As the founder of MLB Trade Rumors, I’d like to take a brief moment to update you on the current state of the website. I realize that with the distress of COVID-19, the situation of a baseball website is the last thing on your mind, so I’ll keep it short.
Like most small businesses, mine has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Traffic is down due to MLB’s delayed season, and I don’t expect our typical trade deadline bump or a normal 2020-21 offseason. Ad rates have plummeted as well. As you know, MLBTR is free and entirely supported by banner advertising. While I’ve had to suspend some interesting but non-essential projects, in the long-term I think MLBTR will be fine.
You may have noticed that our overall post volume has decreased due to the lack of baseball news, and we’ve increased our original posts to fill the void. When player transactions and related rumors start back up, we’ll be covering that fully as we have over the last 15 years. Until then, we’ll continue experimenting with different topics both current and historical to create interesting reading material. Be sure to let us know what you’d like to see. Also, please note that the advent of weekday videos on MLBTR is not any kind of “pivot to video” and does not replace posts or result in fewer written posts on the site. Video is something we decided to try out this year, as the format may suit certain content better than the written word. We hope you’ll check out our YouTube channel and subscribe, but if it’s not for you, that’s OK.
I appreciate so many of you continuing to visit the site every day. If you’d like to help, just keep visiting, commenting, and retweeting. And be sure to tell your friends about MLBTR and share the link with them. Thanks for reading!
Have been on everyday and will continue to do so. Thanks for being here for us fans when MLB can’t.
I second that ^
Yeah you guys are rad and help me get through these long days waiting this stuff out, I think the entire community on here appreciates the work your doing even if it is a small escape from dismal current events, thanks writers, hopefully you can get some of that ad revenue back ASAP
same^
As have I. Thanks for all you guys do. Frankly I’ve thought the MLBTR content has been top notch given the circumstances
Agreed!
Keep up the good work!
Agreed. Thank you!
I concur. Every day, and sometimes multiple visits.
I too come to MLBTR multiple times per day Tim. I have been for about five years now and nothing has changed during these extraordinary times. I think the content, in light of so little baseball related news actually happening in real time, has been excellent!! Thank you! I so appreciate MLBTR
Couldn’t say it better myself. Thanks!
Agree with giantsphan. Come here every day and will continue to do so. Keep up the good work!
Yep I’m also so glad you’re here MLBTR. It’s my number one source for baseball news. If something’s going down I know it will be here quick. Thanks, you guys do a great job !!
Always loved this site. Yeah they maybe screw up on small minor leaguers included in trades or get a year off, but these guys have really in depth reports & have a great way of breaking down players’ careers & projections. My girl friend thinks Im texting someone else all the time because I’m always on MLBTR checking info haha. Keep up the good work folks! It’s hard to stop loving ⚾ even when there isn’t any.
Ditto. Please continue to give us the top notch coverage that you always have.Thanks for helping me get thru this difficult time
Me too! Thanks for continuing to post daily and have enjoyed the new types of things like prospect face offs and GM trade reviews — even if there’s no baseball going on or transactions to talk about — you guys have done a great job still creating entertaining content. I appreciate it and wish you guys the best of luck!
Set up a voluntary donation.
I’d donate too
^ yep same here. Everyday
Thank you.
My friends and I all use this site. It’s a great place to check out sports news. I really hope you guys get through this and I look forward to continued visits to MLBTR. Thank you!
Love the site. Wish you and staff the best and for your safety. You have a loyal customer in me, I’ll always visit this site daily.
Thanks for the update!
Thank you Tim and the whole MLBTR crew for keeping us informed
Thanks for everything Tim. Will keep visiting and reading as often as I can.
Tim, we do care about important sites like this one! Fangraphs recently did a support drive and their readers really stepped up. This site is an essential resource for baseball fans everywhere. If there is a way this community can support MLBTR, I hope you’ll let us know.
THIS. If it comes to it you should start a GoFundMe or something. This site is awesome and needs to continue to push forward. The people will help! I will pledge….. 1 MILLLION DOLLARS (doctor evil voice)
As a Padres fan, I will pledge 1% of Eric Hosmer’s and Wil Myers’ salary.
agree with asaw780. When Fangraphs had a support drive I contributed a few bucks – and I’d do the same for MLBTR. I use it all of the time. Please get rid of the darn videos though.
I’d donate
Ditto, I’d donate
Still going to visit this site multiple times a day. Jeff has done a great job on the videos! perhaps throw some merch up on the main site with a MLBTR logo. I’d buy it.
Absolutely!
I love going to your site for news on big, and especially small, transactions in sports. You do a much better job than many of the bigger sites so hope you guys can weather the storm.
Thanks for continuing to run this fantastic site Tim. Best to you, your writers and all your families during this time. Stay Safe and healthy
MLB Trade Rumors is a staple of my daily browse and has been for 15 years. I applaud you, Tim, for creating this site and for keeping it free. Much respect and thanks!
thanks for all that you and your guys do Tim. It’s a weird time but with some good luck we’ll all get through it and things will slowly get back to normal
Really enjoying a lot of the original content. Found myself watching videos in a binge format rather than checking in daily for them. I enjoy the offseason in reviews and the GM trade grades quite a bit.
