MLB Offseason 2021: Hot Stoves, Bat Flips, & Bubbleball

[MJWalker45 6,008]

On 2/2/2021 at 1:32 PM, BBTV said:

Don't understand what "expanded powers" the players were afraid of Manfred having.  I would have expected the MLBPA to like the DH and expanded playoffs, as that should equal more money for their players, while the other temporary rule changes like the runner on second and 7-inning DH would theoretically reduce risk.

 

162 games is too much - 154 probably is too, but I'd take the reduced innings if they're paying me the same either way.

I think they want more players on the every day roster as well, which the owners probably won't want to do. As far as the playoffs the players said last year they were fine expending them due to the limited number of games. But if they approved them this year, they may fear MLB will want to make 16 teams permanent. If they aren't starting until May, 140 games should be the max. 

[FiddySicks 11,349]

1 hour ago, ninersdd said:

Dodgers get Trevor Bauer. Kinda like the Red Wings adding Marian Hossa after they won it all. The best get better.

I’m seeing people compare this to Kevin Durant, a guy who’s legitimately a top 3 player in the league and one of the best of all time, going to the Warriors
 

How has baseball’s casual fanbase supplanted basketball’s casual fanbase for the dumbest in sports? That seemed like an impossible task, but... Here we are. 

 

 

 

Bauer isn’t all that great, and I think he kinda just caught fire last season (and was probably cheating) which was abbreviated anyway. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him come back down to earth immediately and end up being a pretty signing for the Dodgers. 

[BBTV 20,882]

For a guy that's not "all that great", they gave him the single biggest annual contract for a pitcher in the sport's history.  Who the hell else was going to pay that in this offseason?  Seems like they were bidding against themselves.

[Marlins93 1,091]

3 hours ago, BBTV said:

For a guy that's not "all that great", they gave him the single biggest annual contract for a pitcher in the sport's history.  Who the hell else was going to pay that in this offseason?  Seems like they were bidding against themselves.

 

Didn't the Mets basically offer him the same amount even if the terms of the contract itself were a little different? It sounds like Bauer was using them as leverage to get a better deal with LA.

[BBTV 20,882]

9 hours ago, Marlins93 said:

Didn't the Mets basically offer him the same amount even if the terms of the contract itself were a little different? It sounds like Bauer was using them as leverage to get a better deal with LA.

 

IDK.  I don't know how GMs/owners know what's true and what's not when they're negotiating.  If a player's agent is like "hey, we got offered 4/200 from team x", I don't know how you tell if that's just BS or if a legit offer was made.  My guess is that the majority of the time, when you hear that team x offered a guy something and then he signed with team y, it was the agent leaking either a bogus or exaggerated offer to someone in the media or to a network of moles that they have in teams' front offices.

[Marlins93 1,091]

20 hours ago, BBTV said:

 

IDK.  I don't know how GMs/owners know what's true and what's not when they're negotiating.  If a player's agent is like "hey, we got offered 4/200 from team x", I don't know how you tell if that's just BS or if a legit offer was made.  My guess is that the majority of the time, when you hear that team x offered a guy something and then he signed with team y, it was the agent leaking either a bogus or exaggerated offer to someone in the media or to a network of moles that they have in teams' front offices.

It's been widely reported that the Mets offered Bauer $3 million more total and I see no reason to doubt that. They certainly have the money.  At any rate, it seems likely that the Dodgers were bidding against the Mets. I wonder if Bauer would have gotten that deal if the Mets weren't in the picture.

[BBTV 20,882]

I somehow missed this news the other day, but the 7-inning DHs are back, as is the runner-on-2nd-in-extra-innings rule.  Still no DH in the NL yet.  Not sure about the 3-batter rule for relievers.

[ManillaToad 1,344]

17 minutes ago, BBTV said:

I somehow missed this news the other day, but the 7-inning DHs are back, as is the runner-on-2nd-in-extra-innings rule.  Still no DH in the NL yet.  Not sure about the 3-batter rule for relievers.

 

Lol remember last year when when anybody complaining about these ridiculous rules was told "it's just for this season"?

[SFGiants58 14,557]

5 minutes ago, ManillaToad said:

 

Lol remember last year when when anybody complaining about these ridiculous rules was told "it's just for this season"?

We’re still in a pandemic.

[MJWalker45 6,008]

27 minutes ago, BBTV said:

I somehow missed this news the other day, but the 7-inning DHs are back, as is the runner-on-2nd-in-extra-innings rule.  Still no DH in the NL yet.  Not sure about the 3-batter rule for relievers.

I think that was approved before the pandemic. It should be a permanent rule. 

[Sport 14,512]

On 2/5/2021 at 5:23 PM, FiddySicks said:

I’m seeing people compare this to Kevin Durant, a guy who’s legitimately a top 3 player in the league and one of the best of all time, going to the Warriors
 

How has baseball’s casual fanbase supplanted basketball’s casual fanbase for the dumbest in sports? That seemed like an impossible task, but... Here we are. 

