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2020 General MLB off-season

Mo Horn

By Mo Horn
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ss13
ss13

I will personally thank the very first player to kneel solely for this...     

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Player

Am I taking crazy pills? Mr. “thin blue line” cop defender himself is crying about injustice? The same arrogant fuckface who assured everyone that HPD and Art fucking Acevedo’s actions in the Harding

UnivTex34
UnivTex34

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Fozzz

Fozzz 152

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They have made some pretty smart FA acquisitions, but the Rangers just can't seem to do a whole lot from the drafting/development side.  Given limited prospect capital, it seems like they're going to have to wait until payroll bottoms out so they can sign even more FAs to fill in all the glaring holes on the position side.

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ss13

ss13 1832

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Outfielder Starling Marte has been traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two prospects, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday.

Marte, 31, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Pirates. He has a career .287 batting average with 108 homers, 420 RBIs and 239 steals. He had career highs last season with 23 homers and 82 RBIs.

Marte won Gold Gloves in 2015 and '16.

The players going to Pittsburgh are right-handed pitcher Brennan Malone, the 33rd pick in the 2019 draft and shortstop Liover Peguero, a toolsy 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic who excelled in short-season ball. Arizona was dealing from a farm system that is one of the deepest and best in baseball, along with San Diego's and Tampa Bay's.

 

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54246

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Fuuuuck...

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Kelly Nicholson was in the Vanderbilt University bookstore Thursday at the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention when he heard his name called out.

It was John Altobelli.

Nicholson and Altobelli, both Southern California natives, had grown close as opposing managers in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where Altobelli had managed the Brewster Whitecaps from 2012-14. Nicholson is entering his 16th season manning the Orleans Firebirds.

“We talked about his family and his daughters and his daughter playing on the same (basketball) team as Kobe (Bryant)’s daughter and Kobe was coaching them, and he had nothing but great things to say about Kobe and how they traveled (to games) in that helicopter,” Nicholson recalled. “As soon as I heard that helicopter went down (on Sunday) I called (my wife) Donna and said, ‘Man, I hope Alto wasn’t on it.’”

But Altobelli was on it.

He, his wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa died in the crash that killed nine people, including Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Sunday in Southern California, as the group was headed to a youth basketball game.

Altobelli was honored last week at the ABCA Convention with the Pacific Association Division National Coach of the Year Award. He’d guided his Orange Coast College baseball team to the state championship in May in his 27th season as manager.

Despite living less than an hour away from Altobelli in the Los Angeles area and also coaching high school and college baseball there, Nicholson didn’t know Altobelli well until the latter joined the Cape League ranks. It was only then that they quickly became close — a testament to the close-knit Cape League community, even among competitors.

“The other nine coaches, particularly the Eastern Division coaches, they have their own little bond,” former Cape League Commissioner Paul Galop said. “They were very, very tight and when a new guy comes in usually it’s like freshman year when they’ve got to try to earn their stripes. But when (Altobelli) came in, he had this aura about him where the other coaches immediately embraced him and listened to what he had to say and respected him.”

Altobelli had served as an assistant coach in 2011 in Brewster, coaching his son J.J., who’s now a scout for the Red Sox. The Red Sox released a statement Monday saying the team was “devastated by the news” and that, in addition to financial and emotional support from the organization and the Red Sox Foundation, “a GoFundMe page has been created for those who would like to offer the Altobelli family additional security during this difficult time.”

Altobelli was so well-liked after his first year as a coach on the Cape in 2011 that he was hired the next year as manager. In his first year, all but one of his fellow managers had been running their teams for at least 10 years.

But for someone with Altobelli’s gregarious personality, that didn’t matter.

“He moved right in and everybody liked him because he didn’t hide in the dugout or wasn’t intimidated by anything,” said John Schiffner, who managed the Chatham Anglers for 25 seasons before retiring in 2017. “He came to me after the first coaches meeting saying, ‘You and I need to have a beer, I need to find out what I need to do to be successful in this league’ And that was John.”

