2021-22 MLB Offseason Thread

[Felix 607]

Dear MLB and MLBPA, you're both rich assholes. Get over yourselves, come to a goddamned deal (maybe, you know meet once in a while during the whole damned offseason) and let's play ball.  Whatever leverage you think delaying the season gives you just results in fans hating all of you and moving on with their already busy lives.  Seriously, you dumbfucks, WTF?

Sincerely,

 

Everyone Else

[Wulaw Horn 19070]

19 hours ago, Felix said:

Dear MLB and MLBPA, you're both rich assholes. Get over yourselves, come to a goddamned deal (maybe, you know meet once in a while during the whole damned offseason) and let's play ball.  Whatever leverage you think delaying the season gives you just results in fans hating all of you and moving on with their already busy lives.  Seriously, you dumbfucks, WTF?

Sincerely,

 

Everyone Else

Compromise doesn’t happen without a deadline. 
Don’t worry about how the sausage gets made. Still hopeful we get 162. 

[TonyTexas 10512]

On 1/26/2022 at 11:02 AM, TonyTexas said:

It appears that there has been a lot of progress in the contract talks this week. The CBT level and associated penalties looks to be the biggest obstacle at this point. 

Well so much for optimism. 

 

[Beau Vine 54229]

yeah, that 1994 mediator was a gotdam joke.  He basically tried to find the midpoint in what the owners offered and what the players wanted, while ignoring that the owners' offer was not a serious offer. You cannot have mediation if one side is not negotiating.  

[Helobious 9453]

Some good baseball news: Joe West retired today. Angel had him beat in terms of bad calls on the field, but no one beat Joe when it came to shitty strike zones. Unwatchable when he was behind the plate. Don’t know who had the bigger ego between the two, they were both ridiculous. 

[Jameslaw121 4448]

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

Some good baseball news: Joe West retired today. Angel had him beat in terms of bad calls on the field, but no one beat Joe when it came to shitty strike zones. Unwatchable when he was behind the plate. Don’t know who had the bigger ego between the two, they were both ridiculous. 

Yeah.....Whether an Astros or Rangers or even a Yankees fan. We can all agree - fuck that guy

[Beau Vine 54229]

2 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

yeah, that 1994 mediator was a gotdam joke.  He basically tried to find the midpoint in what the owners offered and what the players wanted, while ignoring that the owners' offer was not a serious offer. You cannot have mediation if one side is not negotiating.  

And of course, the owners are acting like the public has no memory of this:

[Beau Vine 54229]

Also:

CBT = luxury tax

[shadow_operative2.0 15982]

Or, @CBT. 

[CBT 1282]

my wife is a luxury tax

[Frank Drebin 5639]

They better not cancel any games.

[Jshep34 2308]

Cancel any games, would be the worst decision mlb could make.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Beau Vine 54229]

1 hour ago, Jshep34 said:

Cancel any games, would be the worst decision mlb could make.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Then it shall happen.

[Jameslaw121 4448]

23 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

Then it shall happen.

And this is why MLB has gone from the most popular sport in the US to one step above NHL for 3rd

[UTexasFight 9449]

On 2/4/2022 at 12:47 PM, Helobious said:

Some good baseball news: Joe West retired today. Angel had him beat in terms of bad calls on the field, but no one beat Joe when it came to shitty strike zones. Unwatchable when he was behind the plate. Don’t know who had the bigger ego between the two, they were both ridiculous. 

Fucker is so old he debuted during the Ford administration.

he lasted about 9 presidencies too long 

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

Found on Reddit:

 

 

[Sbbruin 21853]

Um, Adrian Gonzalez announces his retirement.  Didn't that happen like 5 years ago?  Has he been trying to make teams the last few years?

https://www.truebluela.com/2022/2/6/22919938/adrian-gonzalez-retirement-los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-news

[shadow_operative2.0 15982]

Coke & 'roids for everyone!

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33238595/major-league-baseball-stops-testing-players-steroids-nearly-20-years-report-says

[UTexasFight 9449]

That’s such a ‘94 strike fix thing to do, MLB.

step in to the 21st century and come up with a creative way to win us back when you fuck up the ‘22 season.

