[Cross]

Nash, I would do a Cubs vs Royals wager. It would be fun for homers like us! Let me know!

[stevenash]

Nash, I would do a Cubs vs Royals wager. It would be fun for homers like us! Let me know!

Sure, keep it friendly thouh, I'm all spread out action wise.
I got like 4 futures going on, 2 more side bets, fantasy leagues.....
I really do need a scorecard to keep track of all my action.

I put a ton of effort so far in this upcoming season, so help me if COVID makes a return I'll be bat shit angry.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I'm interested for Padres vs Cubs, Cross....I'll give you a few games handicap..

[stevenash]

I'm interested for Padres vs Cubs, Cross....I'll give you a few games handicap..

Fangraphs has Cubs 78 wins Royals 77 wins.
Padres 95 wins.

[EmpireMaker]

3:50 pm: Britton will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone chip in his left elbow in the next couple of days, per the team (via Twitter). Britton is expected to be shut down completely for six weeks, and he’s not likely to be back for another 3-4 months, per Andy Martino of the SNY Network (via Twitter). Justin Wilson’s presence in the bullpen will become all the more important for the Yankees in the first half.
8:38 am: The Yankees sent left-hander Zack Britton for an MRI yesterday after he experienced some discomfort in his left elbow following a bullpen session, manager Aaron Boone revealed to reporters this morning (Twitter link via ESPN’s Marly Rivera). Britton completed his throwing session as normal, but he began experiencing soreness in his elbow later in the day and was sent for imaging. Results are expected today.
Boone declined to speculate on a timeline, merely acknowledging that given the uncertainty, it’s of course possible that Britton won’t be ready for Opening Day. He did indicate that the issue is not believed to be related to Britton’s ulnar collateral ligament at this point (via James Wagner of the New York Times). Boone also noted that Britton was set back in his preparation for camp after contracting Covid-19 within the past couple of months. Britton himself recently told the New York Post’s Dan Martin about that matter, stating that the virus “hit me pretty good” in late January and caused him to lose a substantial amount of weight. The left-hander has not yet appeared in a Spring Training game.
Britton, 33, was outstanding for the Yankees in 2020, holding opponents to just four earned runs on a dozen hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts through 19 innings of relief. His power sinker again resulted in an elite ground-ball rate (71.7 percent), as has become routine for the two-time All-Star. He went on to allow a pair of runs in 5 1/3 postseason frames.
That performance led the Yankees to exercise a $13MM club option over Britton for the 2022 season at the end of the 2020 campaign. Under the structure of his three-year deal, which covers the 2019-21 seasons, the Yankees had to either pick up that 2022 option a year early or risk Britton opting out of the contract’s third guaranteed year (2021). He’s now locked in as a Yankee through the end of his age-34 season.
Whether Britton is forced to miss time or not, the Yankees still project to have a strong bullpen in 2021. New York traded Adam Ottavino to the Red Sox a couple months back but reallocated much of the cost savings from that deal to low-cost signings of Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson. That pair of veterans will join Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green and ideally, Britton, in forming a strong veteran group to anchor the relief corps.
Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, Brooks Kriske and Nick Nelson are among the other bullpen candidates on the 40-man roster, and the Yankees also brought in veterans Kyle Barraclough, Adam Warren, Tyler Lyons and Nick Goody on minor league pacts. Of course, selecting the contract of any of those non-roster veterans would come with some luxury-tax implications. The Yankees have ardently worked to remain south of the $210MM threshold and currently sit an estimated $3.5MM shy of that point, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez.

[Cross]

I might need more than a few games Peavy, lol. Let me know what you guys wanted to wager. I would put a few hundred points on it. Probably no handicap needed for Cubs/Royals.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I might need more than a few games Peavy, lol. Let me know what you guys wanted to wager. I would put a few hundred points on it. Probably no handicap needed for Cubs/Royals.

I didn't realize the gap was so big in the season totals. I'll give you +9.5 games if you want, that is as high as i can go.

[stevenash]

Nash, I would do a Cubs vs Royals wager. It would be fun for homers like us! Let me know!

I'll agree to KC v. Cubs
I'll take KC + .5 wins. (half a win, not five wins)
I get the tie if both teams end up 81-81
(that's pretty fair)

Say 200 betpoints.

[Cross]

I'll agree to KC v. Cubs
I'll take KC + .5 wins. (half a win, not five wins)
I get the tie if both teams end up 81-81
(that's pretty fair)

Say 200 betpoints.

let’s book it, Nash! Should be fun for some banter on here as well!

