Around Baseball 2025

[Brownie19]

MLB on FOX (@mlbonfox) • Instagram photo

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21K likes, 187 comments - mlbonfox on October 1, 2025: "Albert Pujols could be returning to the Angels dugout, but as...

 

Pujols to manage the Angels?

[jaysblue]

I bet the Braves will hire John Gibbons as manager. 

[Brownie19]

Jomboy Media (@jomboymedia) • Instagram reel

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A Dodgers fan's remarkable catch of Teoscar Hernandez's home run is a must-see moment for baseball enthusiasts...

 

Love reading stuff like this.  So cool

 

[G-Snarls]

 

 

[Jimcanuck]

9 hours ago, Omar said:

Betts may indeed be on the decline. Bat speed can be fleeting as a player ages and the onset can be sudden. Jose Bautista is an example. It was there and then it wasn't. This season his bat speed is hovering around 67 mph versus his MVP year where it was up around 72. Not saying he is washed but he may never be the player he once was. Sorry to say. 

Ya but he was really weakened by the bug. And that can explain the loss of vat speed.  I read he lost over 10 lbs off that already skinny frame.  Full strength Betts gets tge bat speed back up.

[Laika]

Does MLB have playoff game time priorities backwards?

Today:

3 PM - DET-CLE --> few will watch other than DET, CLE, and hardcore baseball fans
8 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch

Why not:

3 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch. it's freaking boston new york. 
8 PM - DET-CLE --> many will watch, it's prime time playoff baseball 

[Orgfiller]

44 minutes ago, Laika said:

Does MLB have playoff game time priorities backwards?

Today:

3 PM - DET-CLE --> few will watch other than DET, CLE, and hardcore baseball fans
8 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch

Why not:

3 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch. it's freaking boston new york. 
8 PM - DET-CLE --> many will watch, it's prime time playoff baseball 

I doubt many are watching Detroit vs Cleveland on prime time anyway, is the counterargument. Lost viewership from starting Boston vs New York outside prime hours probably vastly outweighs the added viewership boost of giving the lesser ratings game a peak TV spot.

[glory]

48 minutes ago, Laika said:

Does MLB have playoff game time priorities backwards?

Today:

3 PM - DET-CLE --> few will watch other than DET, CLE, and hardcore baseball fans
8 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch

Why not:

3 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch. it's freaking boston new york. 
8 PM - DET-CLE --> many will watch, it's prime time playoff baseball 

Nah, Tigers/Guardians is an awful matchup for a national audience. It was buried at 1 pm for a reason. I don’t think that would have gotten an audience on prime time. I hate the 8 pm start time for a series that I actually want to watch (NYY/BOS), as I thought 6 pm was great, but in terms of getting the most eye balls, that was a no brainer decision.

[Orgfiller]

The surprising thing to me is the Padres and Cubs getting such awful time slots. Chicago is no stranger to weekday daytime games, but still a bit shocked they couldn't get better start times than they've been getting. Particularly brutal for West Coast Padres viewership.

Feel like they could at least have started one hour later than they have been, but then I guess it would've taken away from Red Sox-Yankees viewership.

[Laika]

The October 4th schedule possibilities are weird as hell. 

If New York wins...

2 MIL v SDP/CHC
4 TOR v NYY
6:30 PHI v LAD
8:30 SEA v CLE/DET

If Boston wins...

1 TOR v BOS
4 SEA v CLE/DET
6 PHI v LAD
9 MIL v SDP/CHC

Someone explain this to me? Boston over New York makes them jump the Milwaukee series from 2 ET to 9 ET??? Why would anything change at all? 

[mphenhef]

3 hours ago, Laika said:

Does MLB have playoff game time priorities backwards?

Today:

3 PM - DET-CLE --> few will watch other than DET, CLE, and hardcore baseball fans
8 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch

Why not:

3 PM - BOS-NYY --> many will watch. it's freaking boston new york. 
8 PM - DET-CLE --> many will watch, it's prime time playoff baseball 

Because the network who paid for the prime time game wants BOS/NYY

[glory]

2 hours ago, Orgfiller said:

The surprising thing to me is the Padres and Cubs getting such awful time slots. Chicago is no stranger to weekday daytime games, but still a bit shocked they couldn't get better start times than they've been getting. Particularly brutal for West Coast Padres viewership.

Feel like they could at least have started one hour later than they have been, but then I guess it would've taken away from Red Sox-Yankees viewership.

Next year's WC Round will be on NBC/Peacock instead of ESPN/ABC. Obviously ESPN wants the games to be staggered so that there's minimal overlap in order to maximize viewers, but I wonder if a streamer (Peacock) would care about that? Like if they started all the WC games in prime time locally next year, and all of them aired on Peacock, then I doubt Peacock would care that there's an overlap because people would be using their app regardless. Start all the games at 6-7 pm local time, maybe air the biggest one on NBC, and the rest on Peacock. That would also avoid the non sellout crowds for playoff games, as 1 pm playoff games on a Tuesday/Wednesday is kinda a slap in the face to fans who work/go to school. Us diehards who work from home love the all day MLB format, but it's probably not the best to maximize local viewership or national viewership. 

[mphenhef]

20 hours ago, jaysblue said:

I bet the Braves will hire John Gibbons as manager. 

Just throwing this out there, but when Buck retires I'm guessing Siddall moves into the booth.  Wouldn't Gibby be an awesome guy to have on the pre-game?  That would be so much fun to listen to.

[bronson44]

Sorry, probably already reported but the Rockies fired their GM finally. Happy for their fans. They deserve better.

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, bronson44 said:

Sorry, probably already reported but the Rockies fired their GM finally. Happy for their fans. They deserve better.

