MLB 2019 Offseason Thread

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Wed Feb 26, 2020 2:08 pm

Not sure if Buehler cares, but as a fan I'd like to see him get some recognition for the excellent pitching he's been doing. But it's not a big deal. One day he will start Opening Day, I'm sure of it, but apparently not this year.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:20 pm

Description of a moment missed which is all too common for the Dodgers in October. Good read I think even if you aren't a Dodger fan as I think we've all seen these key moments which fundamentally change the results of a ball game.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:46 pm

From Twitter: Chris Sale's elbow has apparently gone bad so it may be just as well that they traded Mookie. Maybe?

Pitcher who pitched for Astros as a reliever willing to give back his ring as he didn't know what was going on but still feels bad about it.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:50 pm

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:46 pm From Twitter: Chris Sale's elbow has apparently gone bad so it may be just as well that they traded Mookie. Maybe? Pitcher who pitched for Astros as a reliever willing to give back his ring as he didn't know what was going on but still feels bad about it.

Hopefully they'll be able to make up for this by going out and getting a good pitcher like David Price.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:37 pm

El Guapo wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:50 pm
Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:46 pm From Twitter: Chris Sale's elbow has apparently gone bad so it may be just as well that they traded Mookie. Maybe? Pitcher who pitched for Astros as a reliever willing to give back his ring as he didn't know what was going on but still feels bad about it.
Hopefully they'll be able to make up for this by going out and getting a good pitcher like David Price.

HAHA! I hope so too, as long as the Dodgers don't see the Sox in WS, need some other team to beat us this time

'Course the Nats might have something to say about the WS as well!!!!!

It's been a hard past 12 months folks, so looking forward to baseball. Going to see the Cards at $1 Dodger Dog night in April, can't wait!

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:40 pm

OK so this is pretty funny

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:38 am

Angels visiting clubhouse manager fired for helping opposing pitchers. As if the Angels didn't have enough issues, their visiting clubhouse manager was giving illegal substances to pitchers who opposed the Angels. WTF???? Why on earth would he do that? Been with the club 30 years but his time is OVAH.

noxiousdog · Post by **noxiousdog** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:06 am

Lorini wrote:Angels visiting clubhouse manager fired for helping opposing pitchers. As if the Angels didn't have enough issues, their visiting clubhouse manager was giving illegal substances to pitchers who opposed the Angels. WTF???? Why on earth would he do that? Been with the club 30 years but his time is OVAH.

I'm, shocked. Shocked! that there's cheating outside the Astros. My favorite part of that article is where Trevor Bauer says 70% of pitchers are cheating.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:34 am

noxiousdog wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:06 am
Lorini wrote:Angels visiting clubhouse manager fired for helping opposing pitchers. As if the Angels didn't have enough issues, their visiting clubhouse manager was giving illegal substances to pitchers who opposed the Angels. WTF???? Why on earth would he do that? Been with the club 30 years but his time is OVAH.
I'm, shocked. Shocked! that there's cheating outside the Astros. My favorite part of that article is where Trevor Bauer says 70% of pitchers are cheating.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

Your Astros suck noxiousdog, get over it. Maybe had they actually tried to sound contrite they wouldn't suck, but their bullshit 'apologies' read from a piece of paper just made them suck even more. All they had to do was to pretend to be seriously sad, but no, macho is way more important than actually trying to protect themselves. Like I said, Altuve and Correa especially will need to wear some heavy armor during the season and deservedly so.
The Angels guy was probably trying to fix games and I suspect we'll hear that he's in jail later this year.

noxiousdog · Post by **noxiousdog** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:31 pm

Sure advocating physical violence is absolutely the moral high ground.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:59 pm

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:48 am

Sale is getting Tommy John Surgery. Not a much better time than the year there was no baseball.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:14 am

stessier wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:48 am Sale is getting Tommy John Surgery. Not a much better time than the year there was no baseball.

I wonder if there are even theoretically worse choices than the ones that Red Sox management has made in 2019 - 2020.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:19 am

El Guapo wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:14 am
stessier wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:48 am Sale is getting Tommy John Surgery. Not a much better time than the year there was no baseball.
I wonder if there are even theoretically worse choices than the ones that Red Sox management has made in 2019 - 2020.

They could have mandated all the players spend the 2019 offseason playing exhibition games in Wuhan.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:21 am

stessier wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:19 am
El Guapo wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:14 am
stessier wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:48 am Sale is getting Tommy John Surgery. Not a much better time than the year there was no baseball.
I wonder if there are even theoretically worse choices than the ones that Red Sox management has made in 2019 - 2020.
They could have mandated all the players spend the 2019 offseason playing exhibition games in Wuhan.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 12:48 am

Lorini, you'll be pleased to hear that my 7 YO unprompted said that it's unfair that the Astros won with cheating, and that they should take away their title and give it to the second place team.

