It’s been awhile since we’ve asked readers to submit questions for the MLBTR Mailbag. How long? The last mailbag column we did focused on whether the Mets should tender a contract to Matt Harvey for final arb year. The prior mailbag post fielded questions on Diamondbacks slugger J.D. Martinez’s earning power in free agency and how the Orioles might be better off trading cornerstones like Zack Britton, Manny Machado and Adam Jones than pursuing free-agent rotation upgrades.
Ok — so maybe it’s been more than “awhile.”
Given the lack of news and current uncertain state of the 2020 season, it seems like a reasonable time to open up the floor to some reader questions. Of course, no one knows when or even whether a season will be played this year, so there’s no way to speak with any certainty about the timeline of a return to the sport’s normalcy. But readers who have been wondering about rosters, future classes of free agents, potential trades (whenever the transaction freeze is lifted), extension candidates, etc. — let us know what’s on your mind! Alternatively, if you have a particular topic/subject you’d like to see explored or a new series you’d like to see unfold here at MLBTR, feel free to make a suggestion.
You can submit your questions via email (mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com), via Twitter or just in the comments of this post.
I like that they’re bringing this back. It would be cool if they brought back back Baseball Blogs Weigh in too.
Agreed
bring back the downvote.
They should allow people to see who up voted and who down voted. i believe at one point you could see who voted which way..
my downvote works fine and I just gave you a thumbs down
YES!
I second your suggestion about the Baseball Blogs feature, though I also wonder if it would make more sense to bring that back once baseball starts up again…
With the talk of expanded rosters to possibly mitigate shortened MLB (and MiLB) seasons, is this the year for the DH in the NL, if nothing else on a trial basis? Would be an interesting element that could spice up rosters while giving teams more roster freedom.
Not just expanded DH, massive roster expansion to 34 to provide extra manpower to add doubleheaders, 8-9 games a week stuffed into a 12 week /100 game season?
Truth is season is probably dead but I can dream can’t I?
The reason for DH more so than expanded rosters is if they used it that could give weight to implementing it in the NL going forward, rather than continue to table talks. I’m more interested in future seasons than just this one.
No. Just plain no. Please don’t use this crisis as a way to force the DH on NL fans who prefer baseball to be played the way it was meant to be played.
No f-in DH ever. Fake baseball. Bernie Sanders is pro-DH.
How “it was meant to be played” correlates to the era you were born in…..
Maybe you guys can do some more recaps with rankings/polls.. Something like “worst trade of the decade” or “xxx trade that cost xx gm his job” sounds like a fun article and a nice clickbait on youtube. Awesome work by jeff and really hope you guys go viral there btw
What does the next Yadi extension look like, considering Andrew Knizer is looking to be the starter in the next few years?
My guess is one year deals from here on… prob 1 yr/ 15m contracts until he proves he’s no longer worth it. That’s just my total guess though. If it were me, I’d go no further than 2yr/30m.
That sounds reasonable.
I’m also curious what a jack flaherty extension would look like… but he seems like the type of player that wants to go year to year and hit free agency unless blown away by an extension.
I find pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted, cured meats.
You dont even know what a ‘write off’ is.
Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami.
Lol nice!
No, but they do, and they’re the ones writing it off
Nice try dd.
You be you…..
Casey’s partner commented on the last mailbag.. brings back memories
Lmao that guy was dead set on Harper and Machado but at least he got half correct.
Whatever happened to Xabial?
I have no clue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was banned.
he got probably got banned a lot, just came back with a new account each time. i bet he’s in disguise this time.
Do you think with players losing out on money this season we see an influx in Scott Kingery/ Evan White type deals?
Y’all should do a series about what teams have spent the most money in free agency each of the past ten years, and go over their record for that season. I got the idea on a local radio station that was talking about the NFL.
Where’s my check?
Who is the odd man out in the Yankees outfield? What happens to that player(s)?
Clint Frazier, and he gets traded, to the Giants… for Shark.
Frazier to the Giants for Shark? I don’t see it. I don’t see the Yankees giving up Frazier for 1 year of Shark.
I do see Miami giving up one of their young pitchers in a deal for Clint Frazier
Alcantara, Smith, Lopez, Urena, Yamamoto, Sanchez, Cabrera, Neidert, Rogers and Garrett to some extent. I can see a deal involving one of their controllable pitchers with Frazier as the main piece heading back to Miami.
Frazier would give the Marlins an immediate OF option to pair with Anderson long term. They’d just need to have one of Brinson, Sierra, Sanchez, Harrison be ready by 2022 when Dickerson is gone.
That’s a lot better proposal than shark lol.
how will coronavirus impact the next few years of American players finding new life in Asian leagues?
So if there is no 2020 season can we get a head start on looking at potential free agents by team for 2021 for the MLBTR free agency contest?
No lie — I’ve spent a good chunk of today drawing up the 2021-22 free agent list, ha. We always try to stay a couple years out. It’ll be posted today. Now get out of my brain, mindreader!
Great minds think alike!
Independent of each other.
In a vacuum…..
What players currently have achieved 10 and 5 rights?
What players currently have achieved 10 and 5 rights?
