The 2021 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[jrgum3]

I’ll take 130 games or more this year. Less would be bad.

I wouldn't mind a 130 game season as long as there is a season. It might actually be a good thing to reduce the number of regular season games. Something tells me though that this lockout will get resolved as quickly as possible and they will play ball sooner rather than later because the owners realize that a shortened season would be horrible for everyone involved.

[stevenash]

Not sure what I'll do but i won't be happy. If the Padres didn't have Tatis, I'd probably be done with MLB for at least a few years if not longer. I do not want to miss any of his career though so I'll still watch Padres games but not much more than that.

I remember the last lockout I caught up with my police dramas and found myself reading more.
It filled my baseball time just fine.
The Mrs. is huge Sox fan, we didn't mind all that much, we got over it.

[JMobile]

I’ll take 130 games or more this year. Less would be bad.

Less would be better but the championship would be mock because the season was short

[Cross]

I’ll take 130 games or more this year. Less would be bad.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Me too.

It took me a month to learn the new post COVID players.
There were like 120 new players I had to educate myself on last winter.

I'm not accepting a work stoppage, I put too much work into this.
I'll quit MLB altogether.
Watch me.

Not sure what I'll do but i won't be happy. If the Padres didn't have Tatis, I'd probably be done with MLB for at least a few years if not longer. I do not want to miss any of his career though so I'll still watch Padres games but not much more than that.

[stevenash]

You ever look at Yimi Garcia's number's closely?

Rock solid WH/IP's with horrendous HR ratio's

Good thing he doesn't walk many while serving up those gopher balls.

[EmpireMaker]

The Marlins headed into the offseason looking for at least one outfield upgrade and checked one addition off the box prior to the lockout when securing Avisail Garcia on a four-year, $53MM contract. They’re still hoping to add “at least one more” outfielder when the current transaction freeze lifts, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald writes, which meshes well with recent reports tying the Fish to myriad outfield options.
They were linked, to varying extents, free-agent options such as Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Eddie Rosario even after adding Garcia. On the trade front, they’re reported to have interest in D-backs star Ketel Marte. One note of importance in their search to add to the outfield mix, via a second column from McPherson, is that general manager Kim Ng suggested the team believes the newly signed Garcia can play regularly in center field, if needed.
Miami doesn’t have a true, everyday center fielder at present, and at least ostensibly, the Marlins look to be carrying quite a few corner-only outfielders (e.g. Garcia, Jesus Sanchez, Garrett Cooper). Deadline acquisition Bryan De La Cruz has some experience in center (629 innings between MLB and the minors), but a good portion of that (199 innings) came out of necessity with the Marlins late last season. Meanwhile, he has just shy of 3000 career innings in right field and another 723 in left field, suggesting that the Astros –who traded him to Miami in the Yimi Garcia deal this past July — viewed him as mostly a corner option, at the very least.
A willingness to play Garcia in center field would open up the Fish to adding another corner option. To that end, it’s worth noting that MLB Network’s Jon Heyman suggested last week on his Big Time Baseball Podcast that Miami “may end up with Rosario” being their preferred option as a second outfield pickup. Both Rosario and Garcia have played a fair bit of center field in their careers, so if the former indeed joins the latter in Miami, perhaps both could see occasional time there.
Following the Marlins’ signing of Garcia and their pre-lockout trades to acquire catcher Jacob Stallings and infielder Joey Wendle, Miami has $23.8MM in guaranteed payroll and a projected Opening Day payroll of about $69MM, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez (including arbitration-eligible players and pre-arb players). That’d be a jump of about $12MM from last year’s stripped-down roster, but even for a typically low-payroll club like the Marlins, there’s room to add onto that mark. The Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter ownership group has in the past been reported to be planning a gradual payroll uptick as the team emerges from a rebuilding effort. The Garcia signing, the Sandy Alcantara extension and the acquisitions of some arb-eligible players with salaries of relative note (Stallings, Wendle) all support that line of thinking.

[Cross]

I truly hope Dodgers didn’t have to honor that contract.

[JMobile]

Has Trevor Bauer gone to jail yet?

Is he still getting paid by the Dodgers?

[stevenash]

It took me a couple of years to come back after 1994.

Many that came back and gave MLB another chance will leave and never return if they strike again.

Me too.

It took me a month to learn the new post COVID players.
There were like 120 new players I had to educate myself on last winter.

I'm not accepting a work stoppage, I put too much work into this.
I'll quit MLB altogether.
Watch me.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

This.
There's lots of things I can do in the summer.

It took me a couple of years to come back after 1994.

Many that came back and gave MLB another chance will leave and never return if they strike again.

[stevenash]

I assume because of 38 Studios and Rhode Island?

Yes, and it's a proven fact the bloody sock was in reality a catsup sock.
The sock thing isn't a really big thing, it's just a terrible look for MLB.

[BigSpoon]

Take Schilling with him

I assume because of 38 Studios and Rhode Island?

[stevenash]

They better play or many fans will find other stuff to do.

