Utilityman Dee Strange-Gordon has turned down multiple minor-league offers since being released by the Reds last week, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). It seems that Strange-Gordon would rather work out independently in hopes that a more direct path back to the majors presents itself as team needs arise during the season. Cincinnati was one of the teams that offered Strange-Gordon a new minor-league opportunity after he failed to crack their Opening Day roster, Rosenthal reports.
More from around baseball:
- Extension negotiations with Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa have drawn plenty of headlines in recent days. Things have been rather quiet regarding another impending free agent star shortstop, Corey Seager. The Dodgers did make some effort to work out a long-term deal with Seager this spring, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Those discussions apparently didn’t get very far, as Heyman notes Seager “will enter the (regular) season without an extension.”
- There is no expectation of a universal designated hitter for the 2021 season, Heyman reiterates (Twitter link). That has been the case for several weeks but Padres’ right-hander Yu Darvish caught the attention of some fans when he told reporters (including Scott Miller) this afternoon he had “all the trust” the National League DH would be in play this year. MLB and the MLBPA agreed to an expanded playoff format covering the 2020 season mere hours before first pitch on Opening Day last summer, fueling some (unsubstantiated) speculation of a similar last-minute agreement on playoff expansion and the universal DH for 2021 as well.
- MLBTradeRumors founder Tim Dierkes recently sat down for an interview with Michael Wall of Too Opinionated. Dierkes looked back on the origins of MLBTR and shed some light on the site’s long-term progression and day-to-day management. Wall and Dierkes also discussed their expectations for the upcoming season, the top players still available in free agency, the role of advanced metrics in baseball, and much more.
That’s Strange.
some of the most rabbid pro-DH people never fail to jump on a headline that in any way seems to support their point.
F the dh ! How about 10 players in the field! No dh no shifting.
Mets would have gone from legit favorites with dodgers to almost not fair if there was a DH. (Obviously without injuries). You guys should be thankful. lol.
Absolutely! Having Kevin Pillar in that lineup daily would be unfair. Might as well just give the Mets the title if that were to happen…
Ik exactly
I mean the Mets pitching needs to stay healthy or they arent clear cut favorites to win their division. Theyre already without Thor and Cookie to start
Yeah the division is amazing. All 5 teams will beat up on each other.
Did you just give credit to the whole NL East or are you talking about the west?
I heard before whether or not the DH was determined for the NL, part of the argument against it was the fact the Mets would be vastly superior to all teams and not just baseball teams.
I’m certainly thankful. Who knows what kind of plague would have been unleashed if the Mets had a DH.
Rumor has it metsfan23 comes
May you never wake from your blissful Mets coma. Reality is hard.
I’m usually dead serious but this was just me playing around lol. But the DH would have really Benefited us
In reality it makes at least the Mets, Braves, and Marlins all significantly better. Braves keep Ozuna at DH and the Marlins can have Cooper/Aguilar play every game. With the options they have all 3 become way better. And no I’m not saying that would put the Marlins in an automatic position to fight for the number one spot with them. I just don’t know what the Nats and Phil’s would do.
My guess would be they’d probably rotate the OF’s through the DH position also Hoskins and Miller taking turns also. Unless they find someone absolutely raking at the alt site or AAA. Or perhaps outside the organization. But I wouldn’t say it’s cut and/or dry.
if they had the DH in 2021 Springer would be in CF for the Mets
I like that you think they’re already equal favorites with the Dodgers.
Try winning your division, or even making the wild card game first.
And if there was a universal DH, the Dodgers would have plenty of bats to plug in, and even more opportunities to rest players from the field.
Mets are going to finish 3rd in the East, stop telling tales out of school
Dee is a wonderful person, but there’s no place in the majors for players who can only run. BABIP luck is too fickle to slug .350.
Seems like he’s had ten years of having no place in the majors.
Ed Begley Jr then Tim Dierkes? What is this guys YouTube channel? The guy that designed the sets for Spy Kids and the stunt double for Sam Neil from Event Horizon is next. So, get your baseball hats on everybody!
Meisterkhan is a safe haven for your inner geek; he’s had fun interviews with stars across many genres from the Sports and Entertainment World. Check him out on Facebook and at Meisterkhan.com!!
Thanks to Tim Dierkes for a great interview!!
Bird up Meisterkhan! You definitely have a wide array of guests, which is awesome. And you can take a joke, so consider me a fan.
Ha geeks can be baseball fans too! 🙂
Does Tim dish on MLBTR’s brief tryst and possible acrimony with Roster Resource?
Silly of Dee Gordon to turn down offers he probably won’t get another chance
Lowrie’s getting another chance, so he probably will too.
Lowrie may not not be on the field much(neither is Gordon), but he can at least make solid enough contact to warrant even swinging the bat(Gordon cannot). And there’s also the fact that Gordon is no longer a quality fielder.