Whether it was postgame beers at Land Ho in Orleans or spending time at one another’s Cape houses, the camaraderie among the managers was palpable despite their on-field competition. One thing that was apparent from the start was Altobelli’s reputation as a family man. He often spent the early parts of June at the outset of the Cape League schedule at Schiffner’s house in nearby Harwich while his wife was back in California as their daughters finished up school.

“We got to know John very, very well,” Schiffner said. “We’ve always stayed in touch. We had the holiday phone calls. Fourth of July at 5 a.m. and John would call, ‘You getting ready for that parade?’”

“Fond memories of John. Boy, it’s tough. Just very, very tough.”

Family and baseball were Altobelli’s two greatest joys, and he helped guide several current major-leaguers during his three summers on the Cape. His alumni include the Mets’ Jeff McNeil, Brewers’ Ryon Healy, Phillies’ Scott Kingery, Reds’ Michael Lorenzen and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

Judge, in particular, put himself on the map while under Altobelli’s tutelage. When Judge joined Brewster in 2012, the manager quickly knew he had a rare talent in the little-known player from Fresno State. Schiffner recalled the first time he saw Judge play for Altobelli, arriving a few days after the Cape League schedule began.

“We played (Brewster) on a Monday at Chatham and we beat them pretty good and we get over to Brewster three or four days later and I’m like, ‘How are you doing?’” Schiffner recalled asking Altobelli. “He’s like, ‘I am great, because I’m real better right now’ and he points to Aaron Judge taking batting practice. ‘We got better real fast Schiff.’ We get there and hear these cannon shots and there’s this monster hitting balls all over the field and it’s like, ‘Who the hell is that?’”

Judge would be drafted by the Yankees in the first round the following year. Coming from a smaller California program to a bigger stage on the Cape where hundreds of scouts roamed throughout the summer, Judge was just one of Altobelli’s success stories.

“The kids left here knowing a lot more about themselves and a lot more about baseball and were better players and better people, because that’s how he handled them,” said Galop, who led the league from 2004 through 2018.

“He was all about the players,” Nicholson added. “And the thing I remember about him is I remember his girls and how they would tag along with him at the games and his wife and J.J. played there. With John it was all about family and his players. He was all about those two.”

 

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ss13

ss13 1832

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Tried to come up with a starting 9 combining Balt & Pitt’s current depth charts... 

C - Severino/Stallings 
1B - Bell 
2B - Frazier 
3B - Alberto 
SS - Newman 
LF - Mancini
CF - Reynolds 
RF - Santander
DH - Nunez
 

That is fucking AWFUL. The OF defense would break records the wrong way. 

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heso

heso 2809

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1 hour ago, Underdog said:

So expect another 20 year run on losing recordS for the Bucs?

Was gonna ask if bob nutting was old enough to die soon. Unfortunately he’s only 57. 

I’ve never seen another sports owner give absolutely no fucks about winning. Profit is the only thing that matters. 

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Underdog

Underdog 28709

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28 minutes ago, Okie State said:
1 hour ago, Underdog said:
So expect another 20 year run on losing recordS for the Bucs?

I was so fucking happy when they broke the streak and I don't even follow them closely. My Uncle has been a lifelong fan. Poor bastard. At least he enjoyed the 70's.

Same here, even the early 90s a bit. 

 

8 minutes ago, heso said:

Was gonna ask if bob nutting was old enough to die soon. Unfortunately he’s only 57. 

I’ve never seen another sports owner give absolutely no fucks about winning. Profit is the only thing that matters. 

TBH, I didn't even know who owns them anymore.  thought McClatchen or whatever the fuck his name is/was still owned them.  Want to make it back over there for another game next season. 

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heso

heso 2809

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50 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Same here, even the early 90s a bit. 

 

TBH, I didn't even know who owns them anymore.  thought McClatchen or whatever the fuck his name is/was still owned them.  Want to make it back over there for another game next season. 

His family was a minority owner when McClatchey was still the majority owner. He learned how to maximize profits without fielding a competitive team from McClatchey until Nutting became the majority owner in 2007. 

a few years ago when they were competing for the division he said publicly that attendance would need to increase for payroll to increase. That season and the following season he had record attendance. He cut payroll both seasons to maximize profits from the increased attendance. Made bullshit moves at the trade deadline when the rest of the division was making real moves to compete. 

