very good GM and recent history of strong development. AA said himself on the FAN590 that if he could figure out why, he'd have fixed it already. It's an example of now random baseball can be and how sometimes, the people driving the ship have less control than we think. That's really it.

 

Decisions to go with Arcia at SS, move out Contreras for Murphy, bring in Kelenic/Duval also illustrate how even very good GM's make moves that don't work out.

 

The Braves are so good, they'll probably overcome most of this and will still make a run for the playoffs this year, but there are some bizarre similarities to the frustrating developments we've seen on the Jays over the past couple of years.

 

"But I thought" is a meme at this point because the Debbie Downers use it on a daily basis to create their strawmen arguments.

[Eat My Shatkins]

"But I thought" is a meme at this point because the Debbie Downers use it on a daily basis to create their strawmen arguments.

 

Oh man isn't that the truth.

[BTS]

Jose Abreu released. The Astros completely torched 60M with that signing

[max silver]

Jose Abreu released. The Astros completely torched 60M with that signing

 

Wow I just looked up his age and didn't realize he was already 37 years old.

[AMS528]

Jose Abreu released. The Astros completely torched 60M with that signing

 

The MLB age curve after 32 or so is harsh enough that you really don't know when the bottom is suddenly going to completely drop out for a guys ability to swing the bat. I think maybe a bit less so for pitcher? But you lose your eye at the plate, or your swing speed etc. and suddenly its over. A decent number of guys still managing to hit at those ages, but for sure you don't know when it will crash.

 

Goldschmidt isn't at Abreu levels but he's dropped off entirely now after a huge decline last year. Springer's had the two years of huge declines. Rizzo as well.

[glory]

Abreu had 120 PA and a 3 (!) wRC+. A completely washed George Springer has a 73 wRC+. That level of decline by Abreu is insane.

[Brownie19]

The MLB age curve after 32 or so is harsh enough that you really don't know when the bottom is suddenly going to completely drop out for a guys ability to swing the bat. I think maybe a bit less so for pitcher? But you lose your eye at the plate, or your swing speed etc. and suddenly its over. A decent number of guys still managing to hit at those ages, but for sure you don't know when it will crash.

 

Goldschmidt isn't at Abreu levels but he's dropped off entirely now after a huge decline last year. Springer's had the two years of huge declines. Rizzo as well.

 

You have to wonder - now that we're out of the steriod/PED era, will this true aging curve start to have a huge impact on the FA market (ie, fewer 6 year deals for 30/31 year olds)

[Brownie19]

Rizzo is 35 making $20M AAV. His wRC+ is 80 and he is worth negative 0.4 WAR. Like Springer he was a league average bat in '23.

 

35 and up is Russian Roulette for bats.

 

Castellanos is 32 and he's at 82 wRC+ and -0.9 WAR for the best team in baseball - making $20M.

[Stangstag]

Castellanos is 32 and he's at 82 wRC+ and -0.9 WAR for the best team in baseball - making $20M.

 

More bad deals than good deals i bet if you compared all FA contracts.

 

Teams need to be built with the draft + trades + international signings. You really shouldn’t have to rely on 5+ guys on your roster being on big free agent contracts and hoping they don’t decline.

[Brownie19]

More bad deals than good deals i bet if you compared all FA contracts.

 

Teams need to be built with the draft + trades + international signings. You really shouldn’t have to rely on 5+ guys on your roster being on big free agent contracts and hoping they don’t decline.

 

Perhaps, but the Phillies (best team in baseball) were essentially built on FA deals

 

Harper

Turner

Realmuto

Schwarber

Wheeler

G. Soto

 

Then a couple of misses

 

Castellanos

T. Walker

[BigCecil]

More bad deals than good deals i bet if you compared all FA contracts.

 

Teams need to be built with the draft + trades + international signings. You really shouldn’t have to rely on 5+ guys on your roster being on big free agent contracts and hoping they don’t decline.

 

Commissioner is constantly barking at teams for big AAV long term deals.

 

Rarely do you get a Semien/Seagar situation where they lay it out, and at least they get a ring. Flags fly forever and its something the fan base can always glom on to when the back end of the deals roll around. Imagine if their record so far this year was where TEX topped out, and deGrom can't get back on the mound? I guess they call that the NY Mets.

 

Castellanos over his 3 seasons so far for PHI is negative 0.1 WAR. He will be $60M into them at the end of the year. That deal always sucked. He never had any D value, and aside from 2021 he was 1-2 ish WAR player.

 

There is a good reason the cost/WAR this past off season for FAs dropped from over 8M median to 4.4M.

[Terminator]

Jose Abreu released. The Astros completely torched 60M with that signing

 

Apparently the Astros owner directed that signing.

 

Jeff Luhnow's wife was on twitter torching the Astros owner over Luhnow's firing and Click's exit recently.

 

He needs to stop meddling or that franchise will start to tank.

[wilko]

Jose Abreu released. The Astros completely torched 60M with that signing

 

The boy's cooked.

[Laika]

Apparently the Astros owner directed that signing.

 

Jeff Luhnow's wife was on twitter torching the Astros owner over Luhnow's firing and Click's exit recently.

 

He needs to stop meddling or that franchise will start to tank.

 

Their farm system blows right now

 

It might be the end

 

They are kind of like the Blue Jays. Except, with tons of hardware instead of a string of WC losses, and Tucker and Yordan are everything Bo and Vlad could have been.

[Stangstag]

Perhaps, but the Phillies (best team in baseball) were essentially built on FA deals

 

Harper

Turner

Realmuto

Schwarber

Wheeler

G. Soto

 

Then a couple of misses

 

Castellanos

T. Walker

 

Exception, not the rule

[G-Snarls]

The boy's cooked.

 

Yeah even the Jays wouldn't want him as DH

[Brownie19]

Exception, not the rule

 

100%

[Spanky__99]

More bad deals than good deals i bet if you compared all FA contracts.

 

Teams need to be built with the draft + trades + international signings. You really shouldn’t have to rely on 5+ guys on your roster being on big free agent contracts and hoping they don’t decline.

 

No doubt.

[Pendleton]

Speaking of the Astros, Hunter Brown appears to be back on track after his horrendous start. He's been ace level across his last seven starts and gone at least 6 innings for each of his last five. Starting using his sinker back at the start of May, and clearly it's been part of the recipe to get his season turned around. Something about throwing that particular pitch, seems to be helping him command all of his stuff.

 

[BTS]

Yamamoto left his start after two innings with triceps tendonitis

[Stangstag]

Yamamoto left his start after two innings with triceps tendonitis

 

That don’t sound good chief

[jaysblue]

Kyle Tucker has one more year of control and is arb eligible before he becomes a FA in 2026.

 

Wonder with the Astros struggles this season, do you think they shop him at the deadline or in the offseason if they can't sign him to an extension?