The 2025 postseason, post-Red Sox

[Kimmi]

23 hours ago, drewski6 said:

blame the dodgers because they spend hundreds of millions in penalties to other clubs who pocket the hundreds of millions for the competitive imbalance and not the owners of the pirates is wild.

If they voted, the owners would vote against the salary cap because nobody loves teh dodgers spending more than the 25 members of the greedy billionaires club because they get to pocket the penalties!!!

The other teams should be required to spend that money on payroll.  If they don't, they lose it.

[drewski6]

5 minutes ago, Kimmi said:

The other teams should be required to spend that money on payroll.  If they don't, they lose it.

I like that!

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, Kimmi said:

I am hoping for solid production from at least 2 out of Mayer, Campbell, and Casas.  Wishful thinking maybe, but they are what keeps me from feeling the need to go large on a position player.

You do know there are 4 infield positions. Story plus 2 equals 3.

And, that's if we get lucky and 2 of those 3 do well enough.

IMO, Campbell is likely best suited for LF/DH not the infield. Casas may start the season on the 60 Day IL. I like Mayer, but 150 games seems like a big ask. I'm not even all that sure Story will stay healthy and come close to 2025 numbers.

I'm begging for 2 major infield additions, and you think we need none. I'm fine with your position on not spending, but we have to at least sign Josh Bell and Rengifo. Even that is a major step backwards.

[d-money]

Blue Jays 3 outs away from having a 3-2 series lead going back to toronto.. One thing I will say is that the dodgers better finish this in 6 games. You don’t wanna go 7 even at home. 

[notin]

1 minute ago, d-money said:

Blue Jays 3 outs away from having a 3-2 series going back to tomorrow. One thing I will say is that the Jays better finish thjs in 6 games. You don’t wanna go 7 even at home. 

FTFY

[moonslav59]

Blue Jays!!!

[Bellhorn04]

Just incredibly impressive stuff by the Jays.  With Vlad as their Big Papi.

[Bellhorn04]

So the Dodgers won Game 3 of the 2018 WS in 18 innings in LA, then lost the next 2.  And the Dodgers won Game 3 of the 2025 WS in 18 innings in LA, then lost the next 2.

So weird, so baseball.

[moonslav59]

56 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Just incredibly impressive stuff by the Jays.  With Vlad as their Big Papi.

After a lack luster season, Vladdy is having a better post season at the plate than even Ohtani!

8 HRs is 65 ABs (same as Ohtani)

BBs to Ks:

12:5 Vladdy

14:22 Ohtani

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

43 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Just incredibly impressive stuff by the Jays.  With Vlad as their Big Papi.

Great interview on MLB channel yesterday with Toronto's batting coach David Popkins and his job of optimizing the strengths of each individual to form a balanced offensive attack.

When questioned on his use of the word "clutch" -- since modern metrics dispute its existence -- Popkins said it's real, there are numbers to show it, but players and coaches can see it, based on observation. He mentioned certain hitters whose heartbeats slow down in big moments, when they come through more than others.

Popkins cited guys like Clement, Gimenez and Kirk. This is a professional coach and former professional ballplayer who may know more about actually batting than a front office employee running analytics on a computer.

I recently spoke with a guy who played against Ernie Clement in college. He said Clement wasn't a star in any one thing, but "did everything right in baseball." 

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

So the Dodgers won Game 3 of the 2018 WS in 18 innings in LA, then lost the next 2.  And the Dodgers won Game 3 of the 2025 WS in 18 innings in LA, then lost the next 2.

So weird, so baseball.

that is crazy. i liked the stat that no team that had swept an LCS had ever beaten a team that went 7 games in the LCS. and the overall record for those teams was like 4-19. maybe there is something to the big layoff and losing your rhythm.

[moonslav59]

52 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

that is crazy. i liked the stat that no team that had swept an LCS had ever beaten a team that went 7 games in the LCS. and the overall record for those teams was like 4-19. maybe there is something to the big layoff and losing your rhythm.

Too much time to think during a bye.

[Bellhorn04]

3 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Great interview on MLB channel yesterday with Toronto's batting coach David Popkins and his job of optimizing the strengths of each individual to form a balanced offensive attack.

When questioned on his use of the word "clutch" -- since modern metrics dispute its existence -- Popkins said it's real, there are numbers to show it, but players and coaches can see it, based on observation. He mentioned certain hitters whose heartbeats slow down in big moments, when they come through more than others.

Popkins cited guys like Clement, Gimenez and Kirk. This is a professional coach and former professional ballplayer who may know more about actually batting than a front office employee running analytics on a computer.

I recently spoke with a guy who played against Ernie Clement in college. He said Clement wasn't a star in any one thing, but "did everything right in baseball." 

The Jays have picked up some real quality players the last few years like Varsho and Clement.  

Mark Shapiro is the Jays' architect.  He was with Cleveland for years before joining the Jays.

The Jays could be a nuisance to us for a while now.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

29 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The Jays have picked up some real quality players the last few years like Varsho and Clement.  

