MLB 2020/2021 Off-Season Thread

[The Buscher]

I'm not even sure how much the service time rules could be changed.  Right now it's 172 days of service to accrue a season and the season itself is around 187 days, hence players magically being ready for a call up when there are only 171 days left.  Lowering the number of service days required would probably be a non-starter for the owners but even if they caved on it, many of these teams not even attempting to win will just keep the prospect in the minor leagues longer.  Hell some teams already wait until mid-June to call players up just to avoid the player getting a 4th arbitration year via the Super 2 rule.

Feels like the owners will always have a way to game the system.  Even if they let prospects start Opening Day, they'll claw back service on the back end the second the rookie goes through a rough patch.  "We decided a couple weeks in the minors to clear his head is better for his long-term development."

The main benefit is players could use Mather's statements in court if we get another Kris Bryant situation where the player wants to sue for lost service.

[gunnar hendershow]

It's hard with college draft picks becoming more and more prevalent and only needing a few months or a year in the minors before they're ready. Ideally you can set a "5 years and done" rule or something from the moment a player joins an organization to when he's a free agent. But there's a big difference in player development for 18 years old and 21 year olds in where they are 5 years later.

No easy fix.

[The Buscher]

I think if they based it on age it could be workable.  They do something like that with the Rule 5 draft, players who sign at 19 are older are protected for their first four seasons, 18 or younger for their first five.  And the wording around that is careful with the understanding that many players, especially international ones, sign with rookie league teams whose seasons already finished so therefore those don't count as a season.

So the case with a lot of big time international signings.  They sign at 16.  Then be in the minors ages 17-21.  Required to be put on the 40-man roster that winter starting with your age 22 season.  When you get called up at this point depends a lot on your development...but by the rules in place, the team can still option you for up to three years if you're not quite ready.  So you could be in the minor leagues 22-23 and the start of your age 24 season.  Eventually you get called up a couple weeks into your age 24 season so they can manipulate that extra year of service of of you.  Renewable contract age 25-27 seasons, arbitration ages 28-30.  You finally get to test free agency ahead of your age 31 season and depending on the times, you might be deemed too old for a huge deal unless you're a star.

It's seriously messed up that teams can own you for that long.

[Gabriel]

I like the way the NHL does it. Once you're drafted, your team has X number of years to officially sign you to a contract or you become a free agent. Your entry-level contracts are a maximum of three years in length. After that, players should be given more power.

In the arbitration eligible seasons, I'd like to see some kind of similar Restricted Free Agent system in place, with offer sheets added. If a player and team can't agree to a number, but another team jumps in with an offer... the original team can match the offer and keep their player, or they can take draft pick compensation and lose the player.

So, do a 1 to 3 year Entry Level deal... then three years of Restricted Free Agent eligibility... then the player can hit Free Agency in their early twenties and make the shift to paying players during their primes of their careers, as opposed to when they're likely hitting the regression wall.

Don't even consider MLB playing time accrued. It's all about how long you've been under contract. No service time manipulation. Best players get to play, and there's even incentive to play your younger guys because their entry level deals are more cost effective than playing a sub-replacement level guy in the field.

[Meacon Keaton]

Yay baseball today!  

[The Buscher]

I say it every year in spring but I'll eagerly watch the first few games and get a warm and fuzzy feeling seeing baseball being played in the sun...then after like a week I'm over it and groan thinking we've still got four weeks until the real thing.

[Meacon Keaton]

I still like third or fourth week Spring Training, as long as they're still playing prospects. Once they start sending prospects to the minor league site and keep the older vets around who probably should have already retired, that's what weakens my interest. Watching the future of the franchise is still fun. Watching the past of some other team's franchise , not so much. 

[The Buscher]

I do like the Yankees’ tradition of wearing the full home pinstripe uniform for their first spring game.  That’s gotta be cool for the young prospects that got invited to camp.

[gunnar hendershow]

Baseball season has now officially begun.

 

[The Buscher]

Aaron Boone is taking an immediate emergency medical leave of absence to have a pacemaker put in.

[Your Mom]

Hope all goes well for Boone.

 

Time to watch my first game of the year!  

[Meacon Keaton]

Jackie Bradley Jr. two year deal to Milwaukee for $24 million with an opt out after the first year. What a steal for Milwaukee. Boston is pathetic for not giving that up to a homegrown, great glove like JBJ.

[Lowerdeck]

On 04/03/2021 at 08:17, Meacon Keaton said:

Jackie Bradley Jr. two year deal to Milwaukee for $24 million with an opt out after the first year. What a steal for Milwaukee. Boston is pathetic for not giving that up to a homegrown, great glove like JBJ.

Aside from having a ton of platoon and utility players, I assume they plan on bringing Jarred Duran up at some point this year.

[gunnar hendershow]

A beautiful thing happened today.

[Meacon Keaton]

Who says Spring Training baseball gives us nothing?

[The Buscher]

Just watched an inning in which the pitcher walked three and struck out three to get out of it unscathed, 36 pitches and not a single ball put in play.

[Toe]

On 07/03/2021 at 16:25, Buschie Lee said:

Just watched an inning in which the pitcher walked three and struck out three to get out of it unscathed, 36 pitches and not a single ball put in play.

[The Buscher]

Nick Markakis announces his retirement.  8th most games in history played by a right fielder.

[Meacon Keaton]

I guess the market wasn’t there anymore. I have to be honest, before the Yanks re-signed Brett Gardner, I would’ve loved to have seen him in the Bronx.

[Krabby]

They should have both a Universal DH and make pitchers still hit; 10 man lineup, gets the juice of the DH slot but the strategy of what to do with pitchers at the plate.