[stevenash]

let’s book it, Nash! Should be fun for some banter on here as well!

OK Done.
Settle up in October.

[EmpireMaker]

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa projects as one of the top free agents on next year’s market, though both he and the team have made clear that they hope to hammer out an extension before he reaches the market. Correa told reporters today that those talks have yet to begin, noting that the finger injury to Framber Valdez and the front office’s subsequent negotiations with free agents may have delayed the beginning of talks (Twitter link, with video, via Mark Berman of FOX 26). Correa was understanding of that and remains motivated to talk contract, though as is often the case with extension candidates, he placed a firm Opening Day deadline on any talks for a new deal. Houston GM James Click said in late February that the Astros “want to have some conversations” with Correa’s camp to see if the two sides can align on a deal to keep him long term.
Astros fans may also be interested to hear skipper Dusty Baker talk of Correa as a potential leadoff candidate in 2021. Correa hit leadoff today and told reporters he’s excited for the possibility of taking on that challenge (video link via Berman). Leadoff duties have traditionally been George Springer’s department in Houston, of course, but his departure creates a vacancy atop the lineup.
More from the division…

• Ty France may not have a set position with the Mariners, but the team plans to get him 500-plus plate appearances in 2020, writes Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. As Divish notes, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto tried to pry France away from the Padres on multiple occasions before successfully landing him as part of the Austin Nola trade last summer. Manager Scott Servais spoke glowingly of France’s work so far this spring, and Divish suggests that France could get semi-regular work at designated hitter while also seeing occasional starts at third base, second base and first base to keep the Mariners’ infielders fresh. France is 8-for-13 with a pair of doubles, three homers, a walk and no strikeouts this spring. He batted .305/.368/.468 in 155 big league plate appearances last year and is a career .372/.454/.713 hitter in 458 Triple-A plate appearances (albeit in a supercharged Pacific Coast League offensive environment).
• The Athletics will continue to build up southpaw Cole Irvin as a starting pitcher in camp, writes Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland acquired the lefty from the Phillies in exchange for cash over the winter, and although the bulk of his work in the Majors has come out of the ’pen, the A’s plan to continue building him up to serve as a possible depth option behind their current rotation. Only three of Irvin’s 19 Major League appearances with the Phils were starts, but 41 of his 43 career appearances in Triple-A came out of the rotation. The 27-year-old carries a 3.07 ERA at that level, and while his 18.8 percent strikeout rate is a good ways shy of average, his 4.7 percent walk rate is excellent.

[stevenash]

Indians just cut Billy Hamilton.

[JMobile]

Indians just cut Billy Hamilton.

He wasn't producing last year.

Joc Pederson is having a great spring training with the Cubs

[Stallion]

OK Done.
Settle up in October.

That wager will be fun to see.

[Cross]

Joc Pederson murdering spring training pitching.

[jrgum3]

Indians just cut Billy Hamilton.

This guy will latch on somewhere because he can flat out run. Too bad he can't hit or else he'd stick around in one place for more than a year or two.

[EmpireMaker]

