2021 MLB Season / 21-22 Offseason Thread

[gunnar hendershow]

And since they fired Shildt over not being player friendly I suppose it's easy to see which coach the players were particularly fond of.

[The Buscher]

In other news there are whispers that the league will soon announce the cancellation of the Winter Meetings, which were scheduled for December 5th.  The league will likely frame it as not a cancellation but rather doing the meetings remotely again due to COVID.  The CBA expires on December 1st so totally cancelling the event now would play their hand that they intend on locking out the players, but they're clearly gearing up for it.

When you consider how bitter the negotiations were for 2020, and that a season only got played at all because the CBA allowed the Commissioner's Office to enforce a schedule...this is going to get very ugly.  A deal will eventually be reached as there's too much money at stake, but I wouldn't be shocked to see a delayed/shortened 2022 season.

[The Buscher]

Update on the Mets' POBO search:

Media reports suggest that executives are scared off my one of two things:  1) Cohen publicly stating last year that not winning a World Series within 5 years is a major disappointment, this is getting candidates feeling like they won't have job security.  2) Although Sandy Alderson will not be involved in baseball operations and isn't even involved in the search, his presence with the team as overall Team President along with his son being an assistant GM has candidates feeling like they're not going to have the autonomy they're promised.

I wanted to believe this was just the media stirring shit to fit their narrative, but in the span of two days Peter Bendix of the Rays and Matt Arnold of the Brewers, two guys blocked for advancement in their current organizations, both declined to even interview for the job.  So it seems that the narrative of "nobody wants to work there" has some legs.

Just another circus for this Mickey Mouse organization.

[gunnar hendershow]

Someone needs to tell Cohen he needs to stop being George Steintwitter. These FO guys are all STEM nerds who could just easily be making big bucks at a place like Accenture. They don't need baseball jobs, they do it because they enjoy it. Cohen's personality and public engagement strikes me as something that would suck the fun out of it.

[The Buscher]

I feel like Cohen's tweets get overblown.  Most owners keep a low profile because this is little more than a business to them.  Cohen bought the team as a passion project, and he doesn't seem like he's complacent when the team puts a dogshit product out there like they did last year.  As a fan, I appreciate these things.  I also like that he ruffles other owners' feathers by pointing out some of the really bogus parts of the CBA, because he's got enough financial clout to not care if the new CBA is more player-friendly.

But before I can say anything more nice about him, I just read this...

I rescind my good vibes.  Time to smash the panic button that Cohen is just the Wilpons with considerably more money.

[The Buscher]

Padres hire Bob Melvin as their new manager.  Oakland let him walk and receive zero compensation.

[gunnar hendershow]

14 hours ago, CM Busch said:

Padres hire Bob Melvin as their new manager.  Oakland let him walk and receive zero compensation.

A lot of people have started to read this as the A's organization basically throwing in the towel and going for a bottoming out approach until their stadium/inevitable relocation gets resolved.

[gunnar hendershow]

Well I've seen enough. This one's over. See you sometime next year or the year after, MLB.

[The Buscher]

25 years as a Mets fan:

-Seen all 4 division rivals win the World Series
-Seen the Yankees and Red Sox win multiple World Series (deal with lots of fans of both here in Connecticut)
-Have seen the Mets win playoff series against the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks...all of whom I'd eventually see win the World Series

And yet I've never seen the Mets win the World Series and only have had, like, three seasons where it even felt like a real possibility.  Pain.

[gunnar hendershow]

And Bobby Valentine lost the mayoral election in Stamford, CT. Terrible night for Mets fans all around.

[MalaCloudy Black]

It seems bonkers that this is Atlanta's first WS win in 25 years. Part of the reason I dislike them and the Yankees so much is because it felt like a big chunk of my childhood was always "Atlanta vs. New York, World Series!"

[The Buscher]

56 minutes ago, damshow said:

And Bobby Valentine lost the mayoral election in Stamford, CT. Terrible night for Mets fans all around.

