***Official - 2025 Major League Baseball Thread (10 Viewers)

[snellman]

Just watching Game 7 of the '91 Series on MLB Network for about the millionth time. I was there in person for every playoff home game in '87 and '91. Never get sick of watching it.

Was a great watch. Pretty amazing it still gives me goose bumps 33 years later.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Tigers are back baby

 

[The Gator]

Tigers are back baby

 

[scoobus]

Bellinger back to the Cubbies:

Year 1- 30 mil
Year 2(player option)- 30 mil
Year 3(player option)- 20 mil

Gunna have to prove last year is the norm to get the long-term big money deal he wants, but still locks up 80 mil guaranteed. Seems like a good deal for both sides.

 

[dkp993]

I’m excited to see the Padres not live up to expectations again. It’s tradition.

 

[Eephus]

I’m excited to see the Padres not live up to expectations again. It’s tradition.

Expectations are pretty low this year. It'll take some doing to fail to reach them.

Owner Peter Seidler's death and the loss of Bally RSN revenue are huge problems facing the organization. They're still over the tax line this year but they need to be able to duck back under in 2025. Bringing in Soto was a gamble worth taking but they definitely gave up better talent to get him than what they got back from the Yankees this year.

Jackson Merrill should be up some time this year, probably sooner than later. It would make sense to add another low cost veteran OF as free agent prices continue to drop.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Seems like a good deal for both sides

Everyone seems content, no bitterness from either camp.

I wonder how this affects Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs won't waste Bellinger as a DH, and they seem pot committed to Michael Busch at 1B. That relegates PCA as a fourth outfielder.

I am guessing that Pete was getting ready to buy a condo on Lake Shore Drive, but now will have to sublet an apartment in Des Moines.

 

[dkp993]

I’m excited to see the Padres not live up to expectations again. It’s tradition.

Expectations are pretty low this year. It'll take some doing to fail to reach them.

Owner Peter Seidler's death and the loss of Bally RSN revenue are huge problems facing the organization. They're still over the tax line this year but they need to be able to duck back under in 2025. Bringing in Soto was a gamble worth taking but they definitely gave up better talent to get him than what they got back from the Yankees this year.

Jackson Merrill should be up some time this year, probably sooner than later. It would make sense to add another low cost veteran OF as free agent prices continue to drop.

They still have 3 premier talents and 2 top of the rotation guys so expectations aren’t that low. But they certainly aren’t what they were last year (especially with what the team just up the 5 did this offseason).

I agree with the rest of your points, though I’m pretty sure by staying under 190mil (which they are now and in all likelihood will stay) they will stay out out of the competitive tax situation and reset they penalties.

I never loved the Soto trade, mostly because I think he’s way over hyped, but I loved that they were willing to try and that Seidler was willing to act like a big boy team. RIP to the best owner we ever had.

 

[Gally]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

 

[jobarules]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

 

[Gally]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

 

[jobarules]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

 

[Gally]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

 

[jobarules]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

I think you are misunderstanding the point. Strasburg technically still has 3 more years left on his contract (2024, 2025, 2026). If he retired at end of 2023 then he shouldnt get paid for 2024-2026 unless the team agrees with him on an injury settlement which it doesnt sound like they have reached one yet. Therefore, Strasburg still wants to get paid his full contract for 2024-2026 without doing anything like trying rehab or attending camp.

 

[thecatch]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

If Bonilla had breached his contract by quitting/retiring early, then he wouldn't have been entitled to receive the full amount of all those deferred payments.

 

[Don Quixote]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

I think you are misunderstanding the point. Strasburg technically still has 3 more years left on his contract (2024, 2025, 2026). If he retired at end of 2023 then he shouldnt get paid for 2024-2026 unless the team agrees with him on an injury settlement which it doesnt sound like they have reached one yet. Therefore, Strasburg still wants to get paid his full contract for 2024-2026 without doing anything like trying rehab or attending camp.

Strasburg taking up a space on the 40 man roster too; retired players don’t do that. It did not even sound like Nats wanted him to rehab. Just asked him to come to camp to mentor some of the younger pitchers, and he has not shown up to do that.

