MLB - NEWS & NOTES

RIP, Oscar Gamble. Baddest 'fro in MLB history. Only 68.

 

Had the pleasure of seeing Oscar play... he could never keep his hat on, lol.

 

Alex Avila's deal - D'Backs: 2 years, $8.25 mil

 

when will Darvish and Arrieta sign ? Lot of teams want them, but who will make the first move ? Spring Training is only weeks away!

 

In a reader mailbag, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times says his understanding is that free agent starter Yu Darvish would like to return to the Dodgers. Darvish hasn’t signed with a team yet because he’s waiting to see if the Dodgers can free up some payroll space to add him while staying below the luxury tax threshold of $197 million.

McCullough notes that the Dodgers have been unable thus far to move “extraneous assets” like catcher Yasmani Grandal ($7.9 million), infielder Logan Forsythe ($9 million), and pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu ($7.83 million). The Dodgers currently have $185.4 million in commitments for the 2018 season, according to Cot’s Contracts.

Darvish, 31, pitched well for the Dodgers after being acquired from the Rangers on July 31. In nine starts, he posted a 3.44 ERA with a 61/13 K/BB ratio in 49 2/3 innings. He faltered in the World Series, surrendering nine runs in 3 1/3 innings across two starts against the Astros. Darvish, apparently, had been tipping his pitches and the Astros caught on. The team that ends up signing Darvish would have to be confident the right-hander fixed his tell. (HBT)

 

^^^ Will - this is not directed towards you although you made the post - I love how the Dodgers can't shed payroll but somehow are $8 mil under the luxury tax when they were well over it bf the WS ended. Total sham the system is. Same for the Yankees. They sign Stanton and his $268 million dollar contract, trade Castro and waive their old 3b and are magically under the luxury tax now. You just signed Stanton for his remaining deal - how the hell are you under the tax now when you weren't all last season. You got rid of 2 players. Big deal. You were over the tax for months and then added Stanton. Doesn't make sense.

 

All 30 teams will have extended protective netting by Opening Day

Yesterday the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays announced that they would join the parade of other teams who, in the past several months, have announced plans to extend protective netting to the far end of each dugout. With that, all 30 teams will have done so, Major League Baseball just announced.

Major League Baseball did not require them to do so. Rather, in December 2015, Major League Baseball announced a recommendation that clubs extend the netting, coupled with a “fan education” initiative about the dangers of flying balls. I and many others criticized these measures as (a) inadequate; and (b) geared more toward liability avoidance on the part of the league and its clubs than toward the best practices to improve safety measures. While a handful of clubs followed the recommendations in 2016 and 2017, for nearly two years those recommendations were, quite predictably, ignored by most clubs. It seemed it would take a fan being killed or a high-profile instance of a fan being severely injured by a foul ball in order to motivate clubs to make a change.

Seems that was true, because the tipping point on the netting came when a toddler was severely injured by a foul ball at a Yankees game late last season. It was in the wake of that incident that clubs changed their mind on the matter and began, one after another, to implement the changes.

It’s a shame that it took a child receiving multiple facial fractures and bleeding on the brain in order to make clubs come to their senses on this matter, but it’s good that they, finally, have come to their senses. (HBT)

 

Well hell, it must be something legal and anybody can do it or there would be major consequences.

 

MLB isn't explaining how both teams got under the tax. NY traded Castro and cut 1 play and boom - they were under. I wish they would have a breakdown of how it was done once Stanton came to NY.

 

ABOUT DAMN TIME.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...its-from-marlins-sale-with-miami-dade-county/

what a dick and a scumbag.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...re-outraged-with-lack-of-free-agent-signings/

outrage? blow me. outrageous is the money your clients want. I have no sympathy for any of you.

 

I think they may have a point, Fish. Why arnt the owners signing these guy's? I don't wanna see a MLB full of half-assed ballers from triple-A. The owners may be up to something... they certainly didn't run out of money over night.

I always thought, even years ago, that these ridiculous signings were going to come back and bite their asses... we might be seeing the tip of the iceberg now. I blame all involved actually. The owners, players, and agents all share in this. They made their bed, now they will sleep in it.

 

Astros, Springer agree to two-year deal
World Series MVP George Springer, who made $3.9 million last season, will reportedly make $24 million over the next two seasons.

 

I just think owners are smarter. now come this winter - Bryce Harper will get $400-450 million. No one is stopping that, but to give Jake Arrieta $80 mil is out the window. My thing is for this agent to call it an outrage. haha. Guess he's mad he's not getting his 10%,.

 

Mets sign Todd Frazier to a two-year deal

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Mets have signed third baseman Todd Frazier to a two-year, $17 million deal, pending a physical.

Frazier, who turns 32 years old in a week, spent last season with the White Sox and Yankees. He hit a combined .213/.344/.428 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in 576 plate appearances.

An average annual value of $8.5 million and only two years seems light for a player of Frazier’s caliber. However, given his age and slowly declining production as well as the glacial pace of the free agent market, it’s not surprising.

 

shocked the yanks didn't resign him. his batting avg is awful but he had solid production.

 

Spring training is just a week away but players like J.D. Martinez, Jake Arrieta, Mike Moustakas remain unsigned. Is this cause for concern?

 

MLB Network is trying to spin the players union is all pissy about it and MLB is concerned. Well either lower their salary demands or stay unemployed. it's that simple. Look at the Astros. Yeah they got some big money on the team but a lot of cheap money invested in drafted players. The era of the big money spenders could be over and the market now is taking a hit due to it. Sorry to the FA but you already got overpaid before. Now it's time to be humble and take a grossly overpaid pay cut for being overpaid in the first place. haha