MLB 2013

[Ingmar]

Now wait a minute, you can't blame the guy for trading Wells, even Wells probably didn't think he was going to be any good anymore.

[Paelos]

I don't blame him for it, but it's sort of in a line of snakebit decisions.

[Ingmar]

Actually now that I refresh my memory, Wells leaving was FANTASTIC for Toronto. He sucked ass for 2 years in Anaheim immediately after leaving. So that goes in the 'good' column for Anthropolous, not the 'bad' column.

[HaemishM]

^ That. ^

Angels' fans were begging for Wells to be dumped. And Halladay was on the aging side and the team likely wasn't going to be playoff bound with or without him.

He was very active this offseason, it just appears as if all his moves blew up in his face.

[Paelos]

I still blame him for the coach hire.

[Ingmar]

Anyway if you want the bullet point summary for Toronto sucking this year, Fordel:

- The pitching has been wretched. Their "ace" pitcher is at 5.18 ERA. (RA Dickey - who was one of their big splashy offseason moves.) Every starting pitcher they have suddenly sucks or is hurt.
- Players that they picked up who had huge upside but scary injury histories have gotten injured instead of paying off. Jose Reyes is the biggest loss, but him getting injured wasn't exactly unpredictable.
- A shitload of other players keep getting hurt too. They have like 38 million dollars in salary on the disabled list.

I'm going to go with the GM. And maybe the trainer and pitching coach.

[Paelos]

The bullpen is a fucking disaster as well, not just the starters. The Braves knocked them + the "Ace" around for 11 when they put in the good lineup.

[Fordel]

That's the score I was thinking off most recently, I saw it on the news ticker, Jays 3, Atlanta 11 (or whatever). Like we aren't just getting beat, we are getting slaughtered it seems.


Like, I know fuck all about baseball, but I'm pretty sure having the other team quadruple your score is pretty bad. 

[HaemishM]

Oh, Milton - If Only You Could Have Hit Like That With the Cubs

So yeah, Milton Bradley in trouble with the law for threatening and beating his wife, at least once because she asked him not to smoke weed in front of their kids. What a dumpster fire. I'm so glad the Cubs pawned him off on Seattle. Fuck you, Milton.

[Sjofn]

Speaking of crappy pitching, the Giants have been pretty bleh in that department this season!

[Paelos]

The Nats have also taken a dump lately with Strasburg now going on the DL.

[ghost]

So any bets on whether or not A-Rod, Braun and crew get a slap on the wrist? 

[HaemishM]

So any bets on whether or not A-Rod, Braun and crew get a slap on the wrist? 

If there's anything at all to this whole thing, anything they can remotely point at to say these guys were sold steroids, I expect 50 games each. Whether that will happen, I give about 50-50 chance. I do expect lawsuits and appeals if anybody gets suspended.

[Paelos]

Braun will get suspended for sure. He escaped on a technicality before, and I seriously doubt the MLBPA will advocate hard for a guy who's been on supremely thin ice already.

A-Rod will be tougher, especially if they got the information after the guy tried to blackmail A-Rod.

[Ingmar]

2nd offense is 100 games, no?

[ghost]

I just don't see any of these guys getting suspended.  For one, it's going to be very tough to prove, and two, baseball really doesn't want to see their stars get suspended.

[HaemishM]

According to Braun and his agent, his name only appeared there because they sought out the clinic for consultation when his "tainted" sample was being challenged. If it turns out they have records of him buying shit, yeah, he's fucking gone for 50.

[ghost]

He's pretty  much a douchebag.  He should be suspended for 50 just for that.

[Paelos]

I just don't see any of these guys getting suspended.  For one, it's going to be very tough to prove, and two, baseball really doesn't want to see their stars get suspended.

Disagree. Neither of these guys are well-loved nationally. I'm not sure A-Rod is even loved in his current town. Milwaukee will back Braun to the death because he took a smaller deal to stay, but they are also so far out of first in the Central that it's a perfect time to suspend him.