Rockies making the Playoffs next season! 

[jaysblue]

19 hours ago, Laika said:

The October 4th schedule possibilities are weird as hell. 

If New York wins...

2 MIL v SDP/CHC
4 TOR v NYY
6:30 PHI v LAD
8:30 SEA v CLE/DET

If Boston wins...

1 TOR v BOS
4 SEA v CLE/DET
6 PHI v LAD
9 MIL v SDP/CHC

Someone explain this to me? Boston over New York makes them jump the Milwaukee series from 2 ET to 9 ET??? Why would anything change at all? 

MLB scheduling for the WC and DS series have always been awful.

Luckily the Jays are facing the Yankees or else the DS games would all be at 1PM on the weekend or 3PM on a weekday. 

If it's the Tigers vs. the Jays and Cubs vs. the Phillies in the CS, you can guarantee the Tigers/Jays get the worst time slots if both are playing the same day. Jays home games likely start at 5PM while the Phillies home games would be at 8PM. 

[Terminator]

12 hours ago, bronson44 said:

Sorry, probably already reported but the Rockies fired their GM finally. Happy for their fans. They deserve better.

Sadly, it won't really matter because the owner is the true GM and he's still around.

[Stangstag]

Saturday will be a great day of baseball.

Unless the Jays lose of course, then the rest of my night will be ruined hate-watching the Dodgers.

[John_Havok]

Rough way for the Phillies to lose - pitcher forgets how many outs there are and instead of taking the force at first tries to throw home and airmails it. That guy has to feel like s***

[Alejandro Murphy]

Kyle Schwarber is a free agent, interesting where he lands.  I hope he stays put or if he moves then he remains in the NL.

 

Yankees might find a way to get him.

 

 

[hanton]

he thought it was quicker to go home than 1st which is exactly what it looked like to me watching live, don't think he forget how many outs there were

 

 

[Brownie19]

I like Orion - I hope this doesn't impact him moving forward.  He's human.

[mphenhef]

1 hour ago, Alejandro Murphy said:

Kyle Schwarber is a free agent, interesting where he lands.  I hope he stays put or if he moves then he remains in the NL.

 

Yankees might find a way to get him.

 

 

Because the Yankees need another left handed hitting DH?

[infinitebook]

33 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

Because the Yankees need another left handed hitting DH?

Yeah Yankees don't really make sense. They need to focus on resigning/replacing Bellinger and Grisham and also figuring out their middle infield. If the Yankees chase a big free agent, it wouldn't shock me if it was Bichette. 

[Governator]

1 hour ago, Brownie19 said:

I like Orion - I hope this doesn't impact him moving forward.  He's human.

Sucks to end the way it did, Phillies probably want his head right now but like you said he's human.  Also got to give relievers the benefit when they come in with runners in scoring position and have to bail them out. It's probably the hardest job in the game.

[Terminator]

40 minutes ago, infinitebook said:

Yeah Yankees don't really make sense. They need to focus on resigning/replacing Bellinger and Grisham and also figuring out their middle infield. If the Yankees chase a big free agent, it wouldn't shock me if it was Bichette. 

Will be an interesting offseason for them. They lose the following:

• OF Cody Bellinger
• OF Trent Grisham
• 1B Paul Goldschmidt
• RP Devin Williams
• RP Luke Weaver
• INF Amed Rosario
• OF Austin Slater

Cole comes back so the rotation has pretty good potential.

They could use a contact-oriented bat so Bo fits from that respect but with Jazz at 2B they'd need to move Volpe.

It's definitely possible that they trade him (maybe for a CFer?) but they seem to like Volpe. He had a down year but he's still young and projects pretty well. And if they are trying to improve their defense I don't think Bo is the guy.

[Laika]

Aaron Judge will turn THIRTY FOUR in April. 

Time is running out. Desperation. 

[Terminator]

8 minutes ago, Laika said:

Aaron Judge will turn THIRTY FOUR in April. 

Time is running out. Desperation. 

No doubt the 'roids and goldilocks balls are doing everything they can to keep his peak going.

But his eyesight and athleticism could go at any minute at which point they are running two Stanton's out there every game.

[Alejandro Murphy]

1 hour ago, mphenhef said:

Because the Yankees need another left handed hitting DH?

I honestly couldn’t care less what the Yankees would do this offseason.  I only mentioned that because my sense, they are in desperation mode after 16 years of failed attempt to win it all.  That’s equivalent to 100 years of being a Loser for that franchise LOL.  Plus their franchise player is aging and the window is closing for him.  Championship or bust.
 

That may trigger an arms raise without regard of dollars.   Bo/ Schwarber/ Tucker and if they can pirate our magnificent hitting coaches, whatever it takes 🤣

 

 

[Stangstag]

39 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Will be an interesting offseason for them. They lose the following:

• OF Cody Bellinger
• OF Trent Grisham
• 1B Paul Goldschmidt
• RP Devin Williams
• RP Luke Weaver
• INF Amed Rosario
• OF Austin Slater

Cole comes back so the rotation has pretty good potential.

They could use a contact-oriented bat so Bo fits from that respect but with Jazz at 2B they'd need to move Volpe.

It's definitely possible that they trade him (maybe for a CFer?) but they seem to like Volpe. He had a down year but he's still young and projects pretty well. And if they are trying to improve their defense I don't think Bo is the guy.

If im the Yankees, i bring back Bellinger as CF, play Dominguez in LF everyday. Sign Bo for SS and trade Volpe. Team would be pretty solid if they did that. 

Dominguez is rotting on the bench and he looks pretty legit. Wasted. And Volpe has not proven himself to be “that guy” and I think his time in NY is up.

Their pitching is solid, just need to shore up the bullpen.