MLB 2023

[gunnar hendershow]

17 minutes ago, Meacon Keaton said:

Which of us should get the petition going to ban the American League Central from the post-season? Everyone knew that division sucked butts, but geez. They should blast all five teams off into the sun. 

There are almost impossibly 9 teams in the AL with a better record than the first place team in the Central!

[Meacon Keaton]

All five AL East teams are at least four games over .500 and the very best AL Central team is two games under .500.

[gunnar hendershow]

The 32-43 White Sox are closer to first place than the 45-28 Orioles.

[Gabriel]

Yeah... it might be time to look at how post-season berths are earned.

When there are several teams who will finish with significantly better records than a divisional first place team, and fail to make the post-season, that's a problem.

But how do you do it in a way that won't cause more headaches? I would be okay with shortening the season a few games and expanding the playoffs to 8 teams from each league. Maybe winning a division still gets you a spot, but I'd have the first place team face the eight place team, 2nd against 7th and so on. Re-seed each round.

It's just absolutely mind-boggling that a team could conceivably finish with a record under .500 in a 162 game season and still go on to win the World Series, avoiding the wild card because they won their division.

Should you even celebrate a division win with a sub-.500 record? I'd be almost embarrassed.

[gunnar hendershow]

Divisions were a consequence of air travel not being super easy back in the 60s. It's kind of silly they've been held onto in the age of private charters.

[GhostMachine]

If a team with a sub-.500 record ever makes the postseason, they should have to play every single playoff game on the road. 

Personally, I do not believe any sport should allow a team with a losing record to play in the postseason, let alone for the championship. And if they do, they should be given the toughest route to the championship. 

 

 

[The Buscher]

I know there's no basis in science for this but the perception of some teams having winning or losing just baked into their franchise DNA is a real thing.

I can't think of any other reason why if you told me the Mets at 6 games under .500 would turn it around I'd say "yeah right", yet if you told me the Cardinals at 13 games under .500 would rip off some massive win streak and salvage a winning season, I'd say "yeah, that sounds about right"

[GhostMachine]

I'm pleasantly surprised at what the Cincinnati Reds have done.

[Meacon Keaton]

On 23/06/2023 at 11:19, I Think You Should Busch said:

I know there's no basis in science for this but the perception of some teams having winning or losing just baked into their franchise DNA is a real thing.

I can't think of any other reason why if you told me the Mets at 6 games under .500 would turn it around I'd say "yeah right", yet if you told me the Cardinals at 13 games under .500 would rip off some massive win streak and salvage a winning season, I'd say "yeah, that sounds about right"

It happens when you've built a pitching staff where 60% of your starting rotation is closer to AARP-eligibility than the legal drinking age.

[The Buscher]

3 hours ago, Meacon Keaton said:

It happens when you've built a pitching staff where 60% of your starting rotation is closer to AARP-eligibility than the legal drinking age.

Yep.  I mean I certainly understand why they did this.  Historically the Mets, even when they've been garbage, have been able to develop pitching.  Once the 2015 era guys (deGrom, Wheeler, Harvey, Syndergaard, Matz) graduated, the next generation was a massive swing and a miss.  Just no good MLB-level pitching anywhere for the first time in their history.

So when you have an owner with unlimited pockets, going out and getting Scherzer and Verlander on massive AAV but short-term deals to help bide time for the farm to finally get some arms ready again, it does make sense.  I mean there really weren't young stud pitchers to be found in free agency anyway.  Get two HOFers who, at the time of signing, were still Cy caliber.

Of course, the inherent risk you take is that Father Time finally comes for them and instead of remaining competitive during the pitching rebuild, you're stuck watching washed legends.  I can't fault the strategy given the owner and state of the farm but yeah, this team feels like they won't be good again until 2025/2026.

[Your Mom]

 I wish I could watch more Ohtani

[The Buscher]

If Ohtani were a Met I’d be tuning in every night no matter what.  He’s not just a generational talent, he’s once in a lifetime.

Of course, the Mets have an owner who will be willing to pay him more than anyone else but his camp have signaled it’s about far more than money for him, I think he gave most of his MLB salary to his mother.  Zero chance he wants to come to the Mets after this dumpster fire of a season.

I’d be surprised if he’s not a Dodger.

[gunnar hendershow]

Last night the Angels scored 25 runs. Ohtani went 1 for 7 in the game.

9 minutes ago, I Think You Should Busch said:

If Ohtani were a Met I’d be tuning in every night no matter what.  He’s not just a generational talent, he’s once in a lifetime.