He’s turned down bids from Mario Lemuix and also a bid from one of the Steelers minority owners to buy the team off of him that would actually try to make the team competitive.

he’s just printing money right now. The mayor has floated discussions about possibilities for the city to force his hand since they paid for the stadium but expectedly took no action. 

also, I hate him because he bought the ski resort near by and raised the prices to the point that it’s not worth it for me to spend the $ to snowboard on ice pea gravel. 

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ss13

ss13 1832

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Looks like Senzel will be needed at 2B for a little while if his shoulder works. 

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The Reds announced that third baseman Eugenio Suarez underwent surgery to remove loose cartilage from his right shoulder earlier today. The injury came about recently when Suarez was swimming, per the announcement. The team expects the 28-year-old Suarez to be ready to play in games “near the beginning of the regular season” but acknowledged that he’ll be “limited” early in Spring Training.

It’s an unwelcome development for the Reds, but the team has ample depth to withstand an absence from the slugging Suarez should he require some time on the injured list early in the year. Offseason signee Mike Moustakas, of course, has spent the majority of his career manning the hot corner, and highly touted youngster Nick Senzel has played third base more than any other position since being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Then again, Reds general manager Nick Krall tells reporters that Senzel isn’t likely to slot in at third base if Suarez isn’t ready to go come Opening Day. That still leaves open the possibility of utilizing Moustakas at third base and Senzel at second base, although Senzel is working back from his own shoulder surgery. If he’s not ready to go or the team prefers an alternative alignment, Josh VanMeter could also get a look at second base with Moustakas at third.

 

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heso

heso 2809

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1 hour ago, Underdog said:

Sounds like a complete shitshow.  

Well he’s just a pure capitalist with no fucks given for the history of the team, the fans, the city, anything. His sole purpose in life is to extract as much cash as possible out of everything he touches.

Whats happening now is that the sports fans in the city have watched the Steelers and penguins run ideal franchises and win championships for decades and the pirates just not give a fuck about competing. The stadium was packed when they were competing after all those years of losing and they got rewarded by the owner slashing payroll to suck as much money as possible out of it. 

Now he’s cleared house with the hopes of convincing the fans that it was the fault of the GM and manager but everyone sees that the emperor has no clothes. 

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54246

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For several weeks, the baseball world wondered how else the Astros would be punished for the cheating scandal that has tainted their 2017 World Series title. That speculation came to an end today when the team was forced to be forced to hire Dusty Baker as its next manager.

“Today our punishment has been levied and we’re, um, excited to name Dusty as our next manager,” said owner Jim Crane, according to sources. “I guess this is where I’m supposed to say we look forward to having him lead our organization for the next 18 to 24 months.”

The 70-year-old Baker has won more than 1,800 games while managing four teams over 22 years. Despite that success, he’s never won a World Series and has at times drawn criticism of how he handles his pitching staff and for failing to adapt to the changing nature of the sport.

“Dude, I can’t wait to get in there and mix things up,” said Baker. “I don’t care if Greinke and Verlander are each 36. They’ve got at least 250 innings a season left in them. And don’t get me started on how stupid walks are.”

https://www.theheckler.com/2020/01/28/astros-cheating-punishment-concludes-with-rumored-hiring-of-dusty-baker-as-manager/

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54246

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5 hours ago, ss13 said:

Tried to come up with a starting 9 combining Balt & Pitt’s current depth charts... 

C - Severino/Stallings 
1B - Bell 
2B - Frazier 
3B - Alberto 
SS - Newman 
LF - Mancini
CF - Reynolds 
RF - Santander
DH - Nunez
 

That is fucking AWFUL. The OF defense would break records the wrong way. 

Yeah, but this is a real gamechanger:

 

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Underdog

Underdog 28709

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5 hours ago, ss13 said:

Tried to come up with a starting 9 combining Balt & Pitt’s current depth charts... 

