2018 MLB Thread

[Maxx]

Astros met Trump today.  Hey Jose, how'd that go?
 

 

And what about you George?  Having fun?
 

 

[The Buscher]

Yoenis Cespedes scratched from today's game with a sore right wrist.

I know how you feel, man.

[The Buscher]

Yankees release Adam Lind.

I know that I was okay with the Adrian Gonzalez signing and didn't understand Keith Law ripping the Mets a new one for bringing in a guy for free.  But Gonzalez hasn't rewarded my confidence.  I hate to judge a veteran player on spring performance but the dude has shown nothing to make me think he can still play.  He's got a .442 OPS and before every game has to go through a 90-minute stretching routine for his back.

Mets need to take advantage of this second chance and bring in Lind.  I think Lind (career .852 OPS against RHP) and Wilmer Flores (.838 OPS against LHP) is a 1B platoon you can definitely live with.

[Gabriel]

I know we probably don't have room, but I'd love to see Lind brought back to Toronto.

[Meacon Keaton]

Kinda surprised we gave up on Lind so quickly. I don’t really like that.

[The Buscher]

I think any hope Lind had of making the roster ended once they signed Neil Walker to a guaranteed contract.  If the Yankees didn't cut Lind today he'd have probably opted out on March 22nd when his contract allowed him to.  So in a way they did the right thing to give him more time to find his next home.

[thatshortguy]

Willians Austudillo just made a base runner look like a damned fool.

[The Buscher]

Thus far in spring, Shohei Ohtani has already given up 9 hits (including 3 home runs), 2 walks, 1 HBP, and has surrendered 8 earned runs.  All of this has come in just 2.2 innings of work as his pitch counts have been elevated, and his ERA is a cool 27.00.  At the plate, he is just 2-for-20.  And the Angels are now mulling whether or not he would be well-served to get a few weeks in Triple A to build his confidence back up before he faces much harder competition in meaningful games.

Yeesh.

[Meacon Keaton]

Who didn’t see that coming? When the media jumps on a dick as hard as they jumped on Ohtani’s, they’re more often a Hideki Irabu than an Ichiro.

[Maxx]

More like Shohey-let’s-lower-those-expectations, amirite?

[The Buscher]

I remember being so pumped when the Mets brought Kaz Matsui in in 2004.  Leadoff hitter on Opening Day, cracks the first pitch of the season out of the ballpark.  Sadly it was all downhill from there.

Actually, he also hit hit a HR in his first AB of the season in 2005, and then in 2006 he hit an inside-the-park HR in his first AB.  Dude would've been a legend if only the Mets could've hypnotized him.

[GhostMachine]

The Twins' starting shortstop is out for 80 games. Jorge Polanco busted for Stanozolol. He said he used it unknowingly, but his big mistake was going to a doctor in the Domincan Republic in the first place.At least he's not appealing it.

[Meacon Keaton]

The Yankees and Red Sox are finalizing a deal to play a two-game series in London, at London Stadium, in 2019. It'd be the first regular season MLB games played in Europe. 

[Maxx]

1 hour ago, Meacon said:

The Yankees and Red Sox are finalizing a deal to play a two-game series in London, at London Stadium, in 2019. It'd be the first regular season MLB games played in Europe. 

Excellent, they already hate Yankees over there.

[Meacon Keaton]

33 minutes ago, Maxx said:

Excellent, they already hate Yankees over there.

See, you're being such a poop. I was going to suggest you, me, Lowerdeck, and GhostMachine take a pilgrimage back to the Mother Land and watch our teams do battle. #AmericanInvasion

[ThrillhouseMAX]

MadBum is hurt. Broke his hand after he got hit by a line-drive. 

[The Buscher]

 

[The Buscher]

Zack Wheeler optioned to AAA.  It's the right call, he's had a brutal spring and Seth Lugo has been way better.  I'm glad that the team is bringing its best pitchers north.

Still......ever since deGrom broke out in 2014 myself and all other Mets fans have been dreaming of the day that the "Fab Five" of he, Wheeler, Harvey, Syndergaard, and Matz could be in the rotation together.  At least one of them was always hurt.  Now they're finally all healthy AND a short-term Jason Vargas injury opened the door for it to final happen, only for Wheeler to blow it.  In all likelihood the door is now shut for good as when Wheeler does come back it'll be to replace one of the other four or to pitch out of the bullpen.

Four years of waiting and not one single turn through the rotation.  I feel like the Mets are the only team this could happen to.

[Meacon Keaton]

On 3/14/2018 at 13:20, Meacon said:

Kinda surprised we gave up on Lind so quickly. I don’t really like that.

 

On 3/14/2018 at 17:50, Buschoru Suzuki said:

I think any hope Lind had of making the roster ended once they signed Neil Walker to a guaranteed contract.  If the Yankees didn't cut Lind today he'd have probably opted out on March 22nd when his contract allowed him to.  So in a way they did the right thing to give him more time to find his next home.

Greg Bird is now getting an MRI and CT scan on the same foot he had issues with last year. Typical Greg Bird. This is why I was surprised we released him so quick. At least he’s still available should Bird be out for long.

[The Buscher]

Hate to see injuries right before the season like that.  I'm miffed the Mets didn't even consider Lind, but I'm not surprised because it would mean Sandy is admitting defeat on Gonzalez before he plays a single regular season game as a Met, and that's not in Sandy's nature.

Also it may be a non-issue as Conforto looks like he'll be back way sooner than expected.  Could see Jay Bruce at 1B.