 

[jobarules]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

I think you are misunderstanding the point. Strasburg technically still has 3 more years left on his contract (2024, 2025, 2026). If he retired at end of 2023 then he shouldnt get paid for 2024-2026 unless the team agrees with him on an injury settlement which it doesnt sound like they have reached one yet. Therefore, Strasburg still wants to get paid his full contract for 2024-2026 without doing anything like trying rehab or attending camp.

Strasburg taking up a space on the 40 man roster too. It did not even sound like Nats wanted him to rehab. Just asked him to come to camp to mentor some of the younger pitchers, and he has not shown up to do that.

So technically hes not officially retired because he wants to get paid but he refuses to show up to camp. Yeah Im on the Nationals side here.

 

[Chemical X]

starting my cake/pie draft slog. SP is sooooo crap shoot right now. 5 guys threw 200 innings last year and with guys throwing 5-6 innings, wins are way down. Top tier starters have shrunk. On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed. Some nice young talent coming along, i just hope they show real bat to ball skills and don't wind up in the 25 walk / 150 k group of players that are too abundant. Also, that Soto trade for the Nats is lining up to be monumental IMO. Abrams has top skills. Wood is gonna be a beast. Hassell has not shown the bat yet in the minors, but he might bloom late as the 8th overall pick. Not to mention Gore, who was a phenom down here in Whyyyyyville. He has an electric arm, but is a lefty and has spotty mechanics. Seemed to me he was fighting something 22-23. He has top of the rotation stuff. To me, Soto gave the Pads a great year and the return from the Yanks seems was worse than what they dealt. Why deal for Soto to not lock him know or know that you can't? I just hate this deal for the Pads.

 

[Eephus]

It's all a negotiation between the Nationals/Lerner and Strasburg/Boras as to how much of the remaining $100M should be included in the injury settlement and how payment will be made (about a third of his contract is already deferred until 2027-29). They had a tentative agreement last fall but it fell apart at the last minute.

 

[Eephus]

On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed.

OBP and walks have been relatively stable over the past decade

 

[Chemical X]

On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed.

OBP and walks have been relatively stable over the past decade

Could just be perception. So many regulars in the .290-.320 OBP range.

 

[Chemical X]

It's all a negotiation between the Nationals/Lerner and Strasburg/Boras as to how much of the remaining $100M should be included in the injury settlement and how payment will be made (about a third of his contract is already deferred until 2027-29). They had a tentative agreement last fall but it fell apart at the last minute.

Was checking out Strasburg's stats and a "comp" is JR Richard. Richard had 3 seasons with 138, 141 and 151 walks...............man, times have changed. I remember he was improving his control like crazy and then I think he suffered a stroke working out at the Astrodome or something. I was young, but something like that.

 

[Eephus]

On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed.

OBP and walks have been relatively stable over the past decade

Could just be perception. So many regulars in the .290-.320 OBP range.

MLB average was .320 last year which is a slight increase over the two previous year. I expected to see a bump in 2022 when the NL adopted the DH but it didn't really have much of an effect.

 

[Chemical X]

On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed.

OBP and walks have been relatively stable over the past decade

Could just be perception. So many regulars in the .290-.320 OBP range.

MLB average was .320 last year which is a slight increase over the two previous year. I expected to see a bump in 2022 when the NL adopted the DH but it didn't really have much of an effect.

Your thoughts on lowering the mound?

 

[Eephus]

It's all a negotiation between the Nationals/Lerner and Strasburg/Boras as to how much of the remaining $100M should be included in the injury settlement and how payment will be made (about a third of his contract is already deferred until 2027-29). They had a tentative agreement last fall but it fell apart at the last minute.

Was checking out Strasburg's stats and a "comp" is JR Richard. Richard had 3 seasons with 138, 141 and 151 walks...............man, times have changed. I remember he was improving his control like crazy and then I think he suffered a stroke working out at the Astrodome or something. I was young, but something like that.

Richard's stroke was believed to be related to thoracic outlet syndrome in his throwing arm, the same issue that curtailed Strasburg's career.

 

[Gally]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

I think you are misunderstanding the point. Strasburg technically still has 3 more years left on his contract (2024, 2025, 2026). If he retired at end of 2023 then he shouldnt get paid for 2024-2026 unless the team agrees with him on an injury settlement which it doesnt sound like they have reached one yet. Therefore, Strasburg still wants to get paid his full contract for 2024-2026 without doing anything like trying rehab or attending camp.