An idea- a blog I used to follow would go back in time 5 years for their specific team and recap that months MLBTR posts and reaction 5 years later comapred to in the moment reaction.. Might be interesting to do so from a full MLB perspective.
Thanks for the contiued content, Well wishes and good health to everyone at MLBTR.
This is a great idea. I think team-specific retrospectives would be a fun addition while there are no games being played.
And I’m enjoying the original content. The staff here are excellent writers and injecting a bit of personal opinion into pieces wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing either.
Keep up the great work!
I don’t comment much but I visit every day and read every article. I like what you guys are doing to create content. Keep up the good work, I do appreciate a wholesome break from all of the COVID and political nonsense flooding the internet right now.
Not sure how many people on here play TheShow – but I sure do. You could put a MLBTheshow tournament together with like a $5.00 – 10.00 buy in? stream it on twitch? Idk, Id def play.
I would be interested
Still the first thing I check in the morning, after email.
Definitely before email. And the news. Always checking multiple times a day, 6 days a week. Thanks Tim, Jeff, Steve, Mark, and the entire crew. Baseball without MLBTR would be…inconceivable. (Insert Wallace Shawn impersonation here.)
Very appreciative of this website Tim, check it several times a day. Keep up the great work, and thanks!!
This is an everyday thing for me, and it just lets me read about the game I love and talk with others about the game as well. I hope y’all don’t get hit too hard because of this, but just in case… I heard that everyone has a long lost Nigerian prince, that can wire transfer money to you… (jk) Anyways, this is a great place to vent, and I like being able to come here and see others vent too. Thank you and the MLBTR staff for helping all of us get over this boring, paranoid, hard time.
I have been refreshing mlbtraderumors daily for the last… I can’t even count how many years. It’s even something my friends pick on me about. But I do admit my daily visits are down. I really love historic posts about transactions in history. I love looking ahead at free agents to come and with this year having the possibility of no season, we may be already discussing free agents of next year. Polls are awesome. Predicting landing spots of guys are awesome. I don’t think anything feels better for a fan then to be involved with the posts. Feel free to reach out to me. Baseball and stats has always been my passion. I would be willing to volunteer some of my time to do whatever needed.
Happy to hear that you should be ok long-term. But yeah, this really sucks. My business is pretty much shot until we can go back to face to face meetings. Best of luck to you. I’ll do what I can to help mlbtr
I am on here often. I own a small business as well. Hopefully we can all stay afloat and help each other during these times.
I love your work and I love this website. I visit this website more than any other. If I can support it in any way, I would be happy to do so. If you ever put up a way to donate to the longevity and health of the site, I would happily contribute. Please don’t go any where! Keep up the amazing work.
By far my most visited site/app. Only have commented a few times over the years but check in multiple times a day. Keep up the great work, it is appreciated! Aside from baseball knowledge my vocabulary has expanded as I’ve never used the word “opined” before coming here haha.
Tim…
1) By all means, please add a “Donate” button or some way for readers to chip in a few dollars. For the enjoyment and usefulness that we’ve received, I think that would be the least I would be willing to do. A lot of websites do this now. Not one single person doesn’t have ad blocking software, and I haven’t seen ads on this site in years. Even those who don’t aren’t clicking on ads that aren’t even remotely relevant.
2) The videos are a decent touch, but honestly, I don’t want to see Jeff Todd in them all the time. It’s not cool, fun, or entertaining at all. Do a voiceover and show clips (if you have the rights to them), but I don’t want to watch him talking. Seems like they’re more about him than the actual topic sometimes. Can’t you get Tim Dillard or somebody to answer questions or something? Nothing really going on with the minor leaguers.
3) While keeping all the main content and rumors free, why not consider something like Insider or Athletic subscriptions? For those of us who have the financial means, why not offer some type of VIP chat, maybe something with an MLB/MiLB player for subscriber’s only? I’d DEFINITELY be willing to pay for that. Keep the free chats with people like Mark Polishuk, but add subscriber chats with some bigger names.
Seriously though, add the donate button. This site has been immensely useful (for the most part) over the years, and I owe something for that at least.
I would donate a modest amount to help and feel very good to help support my regular info source and the hard working folks at the MLBTR. This is something we understand, we often step up for the local and national newspapers we read. Thanks for still being here for us.
I can’t say thank you enough for all the work you guys put into this site. As an MLB fan I consider this site just as enjoyable as the season itself. The content you provide as well as allowing for us fans to dialogue about baseball issues and transactions is invaluable. Rooting for you and the MLBTR team. Keep up the great work you guys! We really appreciate it!
Agree with the others add a donate button!
Keep going fellas, love what you do. Let’s make sure our ad-blockers are off for at least this site.
As a baseball addict, I think I visit more now than I would if there was actual baseball to keep me entertained.
LOVE the GM trade series. I think it would be even more interesting to see a previous GM series since long term results of trade and free agent signings can be more telling than short term results. Who knows if the 2 A-ball prospects a GM gave up last year for a rental was a good deal? Many years later, it is easier to tell.
Thanks for sticking to it.
Keep doing as much as you can without sacrifice. I have purchased the thermometer that is listed here as well. The banter that goes on in the comments section keeps us going. As well as your articles of course. Please stay safe.
