MLB 2024

[gunnar hendershow]

Happy pitchers & catchers day to all who observe!

[The Buscher]

Not liking what I've seen out of the Spring Training uniforms.  Seems to be a leaguewide thing.  The logos and lettering look flat instead of stitched on, which is what you'd see in a knockoff jersey.  Also the names on the back seem to be smaller and more scrunched together.

Just looks very cheap.  Hope it's just a spring thing and not a trial run of how the regular season uniforms will look.

[Toe]

31 minutes ago, The Buscher said:

Not liking what I've seen out of the Spring Training uniforms.  Seems to be a leaguewide thing.  The logos and lettering look flat instead of stitched on, which is what you'd see in a knockoff jersey.  Also the names on the back seem to be smaller and more scrunched together.

Just looks very cheap.  Hope it's just a spring thing and not a trial run of how the regular season uniforms will look.

I might be mixing up leagues here, but didn't MLB switch to Fanatics or something? 

[The Buscher]

35 minutes ago, Toe said:

I might be mixing up leagues here, but didn't MLB switch to Fanatics or something? 

Yeah that’s right.  Fanatics has deals with a bunch of the leagues now and they give the leagues equity in the company, leaving little incentive for them to make a quality product.

The skeptic in me also wonders if the smaller names on the back is meant to open up more advertising space.

[The Buscher]

The Padres are moving Xander Bogaerts to second base one year into an 11-year deal where they were paying him star shortstop money.  Yikes.

[Gabriel]

The Jays' pursuit of Ohtani is really going to bite them hard. Atkins said that any further additions would require subtractions, and while the optimist in me wants to believe that's more about room on the 40 man than the financial aspect of it, it's hard to argue if someone feels otherwise.

The team was willing to shell out $700 million for Ohtani, and yeah, there are intangibles and other factors there like merchandise revenue... but you can't sign a Cody Bellinger? Go with Vogelbach over Joey Votto? Let Soler go off the board for $42 million over three years?

And if you're not comfortable spending that money on free agents, where are the contract extensions for the core? Jansen, Vlad and Bichette are all due up soon.

You can't show the fans and the team that the money is there and then try to deny it when the toy you wanted isn't available anymore.

Things could end up getting real bad in Toronto if they don't smarten up.

[Your Mom]

No one is allowed to sign Bellinger but the Cubs!  

[The Buscher]

First televised Mets spring game of the year on Saturday.  I'll tune in because being greeted by Gary, Keith, and Ron for the first time makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

In general though I've not been this checked out before a season since 2013.  I'm normally counting down the days to Opening Day by now.  I look at this team and just don't really see how or why I'm supposed to be excited.  Once the Mets didn't sign Yamamoto it feels like Stearns decided he wanted to look like the smartest guy in the room by building a roster that looks like the land of the misfit toys.

Didn't add a single offensive weapon when the lineup badly needed one.  The "big" position player add was Harrison Bader.  Bader is a fantastic CF and I realize Stearns is operating under the belief that runs saved are just as good as runs scored but the lineup already sucked as is, now it's even worse.  Pitcher gives up 3 runs it'll be game over most nights.  Oh and this kicks Nimmo out to LF just a year after they gave him an 8-year deal for starting CF money.

And with Alonso's impending free agency it feels like the last year the core is together is being punted.  Everyone's screaming for Pete to be re-signed and I respect it'd be a good move for the fans to keep a homegrown guy which they rarely ever do.  But the team has also sucked 2 of 3 years since Cohen took over, are we sure this is even a winning core?  We already have Lindor, Nimmo, and McNeil signed for life, breaking the bank for Alonso might be a mistake as much as it pains me to say.  If the team is bad this year it's screaming for a shake-up.

Dunno.  Just not sure I understand why the Mets are projected to win around 84 games most places I look.   That would probably require EVERYTHING going right and it almost never does for this club.  Safe money feels like it's on the under.

[Toe]

I love watching the first spring training games on TV. Hearing the sounds of the game and knowing the snow will be melting soon. It's great!

[gunnar hendershow]

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2024/2/21/24079194/fanatics-mlb-uniforms-see-through-pants

[gunnar hendershow]

So based on the early results of team photo day we are about 7 days out from there being a definitive ranking of which teams are carrying the biggest and smallest sticks around.

[Schlitzbrille]

37 minutes ago, gunnar hendershow said:

So based on the early results of team photo day we are about 7 days out from there being a definitive ranking of which teams are carrying the biggest and smallest sticks around.

Oh my 😳 

[Your Mom]

 

[Your Mom]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

Hosmer overrunning that ball was an all-timer. He retired yesterday too.

[The Buscher]

Not even a single spring game played and Kodai Senga has a shoulder strain and is shut down and will open the year on IL.  It's likely 3-4 weeks of rest at minimum and then from there he'll either be cleared to throw or he won't.  If he's cleared then he basically starts his Spring Training.  Given a pitcher needs around 6 weeks to fully ramp up we're looking at 9-10 weeks from right now and that's a best case scenario which, it's the Mets so I never assume that.  If he throws a pitch in a big league game before June it would be a victory.

Unfortunately for the Mets, he's also their ace and basically the only guy in the rotation anyone had confidence in.  The Opening Day starter is now gonna be one of Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, or Luis Severino.  Hilarious group to choose from given this team has the highest payroll in baseball.  And Stearns has already categorically ruled out adding another starter despite the glaringly obvious need everyone sees.

Punting a season when you're spending half a billion dollars on your roster.  Never seen anything like this.

[Your Mom]

I for sure don't revel in their downturns but watching the first spring training game and it reminded me of how heartbroken I was after the Rizzo, Bryant and Baez trades and unless I am mistaken they have all fallen off pretty bad since those trades. From a purely selfish standpoint it seems like we did good to get rid of them but they will always have a place in my heart so I wish they were playing better

[The Buscher]

Seeing them in action now, wow the small names on the jerseys looks even worse on TV.  Again I half expect this is a precursor to putting ads behind the shoulders.

[Meacon Keaton]

21 hours ago, Your Mom said:

I for sure don't revel in their downturns but watching the first spring training game and it reminded me of how heartbroken I was after the Rizzo, Bryant and Baez trades and unless I am mistaken they have all fallen off pretty bad since those trades. From a purely selfish standpoint it seems like we did good to get rid of them but they will always have a place in my heart so I wish they were playing better

Rizzo was playing well for the Yanks before he got a concussion. Hopefully he's recovered from post-concussion syndrome, because he was nowhere near right before he was put on the IL. He's gotten older, so he's not as good as he was in his prime Cubs-years, but he can still field the position well and hit 25 homers this year.

[gunnar hendershow]

The first holdout signed. Bellinger returning to the Cubs.