P2F

A's are out.

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Brian Cashman

Some of us are just enjoying the process.

I added the Mariners' disgustingly bad offense meme to my post.

It's probably not indicative of anything, but we may know something soon.

This is interesting: Preller says Padres hopeful for invitation to meet with Shohei Ohtani Dennis Lin Contact Reporter A.J. Preller did not make a televised plea while hanging from the side of a building, as the New York Yankees’ Brian Cashman did, or struggle to contain his excitement in a podcast appearance, which was the case for Seattle’s Jerry Dipoto, but the Padres’ desire to sign Japanese star Shohei Ohtani is, officially, no secret. Preller fielded a question about Ohtani on Saturday, and in typical fashion, San Diego’s general manager did not elaborate much. “As a group, we’re prepared, and I think he’s a player that obviously we’ve scouted and have history with,” Preller, making his first public comments about Ohtani, told the Union-Tribune. “You try to see what the fits are and why he’s a good fit for us and why we’re a good fit for him. We’re kind of down the path of doing that work.” Ohtani, a 23-year-old with standout potential on both sides of the ball, became free to negotiate with major league teams Friday. For all of them, interest has existed for years. In an effort to whittle down the field, Ohtani’s agents at CAA recently sent a questionnaire to all 30 clubs. According to sources, the Padres responded within a few days with a detailed PowerPoint presentation in English and Japanese. Though the specifics of that pitch are unknown, San Diego’s selling points — ready availability of two-way opportunities, budding talent base, West Coast location, preexisting ties to Ohtani — seem obvious. For instance, executives Logan White and Acey Kohrogi were heavily involved in attempting to recruit Ohtani for the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was coming out of high school. Former reliever Takashi Saito, another member of San Diego’s front office, was represented by Ohtani’s agent, Point Loma native Nez Balelo. Many in the industry continue to believe Cashman and the Yankees are the favorites, but much remains to be seen. Ohtani, who will require a team to pay a $20 million release fee and a bonus no larger than $3.5 million, has until Dec. 22 to choose a club. If he is leaning one way, he has yet to provide the evidence. Sources familiar with the process say a number of teams will be notified before the end of the weekend if they have made the first cut. Those teams will begin in-person pitches to Ohtani next week in Los Angeles. Preller said Saturday afternoon he was unsure if the Padres will be invited to the second round. “What we looked at is basically put our best foot forward and see how this process plays out,” Preller said.

Keith Law says Ohtani has 80 speed, while Callis and Mayo have said he has 70 speed. Apparently he's 3.8 to 1st.

Yeah, that was a crap way to end the game after such a great third period comeback by the Flames. Oh well.

Lol Kris Russell. JFC.

So are you back or what, baubau?

Best Overall Poster: BTS Funniest Poster: TheHurl Nicest Poster: Pendleton Best Foreign Poster: Terminator Dumbest Poster: wamco Most out of touch poster: connorp Best Female Poster: vdubmvp Best New Poster/Rookie Of The Year: Ray Comeback poster of the year: burlingtonbandit Most Annoying Poster: wamco Best Troll: Dick_Pole Best Mod: Deadpool Best infrequent poster: NJH Thread of the year: Around Baseball 2017 Best new board meme: The Mariners have had a disgustingly bad offense for a decade now and nothing has changed. Biggest disappointment (decent poster that slipped): Angrioter Worst Overall Poster: Cleveland Steamer Worst Troll: Cleveland Steamer Best BJMB fantasy poster: jays4life19 Best thread destroyer: N/A Most improved poster: LetTheBallFly Poster you would most want to meet in person: Boxy Most dramatic/triggered poster: Jimcanuck Best Board contest: DFS Most SABR poster: Dr. Dinger Most dinosaur poster: Gruber92 Edit: added Best Meme nominee

Both arms confirmed, at least one of which should be able to cover third. We're laughin'.

Zach Putnam was non-tendered by the White Sox and may be a possibility to sign to a MiLB deal. He's recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he should be healthy at around the ASB and has actually been sneaky good in his career.

What about that guy who's a friend of a friend's uncle's cousin's niece's boyfriend, Davis Barry?