Starting a GoFundMe page next. I’m on the mobile site probably 50+ times per day (no joke, I’m a loser) and would hate to see it disappear.
The only thing I would like to see is Jeff Todd moving out of his parent’s basement soon. Or at very least, green screen it! JK. Keep it up with the quality content.
It’s MY basement, thank you very much.
Lmao
I come on here 7 or 8 times a day everyday. I thank you and your staff daily. I thank you very much, Tim, for keeping the site going. Jeff does great with the videos. I hope you have him keep it up after this is all over.
Can’t imagine a world without MLBTradeRumors.com.
An essential online visit at least twice a day.
Hang in there, things will get better soon.
And soon we will be watching and playing the greatest game.
RIP AL Kaline.
Appreciate you. Was just talking to my buddy yesterday how much I miss tuning into baseball and checking trade rumors every day.
Baseball is beautiful and has brought people together since the beginning. I feel like every fan has a story of their own. They may not be mlb. But I’d be interested in hearing the stories of the fans on the site. Maybe they can all write a personal baseball story of theirs. Might be a way to keep us coming back and giving back to all you’ve done for us. You have subscribers of all ages, I’m sure. Idk, just an idea. Thank you for all of your work. Stay safe.
Longtime fan of the website here, although this is my first comment. Just had to say thank you Mr. Dierkes and thanks to the MLBTR staff for the best the site on the internet. Hang in there!
I visit multiple times each day. Keep up the good work.
I’ll be here for the long haul, if I’m able.
I appreciate you and your website!
One of the originals Tim and I’ll continue coming to MLBTR multiple times per day until you decide no longer wish to run it yourself.
Been an enjoyable decade plus and hope you decide and can afford another decade plus of this fine place.
JS
I think the comparison content is really cool to fill some news voids. I love to see how the up and coming players compare with each other, especially in the absence of baseball.
I wish you all the best of luck.
Happy to spread the word! Keep up the great work!
Just an idea but it might be fun to post some of the largest news in articles over the past 15 years. Like when Pujols signed with Anaheim, Cardinals trade for Holiday, etc
Thanks for being here and doing what you do. You’re a nice distraction from all the virus talk and all that is wrong with the world. You guys do a great job and keep it up!!
i just turned off ad blocker now.
I love this site, and appreciate everything you guys do. I really enjoy the prospect comparisons you’ve been doing recently. Another idea may be to pick a sleeper prospect candidate from each team’s organization. I think a lot of us readers appreciate the prospect news just as much as the trade rumors. Thanks for all that you do!
Jah bless you for keeping on. This is my only link to sanity.
I always visit your site a number of times each day. I gave money to FanGraphs and would do the same for you. I loved it when you had 4 chats per week. The discussion videos just are not for me.
Love the team’s work and know that you are all appreciated, My best to each of your families, can’t wait for normal to return.
TD, just wanted to make sure you’re aware of SBA PPP forgivable loans. Might be a helpful $ bridge to get you and the site back to real life action and rumors if you’re eligible.
Also love the idea of starting a GoFundMe. I’d be happy to support as I love the whole family of rumors sites!!
Thanks for all that you do!! Stay strong and be well!
The site has been and will continue to be my home page. Please don’t scrap the instagram trivia questions!
I check in pretty much every day. Thanks for the update
I have told all my friends about the site. Unfortunately, I have no friends.
Keep up the GREAT work (on the NFL site also)
You guys rock and even with the delay I am a big fan of the content here! Have been visiting daily regardless of the delay. Thank you for your continued posts!
All the work has been appreciated, Tim. I use ad blockers a lot, but not on here. It’s totally understandable a lot of these corona-era articles won’t land perfectly, but the fact the TR sites are all still firing off content anyway has shown how important a resource you are.
The only change I’d make on the site is allow me to delete other people’s comments, the comments sections have turned into a right wing homer-riffic disaster zone. Pitchers hitting isn’t fun to watch for anyone, because it takes the game from professional to amatuer, and that’s what a lot of NL fans don’t understand. Hitting and pitching are completely different skill sets and not all players have both, yet plenty of fans seem to think otherwise and 30+ years of being bad at hitting doesn’t mean they will always be bad at hitting, which is terrible logic! NL 4 DH 2021.
We would all love to delete your comments. Congratulations on managing to take what was about to be your greatest comment and turn it into complete crud with a silly suggestion. Well done.
Strike Fourtnite is at it again. She doesnt value anyone’s opinions but her own. Maybe her two dads have spoiled her too much. Or maybe it’s a typical teenager’s cry for attention. Who knows? Advice: Leave the basement for awhile girlfriend. Get some sun.
I take it you’re using she as an insult. Because we all know women are inferior. At least to the troglodytes.
No, I just thought she is a woman because of all the drama and whining. Has nothing to do with inferiority.
kid – liberals can’t wrap their heads around the fact that people might actually disagree with them.
prov356 – I’m a liberal and disagreements and differing opinions are part of what makes America great. So there.
rct – That’s the way it should be. Our Founding Fathers disagreed about everything when putting our government together. They were still able to “create” the best country in history. I appreciate your response.
I’d just add at the very least there should be a block/hide button on users.
I used to be able to block certain words in users names so I wouldn’t see their posts but after a recent update that’s all gone. It sucks but I find the discourse on this website good for the most part but there seems to be a lot of people trying to ruin it.
