caulfield12

Really thought Chuckie Robinson was going to turn the entire offseason around...

Connor Joe? Might as well apply to join AAA…

1) The majority of streaming services won’t survive the ongoing price wars. 2) Advances in AI are going to continue to shake up Hollywood and the entertainment world ingeneral…but nothing can realistically replace live sports in terms of content creation. “Facing tens of billions of dollars in losses, streaming services are flipping over couch cushions to cut costs and scrounge for revenue. They are slashing spending on new content, killing password sharing and running more ads.” 3) MLB and gambling/Las Vegas/Draft Kings/Fan Duel will continue to innovate new profit schemes… 4) Ways to increase profits from Japan and Korea will continue to rise…along with Mexico/MCDF.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/milwaukee-brewers-send-reliable-starting-pitcher-to-new-york-mets-in-pre-holiday-trade/ar-AA1lOy4R Backup plan for Yamamoto and Cease lol?

https://www.mlb.com/news/billie-eilish-wears-jake-peavy-jersey

Padres felt the tradeoff was worth it due to almost doubling the base of fans they could reach... “While we’re disappointed that Diamond Sports Group failed to live up to their contractual agreement with the club, we are taking this opportunity to reimagine the distribution model, remove blackouts on local games, improve the telecast, and expand the reach of Padres games by more than 2 million homes,” MLB Chief Revenue Officer Noah Garden said in a statement. MLB announced Tuesday night that fans in the Padres’ home television market will be able to watch games on DirecTV, Cox, Spectrum, AT&T U-Verse and fubo. MLB will also offer a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription for $19.99 per month or $74.99 for the rest of the season by registering at MLB.TV. This is the first time MLB.TV is offering a DTC (direct-to-consumer) option in a team’s home market and also lifts the blackout rules that were in place for games previously distributed on Bally Sports San Diego. Padres games through Sunday will be available for free with an MLB login at MLB.com, Padres.com and in the MLB apps on mobile and connected devices. MLB said that the new arrangement expands the reach of Padres’ games in its home television market by 189% from approximately 1.13 million homes to approximately 3,264,000." https://apnews.com/article/padres-bally-sports-mlb-906f9f1ad0d66264b92b9cbe0ecd888a https://www.castiron.media/locations/san-diego/padres/ If you want to work selling advertising for MLB teams, here's your unique opportunity

So Phillies Red Sox Giants Blue Jays Mets Yankees Dodgers maybe the Cubs?

If Colas was setback by that long layoff between Japan and the US arrival...Cousin won't be any closer to ready. $2 million? To the same outfit that invested $15+ million needlessly into Leury Garcia?

Pitch Repertoire At-A-Glance In 2023, they have relied primarily on their Fourseam Fastball (95mph) and Slider (86mph), also mixing in a Sinker (94mph) and Change (85mph). He also rarely throws a Curve (79mph). Seems to me that giving him a shot over the likes of Jessie Scholtens, well, you know EXACTLY what you have with Scholtens at his very best. Obviously Katz and Bannister have reviewed his performance/s the last 2-3 seasons as his prospect status deteriorated to "suspect," but he was one of those placeholders at the very least who were going to protect the likes of Mena/Nastrini/Eder/Bush, etc., from getting exposed too early in 2024. Honestly not even following what's going on with Deivi Garcia, Jose Urena...who knows, maybe Tanner Banks or Crochet will get starts the way things are trending...but it is a bit strange how quickly they gave up on both Brent Honeywell (he was very effective the first half of 2023 as a reliever until wearing down) and Patino, to name just two. Four or five years ago, those were huge names.

Interestingly, there's still a contention that not even the Rangers were profitable (or profitable enough) in a year they won the World Series...part of that due to the fact that the ad sales/increased rate sheets don't usually show up until the post season and into the 3-5 years following a WS victory. As for SD, the Padres were heading for a disastrous season vis a vis pre-season expectations...that makes sense to an extent. And now there's even more chaos with Seidler passing away and heading into a transition period of trying to thread the needle between competing and preserving the farm system simultaneously. Of course, JR would never cede the control over his broadcast network (ad sales), as well as ticket sales. That's the ONE area he doubles or triples down on, especially when times are tough, trying to draw blood from a turnip. Ultimately it feels like the lowered payroll is merely covering "losses" from 2022-23 and not being reinvested (theoretical savings) into operations. And one would have to think that basically having your own network would insulate the Sox and Cubs, but not unless BOTH teams do something dramatic to shake up this offseason...couldn't imagine working for sales on either side of the city, despite the current Santa Claus rally fueling Wall Street, seems that corporations are still being largely risk-adverse with marketing/sponsorship budgets. (Lastly, AL Central impact/s. I guess we'll have to see if the Guardians end up dumping Bieber as well, they're going with almost all youth across their rotation, and betting on the critical bounceback from McKenzie. The one team that really seems to be screwing over their fans though is the Twins, especially after their first playoff series victory in decades. Like the White Sox with Andrew Benintendi, they're being largely blocked right now by the Buxton and Correa deals hanging ominously over their payroll.)

