MLB 2014 Thread

[Lint]

Also a lot more stabby

[Berober]

But I like Boston...

[Meacon Keaton]

Dodgers fanbase would be a lot more annoying if any of their younger fans were old enough to remember their last championship.

[Your Mom]

I don't even know who this new Japanese pitcher is but he sounds awesome. I hope we get him and it doesn't turn into another Kosuke Fukodome

[gunnar hendershow]

Tanaka's numbers in Japan were unreal. The Japanese league's quality of players improves every year. I think he is wearing blue next year--either Yankee, Dodger, or Cubbie blue--but I can't count out the Angels to make a big signing that will screw them from keeping Trout even more.

[Panni]

As a Yankee fan, I feel they desperately need this guy to go from a team that I don't think will make the playoffs into an instant World Series contender.

[Maxx]

Wow.

[Lowerdeck]

As a Yankee fan, I feel they desperately need this guy to go from a team that I don't think will make the playoffs into an instant World Series contender.

He isn't THAT good.

This is what you're looking at in the Bronx this year:

1B - Teixiera

2B - Brian Roberts

SS - Nuñez (with some Jeter here and there)

3B - Kelly Johnson

LF - Gardner

CF - Ellsbury

RF - Ichiro

DH - Jeter/Soriano

It's not bad, but it's not impressive. Assuming they all stay healthy, and they probably won't, it's maybe 5th best in the AL. Boston, Texas, Detroit, and the Angels are all better. It's probably midpack for the AL. And it just feels ancient, several of these guys are likely doing long stints on the DL.

Pitching: I can think of Sabathia, Nova, Kuroda, Piñeda, and Robertson. That's five slots out of 11-12. Even with Tanaka, this isn't terribly special.

If this was the AL Central, they might scrape their way into a Wild Card game. The AL East, they're not going anywhere with Boston/Tampa/Baltimore in the mix and better than them.

The only way the Yanks are competing for a World Series is by buying people to fix all those flaws. They aren't willing to pay Dodger money, so expect another season around .500, or several.

[Meacon Keaton]

The Yankees were destroyed by injuries last year and were still hanging around the wildcard. It's not like with some teams that get smacked with an injury plague and it's a completely lost season. They were still rather competitive with a glorified Triple A team out there. If they can stay even remotely healthy and get Tanaka, a wildcard spot or maybe even winning the East isn't out of the realm of possibility. And once you get in the playoffs anything can happen. I don't expect to win the East, but people seem to forget just how battered and torn that New York line-up was last season.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yankees have landed Tanaka, 7 years/155 million.

[Meacon Keaton]

[HC]

As long as he didn't join the Cubs!

[livid]

As long as he didn't join the Cubs!

You say that like it would have mattered.

[Meacon Keaton]

Here's hoping he's not another Hideki Irabu.

[Your Mom]

Here's hoping he's not another Hideki Irabu.

I hope he sucks!

[Meacon Keaton]

You guys kill young arms. Just ask Kerry and Prior.

[The Buscher]

I would have been shocked if the Yankees didn't land Tanaka. They were always going to offer a ton of money but moreover he'd get to play with some of his countrymen.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yankees can offer a Japanese player a lot more outside of the contract than other teams too. Specifically in the fact that they're the only team that really has any following outside of the US and definitely in Japan.

[Meacon Keaton]

I could be wrong, but I think the Dodgers have quite a following in Japan too. I honestly expected the boys in blue to outbid the Yanks for him. Money really is no object for them out there now with their supergroup of owners.

[9 to 5]

Yankees can offer a Japanese player a lot more outside of the contract than other teams too. Specifically in the fact that they're the only team that really has any following outside of the US and definitely in Japan.

I have no idea about what teams are followed out of America in the MLB, I know people wear Yankees cap's but most don't even know that is to do with baseball.

What I do know is, the Mets are red hot in Potton!