“the comments sections have turned into a right wing homer-riffic disaster zone.”
I’m about as left-wing as they come and don’t see any problem. On hot topic political issues (on the rare times they occur) the comments are usually closed to prevent political debates. Allowing you personally (or anyone else) to censor other people’s opinions that you don’t agree with isn’t a good path to go down.
As it stands, if a comment is abusive or harmful or racist, etc. you can flag it and MLBTR will remove it. Removing people’s comments based purely on you disagreeing with them is wrong and unnecessary.
For example, I have the total opposite opinion of yours on the DH. I enjoy pitchers hitting. But your opinion is equally valid regardless.
Keep Grinding!
I honestly don’t know what I’d do if you were nonexistent.. I check in on your website, no less than 10 to 15 times a day, even now. you are the best source of baseball updates and news that’s ever been created. I’m 68 years old, so I know what I’m talking about ! ha thank you so much for your ongoing service !
I, for one, appreciate it. this is typically the first site I check every morning, after email. any thoughts of setting up some sort of donation link to generate revenue? I know is chip in $10 or so just to ensure that MLBTR stays afloat, as I’ve used it as a critical resource for nearly all of the 15 years it has been in existence.
So much love and respect to all the guys at MLBTR for how hard they work
it’s an excellent site and i hope that you hang in until better times return
I still check the app multiple times each day. It’s my go to place for baseball news and rumors.
I’m here everyday. Sending a lot of good juju to the staff of MLBTR and even the users 😉
Thank you for all that you do, we will be here for you as long as you are here for us…
I’ve been on this site everyday since 2010 and will continue to do so! I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned or considered but for the time being and even future, maybe do a this day or week in history. I’ve noticed ESPN has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Today they’re showing the Cal Ripken Jr game where he broke Gehrig’s record.
MLBTR is the best.
Thank you, Tim… and thanks to the entire MLBTR team.
I will donate, consider patreon as it can run a recurring charge. Ill take time out to check this site 10x a day during certain periods, but not to visit gofundme every month. If I have a $1, $3, etc charge recurring on patreon, Ill be too lazy to cancel, and that is alright with me.
Day #6 of no sports,
watching birds fight over a worm,
Cardinals lead Blue Jays 3-1
I plan on using this app and the website for a long time to come, so keep it up!!
Thank you so much for being there for us. Please let us be there for you! Let us know how we can help.
Keep up the good work!!
I for one appreciate the content. All of it. I usually come on here either before or after I see any corona news. It is a nice distraction. I do have an idea though. What about a FANTASY ALL TIME TEAM TOURNAMENT? Like you take 2 random all time great teams and hypothetically match them up position by position? Then give each position battle a score out of five? That way you can give extra weight when one position (looking at you pitching of late 90’s Braves) is very lopsided and matchup teams from different eras. And dont just use super big times names. Throw in some sneaky picks. Like the Seattle Mariners team from 2001 vs The Angel’s from this season? Stuff like that. I think it would be a good read. Just an idea. Thanks again.
Tim, I appreciate your post. As I’m sure you’ve seen, you have a loyal following here and I am included. I think it’s understated how valuable we consider MLBTR is as baseball fans. You have interesting, informative and up-to-date posts and I, like others, visit your site every day. In a world currently without baseball and sports in general, MLBTR is a welcome refuge to get our daily baseball fix. Keep up the great work and if you get to the point of needing donations, count me in. Hope you and yours stay safe and healthy!
Jeff Todd does an amazingly good job on his videos! People who are so critical are unbelievable. Jeff Todd is the best on MLBTR.
Mr. Todd is a natural, could easily be a dugout correspondent or something similar
Appreciate it!
There’s a podcast I listen to that takes donations in exchange for archived episodes.
Example: they’ll have an episode for the original Terminator, but to get the rest of the series you have to donate.
Totally optional though.
Perhaps a feature like that would help? Maybe not get series articles like Offseason Outlook. But just donations in general?
Just a thought.
MLBTR has always been my place for good baseball writing that is nuanced and informed . Sorry to hear that it’s fallen on hard times. When I open the browser, my first keyboard instincts are still to type “mlbtra….” Excited to see what sort of coverage you have in store for the baseball drought. Hoping you are your loved ones are healthy through this tough time.
A sincere and heartfelt thank you Tim & everyone at MLBTR. It’s looooong overdue.
Please stay safe & sane during this difficult time.
Sincerely: Your neighbours in The North. Let’s go Blue Jays!
Tim, I really appreciate the site and all that you and your team does. I will subscribe to the YouTube channel and will do my part to keep traffic up. Take care and be well.
Been coming here since the early days and check the site constantly. Even with this going on and wiping out significant material you’ve found ways to continue to post interesting stories. As long as this site is up even if it’s just one post a day I’ll still read it.
This site helps a lot in these Times. I come to this Site a lot. Plus being a Red Sox fan I come here to see a story about Cheat Gate…I want a Decisin NOW. LOL GO RED SOX.
I have found that this site has helped me make sense of all this. Sports are a multi billion dollar industry run by people who will do what it takes to restart said industry. By keeping an eye on what they’re doing in all this, I get an idea for when it will get back to normal.
