Around Baseball 2024

[Brownie19]

I find it so hard to believe that Judge is already 32. What a season he's had.

[G-Snarls]

I find it so hard to believe that Judge is already 32. What a season he's had.

 

Although he was talked about forever he didn't REALLY "show up" until age 25.

Edited September 24, 2024 by G-Snarls

[Brownie19]

Although he was talked about forever he didn't REALLY "show up" until age 25.

 

I just find it hard to imagine that he's now entering the declining stage of his career. It will be sad (for baseball) if he pulls a George Springer or Stanton and is some 2 WAR JAG in a couple of years.

[G-Snarls]

I just find it hard to imagine that he's now entering the declining stage of his career. It will be sad (for baseball) if he pulls a George Springer or Stanton and is some 2 WAR JAG in a couple of years.

 

But good for the Blue Jays

[max silver]

Gave up a 23-year-old catcher who is under club control for six years for a player who has been no different than Kevin Pillar in 2015.

 

You guys always talk about "club control" when it comes to the Teo/Swanson swap since Swanson as a reliever had 3 years of control, but all of a sudden six years of control for a young promising 23-year-old catcher isn't that big of a deal lol.

 

If Moreno lets say gets 2.5 WAR this season and averages 2.5 the following four he's still under control, including his 2023 season of 2.3 WAR, that's 14.8 fWAR. That's also pretty conservative for projections, and he definitely has the upside to produce more moving forward. If Varsho ends up averaging 3.5 WAR for the following two seasons, along with his 5.4 WAR he already accumulated during his first two seasons with the Jays, that's 12.4 fWAR. Also, the fact the Jays lost a 2 WAR season and 24 HR's from LGJ in 2023, which would have helped the lineup greatly, gives the D'Backs almost 17 WAR total. Regardless, Moreno doesn't have to produce +5 WAR seasons for it to be a net win for the D'Backs lol. Varsho needs to start producing 4 or 5+ WAR seasons over his next two years at the age of 28.

 

Literally nobody on here ever said this trade was a slam dunk win for the Blue Jays. There's no need to make s*** up like this to support your argument in bad faith. The Diamondbacks always had a very good shot to come ahead in overall WAR value due to the extra years of control, but the Blue Jays received the best player at the time of trade, and after a tough 2023 season at the plate for Varsho he's returned to once again being the best player involved in the trade in 2024. Just as the much maligned GM stated after the 2023 it's far too early to judge a trade of long term assets after a single season, this trade is looking to be a win/win type of trade for both sides as each club received a player that directly filled one of their needs.

 

I don't know why you keep saying Varsho is like 2015 Kevin Pillar and acting like that's some sort of slight against him. That version of Kevin Pillar was a really valuable contributor to his team, but that version of him only showed up once in his career. Varsho has produced wins at a similar rate in 3 of his 4 seasons as a major league regular and returned to this type of production in the 2024 season.

[Terminator]

 

These sons of bitches are going to pull it off

[G-Snarls]

 

These sons of bitches are going to pull it off

 

WTF is going on in Kansas City???

[wilko]

 

These sons of bitches are going to pull it off

 

I wish the Jays were in that division.

[Brownie19]

WTF is going on in Kansas City???

 

I mean - they aren't very good? It's Witt, Sal and a good rotation in KC. That's it.

[John_Havok]

I mean - they aren't very good? It's Witt, Sal and a good rotation in KC. That's it.

 

Its interesting to see how people view teams who end up with similar records when the season is done. Seems to me that the timing of their losing streaks matter.

[connorp]

Literally nobody on here ever said this trade was a slam dunk win for the Blue Jays. There's no need to make s*** up like this to support your argument in bad faith. The Diamondbacks always had a very good shot to come ahead in overall WAR value due to the extra years of control, but the Blue Jays received the best player at the time of trade, and after a tough 2023 season at the plate for Varsho he's returned to once again being the best player involved in the trade in 2024. Just as the much maligned GM stated after the 2023 it's far too early to judge a trade of long term assets after a single season, this trade is looking to be a win/win type of trade for both sides as each club received a player that directly filled one of their needs.

 

I don't know why you keep saying Varsho is like 2015 Kevin Pillar and acting like that's some sort of slight against him. That version of Kevin Pillar was a really valuable contributor to his team, but that version of him only showed up once in his career. Varsho has produced wins at a similar rate in 3 of his 4 seasons as a major league regular and returned to this type of production in the 2024 season.

 

Every move they make is a slam dunk in your heart, Max. That’s what counts

[Pinkfloid]

What's with this Michelobuthole ad behind the plate?

[max silver]

Every move they make is a slam dunk in your heart, Max. That’s what counts

 

That's not really true. I've been plenty critical of the moves that I disagreed with.