Strasburg taking up a space on the 40 man roster too; retired players don’t do that. It did not even sound like Nats wanted him to rehab. Just asked him to come to camp to mentor some of the younger pitchers, and he has not shown up to do that.

OK. But I thought all MLB contracts were guaranteed.......meaning the player got the full amount of the contract. I guess what I am missing is that if they retire the remaining years are voided and therefore not subject to the guarantee?

ETA: I am honestly trying to understand how the guarantee works for this situation.

 

[Chemical X]

It's all a negotiation between the Nationals/Lerner and Strasburg/Boras as to how much of the remaining $100M should be included in the injury settlement and how payment will be made (about a third of his contract is already deferred until 2027-29). They had a tentative agreement last fall but it fell apart at the last minute.

Was checking out Strasburg's stats and a "comp" is JR Richard. Richard had 3 seasons with 138, 141 and 151 walks...............man, times have changed. I remember he was improving his control like crazy and then I think he suffered a stroke working out at the Astrodome or something. I was young, but something like that.

Richard's stroke was believed to be related to thoracic outlet syndrome in his throwing arm, the same issue that curtailed Strasburg's career.

i did not know that

 

[Eephus]

Your thoughts on lowering the mound?

I don't see the need. Pitchers have been throwing off of a 10" mound since I was a kid. It seems a lot easier to juice the ball if you want to increase offense instead of changing the physics of every pitcher in the game.

The next big change will probably be some sort of automated challenge system for balls and strikes. The process will have to work quickly or else it'll erase the pace of play changes from the past few years.

 

[Eephus]

OK. But I thought all MLB contracts were guaranteed.......meaning the player got the full amount of the contract. I guess what I am missing is that if they retire the remaining years are voided and therefore not subject to the guarantee?

Usually the team and player negotiate some sort of settlement to defer or reduce the payout for a player who retires due to injury. That's what's happening with the Nats and Stras except that they're squabbling in a more public manner.

 

[Don Quixote]

If he retired why should he get paid.

Because typically MLB contracts are guaranteed. It would have to have specific retirement language in there to allow him not to get the full value of his guaranteed contract.

So if players retire before their contracts expire they still get paid? I don't think that's true.

Depends on the contract. Bonilla is still getting paid and he retired almost last century.

Thats deferred money they agreed to when he signed his deal

Exactly. It depends what's in the contract as to how they pay off the guaranteed money of the contract.

I think you are misunderstanding the point. Strasburg technically still has 3 more years left on his contract (2024, 2025, 2026). If he retired at end of 2023 then he shouldnt get paid for 2024-2026 unless the team agrees with him on an injury settlement which it doesnt sound like they have reached one yet. Therefore, Strasburg still wants to get paid his full contract for 2024-2026 without doing anything like trying rehab or attending camp.

Strasburg taking up a space on the 40 man roster too; retired players don’t do that. It did not even sound like Nats wanted him to rehab. Just asked him to come to camp to mentor some of the younger pitchers, and he has not shown up to do that.

OK. But I thought all MLB contracts were guaranteed.......meaning the player got the full amount of the contract. I guess what I am missing is that if they retire the remaining years are voided and therefore not subject to the guarantee?

ETA: I am honestly trying to understand how the guarantee works for this situation.

If he retires without an injury settlement deal in place, then he does not get paid for remaining years on contract (however, he would get deferred money that he is entitled to).

So, Strasburg does not want to officially retire as he’d lose out on the money for his remaining years. Nats don’t want to DFA him, as then Nats would be on the hook for the rest of contract. Players and team usually reach a settlement in impasse situations like this because it is in best interests of both parties.

ETA: What Eephus said.

 

[Chemical X]

boras makes me dry heave.