Thank you Tim and to all of the sports writers on MLBTR it sure is nice to have a great sports site to go to in these tough times even though we don’t have sports at the moment.
The videos come across as some guy giving his opinion about a given subject.
I like the idea, but the cutaway’s between speaking segments; and segways are very rough.
If you want more people to enjoy them, I’d suggest adding video and imaging cutaways; and try to get a little excitement and possibly some emotion to them.
I personally dont expect them to take on a sports sportscenter type of presentation… but the monotone droning on of some guy telling us his opinion, with little to no supporting presentation makes watching them very boring for me.
Just my constructive criticism… I love MLBTR and have been a follower since day one… but that’s my two cents.
I hear you … wish we could utilize MLB highlights but that would mean big rights fees! And I try to spice up my delivery but there’s a fine line between showing your personality and being a phony. It’s tough to do well, I’ve learned!
Honestly I’m more inclined to the written word myself, so I get it. But some people do prefer to hear/see rather than read, so we’re opening that door.
That being said … we agree that we should be doing more than just staging monologues. We are learning as we go and have some ideas on the horizon, including multi-person discussions that will be more natural to the video format.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Love the site. Most of the content is solid. That said, I have a few suggestions:
1. During times when there’s real baseball news, could you just do a weekly or semi-weekly batch of minors transactions? Even if it’s a long-ish post, I don’t really care even about my team promoting someone enough that I have to read about it that day. I care even less if a journeyman is signed to a minors deal.
2. I really like the polls, particularly the prospect head-to-head pieces. I wonder if there would be any way to have a rankings. For example, Wander Franco is probably the #1 overall prospect, but deciding on #2-#5 is a little more debatable. If you could do rankings on here, a few pieces like that might be entertaining, not necessarily with prospects, but with position players, best rotations, etc.
3. Not really digging the GM pieces, personally, but I do like the pieces that focus on the aftermath of a particular transaction, especially one that has changed the future of one of the teams involved. Would be very interested in seeing one on the Chapman/Torres trade.
Overall, I think you guys do a great job. This is my favorite baseball news site by far. Keep the content coming!
Thank you Tim for all that you and your staff do. Checking this site has been a daily routine of mine for years now (both at home and at work). I even got someone else hooked on checking the trade rumor sites. The original posts are very much appreciated and are a great distraction from everything else going on in this world.
I forgot to mention that I really enjoy the trivia questions on the Instagram stories as well.
I visit frequently. I’m sure most users would be glad to contribute a few bucks to help your business through this period. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Thank you for all you do with Mlbtraderumors! It’s easily my most visited site by a landslide. I love all the baseball related articles and videos and truly appreciate it!
I’m here a couple times a day on the app. Not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.
Oh, and FWIW, I find the videos pointless and I don’t watch them. I can read the same content in 1/4 the time it takes for you to explain it on video. And when it’s written I can review it easily in real time instead of having to rewind and rewatch.
We’re all in baseball withdrawal together. Thanks Tim and the whole staff for keeping the sweats and the shakes to a minimum.
Tim thank you for keeping us informed. I have been going to your baseball and football sites five to six times a day especially when it’s trading season or free agent signing season and never logged in to post anything. With your update today I had to sign up and let you know that I support everything you guys are doing for us. I will continue to tell my friends about your sites and continue to support you any way I can. Hang in there there is light at the end of the tunnel Andy
thank you for continuing to generate content for old baseball wingnuts like myself. I check every day, I’m not going anywhere
I always check in. Can’t wait until all of this passes.
I am curious what happens with the Free Agent Prediction Contest? There’s just one free agent left, and he’s not likely to be signed even after all of this passes.
Tim,
As one of your early readers, I can assure you that I’ll keep checking in almost every day. I know that you and the other writers are being squeezed for information, but hang in there. Most of us find your site invaluable.
thanks for hanging in there… MLBTR helps me through the day and alway enjoy reading the articles
….even if you don’t answer any of my questions during the live chats!
I always love reading your site. If you would like to give readers an option to donate, I’d be open to it.
Good luck Tim! Such an awesome website! I love the historical stuff. Thank you for hanging in there…..
Offer a paid version. 🙂
As for content, I want more Marlins stuff!
And I would like Marlins stuff that doesn’t derive from incorrect, national efforts to bash them.
For example, the Marlins did not have a fire sale after their last championship. The team was mostly the same in 2004 – with the exception of losing Pudge to free agency and trading Derek Lee because they had a surplus after everyone was healthy and they wanted to keep Jeff Conine, who better suited the team on 1B because he couldn’t play the corner OFs better than Juan Encarnacion or the young version of Miggy Cabrera. The Marlins traded for Paul Loduca during the 2004 season to replace Pudge, but gave too much for him. The team didn’t have a fire sale until after the 2005 season, which was a disappointment after spending on the likes of Carlos Delgado and a few more pieces, in an effort to win another championship after being one year removed.