Cannot wait to watch DeGrom v Betts and Kershaw v Lindor. I think this will be new LA v NY rival over Yankees who can’t seem to stay healthy. Although Dodgers would win 110 games with a DH, I’m a purist and cannot stand the HR Derby that occurs when the pitcher doesn’t have 1 “easy” out at the end of the lineup. Dodgers would probably make a splash for Bryant if DH comes back!
The quietness is how the dodgers operate and honestly how Corey operates. I will say I’m glad to see Boras playing ball Bc La doesn’t operate by negotiating in the media.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they work it out end of the year before FA starts. Heck Boras could continue to talk to LA, we haven’t heard any deadline here either
It isn’t up to Boras, it’s up to the player, and few players want the distraction of being involved in contract negotiations during the season. I can see a chance discussions resume during the All Star break, but only a slim one. With nothing worked out by now odds-on Seager becomes a free agent.
Of course it’s Seager’s call. I’m pointing out, unlike the other SS’s, we have not heard that opening day is actually a deadline
With Boras playing ball comment. I was talking about leaks and lack thereof. We all know Boras uses heyman and the media like candy. We very rarely hear dodgers leaks. It’s pretty clear the FO tells agents to keep things under wraps, or it could impact negotiations. Same has happened in Atl and SF, with 2 former LA executives running those shows
Point taken, but I don’t think we need to hear about opening day deadlines. They are pretty much a given as most players don’t want to talk contracts while they are concentrating on playing. As a result midseason extensions aren’t common. As for leaks, we never know for certain who is talking to the media. Probably as you say a lot of it comes from agents, but I suspect teams are responsible for some tactical leaking too. They have an active interest in our knowing how much players are paid.
Blue, Oh I fully agree teams leak stuff as well. I think LAD (and the others I mentioned) tell agents we won’t leak so we don’t want to see details in the media. We will know it’s you. I can’t 100% guarantee they have some policy like that, but it certainly seems the number of really detailed dodgers leaks is minimal compared to other teams in big markets
I’d say it’s like 5% chance something happens mid year. Boras will negotiate mid year if the player doesn’t mind. We’ve seen it happen somewhat more recently. But we are in agreement in general it’s unlikely. I would say Seager, unlike the others with actual deadlines, has that small sliver of chance it happens. And I say that only because it wasn’t ruled out, yes. But again, it’s small
I said in another thread, I think it’s more likely they work out a deal in that 5 day window after the WS before FA, like they’ve done with CK and Kenley
So with opening day being tomorrow does Darvish think Santa Claus is going to deliver a universal DH at literally the last minute when Manfred and Clark have had all offseason to work this out? If i were an owner of a NL team and my roster has been set i would be beyond angry at both the Commissioner and the players union if i woke up tomorrow and was told i need a DH
Kasten would be wise to step in, and give Seager what he wants.
I’m thinking slightly above Lindor money.
MLB plans on cracking down on sticky substances and could have an offensive resurgence.
Lower spin rates should lead to less whiffs and higher exit velocity.
Being the top batter at a premium position could play well for Corey’s wallet.
I’m quite interested as to how this might cause the clubs that have other premium shortstops on the verge of FA to operate. Especially the Rockies and Story. Also if for some reason the Cubs are lying half dead at the bottom of the division what they do with Baez or Bryant although he’s not a shortstop.
Honestly I’m not sure how big the impact will be. Pitchers just need to figure out how far their pitches break now, and adjust where they start it
Sure some mistakes will happen. And maybe early on we see some guys get uncharacteristically rocked. But for the year I don’t expect a huge difference
I do agree I’m very curious to see how it plays out
Tim was a fantastic interview and even played a long with some fantasy baseball shenanigans. Hope you guys will check it out!!!
Apparently so good I said it twice. Ugh
I’d like to see Dee sign a minor league deal with the Twins, if for nothing more than allow him a chance to be in a DP combo with his little brother in St. Paul. Unfortunately, the Twins have too much young talent on the farm that he’d be taking at bats from.
Why would a pro team use a little league rule and play with a Dh? American league has always been garbage. The real baseball is played in the NL and switching to a DH would be the final nail in the coffin.
Umm I don’t think little league uses the DH. Seriously, does anybody REALLY enjoy watching pitchers hit? I just want their AB over as fast as possible without anyone getting drilled by an errant fastball.
Yu don’t know $hit!
The Reason Corey Seager & the Dodgers haven’t gone very far in Extension talks is because Corey Seager works for Scott Boras & Boras doesn’t allow his high value players to sign extensions, Plus Boras has had a bur up his ass for many years over the Dodgers because he can’t bully the Dodgers well he couldn’t up until now & lets see if he can bully Friedman
Then why did Strasburg sign for 275M before he negotiated with any other team? Xander for 125?
Boras will tell them to sign if teams are willing to pay market rates. If they’re looking for a discount, yes, he will suggest they don’t sign. End of the day, players decide if he wants to stay.
But If player X tells Boras get me the most money from lad, I don’t want to go elsewhere. I don’t care about FA. Boras will get it done