Of course, the Mets have an owner who will be willing to pay him more than anyone else but his camp have signaled it’s about far more than money for him, I think he gave most of his MLB salary to his mother.  Zero chance he wants to come to the Mets after this dumpster fire of a season.

I’d be surprised if he’s not a Dodger.

I think he wants to stay on the west coast to just be closer to Japan. That extra 6 hours from a place like NY isn't a deal breaker for a guy who can private charter whenever he wants, but feel like for a guy who does have close ties with his family it's important to just be a tad closer.

I agree about the Dodgers. San Diego are absolutely fucked thanks to their network going bankrupt. Same it appears with Arizona. Oakland aren't going to sign him unless they can be in Las Vegas next April. Maybe the Giants or Mariners make a play.

[The Buscher]

I don't say this lightly, but Buck Showalter over the last month has been managing like someone who wants to get fired.  I've complained about length about his lineup decisions, but he's mixed in some of the most inexplicable bullpen management I've ever seen with today being the cherry on top.  David Robertson threw 13 pitches yesterday, how the fuck is he not in this game?  He went out of his way to not use any of his 3 best relievers in a must-win game.

He came back to managing because a team that looked like it would be a strong contender for a few years offered him a 3-year deal for a chance to finally win that elusive ring.  Missed it last year, sees this year is toast, and knows next year's roster won't look much better.  So he knows the ring ain't coming.

He’s getting increasingly surly with the New York reporters too.  So it just seems he realizes it’s not worth it.  Think he's trying to get canned so he can get away from the daily grind and go back to MLB Network while getting paid out the rest of his deal.

[gunnar hendershow]

 

[Your Mom]

Get what? I clearly have missed something

[gunnar hendershow]

6 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Get what? I clearly have missed something

Many rumors they're firing Showalter. 16 games out of first, with a bevy of horrific free agency signings, he's going to be the fall guy to at least try and get the team back in the good graces of the fans.

[The Buscher]

47 minutes ago, damhausen said:

Many rumors they're firing Showalter. 16 games out of first, with a bevy of horrific free agency signings, he's going to be the fall guy to at least try and get the team back in the good graces of the fans.

Personally I don't think Cohen is firing anybody tomorrow.  This season is toast regardless of who the manager is.  While Showalter has been horrendous this season, there's still optics to consider.  He's the reigning Manager of the Year coming off a 101-win season.  If you fire a guy like that halfway through the next season, it's a major red flag to any promising replacement candidate out there that there is no job security to be found here.

Any in-season firing will result in an in-house replacement, and given those optics, you have to be prepared for the reality that this replacement will be in the seat through the 2024 season as well.  The only guy I can see this maybe being worth it for is Carlos Beltran, who is someone you were always giving a longer leash to.  But if he's not the guy then I don't see what firing Showalter accomplishes.  Wait til the offseason and dress it up as a retirement.

I believe Cohen is smart enough to know that the reasons the fans hated the Wilpons go far beyond them being cheap.  They were also inaccessible and never took any accountability.  Cohen might go up there, admit this season has been a failure, but cite last year as a reason why he feels Showalter and Billy Eppler should at least get the rest of the year to right the ship.  Fans will be pissed off about it but he's at least putting himself in the line of fire for it.  Then wait and see if David Stearns is coming aboard this offseason.

[Meacon Keaton]

I don't think he'd be calling a presser to fire Buck. I think he'd would've just done it already.

[The Buscher]

As expected, Cohen’s presser was just him taking responsibility.  He confirmed Buck and Eppler were safe and his reasoning was what I said - he knows that reactionary mid season firings are a great way to not attract talent.

Said the plan is still to hire a POBO this offseason, “the right candidate is out there”, but he “has to follow the rules”.  Basically saying he’s hiring David Stearns without saying he’s hiring David Stearns.

The part some of the fans are probably in denial about was him straight up saying having this kind of payroll every year is unsustainable.  I don’t think fans realize he’s trying to bide time for the farm to bear fruit, not spend crazy money like this yearly.  The team operated at a loss last year even in a 101-win season, and it’ll be far worse this year with the stadium empty in a lost season.

Yes he’s got more money than god from his other business ventures, yes the Mets are a passion project.  But it’s still a business and he’s not gonna accept being in the red every year.  He’s absolutely always gonna have one of the highest payrolls in the league but the fans expecting him to fork over half a billion every year are delusional.