MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Its a kinda weird technicality. It's theoretically to protect large market teams on signing major league ready free agents and protect small market teams in signing prospects and developing talent.

 

yeah - it just seems like LA is signing everyone lately. haha. interesting to see where those 2 brothers end up?

 

Baseball bans rolling block slides in wake of Utley play

NEW YORK (AP) ? Baseball made its call on the Chase Utley slide: out.

Major League Baseball and the players' union have banned rolling blocks to break up potential double plays, hoping to prevent a repeat of the takeout by Utley that broke the leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada during last year's playoffs.

"From my understanding, we've been trying to work on this for a few years now," Utley said at the Los Angeles Dodgers' camp, "so I don't think one instance determined everything."

Maybe, but fans may see it another way ? the Chase Utley Rule.

Under the change announced Thursday, a runner must attempt a "bona fide slide," defined as making contact with the ground ahead of the base, being in position to and trying to reach the base with a hand or foot, trying to remain on the base after the slide, and sliding within reach of the base without changing his path to initiate contact with a fielder.

An umpire can call both the runner and batter out for a violation. Baserunners may not elevate or kick a leg above the fielder's knee or throw his arm or upper body.

A runner who makes a permissible slide cannot be charged with interference, even if he makes contact with a fielder.

"I imagine there will be a little bit of an adjustment for the middle infielders, but also the baserunners," Utley said.

Tejada missed the World Series due to the injury sustained at Dodger Stadium in the NL Division Series. Utley was suspended for two games, a penalty still under appeal.

"Did Chase catch him good? Yeah. Could Tejada have maybe done a couple things to get out of the way?," said Philadelphia infielder-outfielder Cody Asche, a former Utley teammate.

Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus looked at Utley's slide and the rule change from two perspectives.

"I didn't have any problem with that, even if looked a little dirty," he said. "But that situation, I'd probably be doing the same, trying to break the double play."

But then he added: "As a fielder, that's awesome. Nobody's going to get you if you're out of the way."

In mid-September, Pittsburgh rookie shortstop Jung Ho Kang's season ended when his left leg was broken and a knee ligament was torn during a takeout slide by the Chicago Cubs' Chris Coghlan, who was traded to Oakland on Thursday.

"Those incidents put more public attention on the issue and allowed us to focus on it this offseason, but we had been discussing this topic for several years," MLB Senior Vice President Chris Marinak said. "I think there were a confluence of factors that came together this offseason that led to us make the change."

For players' association head Tony Clark, definition was key.

"It allows middle infielders to appreciate where they can go and where they can be safe," he said, "as well as allowing players to appreciate ... where they need to go to try and break up the play," the former All-Star first baseman said.

Going forward, takeout slides and neighborhood plays ? where a middle infielder fails to touch second base ? will be subject to video review. In the past, the neighborhood play wasn't covered by instant replay.

"A shortstop will drag his right foot across the back corner of the base. I don't think that will ever change," said Colorado manager Walt Weiss, a former All-Star shortstop. "The second baseman, I think, is more affected by this rule, because sometimes they leave the base before the ball gets there."

Baseball and the union also agreed to limit mound visits by managers and pitching coaches to 30 seconds and to cut the countdown clock for between-innings breaks by 20 seconds, to 2:05 for most games and 2:25 for nationally televised matchups.
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Going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

Cubs, Dexter Fowler agree to $13M, 1-year contract

MESA, Ariz. (AP) ? Outfielder Dexter Fowler agreed to stay with the Cubs, spurning a $33 million, three-year offer from the Baltimore Orioles to accept a $13 million, one-year deal with Chicago on Thursday that includes a mutual option for 2017.

"This is where my heart is," said Fowler, who surprised his teammates by showing up at workouts alongside Cubs executive Theo Epstein after manager Joe Maddon called the team together.

Fowler rejected a $15.8 million, one-year qualifying offer from the Cubs in November to test the free-agent market. Under the agreement announced Thursday, he gets $8 million this year, and the sides have a $9 million option for 2017 with a $5 million buyout.

Orioles executive vice president for baseball operations Dan Duquette said Fowler insisted on being able to terminate his agreement after 2016 and become a free agent again.

"We made a very competitive offer. The issue was the opt out," Duquette said. "The Orioles have made it clear that that type of deal wouldn't really work for us. Based on that, it sounds to me like he wanted to return to Chicago."

Fowler's agent, Casey Close, ripped Baltimore and said the Orioles intentionally ignored free agency rules.

"In my 25 years in this business, never before have I witnessed such irresponsible behavior on so many fronts," he said in a statement posted online. "Both the Orioles front office and members of the media were so busy recklessly spreading rumors that they forgot or simply chose not to concern themselves with the truth."

Close and Duquette agreed on one thing: The two sides never reached a deal.

 

Seems to me, if you enforce the neighborhood play and at the same time force runners to slide into the bag, doesnt that equal more collisions?

MLB is nuts if they think this is going to work.

Whats next? Outlaw slides?

 

Shocked that Fowler is back with the Cubs. I think it makes the team more versatile and gives them a true leadoff guy. I'm fine with Soler and Schwarber platooning for a year to see how they shake out. I'm glad it is just a one year deal with Fowler.

The Cubs also signed Victorino to a minor league deal.

 

to me Schwarber is better than soler and shouldn't platoon unless he can play catcher too.

i said it before and ill say it now - the utley slide was late and dirty. he was almost equal with the bag as he slid. dirty and cheap.

 

The difference between Soler and Schwarber in the outfield is speed. You can't have slow players in the outfield. Fst players can make outs which is as good as a hit if not better.....

 

Indians' Almonte suspended 80 games for failed drug test

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) ? With injured All-Star Michael Brantley likely out for the first portion of the season, the Cleveland Indians spent plenty of time this offseason looking for ways to fill the large hole he'll leave in the outfield.

That search became more difficult Friday when Abraham Almonte was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone.

Indians general manager Mike Chernoff and manager Terry Francona had high expectations this season for the 26-year-old outfielder.

"It's extremely disappointing. Abe has accepted responsibility for the test results as he talked with me and Tito," Chernoff said. "We were hoping that he would be a large contributor for our major league team this year and for the first 80 games, he can't do that."

The Indians released a statement as well, in which the team supported MLB's stance on steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Almonte was set to address his teammates on Saturday, before he is removed from the team's 40-man roster and placed on the restricted list.

 

over soler's bat? no freaking way. make the routine plays. don't mess up the easy ones and keep hitting hrs and knocking in runs.

 

Fish, they just don't put slow runners in the outfield if a team can help it.......

 

well he played in the postseason last year in the OF so what does that tell you? you can't leave his bat on the bench. I don't care how slow he is.

 

So now Gerritt Cole is unhappy with his contract. He's only making $541,000 until he goes to arbitration. Which by rule he can't do until he's played 5 years. And let's not forget the $8 MIL. bonus he got after the Pirates drafted him. The highest in the majors that year. These guys are never happy. Whats he want to do? Wipe his ass with the stuff?

 

DING! DING! DING! Huge mistake.

 

Well, that and Soler can actually track a fly ball. Schwarber is basically a fire hydrant out there.