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Perfect fit, TLR doesn’t shift at all.

Rosenthal is probably the most professional and well respected person in baseball media. This should go over well with fans and the rest of the media, especially with literally no other MLB news to discuss except for the current f’ing lockout. The current lockout with MLB/owners and Manfred being almost fully responsible.

Tampa receives an extra top 40 draft pick every year ($2M more to spend) and an additional million in the INTL free agency market. Oakland had that same deal for years, only ending in 2020, so we will see how it affects them.

I was worried this was going to be a trap game. They really haven’t played very well past three games….but pulled them out which is huge. Bmags….if they lost, I was going to call the bulls and tell them to bar you from 100 level haha. Having sat down low (never truly courtside - that is my bucket list like you) two or three times…it is just incredible watch. The players are even more athletic and talented when you see it up close vs 200 or 300 level seat.

The job is unique. The "rules" should reflect that, versus being PR people for MLB.

McNeil for Vaughn? Good lord.

MLB Network is owned by MLB, so Rosenthal was essentially an MLB employee. I don't know any company where you can publicly trash your company's CEO and retain your job.

So Manfred isn’t negotiating a new CBA with the players but is instead firing an analyst on the MLB Network for criticizing in a separate outlet. Glad he has his priorities straight!

Yeah, this is true with respect to Tampa and Oakland. OTOH, imagine if the SOX kept/used all their INTL FA cash, instead of giving it away... Or in the example of the scrubs, if they had only developed a pitcher or two of their own, they wouldn't have "HAD TO" give away Cease/Jimenez, and thus, kept their MiLB system in better standing To me, the ability to maintain a MiLB system, AND to compete at the MLB level comes down to FO intellect FIRST, and then financial might second.

I'd also rank the SOX as a "mid-major" economic power, but on academic probation for repeat violations of the "Don't Do Stupid Shit" Rule. This is true, but OTOH, the SOX have more economic might than their divisional enemies; there really isn't a true "WHALE" of an economic opponent to fight in the ALC. There also isn't a super FO that causes Detroit/Cleveland/KC/Minn to punch far above their weight, like Tampa or Oakland or Milwaukee in the ALC, either, IMO. [As I think about it, the ALC is the only division in MLB that has neither an economic WHALE, nor a super FO in it, is there?] Really, with better FO management, this org should RULE over the ALC like a fucking tyrant. Instead, through their self-inflicted wounds, they go through mostly bust cycles, with the ~once-a-decade or so return to relevance. Yay! I dunno, how do Tampa always seem to have a guy to call up? I mean, its not like they shit money. Or Oakland? Yes, they're going through a rebuild right now, but they're much more relevant more often than the SOX are. They don't seem to be scraping the bottom ~10 or so MiLB systems most years, despite not having an ocean of cash.

The White Sox are in this screwy economic zone where they have way more limits on their resources than a team like the Cubs or Phillies (whether those limits are justified or just ownership taking profits is a matter for discussion)...but they don't get the extra draft benefits that the Cardinals, Tigers, and Padres get.

I can imagine if Theo ran the Pirates. He'd probably be just like Friedman, who made the Rays punch well above their weight class, before being picked up by the Dodgers. In the end, smart FO people get picked up by smart baseball organizations, who then curbstomp the mouthbreather orgs in MLB. Theo would have been no different if he ran the Pirates for a few years before a richer/smarter org scooped him up. For all the whining about shittburg and other teams that supposedly "can't compete," smarter orgs like Tampa and Milwaukee make dumbass orgs look like fools. And yes, while money is "AN advantage," it is no longer "THE SOLE advantage" it used to be. Or else, Cashman and the yankmees would simply buy championships. Nowadays, yes, money helps, but intellect in the FOs make the difference between an absolute buzzsaw like the Dodgers, and just another competitor in the Yankmees. On the other end of the economic scale, intellect is the difference between Tampa and shittburg/cincy/baltimore/other random loser orgs in MLB...

All I know is I want Yermin to go to the Mets, because Yermin and Steve Cohen is social media magic.

That does seem to make some sense, except I don't think Bassitt is a 4/5 and I think I would rather the Sox get Bassitt than McNeil, and I like McNeil.

The roster of teams that are willing to trade current, actual starting pitching for a starting second baseman isn't large. Sounds like a 3-way trade or the mets can receive salary relief to sign a 4/5 starter.

That's gross. ewww.

yeah I won't hold my breath. Jerry has prioritized the players losing instead of fighting the competitive balance arguments. But for all the finger wagging at the sox for their drafts, and they deserve it, they are the only team in the ALC without competitive balance picks. We get less intl spending money than every other team. So yeah, their freakin "bigger budgets" better work in getting free agents because the other teams in the division get a whole lot of handouts when it comes to competing.

Tanking for draft picks is the excuse teams use to appease the fanbase. Sure Owners love their cheap talent none more so than Jerry Reinsdorf but they love the bottom line from years of running low major league payrolls and rat holing obscene amounts of money a hell of a lot more. There's not a perfect solution to prevent tanking because there will always be owners who care more about making money than putting a quality product on the field but at least they can make it more difficult for them and shit canning a system that rewards losing is a great place to start.

Message board for "what he said"

The Mariners barely missed the playoffs last year. He just wants the Mariners to load up on high picks so the future GOAT Jared Kelenic will have plenty of talent around him.

I think there's more to tanking that just draft position. I hate to sound cynical - but does anyone think a lightbulb went off in some owner's heads when they saw some teams starting to tank, and the fans not only accepted it, but in many cases (like here in Chicago for both teams) actually embraced it? They literally can have their cake and eat it to. They still collect the big tv dollars, and they drop 50+ mil off their payroll. Or more. Who wouldn't want a free 50 million dollars?

Oh my god I found floor seats for tomorrow’s game for only $200 (normal weekday/non big time team like this would be like $550+). I’ve only been on 100 level once, this is gonna be amazing

Did Yerminator retire?

You can say RH is a bad GM, but the one thing you can't say is he is a mouthbreather. Mouthbreathers don't graduate from Michigan, get a law degree at Harvard and an MBA at NU.

Can you imagine Frank or Paulie in the outfield? Vaughn was fantastic under the circumstances. He's a good athlete who can hit. I have every faith that he will be a big bat in a year or two. He is the heir apparent at 1st base. We need a bit of patience until his time comes.