Dak Prescott (4th Rd) Here's the two non First round QB's who will start and were drafted before 2015: Tom Brady (6th Rd) Russell Wilson (3rd Rd) Kirk Cousins (4th Rd) Jimmy Garoppolo (2nd Rd) Derek Carr (2nd Rd) Here's the list of guys who MIGHT start or who are not "1st string" and were drafted past first round: Gardner Minshew Fitzpatrick/Heinicke Andy Dalton Drew Lock Jalen Hurts 49 QB's have been drafted outside of the first round since 2015 and only one is a legit starter in the NFL. Something to keep in mind before you fall in love with ________. EDIT: This was meant to show you won't find a franchise QB outside the 1st Rd, but hey if you want to win a Super Bowl with Drew Lock go ahead (although a last minute win over the Eagles is still a possibility). source: reddit.com

"Three teams are not included in the agreement. Those are the Minnesota Twins (whose deal with Diamond and Bally Sports North expired at the end of the 2023 season), Cleveland Guardians, and the reigning World Champion Texas Rangers. SBJ’s report notes that Diamond has committed to making offers for those three teams’ rights by the end of this week, likely at a lower rate." Immense impact at top of the AL Central...

Dumb.

Not according to JD Salinger.

And Burnes once again will be making a much higher salary than Cease....similar to Glasnow. The problem is that the Brewers seem to be more immediately desperate to move him than the Sox with Cease. Of course, LA might need Burned just to get through this season....they have 3-4 massive pitching additions for 2025 lined up and the prospect cost to LA will be decidedly lower. Also doesn't feel like now is good time for extension with Burnes eg. Glasnow having so many question marks moving forward.

It is in a way...they don't feel either Giolito or Cease are worth extending. So who exactly would be worth anything more than three year contracts on the pitching front then? It's like the argument the Pirates have for competing the next two years in the NL Central with Cease isn't far removed from the White Sox giving him a $150-175 million extension. The Twins and Guardians took their feet off the accelerator recently and basically begged the rest of the division to engage...but they're just withdrawing further into their shell and battening down the hatches for the upcoming storm. No instinct to fight or idea how to create a winning team from scratch. Except speed and defense is probably cheaper than paying for massive power #'s. Well that's fine if you have a strong rotation and lockdown pen. Which the Sox most assuredly don't. But, at this point, Jordan Leasure becoming the Gregory Santos of 2024 is the most that can reasonably be expected.

The White Sox were once the 8th most valuable franchise in baseball...now they're drifting into the mid teens and will likely end up close to #20-22 if this current malaise continues for the next 2-3 seasons. Facility issues on the horizon as well. Hard to see any place where there's a positive trend besides cutting payroll and selling off assets. That works far better for META to cut overhead than for the White Sox not to reinvest those savings in reinvigorating the entertainment product itself.

https://sports.yahoo.com/good-2024-qb-draft-class-204008963.html

https://africa.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39141080/mlb-free-agency-cody-bellinger-cubs-blue-jays-2023-24

Pirates' "big move" would be appear to be Martin Perez out of the bargain bin. Not to mention Rowdy Tellez, Billy McKinney, and Eduardo Olivares from the Royals... Dylan Cease fits in with that puzzle....NOT!

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

“Tennessee has recently emerged as a sought-after destination for real estate investment,” said Qiu. “Cities like Nashville and Memphis are experiencing rapid growth, driven by factors such as affordable housing, a favorable tax environment and a thriving music and entertainment industry. These factors position Tennessee as an attractive state for investors seeking to capitalize on its upward trajectory.” Aaron May, a Realtor with Coastal Luxury Real Estate Partners, agrees. “Tennessee has gained attention in recent years as a state with a favorable business environment and a low cost of living,” said May. “Nashville, in particular, has seen remarkable growth, fueled by its vibrant music and entertainment industry. With no state income tax and a steady influx of young professionals, the real estate market in Tennessee holds promise for the future.” https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/real-estate-agents-buy-property-145842517.html

Cease makes zero sense from a timeline perspective, even considering they'll be getting O'Neil Cruz back healthy again for SS. https://www.mlb.com/pirates/news/pirates-need-starting-pitching-for-2024-season They basically have to fill out an entire rotation after Keller. It would be shocking if they gave up T.Johnson after picking him so high in the 1st. Unless they simply didn't learn a thing at all from parting with the likes of Glasnow, Musgrove and Taillon. Certainly not a team that typically sheds young prospects for players with just two years of control remaining.

What next...Ncorgbl?

We're more likely to end up with the equivalent of Micah Johnson.