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Is Ohtani going to pitch this year. I haven't really kept up on itComment -
Two weeks away from Spring Training, kinda nuts but hope it works out.Comment -
How long before they have to cancel games??? I give it a month.Comment -
We hope spring training starts on time but the way they're talking I kinda doubt it. Hopefully we get some kind of normal season even if its slightly less than 162 games. I'd take 154 games like the old days just as long as baseball starts in April like its supposed to.Comment -
Hopefully we get a full season of baseball...Comment -
We got a full NFL season, which surprised alot of people.Comment -
The market for free-agent slugger Marcell Ozuna is “moving forward,” reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid, and the Rays are among the final few teams involved in the mix. A deal is not yet imminent, per the report. Tampa Bay is something of a surprise entrant, though MLB Network’s Jon Heyman recently indicated interest on the Rays’ behalf.
At the time, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted that Ozuna would only land with the Rays in the event of a “major shift” in his contract goals, suggesting they’d likely only be serious players on a one-year deal. Mish, however, writes that Ozuna’s eventual deal is expected to be for either three or four years. Additional reports out of the Dominican in recent days connected Ozuna to the Rays enough that he took to Instagram to stress that he does not have any sort of agreement with Tampa Bay.
As for the incumbent Braves, a reunion is still possible, Mish adds. Earlier this morning, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted that Atlanta “continues to be the favorite” to sign Ozuna. The Braves, of course, received elite production at the plate from Ozuna in the shortened 2020 season, but their interest in him — as is the case with many NL clubs — has been somewhat tempered due to the lack of agreement on the return of the designated hitter in the National League.
One fringe suitor likely disappeared when the Twins agreed to a new deal with Nelson Cruz earlier this week. Technically speaking, Minnesota still has room to add Ozuna and play him in left field, but that seems decidedly unlikley. Cruz always appeared to be the Twins’ top target, but reports in the past couple of weeks indicated that after a months-long stalemate, they’d at least considered pivoting to Ozuna.
It at least worth an anecdotal mention that one of Ozuna’s former clubs, the Cardinals, has a suddenly less-crowded outfield picture after trading Dexter Fowler to the Angels last night. There’s been no indication the Cards would make a serious run at Ozuna — they’re reported to be more in the market for rotation help — but a considerable shift in the outfield mix for a suddenly motivated buyer who knows Ozuna well has already led to some speculation among fans.Comment -
The NFL found that transmission of COVID-19 occurred in less than 15 minutes of cumulative interaction between individuals, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The big picture: The protocols and resources for contact tracing and testing allowed the 32 teams to complete its regular season and the playoffs on time with only the Super Bowl remaining.
- The league along with the NFL Players Association identified four factors when players and staff came in contact with each other: whether masks were in use, how well the room was ventilated, how long the interaction was and the physical distance between the two parties.
By the numbers: About 623,000 COVID-19 tests were performed on approximately 11,400 players and staff members and nearly 3% tested positive between Aug. 9 and Nov. 21.
- Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 10, a total of 41 cases were identified among players and staff. Of those, 21 showed transmission within a single team, requiring closure of that team's facilities.
- When infection rates climbed in November, the league intensified protocols, mandating high-risk interaction tracing and negative daily PCR testing, among other social rules.
Reality check: The CDC says intensive testing and contact tracing helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the model set by the football league could be too costly for other industries to copy.
- The NFL was reportedly willing to spend $75 million on testing alone.
What to watch: Only the Super Bowl remains, where Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play on Feb. 7 in Tampa with a limited crowd of about 22,000 fans.
- The league announced Monday it will give away 7,500 tickets to vaccinated health care workers.
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Bauer saga still going, so annoying.Comment -
Trevor Bauer signing with Los Angeles Dodgers, set to be MLB's top earner in 2021, '22, sources say
Trevor Bauer, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner, has agreed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the California native announcing his move in a YouTube video Friday.
Bauer and the Dodgers are in agreement on a three-year, $102 million deal that has opt-outs after Years 1 and 2, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. Bauer is set to make $40 million in 2021 and $45 million in 2022, sources said.
Bauer, who has a notable online presence, appeared to tease his destination earlier Friday by offering a giveaway for a signed Dodgers hat on his website -- though he also had several brief references to the New York Mets, believed to be the other finalist, on the site as well.
