Pitchers & Catchers Report 2/12/2025

[RIPPA]

The non-tender deadline is this evening

The "biggest" name so far who is getting non-tender is Phillies OF Austin Hays

So the Orioles won that trade

[RIPPA]

Royals traded Brady Signer to the Reds for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer

Kirk Herbstreit is gonna be so mad you guys

[RIPPA]

The Angels continue to be the only team signing people and now they have handed out the first "big" money deal of the offseason

They have signed Yusei Kikuchi to a 3 year, $63 million dollar deal

[RIPPA]

Due to the Rays now playing in an open air stadium... in Florida

MLB has flipped two series to try and minimize having games postponed later in the season

The Rays will now play both the Angels and Twins at home early in the season with the later season series now seeing the Rays on the road

This means Tampa plays 47 of its first 59 games at home but 69 of their remaining 103 on the road

[Tabe]

55 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Due to the Rays now playing in an open air stadium... in Florida

MLB has flipped two series to try and minimize having games postponed later in the season

The Rays will now play both the Angels and Twins at home early in the season with the later season series now seeing the Rays on the road

This means Tampa plays 47 of its first 59 games at home but 69 of their remaining 103 on the road

Maybe they should consider playing in a dome.

[SirFozzie]

Dodgers ain't standing pat: Snell: 5/182.

 

Heyman had a tweet on the rotation for the Dodgers next season:

 

Dodgers rotation: Snell, Yamamoto, Ohtani (once available), Glasnow, Kershaw (presumably), May, Gonsolin, Miller, more. Also favored for Sasaki.

[RIPPA]

Shocker - the deal has $60 million in deferrals

Has no opt outs and a limited no trade

[RIPPA]

Brandon Crawford announced his retirement 

[odessasteps]

 

[sabremike]

On 11/27/2024 at 9:24 AM, RIPPA said:

Shocker - the deal has $60 million in deferrals

Has no opt outs and a limited no trade

MLB will crack down on deferrals the second Steve Cohen tries to do one.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

1 hour ago, sabremike said:

MLB will crack down on deferrals the second Steve Cohen tries to do one.

Or Hal Steinbrenner

[RIPPA]

Ken Rosenthal was saying that current owners and the MLBPA both love the concept of deferrals because current owners kick the can down the road to the next owner in regards to what they actually pay. MLBPA loves it because they can brag about the high AAV that guys are getting

That being said - everyone acknowledges that as more big money clubs start to do it then most of the smaller clubs will start to bitch (so in a roundabout way - yes, they will crack down when the Mets and Yanks start doing it)

However, Rosenthal also believes this is going to lead to a work stoppage because he is positive owners are going to press for a salary cap in the next CBA

[Hamhock]

It's once again time for the annual release of the MLB/MLBPA joint drug prevention/treatment program report; I found an old post I made ten years ago on the 2014 report (linked below), and thought it would be interesting to compare this year's stats to 2014.

Total tests given
2014: 7,929 (6,394 urine; 1,535 blood)
2024: 11,609 (9,455 urine; 2,154 blood)

Positives
2014: 12 (2 for steroids, 10 for stimulants)
2024: 2 (both for steroids)

Therapeutic Use Exemptions
2014: 112 (all for ADHD)
2024: 65 (61 for ADHD; 1 each for altitude sickness, hormone function, hypertension, and sleep disorder)

[RIPPA]

Or the Dodgers are gonna give everyone deferred money and MLB is gonna get pissed

They agree with Tommy Edman on a 5 year extension

$74 million - approximately 1/3 of the deal is deferred

It overrides the last year of his current deal so it will run through the 2029 season. Also includes an option year (which I highly doubt you would want to give a then 36 year old Tommy Edman $13 million)

[RIPPA]

Offseason slowly starting to pick up

Mets sign Frankie Montas - 2 years, $34 million

Cubs sign Matthew Boyd - 2 years, $29 million

 

[RIPPA]

Who could have seen this coming?

[Dolfan in NYC]

Someone at MLB has leaked ( ) that they are considering "out of the box" rule changes. 

Most notably they are considering giving a team a "Golden At Bat" for each game.  Basically one time per game, each team is allowed to substitute in any player on the roster for one AB.  This would be considered a one time substitution and would not affect the eligibility of either the new or replaced batter to play in the game. 

 

Sure, why not.

[odessasteps]

Ideas that may work in mlb the show should not be in real baseball. 

[Tabe]

2 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Someone at MLB has leaked ( ) that they are considering "out of the box" rule changes. 

Most notably they are considering giving a team a "Golden At Bat" for each game.  Basically one time per game, each team is allowed to substitute in any player on the roster for one AB.  This would be considered a one time substitution and would not affect the eligibility of either the new or replaced batter to play in the game. 

 

Sure, why not.

This is even dumber than starting guys at second in extras. Good grief. I 

[DangerMark]

This game's already been invented, it's called Blernsball and it'll be hella popular in the year 3000 when we're all dead.

[RIPPA]

Oh the internet - where things run wild with no context

Okay - here is the backstory on the whole "Golden Hitter" thing

Jayson Stark decided to write a random story yesterday in the Athletic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5961016/2024/12/02/golden-at-bat-rule-mlb/?source=emp_shared_article

Writing WAY too much about one line Manfred said in a podcast two weeks ago

Quote

So we were listening a few weeks ago when Rob Manfred stopped by the podcast of Puck’s John Ourand and dropped this giant breadcrumb about a rule change that seems like it might be coming someday to a ballpark near you — and a mobile device even closer to you:

“There are a variety of (rule change ideas) that are being talked about out there,” Manfred said. “One of them — there was a little buzz around it at an owners’ meeting — was the idea of a Golden At-Bat.”

Stark then literally writes 

Quote

Is the Golden AB really going to happen? Who the heck knows — but let’s still go with this guess, of … yes!

And then writes wild speculation about what the rule would look like (with three different versions)

I should also point out that supposedly the idea game from David Samson (I can hear Dolfan's blood boiling from here) years ago and he was laughed out of the room then.

Stark also runs it by current players and they all said absolutely not in games that meant something. Want to do it in the All Star Game - fine but not real games.

Finally - Stark is notoriously pro-wacky rules so he is gonna obsess about this for awhile

[SirFozzie]

Where's the Larry David gif when I need it.

Red Sox Fans: I wish we would spend on free agents this winter

The Monkey Paw didn't just curl, it gave fans the finger

 

(Chapman, 1/10.5)

[hammerva]

I always thought the Golden bat gimmick was a Stugotz idea.  I mean it is Stu so he probably stole it from someone else but still

EDIT:  Apparently so although I still stand on the possibility that he stole it from someone else

https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1864328518865137748

 

Edited December 4, 2024 by hammerva

[Craig H]

Every idea that comes out of Manfred is no better than Homer Simpson designing a car. 

I'm looking forward to when they just start stealing ideas from Rock n Jock Baseball, like a golden 8 ball and if you hit a homer with it you score 8 runs.

But sure, anything else before robot umps...

[Kuetsar]

Just close up the fucking game if they are that desperate.