 

[Don Quixote]

starting my cake/pie draft slog. SP is sooooo crap shoot right now. 5 guys threw 200 innings last year and with guys throwing 5-6 innings, wins are way down. Top tier starters have shrunk. On the average, hitters walk less and K more, so OBP is depressed. Some nice young talent coming along, i just hope they show real bat to ball skills and don't wind up in the 25 walk / 150 k group of players that are too abundant. Also, that Soto trade for the Nats is lining up to be monumental IMO. Abrams has top skills. Wood is gonna be a beast. Hassell has not shown the bat yet in the minors, but he might bloom late as the 8th overall pick. Not to mention Gore, who was a phenom down here in Whyyyyyville. He has an electric arm, but is a lefty and has spotty mechanics. Seemed to me he was fighting something 22-23. He has top of the rotation stuff. To me, Soto gave the Pads a great year and the return from the Yanks seems was worse than what they dealt. Why deal for Soto to not lock him know or know that you can't? I just hate this deal for the Pads.

It is just spring, but James Wood up to three home runs so far. He’s making a strong case to make the roster. Hassell off to a solid start too — he was hurt most of last year; will be interesting to see whether he can bounce back.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I guess this is the best place to ask for keeper advice so I'll drop it here.

This $260-cap auction league has 11 owners and drafts from 20 MLB teams, so prices tend to be somewhere between a standard mixed league and a NL- or AL-only league. 5x5 Roto scoring, with OBP instead of AVG and SB minus CS instead of SB. Start C/1B/3B/CI/2B/SS/MI/5 OF/1 UT/8 P (no distinction between starters and relievers). 9 bench players (no distinction between major and minor leaguers).

We can keep seven per team. I am definitely keeping these four:

1B Matt Olson $12
OF Teoscar Hernandez $14
OF Michael Harris II $9
P Framber Valdez $12

Which three would you pick from this bunch?

C J.T. Realmuto $17
2B Brandon Lowe $6
3B Josh Jung $5
SS Xander Bogaerts $17
OF Nick Castellanos $17
OF Jasson Dominguez $8
P Jose LeClerc $17
P Taj Bradley $5
P Hunter Brown $5
P Cristopher Sanchez $5
P Will Smith $5
P Gavin Williams $5

 

[Eephus]

I guess this is the best place to ask for keeper advice so I'll drop it here.

This $260-cap auction league has 11 owners and drafts from 20 MLB teams, so prices tend to be somewhere between a standard mixed league and a NL- or AL-only league. 5x5 Roto scoring, with OBP instead of AVG and SB minus CS instead of SB. Start C/1B/3B/CI/2B/SS/MI/5 OF/1 UT/8 P (no distinction between starters and relievers). 9 bench players (no distinction between major and minor leaguers).

We can keep seven per team. I am definitely keeping these four:

1B Matt Olson $12
OF Teoscar Hernandez $14
OF Michael Harris II $9
P Framber Valdez $12

Which three would you pick from this bunch?

C J.T. Realmuto $17
2B Brandon Lowe $6
3B Josh Jung $5
SS Xander Bogaerts $17
OF Nick Castellanos $17
OF Jasson Dominguez $8
P Jose LeClerc $17
P Taj Bradley $5
P Hunter Brown $5
P Cristopher Sanchez $5
P Will Smith $5
P Gavin Williams $5

I don't love Teoscar at that price in an OBP league. I think Jung or B. Lowe has a better chance of outperforming their price tag.

One of those $5 pitchers is going to be good but your guess is as good as mine (which would probably be Taj Bradley).

 

[Eephus]

...and then there were two.

The Giants signed Matt Chapman to a two-thirds scale model of the Bellinger contract. 3/$54M with annual opt-outs is less than he would have made if he'd taken the qualifying offer from Toronto. SF loses a second round pick and some international bonus pool money which weren't issues for the Cubs because Bellinger stayed on the North side.

Chapman isn't an ideal signing from a team construction perspective because he's another right-handed bat with redundancies with Wilmer Flores and JD Davis. But Chapman is a much better player than either and makes the team better.

 

[Gally]

I guess this is the best place to ask for keeper advice so I'll drop it here.

This $260-cap auction league has 11 owners and drafts from 20 MLB teams, so prices tend to be somewhere between a standard mixed league and a NL- or AL-only league. 5x5 Roto scoring, with OBP instead of AVG and SB minus CS instead of SB. Start C/1B/3B/CI/2B/SS/MI/5 OF/1 UT/8 P (no distinction between starters and relievers). 9 bench players (no distinction between major and minor leaguers).