[Beau Vine 54229]

Quote

FORT WORTH, Texas — After 14 months of delays, former Angels communications director Eric Kay’s trial finally began Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The 47-year-old is charged with distributing a controlled substance (fentanyl) that contributed to the death of former Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs. He’s also charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute.

Kay has pleaded not guilty and could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

In its opening statement, the prosecution attempted to establish a clear timeline of events and tried to eliminate the possibility that Skaggs could have acquired the fatal fentanyl-laced oxycodone that killed him July 1, 2019 from anyone other than Kay, or anywhere outside of Texas.

The defense quickly tried to establish reasonable doubt, noting it was impossible to prove that Skaggs would have lived if not for the fentanyl in his system. The defense also introduced other potential drug suppliers, namely former Angels pitcher Matt Harvey. And it tried to establish that Kay only provided oxycodone to Skaggs in California. Notably, the prosecution needs to prove the alleged crimes happened in Texas to secure a conviction.

“Eric never gave anything in Texas,” said defense attorney Reagan Wynn.

Kay had been with the Angels organization since he was an intern in 1995. His defense team said he struggled with an addiction to Norco (hydrocodone), and later oxycodone, but has been clean for nearly two years. His family was in attendance, and he exited court with his arm wrapped around a family member.

The day began with jury selection, while Kay feverishly wrote dozens of yellow Post-it notes. The defense attempted to weed out jurors who might have negative preconceived notions about Kay — asking potential jurors to rate 1 to 10 how much they agreed Kay is guilty just because the government charged him. The prosecution tried to avoid potential jurors who might be more sympathetic to Kay, given that his intent was not to hurt Skaggs.

After the jury was selected, opening statements began following a lunch break. Former Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney also testified before court broke for the evening. He’ll return on Wednesday for cross-examination.

Skaggs was found dead just hours before the Angels were scheduled to play the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, with medical examiners finding fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system, resulting in his death from choking on vomit. He was 27.

Just the day before, Skaggs jovially emceed on the flight with the team, playing cards and drinking beer, according to the prosecution and Heaney’s testimony. The prosecution attempted to lay out a timeline in its opening statement that proved Kay did not have access to Skaggs until allegedly providing the lethal drugs late on the night of June 30 in Southlake, Texas.

The prosecution showed Skaggs texted Kay that night asking for oxycodone, stating it had key-card evidence showing Kay left his room and went to Skaggs’ room. The prosecution said that within minutes, Skaggs had sent his final text with his wife, Carli, at 12:02 a.m. She tried communicating with Skaggs numerous times that evening and began to grow worried the next day.

Heaney said he sent numerous texts to Skaggs and searched for him at the hotel and at a nearby Apple Store. After being unable to locate him, Heaney contacted traveling secretary Tom Taylor, which led to the discovery of Skaggs’ body.

“He chose to deflect, deny and deceive,” prosecutor Lindsey Beran said in her opening statement, referring to Kay’s comments to investigators in the immediate aftermath of Skaggs’ death. Kay’s attorneys said they do not disagree that he lied about seeing Skaggs the night before, or being deceitful about the pair’s drug use. The prosecution said it will have current Angels communications director Adam Chodzko testify that Kay confided to him that he lied to police.

For the defense, Wynn said Kay recounted going to Skaggs’ hotel room on the night of June 30, 2019, shortly before Skaggs’ death. He said he saw Skaggs with three powdery lines on a surface in front of him. One of the lines was pink, and Skaggs allegedly told Kay the pink pills were Percocet provided to him by Harvey, according to Wynn. Harvey is a witness for the prosecution and is expected to testify later this week or early next week.

The defense also said Kay attempted to acquire oxycodone from Angels clubhouse attendant Hector Vazquez after deleting his other drug contacts following his month-long stint in an intensive outpatient addiction rehab program in April 2019.

The prosecution said MLB players will testify, and it was noted in court that Kay allegedly provided pills to players other than Skaggs. Among users in the Angels clubhouse, per the prosecution, the drugs were often called “Blues,” “Blue Boys” or “Blubies” because of their blue color.

