Ehjays

Thats true.

Apparently they have been hard after Bryant....we shall see.

MLB, Apple Agree To Streaming Deal By Steve Adams | March 8, 2022 at 1:38pm CDT Major League Baseball and Apple announced Tuesday that they have agreed to a streaming deal that will see two Friday night games streamed exclusively on Apple TV+ each week, beginning with the 2022 season. “Friday Night Baseball” will feature live pregame and postgame shows and will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Apple TV+ will also offer a program called “MLB Big Inning” to U.S. viewers, which the press release describes as a “live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season.” The new service will allow fans to watch “marquee” games each Friday which will be “free from local broadcast restrictions.” Fans who are frustrated by the blackout issues that have served as a persistent source of consternation for MLB.tv users will surely welcome an alternative — particularly those who are already subscribe to Apple TV+. However, the Friday Night Baseball deal now removes two games per week from that same MLB.tv package, given that today’s press release from Apple emphasizes the exclusivity of those Friday night broadcasts. That’s sure to raise the ire of MLB.tv users who do not have an active Apple TV+ subscription, as they’ll now be required to sign up for an additional monthly service if they wish to catch those Friday night contests. Today’s press release indicates that “for a limited time,” Friday Night Baseball will be accessible without a subscription but offers no further detail. Of course, it’s only natural to see Major League Baseball continue to push into the streaming space, as they’ve done in recent years with live-game broadcasts on YouTube and Facebook. Other such deals will surely follow, particularly given how prominent this model is becoming throughout all of professional sports. Amazon Prime began streaming Thursday Night Football games in recent years, for instance, while other services like Peacock, Hulu and Paramount+ have increasingly begun to offer exclusive live sports streams as part of their models. There’s considerable profit to be gained by expanding streaming partnerships in this fashion, even if it comes at the expense of MLB watering down its longstanding MLB.tv offerings. “Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said in a statement within today’s press release. “Following milestones like the launch of At Bat on day one of the App Store in 2008 to the integration of Apple technology in ballparks across the country, this robust new game package is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of offering quality and innovative content to our fans. With national availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV+ offers an exciting new platform to fans that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.”

162 back on??? Sounds like MLB is dangling it.

Thats good to see, thats how you beat the shift.

Im not saying he is a poor hitter, Im saying he doesnt even attempt to go the other way to counter their plan on him. Which means they wont change it. If he even attempted to place it down 3rd and it goes foul, Im sure one of the IF's moves over the very next pitch.

I agree I dont think it should be banned, I also agree its a bad argument, the only thing I would add is its bad on both sides. , but for Gallo, the shift is extreme and if he was able to place it anywhere on the left side of the diamond he would get at least 1 bag. This is how extreme it is for him, but he doesnt even try to adjust:

Fred Lynn chimed in with Gallos complaint.