[Rasix]

I thought they were going to get people for 100 games if they were interviewed about connections to the clinic and later found out to be guilty.  50 for the offense and another 50 for lying about it to investigators.  

[ghost]

I thought they were going to get people for 100 games if they were interviewed about connections to the clinic and later found out to be guilty.  50 for the offense and another 50 for lying about it to investigators.  

That's what I've read.  It will probably get negotiated down though as I'm sure the MLBPA will appeal.

[HaemishM]

I thought they were going to get people for 100 games if they were interviewed about connections to the clinic and later found out to be guilty.  50 for the offense and another 50 for lying about it to investigators.  

That's what I've read.  It will probably get negotiated down though as I'm sure the MLBPA will appeal.

I wouldn't be so sure of the appeals. They may be like contractually obligated to help the players appeal (which is where I think the lawsuits will start flying) but I don't think their heart will be in it. There's not a lot of good PR in defending a bunch of juicers.

[Paelos]

Not when the players specifically agreed to increased testing to weed them out.

[Sjofn]

I just don't see any of these guys getting suspended.  For one, it's going to be very tough to prove, and two, baseball really doesn't want to see their stars get suspended.

Disagree. Neither of these guys are well-loved nationally. I'm not sure A-Rod is even loved in his current town. Milwaukee will back Braun to the death because he took a smaller deal to stay, but they are also so far out of first in the Central that it's a perfect time to suspend him.

If my dad is any indication, Yankee fans are hoping A-Rod DOES get suspended, because fuck that choking asshole.

[Shannow]

And because then Yankees ownership may have room to wiggle out of what may be the WORST contract in the history of baseball professional sports.

As a Red Sox fan I'm kinda hoping, in a wierd way, he doesnt get suspended..

[Shannow]

Interesting article on abolishing the MLB draft and replacing it with something else

Personally I think the replacement system would fuck over small market/shitty teams if player's actually have a choice where they can sign (or drive up costs of signing those players it keeps them shitty).

[Paelos]

You know how to solve most of baseball's problems?

1 - Put in a salary cap on the damn thing (the fact we still don't have one when every other major league does is absurd)
2 - Get rid of 100% guaranteed contracts

That's it. That's all you have to do.

[Ingmar]

IMO it's the other sports that should be implementing guaranteed contracts, not baseball that should be getting rid of it.

[Paelos]

IMO it's the other sports that should be implementing guaranteed contracts, not baseball that should be getting rid of it.

There's a fine line. I don't like the NFL system of nothing being guaranteed really because it creates ridiculous misunderstanding of what and who is getting paid.

OTOH, far too often baseball teams get crippled by bad contracts and there is zero relief. There is no reason, as an example, that a contract should be completely independent of performance like Dan Uggla, or Arod, or any player that's totally stealing cash. A simple vesting percentage that would allow teams to buy out of a contract would be fine.

[Ingmar]

I don't think teams should be able to weasel out of their stupid mistakes, myself. It's a competitive thing - no takebacks!

[Paelos]

I don't think teams should be able to weasel out of their stupid mistakes, myself. It's a competitive thing - no takebacks!

For that exact reason of it being a competitive thing, I don't think players should be able to just quit on a team. There has to be some incentive to playing harder, just as there has to be some incentive to keep a guy on the roster. I would just like more incentive based compensation, not less.

[Ingmar]

I think it's really rare for a player to actually quit on a team. There's not a big problem there that needs solving.

[Paelos]

I think it's really rare for a player to actually quit on a team. There's not a big problem there that needs solving.

If you had Dan Uggla, I think you'd feel different. Or Mike Hampton. Or maybe BJ, although I hope not.

[Ginaz]

Just thought I'd mention that Toronto now has starting pitchers with the names Dickey, Johnson and Wang.

[HaemishM]

Is that because they all suck dick?