MLB 2019-2020 Offseason Thread

[GhostMachine]

Before he was outed as a cheater, Clemens was my favorite starting pitcher. I have absolutely no problem with him not getting in the Hall. To me, cheaters like PED users and signal stealers belong in the Hall less than someone like Pete Rose or Shoeless Joe Jackson.

For me, the Bonds threshhold is when he moved to the Giants. Because he did not begin to bulk up until after he was with them. 

No comment on McGwire and Sosa. Because they're part of the reason Baseball dropped to my second favorite team sport behind Football.

And Jeter getting as high a percentage of the vote that he got is straight up bullshit. He deserved to be in first ballot, but there's no way he deserved that many votes. Mariano Rivera deserved unanimous induction because he was the most dominant closer ever. Jeter got votes based on popularity and likeability more than skill. Jeter is not the greatest shorstop of all-time. Larry Walker having to wait so long, then barely getting in, is also bullshit. 

 

 

[Meacon Keaton]

Jeter is sixth all-time in hits. You just have a bias against Yankees. And your team cheats. 

[The Buscher]

Next year has a very weak crop of first-time eligible players.  The best of the bunch are Mark Buehrle and Tim Hudson who are nowhere close to being Hall of Famers.

The unfortunate irony is that some writers have continued to resist voting for Schilling because they don't want someone with his horrendous off-field views to get the stage...but now with him only needing to gain 5% on a weak ballot and everybody else 15%+ away, he might get the stage all to himself next year.

[Your Mom]

Fuck can you imagine if it's just Schilling? That is a dire thought indeed

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

The thing about Jeter's vote total is that it was only last year that Rivera became the first player to be inducted at 100%. So the seal is broken. You're suddenly going to see a bunch of guys get way higher vote totals in their 1st years than ever before. 

I have to agree with Meacon about Clemens and Bonds. If you're not going to vote for anyone who used PEDs, then leave both of your ballot. If you're willing to allow someone who used them in, then there's no way both aren't in the top 10 players on any ballot. 

It's going to be interesting once guys who got caught using PEDs, but were punished (A-Rod) get put on the ballot. I can't see how it's right that you could vote for A-Rod and not for Bonds just because there was no punishment for using them while Bonds played. 

[GhostMachine]

Regarding Schilling, he belongs in if you base it solely on what he did as a player. And if they kept players out for being douchelords, there are several who would not be in. Most notably, Ty Cobb. I don't like his views, but he should  be inducted. 

 

[Krabby]

2 minutes ago, GhostMachine said:

Regarding Schilling, he belongs in if you base it solely on what he did as a player. And if they kept players out for being douchelords, there are several who would not be in. Most notably, Ty Cobb. I don't like his views, but he should  be inducted. 

 

I'm related to Ty Cobb!

[The Buscher]

Mets promote quality control coach Luis Rojas to manager and will sign him to a multi-year deal.

Rojas managed in the Mets minors for six of the last eight seasons, is very popular with the players (many of whom he's already managed), and he is said to be analytically inclined.  Given the circumstances it's the best option for them.

[Krabby]

Just wikipedia'd ROjas to see who he is, half brother to Moises Alou, found this jewel on Moises' page:

Quote

Instead, Moisés Alou revealed that during the baseball season, he'd urinate on his hands to toughen them up.

 

[gunnar hendershow]

Our generation in 50 years will shake their fists at younger ballplayers and talk about how back in our day a real ballplayer wouldn't be afraid to piss on his own hands to get better at baseball.

[Lowerdeck]

Feels like Bonds and Clemens will get in, but on the final year of eligibility.  Schilling probably gets in next year or the one after, regardless of him being a terrible person outside of baseball.

[The Buscher]

Nicholas Castellanos to the Reds.  Four years, $64 million.

[Meacon Keaton]

That line-up and pitching staff is fun, but I have no idea what any of them are going to do if the ball is hit in the field, because Joey Votto is the only good defenseman on that team and he's 58. 

[The Buscher]

Diamondbacks acquire Starling Marte.

[Meacon Keaton]

They have two Marte's in the Outfield!

[The Buscher]

Kris Bryant loses his service time grievance, he will not be granted his 12 days of service time he lost out on when the Cubs sent him to Triple A to "work on his defense" after hitting .425 with nine home runs in spring.  As such he will continue to not be eligible for free agency until after 2021 and his agent has signaled that he will not be signing an extension with the Cubs.

[The Buscher]

Dusty Baker is the new manager of the Astros.  That's a good additional punishment for them.

[MalaCloudy Black]

7 hours ago, B-li Manning said:

Kris Bryant loses his service time grievance, he will not be granted his 12 days of service time he lost out on when the Cubs sent him to Triple A to "work on his defense" after hitting .425 with nine home runs in spring.  As such he will continue to not be eligible for free agency until after 2021 and his agent has signaled that he will not be signing an extension with the Cubs.

[gunnar hendershow]

10 hours ago, B-li Manning said:

Dusty Baker is the new manager of the Astros.  That's a good additional punishment for them.

Dusty gets a lot out of his teams, he hasn't really had a bad stretch in his career.

Also here's a breakdown of their 2017 sign stealing done to the best of one fan's abilities. What I find most intriguing are the extremely low numbers for Altuve and also that they had a better record in the games in the lower 50% of bangs than the upper 50%.

http://signstealingscandal.com/

Additionally, on the topic of Kris Bryant. It's definitely not if, but when he'll get traded now. Their owners brought a championship to the North Side and now seem content to bilk that organization for every last penny they can.

[The Buscher]

Bryant never had a chance in hell of winning the grievance and I’m sure he and his agent knew it from the beginning.  But it was more about sending the message to other players encouraging them to “fight the system”.