This.
There's lots of things I can do in the summer.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

They better play or many fans will find other stuff to do.

[Chi_archie]

Guys might sign in Mexico?

scary

[Otters27]

Probably has something to do with the lockout. I'm sure guys are worried that they might not find a place to play next year and they just want to do what's best for them even if that means playing in Korea or Japan in 2022.

Guys might sign in Mexico?

[stevenash]

Has Trevor Bauer gone to jail yet?

Take Schilling with him

[EmpireMaker]

The Nationals have signed third baseman Maikel Franco to a minor league deal, reports Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. Franco is a client of Octagon. Although transactions involving the 40-man roster are frozen during the ongoing lockout, minor league deals are still permitted.
This is the second minor league deal the Nats have given to a veteran infielder in as many days, as they signed Dee Strange-Gordon yesterday. The club has a fairly open infield for 2022, after trading away Trea Turner and Josh Harrison during last year’s deadline fire sale. They’ve since re-signed Alcides Escobar and Cesar Hernandez on major league deals, before adding Strange-Gordon into the mix, to compete with youngsters Luis Garcia and Lucius Fox for middle infield playing time.
Franco, however, should be considered as an option at third base, given that’s where he’s spent the vast majority of his big league time. (He’s also played 15 games at first base in his career, but never more than five in a single season.) Youngster Carter Kieboom seems likely to be Plan A for the Nats at third, despite his struggles at the MLB level thus far. In 106 big league games over the past three seasons, Kieboom has hit .197/.304/.285. However, his Triple-A line is much more impressive, coming in at .286/.400/.464. Given his youth, 24, and prospect pedigree, he’s likely to get an extended run at the hot corner, especially when considering that Washington is likely to spend at least a year retooling after their big selloff. Franco’s presence in the system can offer a veteran fallback plan, should Kieboom continue experiencing growing pains.
Franco has had an inconsistent stretch of late, oscillating wildly from year to year. According to FanGraphs’ wins above replacement, he was worth at least 1.1 fWAR in the past three even-numbered seasons, but was in negative territory during the odd-numbered years. After some of those up-and-down years in Philadelphia, he was non-tendered following the 2019 season and latched on with the Royals. He had a solid showing in the shortened 2020 campaign, hitting .278/.321/.457 for a wRC+ of 106 and 1.3 fWAR in just 60 games. Despite that, the Royals decided not to tender him a contract for 2021, which led to Franco signing with the Orioles. Unfortunately, his yo-yoing continued, as he slumped to a line of .210/.253/.355 in 104 games for Baltimore.
Franco was released in August and signed a minor league deal with Atlanta, but didn’t get another shot at the big leagues. For the Nationals, there’s no harm in having him around to see if he can turn the tide once again. He’s only 29 years old and has shown himself capable of solid production in the past. Even if Kieboom and Franco both get hot at the same time, there’s the likelihood of the National League using the designated hitter in 2022, giving the team some more plate appearances to spread around.

[Cross]

Has Trevor Bauer gone to jail yet?

[jrgum3]

Lots of players getting signed for Korean baseball

Probably has something to do with the lockout. I'm sure guys are worried that they might not find a place to play next year and they just want to do what's best for them even if that means playing in Korea or Japan in 2022.

[JMobile]

Lots of players getting signed for Korean baseball

[Chi_archie]

Blue Jays are going to make Canada proud this year.

it's their time

[Cross]

Blue Jays are going to make Canada proud this year.

[BigSpoon]

That would be scary if they got him but I think he comes back to the Braves. He just doesn't seem like the kind of guy that wants to leave for more money especially after his team just won the World Series and he's played there his whole career.

I don't see it happening either on the Jays side of things. Vlad Jr. would have to play 3B (yikes for the Jays) or just DH.

[jrgum3]

Blue Jays looking into Freeman.

That would be scary if they got him but I think he comes back to the Braves. He just doesn't seem like the kind of guy that wants to leave for more money especially after his team just won the World Series and he's played there his whole career.

[EmpireMaker]

Second base stands out as the most glaring area of need in the White Sox lineup, yet the idea of moving Yoan Moncada back to the keystone doesn’t seem too likely, NBC Sports Chicago’s Vinnie Duber opines. Moncada began his career with regular second base duty in 2017-18, yet has played exclusively as a third baseman over the last three seasons, posting very solid defensive numbers along the way. Beyond just the improved glovework, the position change also seemed to spark Moncada towards better numbers at the plate. As White Sox GM Rick Hahn told Duber and other reporters last month, Moncada is “a pretty darn good third baseman. He’s comfortable there….I don’t know if you want to upset the apple cart of something that’s working.”
That said, Hahn also twice said “never say never” about the possibility of a Moncada position change. The logic would be that the White Sox could be able to address a third base vacancy more easily than their second base vacancy, as many of the winter’s top available second basemen are already off the market. Moncada also wouldn’t have to stay at second base forever, if the Sox acquired a third baseman on a relatively short-term deal. Hypothetically, Kyle Seager could be open to a one-year deal to join a contender, or a trade candidate like the Athletics’ Matt Chapman is under team control only through 2023.
More from around the AL Central…