 

Bauer isn’t all that great, and I think he kinda just caught fire last season (and was probably cheating) which was abbreviated anyway. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him come back down to earth immediately and end up being a pretty signing for the Dodgers. 

 

99% chance he cheated last year. 1% chance he naturally developed spin at a higher rate than is LIKELY physically possible without enhancements. He got all the money in the world from the Dodgers so good for him, I guess. If he doesn't care that he cheated after talking trash about every other pitcher that cheated then whatever. 

 

Bauer can get lost forever. Probably my least favorite Cincinnati Red I've ever watched and I will not miss the feeling of turning a game on, seeing he's the starter, and going "ugh I gotta watch this ahole". It's not even his politics or that he's harassed people on twitter or any of his other behavior, which is all pretty awful, I just find him completely exhausting and I'm glad he's not on my team anymore. It sucks our first Cy Young (that's right, he's the first Cy Young winner in the history of the Cincinnati Reds, if you can believe it.) is such a :censored:. 

[BBTV 20,882]

52 minutes ago, ManillaToad said:

 

Lol remember last year when when anybody complaining about these ridiculous rules was told "it's just for this season"?

 

Well it's another weird season and nobody knew what '21 would look like. Other than the 7-inning DHs, I like the new rules so no complaints here.

[ManillaToad 1,344]

1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said:

We’re still in a pandemic.

 

It's just for this season

It's just for the pandemic

 

Taking bets on the next hand-wave when MLB and the PA miraculously don't decide to change their minds on the new rules they've agreed to two years running

[See Red 2,153]

3 hours ago, Sport said:

 

99% chance he cheated last year. 1% chance he naturally developed spin at a higher rate than is LIKELY physically possible without enhancements. He got all the money in the world from the Dodgers so good for him, I guess. If he doesn't care that he cheated after talking trash about every other pitcher that cheated then whatever. 

 

Not at all surprised that all of Bauer's blustering was projection.  I guess it all worked out pretty well for him but according to renowned spin rate expert Trevor Bauer, the only way Trevor Bauer could have improved his spin rate the way he has is by cheating.

 

Quote

I’ve been chasing spin rate since 2012. For eight years I’ve been trying to figure out how to increase the spin on my fastball because I’d identified it way back then as such a massive advantage. I knew that if I could learn to increase it through training and technique, it would be huge. But eight years later, I haven’t found any other way except using foreign substances.

 

[schlim 775]

With the additions of Carlos Santana and Andrew Benintendi, the Royals are meekly pushing all their chips towards the center of the table, eyeing a playoff berth, hoping that there are only four other teams in the AL that decided to compete this year. They may be right.

 

[JayMac 3,870]

On 2/11/2021 at 1:40 PM, BBTV said:

 

Well it's another weird season and nobody knew what '21 would look like. Other than the 7-inning DHs, I like the new rules so no complaints here.

I actually like the 7-inning doubleheaders. It has reintroduced the concept of playing back to back games in an afternoon/evening to baseball. I think the DH in the NL is inevitable and I've come around to that one but I still can't stand the runner on 2nd for extras. It is a bad concept, a la the NHL shootout. The 3 batter minimum can go to hell too.

[BBTV 20,882]

2 hours ago, JayMac said:

I actually like the 7-inning doubleheaders. It has reintroduced the concept of playing back to back games in an afternoon/evening to baseball. I think the DH in the NL is inevitable and I've come around to that one but I still can't stand the runner on 2nd for extras. It is a bad concept, a la the NHL shootout. The 3 batter minimum can go to hell too.

 

I don't see any parallel between the runner-on-second and the NHL shootout.  One is a game situation that happens all the time and teams have to handle with regularity, while the other is a "special attraction" type of play that rarely happens organically and even more-rare as the result of a penalty.  It's apples and oranges... or, baseballs and pucks.

[dont care 6,870]

4 hours ago, BBTV said:

 

I don't see any parallel between the runner-on-second and the NHL shootout.  One is a game situation that happens all the time and teams have to handle with regularity, while the other is a "special attraction" type of play that rarely happens organically and even more-rare as the result of a penalty.  It's apples and oranges... or, baseballs and pucks.

Yea a more equivalent would be a home run derby to determine the winner after 2 innings of extras.

[JayMac 3,870]

8 hours ago, BBTV said:

 

I don't see any parallel between the runner-on-second and the NHL shootout.  One is a game situation that happens all the time and teams have to handle with regularity, while the other is a "special attraction" type of play that rarely happens organically and even more-rare as the result of a penalty.  It's apples and oranges... or, baseballs and pucks.

I just meant that it is an arbitrary way to try to force a winner.

[AustinFromBoston 822]

I'm certain his number will be added to The Mets Ring of Honor one day.