This is so tits, you guys. What an enjoyable last 45 minutes or so.

Blue Jays ZiPS Projections were released today. Batters While some organizations have had success with a “stars-and-scrubs” approach to roster construction, history reveals that the star-and-scrubs tactic has been considerably less successful. Were Kevin Pillar (616 PA, 2.9 zWAR), Russell Martin (402, 2.4), and Justin Smoak (518, 2.2) to fall even a half-win short of their respective ZiPS forecasts in 2018, however, that’s precisely what would result in Toronto. Third baseman Josh Donaldson (572, 5.6) is clearly the centerpiece of the Blue Jays’ field-playing contingent. His projected batting line — which, of course, features adjustments both for aging and regression to the mean — would nevertheless place him among the league’s top 20 batters. The fielding number (+6 runs at third base) produced by Dan Szymborski’s computer would render Donaldson the equivalent of a league-average shortstop. As for what’s missing, the club would probably benefit most immediately from some assistance at a corner-outfield spot. Neither Teoscar Hernandez (553, 1.2) nor Steve Pearce (318, 0.8) profile as anything much better than a strong bench piece at the moment, nor do any superior options exist on the major-league roster. Pitchers While Blue Jays position players produced the second-worst collective WARamong their peers in 2017, the pitching staff fared much better, recording the 11th-best mark in the league. The principal members of the rotation all return in 2018. Marcus Stroman (190.2 IP, 4.3 zWAR), Aaron Sanchez (142.2, 2.8), J.A. Happ (142.0, 2.7), and Marco Estrada (162.2, 1.9) appear to form the foundation of a capable starting group. Joe Biagini (123.1, 1.2) is also expected to produce wins at a roughly average rate. As for the bullpen, it represents the club’s one legitimate strength. A very cursory examination of last year’s ZiPS forecasts reveals zero cases in which a club’s top-five relievers were projected to record six wins collectively (as the Jays’ top-five relievers are here). Roberto Osuna (73.1 IP, 65 ERA-, 2.0 zWAR) is obviously the leader of the group, but Dominic Leone (68.2, 85, 1.2) and Aaron Loup (55.0, 83, 1.0) are both very well acquitted by ZiPS on a per-inning basis. Bench/Prospects Anthony Alford (384 PA, 1.3 zWAR) received just eight plate appearances in the majors last year and only slightly more than that at Triple-A. Nevertheless, he’s Toronto’s second-best outfielder, according to Szymborski’s computer. His value is largely confined to his defensive ability: while forecast for a batting line roughly 30% worse than average (73 wRC+), Alford is projected to record +10 fielding runs (or its equivalent in the minors) in center, in fewer than 400 plate appearances. He profiles roughly as Kevin Pillar’s equal, in other words, and Pillar has been one of the top two or three defensive outfielders in the majors over the last three seasons. Bo Bichette (497, 1.0) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (509, 0.8) will likely appear atop most Blue Jays prospect lists this year, and they receive very promising forecasts here relative to their ages — just not sufficient to transform the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018. Catcher Danny Jansen (416, 1.2), who ascended to Triple-A last year after starting the season in High-A, appears capable of helping in a bench capacity. Whatever the pitching staff’s strengths, depth doesn’t seem to be one of them. Brett Anderson (97.1 IP, 107 ERA-, 1.1 zWAR) pitched well in a brief sting with Toronto but has departed via free agency. Mike Bolsinger (95.1, 109, 0.9) pitched less well and has also become a free agent. Depth Chart Below is a rough depth chart for the present incarnation of the Jays, with rounded projected WAR totals for each player. For caveats regarding WAR values see disclaimer at bottom of post. Click to enlarge image. Ballpark graphic courtesy Eephus League. Depth charts constructed by way of those listed here at site and author’s own haphazard reasoning. BatterCounti Stats Keep reading here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-zips-projections-toronto-blue-jays/

https://i.imgur.com/g2kaMK9.gifv ^ Goins

Aaron Boone is the new manager of the Yankees, but who gives a s***? Ryan Goins is no longer a Blue Jay.

I love this front office.