Multiple Teams Ask MLB To Attempt To Cancel This Year’s Rule 5 Draft By Anthony Franco | March 4, 2022 at 10:13pm CDT Front office executives with multiple teams have asked Major League Baseball to explore the possibility of canceling the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft this year, report Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Because the Rule 5 is part of the collective bargaining agreement, MLB would need approval from the Players Association to do so. Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of the Athletic wrote this afternoon that front office personnel “almost (unanimously)” support the Rule 5’s cancelation as the lockout continues. Both The Athletic and ESPN explore various reasons behind the thinking, but they all revolve around the discrepancy between major league and minor league play. MLB Spring Training games won’t begin until March 18 at the absolute earliest; minor league Spring Training is already underway, as players not on clubs’ 40-man rosters are unaffected by the lockout. The major league phase of the Rule 5 draft — which typically takes place at the December Winter Meetings — provides an odd middle-ground regarding the 40-man roster. Only players not currently on a team’s 40-man are eligible for selection (assuming they’ve spent enough time in the minor leagues). If selected, however, they immediately jump onto their new club’s roster. With all 40-man transactions frozen by the lockout, the Rule 5 was suspended indefinitely on December 2. However, the players who would be eligible for selection are all able to participate in minor league camp, since they’re not on their current club’s 40-man. That culmination of factors has led to most teams closing their minor league camp to scouts from rival teams. The fear is that they’d identify Rule 5 eligible prospects who have taken steps forward in their development over the offseason. Rather than allow clubs to spot and potentially poach improving young players for essentially nothing — selecting a player in the Rule 5 costs only $100K — many teams have shut scouts out entirely. McDaniel and Passan report that the Reds, Brewers, A’s, Mariners and Rays are the only teams still allowing other teams’ evaluators into their minor league camps — and those clubs have just formed a reciprocal agreement with one another. ESPN writes that some evaluators have expressed concerns that teams shutting out scouts to keep their Rule 5 eligible players could have an unintended deleterious effect on the post-lockout trade market. Teams are shutting the doors to minor league camp entirely, as it’s not feasible to prevent opposing scouts from seeing only Rule 5 eligible players. Therefore, pro scouts are mostly prohibited from getting a look at prospects of all ages and levels. Some of those players could be trade targets — the Reds and A’s, in particular, are expected to move multiple established big leaguers for controllable young talent — but scouts are generally unable to get eyes on them right now. Pulling off the Rule 5 draft would only become more challenging if the lockout lingers into April. The Triple-A regular season is scheduled to open on April 5. (Minor league schedules are unaffected by the lockout). Clubs presumably couldn’t keep scouts from attending those games; they’ll be open to the general public, after all. Selecting players out of regular season minor league play to report to big league Spring Training could prove difficult. If the MLB lockout remains in place when MiLB games start, the Rule 5 would figure to be in particular jeopardy. That said, MLB’s inability to cancel the draft unilaterally may prove its best hope of happening this year. At its core, the Rule 5 is a player-friendly provision. It’s designed both to incentivize teams to add prospects to their 40-man roster within a few years — which teams still had to do last November — and to give players who aren’t getting an MLB opportunity in their current organizations broad exposure around the league. Rule 5 draftees have to stick on their new team’s active roster or be waived and offered back to their original franchise if they clear. Those who break camp with their new team receive major league pay and service time, in addition to the opportunity to prove themselves against big league competition. Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock and Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo, for example, both look to have broken through as long-term big leaguers after impressing as Rule 5 draftees last year. As JJ Cooper of Baseball America points out (on Twitter), even those who don’t stick with their new team receive higher minor league salaries upon being returned to their original organization because they’d previously been on a 40-man roster. Because of those benefits, it stands to reason the MLBPA won’t be enamored with the idea of approving the Rule 5’s cancelation. Minor leaguers aren’t members of the MLBPA, but the union does have some amount of influence on provisions that would affect non-union players (i.e. its opposition to the league’s efforts to implement a draft for international amateurs). McDaniel and Passan report that the league and union haven’t discussed the Rule 5 draft’s fate to this point in CBA negotiations. At some point, there figures to be more clarity on the draft’s future, but its delay is yet another of the ways in which typical offseason business has been thrown off-track by the lockout. The Rule 5 draft, rather remarkably, has been conducted in some form every offseason since 1920.

Lol, actually I watch these guys when they have Jays prospects on it. They have had over 30 of them on. Here is a highlight video. Some are quite enjoyable. and no I dont think Vladdy will get 500. He is gonna have a big payday, but not 500.

I understand its only a minor league deal, but do we really need him? I used to think as a team, you can never sign a bad minor league contract. I think this is a perfect example of a bad one.....I think we have enough prospects that need that playin time over this guy.