We can keep seven per team. I am definitely keeping these four:

1B Matt Olson $12
OF Teoscar Hernandez $14
OF Michael Harris II $9
P Framber Valdez $12

Which three would you pick from this bunch?

C J.T. Realmuto $17
2B Brandon Lowe $6
3B Josh Jung $5
SS Xander Bogaerts $17
OF Nick Castellanos $17
OF Jasson Dominguez $8
P Jose LeClerc $17
P Taj Bradley $5
P Hunter Brown $5
P Cristopher Sanchez $5
P Will Smith $5
P Gavin Williams $5

I don't love Teoscar at that price in an OBP league. I think Jung or B. Lowe has a better chance of outperforming their price tag.

One of those $5 pitchers is going to be good but your guess is as good as mine (which would probably be Taj Bradley).

Agree on Tesoscar. Not really a deal.

Not sure if $5 is a good price on pitchers. If it is on the good side of things I think I would keep Bradley & Brown. I also keep Jung. I let Teoscar go and replace with Lowe or Dominguez depending on how competitive you think you might be and if you are a huge Dominguez guy or not.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

It was pretty cool to see Nolan Ryan just randomly show up in Iowa to watch Caitlin Clark break the all-time scoring record.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Noelvi Marte popped for 80 games for PED use. Clears up the Reds' playing time issues a bit.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Blake Snell to the Giants.

These opt-outs seem to be a way for Boras to kick the can down the road regarding long-term contracts. He thinks this year was an anomaly, rather than the new normal.

 

[thecatch]

Blake Snell to the Giants.

These opt-outs seem to be a way for Boras to kick the can down the road regarding long-term contracts. He thinks this year was an anomaly, rather than the new normal.

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

 

[Eephus]

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

He has a lot of critics but Farhan has had a solid off-season.

 

[thecatch]

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

He has a lot of critics but Farhan has had a solid off-season.

Snell and Chapman were nice signings but they are band aids for the fact that the farm system has sucked.

 

[Eephus]

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

He has a lot of critics but Farhan has had a solid off-season.

Snell and Chapman were nice signings but they are band aids for the fact that the farm system has sucked.

The farm system has always sucked

 

[scoobus]

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

He has a lot of critics but Farhan has had a solid off-season.

Snell and Chapman were nice signings but they are band aids for the fact that the farm system has sucked.

The farm system has always sucked

2009-2010 was pretty good.

 

[thecatch]

They also seem like an attempt by Zaidi to put off his firing by 12 months.

He has a lot of critics but Farhan has had a solid off-season.

Snell and Chapman were nice signings but they are band aids for the fact that the farm system has sucked.

The farm system has always sucked

If only they had hired someone who purported to specialize in putting together farm systems that didn’t suck.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The farm system has always sucked

Alexander Canario and Caleb Killian have promising futures.

 

[Raging weasel]

I think having these overseas regular season games in the middle of preseason is dumb. Why can't they just wait another couple weeks to play them? Especially this year with the supposedly next great Japanese pitcher making his first MLB start in one of them. Fans would like to see this guy pitch but the game starts at like 6am.

 

[Eephus]

The farm system has always sucked

Alexander Canario and Caleb Killian have promising futures.

It's always a calculated risk trading prospects for a rental of a star player but the Giants needed Kris Bryant to win the division in 2021. I'd make that trade every deadline if my team is in contention.

Canario and Kilian were both nice prospects but Kilian is now hurt and Canario's likely ceiling is a fourth OF.

 

[Eephus]

I think having these overseas regular season games in the middle of preseason is dumb. Why can't they just wait another couple weeks to play them? Especially this year with the supposedly next great Japanese pitcher making his first MLB start in one of them. Fans would like to see this guy pitch but the game starts at like 6am.

3AM here but I understand why MLB is doing it this way. With the travel and the tight in-season scheduling, it's tough to carve out time for a two game series in Asia. You'd have to allow a 2-3 day buffer on either side of the roadtrip.

The potential benefits of growing the game globally exceed those of starting the season on a Tuesday afternoon in Cincinnati (sorry shuke). MLB has done this before with the A's and Mariners opening the season in the Tokyo Dome and we all somehow managed to survive.

 

[Eephus]

It's a typical own goal for this Giants' front office but they've made their fanbase more upset by the firing of their PA announcer than excited about the Snell signing.