2014/2015 Official MLB Offseason Thread: Signings, Trades, Rumors, Etc.
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The Tigers should be a good team again this year but as good as last year you think Hungry? Losing Scherzer is gonna hurt and what is there to make of Verlander after a horrible season (very horible for him) last year. Had he not had that great offense behind him he might have lost close to 20 games and his 4.54 era was a full run per game higher than his career average. His fastball lost 3 mph last season but not sure if that has gone down more this preseason or not. I think we are looking at the rapidly declining version of Verlander, sad to say because I like the guy and love Kate Upton! (Lucky Bastard!)
The Tigers also play in a very competitive division and i would not be surprised if they win the division, take a wildcard or not even make it to postseason. Gonna be a interesting year in the Motor city.
If Arod can hit 20 hr's and drive in 70 then the Yankees Brass will be thrilled! I think if he stays healthy he can do just that and more but as always time will tell. And yes Pineda was a bonehead for the pine tar incident, he was raw last year and now he is a tride and true NYY and understands what it means to wear the prized pinstripes. He looks like the Pitcher he was the first half of his rookie season in Seattle and dare i say it, even better?
Seems quiet in here lately...but nice, right Joe?
The Tigers also play in a very competitive division and i would not be surprised if they win the division, take a wildcard or not even make it to postseason. Gonna be a interesting year in the Motor city.
If Arod can hit 20 hr's and drive in 70 then the Yankees Brass will be thrilled! I think if he stays healthy he can do just that and more but as always time will tell. And yes Pineda was a bonehead for the pine tar incident, he was raw last year and now he is a tride and true NYY and understands what it means to wear the prized pinstripes. He looks like the Pitcher he was the first half of his rookie season in Seattle and dare i say it, even better?
Seems quiet in here lately...but nice, right Joe?
IDK Iggy. Problem with Sherzer is that I think he pitched one compete game in his career. That means that the Tigers would have to go to their pen. Last year the Tiger's Pen was at the bottom of almost every stat. You never know what you are going to get out of those mediocre arms in the pen. However, Rondon is coming back from TJ and Soriano has got to be better. I think Nathan should be in a rocking chair...maybe he can be better than last year. He was the worst closer that did not get cut prior to the seasons end.
I am no longer a huge fan of Dave Dombrowski. The Fister deal with the Nats was the worst deal since The Sox traded B. Ruth to the Yanks...maybe since the Indians sold the Island of Manhattan for a string of beads. Because a string of beads would be better than the 3 sacks of shit we got in return for a pitcher that was #3 in ERA in the National League and he did it for a salary of 8MM/year? When we are paying Verlander 24MM/year?????? Hopefully Ian Kroll can have a good year in the pen and I will eat my words.
I am no longer a huge fan of Dave Dombrowski. The Fister deal with the Nats was the worst deal since The Sox traded B. Ruth to the Yanks...maybe since the Indians sold the Island of Manhattan for a string of beads. Because a string of beads would be better than the 3 sacks of shit we got in return for a pitcher that was #3 in ERA in the National League and he did it for a salary of 8MM/year? When we are paying Verlander 24MM/year?????? Hopefully Ian Kroll can have a good year in the pen and I will eat my words.
Eovaldi = ABSOLUTELY LIGHTS OUT!!!, not only today but throughout spring training, what a difference a good pitching coach makes(Larry Rothschild), wouldn't it be something if he wins the CY this year, it could very well happen.:nod:
Like has been reported ever since the Yanks traded for Eovaldi, when you have one of the best pitching coaches and one of the best framing catchers in the game, Eovoldi has the chance to be light years better than he was in Miami. It is only spring training games but it is very encouraging to see what he has done so far.
How about Refsnyder today, 2 more hits (both doubles) and with Pirela concussed he may make the opening day roster BUT i doubt it, they want him playing everyday not backing up Drew to start the season so i imagine he gets cut tomorrow or soon after, later this week, but the future looks great for him.
How about Refsnyder today, 2 more hits (both doubles) and with Pirela concussed he may make the opening day roster BUT i doubt it, they want him playing everyday not backing up Drew to start the season so i imagine he gets cut tomorrow or soon after, later this week, but the future looks great for him.
