Around Baseball 2025

[Stangstag]

7 hours ago, John_Havok said:

I think that's why it gets the hype. Most fans don't give two rats assess about creature comforts for corporate *******s. They want a nice field, comfy seats, a great view and a decent team to root for. 

Looking at it through the lens of corporate-types though, yeah it's probably starting to lag behind in the average to below average # of suites, luxury boxes etc. 

The stadium experience is a big factor for me when visiting other parks. Does the stadium have some cool areas? Good food/drinks? Are the concourse areas boring? Area outside the park? Basically the overall fan experience that goes beyond just the game.

Because you can have a nice playing field at a minor league park even. But its the combination of all the other factors that makes it feel like an MLB stadium for me.

PNC park is about as cookie-cutter as it gets as an actual stadium.

[jaysblue]

9 hours ago, Stangstag said:

The stadium experience is a big factor for me when visiting other parks. Does the stadium have some cool areas? Good food/drinks? Are the concourse areas boring? Area outside the park? Basically the overall fan experience that goes beyond just the game.

Because you can have a nice playing field at a minor league park even. But its the combination of all the other factors that makes it feel like an MLB stadium for me.

PNC park is about as cookie-cutter as it gets as an actual stadium.

Yeah all that stuff is cool I get it, but as long as the ballpark isn't a dump, I couldn't care about how many rooftop bars or lounges/clubs there are at a ballpark. It's not like I would go there to hangout for 1-2 drinks anyways during a game. Would rather sit in my seats during the game. When I visit a new ballpark, I'll go early to explore. 

I haven't even bothered with any of the new Rogers Centre areas. Too overcrowded, lineups and too expensive with a bunch of casuals mostly just there to snap pictures to post on their stories lol. 

 

[jaysblue]

18 hours ago, Stangstag said:

My personal faves are Petco and San Fran

I loved Petco. Such a great location right next to the Gaslamp Quarter. Great concourse and definitely a nice park to walk around. Stayed at the Omni when I was there, which was actually connected to the ballpark. 

San Fran is amazing as well. The views are top notch. 

Both those parks are in my Top 5, though not because of the amount of bars/social areas. More for the in-game experience and views.

[jaysblue]

18 hours ago, John_Havok said:

I think that's why it gets the hype. Most fans don't give two rats assess about creature comforts for corporate *******s. They want a nice field, comfy seats, a great view and a decent team to root for. 

Looking at it through the lens of corporate-types though, yeah it's probably starting to lag behind in the average to below average # of suites, luxury boxes etc. 

Yeah most new ballparks are becoming geared towards more corporate types and hipsters. I couldn't care about how many different types of bars or lounges or club sections there are. 

My main attraction is a nice field, comfy seats, great view and like you said a fun/decent team to cheer for. Convenience as well inside the ballpark when it comes to line-ups, concessions and getting to and from the ballpark is important as well & the surrounding area. 

[rydermike]

 

 

[Brownie19]

11 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Yeah most new ballparks are becoming geared towards more corporate types and hipsters. I couldn't care about how many different types of bars or lounges or club sections there are. 

My main attraction is a nice field, comfy seats, great view and like you said a fun/decent team to cheer for. Convenience as well inside the ballpark when it comes to line-ups, concessions and getting to and from the ballpark is important as well & the surrounding area. 

The great news is they are now making stadiums that all both types of fans can love for different reasons.  

The lounge areas typically aren't for me (as I'm usually with my kids), but I think it's great they are full of casuals pounding beers and taking social media posts.  That's a huge benefit for the Jays and adds extra vibe and buzz in the stadium.  I have also enjoyed those lounge areas when I've gone to other ball parks with friends - when we didn't really care who won the game.  We had a blast in them.

It seems like such an obvious way to build/layout a stadium.  Cater to all types of fans.

[mphenhef]

I was down in Atlanta a few years ago.  The are around the stadium with all kinds of cars and restaurants where you can carry your drinks out into the streets was fantastic.  Then in the stadium they had a little museum for the team which was really to see as well.  Great stadium other than location.

[L54]

Anyone else watching Jazz Chisholm get absolutely fried by burner accounts on X? @Terminator would love it 

 

[Pendleton]

7 hours ago, L54 said:

Anyone else watching Jazz Chisholm get absolutely fried by burner accounts on X? @Terminator would love it 

 

 

That account starting showing up in my feed during the playoffs because he was constantly dunking on Yankees fans. He's good at what he does 

[Pendleton]

https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/the-top-statcast-plays-of-2025.html

 

MLB 2025 statcast superlatives

[Laika]

[Pendleton]

7 minutes ago, Laika said:

Gotta love these humble athletes who interact with fans honestly. Rooker is another who just seems like such a real dude 

[Pendleton]

Some positions (middle INF outside of Bo, bullpen) are picked over at this point but you could still put together a pretty competitive ball club out of unsigned free agents, just six weeks out from spring training. 

 

LF Tucker

2B Bichette

3B Bregman

RF Bellinger

DH Suarez

1B Okamoto

C Realmuto

SS IKF

CF Bader

BN-  Arraez, Urias, Diaz, Andujar

 

SP Valdez

SP Imai

SP Suarez

SP Bassitt 

SP Verlander

SP/RP Perez

RP Kinley

RP Wilson

RP Dominguez

RP Coulombe

RP Robertson

RP Allard

RP Garcia

[Spanky__99]

The A's extended Soderstrom on Chistmas day, don't think I seen it posted, tidy work...
 