Another story would be the FACTS related to the Marlins recent fire sale once the Sherman/Jeter/MJ group came in. The FACT is that the Marlins had losing seasons with the offense they had because, other than Jose Fernandez, they had no pitching. They had the misfortune to lose Henderson Alvarez’s arm a couple of year’s before Fernandez’s death. The offseason before Fernandez’s death, the signed Wei Yin Chen, who unfortunately had his arm fall off his first season with Miami. Then, as the Marlins were competing, they planned for an offseason in which they would pursue Johnny Cueto to fit in between Fernandez and Chen. That plan, and the franchise, was destroyed when Fernandez died. That offseason, they checked in on Cueto, but he chose the Giants after I believe the Marlins made him a higher offer or something like that. They settled for Edinson Volquez, whose arm unfortunately fell off too in his only season in Miami…after he pitched a no-hitter. Not that Volquez would have made a difference, it was just another string of events that kept the Marlins from being able to build a pitching staff that was good or even adequate enough to support that offense. When Jeter and Co. took over, they had a team that was projected to have a payroll around $150 million with arbitration, raises, and contracts to Stanton and Chen kicking in along with Prado’s and a couple others. And this was with no pitching. Had Cueto come to Miami, you add his contract to that payroll, and the Marlins still needed pitching. After that year of Volquez, the biggest free agent pitchers were Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta. Let’s say that the Marlins signed them too after getting Cueto instead of Volquez. That would have placed the Marlins over $200 million in payroll. Would the Marlins be able to support that payroll? And best of all, how would that have turned out for the Marlins having those three pitchers (who were the biggest names available) at those prices and the performances that have provided since signing their contracts? In FACT, if they attempted to use a non-free agency approach to acquiring pitchers, the type of pitching needed to help them win, would’ve required traded at least two of Stanton, Ozuna, Yelich, Realmuto, and Dee Gordon. So, that affects the team any way, and they would have had to trade them any way. And considering Stanton’s contract, the team’s that could afford that, who Stanton would accept a trade to, weren’t giving the Marlins the pitching return to be equal to talent and contract. So, that means 2 of the other 4 being traded.
Articles like these for the Marlins would be welcomed greatly and are sorely needed instead of the same old fiction that has been written about them throughout the media.
You will find more Marlins content at milb. com
(Sorry, couldn’t resist)
Like everyone else, I’m still checking in here and you guys are doing a great job. Keep yourselves safe and I can’t wait for “play ball”.
I still read daily.
Maybe an article on why Gary Peter’s nickname was
“Ding Dong?”
I concur with everyone else. I check the site at least 5x a day, and Pro Football site, in anticipation of the draft.
This is the first place I go in the morning even before checking e-mail messages. The most valuable service you provide is to consolidate and summarize the tweets, etc. of the baseball reporters who have the best insights into what’s going on. It would be understandable if you had to strip down the operation for a while, and then ramp it back up when things begin to normalize.
I truly love this site. I visit it multiple times a day. Please do not go away and thank you for creating and maintaining this great site. With no real baseball this is like an Ossis in the desert. Keep up the good work. More chats. Thank you
Best baseball news site on the web. I’ll keep coming back and sharing links with people.
Post a PayPal donate, I am all in, you guys work too hard to provide us the latest on MLB!
Video’s on how you started. Video’s with players, GM’s, Team Personnel and how they are passing the time. Video chats with former players.
Don’t want to leave you a novel, as you already have a few of those to read later on here. But ever since Dombrowski hooked up with Mr. Illitch before he passed away and they made so much noise before, at and during the ASG this has been my site. Checking in around 20 times daily! It’s a great site led by great people there is NO WAY I’d leave you guys now that baseball has taken a back seat. Thanks for the content and can’t wait to get back to our original programming day! Lololol
Good luck, and so what you gotta do to keep the ship afloat. You’re my go-to for sports news!
Love this site. It’s at the top of my list for baseball websites. I’ll continue to look at it every day. Thanks for all of your hard work and good luck.
This is the best baseball site hands down. Keep doing what you guys do, because you are great at it. Let us know if we can assist the MLBTR team in anyway. Stay safe, stay healthy and thank you.
mlbtr’s been around 15 years!! wow. time certainly does fly. Good stuff Tim, and I am sure you are correct re everything returns to normal, the site shall too.
Thanks for continuing to keep up the site, I really appreciated the Al Kaline obituary and thought it really gave a great perspective on the man and his career
Tim, I’ve been enjoying the retrospective articles a great deal! I’m not sure who your leading stathead on staff is, but just as a suggestion I would love to understand advanced Sabermetrics better. When I look beyond the traditional stat categories, it’s Acronym Overload to me. I’m sure I’m not the only one–a series of “Sabermetrics for The Common Fan ” articles that tackle a handful of baseball new stats in everyday language would be highly appreciated!
In my opinion, I think adding some good trivia consistently during this time of slow business would attract or re-attract some readers. Just a thought.
Thanks for keeping the site running
Thank you for always having content for readers. I will continue to visit this site everyday.
I have been a follower of this site since the beginning. not going to stop now. I love your work. Maybe do a story of Ed Farmer who passed away last week?
Keep up the good work.
I very much enjoy the GM trade summaries and retrospectives. I’m somewhat patiently waiting for the Cleveland versions. NFL and nba versions could be interesting as well
Tim, Possibly having a concurrent subscription site that is Ad free maybe an option. This would give a cash flow you could count on and for the fair weather fans that will visit occasionally they would have the Ad site. Alternatively, if mama says you need to go back to work, we all will understand and miss you.