I can't wait for spring training to finally end & start watching games that really matter. I haven't yet watched a single spring training game, but can't wait for the season to begin. Spring training should be two weeks long, at the most. I mean, the season is so damn long already! Sure, it's a great way for Florida & Arizona to attract tourists during the month of March, but still.
The Jays, Yankees, Tigers & Red Sox may not win their divisions, but who cares as long as we're entertained throughout the summer? That's the bottom line: entertainment. Whether my favorite team wins the World Series or not won't really change a single thing in my personal life, but one thing it'll do is keep me interested throughout the baseball season & make me want to spend a good part of the summer & late summer in Toronto, which is always one of my favorite destinations.
I can't wait!!!!
p.s. No, i have zero interest in going to Mtl to simply watch two exhibition games involving my favorite team. I'd rather watch them live in person when every single game means something. In a decent baseball stadium, not the calamity of the Big 'O', which i'm surprised hasn't been torn down yet. Go Jays!
The Jays, Yankees, Tigers & Red Sox may not win their divisions, but who cares as long as we're entertained throughout the summer? That's the bottom line: entertainment. Whether my favorite team wins the World Series or not won't really change a single thing in my personal life, but one thing it'll do is keep me interested throughout the baseball season & make me want to spend a good part of the summer & late summer in Toronto, which is always one of my favorite destinations.
I can't wait!!!!
p.s. No, i have zero interest in going to Mtl to simply watch two exhibition games involving my favorite team. I'd rather watch them live in person when every single game means something. In a decent baseball stadium, not the calamity of the Big 'O', which i'm surprised hasn't been torn down yet. Go Jays!
While I understand your sentiment, Doc, this weekend is also about sending a statement to MLB that Montreal is a major league city. We packed 96,000 in the Big Owe last year and over 80,000 tickets have been sold for this weekend so far.
The St. Petersburg city council dealt the Rays another death blow just yesterday. If Stu Sternberg is true to his word, the Rays are as good as for sale.
Latest Tampa Bay Rays stadium search proposal appears dead
ST. PETERSBURG — Tampa Bay's five-year stalemate over a new baseball stadium continues — with no obvious end in sight.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman decided Monday he doesn't have enough City Council votes to forge an agreement that would allow the Tampa Bay Rays to explore potential new stadium sites on both sides of the bay.
That keeps the team playing at Tropicana Field into an indefinite future, Kriseman said, and prevents the city from developing the Trop's 85 acres.
"We are at a standstill,'' he said.
On Friday, Kriseman had released a new proposal to allow a regionwide stadium search. It revised a version the council had rejected 5-3 in December, and Kriseman said he had hoped it would persuade at least two of the five negative votes to switch sides.
Council Chairman Charlie Gerdes had signaled that he was prepared to call for a vote at Thursday's council meeting.
But after consulting with three key council members Monday, Kriseman threw in the towel, saying the proposal lacked enough support to pass.
"Unless the council changes its mind and is willing to move forward with this, the Rays do not have permission to look outside the city limits,'' Kriseman said. "And for the purposes of (the Trop acreage), the really big piece of this, the city is really stuck. We either don't do redevelopment until the Rays leave in 2027 or we have to turn over half the proceeds.''
The council might hold a workshop on the Rays within the next 30 days, Gerdes said. But with the 2015 baseball season starting next week, he no longer plans to put the revised proposal on the council agenda for a vote.
Rays' owner Stuart Sternberg said through a spokesman that he appreciated the work that Kriseman and Gerdes put into the proposed stadium search.
"We have spent many months working towards an agreement,'' Sternberg said, "so it is disappointing not to be able to move forward cooperatively with St. Petersburg.''
Amid tepid attendance, the Rays have said since 2010 that Tropicana Field cannot support baseball in the long run, so they want to scour the entire bay area for a "pitch perfect" replacement. The city has so far refused to let the team explore Hillsborough County options and the Rays have so far refused to negotiate solely on St. Petersburg sites.
That has stuck in the craw of several council members, who think the Rays should give more weight to the city's investment in the current stadium.
"There is nothing preventing the city and Rays from sitting down and saying 'What can we do together?' " council member Jim Kennedy said. "The concept that we cannot talk unless they can look everywhere — that is self-inflicted by the Rays.''
