2021 MLB Season / 21-22 Offseason Thread

[The Buscher]

I don't put too much stock in how lineups are set up in Spring Training, but Showalter has been batting Cano 5th behind Alonso pretty much every time they've both been in there.

He seems like a smart guy so I'd really hope he's not planning on actually doing that once the games count.  Cano's bat looks ungodly slow, unsurprising being a 39 year old guy off the juice after a year of not playing.  Buck has to know that if Cano is actually hitting behind Alonso, Alonso will never be given anything to hit.

[The Buscher]

A week before Opening Day, the dream of a deGrom/Scherzer rotation nearly realized...and now today out of the blue deGrom complained of tightness in his shoulder, scratched from his final spring start and getting an MRI tomorrow.

 

[gunnar hendershow]

It's not good.

 

[The Buscher]

So a month of total shutdown.  Then if, IF, he's healthy, he'll have to start a throwing progression and ramp up all over again.  Realistically he's out until sometime in June, if not the All Star Break.  And that's a best case scenario.

Months and months of dreaming of a deGrom-Scherzer GOAT tier 1-2 punch, and now my hype gets yanked away a week before the season.  Yeah they have Scherzer and Bassitt so they're not as monumentally screwed as they would have been otherwise...but it's really hard to care right now.  This is a fucking gutpunch. 

[gunnar hendershow]

If there's something a Met fan can really feel good about it's that added wild card spot means they can fall a bit behind Atlanta or Philadelphia, whoever gets hot early, and not really need to panic.

[The Buscher]

The reality is deGrom hasn’t pitched since June.  He had 3 or 4 unique injuries during the season, all of which contributed to him eventually shutting it down as the team fell out of contention.  And now he’s got a shoulder issue after throwing all of 5 innings in spring training.  And he turns 34 in June.

There’s really a chance his body has simply betrayed him beyond the point of recovery, and he’ll just get another injury when he tries to throw again.  He might just be done, which is heartbreaking to think about.

[Krabby]

Is there a chance he can transition into some sort of relief pitcher and continue his career?

[The Buscher]

If he’s already getting hurt from pitching twice spaced 4 days apart, I can’t imagine pitching more often will help him at all.

And now Scherzer has a hamstring tweak, team currently doesn’t believe it to be serious but man it would be so fucking typical if both guys were out to start the year.

[gunnar hendershow]

You generally see guys go from starters to relievers nowadays when one of their pitches starts to fail them due to age. Makes it harder to go through a lineup twice. So you make them a reliever, tell them to go out there and just throw 2 pitches and throw them hard. 

I suppose you occasionally just convert guys to spot starters/mop-up relievers but that seems largely the domain of AAAA players at this point as opposed to former Cy Young winners.

The hope obviously would be deGrom bounces back from this injury but considering it took all of a month in spring training to develop an injury after being hurt with different injuries last year, history is absolutely not on his side. 

[The Buscher]

Scherzer just confirmed to reporters that he hurt his hamstring on Thursday (the same day deGrom got hurt, by the way).  He labeled himself as day to day and could not commit to being ready for the start of the season.

You have to be fucking kidding me.

[gunnar hendershow]

Some rumors the Mets are offering to take on the Hosmer albatross to get Chris Paddadk and Emilio Pagan. Dom Smith going the other way.

We'll see if there's more movement there.

[SeanDMan]

I think the Jays should have a pretty strong year but they really should hire a manager who doesn't have a look on his face like a child who got separated from his parents at the mall whenever he is on camera.

 

[Gabriel]

2 minutes ago, SeanDMan said:

I think the Jays should have a pretty strong year but they really should hire a manager who doesn't have a look on his face like a child who got separated from his parents at the mall whenever he is on camera.

 

If you're not careful, Charlie's gonna bite your finger.

The Jays sent Reese McGuire to the White Sox yesterday for Zack Collins in a swap of catchers. I'm seeing a lot of people online reacting like it makes no sense, which is just wrong. I like the deal. Collins' bat projects to be more impactful than McGuire and he has at least one option left. Keeping McGuire would have meant either forcing him onto the MLB roster or exposing him to waivers.

Collins can be sent up and down this year as needed. Jansen and Kirk are clearly our catchers, but Collins could provide another option while we have the 28 man rosters... or he can be brought up in the event of an injury. With Greg Bird forcing his name into the discussion as a left-handed bench bat, it doesn't make any sense to be carrying three catchers on the MLB team once we are back down to 26 man rosters. It's too limiting.

[gunnar hendershow]

The Orioles traded away Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser, two relatively reliable bullpen arms, to the Marlins.

I hate it here

[Krabby]

[gunnar hendershow]

Wow baseball should look into that. Maybe add a salary floor or something.

[gunnar hendershow]

Also the Guardians have signed Jose Ramirez to the largest contract in team history and, I assume, now have a higher payroll than what Scherzer is making this year.

[The Buscher]

Ramirez’ extension is 5 years, $124 million.  Right out of the Braves school of successfully getting players to agree to team-friendly extensions.