[John_Havok]

Rowdy Tellez DFA by the Pirates just 4 PA shy of a $200,000 incentive.

 

Classy org.

[Brownie19]

Rowdy Tellez DFA by the Pirates just 4 PA shy of a $200,000 incentive.

 

Classy org.

 

to be fair - Rowdy hasn't earned that extra money this year...

[max silver]

to be fair - Rowdy hasn't earned that extra money this year...

 

Only because the team made the super chintzy move of DFA'ing him when he was within a day or two of earning it.

[John_Havok]

to be fair - Rowdy hasn't earned that extra money this year...

 

Yeah, he hasn't been great. But..that wasn't obvious long before he got within 4 PA of 200k I guess.

 

It's a joke really.

[hanton]

Padres up 4 - 2 and with Dodgers on 1st and 2nd the Padres just turned a game ending triple play, Ohtani on deck!!

[hanton]

[L54]

to be fair - Rowdy hasn't earned that extra money this year...

 

It’s best the billionaire owner keeps 200k from the guy who made 3M this year by cutting him the day before he earns it

[BTS]

It’s best the billionaire owner keeps 200k from the guy who made 3M this year by cutting him the day before he earns it

 

You'd think the optics of cutting someone 5 days before the end of the season to save a paltry 200K would be bad enough that you'd just hold on to him.

[metafour]

It’s best the billionaire owner keeps 200k from the guy who made 3M this year by cutting him the day before he earns it

 

$200K bonus for a -0.5 WAR season LOL.

 

Tough s***, sonny. $3M is too much itself.

[metafour]

Yeah, he hasn't been great. But..that wasn't obvious long before he got within 4 PA of 200k I guess.

 

It's a joke really.

 

Why is it a joke?

 

He was worth -0.7 WAR last season, and -0.5 WAR this season. They kept him on their MLB roster (with all the benefits that goes along with that) for nearly a full season and allowed him to keep getting MLB PA's, which is essentially a gift in and of itself for a guy who is trying to extended his career. There are hundreds of guys in AAA who don't get that opportunity - they are up for 2-3 games and sent back down a week later.

 

They could have cut him MONTHS ago and made him ride the bus in AAA for some other team. He received his bonus already: its called being on an MLB roster for a full season and gifted 400+ AB's despite the fact that he is a 1B who can't hit, can't field, and can't run.

[Brownie19]

It’s best the billionaire owner keeps 200k from the guy who made 3M this year by cutting him the day before he earns it

 

I don't agree with Billionaires to start with, and typically support the players in terms of gaining performance bonuses. But in his particular case, despite loving Rowdy the person, I'm with metafour.

[Brownie19]

Yeah, he hasn't been great. But..that wasn't obvious long before he got within 4 PA of 200k I guess.

 

It's a joke really.

 

I don't think cutting him months ago (which would have been completely reasonable) makes it any better. The only thing that makes it worse is some false sense of security that he was going to get that $200K. I hope he didn't already order the pool!

[Laika]

The joke is that they rostered him for so long that they ended up teasing him with the incentive, I guess.

[BTS]

$200K bonus for a -0.5 WAR season LOL.

 

Tough s***, sonny. $3M is too much itself.

 

I think it's the the kind of thing that losing orgs like Pittsburgh do that contributes to them being a perpetual bottom-feeder. Tellez isn't good. But he's also very well-liked in the clubhouse, and the players will see it as just another slight from one of the most pathetic owners in sports. Take your pick of any of the top teams in baseball (except TB). If any of them rostered a replacement-level vibes guy all season, they wouldn't cut him with 5 days left in the season to avoid a 200K bonus.

[Brownie19]

The joke is that they rostered him for so long that they ended up teasing him with the incentive, I guess.

 

I'd agree with this. I can definitely see it from the players perspective though and feeling cheated by the Pirates. Man - I wish someone awesome would buy that team and change their fortunes.

[John_Havok]

The joke is that they rostered him for so long that they ended up teasing him with the incentive, I guess.

 

Bingo. It was obvious he wasn't good months ago, but you keep him around right up till the game before his bonus would kick in, because that's the point it must have become clear to the FO that he wasn't good?

 

Sure, it doesn't matter for the onfield at this point, but it could have mattered 4 months ago and would have enabled him to try and catch on somewhere else. It's a classless move from ownership for no reason other than saving 200k.

[glory]

You'd think the optics of cutting someone 5 days before the end of the season to save a paltry 200K would be bad enough that you'd just hold on to him.

 

That’s my take. It’s not about whether he earned it or not. The optics of doing this and potentially hurting the perception of your org with players in the future doesn’t seem like it’s worth the savings. If it was $2m, then at least that’s a more meaningful number, but $200k? Come on man. I guess the Pirates don’t have to worry about signing free agents or attracting players though, so maybe it’s worth it to them.