Well I’ve actually had a bunch, ok well maybe just more than a few, people I know work for the Phillies back before I left Philadelphia. However, none of them had an in depth relationship with front office types and no – none of them were in food service.
To work FOR an MLB team is kinda like working in an office w/ all the rumours. And then all the other rumours…and so on…
And am pretty sure MLB teams know that and toss stuff out as a smokescreen as well…..
We have quite a few posters who have claims to mlb knowledge and we have been told mlb players DO check in on the site…so… ya’ never know?
And over something so preposterous. The A’s are definitely not changing their name… and they’re certainly not going to steal a potential name change from a Minor League team.
And there are no rumors that the Padres want to trade Tatis. The rumors are started by other teams WANTING Tatis traded, and I feel extremely comfortable saying that is not happening at any conceivable point in the foreseeable future.
As usual, when asked about organizations that are adept at developing pitching , Seattle was overlooked. M’s did a heckuva job with Kirby & Gilbert and every season there are miracles happening in that bullpen with scrap-yard leftovers being retooled & given a second life. This year it looks like Justin Topa is the revelation.
“Retooling? I’ll retool you!” – Clark Griswold’s boss, Mr. Shirley that lives on Melody Lane if anyone wants to get Clark a last minute Christmas present.
Have agreed numerous times with teams having a higher floor and lower ceiling – particularly small market teams (as noted with the Rays). It’s what the Orioles are doing working with their pitchers. An injury to one highly paid starter will not ruin a season (this year or in the future).
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Also agree with the Jays bench – which I saw coming out of ST. MLB has a long half-year season…and then the playoffs start. I keep writing……Older players get hurt more often and take longer to heal. Add in that they have higher salaries. Teams need a mix of good young players that can produce – even if it’s limited to certain situations. The manager needs to be savvy about knowing where and when advantageous match-ups are best during a game. Add in that young players should have room to grow (which the coaching staff should be working with them on) – while with older guys the FO is hoping to squeeze a good season out of them.
The ALE will primarily be determined by injuries. The Rays and O’s are positioned best because they primarily have young players as well as depth in the high minors that will be called up as the season progresses. Along those lines…..
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The Astros went in the dumper for the first few weeks because Jose Altuve was their sparkplug leading off as well as playing a solid 2B, but he’s out injured. They settled on Mauricio Dubón at 2B and leading off. He’s reprised what Altuve did and the Astros are again off and running. Teams have roles they need out of players because games are played on the field, and not with statistics as in a rotisserie league. The problem I’ve had with the Jays is that from one year to the next they seem to change what they want out of the team – this year it was improving the OF defense. You don’t put up a building by plugging holes. You build it by having a plan and going out and getting the component parts to fit the plan. And long those lines…..
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The Reds FO are putting come cornerstone pieces into place, with more coming shortly. Impressive. Not sure about David Bell, but the pitching coach and his staff are fine.
I don’t see any Expansion coming to Portland. The Mariners will vote against it. Portland area is Getting smaller. Not the Most Stable Zone. Ask the MLS Timber Fans about the Area. Montreal deserves another Team.
@Old timer, I agree it would be cool to see a team return to Montreal but could you explain what you mean by them deserving it? I thought attendance was pretty poor there.
Terrible (stadiums. JARRY PARK AND the Converted Olympic Stadium) weren’t well Funded. I think it wasn’t well thought ot. I went to a MET and Expo game at Jarry Park. About 45 degrees and Sat on Alluminum Benchs. Ouch. The Area loved the Team but hated the Owners.
The Giants territorial reach doesn’t include Sacramento and I believe the town could support baseball, but I doubt it’s at the top of the list for expansion. If the A’s had to leave Oakland, Sacramento would be the better place to go instead of Las Vegas I think.
If the A’s go to Vegas it had better be a small stadium as the won’t be drawing many.
It’s like Phoenix in the sense that many, many people have moved there but have an allegiance to there “hometown” team. I was born and raised in Phillies country during the days of Johnny Callison, Dick (when he was called Richie by the media) Allen, Jim Bunning etc. I have moved back and forth across the country and am still a Phillies Phan. Some residents will go to games in LV but most tourist don’t want to spend $$ on a ball game when the could be gambling or fine dinning.
Attendance will hover around 20,000 in LV
I don’t think you realize the mass migration that has gone from people moving from California – particularly Southern California – to Las Vegas. It’s been going on since the early 90’s.
Outside of the strip the area has turned into a robust family area. One friend told me 15 years ago that he and his wife decided to move there from outside LA because the housing was affordable enough that they could live on his salary so she could stay home and be a mother to their children – as opposed to having to work full-time. Businesses have also moved to the area for the same reason – office space was affordable as were employees salaries. Add in that Nevada taxes are a fraction of those in California. In fact, the Las Vegas area has been one of the largest growing areas in America for 3 decades. And the locals do have money to spend.