The prosecution also said Kay often acquired oxycodone through a website called OfferUp and even expressed concern of purchasing counterfeit drugs, allegedly asking to make sure he didn’t purchase anything with fentanyl. It is far more potent than oxycodone and can be lethal, even in small doses.

The defense said the pair’s relationship began in spring training 2014, when Kay allegedly asked Skaggs about acquiring prescription pills. The defense said Skaggs readily helped him that day, and the interaction established a dynamic that continued for years. Kay began providing drugs illegally in 2017, according to the prosecution.

Heaney, who called Skaggs his best friend on the team, said he had no idea Skaggs dealt with addiction or that Kay was allegedly providing him with drugs. The two would often go out to eat on the road and Heaney said Skaggs’ outgoing demeanor balanced out his introverted persona well. Testimony for the day ended with Heaney saying he still misses Skaggs.

Kay and his attorneys declined further comment when exiting the courtroom.

 

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11669]

Universal DH now. I don’t love it. I’m an AL guy and so I had DH on my life but I like the quirks in baseball like different rules in each league. He keeps it from feeling too sterilized. Things like this, limited inter league play, and unique dimensions in every park keep things interesting.  

[Guadaloopy 10970]

I don’t hate the universal DH.  Thought I would hate DH when Astros moved from NL to AL, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment at all to watch most games with DH.  

[Scraps 13561]

I am ok with DH or no DH, but both leagues needed to be set up the same way.

[Helobious 9453]

Anti-DH argument is destroyed now that arguably the 2nd-best hitting pitcher ever plays in the league that has the DH. 

[Beau Vine 54229]

furk

Edited February 10, 2022 by Beau Vine
furk

[TexArcher 37774]

1 hour ago, Scraps said:

I am ok with DH or no DH, but both leagues needed to be set up the same way.

Agreed.

[formermav43 4606]

5 hours ago, Helobious said:

Anti-DH argument is destroyed now that arguably the 2nd-best hitting pitcher ever plays in the league that has the DH. 

[Helobious 9453]

6 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

If you’re a good hitter & a pitcher, you can still do that with a DH. If you’re utterly terrible at it like almost all pitchers are, we are no longer subjected to watching you bat. 

[TonyTexas 10512]

Billionaires continue fucking over thousandaires. Disgusting. 

 

[Beau Vine 54229]

Billionaires continue fucking over thousandaires. Disgusting. 
 

That's is incredibly disgusting. I remember Paul complaining one spring training about how guys on the major league roster would get a bigger per diem than the other guys in camp, and so Arizona would option to the "minors" basically every one they could who weren't scheduled to play that day to save, literally, a few bucks.

[UTexasFight 9449]

26 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

55 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

Billionaires continue fucking over thousandaires. Disgusting. 
 

That's is incredibly disgusting. I remember Paul complaining one spring training about how guys on the major league roster would get a bigger per diem than the other guys in camp, and so Arizona would option to the "minors" basically every one they could who weren't scheduled to play that day to save, literally, a few bucks.

Well, yeah. That Bumgarner contract isn’t going to pay for itself 

[tx 3 putt 76957]

14 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Billionaires continue fucking over thousandaires. Disgusting. 

 

thsts fucking BS !!!

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

Reddit reminded me that today would be the day pitchers and catchers report were it not for the lockout.

Edited February 15, 2022 by MC Fresh Breath

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

also, this

Quote

 

Michael Arace: As Major League Baseball fields problems, commissioner is comedy of errors

The baseball headline in the news feeds Friday night and in the papers Saturday morning went something like this: Commissioner Says Losing Games to a Lockout Would Be ‘Disastrous.’

That particular headline was from the New York Times, but they were all of a kind. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the lockout which he, Rob Manfred, unilaterally brought down, like a guillotine, could be disastrous.

Manfred said, “I see missing games as a disastrous outcome for this industry and we’re committed to making an agreement in an effort to avoid that.”

OK. Let us get this straight.

The guy who shut the game down just three minutes after the last collective bargaining agreement with the players expired — this same guy, Rob Manfred, is making it sound like it came out of left field? HE’S THE LEFT FIELDER.

The guy who imposed a lockout — and then waited 43 days to submit an economic proposal to the MLB Players Association — is committed to making an agreement?

