2021 Misc. MLB News

[mtrebs]

Yeah, if this team ever plans to spend, now is that time.

 

We may never see starting pitching like this again.

 

Even if it only means spending more money in our given window, it just needs to be done now.

 

If not now, then it simply is never going to happen. This is the perfect time to go over and above what we normally do.

 

By no means am I saying go out and give anyone 300 million, but to take advantage of our pitching, we will need to get some bats., which means we will have to loosen the purse strings.

 

I completely agree with this. If the purse strings don’t get loosened during this window to acquire some more consistent offense while we have this pitching, then it never will. Unfortunately we will have to trade some of this pitching to acquire some offense and then we won’t have the dominant pitching. Not an easy task for Brewers management to figure out. All I know is going into 2022 without any significant offensive improvements is not a viable option.

 

I don't know about that. They didn't go to the World Series this year, but they were absolutely a World Series caliber team. Just because it didn't lead to the ultimate goal in 2021 doesn't mean the approach wasn't valid. I'm all in favor of upgrading the offense, but absolutely not if it comes at the expense of the pitching.

 

Pitching wise, yes they were a World Series caliber team last season. I’ll disagree on the offense, and as of right now the offense is even worse with the loss of Garcia. If the plan is to use Taylor in RF and have a scrub 5th, and then have Tellez and Brousseau at 1B, then I’m going to be VERY disappointed. I don’t think that will be the case though.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Ha ha the meeting today lasted a whole 7 minutes so the lockout is definitely on. I don't care how long it lasts if the end results benefit the Brewers and teams in the same boat as us.

 

With the current labor/service time issues being the primary drivers of this lockout, with no real discussion pertaining to increased revenue sharing across the league that I can tell that would actually narrow the gap between huge and small markets, the end result won't benefit the Brewers and teams in their same boat no matter how long and contentious the lockout is. I've seen nothing regarding a push by the owners - particularly from huge markets - to share more leaguewide revenue from local TV/medial market sources that would truly balance out the financial playing field and allow for the uniform escalation in player salaries across all markets that frankly the players probably deserve with how quickly some national TV revenue streams have jumped across MLB. At the end of this lockout, there still will be an enormous disparity in revenue generated by a team like the Dodgers playing in LA vs a team like the Rays or Brewers or A's. Until that disparity shrinks by fundamentally changing the financial structure of MLB, there will continue to be the have's an have not's.

[nate82]

MLB so far has this on the table:

 

Higher Competitive Balance Tax (increases the amount of the tax threshold)

Removal of draft pick compensation for losing QO players

Draft lottery

DH for both leagues

 

Players union:

 

FA earlier for players

Arbitration process earlier

Revenue sharing restructure (play in FA get more revenue sharing, minimum salary tax, etc)

 

Both are pretty far apart don't expect anything anytime soon but should be before spring training starts.

[DR28]

Wow, MLB means business… They’ve taken news about current players off the sites and player portraits on roster page are blank.

 

Jesus, little much.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Wow, MLB means business… They’ve taken news about current players off the sites and player portraits on roster page are blank.

 

Jesus, little much.

 

NLI are licensed by the players association, so they may have to take those down while there's no agreement in place, I think.

[jerichoholicninja]

The NBA did the same thing a few years ago apparently.

[adambr2]

The pleading their case to the public when stuff like this happens from both sides is always amusing.

 

MLB: "We're so sorry, fans. It's just, the MLBPA sucks so much."

 

MLBPA: "No. It's MLB that sucks so much."

[Underachiever]

I also wonder if part of the owners' spending frenzy was in fact to help turn the tide in their favor. Most fans see dollar signs, so six players getting a billion dollars total seems like the players are whiney and greedy. Getting to free agency more quickly just doesn't grab the headlines. I don't know, maybe none of them give a crap.

 

On another note: Removal of draft pick compensation for losing QO players (From Nate82's earlier post). why would owners be against the draft pick for QOs?

[young guns]

The pleading their case to the public when stuff like this happens from both sides is always amusing.

 

MLB: "We're so sorry, fans. It's just, the MLBPA sucks so much."

 

MLBPA: "No. It's MLB that sucks so much."

Fans: you both suck now make an agreement and play.

[nate82]

Mark Kotsay has been named the new manager for the A's.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/oakland-athletics-hire-mark-kotsay-as-manager-filling-last-vacancy-in-mlb/

[SRB]

Not sure where else to post this random observation, but it might get some eyes here: I just noticed that Fangraphs must have reworked how its calculates fWAR to change how it factors in catcher defense, because Jonathan Lucroy's 2014 season is now listed at 8.2 fWAR! That gives him the second-highest fWAR season in franchise history, behind Yount's 1982. (And just ahead of Yelich's two 2018-19 campaigns). They also give him 7.0 fWAR for his 2013 season.

 

I think they are probably way overvaluing catcher defense at this point, but still cool!

[sveumrules]

Not sure where else to post this random observation, but it might get some eyes here: I just noticed that Fangraphs must have reworked how its calculates fWAR to change how it factors in catcher defense, because Jonathan Lucroy's 2014 season is now listed at 8.2 fWAR! That gives him the second-highest fWAR season in franchise history, behind Yount's 1982. (And just ahead of Yelich's two 2018-19 campaigns). They also give him 7.0 fWAR for his 2013 season.

