CentralChamps21

Long term strategy--eliminate the best player from another WC contender.

Advanced level strategy by the Red Sox.

With a non-expanded roster, you carry 13 position players which equals 4 bench players. At a minimum, those 4 guys need to be able to cover all 8 positions on the field, and your backup C very rarely is going to be able to play anywhere else. So that leaves 3 guys for 7 positions. Garcia's biggest value is that because he can play every position, you can afford to carry someone who's only a DH/1B type on your bench when otherwise you really couldn't do that. Leury can be your 5th OF in addition to your primary backup on the infield. With the rosters expanded, that value is diluted a bit because you could do that anyway. If you see Romy Gonzalez' ceiling a a Leury-esque utility guy, you could have let Leury go in free agency rather than extending him, or at the very least you could lowball his offer compared to what they actually offered him. If you see Romy as a potential starter in the middle infield, then he needs to be at AAA playing every day and you need Leury. Whether you needed to give him 3 years guaranteed is still debatable though. Historically, Leury's glove has been good in the IF and neutral in the OF, though his start so far this season is not up to those levels. His bat has always been streaky. The larger problem is that regardless of his platoon advantage, there's nobody on this roster he should ever bat ahead in the order with the exception of McGuire and maybe Harrison vs RHP. He should never be behind Burger, Sheets or Vaughn, but he routinely gets placed in the 6-7 spots in the lineup and kills rallies.

I thought blackouts were created to keep people from having access to the broadcasts via mlb.tv in order to ensure the maximum number of eyeballs on the home team's broadcast (and thus, their commercials). In Chicago, it makes sense, because NBCSC paid good money for the rights and they don't want you watching mlb.tv instead. In Iowa, it doesn't make sense because, presumably, most of the state's cable providers don't carry NBCSC so there's no other way to get the game.

Blackout areas should coincide with the distribution of a team's primary channel. What is that so hard to do?

I would think there's a tipping point where if too many games go to exclusive deals, mlb.tv sales start to suffer. I can see people who are buying mlb.tv to see 150+ of their team's games deciding to get rid of it if that number dips too much farther.

Adam Engel

Jose Abreu

Tim Anderson

That's 100% why Apple bought exclusive rights to games.

If Giolito/Lynn/Cease/Kopech combine for over 110 starts, it's going to be hard for this team to not win at least 90 games.

Once Giolito and Lynn are back, if both of them plus Cease and Kopech stay healthy, this team will be hard to beat. At some point, one of Keuchel, VV or Cueto will earn the #5 spot. The bullpen has been pretty good except for Liam, and you have to think he'll get straightened out. The weak spot is going to be the offense vs good RHP with plus sliders. Pollock and Grandal are going to have to carry the load against those guys, and Moncada needs to come back at least as good as he was last year.

Copied from Apple TV Plus thread: So I just added Apple TV to our Roku TV. I found tonight's game. It's listed under Apple TV+ which means the subscription is required, but it also says it's free for a limited time so it looks like we can get tonight's game without subscribing; but by the time we get to the May 6 game against the other Sox, a subscription might be required. I'll sign up for the free trial for that game. Then for the June 17 game I'll have one of my parents sign up for a free trial.

So I just added Apple TV to our Roku TV. I found tonight's game. It's listed under Apple TV+ which means the subscription is required, but it also says it's free for a limited time so it looks like we can get tonight's game without subscribing; but by the time we get to the May 6 game against the other Sox, a subscription might be required. I'll sign up for the free trial for that game. Then for the June 17 game I'll have one of my parents sign up for a free trial.

#42 Drew Rasumussen (0-0, 4.50) vs #42 Dylan Cease (1-0, 1.80)

No point burning the high leverage guys now. 5-1 or 9-1 doesn't matter.

Opposite field is generally a good approach for a hitter, but today the righties are going to need to pull the ball.

OK, maybe you want McGuire to catch Lambert and Jose gets a "1/2 day off" at DH, but then why Sheets over Yaz at 1B?

Yermin Mercedes 28.

I'm guessing Vaughn in LF, Burger at 3B, Leury at 2B, and Sheets at DH.

Eloy probably sits today so we'll probably get Vaughn in LF and Sheets at DH.

My god the M's fans are whiners.

People remember he was a human gas can pre-2020.

The rainiest place on earth complaining about rain is a bit ironic.

You've never seen the Frank Thomas Nugenix commercials?