You guys are the gem of the diamond! Put up that donate button! I’ll be first in line!
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for everyone’s support! Really cool to see and it is appreciated.
Hope you all are doing well, staying safe, and indeed thriving in a difficult time.
Thanks for the update Tim. You guys are doing amazing considering the circumstances!
Thanks for all that you and your staff do to keep us readers updated, I whitelisted the site on my adblocker in support. Perhaps as you get better at producing video content you can parlay that into a patreon or something to offer exclusive content first to patrons and later to the general public? Just thinking out loud. Love the site and I still check it on the daily and will continue to for the forseeable future.
Last summer, my wife and I took ten days off and took a cruise down the Rhine River. I am pretty sure that’s the only time in the last 10 years that I did not check MLBTR multiple times in one day.
It’s the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I check at night. And several times in between…. and that is in April and May…..
July? December? Stop it. Most of all I have great respect for the integrity and fairness of MLBTR. It was the first website to treat MLB.Com with respect. I will always remember that.
monty stratton
I visit this site many times a day. Thank you for all the work you have done and continue to do. If you need donations or set up a subscription service, I’m in.
I’ve enjoyed the GM trade history. Some other ideas could be looking at big previous trades in MLB and how they turned out with the advantage of hindsight. I’m an O’s fan so the one that immediately sticks in my mind would be the Eric Bedard trade. Which ultimately netted the O’s Adam Jones. Arguably, the greatest Oriole since Cal Ripken Jr.
Maybe bring back games/players with feats of excellence. Multiple no-hitters, grand slams in a game, hitting for the cycle, 20 K games, MVP/Cy Young seasons, etc. As a baseball fan, it’s always fun to be reminded just how good some players are or just how randomly regular players have great games. There’s tons of content out there to bring back to fans.
You guys are great. I find the content intriguing and the videos and GM reviews have been enlightening. Thanks MLBTR!
It would be tragic to use MLBTR. Thanks for being here. One of my favorite sites on the net.
Thank you from Germany, I just registered to add to the well-deserved praise. Actually, I do not only appreciate how quick and thorough you provide information, but also the style of your writing.
In quieter times like these I would love to see some stuff from the MLBTR vaults to see how a notable trade or signing was considered then. Since everybody makes mistakes, this does not need to lead into too much gloating (I guess…).
Gruß,
BSHH
Hands-down my favorite baseball site ever. Hang in there and keep up the amazing work.
My Nationals page stays open 24/365 If you are here we are here.
And some day soon Baseball will be back.
In the mean time we have Simpsons Baseball…
Great site , will continue to visit. Does this mean someone else owns NFL Trade Rumors ?
Thank you and all your writers for all the content you send our way, we greatly appreciate it! I too have script to the Athletic but find myself here first and more often. I know times are tough and wouldn’t mind helping out by paying for a site as good as yours. Thanks again!
MLBTR is awesome and this whole thing has made me realize just how much I depend on you for keeping me in the know.
An idea for a series is the actual behind the scenes technology that front offices use. For example, how do the teams get notified when a player is on waivers? How do you put in a claim for a player? How do you finalize a trade? How do you actually confirm a trade was done before the trade deadline?
Being on a pension and self isolating, this is my window into everything baseball, even though i rarely watch the videos they still give me another option when one comes up that peaks my interest, Keep up the good work folks! and a shout out to all the fans posting on here with out all you Guys and Gals this would just be MLB articles to read and then shuffle off! I so love all the input from all different kinds of fans!
Hurray for MLBTR’S!!!!!!!!!!
BE SAFE AND HEALTHY!!!!!!
I love MLTBR and I understand the lack of content right now. Watching the youtube videos was weird at first, an adjustment, but I’ve grown as accustomed to them as I have the articles and news on the site. I am one of the biggest proponents of social distancing and shutting everything down for an extended period of time, viewing the economic and social toll as a necessary discomfort to survive and move beyond this situation completely and to give everybody time to adjust. I also miss baseball. I love baseball. I can’t wait for it to return. But not at the expense of people’s lives. I check MLBTR every day and I will continue to do so- the site and the youtube videos. Thank you for doing what you do here. Keep it up. We will get back to something close to normal eventually, once it is safe to do so.
I would absolutely support a donation drive. I spend a lot of time on this site every day. Happy to provide a donation. Please give us an optional way to do it!
This app is single-handedly keeping me from only reading about Covid-19 stories on every other site. I can’t visit ESPN’s app anymore because it’s filled with LeBron impersonations. Thanks for the great content! I check the app probably 3 times a day to see if there’s anything baseball-related I can read. Great work and thank you
Thank you…I was so excited when the NFL off season was kicked off now I’m like depressed aga min from lack of mental sports stimulus…..I’ll donate also and love the idea of selling merch. I love hoodies and nice quality Tshirts….I’ll buy
I for one rely on MLBTR to escape from all this crap happening. And as far as videos go, I’ve loved them. I get lazy and don’t want to read at times… keep them coming.
I check in at least once everyday. Been a faithful follower of the site since 06’!!!
Keep up the great work guys!
This is a great website and its content is absolutely phenomenal. So yeah, it needs to stay!
Come here everyday. Will continue to do so because I need it. Please let us know if you put up some type of crowd sourcing page. Again, I NEED this. Keep up the good work!
