Let The Hot Stove Heat Up: 2015-2016 MLB Offseason

[cmm]

So apparently Davis will receive all of that $161 million, just over the course of 21 years... According to Buster Olney, Davis will receive $17MM per year through the life of the contract, then $3.5MM from 2023 through 2032, then $1.4MM a year from 2033 through 2037. I want to think it's a good idea, but I'm not too sure.

It's Rickey. Rickey would be upset you didn't spell Rickey's name correctly.

[jrodsep]

It's Rickey. Rickey would be upset you didn't spell Rickey's name correctly.

LOL. Thank you and yes he would be very upset.

[Gary]

Tigers sign Justin Upton to a 6 year deal. No link yet. But just popped on my ESPN notifications

[Shumway]

Tigers sign Justin Upton to a 6 year deal. No link yet. But just popped on my ESPN notifications

I'm reading 6 years, 132 million with an opt-out after year 2.

[GFB]

Love the move. I'm gonna go buy a HotNReady on principle alone (I'm sure as hell not going to eat it).

[Almighty]

132 million ? and people said Chris Davis got overpaid ! Upton is a average MLB player

[NJTank]

I heard a story about Rickey Henderson once after he left the Mets and joined the Mariners in 2000. He saw John Olerud who had been with the Mets with Rickey in 1999 and the Blue Jays in 1993 btw. So Rickey asked Olerud why does he wear a helmet at 1B so Olerud explains about his past aneurysm. Rickey said I remember playing with somebody else had the same issue, to wit John Olerud responded yeah Rickey that was me you asked that question every time we get together.

[Sport]

Pete Rose to be inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

http://m.reds.mlb.com/news/article/162253924/

The Reds hall of fame board had to change their bylaws to let him in. Previously they mirrored Cooperstown's bylaws. Me thinks they looked at the upcoming roster, looked at the anger the fanbase is feeling towards their "be deliberately terrible" rebuilding strategy, and thought "we need to do something to get fans in the stadium this season. At least for one weekend.". 

Pete Rose is a major league sleazeball. I'm not wild about this idea or the plans for a statue. 

[2001mark]

56 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

Pete Rose to be inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

http://m.reds.mlb.com/news/article/162253924/

The Reds hall of fame board had to change their bylaws to let him in. Previously they mirrored Cooperstown's bylaws. Me thinks they looked at the upcoming roster, looked at the anger the fanbase is feeling towards their "be deliberately terrible" rebuilding strategy, and thought "we need to do something to get fans in the stadium this season. At least for one weekend.". 

Pete Rose is a major league sleazeball. I'm not wild about this idea or the plans for a statue. 

They can't ever take that back if they do it.  He was the Reds manager when he was gambling on baseball.  Period.  How desperate can one franchise get.

[Brass]

Pete Rose was classic on TBS during the World Series. I loved his animosity towards ballplayers who weren't willing to put their bodies into a position to suffer a catastrophic concussion.

[NJTank]

I loved Pete Rose photo bomb

[pmoehrin]

The one thing I don't like about baseball is that the fans and media seem almost obsessed with forever burying the legacy of players who they felt did the game wrong. People who couldn't hardly tell you anything about any World Series that happened before 1992, know about the Black Sox and the 1919 World Series.

 

I guess if there was some consistency to it, I could get behind it, or at least better understand it, but there isn't. Don't bet on baseball or you won't get into the Hall of Fame, unless your name is Cap Anson. Then its okay, because the only thing the Hall of Fame values more than ability, character and integrity is the grandfather clause.

 

Don't use PED's or you won't get in. Unless you get in before your caught, or simply don't get caught at all, in which case your fine. Or we can all just pretend like PED use magically stopped after 2006 when players were so scared of the new drug testing policy MLB put forth everyone just stopped using. The lack of players being suspended under the testing policy proves that we're watching a clean game now. Right?

 

When are people going to realize that all these character and integrity issues are enforced merely to the point of what's most convenient.

In hindsight, I wish they would have just inducted Rose in his first year of eligibility. For me this story is becoming less and less about whether or not Rose should be in and more and more about whether or not we can move on with lives already. I don't have a strong opinion on whether he should be in or not. Its not going to change my opinion on him one way or the other, but I do have a pretty strong opinion about how sick and tired I am about hearing about how terrible of a person Pete Rose was and how horrible it was that he bet on baseball. Had he just been let in from the get go, I think it would have left fans with no other choice than to just move on from this story and I wouldn't have to hear about stuff that happened 30 years ago like it just happened yesterday.

