MLB 2023

[Toe]

Come on Blue Jays - don't mess this up!

[Gabriel]

22 minutes ago, Toe said:

Come on Blue Jays - don't mess this up!

Before the Yankees series started, I was reading an article that said something like "The Jays will have to completely implode to miss the post-season. Get ready for playoff baseball, Toronto!" and I thought to myself... "they're going to find a way to make the last week just brutal".

Here we are.

[gunnar hendershow]

Astros and Rangers have given the Jays a ton of help. I'd think Seattle basically needs to win out for Toronto to not make the postseason now.

[Toe]

1 hour ago, Gabriel said:

Before the Yankees series started, I was reading an article that said something like "The Jays will have to completely implode to miss the post-season. Get ready for playoff baseball, Toronto!" and I thought to myself... "they're going to find a way to make the last week just brutal".

Here we are.

I just don't look forward to having to win games against the Rays. Even when the Rays are the worst team in baseball, they always seem to give the Jays fits.

[Gabriel]

4 minutes ago, Toe said:

I just don't look forward to having to win games against the Rays. Even when the Rays are the worst team in baseball, they always seem to give the Jays fits.

As soon as Baltimore locks up the East, the Rays don't have anything to play for really and could use the Jays' series to rest some of their regulars. At least there's that possibility.

Four games left, and odds are still at 90%, but they cannot afford to lose today to the Yankees because as you mentioned, the Rays always seem to have the Jays figured out. So even if we get to miss a few regular players in the final series, it could still very well end up in a Rays sweep.

[Toe]

16 minutes ago, Gabriel said:

As soon as Baltimore locks up the East, the Rays don't have anything to play for really and could use the Jays' series to rest some of their regulars. At least there's that possibility.

Four games left, and odds are still at 90%, but they cannot afford to lose today to the Yankees because as you mentioned, the Rays always seem to have the Jays figured out. So even if we get to miss a few regular players in the final series, it could still very well end up in a Rays sweep.

Yeah - that's the thing with the Rays. They could be playing an entire roster of guys from Double A that have never played an inning in the majors, and a pitcher who's cross-eyed and can't see the plate. They'd still somehow win the game 6-5 on some bunt single and fielding error that you'd only see in a Rays vs Jays game. 

[The Buscher]

Lindor clinched a 30/30 season yesterday.  Alonso is flirting with 50 HR.  Nimmo remains one of the best leadoff hitters in the sport and now added 20+ HR power to it.  Alvarez put up record fWAR numbers for a rookie catcher.  Senga is a top 5 NL Cy candidate and top 3 NL ROTY candidate.

I know I can be negative but if you would've told me all of this would've happened and yet the Mets would be flirting with 90 losses, I wouldn't have believed you.  What a strange, miserable campaign.

[gunnar hendershow]

They just announced here at Camden Yards that the Orioles have signed a lease to remain in Baltimore for "at least" 30 more years.

Thank god that saga is over with. Kiss my ass Nashville.

[Your Mom]

Love a good freak out on an umpire. They suck. I personally don't think he went here

 

[Toe]

1 hour ago, gunnar hendershow said:

They just announced here at Camden Yards that the Orioles have signed a lease to remain in Baltimore for "at least" 30 more years.

Thank god that saga is over with. Kiss my ass Nashville.

So silly. Obviously just a billionaire trying to get every single cent he can from the city.

[Your Mom]

46 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Love a good freak out on an umpire. They suck. I personally don't think he went here

 

And the follow up to make it even better  

 

[GhostMachine]

I cannot wait until Angel Hernandez retires, because if they haven't fired the incompetent fool yet, they're not gonna.

[The Buscher]

Mets were up 1-0 in the 9th on the Marlins who desperately need to win.

Parade of jobber Mets pitchers let up 2 runs in the top of 9th, only for a rain delay to be called with 2 outs.  By rule, the game can’t end in this scenario with a Marlins win.  If they suspend the game they’d have to play the final inning on Monday or something.  Otherwise they have to wait it out to finish the game and the forecast has it raining until 5 AM.

Keith Hernandez was in the booth, surely banking on being able to fly down the LIE on his way back to Sag Harbor soon.  The groan he let out when the tarp came out was legendary.

[gunnar hendershow]

This was a fun night

 

[Lint]

Curt Schilling is an asshole

[The Buscher]

And this is on top of the litany of other awful shit he’s done for the last 6-7 years or so.

Today would be a great day for him to get hit by a bus.

[gunnar hendershow]

He was also going off about his "WWII Memorabilia" collection when it was rightfully called out for being all Nazi shit. He is a vile human and at this point persona non grata in baseball, an incredible accomplishment with how many conservative people are around that sport.

[The Buscher]

Mets/Marlins did get suspended, to be completed Monday only if required.  Reddit's baseball page are all clowning the Mets like it's their fault.  Skip Schumaker was seen berating the Mets' grounds crew at like 1 AM.  Don't know what he was expecting.  It's been pouring in NYC and it's not expected to let up til Saturday afternoon.  Didn't realize Steve Cohen was so rich he could even buy Mother Nature.

Anyway, for all of the bitching it's probably not going to matter.  Their magic number over the Cubs is 3 and 2 for the Reds.  Marlins sweep the Bucs it's over, but even if they don't it feels unlikely that either of those other teams will sweep their respective series.  Feels extremely likely they're in the playoffs by 6 PM Sunday.

But man it would be absolutely hilarious if somehow the playoffs come down to the Marlins having to go to an empty Citi Field for 1 inning of baseball.

[GhostMachine]

3 hours ago, gunnar hendershow said:

He was also going off about his "WWII Memorabilia" collection when it was rightfully called out for being all Nazi shit. He is a vile human and at this point persona non grata in baseball, an incredible accomplishment with how many conservative people are around that sport.

Two of my all-time favorite pitchers were (fuck both of them) Clemens * and Schilling, and one turned out to be a cheater, while the other is a discrace to humanity. What's even worse? The player he outed as having cancer (who I won't name out of respect) is also one of my all-time favorites.

*Hated Clemens as a Yankee. 

[The Buscher]

I trust Passan more than just about any other reporter and he said his hunch is that the Padres will end up moving Soto and that he really thinks the Mets will be motivated to get him after restocking their farm, especially because they're one of the few teams that can realistically pay him and the speculation that he wants to return east.

Of course, about 80% of the Mets subreddit page are like "Pass. Team is more than one piece away from contending in 2024. Keep the kids and just sign him next offseason."

And like, yeah I agree that adding Soto alone doesn't make this team a contender in 2024. Pitching needs a lot of work. But I also don't believe any team is trading for Soto without being prepared to fork over $450 million or whatever to try to convince him to stick around. It's possible Soto is determined to hit the market no matter what, but just ruling yourself out today to get him in 2025 is still taking a risk. You might not get the chance.

And trust me, I've loved that the Mets finally seem like they're building a farm (or really bought one with Cohen eating all that Scherzer/Verlander dead money to get Acuna, Gilbert, and Clifford). But just look at how much a hyped up guy like Brett Baty has struggled. Look at how many "next big thing" prospects the Mets have had over the last two decades that didn't become anything.

At any given time in baseball there are only a handful of guys where you say screw it and trade prospects for without hesitation. Soto is one of them. 98% of prospects will never turn out as good as Juan Soto. And if trading for him now means there's a better chance he'll be here the rest of the career, I make the move without hesitation.