P2F

This article was probably already posted, and heavily debated, but I found an article from Shi that says the Jays have just over a cool mil to spend on Ohtani, should he want to come here. http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-pick-scouting-otani-signing-unlikely/

I, for one, am shocked! *said nobody ever

It's not too much for a 3-win player. I'm just spit-balling here, so bear with me, but I just don't know how I feel about giving $18M per year to a player who had a breakout offensive season at the age of 32. If Cozart were to regress to his career norms next season, that's a lot to pay a SS whose value is derived almost exclusively from his glove. I kinda like Cozart, but that contract would be pushing my comfort threshold. I think I'd let him sign with someone else at that term. If he could come here at 3/42, that's obviously much more preferable. A fourth year would be out of the question, imo. I do like your idea of using him as a utility player to cover the left side of the infield while everyone is healthy, though.

That's actually an interesting idea. How much higher would you be willing to go - something like 3/48?

Me.

Ohh the importance of a comma.

From MLBTR. I don't recall seeing this before: Max Pentecost’s omission from the Blue Jays’ slate of 40-man roster additions surprised some, but Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that troubles with the former No. 11 overall pick’s shoulder caused the Jays to leave him unprotected. Pentecost was shut down near the end of the AFL, which could make it difficult for a team to select him or to carry him for the bulk of the 2018 season. Pentecost has undergone multiple surgeries since being drafted in ’14 and has managed to play just 30 of his 171 games at catcher, spending the bulk of his time as a DH in addition to some work at first base. “We’re continuing to work hard to help Max be in the best possible physical shape and baseball shape he can be in,” said GM Ross Atkins of Pentecost.

I'm late to the party, but I've got ten from the top 125. Pretty not bad.

Here's some info about it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Japanese_in_Seattle

Tommy Hunter for me, please.

Most casuals don't even know that Mike Trout is the best player in the sport today, let alone possibly the greatest of all-time. MLB does such a horrible job of marketing the game.

I'm looking to make some trades, as I have an abundance of possible keepers. If you're looking to move a stud, get at me because I could offer a pretty nice package.

Dat ground ball rate.

Hey, hey! Ramon Laureano got traded to Oakland, and the Yankees got a couple of interesting prospects in Juan Then and JP Sears from the Mariners for 40-man cuts. Are you not entertained?

Here it is.

I just can't bring myself to read his posts, I must admit. And without even looking at the post author, I realize who has written it about two sentences in and stop.

[TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:13[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]BK: How does TJ Zeuch’s project as a major leaguer? [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:13[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]Eric A Longenhagen: #4 starter [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:21[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]BK: Could Lourdes Gurriel break out next year now that he’s got a year of baseball back under his belt? Or would you expect more of Similar production to 2017? [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:21[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]Eric A Longenhagen: Expect more production with the bat, but he’s not a very good defensive infielder and might best project in an outfield corner, so there better be A LOT more bat. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:25[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]Alford or Nothing: Is Anthony Alford a disappointment? Seems like he lost some steam and now opinions are more divisive than before. Can he have an impact in 2018 or beyond? [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]11:25[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]Eric A Longenhagen: Consider the context of his season. I think he’ll be fine. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]12:11[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]John: Danny Jansen an everyday catcher in a year or two? [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: chat_time, bgcolor: #CECECE]12:11[/TD] [TD=class: chat_desc]Eric A Longenhagen: Opinions are still mixed and I’m not sure where I fall just yet, but leaning yes. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

The Braves’ Punishment Is In and It’s Harsh by Eric Longenhagen - November 21, 2017

I put him on ignore. Feels good, man.

It's 31 until Dec. 22nd, the deadline.

The next 31 days will be exciting and full of speculation and rumours. My poor heart.

You're right. It's not worth speculating on one way or another until or if we ever know what Coppolella and co. actually did to warrant these penalties. I guess for now the appropriate thing to do is to assume it was something ghastly that justifies getting the book thrown at them.

What the hell? Did he molest these players or something equally terrible?

The sad thing is that I doubt Copollela did anything shady or different than what most teams do on the reg. Hacking another team's prospect database is okay with the MLB though, comparatively speaking.

Thanks to JFL for the article. The news that Major League Baseball has made Kevin Maitan a free agent will understandably set off a bidding war. Maitan was the No. 1 international prospect in the 2016. Before he was declared a free agent, he ranked ninth on the updated and still loaded Braves Top 10 Prospects list. Teams rarely get a second chance at signing this kind of talent on the open market. But as Maitan hits the market again, he's going to be a tough player for teams to evaluate because his pro reports vary pretty distinctly from his glowing amateur reports. Maitan was as famous as they come when he was on the international circuit. He was seen as one of the best young hitters to hit the international market in years. But everyone in baseball knew pretty early in 2015 that Maitan was going to sign with the Braves. Once that happened, other clubs stopped scouting Maitan in detail. For most teams, the majority of their amateur reports on Maitan are going to be from 2014 and early 2015, which means they are now two to three years old. Maitan made his pro debut in 2017. He stood out in extended spring training, but those who saw him in the Appalachian League and instructional league were much less impressed. So teams will have to decide, how much do they rely on what their international scouts saw (when Maitan looked like a future star) and how much do they depend on those less-impressive 2017 pro reports? "When you don't see a guy for two or three years you are forced to go with more recent info," said an American League front office official. “Different teams will weigh it differently. Players are being evaluated at age 13, 14 and 15 then go away for two years and come back. Every team is looking at track record and history and past scouting reports. The caveat is that the international market makes the older info less valuable." Maitan is scheduled to play in Panama this winter, which will give front office officials to see him in game action. While pro scouts saw plenty of Maitan in 2017, not many GMs or special assistants to the GMs have seen him play in person in years. Overall it makes Maitan a still very desirable prospect, but one who actually carries more causes for concern than he did when he was a 16-year-old. When Maitan signed with the Braves, there was a pretty even split between scouts who believed he would be able to stick at shortstop and those who thought he would eventually get too big for the position. A year and a half later, scouts are much more in agreement that he will not be a big league shortstop. Maitan's lower half has thickened up significantly as he's gone from the 185-pound amateur to a 210-pound 17-year-old. He has excellent hands and a shortstop's arm, but he lacks the quickness and twitchiness teams look for at shortstop. He's now seen as a future third baseman. And it’s not that hard to find scouts who say they believe he could eventually end up at first base if he doesn't stay on top of his conditioning. At the plate, scouts who saw him in the Appalachian League or in instructional league were also less impressed with the bat than scouts who saw him as an amateur. He didn't show as much bat speed as scouts expected, especially when he was hitting lefthanded. Even those who were not blown away were quick to also note that the Appalachian League was a very aggressive assignment for a 17-year-old. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may have dominated the league as a 17-year-old in 2016, but most of the top international signees (Miguel Sano, Gary Sanchez and Miguel Cabrera for example) begin their pro careers in the complex leagues. All of this has to be weighed into any team’s evaluation of the now free-agent infielder. There will be a robust market for Maitan, because teams rarely get a chance to land a 17-year-old international prospect like Maitan, but he's not the same prospect he was when he was 15. Read more at https://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/updating-the-scouting-report-on-new-free-agent-kevin-maitan/#to0YEgbhhQEcyleH.99