The 2021 minor league season will see some new and altered rules at the various levels of playing, according to a statement from Major League Baseball. “Consistent with the preferences of our fans, the rule changes being tested are designed to increase action on the basepaths, create more balls in play, improve the pace and length of games, and reduce player injuries,” the statement reads.
Many of these changes have long been discussed or even already used in other minor leagues — Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper notes that fans of the independent Atlantic League will recognize many of these rules adjustments. It also isn’t necessarily the case that all of these new rules (whether in their current form or whatsoever) will ever appear at the MLB level, given the trial-and-error basis.
Triple-A baseball will see the size of the bases increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square, a deceptively minor change that could end up having a notable impact on a game. As the league’s statement reads, “the Competition Committee also expects the shorter distances between bases created by increased size to have a modest impact on the success rate of stolen base attempts and the frequency with which a batter-runner reaches base on groundballs and bunt attempts.” In addition, larger bases will also reduce the chances of collisions on the basepaths.
Double-A baseball will experiment with a new rule that addresses defensive shifts, since going forward, “the defensive team must have a minimum of four players on the infield, each of whom must have both feet completely in front of the outer boundary of the infield dirt.” While shifting has been part of baseball for decades, teams have been using shifts more often and in a more elaborate fashion over the last few seasons, to the point that seeing a club deploy four or even five players in outfield for a particular batter isn’t out of the ordinary.
This initial rule will keep infielders within the infield, and the statement also hinted at further limitations to shifts in the second half of the Double-A season: “Depending on the preliminary results of this experimental rule change, MLB may require two infielders to be positioned entirely on each side of second base….These restrictions on defensive positioning are intended to increase the batting average on balls in play.”
Step-off and pickoff moves are the primary focus of the Single-A rules changes, as in High-A ball, “pitchers are required to disengage the rubber prior to throwing to any base, with the penalty of a balk in the event the pitcher fails to comply.” This was one of the rules instituted in the Atlantic League in 2019, as noted in MLB’s statement, and the altered rule “resulted in a significant increase in stolen base attempts and an improved success rate.”
The step-off/pickoff rules will be even more significantly changed for all Low-A leagues. If there is one or more runner on base, pitchers can only throw a maximum of two pickoffs or make two step-offs per plate appearance. The pitcher can attempt a third pickoff or step-off but the play must result in the baserunner being retired. If the runner gets back to his original base on this third pitcher try, the play is called a balk and the runner advances anyway. MLB’s statement said that the limitation could be further lowered to just a single step-off or pickoff attempt per plate appearance, seeing how the initial rule plays out.
The Low-A West league will adopt on-field timers “to enforce time limits between delivery of pitches, inning breaks and pitching changes.” An even more interesting electronic element will be part of the Low-A Southeast league, as the Automatic Ball-Strike System will be used “to assist home plate umpires with calling balls and strikes, ensure a consistent strike zone is called, and determine the optimal strike zone for the system.”

[Otters27]

Who's the top Utility player this year for MLB?

[Chi_archie]

Who's the top Utility player this year for MLB?

good question... but how are we defining utility? do they have to play 3 or more positions, including infield and outfield?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Joc Pederson murdering spring training pitching.

Pederson is going to have a nice season.

[stevenash]

Who's the top Utility player this year for MLB?

Red Sox latest acquisition (a very nice add) Marwin Gonzalez.
Descalso is very handy too.

[BigSpoon]

Nick Markakis retires after a 15 year career.

[stevenash]

Nick Markakis retires after a 15 year career.

"The 20 million dollar singles hitter"

I liked him a lot though.

[Stallion]

Marwin Gonzalez is the top utility player, he is also great to have on your fantasy team.

[JMobile]

Who's the top Utility player this year for MLB?

Clayton Kershaw, just kidding. Probably Sogar.

[batt33]

The 2021 minor league season will see some new and altered rules at the various levels of playing, according to a statement from Major League Baseball. “Consistent with the preferences of our fans, the rule changes being tested are designed to increase action on the basepaths, create more balls in play, improve the pace and length of games, and reduce player injuries,” the statement reads.
Many of these changes have long been discussed or even already used in other minor leagues — Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper notes that fans of the independent Atlantic League will recognize many of these rules adjustments. It also isn’t necessarily the case that all of these new rules (whether in their current form or whatsoever) will ever appear at the MLB level, given the trial-and-error basis.
Triple-A baseball will see the size of the bases increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square, a deceptively minor change that could end up having a notable impact on a game. As the league’s statement reads, “the Competition Committee also expects the shorter distances between bases created by increased size to have a modest impact on the success rate of stolen base attempts and the frequency with which a batter-runner reaches base on groundballs and bunt attempts.” In addition, larger bases will also reduce the chances of collisions on the basepaths.
Double-A baseball will experiment with a new rule that addresses defensive shifts, since going forward, “the defensive team must have a minimum of four players on the infield, each of whom must have both feet completely in front of the outer boundary of the infield dirt.” While shifting has been part of baseball for decades, teams have been using shifts more often and in a more elaborate fashion over the last few seasons, to the point that seeing a club deploy four or even five players in outfield for a particular batter isn’t out of the ordinary.
This initial rule will keep infielders within the infield, and the statement also hinted at further limitations to shifts in the second half of the Double-A season: “Depending on the preliminary results of this experimental rule change, MLB may require two infielders to be positioned entirely on each side of second base….These restrictions on defensive positioning are intended to increase the batting average on balls in play.”
Step-off and pickoff moves are the primary focus of the Single-A rules changes, as in High-A ball, “pitchers are required to disengage the rubber prior to throwing to any base, with the penalty of a balk in the event the pitcher fails to comply.” This was one of the rules instituted in the Atlantic League in 2019, as noted in MLB’s statement, and the altered rule “resulted in a significant increase in stolen base attempts and an improved success rate.”
The step-off/pickoff rules will be even more significantly changed for all Low-A leagues. If there is one or more runner on base, pitchers can only throw a maximum of two pickoffs or make two step-offs per plate appearance. The pitcher can attempt a third pickoff or step-off but the play must result in the baserunner being retired. If the runner gets back to his original base on this third pitcher try, the play is called a balk and the runner advances anyway. MLB’s statement said that the limitation could be further lowered to just a single step-off or pickoff attempt per plate appearance, seeing how the initial rule plays out.
The Low-A West league will adopt on-field timers “to enforce time limits between delivery of pitches, inning breaks and pitching changes.” An even more interesting electronic element will be part of the Low-A Southeast league, as the Automatic Ball-Strike System will be used “to assist home plate umpires with calling balls and strikes, ensure a consistent strike zone is called, and determine the optimal strike zone for the system.”