Seeing as he referred to his opponent a "35 year old girl" I'll at least chalk that one up as a win.

[GhostMachine]

He'll just put on sunglasses and a fake mustache and run again next time as Robert Valentine.

And he's also pulling the old losing Republican standby: Accusing some voters of voting twice.

[The Buscher]

Buster Posey to retire tomorrow.

[gunnar hendershow]

Feels a lock for Cooperstown. His numbers as a catcher are fantastic, career totals a bit lower than others but he never went for the 1B/DH stat padding route. Have to also consider how many pitchers had their best seasons with him.

[Gabriel]

The Jays stand to lose Robbie Ray, Steven Matz and Marcus Semien all this off-season. That scares me a little. I know that there will be other guys from other teams who can be had... but Ray and Matz held this team together at times. It's too bad that the value of the dollar will out-weigh the career corrections that these guys have made with Pete Walker and the Jays.

As for Semien... dude's gonna get paid. He probably wants to play short again, and he's coming off an absolutely ridiculous season.

I know the Jays have money, but they've also gotta start planning for extensions for the young core and filling holes in the roster. Pitching won't be cheap this off-season, but there may be some value to be had in landing one big fish and then filling things out with bargain and/or bounce-back deals. I believe that one of Ray or Matz can be replaced for cheaper, but one of them should absolutely be re-signed to give some insurance to the rotation. My pick: Robbie Ray.

I absolutely back the truck up for Semien though. Maybe you front-load the deal so that A- he's easier to move later on, and B- the total dollars committed lessen as the new deals for the core need to be made. He's a true leader though, and by all accounts, just a downright good dude.

Priority 1A: Marcus Semien
Priority 1B: Robbie Ray

[The Buscher]

The following players have received qualifying offers:

1B Brandon Belt, Giants
OF Nick Castellanos, Reds
OF Michael Conforto, Mets
SS Carlos Correa, Astros
1B Freddie Freeman, Braves
RHP Rasiel Iglesias, Angels
LHP Robbie Ray, Blue Jays
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, Red Sox
SS Corey Seager, Dodgers
2B Marcus Semien, Blue Jays
SS Trevor Story, Rockies
RHP Noah Syndergaard, Mets
UTIL Chris Taylor, Dodgers
RHP Justin Verlander, Astros

All players have a week to decide whether or not to take a 1 year, $18.4 million contracts for the 2022 season.  Historically most choose to opt out but it's a good chance for someone like Syndergaard and Verlander to get a guaranteed payday after seasons lost to injury.  Iglesias' decision will be very interesting too.  That'd be a huge payday for a reliever but he's heading into his age 32 season in a league where relievers don't get paid like they used to - this could be his last chance to get a multi-year deal.

Among the notable players who didn't get qualifying offers - the Dodgers and White Sox weren't willing to roll the dice on Clayton Kershaw or Carlos Rodon's medicals, respectively...although I'd say it's possible each stays put with multi-year deals at lower AAVs.  The real stunner is Jon Gray not getting a QO from the Rockies, everyone assumed Gray not being traded was with an eye toward the QO draft compensation.  Now they get absolutely nothing if he leaves.

[The Buscher]

Not sure if there's a need for a separate offseason thread since we're weeks away from a lockout that will shut down all activity for a while.

Anyway, agents often use WAR and various advanced stats to try to sell their clients' asking prices in arbitration hearings.  Well MLB has offered to replace arbitration entirely with a WAR-based pay for performance system and the union has, predictably, laughed the proposal out of the room.  It's gonna be an ugly lockout and I'd be shocked if the 2022 season starts on time.

[gunnar hendershow]

The last 2 work stoppages have likely been bookended with Atlanta World Series wins.

[The Buscher]

First big signing of the offseason.  Tigers sign LHP Eduardo Rodriguez for 5 years, $77 million with an opt-out after the 2nd year.

There was a thought that teams were going to avoid the QO players until the CBA was resolved but the Tigers moved quickly.