With 12 years left on the Trop contract, Kennedy said, "I think they should talk to their current partners.''
Former Mayor Bill Foster tried unsuccessfully to reach a compromise with the team before losing his mayoral seat to Kriseman in 2013. Kriseman campaigned on breaking the stadium stalemate and brought his first proposal to the council in December.
It would have given the Rays three years to evaluate sites and financing in both Pinellas or Hillsborough. If the team opted to leave St. Petersburg, it would have paid the city $2 million to $3 million for every unused season on the Trop contract.
But when that deal went to a vote, the council balked.
One part of the discussion focused on Trop development rights if the Rays announced that they were moving to Hillsborough. What would happen if St. Petersburg wanted to sell or lease Trop acreage before the team actually left? By contract, the city and team divide any development income as long as the team plays at the Trop. Council members worried the Rays could catch a windfall on their way out the door.
Kriseman's revised agreement makes it clear that the city would retain all development dollars once the Rays announced they were leaving.
"I thought that would be enough for their approval — for those who voted no,'' Kriseman said Monday. "But apparently it's not enough.''
Kriseman said he talked to three council members Monday who had opposed the original agreement: Kennedy, Steve Kornell and Bill Dudley. None would switch his vote, Kriseman said.
He did not bother contacting council member Wengay Newton, who has always maintained that the Rays should simply honor their contract to play at the Trop through 2027. And Kriseman did not talk with council member Amy Foster, he said, because it became clear that the proposal would fail even if she switched to a Yes.
Kornell and Dudley told the Tampa Bay Times they agree with Kennedy — that the Rays should negotiate exclusively for a while with St. Petersburg.
"I would do back flips to let them look in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County,'' Kornell said. "But not in other places yet. Maybe we phase that in after a period of time.''
Kriseman's proposal, which could earn the city as much as $20 million, inadequately compensates the city and county for what they have spent on the Trop over the years, Kornell said. "I could not in good conscience vote for that deal.''
Dudley also said the proposed compensation payments are too low. "We're just not getting enough,'' he said, "and the vast majority of my constituents agree with me on this.''
Dudley said he would like the city to conduct a thorough study of the team's economic impact on St. Petersburg to help him figure out an appropriate compensation number.
"My concern has always been the compensation part of it,'' Dudley said. "Whatever the amount is, I don't think it is enough for what we would give up. Is it $100 million? $50 million? Or maybe what we got? That's why I wanted that report. To give me a better idea.''
MLB should already know that Mtl is a major league city. They had MLB for 34 years, after all. The problem with attendance numbers for the upcoming two games in Mtl is that everyone is clearly aware that half the people who'll attend are tourists & it's a one-year thing. In other words, the importance of attendance numbers for those upcoming games is overblown. It's not an accurate description of what the attendance numbers will be should Mtl ever get a MLB franchise again.
Plus, the Canadian dollar sucks monkey balls right now. Could a market with such a weak dollar be able to sustain a baseball team where the players are being paid in US currency?
True, but probably fewer tourists than the Expos will see for home games against the Jays, Sox, and Yanks.
That's quite true, but it's also true for the Jays. The fact is that all MLB teams are rolling in money, especially the ones that also own their broadcast partners. That bodes well for Rogers and will for the Expos, especially if Bell is a majority partner.
Tough division with the Marlins and Nats, but at least they're #1 in New York.
From the New York Times
"According to TiqIQ, a company that aggregates prices on the secondary market, tickets for Mets games at Citi Field seem to be more in demand at the moment than for the 81 Yankee games that will be played at Yankee Stadium.
According to the company, the average ticket price for Yankee home games this season, as of Thursday, was $101.43 on the secondary market, a 27.24 percent drop from the same point in 2014, when the Yankees were getting ready to stage their season-long goodbye to Derek Jeter. TiqIQ said the average ticket for Mets games was $104.47, which was nearly 19 percent higher than a year ago and also $3 more than Yankee tickets are fetching right now."
They also appear to be the best team in New York.
The Mets don't start until tomorrow, so it's still preseason :thumb:
Best Regards
Smuler
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