caulfield12

I don't know if I'm buying it so much as I never bothered to cancel it and it automatically renews every year....the video is very inconsistent in my new apartment here in China, but I still enjoy listening to all the games (listened to the Dodgers' feed this morning to go to sleep between 4-6 a.m., lol) and sometimes listening to DJ/Len when the spirit strikes me. They have GameDay Audio, but I look at it as my little small tiny insignificant contribution to MLB from afar.

Scared of who they pick from the lower minors who's not on the 40 man roster at present time. Wilfred Veras, not sure they'd have any interest. Is he even an outfielder, or more a corner IF guy at present? Maybe Eder, Carela, Nastrini?...Mason Adams might be too highly thought of by some in the organization.

Maybe trade Colas to them...or Fletcher. Although theoretically Colas MIGHT be able to play 1st...can't imagine him suddenly putting up the 850ish plus OPS numbers required for the position. Ofc, Vaughn's been lucky to post 700ish and he got rewarded for that season with almost a $6 million contract. At any rate, Colas Julks DeLoach and Fletcher all seem ticketed for Charlotte at this point.

Except to Getz's ego. Because McCarthy's 3+ fWAR performance last year has been beaten over his head. Mena's, not quite so much...but still has potential, like Yhoiker Fajardo will carry with him to Boston.

With SD...it's clearly a team overextended financially due to an abundance of $100+ million contracts attempting to fill in roster spots 16-25 with the cheapest players possible to make the number crunchers satisfied.

More importantly, Manfred cut to the core of the ESPN business model, saying that MLB does “not believe Pay TV, ESPN’s primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content.” He cited subscriber figures for ESPN that are lower than any previously reported — 53.6 million homes as of December — and said MLB did not think it beneficial “to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform.” Manfred’s broadside against cable is far from breaking new ground — it is likely that officials at all of the major leagues and conferences have said something similar privately — but it is worth noting that MLB still has significant ties to cable by way of its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/02/mlb-espn-deal-terminated-after-this-season-rob-manfred/

Fine, Profar, Solano, David (not Wandy) Peralta, Estrada and Martin Perez were all signed very cheaply last year or were claimed on waivers for SD and were quite effective. Matsui was more expensive, but part of that was about pursuing Sasaki as a FA. They made one mistake on a Korean reliever. This year, they've signed another combination of players (including Pivetta's 2025 salary) that will cost them well under $10 million combined. Heyward, Connor Joe, their KBO LHP, Pivetta (obviously there's cost/risk on the backside), Gavin Sheets, Yuli Gurriel. We'll see if Preller can pull a rabbit out of a hat two consecutive years. Probably will end up with JD Martinez if the price comes down low enough, Mark Canha, someone like that...Rizzo, etc. (2023, it didn't work nearly as well with guys like Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz, who was cooked by then.)

And how often have they successfully done that? With multiple players from one cycle that weren't already on their own team to start with? It can't be something that happens by freak occurence every five to ten years. And what did they get back when they lost Rodon? A future favor from Boras lol?

Boston? NPB?

Nicky Lopez Reese McGuire...David Bote some notable names for Cubs and now Dodgers. ABS automatic balls and strikes challenge system experiment starts ... two not three challenges per team per spring game. Only pitcher catches better can invoke. Keep your challenges as long as you keep winning then. Lopez and Brujan k'd by Yamamoto...who starts 20+ days from now in Tokyo Series.

Maybe distracted by Lisa Dergan?

After Robert is traded...Benintendi's salary dump will be the next target. Does anyone really think that JR will wait this time around until 2027 to try to clear it off the books? A follow up to second half 2024 of similar numbers makes it quite possible to move at least 70-75% of that deal.

"GLENDALE, Ariz. — For the first time in a Dodgers uniform, 23-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki threw to hitters Wednesday in front of a gigantic crowd of spectators, the likes of which rarely gather for such a routine component of baseball’s spring practice sessions. A year ago, it was Shohei Ohtani’s first live batting practice that had Camelback Ranch buzzing, as eager fans filling the backfields got their first glimpses of the superstar in action wearing Dodger blue. Should Ohtani face hitters as a pitcher this spring as part of his progression back from elbow surgery, that might usurp Sasaki’s inaugural live batting practice as the highlight of Los Angeles’ spring training. But as of now, Sasaki’s first chance to face hitters represents the high-water mark for intrigue in Dodgers camp." https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/roki-sasakis-first-live-batting-practice-draws-a-crowd-at-dodgers-camp-everybodys-excited-to-watch-it-012937776.html Cubs: Most of Chicago's main position-player group are not in the starting lineup for the opener at Camelback Ranch. Starting first baseman Michael Busch -- acquired from the Dodgers prior to last season -- is the only regular who made the trip, though three of Chicago's seven Top 100 prospects -- Moises Ballesteros (No. 69), James Triantos (No. 73) and Kevin Alcántara (No. 90) -- are in the lineup. Dodgers: Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy are the only three Dodgers regulars in the lineup for the team's first Cactus League game, with offseason acquisition Hyeseong Kim and No. 30 overall prospect Dalton Rushing also in the starting nine. mlb.com

Total change of scenery trade for both...unless you're buying that AB wants to be the de facto "veteran leader" of the Sox fighting off the boo birds when the Sox actually won games down the stretch drive at home to put off the all time loss record

Except Raffaela maybe can't hit and probably needs to replace Story at SS.

