MLB 2020/2021 Off-Season Thread

[Meacon Keaton]

I think the MLBPA made the right call. Refuse the offer, play the 8 extra games, and keep the little bit of leverage (expanded playoffs) that you have going into the CBA negotiations. 

[MalaCloudy Black]

I think it's wishful thinking to think that just pushing things back a month and hoping everyone gets vaccinated in time is going to be enough to have a relatively "normal" season. Wouldn't at all be surprised to see another severely shortened season, tbh.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

24 minutes ago, Maxx said:

You guys want to play less games and get paid the same?

Nah fam.

I will try and find the twitter thread but there was a good one about why the MLBPA does not want to open negotiations.

Found it

 

[The Buscher]

Nelson Cruz back to Minnesota.  1 year, $13 million.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Cool little article about Ben Distefano and left-handed catchers.

 

I hope that 11 year old lefty catcher isn’t discouraged from continuing to catch by coaches as he progresses from Little League to high school ball etc. 

[Meacon Keaton]

Oh he will be. They’ll move him to first because people don’t manage outside the box anymore.

[The Buscher]

Saw a blip on Twitter that eight years ago today, Brandon Webb officially retired following a four year attempt at trying to recover from a variety of major injuries.

The guy had a really great six year career, including one of the better three year runs ever from 2006-2008, then he gets hurt after Opening Day 2009.  Made his last start at just 29 years young.

One of the really sad "what if?" careers.

[gunnar hendershow]

Webb wound up making about $30 million in his career and if he got hurt a year (or two?) after his injury that amount would surely have at least a 1 in front of it.

[The Buscher]

Apparently the Biden administration was going to have a call with MLB and the union, and the union decided to not attend the call because they fully expected the government to request a delay to the season.  They've set up a separate call with government officials to try to pitch why they should start on time without MLB being on the line.

I don't think the MLBPA minds a delay provided pay is protected, they just don't want to give up the leverage they would if the CBA needed to be fully re-opened as that Twitter thread from the other day explained.

[The Buscher]

For the second time in the span of a week, Bob Nightengale reported that the Mets and Bauer have agreed to a deal only for multiple reporters to immediately refute it.

Dude is either a troll or woefully incompetent. Maybe a little from column A and a little from column B.

[Meacon Keaton]

He's like MLB's version of Ian Rappoppopopport. 

[GhostMachine]

If baseball did give in to the players' demand for 162 games pay for 154 actual games, I'd also expect an announcement that it now takes 5 outs OR that games are now 12 innings long.

[Meacon Keaton]

23 minutes ago, GhostMachine said:

If baseball did give in to the players' demand for 162 games pay for 154 actual games, I'd also expect an announcement that it now takes 5 outs OR that games are now 12 innings long.

Baseball were the ones that offered 162 games worth of pay for 154 actual games to the players, ya goober. 

[The Buscher]

Bauer's agent is saying it's down to two teams, reporters seem to think it's basically just down to the Mets and this is just one last ditch effort to see if the Dodgers want to jump in.

We'll see.  Mets fans seem split on even if they want Bauer, partly because they view his 12 start Cy Young season playing terrible Central teams as not really meaning anything, partly because he's a bit of dick.  He'd still be a clear upgrade to what they have though, minus deGrom of course.

[gunnar hendershow]

I read that the Mets offer was a 3 year/$100 million with a potential opt-out after 1 year. LA was also offering a short-term deal.

Always hard to tell with agents but if Bauer keeps his word about wanting a new contract every year it's easy to believe these short offers being real. But it begs the question why other teams aren't bidding? If you have title aspirations why not offer him $50 million to pitch for you for a season?

[Meacon Keaton]

Meanwhile the Angels are idiots and continue to add to their already good outfield, by trading for Dexter Fowler. 

You need pitching, you morons.

[The Buscher]

If he actually does get a one-year opt out from the Mets, it's on brand for them as that's how they got Cespedes to agree to come back in 2016 when everybody assumed he'd walk.

I know teams like to avoid the luxury tax like the plague especially since nobody knows how the penalties will change under the next CBA, but if you have the chance to add a major piece like that and possibly avoid a multi-year commitment, it feels irresponsible to not go for it.

If Bauer takes that deal I believe it'd push the Mets over and at that point they may as well go all in with filling out any other pieces they want.  Like they don't sound thrilled with JD Davis at 3B, so throw a ton of money at Justin Turner for a year.  Or if they have a trade for Kris Bryant that won't kill the farm, go for it even if they won't be able to afford keeping him, Lindor, and Conforto together for more than a year.

[Meacon Keaton]

I think, at least in the Yankees case, that most teams want to get under the luxury tax for a year to reset it so they’re not paying fifty cents on the dollar every year. Get under it for a year, reset it, then spend big. Like I’m fully expecting the Yanks to sign one of the big name shortstop free agents next year. 

[gunnar hendershow]

The whole "get under the tax for a year so you pay less once you go back over" is honestly something that needs to end. Just make the luxury tax a totally flat rate. Or percentage based of how much over the line you are.

[The Buscher]

I think it's only going to get worse under the new CBA.  Increasing penalties, forfeiture of international pool money, being docked draft picks, etc.  The union of course wants none of this, but the owners want it in to "regulate themselves" (aka find an excuse to depress salaries).