He's still here?
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MLB 2014-2015 Offseason |OT| Playoff Dreaming
- Thread starter chicagocubsfan
- Start date
He's still here?
That's some interesting news. I hope the Royals are paying him negative dollars for the consistent negative WAR.
And Shields with the opt-out.... Doubt he'll use it tbh.
Rock And Roll
Member
Considering Shields didn't get what he wanted this year with FA, I doubt he'll do any better 2 years down the road.
chicagocubsfan
Member
I mean if he puts up 2 years of like sub 2.60 ERA he could probably get a pretty great contract.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Won't he be like 34? Either way if it's a player opt out it's not it hurts to have it. I'm surprised that the Pads didn't negotiate to have a final year buyout in exchange, but teams rarely seem to have any leverage in these negotiations, especially ones like San Diego.
chicagocubsfan
Member
He'll be 35.
Frozenprince
Banned
Pitchers still get paid in old age.
Proof of concept Bartolo Colon and his obesity roiding his way to 12 mil from the Mets.
Proof of concept Bartolo Colon and his obesity roiding his way to 12 mil from the Mets.
Position players also get paid in old age. They just have to sign a 10 year deal and reap the benefits when they're 40 and have already fallen apart.
Frozenprince
Banned
Something something A-rod joke something something.
How do you embed Instagram posts? GAF is HTML, no?
Anyway Harper looks like a linebacker here (direct link).
Anyway Harper looks like a linebacker here (direct link).
Dmncnby2k9
Banned
"And you know whats crazy? Even despite all the breaks I got with baseball, I probably wouldnt be a Major League player right now if I didnt tear my ACL when I was 15. I thought I was going to play college football. Why? Economics. If I couldve been a wide receiver for a D-I school, I would have chosen that path because of the promise of a full scholarship. The University of Florida offered me a baseball scholarship, but it only covered 70 percent of the tuition. My family simply couldnt afford the other 30 percent. The fact is, no matter how good you are, youre not getting a full ride in baseball."
Quote from an article McCutchen wrote for Jeters site about how tough it is for lower income kids to play baseball. Great read.
Quote from an article McCutchen wrote for Jeters site about how tough it is for lower income kids to play baseball. Great read.
Dude is a beast.
Frozenprince
Banned
Yeah it's pretty ridiculous really. It also shoots a lot of holes into the paying players thing because lets face it, baseball players would be getting table scraps, if that, and would lose even more of a percentage off that scholarship.
Yeah I was just coming to post it. It's probably one of the best pieces of sports writing I'll read this year.
For being the true American phenomenon, the NFL is way more socialized than the MLB. It's a downright dog fight to make it in baseball and even when you do, there's all this fuckery until you're like 15 years down the road (maybe more, depending on how early you say you need to start playing). If you're not drafted in the first few rounds (especially with the new draft system) or an international player, you're years away from getting your payday at best.
The Dirk Hayhurst books really shed light on this from a pitcher's POV. He was living in his grandma's basement all through the minors, basically living hand to mouth until the season started and he was able to get that $5/hr equivalent during the AAA season. All for love of the game, ostensibly.
The Dirk Hayhurst books really shed light on this from a pitcher's POV. He was living in his grandma's basement all through the minors, basically living hand to mouth until the season started and he was able to get that $5/hr equivalent during the AAA season. All for love of the game, ostensibly.
Mr. Enigma
Member
Braves have signed Eric Young Jr. to a minor league deal.
Frozenprince
Banned
I'v got a tryout for Low-A SS Collegiate affiliate ball in a few weeks (hopeful but not expecting much) and I'm keeping my Q/A job during because if I even make it the contract is maybe, maaaaaaaybe 5K over the season if I hit incentives I'd never hit.
It's pretty ridiculous.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Small market teams couldn't compete without the current system in place. Its the reason why baseball doesn't need a cap, do away with it and they are fucked.
Frozenprince
Banned
And the end result is that the players themselves get fucked.
With the coming huuuuuuge increase in TV money they need to start thinking about restructuring the MiLB pay structure.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
I'm all for MiLB players actually getting paid, was just talking about how the current MLB FA system and arbitration is the reason why large market teams don't just dominate.
Frozenprince
Banned
Yeah keeping things like the Super-2, arbitration, service time requirements and everything is fine but, compensation really needs to be better.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
5 minutes of boredom later:
I could've cleaned it up, but didn't want to spend more time on it, lol.
I could've cleaned it up, but didn't want to spend more time on it, lol.
Purple Cheeto
Member
Joe Blanton gets a contract but 2014 come back player of the year Chris Young is sitting at home.
Frozenprince
Banned
Someone will sign him when an arm goes down in camp like they always do.
Dmncnby2k9
Banned
CJ Nitkowski said the biggest change baseball needs is paying the minor league players fairly.
Rock And Roll
Member
5 minutes of boredom later:
I could've cleaned it up, but didn't want to spend more time on it, lol.
