MLB 2020/2021 Off-Season Thread

[gunnar hendershow]

The Padres just hit a grand slam in the 4th straight game. First team in history to do it.

All 4 games have been against the Rangers.

[Maxx]

Jayce must be pissed, these fuckers never learn.

[DMN in the House]

4 hours ago, GhostMachine said:

b. He's overrated as a defender. 

Defense hasn't mattered in baseball since the 80s.

[GhostMachine]

So.,....almost the same time the Yankee stopped mattering, then?

 

[Meacon Keaton]

Your obsession is admirable.

[The Buscher]

8 hours ago, DMN said:

Defense hasn't mattered in baseball since the 80s.

A run saved in the field is just as valuable as a run driven in.

I would know, as Sandy Alderson routinely ignored defense in his team composition the whole time he was here.  He viewed second base and shortstop as offense-first positions and as such every ground ball pitcher the Mets had struggled mightily.  Defense cost them at least two games in the 2015 World Series.

[gunnar hendershow]

During their brief run of success this decade the Orioles had a big focus on bringing in and keeping players who were great at defense. The 2012 team went from good to contenders when Machado came up and basically turned into Brooks Robinson at 3rd.

Defense bails out subpar pitching much more than elite pitching bails out defense. Obviously your ideal scenario is a pitcher who just rarely puts balls in play, but that's hard to find.

[The Buscher]

With the trade deadline just ten days away, the Angels at 8-18 are expected to be one of the few clear sellers.

Trade Trout to a team that won't waste him, you cowards.

[gunnar hendershow]

My friends and I were chatting about the Angels. Since the 2002 World Series which they won with an almost entirely homegrown team they have produced 2 multiple-time All-Stars. Trout and Jered Weaver. Almost all their major moves have been signing veteran FAs, most of whom haven't worked out. Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, and Albert Pujols are all-time bad contracts.

They've slowly turned the corner on player development so possibly once Trout is in his mid 30s there will be a very good team around him finally.

Also, the organization absolutely destroyed Shohei Ohtani who is basically just a regular DH now.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

That Jays win yesterday is exactly what I love about baseball.

All negates everything anybody said about being up 7-0 and unwritten rules.

[Gabriel]

12 minutes ago, Mx. Canadian Destroyer said:

That Jays win yesterday is exactly what I love about baseball.

All negates everything anybody said about being up 7-0 and unwritten rules.

Yeah, these unwritten rules of baseball are pretty garbage. The game can turn on a dime and teams should be playing to win at all times, regardless of how many runs they are up.

With the two wins yesterday, the Jays now have a 49% probability of reaching the post-season and are in possession of the final playoff spot in the American League. The team hasn't been consistent enough for me to start the parade, but they are battling hard and proving the doubters wrong currently. A lot of us said that they could be dangerous, especially in a shortened season, and got laughed at, but the talent is there. If they can tighten up defensively and the bats don't disappear, they have a legitimate shot at post-season baseball.

[gunnar hendershow]

This season is really going to come down to who has the right hot streaks. Like a ton of teams are going to be in the mix in the last 3 weeks, and the margin of error is literally going to be "did you blow a 7-0 lead?" type of stuff.

[Meacon Keaton]

Postseason this year isn’t a huge achievement when half the league makes it. I have a few Yankee friends who are freaking out, but the Yanks are already in the playoffs barring an epic collapse and we’re still not halfway in. 

[gunnar hendershow]

The O's have placed Chris Davis on the IL with an injury that sounds so made up lol.

[The Buscher]

At a certain point they have to consider renaming the Mendoza Line to the Davis Line.

[Lowerdeck]

4 hours ago, B-li Manning said:

At a certain point they have to consider renaming the Mendoza Line to the Davis Line.

 

There will be a new line, the Davis Line.

[gunnar hendershow]

Proud to announce that the Orioles do in fact actually suck.

[The Buscher]

Red Sox get:
RHP Nick Pivetta
RHP Connor Seabold

Phillies get:
RHP Brandon Workman
RHP Heath Hembree

[gunnar hendershow]

Good trade for the Phillies. Pivetta has been a perpetual "guy with promise" it seems. At this point you probably can't expect anything from him. Seabold is a dime-a-dozen prospect who might crack the majors but won't make an impact. This might actually help their bullpen, but they're basically giving up nothing to do it.

[Slogger]

1 hour ago, damsher hatfield said:

Proud to announce that the Orioles do in fact actually suck.

We did a good job of hiding it for as long as we did.

Please be good Mountcastle...