 

[jaysblue]

On 12/26/2025 at 1:16 PM, mphenhef said:

I was down in Atlanta a few years ago.  The are around the stadium with all kinds of cars and restaurants where you can carry your drinks out into the streets was fantastic.  Then in the stadium they had a little museum for the team which was really to see as well.  Great stadium other than location.

I went down to Atlanta in 2023 for the NLDS and the Battery which is the surrounding area of Truist Park is awesome with bars/restaurants/live music. Fun atmosphere for sure before and after a game. Inside the ballpark, the Braves museum was very cool as well. Overall, the new ballpark in Atlanta and surrounding area are awesome. 

[Brownie19]

43 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

I went down to Atlanta in 2023 for the NLDS and the Battery which is the surrounding area of Truist Park is awesome with bars/restaurants/live music. Fun atmosphere for sure before and after a game. Inside the ballpark, the Braves museum was very cool as well. Overall, the new ballpark in Atlanta and surrounding area are awesome. 

I thought I'd always read that Truist Park was a bit of a "dud" in comparison to other newer parks.  Glad to hear some good things about it.  I'm jealous of all the parks you've been to!

[Brownie19]

2 hours ago, Spanky__99 said:

The A's extended Soderstrom on Chistmas day, don't think I seen it posted, tidy work...
 

 

Always great to see the A's spending money.  They have a really good, fun, offensive core right now. Hoping they can keep them together and move into Vegas with some excitement surrounding the team.

[Spanky__99]

18 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Always great to see the A's spending money.  They have a really good, fun, offensive core right now. Hoping they can keep them together and move into Vegas with some excitement surrounding the team.

They need pitching and it'll be tough for them to attract arms until they get a big league park, yeah they're a fun team for sure offensively.

[Spanky__99]

Hunter Harvey 1/6M with the Cubs, considerable risk there or worth the gamble?

[Terminator]

On 12/26/2025 at 12:30 PM, L54 said:

Anyone else watching Jazz Chisholm get absolutely fried by burner accounts on X? @Terminator would love it 

 

[Laika]

Eflin back to Baltimore for $10m

Good signing for them. Projects okay despite the dumpster 2025.

[Terminator]

So did Jizz Chisholm's babe do Only Fans or not? We deserve to know.

[jaysblue]

9 minutes ago, Terminator said:

So did Jizz Chisholm's babe do Only Fans or not? We deserve to know.

Gotta find the leaks! 

[Terminator]

7 minutes ago, Laika said:

Eflin back to Baltimore for $10m

Good signing for them. Projects okay despite the dumpster 2025.

I can’t remember where I read it, but a sabermetrics-minded writer I trust said Eflin is basically cooked and not worth touching. The fact he only got $10M seems to back that up.

That said, the projections are fine, and he’s only a year removed from being solid and two from being really good, so it still feels like a good gamble to me.

[Terminator]

3 hours ago, Spanky__99 said:

Hunter Harvey 1/6M with the Cubs, considerable risk there or worth the gamble?

Good signing at that price IMO

[Terminator]

4 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

Gotta find the leaks! 

Definitely but I'm not even sure it matters at this point. The cat is out of the bag and everyone assumes she did. 

Major fumble by Jizz to respond to that troll. 

[jaysblue]

8 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

I thought I'd always read that Truist Park was a bit of a "dud" in comparison to other newer parks.  Glad to hear some good things about it.  I'm jealous of all the parks you've been to!

Only downside is that it's not close to downtown Atlanta or the airport, so it's a bit of a commute. My recommendation for a baseball trip would be to stay at a hotel in the Battery or nearby. 

The Battery is a very cool and vibrant area before and after the game. A lot of great bars and restaurants, which is what really stood out to me. Truist Park as a whole - not sure it would be in my Top 5 but I would say Top 10 out of the parks I've been to so far. Haven't been to Baltimore, St. Louis or Pittsburgh yet, so maybe visits to those ballparks change things. 

Right now my Top 5 (in no particular order): 

Petco Park

Oracle Park

Coors Field

Wrigley Field

Fenway Park

 

 

[Spanky__99]

2 hours ago, Terminator said:

Good signing at that price IMO

Yeah, what can ya lose, he's been pretty good out of the pen. Same can be said for Eflin, lol Orioles though.

[Stangstag]

https://nypost.com/2025/12/28/sports/japanese-star-tatsuya-imai-reveals-hes-yet-to-receive-mlb-offer-with-signing-deadline-days-away/
 

Apparently Imai has not yet received any offers from MLB teams.

Weird market

[Spanky__99]

1 hour ago, Stangstag said:

https://nypost.com/2025/12/28/sports/japanese-star-tatsuya-imai-reveals-hes-yet-to-receive-mlb-offer-with-signing-deadline-days-away/
 

Apparently Imai has not yet received any offers from MLB teams.

Weird market

Click bait, at the bottom of the article they mention their correction and the click bait article's headline is BS. Just sayin'