I hope you are able to hang on to Jeff Todd before a big network snatches him up….he’s good!
I visit daily, multiple times; and I appreciate everything y’all do.
Any thought to possibly doing a series on potential expansion cities, if baseball ever were to expand? I know Montreal always comes up, but it’d be interesting to see some other pros of potential sites.
All the kind words mean so much to all of us here at MLBTR. That helps a lot, and there are a lot of good suggestions in here too!
One thing we have been kicking around for over a year now is a subscription tier that includes removal of ads as well as exclusive live chats with our writers. I’m going to continue to think about that since some of you have kindly asked for a way to contribute directly.
@Tim
When the season starts, hopefully things get back to normal on here and everywhere else!
Although as a suggestion maybe instead of talking old trades maybe there could be an article about how the MLB can get their season going and how many games there should be
I know I said there should be 81 games and go back to the old School format of 3 divisions per league
Al East, AL West
NL East, NL West
Have a Championship series and then have a World Series and lets get on with it!!!
Tim, sorry to keep bringing it back to Fangraphs, but they just posted an update with a list of ways their readers can help out the site, maybe worth reading for ideas?
I’m sure that the community here would be happy to help MLBTR in similar ways!
Here’s to many more years of MLBTR success!
@ Tim
Also, now that I am thinking about it, why don’t you try for that Small Business Loan that will be forgiven. I think it would make tremendous sense to go and get it.
Keeping the lights on at MLBTR and it’s affiliations is of National Importance!
Hey guys… The level of the writing, information and general objectivity on this site make it head and shoulders the best source for baseball news anywhere. Thank you and let me chime in with a big “Hell Yeah!” for a donate button/Go Fund Me page if it helps you keep this going. Cheers!.
@Rondon
It’s always been very good for that!
I stumbled upon this website about ten years ago and have visited daily since then. I know things are nuts right now but coming here and seeing things baseball related, even if it’s not signings or trades, still kinda lets me feel normal. Well… as normal as I can feel without having baseball.
Keep doing what you’re doing Tim and my heart goes out to any writers you have had to temporarily lay off, if applicable. I know it’s tough times for small businesses but we will get out of this over the next few months and we will be in the new normal before we know it. And ad revenue will increase!
They need to have a contest on who can come up with the best trade to keep people’s interested during this virus and that people’s vote on the best trade idea
Thanks for all you do. I still go on this site multiple times a day. We appreciate all you do
The three sites here (sorry Hoops Rumors, the NBA doesn’t exist to me) and car repair/diagnosis videos on YouTube now account for 99.99% of my internet traffic.
Thanks for the content.
I go to MLBTR every day for the latest rumors and gab. Keep up the good work. Especially now, when we need it.
Doing an excellent job, I never get tired talking about baseball even though there is no new news.
100% agree. One of my favorites sites around.
…..Sorry to hear about you and your dad.
I check the app constantly throughout the day, it’s part of my daily routine at this point. I really enjoy the historic posts and revisiting previous transactions.
thank you!
I love MLBTR and have been reading for years! Thank You!
Big fan from Australia Thank you!!
Thanks for being there for us, it’s a great diversion, you guys are awesome
I’ve got a crazy idea that might work with your intense knowledge of players.
I see Jun 1st as the only reasonable date for MLB in AZ to kick off. That gives you 6 wks to predict the winners of an AZ ony season. I’ll use the CWS as an example. Start with 16 gms ea vs DET, MN, CLE, & KC. Add 8 gms ea vs NY, BOS, BAL, TAM, TOR, OAK, SEA, TEX, ANA, & HOU. That leaves 18 gms vs NL teams. 4 gms vs CHC, LAD, MIL. + 2 gms vs STL, CIN, & PIT.
It’s 81d of double headers. Fig 1d off for ev 4d of play. That supports 4d rest for a rotation that features 8 starters. With no all-star break it’s 144g from Jun-Aug. With an all-star break it’s 144g thru 2 wks of Sept. I think it will be important to break for 10d in early Aug.
That leaves 18g over the last 2 wks of Sept. Every game day doesn’t have to be a double header then. That’s ideal as MLB enters the post season which will NOT feature double headers.
The first step in simulating or predicting winners in such a season is define each team’s rotation. For the CWS fig, Giolito, Kuechel, Rodon, Gonzo, Kopech, Cease, Lopez, & Dunning. I’m curious whether the CHC even have 8 MLB ready starters to feature 🙂 Assume 7in gms but fig some gms will go into extra innings (the CHC are notorious for extra inning gms so penalize them on the health function heavily 🙂 ).
Thanks so much for being there!
I have to say, I’ve hardly noticed any difference and I think you are doing excellent weathering this crisis!! I don’t often comment but I think MLB Trade Rumors is one of, if not the best, baseball sites out there and you have done great work in the absence of the actual game! I love your stuff! Keep doing what you are doing! You have so many dedicated readers that the site will be fine not matter what happens – unless trump breaks the internet – This will always be my first go-to when I am looking for MLB news! Thank you so much for the years of excellent content and I know that everything will be fine! You guys are great!! Thank you Tim & the MLB Trade Rumors team!!
I would be willing to pay a reasonable subscription fee. One of my favorite sites!