This is amazing.
As someone said above, the Hayhurst book The Bullpen Gospels is really a huge eye opener on how tough it is to be a minor league player. There needs to be a decent base salary for the league. Some of those guys have families that they are trying to support while they are trying to make it to the bigs.
I got paid a check from rewards cards and plan to buy some Topps 2015 cards.
Card guy on twitter got a freakin Hank Aaron Auto. Insane.
5 minutes of boredom later:
I could've cleaned it up, but didn't want to spend more time on it, lol.
Liking lefty hitters I see.
chicagocubsfan
Member
Kinda surprised that the Mets didn't even make one meaningful trade.
Are you getting at the matter of keeping the guys with low service time on the bottom end of the pay-scale? Because if so, I see your point. Once you get that MLB minimum, though, you're set. It's just the getting there....
I think what this page is getting at is the bottom rung of the system is real shabby, while the rest of the sport is rock-solid.
Terrible offseason for us. Sandy blew his load way too early giving up our first round pick to give a two-year deal to Michael Cuddyer and then butt-nothing the rest of the offseason.
My guess is that he overestimated the return he'd get for Syndergaard on the trade market and didn't think any of the trades would be worth it.
And if he decided not to do much if he thought the Mets weren't really ready to compete yet I'd probably be somewhat okay with it. But, if they aren't ready to compete yet, why are you giving away a first round pick for two years of Michael Cuddyer?
sf2fanatic
Member
yup. Dodgers or Angels will sign him
That contract and the Braves' Markakis signing are the two most befuddling moves of the offseason to me. Cameron had them at the 5th and 2nd worst transactions too.
In the context of a more active offseason I might not have hated the move.
But it just makes no sense no matter how you look at it. If the Mets thought they weren't quite ready to make a serious push yet, then why are you giving up a first rounder for two years of Michael Cuddyer (and I stress the 'two years' part)? And if they do think the Mets are ready to make that push, then why is Michael Cuddyer your only signing of any significance? Why aren't you even trying to get Yoan Moncada, for instance (though that's probably on the Wilpons more than on Sandy)?
I really think it comes down to Sandy thinking he was going to be able to trade Syndergaard for an Addison Russell type young SS for now and the future, and then seeing that the best he could get for him was Ian Desmond.
Frozenprince
Banned
Because Sandy has no idea what he is doing in regards to FA.
He's built a top-5 farm system. He's done a great job at amassing talent. Great, but now's the time to either bring the majority of that talent to the bigs or trade a bunch of it for players that we need (GOOD LORD CAN WE GET A SS?).
I still am in shock we didn't get Castro. Absolute shock. But this is the Mets in a nutshell. We make short sighted stupid moves but when push comes to shove we have a lame duck GM that doesn't work in FA because we have no money to spend. Because Bud Selig wanted to keep the fraternity intact and wouldn't just jettison the Wilpon's after they lost everything.
We'll never field a truly competitive team with them as the owners, that's just a fact I am slowly coming to accept.
Seriously, why the hell are we holding on to Kevin Plawecki? Matz? WHY DIDN'T WE TRADE MONTERO FOR LITERALLY ANYTHING?
If Thor isn't in the opening rotation I just have no idea anymore.
Hell at this point I'd take Ian Desmond. Murphy isn't staying, Wilmer's natural position is 2B, why are we not getting this done?
Really thought this was the year they'd offload Bonilla.
chicagocubsfan
Member
Braves signed Eric Young Jr.
Frozenprince
Banned
If only he didn't suck.
ViperVisor
Member
His dad was good cheap platoon guy for your team in MVP baseball.
My teams were loaded for offense because a handful of pitchers was all you needed.
chicagocubsfan
Member
Fangraphs Top 10 Worst Moves of the Offseason
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-worst-transactions-of-the-2015-off-season/
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-worst-transactions-of-the-2015-off-season/
10-Rios to Royals
9-Butler to A's
8-Santana to Twins
7-Volquez to Royals
6-Marlins Trade for Gordon
5-Cuddyer to Mets
4-Cruz to Marlins
3-Scherzer to Nats
2-Markakis to Braves
1-Padres trade for Kemp
9-Butler to A's
8-Santana to Twins
7-Volquez to Royals
6-Marlins Trade for Gordon
5-Cuddyer to Mets
4-Cruz to Marlins
3-Scherzer to Nats
2-Markakis to Braves
1-Padres trade for Kemp
Frozenprince
Banned
I thought the Royals picking up Rios was a solid move.
chicagocubsfan
Member
i would say that the padres made out great in the trade for kemp. friendman should be getting blasted for move and he isnt. kemp has a 150ops+ the last 4 years and it only cost a middling pitcher and a catcher thats mostly known for pitch framing. oh dodgers also picked up most of the tab.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Kemp is so bad in the field he was worth negative value despite his bat. And he's only going to get older. I think it was smart of them to unload him while they could.
And now he's going to Petco Park.