At his more recent peak...2022, Benintendi's at leaet a 3+ fWAR player. Yoshida is older and unlikely to ever break even 2 fWAR. He was finally healthy in the second half and clearly outproduced Yoshida despite playing on the worst team in baseball history while Yoshida had Rafael Devers to protect him in the lineup.

What's your plan for bringing in non Tier C free agents? At least targeting Japanese players by leveraging Yoshida and Iguchi is an idea. Hard to prove it could be executed successfully, though. Same with HaSeong Kim and signing the other Kim (2B) that ended up with the Dodgers for $12 million to play IF together...planting a flag with future Korean players to come over.

Am I really that far off that 75-80% of fans from Naperville Bolingbrook, etc., are more Cubs' fans? Rosemont? Schaumburg? Especially north of I-88... Where the Kane County Cougars used to play?

That broken hamate bone was with the Yankees in 2022...late in the season. It really affected him for 1 1/2 full seasons with the White Sox...? But then miraculously healed in the second half? Wouldn't they be able to dump his contract on someone if that was the conventional wisdom across baseball?

Maybe nothing becomes of him. But Tobias Meyers was in our system and now he's the number 3 starter for the Brewers...cost controlled at that. It seems like every year it's a Romy Gonzalez or Luis Gonzalez who contributed for another team....but never for the Sox. Or about eight relievers we traded away who all ended up pitching in the post season. Is it always just bad luck or random ocuurrence? That every single "future star" from the Hahn rebuild was struck down by injury, non-performance, off the field problems, etc. It feels like the only positive counter-examples are Luis Robert in 2023 and Cease in 2022...followed by disappointing seasons that eroded their trade value. Fedde was a coup...until Vargas, but it somehow led to Edman and Kopech starring for LA and winning a WS. The only thing to go right in the last 12 months has seemingly been Garrett Crochet...and that trade couldn't bring back a Campbell, Meyer or Anthony. Is there a curse...? I mean...we train at Glendale with the worst record in baseball history in the rear window...juxtaposed with might Ne one of the greatest collections of talent on one team and a WS winner in two of the past five years now. Even the Mets in 1962 were an expansion team and enjoyed incredibly strong fan support for their new franchise.

"Alex Speas, 26, made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers last season and pitched in three games. Speas didn’t pitch well in two innings, allowing three runs and five walks. He was claimed off of waivers by the White Sox in October and has spent this season in Charlotte with the Sox Triple-A affiliate Knights...Speas has a fastball that tops out in triple digits and averaged 98.9 mph in his short stint with Texas last season, but he primarily relies on a cut fastball that averages 91.9 mph. Speas had a whiff rate of 40.4% on his cutter in Triple-A in 2023." But we couldn't use this guy with the worst pen in baseball???...neither could the A's, but the Astros and Red Sox both saw something with him last year. And it's not like age 25/26 is old compared to some of the relievers we actually traded for this off season...

the next Disney/Rookie 2 inspiration...pitched in Charlotte and for Astros, claimed by multiple teams in 2024 https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-twins-alex-speas-tiktok-pitcher-carlos-correa-injury-spring-training-tv-schedule/601225207 "Speas retired after the 2021 season, disappointed he didn’t meet expectations after he was a second-round pick in 2016 for the Rangers. He coached Little League baseball in his hometown for a season, after he lasted three months working in a sales job. The kids he coached, knowing his background, begged to watch him pitch. When he finally relented, his first pitch was 97 mph without any warmup throws, which turned into a TikTok video that garnered more than 170,000 views." https://nolanwritin.com/posts/a-former-youth-baseball-coach-helps-texas-rangers-to-a-sweep-of-the-rays-01h5r14966ep Crazy transactions list https://www.mlb.com/player/alex-speas-666208

The Commissioner putting the Dodgers and Mets vs. 28 other teams/owners seems...unwise.

The Commissioner putting the Dodgers and Mets vs. 28 other teams/owners seems...unwise.

Yoshida +1.6 fWAR vs Benintendi -0.6 fWAR the last two years combined... Yoshida +2.8 (1.4 + 1.4) bWAR vs. Benintendi (0.2 + -0.8) -0.6 bWAR