A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[Maxbialystock]

We also have to face the prospect we could win 100 games and be in a Wild Card game.

 

Which means that Cora may not have the luxury of doing something like giving Sale that extra rest we'd like to see him get.

 

I think Cora has a lot more flexibility—depth—with the rotation than Farrell did last year. Sale is still the ace, but not so indispensable as last year.

[jacksonianmarch]

As it stands right now NYY and HOU would face off in the WC game.

[moonslav59]

As it stands right now NYY and HOU would face off in the WC game.

 

One reason to like the play-in game.

[Bellhorn04]

As it stands right now NYY and HOU would face off in the WC game.

 

And Cleveland would bypass the Wild Card game at 4 games over .500.

[Dojji]

And Cleveland would bypass the Wild Card game at 4 games over .500.

 

The fact that a weak division leader can get in over better teams in other divisions is why the Wild Card exists in the first place.

[Slasher9]

And Cleveland would bypass the Wild Card game at 4 games over .500.

 

One solution is to have a balanced schedule for all teams and make 1 division in each league. and that will never happen.

i do think they should have a best of 3 WC series though....

[moonslav59]

One solution is to have a balanced schedule for all teams and make 1 division in each league. and that will never happen.

i do think they should have a best of 3 WC series though....

 

Agreed. One simple step would be to just seed teams by record, despite the unbalanced schedules and division winner titles.

 

The 2 worst teams play each other.

 

While I agree a 3 game wild card makes sense, asking the other teams to sit for 4-5 days might mess up their timing or momentum.

[Hitch]

Yeah nah they wasted 13 mil over 2 years!!!!1!!1

 

What was DD thinking?

 

The amount of complaining about the Moreland deal was insane. "Wasted money!" "Put the club over a barrel!"

 

It was a good signing at the time and its a good signing now.

[mvp 78]

The amount of complaining about the Moreland deal was insane. "Wasted money!" "Put the club over a barrel!"

 

It was a good signing at the time and its a good signing now.

 

It was really only one person complaining about it tho.

[Hitch]

It was really only one person complaining about it tho.

 

I raise you to two...

[kenmeister]

It was really only one person complaining about it tho.

 

I wasn't so thrilled with it either. I thought Moreland was a waste of space in the second half of last year. So far I'm terribly mistaken.

[OH FOY]

Hanley batted .219 in 2nd half last year.

Moreland .231 last year in 2nd half.

Only difference is contract. You can afford .231, but .219, not good.

 

Same amount of HRS too both had 10.

[kenmeister]

We are going to need someone within our system to step up. Velazquez, Beeks, Mata and Groome are our best bets.

 

Free agents will be very expensive, even if mid level signings.

 

I seriously doubt Price opts out, so our 2020 rotation might look like this:

 

(Sale at $33+M)

Price

ERod

Wright

Velazquez/Beeks/Shawaryn

 

2021

(Sale)

Price

ERod

FA or Velazquez/Beeks/Shawaryn

FA or Groome/Mata/Houck/D Hernandez

 

 

I'm skeptical of our ability to keep Sale too.

 

Price

ERod

Wright

Velazquez

Beeks or Johnson

 

is what I foresee.

[Bellhorn04]

The fact that a weak division leader can get in over better teams in other divisions is why the Wild Card exists in the first place.

 

Right. I just think the previous Wild Card system was fine. I would argue that it's more fair than the new one. The new one is a Bud Selig Special.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Right. I just think the previous Wild Card system was fine. I would argue that it's more fair than the new one. The new one is a Bud Selig Special.

 

Agreed. I get why they changed it (so more teams actually had something to play for in September), but as is both Boston and NY could win 100+ games and one of them will have to go to a sudden death game while a team like Cleveland will get rewarded for winning a weak division with 85 wins. Not ideal. Anything can happen in one game and let's say Boston/NY loses that game - is the MLB playoffs better overall with one of the top teams not participating? That's an emphatic no.

[oldtimer]

Agreed. I get why they changed it (so more teams actually had something to play for in September), but as is both Boston and NY could win 100+ games and one of them will have to go to a sudden death game while a team like Cleveland will get rewarded for winning a weak division with 85 wins. Not ideal. Anything can happen in one game and let's say Boston/NY loses that game - is the MLB playoffs better overall with one of the top teams not participating? That's an emphatic no.