 

As for Rose's induction ceremony, is it a money grab on the Reds part? Possibly, but I can't call the Reds hypocritical on this because they've been consistent with their view and treatment of Rose. A picture of the bat he used to break Ty Cobb's all-time hits record is on the back of the scoreboard at the GAB and outside of his son, nobody has ever worn the #14 for the Reds since Rose retired. Also unlike the Yankees last year who were probably considering giving Dan Naulty a plaque in Monument Park for being on the '98 Yankees and having a heartbeat, I don't think this cheapens the Reds legacy one bit. If not for the betting, Rob Dibble would have still been on the team when this ceremony happened.

[Packid]

Sounds like Cespedes will remain a Met.

[FiddySicks]

Opt out after the first year. These opt outs are gonna set up some crazy scenarios eventually. 

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Just gonna leave this here:

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14625755/reimagining-baseball-move-oakland-san-jose-tampa-bay-rays-montreal

[FiddySicks]

1 hour ago, tigerslionspistonshabs said:

Just gonna leave this here:

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14625755/reimagining-baseball-move-oakland-san-jose-tampa-bay-rays-montreal

 

Oh hey, this again. Because it hasn't been pitched already a thousand times or anything. 

 

She misses two major points that have been pointed out many times before. 

 

1). Legally, Oakland has no claim to San Jose as it's territory that belongs to the Giants, and if the A's want it, they can pry it out of their cold, dead hands. 

 

2). The Rays have the lease of death going at their giant basketball gymnasium, and there's absolutely no guarantee that moving them across the bay or back to Montreal is going to solve a single one of their problems. Tampa has already shown that it's a really weak baseball market outside of Spring Training, and Montreal already failed miserably once. Neither city is going to toss close to a billion dollars of bad money at the Rays. 

[pmoehrin]

On January 23, 2016 at 11:02 PM, Packid said:

Sounds like Cespedes will remain a Met.

 

If I was the Mets GM and I had known that Michael Conforto was going to burst onto the scene the way he did, I would not have traded for Yeonis Cespedes. I would have done something else. What that something else would have been I'm not sure, but at least in the short run it would not have worked as well as the Cespedes deal and the Mets may not have made the World Series.

 

That said, seeing what this team was like after they got Cespedes I don't know how you don't resign the guy, especially after the Nats got involved. The Mets I think were okay with Cespedes going to the AL, but not a divisional rival. Also, even with their outfield depth and their needs on the infield, Cespedes brings something to the table that isn't there without him and that's the big bat that many including myself saw as the one key element preventing the Mets from being serious contenders.

 

With regards to how the rest of the Mets offseason has gone, I think they've done a decent job addressing their biggest weakness which was their defensive infield. Both Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera give the Mets a solid upgrade up the middle. What I don't like is I thought the number one thing on their to do list would be to lock Matt Harvey up long term. They did not do that. Now is this Sandy Alderson wanting to see how Harvey's arm will hold up the second year after Tommy John surgery, or is this simply Met ownership being cheap? Maybe a little bit of both? I don't know.

 

I wouldn't call the Mets inability to lock Harvey up long term this offseason, alarming or even troubling, but considering the financial issues the Wilpons have had in recent years, it should at least raise a yellow flag that they are still not completely over the fallout from the Madoff scandal.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

22 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

 

Oh hey, this again. Because it hasn't been pitched already a thousand times or anything. 

 

She misses two major points that have been pointed out many times before. 

 

1). Legally, Oakland has no claim to San Jose as it's territory that belongs to the Giants, and if the A's want it, they can pry it out of their cold, dead hands. 

 

2). The Rays have the lease of death going at their giant basketball gymnasium, and there's absolutely no guarantee that moving them across the bay or back to Montreal is going to solve a single one of their problems. Tampa has already shown that it's a really weak baseball market outside of Spring Training, and Montreal already failed miserably once. Neither city is going to toss close to a billion dollars of bad money at the Rays. 

 

Agreed. Oakland's gotta do something with the stadium situation. They were close to (and maybe still are) losing the Raiders. Wake up.

 

As far as Tampa goes, it's an absolutely terrible baseball market, regardless of where the stadium is. Outside of last season, they've been one of the best teams in baseball and a constant underdog. Still, no real support. That being said, I believe Montreal can and will be an MLB market again, but not yet. 

[NJTank]

Cant Cespedes play right or Conforto play right and move Granderson to Center?

 

Granderson is not signed beyond this year and age wise likely wont be coming back so that part can work out. As of now the Mets have a loaded out field a solid bat off the bench in the infield and tons of flexibility. A great pitching staff a decent bullpen and the ability to add pieces at the break. What more can they need. Cespedes wants to be here gave up millions to be here and is a hell of a hitter and a great glove five tool guy.

[The_Admiral]

Terrible premise. Guess I don't like change as much as Christina Kahrl does!