I did tell him that the Red Sox are under investigation too for 2018. But he said that the Red Sox should keep their title even if they're found guilty, because Mookie Betts was on their team at the time. Apparently that's a license to cheat.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:29 pm

Thor out for the season.

He was going to be the number two starter. We have depth to adjust but that sucks. Assuming there's a season of course.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:34 pm

Today, The Giants would have been opening up the start of the season against the Dodgers. Unfortunately, it has been postponed to who knows when.
With that said, we all know the Giants would have crushed the team in blue and I would be posting my usual picture. So, in honor of the Giants would be win...
(all joking aside, Lorini I hope you and your family are doing well and are staying in and staying safe!)

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:38 pm

The Red Sox were supposed to play the Blue Jays. Instead, we get their Twitter accounts playing Connect 4 against each other. I am entertained.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:45 pm

The 2020 Red Sox's chances will significantly improve if the league switches its format to Connect 4 matches.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Apr 06, 2020 5:14 pm

Al Kaline gone at 85.

Al Kaline, who in a long and unique Detroit Tigers lifetime grew from youthful batting champion to Hall of Famer to distinguished elder statesman, died Monday afternoon at his home in Bloomfield Hills. He was 85.

So long, Al. When I was pretending to be Trammell or Whitaker, Kaline was still my favorite Tiger. Purely on the basis of the love he got from the old timers and his TV broadcasts.

In 22 seasons with the Tigers, most of them as a marvelous right fielder, Kaline played in more games and hit more homers than anyone else in club history, and he compiled a batting résumé second only to Ty Cobb’s.

But while Cobb was widely reviled for his bitterness and meanness, Kaline was eminently respected for his on-field elegance and off-field graciousness.

Thus, Kaline has a strong claim as the most distinguished Tiger of them all.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:36 pm

The spectre of death becomes more ominous the more it reaps players I remember fondly from my youth. 85...and he retired the year before I graduated high school.

I remember having his baseball cards and I think a bat.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:06 am

From CNBC:

9:12 am: Major League Baseball discussing plan to play all games in Arizona after coronavirus stoppage

Major League Baseball has discussed the possibility of playing all games in Arizona, with teams stationed in confined environments, according to multiple reports. Clubs would play games at spring training ballparks around the Phoenix area as part of MLB’s plan to resume operations after the coronavirus pandemic forced the worldwide suspension of sports. Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is also an option.

The Associated Press said league officials discussed the plan with the MLB Players Association on Monday, days after President Donald Trump spoke U.S. with sports commissioners to examine the economic effect the virus is having on leagues.

Trump met with reporters after the call, saying he wants to see fans back in arenas as soon as possible. —Jabari Young

On the plus side, it will spread way faster this way once one of them gets it.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:16 am

Maybe they can install robotic umpires.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Apr 07, 2020 11:34 am

I would pay game-ticket prices to watch a streaming presentation of MLB players playing themselves in MLB 2020 (or whatever the current video game iteration is). Surely there is a way to set it up so each player can play one in-game player.

The chatter alone would be worth the price of admission. Seeing great players suck at video games and mediocre player excel would be fun too.

Hrothgar · Post by **Hrothgar** » Tue Apr 07, 2020 4:44 pm

naednek wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:34 pm (all joking aside, Lorini I hope you and your family are doing well and are staying in and staying safe!)

Has anyone seen Lorini?

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 1:37 pm

Hrothgar wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 4:44 pm
naednek wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:34 pm (all joking aside, Lorini I hope you and your family are doing well and are staying in and staying safe!)
Has anyone seen Lorini?

No. I know there was some back and forth between noxiousdog that seemed heated. After that she went silent. I hope all is well.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:13 pm

She's been in heated disputes in the past with no apparent lingering ill will, but I do hope she just chose to take a temporary hiatus.

[edit]Ill will, not free will[/edit]

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:29 pm

MLB is making plans to start the season with all teams playing, without crowds, in Arizona. They would use the minor league parks and the Diamondbacks Stadium. The players would still be kept in isolation when not playing in local hotels, but at least they would be hetting paid and MLB could broadcast the games and get TV money.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:42 pm

Following social distancing guidelines:

- A runner is out if a fielder has the ball within 6 feet of the bag
- Conferences at the mound are replaced by Zoom meets.
- Outfields catching a ball on the warning track have to then douse themselves in beer.
- Relief pitches have to wait in their car until called.
- dugouts will be closed to anyone except for the manager. Benches will replace the first 3 rows of seats extending completely down the 1st and 3rd base lines.
- Pitchers who spit on their hands before touching the ball will be arrested.
- All players and umpires must wear protective gloves on their throwing hands.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:58 pm

Scuzz wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:29 pm MLB is making plans to start the season with all teams playing, without crowds, in Arizona. They would use the minor league parks and the Diamondbacks Stadium. The players would still be kept in isolation when not playing in local hotels, but at least they would be hetting paid and MLB could broadcast the games and get TV money.

