MLB 2019

[gunnar hendershow]

6 hours ago, Eric Buschenhagen said:

I've been wanting the Mets to get Gio.  They have no rotation depth and Gio has stellar career numbers in Citi Field.  But doing this would mean Jason Vargas is now being paid $8 million to be a long reliever and they aren't going to do that.

They don't even have Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman available to bump into the rotation anymore.  Gsellman started no games last year and Lugo started five but most of them were just bullpen games.  They're full-time relievers and the team no longer considers them as starter depth, so if one of the five goes down they're just going to be trotting out a parade of obscure minor leaguers.

It's funny because as you typed this I thought "Based on what he did in Milwaukee, Gio would be perfect as a bounce between long reliever and 5th starter".

[The Buscher]

MLB and MLBPA close to an agreement for a change the roster rules for 2020.  Rosters would increase to 26 with a 13 pitcher limit.  September rosters would then be capped at 28 players with a 14 pitcher limit.

I imagine AL teams would universally move to 13 pitchers, four man bench in the AL is really all you need, some of those guys barely play as is.  The NL could be another story.  I think a lot of NL teams will go with 13 pitchers too but if you have a really strong bullpen you could go up to a six-man bench and have a ton of versatility.

[Meacon Keaton]

The Yanks love having 13 pitchers already, with just a three man bench so I’m ok with it since it means we can have a little more depth in the field.

Im not sure I’m a fan of the new September roster limit though.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

11 minutes ago, Meacon said:

The Yanks love having 13 pitchers already, with just a three man bench so I’m ok with it since it means we can have a little more depth in the field.

Im not sure I’m a fan of the new September roster limit though.

I would much prefer teams have to set a 25-man (or 26 now) roster for their upcoming series. 

[The Buscher]

I have a feeling teams will have more than 28 players in their clubhouse in September.  You'll still seeing guys get "called up" and "sent down" from the active roster but they'll probably all be sticking around with the big club in case they're needed again since the minor league season will be over unless their affiliate made the playoffs.

For that reason I think there will be a provision that players who get sent down from the active roster in September will continue to accrue service time through the end of the season.
 

[DMN in the House]

24 minutes ago, Ms. Canadian Destroyer said:

I would much prefer teams have to set a 25-man (or 26 now) roster for their upcoming series. 

26-28 man rosters set in stone for each series would be perfect, imo.

[gunnar hendershow]

I've always felt the expanded rosters work better at the start of the season than the end of it. I know it doesn't mesh with MiLB's calendar, but I think from a team standpoint you'd rather get that first month to figure out things by not having to constantly option guys back and forth.

And I agree about setting rosters before the start of a series. Too many teams will wait until the 3rd game of a series to call up the player they were planning to start in that game all along.

[The Buscher]

Tom Seaver's family has announced that he has been diagnosed with dementia and as such he has chosen to "completely retire from public life".

The Mets have a whole variety of events planned to honor the 1969 team this year including a big anniversary weekend where all of the living players from that team were invited to attend.  I believe his wife and/or children will attend on his behalf but yeah...the reality is these players are all in their 70s/80s so this is the last time that team is going to be able to get together for a final "thank you" from the fans and knowing the most important player in team history won't be able to make it for that send-off is a real gut punch.   

[gunnar hendershow]

Reading that was so devastating for a lot of reasons--having seen a loved one with dementia it absolutely sucks to be close to them. But it also stinks because I knew what the Mets had planned this year. I'm glad the Orioles were able to unveil all the statues of their Hall of Famers the few months before Earl Weaver died. When you wait until guys are in their 70s and 80s, well, this stuff can kinda happen. Players and the fans both deserve that proper thank you though, and sadly it doesn't always work out.

[The Buscher]

Yep.  Citi Field opened in 2009 but I think it took until 2013 or so for it to really even feel like home (adding Mets imagery throughout the stadium along with adding a Mets museum).  But from pretty much day one fans have been clamoring for a Seaver statue.  And now if they ever put one up, it’ll have been too late.

[completeunknown]

I'm doing some research to get into the idea of going to a Class-A game, since the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays affiliate) play right down the street from me. I can't think of a sadder fate in sports than being the Rule 5 drafted guy who gets offered back to his previous team. Like, your previous team didn't protect you, then the new team  that took you didn't want you, so back you go back to that previous team. That must suck

[Meacon Keaton]

If you're a Rule-5 guy and get drafted, you have to stay on a 25-man roster though. So it's not necessarily that the other team didn't want you, they may just not have the room to carry you on their main roster. 

Also what kind of research do you need to go to a ballgame down the road from your house? Just go and have fun. Minor league baseball is the best!

[Maxx]

 

Everybody gonna want in the derby 

[gunnar hendershow]

Some of those are okay. The 3 batters for pitcher rule is not. It will be exploited with guys getting pulled for "injury" after 2 batters if they give up hits to both. It won't speed up games either. Don't see the point.

I am on board with the putting a runner on 2nd in the ASG. It's an exhibition already so no point dragging a game out longer and risking any injuries. I'll need some convincing to do it in the regular season.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

Only one I really hate is the 3 batter minimum. 

[Meacon Keaton]

I don't mind the three batter rule. I hate, hate, hate, hate the idea of putting guys on base. Do it for the All-Star game, fine whatever, I don't really watch it anyway. But there should never be someone put on base for no raisin in actual games that matter. 

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

I remember the first time I ever saw that rule implemented was in the 2015 Pan-American Games in 2015. Canada won because they got a man on second and walked-off. That was stupid. I hated it even thought I got to see Canada beat America in a baseball game. 

[GhostMachine]

9 hours ago, Meacon said:

I don't mind the three batter rule. I hate, hate, hate, hate the idea of putting guys on base. Do it for the All-Star game, fine whatever, I don't really watch it anyway. But there should never be someone put on base for no raisin in actual games that matter. 

I hate the three batter rule. 

As for putting guys on base....HELL NO. If you implement that, then how is going to affect the pitchers? Since they didnn't put them on base, it should have no effect on their ERA. And I could also make the case for them not getting a Loss on their record if that runner is the only one who scores. The  `winning' pitcher shouldn't get the Win on their record in that situation, regardless. I'd rather that for regular season games, they just go to the tie after 15 innings that they have in Japan, with postseason games going until there is a clear winner. Or, at the very least, go with games going until there's a clear winner for what could be deciding postseason games. 

I prefer baseball as it is now. I know they'll eventually add the DH to the NL, and I hate that. I prefer the NL's strategy of having to decide whether or not to have to yank a pitcher for a pinch hitter, and like seeing pitchers actually bat.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by GhostMachine

[The Buscher]

The three batter rule is asinine.  They’ve just ensured that specialists are all going to be out of jobs all because the league wants to make games shorter.

Can’t wait to see a pitcher throw eight straight balls and they pan to the manager who can do nothing about it.

[Meacon Keaton]

Specialists may lose their jobs, but pitchers that can pitch to both lefty and righty hitters are still going to have jobs. I hate pitchers that pitch to one batter and then get taken back out. If you can’t pitch three batters or at least end the inning, maybe you shouldn’t be pitching in the bigs.