still digesting the changes.... could bring the "small ball" back in play with a couple of them.

[EmpireMaker]

Cubs cornerstone Anthony Rizzo is scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, but the three-time All-Star first baseman said Friday he’s “optimistic” about reaching an extension with the club, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. Rizzo suggested he’d like to get it done by Opening Day, which doesn’t leave much time for the two sides to hammer out a deal. But there’s plenty of goodwill between the Cubs and Rizzo, who helped them to their first World Series title in 108 years in 2016 and has been a gem for the franchise on and off the field. Unfortunately for Rizzo, he seems to be vying for an extension at an inopportune time, as the 31-year-old recorded an uncharacteristically mediocre line of .222/.342/.414 with 11 home runs in 243 trips to the plate in 2020.

• The Royals and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi have recently discussed an extension, Robert Murray of FanSided reports, but it doesn’t seem as if an agreement is imminent. A source told Murray there’s “a lot to work through” in order for a deal to come together for Mondesi, who is only in the first of three arbitration-controlled years. The 25-year-old will earn $2.525MM this season after slashing .256/.294/.416 with six home runs and a major league-leading 24 stolen bases over 233 plate appearances in 2020.
• With right-hander Miles Mikolas out for the beginning of the regular season, fellow righty John Gant is in line to open 2021 as the Cardinals’ No. 5 starter, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Daniel Ponce de Leon, Jake Woodford and Johan Oviedo are still competing for the role, but Gant is the favorite to join Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Kwang Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez in their rotation, per Goold. Gant, 28, hasn’t started a game since 2018, though he has put up useful numbers from both the St. Louis rotation and bullpen.
• After the Reds added infielder Jonathan India and left-hander Brandon Finnegan to their major league spring roster on Friday, manager David Bell told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and other reporters that “they’re officially” in the running to make the team. India, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, reached the Double-A level in 2019 and batted .270/.414/.378 with three homers, four steals and almost as many unintentional walks (22) as strikeouts (26). Finnegan, once a top 100 prospect, appeared with the Reds in each season from 2015-18, but shoulder problems had a negative effect on him during that stretch. He put up a 7.40 ERA with 15 unintentional walks and 14 strikeouts over 20 2/3 frames in his most recent MLB season.

[mpaschal34]

Pederson is going to have a nice season.

Nope...have him in my dynasty league. Guy is nothing but a tease.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Red Sox latest acquisition (a very nice add) Marwin Gonzalez.
Descalso is very handy too.

I;ll throw Jurickson Profar's name into the hat.

[stevenash]

Blake Snell said the stiches on the ball are significantly raised.
Snell said he can dig his fingernails under the stitches and the ball doesn't fly out nearly as much as it did last season.

The de-juiced era has begun.
Thank God.

Now utility infielders can go back to hitting 8 homers instead of 20 and maybe I don't have to watch 14-10 games anymore.

[Stallion]

Maybe more unders this year....

[Cross]

Good pitching and defense and less homers.

[mpaschal34]

also have to be careful on betting on who the starting pitcher is. innings will be limited on many pitchers and therefore you need to understand their bullpen as well.

[stevenash]

also have to be careful on betting on who the starting pitcher is. innings will be limited on many pitchers and therefore you need to understand their bullpen as well.

Bet the workload pitchers.

Guys who can go seven inngs.
Like Beiber and all the other regular familiar names.

Bet the aces on the road lay the run line.

I have no trouble laying -130 on the road m/l with an ace

[JMobile]

19 more days until opening day