MLB 2020/2021 Off-Season Thread

[MalaCloudy Black]

Hank Aaron has passed away at age 86.

[The Buscher]

The true home run king.  RIP  

7 Hall of Famers passed in 2020 and now already 3 this year.  While these men are all 75+ any many had pre-existing health issues, it's not a surprise this stretch is happening during the time when there is a raging pandemic going on too.

[gunnar hendershow]

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/04/08/dont-diminish-hank-aarons-greatness-by-calling-him-the-home-run-king/

Just the best. Every positive superlative belongs to Hank Aaron.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I had no idea about this.

[MalaCloudy Black]

 

[Meacon Keaton]

RIP to a true legend of a man and ballplayer

[GhostMachine]

3 hours ago, How The Cloud Stole Christ said:

Hank Aaron has passed away at age 86.

The legit all-time Home Run Leader is gone!  

i hate the Braves with a passion, but Hank Aaron was still one of my favorites. Totally classy guy, and legitimately cared about the sport even after he retired. Out of all the recent baseball player deaths, Aaron and Lasorda hit me the most. Lasorda and Sparky Anderson were my all-time favorite managers.

 

Edited January 22, 2021 by GhostMachine
letter got omitted somehow

[The Buscher]

Yankees acquire Jameson Taillon from the Pirates for Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras, Maikel Escotto and Canaan Smith.

[Meacon Keaton]

I like it. If Taillon can stay healthy he’s a nice addition. Rotation is coming together nicely.

[The Buscher]

Mets were long thought to be the favorites to sign Brad Hand, instead the Nats grab him for 1 year, $10.5 million.  Incredibly disappointing.

[Meacon Keaton]

Even more dumb when literally any team could have had him when he passed through waivers with his 1-year $10 million dollar contract. 

[Your Mom]

I wish I could get excited about all these Baseball moves but I know we're in the middle of a huge salary dump  

[Meacon Keaton]

I'd honestly be livid and tweeting ownership if I were a Cubs fan. You're in friggin' Chicago, not Milwaukee or Kansas City. A franchise in Chicago shouldn't be doing a salary dump. It's a slap in the face of the fans in my opinion. 

[The Buscher]

Mets supposedly offered more money and years to Hand than the Nats but he preferred the one year deal where he'd be guaranteed to close.  Mets probably wanted him setting up for Diaz who, as much as I complained about him in 2019, was money last year.  The Wilpons still owned the team when Hand went through waivers and their cheap asses were never gonna claim him in case something fell through.

Can't really blame Hand.  At this point, trying to re-set your market is probably the safer bet.  Would've been a reallllly nice bullpen add, though.

[Meacon Keaton]

Yankees are trading Adam Ottavino and a prospect (presumably on the 40-man) to...Boston  

Gotta make space for Kluber, DJ, and Tallion and I’d imagine they’ll make a run at Shane Greene now with the money they saved moving Otto.

Edit: I stand corrected; it’s Frank German, minor league pitcher and rival to Dave Japan.

I was playing on Baseball Trade Values earlier thinking they’d send Otto to Philly or Queens. Not Boston though. Never Boston.

[gunnar hendershow]

Good to hear they held on to Pete Malaysia at least.

[The Buscher]

MLBPA rejects MLB’s proposal to have universal DH in 2021 in exchange for expanded playoffs again.

[GhostMachine]

When they add the Universal DH, i want to find someone who can cast a curse so that every time a DH (in either League) either strikes out or gets a non-HR hit, they suddenly develop a horrible itch all over.

[Meacon Keaton]

You’re a maroon.

[The Buscher]

I was anti-DH for a long time but having watched it for an abbreviated season I want it and I can't deny that it benefits the composition of the Mets for the foreseeable future.

Right now, their outfield would be Dom Smith in LF and Brandon Nimmo in CF.  Horrendous defensively.  Getting Jackie Bradley Jr in CF would greatly improve the defense, but it would downgrade the lineup as Dom would get pushed out.  The DH solves that issue, actually Dom is a better defensive 1B than Alonso so I suspect Pete would be DH'ing a ton.