Tourists and gambling no longer dominate the region. It’s not the gamblers that need to buy tickets. The Casinos, Hotels, and other businesses will buy blocks of season tickets and give them away as freebies for tourists that book with them. LV has top-flight marketing people. Rest assured that they’ll be looking over the A’s schedule each off-season and advertising in the cities whose teams will be playing the A’s in Vegas to come see their local team at no cost if they book a vacation package / plan with them. And again, that will be in addition to selling to the locals that live there year-round.
The only red flag I see is that the new park needs to be domed. Even with the low humidity LV is stifling in the summer months. I don’t think it’s anymore realistic to hold a baseball game in 120 degree weather than in Phoenix.
Samuel: “Older players get hurt more often and take longer to heal.”
More Samuel: “The manager needs to be savvy about knowing where and when advantageous match-ups are best during a game.”
Again, Samuel: “The ALE will primarily be determined by injuries”
Awestruck indeed: The most profound takes coupled with mind-blowing epiphanies and insight/analysis that will rock your world. Only on MLBTR, only from our beloved Samuel (aka Cap’n Obvious), and it’s all for free. Best deal in town, no?
Though Sam Haggerty is a switch-hitter, he hasn’t hit RHPs well. Last season we saw him almost exclusively facing LHPs. It’s unlikely we’ll see a platoon with him and Moore at 2B, but I would expect to see Wong get more time off vs. LHPs. If Moore is able to return this year, he will probably spell Crawford vs. LHPs and occasionally Wong at 2B.
The lack of production from 2B and DH may have fans alarmed, but I don’t think Wong is going away anytime soon. The bigger question, in my opinion, is how much time Seattle will give La Stella to handle a more regular role. He can’t be 100% given how few PAs he’s had.
Regarding Crawford, he has a .385 OBP, a 120 wRC+, and has offered excellent defense. Seattle has their issues. Crawford/SS isn’t one of them.
“A friend of a friend works in MLB” aka
“Either I’m lying or my friend is”
Well I’ve actually had a bunch, ok well maybe just more than a few, people I know work for the Phillies back before I left Philadelphia. However, none of them had an in depth relationship with front office types and no – none of them were in food service.
To work FOR an MLB team is kinda like working in an office w/ all the rumours. And then all the other rumours…and so on…
And am pretty sure MLB teams know that and toss stuff out as a smokescreen as well…..
We have quite a few posters who have claims to mlb knowledge and we have been told mlb players DO check in on the site…so… ya’ never know?
And over something so preposterous. The A’s are definitely not changing their name… and they’re certainly not going to steal a potential name change from a Minor League team.
And there are no rumors that the Padres want to trade Tatis. The rumors are started by other teams WANTING Tatis traded, and I feel extremely comfortable saying that is not happening at any conceivable point in the foreseeable future.
Well, I haven’t seen any Tatis trade rumors on the MLB Trade Rumors site. If I were looking for trade rumors, that’s the first place I’d go.
No, but I saw some ridiculous chatter on Twitter about trading Soto for Ohtani.
Salt Lake City is famous for its Jazz music scene
Almost as famous as the multitude of various bodies of water in Los Angeles =)
Vasco de Balboa’s clipper ships sure were something when they sailed into Houston
All those trolley-dodgers in Elysian Park would agree!
As usual, when asked about organizations that are adept at developing pitching , Seattle was overlooked. M’s did a heckuva job with Kirby & Gilbert and every season there are miracles happening in that bullpen with scrap-yard leftovers being retooled & given a second life. This year it looks like Justin Topa is the revelation.
“Retooling? I’ll retool you!” – Clark Griswold’s boss, Mr. Shirley that lives on Melody Lane if anyone wants to get Clark a last minute Christmas present.
Have agreed numerous times with teams having a higher floor and lower ceiling – particularly small market teams (as noted with the Rays). It’s what the Orioles are doing working with their pitchers. An injury to one highly paid starter will not ruin a season (this year or in the future).
–
Also agree with the Jays bench – which I saw coming out of ST. MLB has a long half-year season…and then the playoffs start. I keep writing……Older players get hurt more often and take longer to heal. Add in that they have higher salaries. Teams need a mix of good young players that can produce – even if it’s limited to certain situations. The manager needs to be savvy about knowing where and when advantageous match-ups are best during a game. Add in that young players should have room to grow (which the coaching staff should be working with them on) – while with older guys the FO is hoping to squeeze a good season out of them.
The ALE will primarily be determined by injuries. The Rays and O’s are positioned best because they primarily have young players as well as depth in the high minors that will be called up as the season progresses. Along those lines…..