Rob Manfred's history of disingenuous comments
Every time Manfred says something, it feels like a Big Pharma ad that needs 30 seconds of legal disclaimers. Side effects include sudden vision loss in one or both eyes. Stop listening to Manfred and call your healthcare provider right away …

Manfred was asked, “Is owning a baseball team a good investment?”

He said, “We actually had an investment banker, a really good one, look at that very issue. If you look at the purchase price of franchises, the cash that’s put in during the period of ownership and then what they’ve sold for, historically, the return on those investments is below what you’d get in the stock market, what you’d expect to get in the stock market, with a lot more risk.”

The contention that, essentially, MLB owners are stupid people who don’t know how to invest their money was immediately debunked. Manfred had to know it would be. He’s counting on fans being dumb enough to believe him.

Remember: This all started at 12:03 a.m. Dec. 2, when Manfred posted an open letter to fans on the MLB website and said he was “forced” into a “defensive lockout” to avoid another strike. Side effects may include ringing in your ears or dizziness. If you have these symptoms, stop listening to Manfred right away . . .

Manfred is the poltroon who used the pandemic to put in motion his plan to restructure the minor leagues. He killed the Minor League Baseball association, shuttered 42 franchises and rerouted portions of local advertising to the big-league office in New York. He also used the pandemic to squeeze the players into a contracted 2020 season, and further tilt the game’s economic structure to the owners’ advantage.

Again, one is left to wonder what happened to the “best interests of the game” clause. In the grand scheme of things, there is little to nothing that Manfred has done, on behalf of the owners, that is in the best interests of the game.

The strike of 1994 — which is (for now) the only baseball work stoppage longer than the current one (232 days to 76, and counting), and which led to the cancellation of the World Series — was prolonged in large part because of recalcitrant owners. The National Labor Relations board said as much. So did the federal judge who issued an injunction to the owners, and forced them back to the bargaining table.

It was an effort to crush the union.

Is Rob Manfred merely a tool of MLB owners?
Manfred’s seven years as commissioner have been pointed in this same direction. Instead of developing any kind of kindred relationship with the players — like the NBA’s Adam Silver, or even the NHL’s Gary Bettman — Manfred has prioritized squeezing every last penny of profit for the owners at the expense of the quality and relevance of the sport.

Where is the long-term vision?

What baseball does at the grassroots level is not nearly enough to interest younger generations. The minor leagues have been shrunk, centralized and economized.

The big leagues have been shaped into a two-tiered system where more than half the owners would rather tank than compete, because it’s cheaper. There are fewer stars, they’re unevenly distributed and rosters are teeming with low-priced, marginal talent. Because it’s cheaper.

This is what MLB is trying to sell as regional television networks are teetering, cords are being cut and fans have little idea where to find their teams — that is, those fans who still want to watch four-hour games that have little action beyond home runs, strikeouts and walks.

The MLB players union clearly wants to make progress on these issues, especially the competitive balance and salary inequities. The players are motivated, angry and, it appears, solidified. The owners? They’re acting like hedge-fund managers. They just want to crush the union.

Pitchers and catchers were due to report Tuesday, but training camps were closed due to Manfred’s lockout. Opening Day, scheduled for March 31, is under threat.

As of this writing, no further negotiations have been planned.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/michael-arace-major-league-baseball-110618043.html

[Beau Vine 54229]

I used to think Gary Bettman was the worst commissioner in the history of pro sports.

Eye wuz rong. 

[Beau Vine 54229]

I'm looking at my bookshelf right now, and count over 20 baseball books that I've read in the past year.  

This one is the best of the bunch (other than The Baseball 100, which is the best book ever written):

It won an award for best baseball book the year it was published (1989), and I remember thinking, "How could a book about one pitch be that good?"  The answer to that is because it does deep dives into the pitcher, one of the most hated guys in the league before the incident, and the batter, the most popular player on Cleveland, and lesser so into Joe Sewell, who was called up to replace Chapman literally two months out of college, and who went on to have a HoF career.  And it details the pennant race/World Series, which Cleveland won for the first time ever.  It's an amazing work.  

Joe Bob sez check it out.  

