Laika

My drastic CBA proposal would be something like: - Kill the NL and AL. Pitchers don't hit anymore. - Replace them with a Western League and Eastern League. This is geographic for travel purposes because we are also getting rid of divisions. - Every team plays each team in their own League 5 times (145 games; probably a 3 game set and a 2 game set). - Every team plays 8 teams from the other League 2 times (16 interleague games, 161 game schedule) - Interleague opponents are based on some algorithm using last year's standings so each team gets a relatively fair distribution of opponent strength. - The result of this is a pretty balanced schedule. - Top 4 teams make the playoffs. - Every series is 7 games long. - Less off days during the 7 game series. Currently they get two off days for travel - make game 2 an afternoon game and they travel on that day. Only one off day during a 7 game series, after game 5, if it goes that far. - Arbitration starts a year earlier, in a player's third year. - Teams lose a year of control if a player makes their MLB debut after a certain age (it's getting nuts, some players are debuting at 27/28 and they will be cost-controlled for their entire careers. Doesn't seem fair). - To penalize service time manipulation, some some of bonus in the final arbitration year for players who enter that year with excess service time. Example, if a player starts year "6" with 5.160 service time, that 160 extra days is used in some calculation to compensate the player and penalize the team. - No more "competitive balance pick" ********. Revenue sharing is enough. - All draft picks can be traded - Just put J2 players in the draft. No need for a separate international draft. Bonus pools increase by the international spending budgets. - Streamline the instant replay process. Managers should have to decide whether to challenge without the help of off-field staff. Review umpire support staff should be looking at close plays immediately in case they are challenged. - Roy Halladay's hall of fame plaque gets a Jays logo

Upon reflection, I'm not sure that adding more playoff teams would increase competitiveness at all. If the playoffs are easier to make, does that not incentivize mediocrity? Owners of teams like the Rays could actually lower their bars since all they have to do is limp into the playoffs with ~85 wins half of the time, and that will produce enough lucky playoff runs to excite their 17 fans. s***** teams like the Padres and Reds and White Sox are already spending.

It's different in baseball because of the pitchers. A mediocre team that limps to 85 wins in the season can have an Ace that makes them the heavy favourite in a wild card game. It's not like football and the other football, where winner take all games can be random but are still essentially the full rosters of both teams fighting each other.

Well he's probably a downgrade for any of a decent team's top 6 forwards and he's not a bottom 6 forward. Strikes me as a "negative WAR" hockey player tbh but I don't know what the fancy stats say

A contender would want Galchenyuk? Hmmm

Seems great. Manfred for HOF?

Man, that would be so frustrating as a hardcore fan of that team. They were rumoured to be giving up Luis Rengifo for Stripling and Pederson. There were other names involved so it might have ended up an even deal, but imagine having that rug yanked out?

Yeah, there are multiple avenues to victory in a lawsuit like that: 1) An actual victory in court 2) A settlement because the other party wants to keep a lid on everything 3) A legal loss, but a moral victory; the other party has to squirm, is exposed publicly, etc. 4) A legal loss, and a moral loss (think the case getting dismissed quickly) BUT being involved in something noteworthy somehow gives the plaintiff benefits (book deals, future jobs, etc.)

Only one year of control though. I can't see it making sense for Toronto to pay futures for him. I'd be interested in Ross Stripling - three years of control there. He was going to the Angels in that.

Enough people are taking cracks at Sean Manaea that he probably moves today. The cost is shaping up to be something like two solid prospects, or an interesting young arm + a solid prospect. I am countering most offers so come at him fast if actually interested.

I don’t think this was stated yet but if you trade for a prospect that does not have a green flag but was on the other owner’s farm, you can ask a commissioner to put them on your farm. Only makes sense and it’s how the kids do it in LOD

Probably should just gut the rest of my old rotation and try something new so Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt very available. Open to all types of deals. Current best offer for Manaea is a disgusting prospect who strikes out more often than I fart

I still think the Red Sox f***ed up David Price at half of his contract is probably what he would cost as a free agent. There should have been no absolute need to attach Betts to him, and possibly dampen the return for Betts in the process. Mookie is not your normal star player - he's a total package superstar and likely the 2nd best player in baseball. I think this return for him lacks a certain type of upside. This isn't even obviously more than Goldschmidt fetched.

Apparently it's Graterol + the pick + an older platoon prospect for Maeda and $10M. The money probably means the Twins did slightly better than the original trade as I can't imagine the pick is worth more than $5M.

Puig is going to get almost nothing. Kind of crazy. Kevin Pillar might come back for $1M!

Rays also have Tsutsugo as a s***** LF option. Maybe the Padres are going to poach Betts

Jim he has sucked for a long time. No, a couple of months of mediocre AAA stats did not save him from being an Oriole (his destiny).

If they keep him it will have nothing to do with the second half. One last (low cost) gamble on the tools is all it would be.

Love him already

Undecided. Probably one of the imports but I’ll research closer to the draft

What’s this deal? Honeywell is an interesting one to evaluate

Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas remain available. To get a valuable bat I'd be willing to attach a good prospect to them (Matt Liberatore, Daniel Lynch, Shane McClanahan, Seth Beer, Braden Shewmake... maybe Ian Anderson) Currently keeping 3 of the following 4 but would deal: Avisail Garcia Will Harris Buster Posey Christian Walker Cuts on the cheap: Willians Astudillo Christin Stewart Brock Burke Darwinzon Hernandez Joe Palumbo Collin McHugh Carlos Estevez Damon Jones or Jarren Duran (green flag; MiLB eligible)

Holy f*** they are going to miss the playoffs when Matthews scores like 55 goals. The Leafs are the Mets of hockey.

Well, there is no God in a literal sense. Negativity towards a non-existent God (literal sense) has no real function in most instances but to frustrate and harm the human directing the negativity. Positivity towards a non-existent God (literal sense) does arguably have a function. The reason people believe in things is deeply rooted in our nature, evolution (both biological and social) and human history. Alignment with archetypal sources of order, or a platonic good, or whatever you want to call it tends to make humans better and more functional (zealots and extremists aside). There's ancient wisdom in religious stories and traditions that modern people practicing middle-school skepticism are too quick to abandon. In a circular way this makes the concept of God "true". Let us pray

Ouch