glory

Grichuk since 2019: 1404 PA, 91 wRC+, 1.4 WAR, .286 OBP It's possible that Tapia is a downgrade here, but Grichuk has basically been a 0.5 WAR player with full time PA's in his last two full seasons and a well below average hitter. If Tapia is even Zeke Carrera 2015-17 (which isn't a high bar), then it's probably a wash on the field, with benefits off the field if Grichuk actually was miserable with a bench role.

I don't think they saved any money for this year. The money they are giving to Colorado combined with Tapia's salary I believe nets out to Grichuk's 2022 money, so it's a wash. They do save money in 2023 though if they non tender Tapia. My guess is this deal was done because Charlie benching a vetrin goes against his DNA and they wanted to give Grich a chance to play everyday somewhere, combined with needing a LH bat off the bench to balance out the roster a bit. I'm sure getting (stealing?) a prospect at the same time was the cherry on top.

In Fowler's last full season (2019) he had a 103 wRC+ and 1.6 WAR, so perfectly acceptable 4th OF material using those numbers, but that was 3 years ago (only played 38 games since then) and now he's coming off an ACL injury. I wouldn't expect much other than being AAA depth.

I wouldn't count on any of those 3 being able to play CF, but I do think the Jays will have to consider trying some of their infield prospects in CF to see if the athleticism, range, etc, plays there. Guys like Otto Lopez, Jimenez, Taylor, Beltre, Pinto, etc. Of course some of these guys will not pan out or will get traded, but getting a CF prospect from within the farm system would be huge given the lack of available options and the difficulty to acquire them from outside the org.

So essentially a salary wash in 2022, just replacing Grichuk with Tapia in the bigs, and then a $5m savings in 2023 (Tapia is arb eligible so they could NT him).

Tapia will pinch hit for Kirk late in a game against a RHP at least once in 2022.

Tapia is a better fit for the roster as a backup (LH, speed). If he has to play a lot for some reason then it might be an issue, unless they can help him become a better hitter somehow. Let's see how much money is going the other way.

Once the Yankees and Mets/Cohen were involved, there was no way the city was going to keep the mandate. The Nets could win a title and barely anyone in NY would care. The Yankees and Mets have way more financial and political clout in NY. Once those teams were impacted, it was only a matter of time. Judge and others likely knew that, which is why he was giving vague answers to the vaccine question.

The only way it makes sense to still have McGuire on the team is if Kirk is the starting DH, so I hope that's the plan (barring a trade for a LHB). I have no confidence that Buntoyo would consistently start Kirk over Grichuk but maybe he'll surprise me.

Montoyo being the manager could have ended this thread. That reality scares me more than anything currently on the roster.

I'm fine with the ghost runner in the 10th. I'm just saying if there was enough backlash to warrant modifying it a bit, then it would be a reasonable compromise to give teams an inning before starting it. But I personally have no issues with starting it in the 10th.

I think letting them play the 10th inning under normal rules and then starting the ghost runner if it gets to the 11th is a fine compromise, but even in that scenario we'd likely see a lot of extra inning games with the ghost runner involved.

The only thing I could find in a quick Google search (from SI, April 2021): "Fans seem to like it. Ratings for extra innings on MLB.TV have doubled with the rule, and fans at the ballpark come alive when they see the home team batting with a runner in scoring position." Given the date, that's only factoring the 2020 season (which was obviously shortened to begin with), so I'm curious if they have any numbers for the 2021 season. I'd be surprised if it makes much of a difference in viewership in the long run, but people turning the TV off or stopping streaming out of anger as soon as they see the ghost runner is likely no where near reality. One thing I do know for sure is people leaving the stadiums in extra innings (during the regular season). I have never heard any NBA fan say "I wish the overtime was 12 minutes instead of 5 because any team can go on a 5 minute run, it's not fair". The NFL overtime rule is probably the least fair of all of the major sports, and it clearly has not stopped fans from watching the games. Stuff like this actually makes me sympathize with Manfred a bit because he (rightfully) knows that baseball needs massive changes on the field, but any change whether big or small is going to be met with the type of rage that really no other sport gets because "100 years ago baseball was played the right way". In 2023 when there's a pitch clock, shifts will be regulated, etc, heads are going to explode.

Yeah Conforto on a one year deal would be a huge boost to the lineup, but if he is anti vax as mentioned, then the Jays can't do anything there. I think he got some bad advice from Boras. He should have taken the QO.

Agreed. I've said before, I think baseball has taken the longest to evolve of the major sports because of its fear of change. A fanbase that leans to the older side is probably going to hate change a little bit more, but it feels like with baseball, even the tiniest thing is going to cause a rage among the core fans. The game on the field is in bad shape and needs to be massaged a bit to become a more entertaining product. Not just for young people, but everyone. As someone mentioned, no one benefits from extra innings. Not the players, not the owners, not the fans (who leave in droves during extra innings anyway), not the TV networks, etc. A "ghost runner" increases the likelihood of a game ending at a reasonably time and both teams have to play by the same rules. It's not a perfect setup, and if you want to say it's a bit gimmicky, then fine, but it's a reasonable rule in terms of trying to get the games to end sooner and avoiding marathons. If we never see an 18 inning regular season game again, is anyone going to be disappointed?

Charlie managing someone with 14 years of MLB experience would be terrifying. Stay away from Gardner.

That's less than I thought he'd get coming off what was essentially an MVP season.

Yeah this is just for cost certainty over the next two years and avoiding arbitration. Since Chapman is a Boras guy I fully expect him to bet on himself and test free agency, so hopefully he has two 2018-19 type of seasons here.

If they can get Ramirez without giving up Moreno and Martinez, then go for it.

Yeah that’s what I was factoring in. Getting into the mind of a man who was putting 2021 Joe Panik at DH, and pinch hitting Valera for Kirk late in games is going to lead to weird predictions. Although like I said if Chapman proves he’s back offensively then top of the order would be fine.

Yeah, my guess is Chapman bats 2nd this year. He's essentially replacing Semien on the team, so for lineup consistency from last season, Chuck is going to put him at 2. Of course, that wouldn't be bad at all if we get 2018-19 Chappy. If we get the 2020-21 version, then not so good.

I really hope they end up going with the 2 man catching tandem of Kirk and Jansen, and find a LHB who can DH. Atkins has to build the roster with as few scrubs as possible because Charlie won't be able to help himself, and McGuire is going to be that guy if he's still on the team.

The Yankees could have had Correa (short term), Urshela, and Sanchez, but end up with Donaldson, IKF, and that catcher they got from the Twins. I mean, Sanchez sucks as a catcher but Correa/Urshela is a much better left side of the IF. They better hope Volpe turns into Jeter offensively.

In 2022, no chance. In 3 years? Somehow they'll find a way to be really good again, while some of the pieces they got in recent trades will be big contributors.

Bird and Mallex Smith are both guys that fit the team's needs perfectly (LH power DH, LH 4th OF). Unfortunately, neither of them are probably any good. Smith had that one really good season a few years ago but nothing since. Bird just can't stay healthy.