 

I think they are probably way overvaluing catcher defense at this point, but still cool!

 

Believe those have been Lucroy's totals since they started incorporating framing prior to the 2019 season...

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-pitch-framing/

 

Since framing has been tracked in 2008, Brewers backstops have registered an MLB best +235 framing runs, with Atlanta trailing quite a bit in 2nd at +177. Granted, most of that Brewers total is Lucroy (+150), but Maldonado (+39), Yasmani (+17), Omar (+13), Zaun (+10), Manny (+10), Rivera (+7) and even Kratz (+5) all chipped in too while Kottaras (-7) & Kendall (-8) are the only guys to really grade out negatively.

 

On the one hand, the totals do seem kind of large at the extreme ends of the leaderboards, but then again we all know the difference between results after 0-1 (620 OPS) vs 1-0 (811 OPS) or after 1-2 (510 OPS) vs 2-1 (802 OPS) etc, so when those borderline calls consistently go one way or another over hundreds of such opportunities it adds up (or subtracts down) pretty fast.

 

However closely the publicly available metrics do or don't track with whatever numbers the more intrepid clubs have come up with on their own, Stearns & company appear to believe the effect is real. Hopefully Charlie Greene can work his magic on Severino next.

[markedman5]

Ray Montgomery has a new job.........don't see this kind of move too often......although we did do it with CC.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/01/angels-to-hire-ray-montgomery-as-bench-coach.html

[TURBO]

Cardinals signed Korean OF Won-Bin Cho.

 

Cho, a South Korean high school baseball prospect, withdrew from the Korea Baseball Organization draft last August to pursue an opportunity with a major-league organization. The lefty-hitting slugger drew plenty of interest after winning a homer derby for underclass players at the National Power Showcase in Texas two offseason ago. He doesn't turn 19 years old until August and immediately becomes one of the most interesting prospects in the Cardinals' organization.

 

SOURCE: Cardinals Player Development on Twitter

Jan 15, 2022, 3:05 PM ET

[nate82]

Cardinals signed Korean OF Won-Bin Cho.

 

Cho, a South Korean high school baseball prospect, withdrew from the Korea Baseball Organization draft last August to pursue an opportunity with a major-league organization. The lefty-hitting slugger drew plenty of interest after winning a homer derby for underclass players at the National Power Showcase in Texas two offseason ago. He doesn't turn 19 years old until August and immediately becomes one of the most interesting prospects in the Cardinals' organization.

 

SOURCE: Cardinals Player Development on Twitter

Jan 15, 2022, 3:05 PM ET

 

This was someone the Cardinals signed with their International Bonus signing money.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-international-prospects-signing-preview-tracker-for-2022/

[stoutdude04]

Cardinals signed Korean OF Won-Bin Cho.

 

Cho, a South Korean high school baseball prospect, withdrew from the Korea Baseball Organization draft last August to pursue an opportunity with a major-league organization. The lefty-hitting slugger drew plenty of interest after winning a homer derby for underclass players at the National Power Showcase in Texas two offseason ago. He doesn't turn 19 years old until August and immediately becomes one of the most interesting prospects in the Cardinals' organization.

 

SOURCE: Cardinals Player Development on Twitter

Jan 15, 2022, 3:05 PM ET

 

This was someone the Cardinals signed with their International Bonus signing money.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-international-prospects-signing-preview-tracker-for-2022/

 

Swing looked pretty smooth. Saw a homerun derby he was in and the swing was a bit more wild.

[trwi7]

Former Brewers pitcher Sergio Mitre is the scum of the earth. Sentenced to 50 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend's 22 month old daughter.

[AKCheesehead]

I would recommend NOT reading any news story about that if you have not done so already. It's just awful.

[Opening Day]

I would recommend NOT reading any news story about that if you have not done so already. It's just awful.

Agreed, don’t think I’ve ever said this, but 50 years seems like a light sentence. Castration and being put to death by starvation would seem like a more appropriate sentence.

[homer]

RIP former Brewer hitting coach Gene Clines.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/01/gene-clines-passes-away.html

[TURBO]

Just freaking disgusting:

 

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Mets "might consider signing another significant pitcher and hitter" once the lockout ends.

 

The Mets have already signed Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar, pushing their payroll to the $270 million range, but they might not be done. The impact starting pitchers are mostly off the board, with Carlos Rodon possibly fitting that criteria, though there are still some interesting options on the trade front. The free agent hitter class is a bit deeper, with Kris Bryant standing out as a solid fit. There's a real chance owner Steve Cohen will push this payroll closer to $300 million by Opening Day. Of course, the lockout still needs to be settled, so this is just speculation for now.

 

SOURCE: Jon Heyman on Twitter

Jan 31, 2022, 11:21 AM ET

[sveumrules]

Last year the Mets spent just under 200 million (3rd most in MLB) to go 77-85.

 

Maybe another 100 million can get them up to .500

[jerichoholicninja]

Ya, whatever. Spend all the money they want. Maybe they sneak in as a wild card.

[burnzy24]

Joe West has retired.

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33216709/joe-west-retires-umpire-record-5460-games-roberto-ortiz-becomes-first-puerto-rican-full-ump

[TURBO]

Oh HAPPY DAY!