What players currently have achieved 10 and 5 rights?
What players currently have achieved 10 and 5 rights?
Why don’t you say it one more time, I don’t think they saw you.
How does that even happen!!??
LOL!
I think the Rickster was being sarcastic since that article was posted three hours hence…..
With a shorter season, obviously depending on how short, the World Series Champion will have an asterisk of some sort. If we have the equivalent of a half season or less, in which many a ‘pretender’ can succeed in, how legit would a World Series winner be considered if it’s one of those unexpected “miracle” teams…like say the Pirates, Royals, Marlins, Orioles, Tigers or other highly doubtful contender has a good run in a short season, and gets into a groove for a postseason to win it all?
What would be made of that, especially if that team follows up 2020 with a full season in 2021 in which they go back to losing 90+ again?
Like the 1981 Dodgers?
They would disagree…..
That was a season with over 100 games. We’re possibly looking at less than that, and perhaps less than the equivalent of half a season (81 games).
Besides, the Dodgers were a good team and perennial contender, a few years removed from losing in the World Series. They were not a team that would be considered a “miracle” team. I’m talking about teams that surprised like the 1969 Mets, 1988 Dodgers, and 2003 Marlins – except accomplishing the feat in less than half a regular season like we may have this year.
Now what happens if it isn’t an expected contender and a team that is expected to be horrible, like the teams I mentioned in the post above? And it happens in a 70-game season?
Would you accept a 2020 World Series Champion Tigers, Marlins, Royals, Orioles or Pirates if one of those teams played well enough through 70 games to sneak into the Playoffs, and then go on a roll to win it all? How would that go if that team, in 2021, has a decent 70ish-game run for the first half, but then hits the skids and loses 90 games again in a full 162 games like they have and are expected to in full 162-game seasons?
I wouldn’t object if two random-ish teams made the 2020 World Series. I’m a White Sox fan who chose the Marlins as his NL team, so most years rooting for standings chaos is the best I can do.
Well, this is a year that will have a high probability of randomness. All MLB caliber talent is capable of having a good run for a short period. If this season has less regular games than the equivalent of half a full regular season, this is a season in which we truly walk in with all 30 teams having a legit chance to win it all. Even a team that is rebuilding will have young players that could get hot, and the league find it difficult to figure them out with less head-to-head games and less total games to scout them in.
any chance with the current idea for starting up the season AAA teams might be able to play. There are more ST parks in Florida, (more AZ teams share stadiums) so with beyond 2× the stadiums could we see AAA teams opperating within a lower level of the Grapefruit and Cactus Lagues as replacements for the PCL and IL like the Major Leagues would see with the AL and NL substituted for Cactus and Grapefruit?
Things to ponder.
I’m sure many ideas are
“on the table.”
With a shortened season and a return of Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets whenever play resumes, do you see the Mets dealing Dom Smith (blocked by Alonso and behind the OFs) or JD Davis (blocked in LF by Dom or Yoenis and 3b by McNeil)? Where are Dom or JD most likely to end up?
They would trade Dom Smith before they trade JD Davis. 1B/OF (Dom) vs. 1B/3B/OF (Davis). Davis provides more roster flexibility. I don’t see Cespedes as the main reason they should trade Smith though.
Now, where will Dom Smith end up?
I can see Rangers as a possibility to have Dom as their 1B for years to come or DH. Choo is a free agent after 2020. What would it take? Maybe a package of Joe Palumbo and Anderson Tejeda.
Possibly the Twins as a DH with Cruz being a free agent after 2020. Maybe a package of Blayne Enlow and Nick Gordon.
Royals have an opening at 1st and DH, Soler is a free agent after 2021.. Maybe a package of Austin Cox, Zach Haake, and Daniel Tillo.
White Sox signed Encarnarcion to be their DH, but he’s a free agent after 2021, or after 2020 if the white sox decline his club option. Smith could plug right in to DH long term or move Abreu to DH and Smith to 1B. Depends how the White Sox feel about Andrew Vaughn, who could be ready by the time Abreu is a free agent after 2022. Maybe a package of Jonathan Stiever and Andrew Dalquist.
i dont think Yoenis is blocking anyone at this point. his guanateed money figure is low enough to the point where if they dont think they can give all 3 ABs they will just cut him or dump part of his salery.
With the possibility of the DH being added to the NL this year, does this help Puig? Who would still want to sign him at this point?
Right because if there’s one thing the man can’t do it’s play a position.
Let me help you small minded doyer fan who’s team can’t win a world series. It wasn’t meant that he can’t play OF. DH creates a new position on every NL team.
Ah, a troll. How original.
Sarcasm alert!
I thought the mail bag was replaced by the chats? Don’t they do the same thing?
Great! A new forum most of my questions will be ignored on!
I’ve always thought putting a service time restriction on DH eligibility would make a positive impact on a potential universal DH. Say you must have someone with 6+ years of service time to be your DH, otherwise you must bat the pitcher. This helps keep bat only players in the game longer, and has them prove they can take the field in order to get to that point. I think of guys like Evan Gattis and Denard Span a few years back that might’ve landed on a team had this rule existed.