Edited February 15, 2022 by Beau Vine

[Beau Vine 54229]

BTW #2 and #3 on that list would probably be:

and

 

 

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

Ryan Zimmerman retires.

 

[WBT 20572]

7 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

Is Rob Manfred merely a tool of MLB owners?
Manfred’s seven years as commissioner have been pointed in this same direction. Instead of developing any kind of kindred relationship with the players — like the NBA’s Adam Silver, or even the NHL’s Gary Bettman — Manfred has prioritized squeezing every last penny of profit for the owners at the expense of the quality and relevance of the sport.

Who is that passage for?  Are there really people that have the slightest inkling of interest in baseball that don't know this?  There's also the fact that I don't think Manfred actually likes baseball.  Probably makes it easier to do what the owners want him to do.

[TonyTexas 10512]

It’s shit like this that harms the player’s case, at least in my eyes. The majority of MLB players make less than a million per year yet the MLBPA is asking for a raise of only $200k to the minimum salary. Yet they want to raise the CBT level by $35m. That’s so they can pay the superstars even more exorbitantly. 

[Beau Vine 54229]

5 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

It’s shit like this that harms the player’s case, at least in my eyes. The majority of MLB players make less than a million per year yet the MLBPA is asking for a raise of only $200k to the minimum salary. Yet they want to raise the CBT level by $35m. That’s so they can pay the superstars even more exorbitantly. 

Disagree.  MLBPA's top concern has always been creating/preserving a free agent market with as many potential buyers as possible.  

[TonyTexas 10512]

33 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Disagree.  MLBPA's top concern has always been creating/preserving a free agent market with as many potential buyers as possible.  

The MLBPA dropped their proposal to reduce service time before players are eligible for free agency. That doesn’t seem to support your opinion. 

[Beau Vine 54229]

2 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

The MLBPA dropped their proposal to reduce service time before players are eligible for free agency. That doesn’t seem to support your opinion. 

Rosenthal had a really good article in the Athletic the other day about the negotiations, and about how they're "closer to an agreement" because the MLBPA dropped several items from the negotiating tables because they realized there was no chance of gaining those concessions from the owners:

Quote

The union proposed for players to reach the open market after five years instead of six if they had reached age 30 1/2, and later, 29 1/2. But free agency is one of three core elements the owners refuse to negotiate, and the union withdrew its request for age-based free agency in late January.

 

[TonyTexas 10512]

MLB and MLBPA met today. For 15 Minutes. 🤬😡😠

[Elmer_Fudd 22222]

2 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

MLB and MLBPA met today. For 15 Minutes. 🤬😡😠

Yeah, hard to see the season starting on time.

Was hoping to maybe get to stadium or two in the summer that me and my wife haven't been to yet after not making one the last two years, but I'm not getting my hopes up for it.

Edited February 17, 2022 by Elmer_Fudd

[Beau Vine 54229]

54 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Yeah, hard to see the season starting on time.

Was hoping to maybe get to stadium or two in the summer that me and my wife haven't been to yet after not making one the last two years, but I'm not getting my hopes up for it.

I have a trip to Seattle on Easter weekend planned.  If the Mariners and Astros won't play, I guess we'll watch Ducks @ Huskies.

[WBT 20572]

cool, cool

[TonyTexas 10512]

Seems like they are finally ramping up negotiations

 

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

On 2/15/2022 at 2:43 PM, Beau Vine said:

BTW #2 and #3 on that list would probably be:

and

 

 

I'm betting you've read a lot of Roger Angell.  I can't claim to have read his books, but he wrote this essay on aging a while back that reminds me I should.  That essay is from 2014.  Checked wikipedia and he is still alive and 101 now.

[Beau Vine 54229]

2 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

I'm betting you've read a lot of Roger Angell.  I can't claim to have read his books, but he wrote this essay on aging a while back that reminds me I should.  That essay is from 2014.  Checked wikipedia and he is still alive and 101 now.

I knew what that link was before I clicked it.  I'm reading a Smoky Joe Wood biography currently, and thought last night about how I needed to go back and read Angell's essay on watching the St John's/Yale (Viola-Darling) playoff game with Wood sitting next to him.  Fun trivia:  Angell's step-father is EB White.