 

Yet, that is exactly what could happen. You get a hot pitcher who shuts the lineup down while a Yankee or Red Sox pitchers struggles and poof, a hundred plus win team is gone. It won't change this year but if something like your concern happens then they will get busy and find a solutiion. Top teams should not face a one game elimination possibility.

[Station 13]

The WC game is stupid as hell. It's ONE game. Baseball should not be decided by that after a 162 game season.

[SoxnCycles]

One solution is to have a balanced schedule for all teams and make 1 division in each league. and that will never happen.

i do think they should have a best of 3 WC series though....

 

Yup, a 2 of 3 series would be much better.

[dgalehouse]

The idea of the wild card game was to have more teams involved in the race down the stretch. Hence , more fan interest and more money at the turnstiles and in the TV ratings. However , it is not going to work out too well. I can't remember a time when there were so many crappy , non-competitive teams in MLB as there are now. With zero chance of making the playoffs. The empty seats around baseball parks will be an embarrassment to the sport by late this summer.

[moonslav59]

I'm skeptical of our ability to keep Sale too.

 

Price

ERod

Wright

Velazquez

Beeks or Johnson

 

is what I foresee.

 

If we keep Sale and Betts, we'd almost certainly be saying good bye to JBJ, Pom, Kelly and maybe one or both of Bogey & Kimbrel.

[moonslav59]

It was really only one person complaining about it tho.

 

Had I known DFA'ing HRam was on the radat, I'd have viewed the signing differently.

 

BTW, I'd still rather have Moose at 3B and Devers playing 1B/DH, but it's hard to argue for that when Moreland's over 1.000.

[sk7326]

The WC game is stupid as hell. It's ONE game. Baseball should not be decided by that after a 162 game season.

 

really you can argue that about three short series too. It's great TV and gives a real incentive to win a division.

[moonslav59]

I think asking all non WC teams to sit 4-6 days while waiting for the 3 game series to end outweighs the negatives of a 1 GAME PLAY IN.

 

There used to be no wild card and no 3 divisions. Just getting a one game chance is more than they had before.

 

I know it rewards the team with one dominant starter, but usually that team used that starter in game 162 anyways.

 

I like the way it is now more than before, but that does not mean there aren't some downsides to the set up.

[harmony]

I miss the days of one division in each league followed by a best-of-seven World Series.

[sk7326]

There is no way for an 12-8 stretch (even against good teams) outweights a 162 game season for determining who is the "best". Baseball doesn't work like that (especially with rotating starting pitchers).

 

So given that, all you can ask is that the playoffs are fun and not some ridiculous corruption of the game. So a tournament where only 10 of the 30 teams get in and the division winners get byes into the quarterfinals seems perfectly reasonable. It's entertainment above all.

[Maxbialystock]

The WC game is stupid as hell. It's ONE game. Baseball should not be decided by that after a 162 game season.

 

I beg to differ. The genius of March Madness is single game elimination.

 

And the problem with the 162 game schedule--which I am fine with--is that it magnifies small differences. A team winning 50% of their games is mathematically almost as good as team winning 60%, but in the standings they are 16 games apart--a huge, insurmountable difference. So the postseason is often a crap shoot even with 5 and 7 game series.

 

The rationale for a 5 game or 7 game series in the postseason is money, pure and simple.

[Bellhorn04]

really you can argue that about three short series too. It's great TV and gives a real incentive to win a division.

 

But the divisions tend to be very unbalanced. It's debatable how much of a reward a team should get for winning one of the weak divisions.

[Bellhorn04]

The rationale for a 5 game or 7 game series in the postseason is money, pure and simple.

 

You don't think a good 7 game series is enjoyable or dramatic?

[Maxbialystock]

You don't think a good 7 game series is enjoyable or dramatic?

 

Wait a minute. the seven game series only become dramatic when they go to 7 games. Nothing dramatic about a 4 game sweep--unless you are Sox fans in 2004 and 2007.

[Maxbialystock]

some say the little old three game series in 1951 was dramatic. Nah. Couldn't have been with only 3 games. bobby Thompson? Never heard of him.