Sources told Passan that the Mets offered a higher overall value than the Dodgers, but Los Angeles' offer will make him the highest-paid player in each of the next two seasons.Comment -
Dodgers looking good once again.Comment -
The Mets were one of the two finalists in the Trevor Bauer sweepstakes, but the Cy Young-winning right-hander wound up spurning the club for the Dodgers’ three-year, $102MM guarantee Friday. The Mets made a very competitive offer, though, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that they proposed a deal worth $105MM over three years. New York would have paid Bauer $40MM in 2021, $35MM in 2022 and $30MM in 2023, and the contract would have included opt-out chances after the first two seasons, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who adds that the Mets would have included $5MM had Bauer opted out after the second year.
Bauer’s Dodgers deal also features a pair of opt-outs, and it likely didn’t help the Mets’ cause that he is a Southern California native who said in the past he wanted to play in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions, which further stacked the deck against a Mets club coming off four straight years without a playoff berth.
The Mets have made a real effort to change their fortunes this winter, largely because of new owner Steve Cohen. So far, the team has used trades and free agency to add Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May to its roster. A Bauer signing would have made the Mets even more imposing going into 2021, but they’ll have to either enter the season with the starters they have in place or acquire someone for a far less expensive salary.Comment -
Money growing on palm trees in LA.Comment -
Thought Bauer would go to a California team but I was anticipating Anaheim or San Diego not the hated Dodgers.Comment -
I used to like Trevor Buaur and his antics at UCLA but now the guy is getting a bit too cocky.Comment -
Dexter Fowler got dealt to the Angels.Comment -
Just unsubscribed from Bauer's youtube channel. Fukk the Dodgers!Comment -
At least he's not in the American League.Comment -
Rougned Odor just turned 28, I could have sworn he was kike mid 30's.
It's Adrus who's 34, OK, I had those two backwards.Comment -
Yeah its going to be rough facing the Dodger pitching staff this year for the Giants with Bauer added to the rotation. It was already a good staff I feel like the only reason they made this move is to keep up with the Padres and let them know they're not going anywhere. The NL West will be the race to watch this year imo with the Padres and Dodgers making big moves this offseason.Comment -
A's trade Khris Davis and prospects to the Rangers for Elvis Andrus. A's needed a SS to replace Semien but I think Andrus is completely washed up, we will see.Comment -
Darvish vs Bauer matchup will be must see tv.Comment -
The Braves had some talks with the Rockies about Nolan Arenado before the star third baseman was dealt to the Cardinals, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (subscription required). Rosenthal also sheds some light on one of last offseason’s more intriguing rumors, the talks between the Rockies and Cubs about a trade involving both Arenado and Kris Bryant. Jason Heyward was also part of the negotiations at one point as the Cubs looked for payroll offset for Arenado’s contract, though the Rockies weren’t interested in adding any money beyond the 2021 season (which marks the end of Bryant’s current contract and when Arenado could have exercised his opt-out clause).
As Rosenthal notes, the Cubs could end up looking back on those talks as “a what-might-have-been” given that they’ll now be facing Arenado on a regular basis in the NL Central. From Colorado’s perspective, such a trade might not have been a clear win if a Rockies-bound Bryant had suffered a similar run of injuries that hampered him in the actual 2020 season, but it still might have drawn better reviews than their trade package from St. Louis. “Rival executives remain baffled by the deal,” Rosenthal writes, as the Rox rather inexplicably worked themselves into an unsalvageable situation with their best player.
More from the NL West…
- Also from Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks have been receiving some interest in Eduardo Escobar but the team doesn’t appear to much interest at the moment. If a trade happens at all, it might not happen until closer to the trade deadline if the Snakes aren’t in contention, since Arizona would want to give Escobar a chance to rebuild some proper trade value. Escobar struggled to a .212/.270/.335 slash line over 222 plate appearances last season, a major step down from his very solid performance in 2018-19. Signed to a three-year extension in October 2018, Escobar is also scheduled to hit free agency next winter, so he has all the more incentive for a bounce-back year.
- Brandon Belt underwent heel surgery in October, and the Giants didn’t give any specific timeline as to when the first baseman could be back in action. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi shed a bit more light on the subject when talking to reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) this week, saying Belt was “not a certainty” and only “a possibility” to play on Opening Day. On the plus side, Zaidi said the team has been pleased by Belt’s rehab thus far, and more will be known once they get a look at Belt during Spring Training. Belt is coming off a huge year for San Francisco, though the team should be able to make do in the event of a relatively brief absence for Belt, due to the number of players on the roster with first base experience — Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater, Darin Ruf, regular catcher Buster Posey, and new addition Tommy La Stella.
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