Blue Jays Sign Eric Stamets To Minor League Deal By Steve Adams | March 4, 2022 at 12:26pm CDT The Blue Jays have signed shortstop Eric Stamets to a minor league contract, per an announcement from his agents at MSM Sports (Twitter link). Stamets spent last season in the Rockies’ minor league system and became a minor league free agent at season’s end, which made him eligible to sign even during the ongoing lockout. Stamets, 30, has 15 games of big league experience, all coming with Cleveland back in 2019, when he was their Opening Day shortstop. (Francisco Lindor was on the injured list due to a calf strain.) Stamets struggled through a prolonged 2-for-41 slump to begin the season, however, and was back in Triple-A Columbus by mid-April. Stamets hit .244/.312/.379 in Columbus over the remainder of that season and was eventually removed from the 40-man roster after the trade deadline had passed. Stamets reached minor league free agency in the 2019-20 offseason and signed a minor league deal with the Rockies, who brought him back for a second season in 2021. He hit .168/.283/.319 in 139 plate appearances in Colorado’s system last year and is a career .223/.295/.371 hitter in parts of five Triple-A seasons overall. While Stamets obviously doesn’t have a strong offensive track record, Baseball America twice rated him the fastest runner and the best defensive infielder in the Angels’ system early in his pro career. He’s been successful in 85.2% of his professional stolen base attempts and is generally regarded as an excellent defensive shortstop who can also handle second base and third base. The Jays’ infield currently has Bo Bichette at shortstop, and Cavan Biggio is ticketed for regular reps at either second or third base (more likely the former). Santiago Espinal is the current favorite to see time at third base, while infielders Kevin Smith and Otto Lopez could both vie for bench jobs whenever the season gets underway. Toronto is generally expected to look into additional help in the infield, as evidenced by their reported pursuit of Corey Seager (before he signed in Texas) and their rumored interest in A’s third baseman Matt Chapman (among other trade possibilities). Stamets is likely seen as some upper-level infield depth, but he’d give them plenty of speed and defense off the bench if he earns a bench spot at some point. Any further infield additions would likely push Espinal into a bench role.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/article/blue-jays-bo-bichette-says-fans-deserve-an-apology-for-work-stoppage/ Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette says fans deserve an apology for work stoppage Toronto Blue Jays All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette says the entire baseball industry owes fans an apology for the current labour woes. “I think the bottom line is as players we need owners and owners need players. But we both need fans,” Bichette said on The FAN Drive Time on Thursday night. “That’s the most disappointing part of it all. “I think we owe an apology to people who are wanting to watch our game. But I think as a union, we have to do what’s right for ourselves this moment.” Major League Baseball cancelled the first two series of the season earlier this week after owners and players could not come to a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement to end the lockout. The top negotiators for both sides met informally on Thursday. When asked if he could believe it’s come to this stage, Bichette said, “I can’t. I really can’t. “It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating. But it is what it is. It’s just disappointing with the talent that’s in the game right now that fans are getting deprived of that. The hope is we get on the field as soon as we can.” Bichette said he’s been working on staying ready at home near Clearwater, Fla., and has seen several teammates in the off-season, including Teoscar Hernandez, Reese McGuire, Jordan Romano and Danny Jansen. He added he might be heading to Miami soon to visit with Santiago Espinal, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alek Manoah. “That is definitely one of the things we all miss is being around each other and continuing to build the chemistry and continuing to fight for our ultimate goal,” Bichette said. Bichette said he also spent time in Texas with former star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who helped the Blue Jays end their playoff drought in 2015, to get some pointers. “Anybody that knows Tulo, he’s probably the best prepared defender to walk the earth maybe,” Bichette said. “So just to go learn from him, learn how to prepare, learn how to know I’m ready, that’s been big for me.” Bichette said it’s incumbent on players and owners to form a partnership to allow baseball to make progress. “As players and owners, we need to start working together if we’re going to grow the game,” he said. “We’re in a spot where baseball’s probably not what it used to be. But I think we have so many exciting players, we can gain some traction back. I think that starts with the leadership. Hopefully we can get that done here.”

Wow, Stieb was always my favourite but man that was fantastic!!! Thanks man.

I will say, if there was anything good at all in this, it was the amazing job TL did with the updates on Reddit. Great job.

lol

yeah Baltimore (away) and Tampa (home) 3 game series cancelled

Lets hope so

You misunderstood how that worked. Top 2 division winners in each league get a bye, so last year from the AL, Astros and Rays would have got the bye. The White sox (93 wins) would get a ghost win over Toronto (91 wins), Yanks would play Bosox

I understand all that, and I understand that you may be all for it, but I just dont like the changes done recently, example pitcher must face 3 batters, start a runner at 2nd for extra innings, double headers are 7 ininngs, sorry I just think its another bad move for baseball. Remember the AL East had 4 teams with 91+ wins last year, and the Central Division had 4 teams below 500, and now you want to award the Central division champ with a "Ghost win" f*** that!