• The Tigers had interest in Kevin Gausman before the right-hander signed with the Blue Jays, ESPN’s Jeff Passan writes. Detroit hadn’t previously been linked to Gausman, though given how aggressively the Tigers courted the pitching market, it isn’t surprising that they checked in on his services as part of their broad search for arms. That search has already resulted in one major pitching signing, as Detroit signed lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77MM pact.
• Gabriel Arias is an intriguing prospect in the Guardians’ farm system, and ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 82nd-best minor leaguer in all of baseball. Since the Guardians have several other notable middle infield options both on the active roster and in the minors, Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga wonder if Arias might be a viable trade chip, if the team ultimately prefers other players as their ideal shortstop/second baseman of the future. Traditionally, Cleveland has been more apt to keep its top prospects rather than move them in deals, and yet between both the middle infield depth and the Guardians’ more glaring need for outfield help, the situation could be right for the club to move a prospect of Arias’ caliber. The 21-year-old Arias has already been part of one major trade in his young career, as he was one of the six players sent by the Padres to Cleveland in the Mike Clevinger deal in August 2020.

[JMobile]

Blue Jays looking into Freeman.

[Cross]

3rd time through the order drop off in pitchers is real. Only the very best starters are better options than gas from fresh bullpen arms.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

The pussification of American sports continues...

[Otters27]

Starters lose their zip after 5-6 innings. Except the degrom type guys

[Chi_archie]

I think the bullpen era is here to stay. Gone are the days when managers let their starters throw 100-120 pitches a game and its going to stay that way as long as teams have flamethrowers in their bullpen that can wiggle out of jams by striking guys out. The Braves won the World Series this past year because they had the best bullpen. So I don't think the bullpen era is going to end anytime soon and its not necessarily a bad thing if you have power arms you can depend on in the bullpen.

yeah i think it continues this way

[EmpireMaker]

Free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig is in agreement with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Yonhap News (h/t to Yonhap’s Jeeho Yoo). It’ll be a one-year, $1MM contract, the maximum amount allowed under KBO rules for first-year foreign players. (Francys Romero of Las Mayores reported yesterday that Puig was nearing agreement with a KBO team).
Puig, who turned 31 years old yesterday, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2019. After a league average offensive showing between the Reds and Indians that year, he lingered on the free agent market for the entire offseason. Puig looked as if he’d lined up a deal with the Braves coming out of the pandemic-driven transactions freeze last July, but his potential agreement with Atlanta was scuttled after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Puig didn’t wind up playing in 2020. During the ensuing offseason, a woman filed a civil action against him, alleging that he had sexually assaulted her in 2018. In March, John Barr of ESPN detailed the allegations, which Puig and his representatives denied. Criminal charges were never filed, and the parties settled the civil case out of court this past October.
While Puig continued to express interest in a return to Major League Baseball, he spent the 2021 season in the Mexican League. The right-handed hitter signed with El Águila de Veracruz. He hit .312/.409/.517 across 247 plate appearances and 62 games. He’ll now reportedly head to South Korea for his first career action outside of North America.
Puig has appeared in seven big league seasons, including star-level showings in each of his first two years with the Dodgers. He appeared on MVP balloting in both 2013 and 2014, earning an All-Star selection in the latter of those seasons. From 2015 onwards, Puig settled in as a solid but not elite offensive player, posting slightly above-average marks until his average 2019 showing. For his career, he’s a .277/.348/.475 hitter.

[jrgum3]

^
The far east countries like Japan and Korea for instance has a totally different pitching philosophy.
For instance, they prefer six- and seven-man rotations.

This is my opinion.
Condition today's pitchers for endurance, stretch them out to throw 100 pitches a game.
Bring back the four-man rotation with a fifth starter if the team has games on eight or more consecutive days.

In the mid 60's, say 1967 for instance, there were 23 starters that made 34 or more starts.
In 2021 there were none.

In 1967 those starters all pitched will over 220 innings, and all won double digit games.
Hell, Jim Bunning made 40 starts and pitched over 300 innings. His arm didn't fall off.
Then he became a successful politician, but that's a story for another day.

In 1967 everything like medicine and conditioning etc. etc. was primitive if you compare it to the resources available to us in 2022.
It can be done.

I think the so-called bullpen era is interesting, I don't dislike it.
If you blow out your bullpen arms in early August however, your season is cooked.

That's my concern.

I think the bullpen era is here to stay. Gone are the days when managers let their starters throw 100-120 pitches a game and its going to stay that way as long as teams have flamethrowers in their bullpen that can wiggle out of jams by striking guys out. The Braves won the World Series this past year because they had the best bullpen. So I don't think the bullpen era is going to end anytime soon and its not necessarily a bad thing if you have power arms you can depend on in the bullpen.

[Cross]

Puig going to wear out his welcome.