–
The Astros went in the dumper for the first few weeks because Jose Altuve was their sparkplug leading off as well as playing a solid 2B, but he’s out injured. They settled on Mauricio Dubón at 2B and leading off. He’s reprised what Altuve did and the Astros are again off and running. Teams have roles they need out of players because games are played on the field, and not with statistics as in a rotisserie league. The problem I’ve had with the Jays is that from one year to the next they seem to change what they want out of the team – this year it was improving the OF defense. You don’t put up a building by plugging holes. You build it by having a plan and going out and getting the component parts to fit the plan. And long those lines…..
–
The Reds FO are putting come cornerstone pieces into place, with more coming shortly. Impressive. Not sure about David Bell, but the pitching coach and his staff are fine.
I don’t see any Expansion coming to Portland. The Mariners will vote against it. Portland area is Getting smaller. Not the Most Stable Zone. Ask the MLS Timber Fans about the Area. Montreal deserves another Team.
@Old timer, I agree it would be cool to see a team return to Montreal but could you explain what you mean by them deserving it? I thought attendance was pretty poor there.
Terrible (stadiums. JARRY PARK AND the Converted Olympic Stadium) weren’t well Funded. I think it wasn’t well thought ot. I went to a MET and Expo game at Jarry Park. About 45 degrees and Sat on Alluminum Benchs. Ouch. The Area loved the Team but hated the Owners.
The Giants territorial reach doesn’t include Sacramento and I believe the town could support baseball, but I doubt it’s at the top of the list for expansion. If the A’s had to leave Oakland, Sacramento would be the better place to go instead of Las Vegas I think.
If the A’s go to Vegas it had better be a small stadium as the won’t be drawing many.
It’s like Phoenix in the sense that many, many people have moved there but have an allegiance to there “hometown” team. I was born and raised in Phillies country during the days of Johnny Callison, Dick (when he was called Richie by the media) Allen, Jim Bunning etc. I have moved back and forth across the country and am still a Phillies Phan. Some residents will go to games in LV but most tourist don’t want to spend $$ on a ball game when the could be gambling or fine dinning.
Attendance will hover around 20,000 in LV
Cat Mando;
I don’t think you realize the mass migration that has gone from people moving from California – particularly Southern California – to Las Vegas. It’s been going on since the early 90’s.
Outside of the strip the area has turned into a robust family area. One friend told me 15 years ago that he and his wife decided to move there from outside LA because the housing was affordable enough that they could live on his salary so she could stay home and be a mother to their children – as opposed to having to work full-time. Businesses have also moved to the area for the same reason – office space was affordable as were employees salaries. Add in that Nevada taxes are a fraction of those in California. In fact, the Las Vegas area has been one of the largest growing areas in America for 3 decades. And the locals do have money to spend.
Tourists and gambling no longer dominate the region. It’s not the gamblers that need to buy tickets. The Casinos, Hotels, and other businesses will buy blocks of season tickets and give them away as freebies for tourists that book with them. LV has top-flight marketing people. Rest assured that they’ll be looking over the A’s schedule each off-season and advertising in the cities whose teams will be playing the A’s in Vegas to come see their local team at no cost if they book a vacation package / plan with them. And again, that will be in addition to selling to the locals that live there year-round.
The only red flag I see is that the new park needs to be domed. Even with the low humidity LV is stifling in the summer months. I don’t think it’s anymore realistic to hold a baseball game in 120 degree weather than in Phoenix.
If they only draw 20k in attendance it will be 18,500 more than they get now.
Cat–Still heartsick on the 1964 disaster–Cookie Rojas was my favorite back then
Samuel: “Older players get hurt more often and take longer to heal.”
More Samuel: “The manager needs to be savvy about knowing where and when advantageous match-ups are best during a game.”
Again, Samuel: “The ALE will primarily be determined by injuries”
Awestruck indeed: The most profound takes coupled with mind-blowing epiphanies and insight/analysis that will rock your world. Only on MLBTR, only from our beloved Samuel (aka Cap’n Obvious), and it’s all for free. Best deal in town, no?
Though Sam Haggerty is a switch-hitter, he hasn’t hit RHPs well. Last season we saw him almost exclusively facing LHPs. It’s unlikely we’ll see a platoon with him and Moore at 2B, but I would expect to see Wong get more time off vs. LHPs. If Moore is able to return this year, he will probably spell Crawford vs. LHPs and occasionally Wong at 2B.
The lack of production from 2B and DH may have fans alarmed, but I don’t think Wong is going away anytime soon. The bigger question, in my opinion, is how much time Seattle will give La Stella to handle a more regular role. He can’t be 100% given how few PAs he’s had.
Regarding Crawford, he has a .385 OBP, a 120 wRC+, and has offered excellent defense. Seattle has their issues. Crawford/SS isn’t one of them.
Tiger fans are getting excited about the next rule 5 draft.