You don't say.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:53 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:58 pm
Scuzz wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:29 pm MLB is making plans to start the season with all teams playing, without crowds, in Arizona. They would use the minor league parks and the Diamondbacks Stadium. The players would still be kept in isolation when not playing in local hotels, but at least they would be hetting paid and MLB could broadcast the games and get TV money.
You don't say.

nevermind...

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:33 am

ESPN

In a joint effort with the MLB Players Association and Sony Interactive Entertainment, Major League Baseball is launching the first competitive MLB The Show league featuring players from all 30 teams competing in a 29-game regular season, the league announced Friday.

The regular season begins Friday and will last through April 28. Games will take place every one to two days with three to five three-inning matchups played each game day. The postseason is scheduled to begin April 30, with a World Series played on May 2. The postseason will feature the eight best teams, with a best-of-three format for the first two rounds and a best-of-five format for the World Series.
...
The first game will take place Friday at 9 p.m. ET, when Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell and Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett face off on Snell's Twitch channel. Conversations have taken place with the league's broadcast partners to potentially televise some of the games, sources told ESPN.

All players will be expected to stream games on their personal Twitch accounts, though some may decide to stream on a team's channel. Streams will take place at 9 ET every night, and "Prime Time Streams" will take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when a player with a PC streaming system will host another player and MLB Network broadcaster Robert Flores will facilitate conversations between players and fans.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:43 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:33 am ESPN

In a joint effort with the MLB Players Association and Sony Interactive Entertainment, Major League Baseball is launching the first competitive MLB The Show league featuring players from all 30 teams competing in a 29-game regular season, the league announced Friday.

The regular season begins Friday and will last through April 28. Games will take place every one to two days with three to five three-inning matchups played each game day. The postseason is scheduled to begin April 30, with a World Series played on May 2. The postseason will feature the eight best teams, with a best-of-three format for the first two rounds and a best-of-five format for the World Series.
...
The first game will take place Friday at 9 p.m. ET, when Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell and Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett face off on Snell's Twitch channel. Conversations have taken place with the league's broadcast partners to potentially televise some of the games, sources told ESPN.

All players will be expected to stream games on their personal Twitch accounts, though some may decide to stream on a team's channel. Streams will take place at 9 ET every night, and "Prime Time Streams" will take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when a player with a PC streaming system will host another player and MLB Network broadcaster Robert Flores will facilitate conversations between players and fans.

Close. But I want them playing themselves (only).

This is still interesting and I'm going to make a point of watching tonight.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 5:14 pm

Former Angel Josh Hamilton (Angels released him years ago) was busted for punching his daughter. Drunken creep.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 5:21 pm

CBS Sports

Jozelyn Escobedo of ABC 8 WFAA reports that Hamilton told his daughter to tell the judge "what a terrible dad I am" to ensure she would never have to visit his home again. Here is more from Escobedo:

When interviewed by Child Protective Services, his daughter told the interviewer that Hamilton started to assault and throw things at her after she made a comment that upset him, records show.

The former baseball player is accused of throwing a full water bottle that hit his daughter in the chest. Hamilton then pulled a chair from under his daughter and threw it at her, a warrant says.

Hamilton then allegedly took his daughter to a room, pinned her to a bed and repeatedly hit her on the back and legs, according to an arrest warrant.

FW Star-Telegram

Hamilton pleaded not guilty Oct. 31 after turning himself in on Oct. 30 and was released on a $35,000 bond. But the case will be delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Courts aren’t scheduling hearings until after May 11.

He was accused of throwing a water bottle at his oldest daughter, 14, and hitting her in the chest, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Hamilton also grabbed the chair where his daughter had propped her feet and yanked it from under her, then tossed the chair in her direction, police said. According to the affidavit, the chair struck her leg. Hamilton then picked her up and carried her to her room, where he struck her in the back and legs, according to the affidavit.

The alleged incident at Hamilton’s Keller home came only two days after he was introduced as one of the greatest Rangers of the Globe Life Park Era after the final game at the ballpark.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 5:28 pm

The guy didn't seem to appreciate the second and third chances he was given, and bad mouthed the Angels when they let him go.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 5:29 pm

I wasn't happy when the Rangers brought him back, either.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:21 pm

Trevor May from the Twins loses 4-0 to Joey Gallo from the Rangers.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:56 pm

BoSox lose a second round draft pick due to cheating. Second round? That's some pretty weak tea.