caulfield12

Back to reality in the AL Central where only KC and Detroit are spending apparently... "I’ve got to imagine that an event that that had ballooned to the the size of that (Guards' Fest), that it was at the Conv. Center and, you know, took up as much time and and as many resources was probably not cheap. Probably didn’t operate at a profit for the for the club. You got to remember you got to pay the workers there and for the space and all that. But you also have to pay and include clauses in the players' contracts to incentivize the players to come back to town and spend time at that event, signing autographs and posing for pictures. So is it going to save them money by not having it every year? "

Cleveland even cutting back on their Guardians' Fest. Will be just every three years... "But word came out that Guards fest, the popular fan festival that typically takes place downtown at the Convention Center in January. Is kind of their shifting their their philosophy on it and it’s not going to take place in January of 2025. In fact, they’re going to move it to a triennial every three years event, and they’re going to look to stage the next one. After the 2026 season, so I read that as January of 2027, the next time they’re gonna come back with some sort of fan festival. Where and and how that looks and if it will look different than past guards fests in in in Cleveland still remains to be seen. But what did you take away from the the news that the? Guards Fest is not going to take place this year, and it’s it’s not going to take place for a a another couple of years. Paul Hoynes 1:25 Yeah, Joe, I thought it was. I’m I’m. Still a little perplexed by this. The timing seems strange to me. You’re coming off a great season in which you won the division with 92 wins. You got the manager of the year. You make a deep postseason run. You drew over 2 million fans. That would seem like a season we’re celebrating. An opportunity for the team to create some goodwill, sell some tickets for 2025. But. You know, so I I’m a little. I I was not caught off guard because we had. We had heard some rumblings about this, but it it does seem like a strange move." Cleveland.com

Why would SD trade him when they need him to compete in 2025? Maybe as a FA...but if Eeovaldi's at $25 million at the top of the second tier, yikes!

Yes, got it. Maybe the Yanks strike back with Alonso. Polar Bear Pete and not Friends and Family or F-1 Alonso.

When someone puts sign Walker...you realize there are actually players out there with similar names, it's not like the guy is so iconic more than 5-10% of hardcore baseball fans would even be able to identify him. He was on my fantasy team recently, had a massive season and still at 730 am reading the thread while bleary-eyed the Dodgers' pitcher came to mind initially.

30 now, -1.3 bWAR and a 5.38 ERA He was decent in the playoffs, but this deal feels even riskier than Rodon. Feel like the second half of his career will be more up and down like Wacha. I guess Walker might have been referring to a D backs 1B now...but they have Uncle Ben's Rice!

Buehler is still a complete wild card though after last season...

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/juan-soto-broke-shohei-ohtanis-contract-record-after-1-year-how-long-will-sotos-record-deal-stand-190237071.html Who could break Soto mark? G.Henderson, de la Cruz, Merrill, Skenes…

Just like a full 1/4th of the increased WNBA 2024 revenues can be traced pretty directly to Caitlin Clark-onomics. This was especially the case with Harper and the Sox...compared to Machado and Wheeler. Heck, compared to Lindor and Soto, too. Massive misunderstanding of his marketing appeal to a franchise without a real star since Frank Thomas.

They really need to think outside the box...it just makes sense financially that Japanese Korean and Taiwanese players can bring additional financial/advertising and marketing benefits from their home markets. For example, HaSeong Kim is widely revered in South Korea and there's also a sizable Korean population in Chicagoland. I'd rather take a shot with him in the $12-15 million range than Maldonado/Lopez/Clevinger, etc. Sasaki is obvious...but probably for the Cubs.

And Roki Sasaki is going to be worth at least $10-15 million...touching $20 million for his new team. Almost has to be NY LA Chicago or San Francisco. Seattle, perhaps.

"In the wake of Juan Soto's megadeal with Mets, Shohei Ohtani looks like quite the bargain" It's estimated that the L.A. Dodgers earned nine figures worth of revenue from their new star in 2024. "But as details trickled out, the agreement assumed a more complex sheen. A whopping $680 million — $68 million per season — would be deferred until the 10 years were up. Ohtani would take home just $2 million per season during his playing tenure with the Dodgers. The mammoth leftovers would be doled out later, from 2034 to 2043, in $68 million annual increments. That abnormal structure lowered the present-day value of Ohtani’s contract from $700 million to somewhere in the $460 million range, depending on the rate of inflation. An outlandish sum, to be sure, but no longer an otherworldly, unprecedented figure. And now, in the wake of Juan Soto’s landmark 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets, Ohtani’s pact with the Dodgers looks like an epic bargain." https://sports.yahoo.com/in-the-wake-of-juan-sotos-megadeal-with-mets-shohei-ohtani-looks-like-quite-the-bargain-195505431.html

Or more than the entire White Sox 2025 organizational payroll... https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2024-12-09/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-financial-impact-first-year Turns out, that might have been low-balling the value. In addition to the windfall of corporate sponsorship money, the Dodgers saw increases in ticket sales, merchandising and even tours of Dodger Stadium (the team has been told by Japanese tourism officials that more than 80% of people who visit Los Angeles from the country go to the ballpark during their trip). As Ohtani helped the club to its first full-season World Series since 1988, officials noticed a renewed “buzz in the community,” as chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said, “that means more people are thinking about the Dodgers and buying more merchandise and more tickets and more hot dogs and more everything.” While the team declined to disclose specific Ohtani-related revenue totals, some reports now estimate the player’s annual influence on the franchise to be in the nine-figure range. Tack on the investment opportunities his salary deferrals create, and the forecasts of him being a billion-dollar profit machine for the franchise seem on track. “Because he helps create a winning culture, he makes business better,” Rosen said. “Whether it’s in sponsorship or merchandise or ticket sales. You name it, he does it.”

Rodon 2021?

Should just play Mitchell...34 year old CFers don't have any upside remaining unless it's synthetic/chemically-produced.

Guardians at $86.4 million, Miami Marlins $86.5 million and TB $87.2 million to start 2024. Real payroll targets now must be the Pirates at $72 million and Sacramento/LV A's at $47.1 (last) with Ross Stripling the highest paid player at $12.1 million.

Along with an owner who suddenly goes into anaphylactic shock at the mere mention of the word "extension."

Dominguez is expected to be the starting CFer, with Judge moving over to right to protect his health.

Not even sure we get the Robbie Grossman/Kevin Pillar equivalent back in trade. So now we're not even meeting the DeJong/Pham standard in retread dumpster diving. And for the love of God, just let Colas go if this is the best replacement you can come up with.

Looks like even more payroll cutting in Minnesota...even with 2025 projections for the highest team fWAR numbers of the AL Central contenders.

We're going in the same direction as Elizabeth Berkeley's career without the spectacle of Showgirls.

Who did Boise play other than Oregon and UNLV (borderline Top 25) twice?

Bringing up Quero and Montgomery to start the season...is that enough to make them watchable again? Maybe...? Then they have the Schultz and Smith debuts in the next calendar year, but that's about it unless they luck out with the 1-1 pick in 2026.

The problem is you're removing your two best pitchers....including a Cy candidate, your best defensive player (unless Fletcher is now that) and most offensive upside in Robert and there's even less clarity in the bullpen than heading into 2024.

Don't forget Outman. Buying low, just like selling low on Robert. Also, guess we can't survive for even a year without a player named Gavin on the active roster...