C - Severino/Stallings 
1B - Bell 
2B - Frazier 
3B - Alberto 
SS - Newman 
LF - Mancini
CF - Reynolds 
RF - Santander
DH - Nunez
 

That is fucking AWFUL. The OF defense would break records the wrong way. 

Missed this earlier but talk about 2 storied/proud franchises hitting rock bottom enough that even John "Tonight let it be" Lowenstein is rolling over in his grave. 

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ss13

ss13 1832

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Interesting... 

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Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that ESPN is strongly considering removing analyst Jessica Mendoza from her role on Sunday Night Baseball. Mendoza signed a multi-year contract with ESPN last year and the company still intends to utilize her elsewhere.

Mendoza recently made headlines for criticizing pitcher Mike Fiers, a former Astro who provided details to The Athletic about the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme. It was an especially bad look because Mendoza also serves as an advisor for the Mets, who were tangentially caught up in the sign-stealing scandal until firing new manager Carlos Beltrán. Marchand stresses, though, that ESPN had been considering removing Mendoza from her role long before that and that her recent controversy had little impact on ESPN’s thought process.

Mendoza drew criticism this past season due to a potential conflict of interest given her new role with the Mets and as a national baseball analyst. The Dodgers, for example, limited Mendoza’s access last year. ESPN, however, didn’t seem to mind.

ESPN plans to keep Álex Rodríguez, entering the final year of his ESPN contract, in his current role on Sunday Night Baseball. Rodríguez had been an advisor for the Yankees until last season as well, though he managed not to provide reason to doubt his impartiality.

Play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian could be replaced by Jon Sciambi or Karl Ravech, per Marchand. Vasgersian, like Rodríguez, is entering the final year of his contract with ESPN.

ESPN has been considering David Cone, currently of the YES Network, and Chipper Jones for potential analyst roles on Sunday Night Baseball, Marchand notes. It sounds like big changes could be coming for the most prestigious regular season baseball broadcast.

 

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ss13

ss13 1832

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Cubs maintain their extra year of control of Bryant. 

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Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant lost his grievance in which he sought an extra year of service time, ensuring he won't become a free agent until after the 2021 season, sources familiar with the ruling told ESPN.

Major League Baseball arbitrator Mark Irvings' ruling in favor of the team was long expected, sources said, and it definitively locks in Bryant's value as Chicago considers trading him. With two seasons of team control, the Cubs can seek a far greater return than they could have had Bryant won and accelerated his free agency.

The ruling, which sources said is going through its final reviews before being made public within a week, held that the Cubs did not run afoul of service-time rules when they called Bryant to the major leagues on April 17, 2015. He had spent the first two weeks of the season in Triple-A after a dominant spring training. Had the Cubs summoned Bryant a day earlier, he would have ended the season with 172 days of service, or a full year.

Instead, with 171 days, Bryant fell short of a year by one day -- and accordingly had his free agency delayed by a full season. Players reach free agency at six full years of service. Bryant will have six years, 171 days when he hits free agency following the '21 season.

Bryant, 28, filed the grievance after his rookie season, and the process has taken more than four years to resolve. Service-time manipulation has been a constant issue of consternation in the sport and remains so as the collective bargaining agreement nears its expiration in 2021.

The extra year of service for the Cubs is significant. Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP, will turn 30 during the winter he is a free agent. Though hitting free agency at that age is far from a death knell for a player's prospects, teams in recent years have grown wary of paying those on the other side of 30.

Exceptions are made for players of Bryant's caliber. He hit .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs and 77 RBIs last season, in which he made the All-Star team for the third time. The numbers were almost identical to Bryant's career averages, and he will make $18.6 million this season after settling on a salary to avoid an arbitration hearing.

 

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Hank Chinaski

Hank Chinaski 6315

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4 hours ago, Constant said:

This is a huge thread with a bunch of data to look at. It appears to not factor in ‘no bangs’ and the significance of what that ment to a hitter. 

Right, but the no-bangs are only relevant in relation to the bangs. (That was a weird sentence.) It was interesting to view the activity by hitter. 

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