Mark Shapiro is the Jays' architect.  He was with Cleveland for years before joining the Jays.

The Jays could be a nuisance to us for a while now.

All those quality pitchers they constantly invested in, and a spectacular rookie like Yesavage could be the difference in finally winning a ring.

Toronto started recruiting quality arms around the same time Boston stopped, trading for or signing Berrios, Riu, Ray, Gausman, Kikuchi, Bassitt... every year this decade they paid someone at the top of the market. 

Jays fans can't complain they didn't try to win the past six years. Of course, inking their homegrown superstar longterm is also key to the core.

I can definitely see GMs and CBOs -- and their bosses -- looking at this model and thinking the best bet is to just hang onto all their top pitching prospects in the hopes they'll discover the next Yesavage.

 

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The Jays have picked up some real quality players the last few years like Varsho and Clement.  

Mark Shapiro is the Jays' architect.  He was with Cleveland for years before joining the Jays.

The Jays could be a nuisance to us for a while now.

I really underestimated their opening season roster, and they seemed to get batter as the year went by.

.734 OPS first half

.799 second half

(OPS Against was almost the same- near .720.) Their 8-9 batters hit under .663.

It didn't hurt getting 30+ starts from 3 SP'ers, and somehow they got by with a 4.90 FIP Closer addition.

When you look at their top 9 batters by PAs, only #9 Miles Straw was under .711 (.680.) They only had 3 batters over .770, but Varsho at #10 was at .833.

[notin]

22 hours ago, Kimmi said:

The other teams should be required to spend that money on payroll.  If they don't, they lose it.

Just get rid of revenue sharing.

It was a good idea to share money around the league and narrow the financial gap, but too many small market owners view it as a revenue stream…

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, notin said:

Just get rid of revenue sharing.

It was a good idea to share money around the league and narrow the financial gap, but too many small market owners view it as a revenue stream…

Take that money and use it to fund youth baseball instead. 

[notin]

11 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Take that money and use it to fund youth baseball instead. 

Or do some fanciful imaginary math and use the amounts normally distributed from team to team to calculate reduced ticket prices…

[moonslav59]

I think the union might go along with some sort of soft cap, if there was some sort of hard floor on team spending that went up by $5-10M every year of the deal. Then, it goes up again by the amount of revenue sharing increases, too.

[mvp 78]

15 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

I think the union might go along with some sort of soft cap, if there was some sort of hard floor on team spending that went up by $5-10M every year of the deal. Then, it goes up again by the amount of revenue sharing increases, too.

Owners would never go for a hard floor. 

Lowest payroll was $67M (Marlins). Good luck forcing them to get to a floor of $125M or so. There were 5 teams not even at $100M. 

Considering how much money the owners are making and the ways revenue is or isn't shared, it's not ultimately feasible to have a cap like NBA/NFL/NHL. 

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Owners would never go for a hard floor. 

Lowest payroll was $67M (Marlins). Good luck forcing them to get to a floor of $125M or so. There were 5 teams not even at $100M. 

Considering how much money the owners are making and the ways revenue is or isn't shared, it's not ultimately feasible to have a cap like NBA/NFL/NHL. 

No, they would not "go for" a immediate bump like that, but to get an upper cap, they might have to agree to some sore of floor cap. They gotta give somewhere, and I gotta think they realize the game would get better if the lower teams spent more.

Taking away revenue sharing as penalties for not spending is another way. It would be like telling a team, "Here is $30M, but you have to raise your budget $25M to get it."

[mvp 78]

7 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

No, they would not "go for" a immediate bump like that, but to get an upper cap, they might have to agree to some sore of floor cap. They gotta give somewhere, and I gotta think they realize the game would get better if the lower teams spent more.

Taking away revenue sharing as penalties for not spending is another way. It would be like telling a team, "Here is $30M, but you have to raise your budget $25M to get it."

Flat out, all the owners could afford a forced 50M increase to payroll tomorrow. That's not dipping into their personal savings, it's what has been reported by Forbes and elsewhere. The money is just pocketed at the end of the year. If it really is so terrible in TB, MIA, PITT, etc., the teams should either be contracted, forced to be sold or moved by the current owners to a new stadium in a different city funded 100% by MLB. 

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

Flat out, all the owners could afford a forced 50M increase to payroll tomorrow. That's not dipping into their personal savings, it's what has been reported by Forbes and elsewhere. The money is just pocketed at the end of the year. If it really is so terrible in TB, MIA, PITT, etc., the teams should either be contracted, forced to be sold or moved by the current owners to a new stadium in a different city funded 100% by MLB. 

I'm now convinced you are a commie!

[mvp 78]

21 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm now convinced you are a commie!

No politics! 

[moonslav59]

Here is the non Red Sox postseason thread.

[moonslav59]

Extra innings...UGGHHH!

[Jasonbay44]

That was one of the best games and series I’ve watched in awhile. Incredible entertainment 

[d-money]

The blue jays literally gagged this world series. They’re gonna feel this one. I knew they where gonna lose it after they gagged the bottom of the 9th witn the bases juiced and one out. 

[moonslav59]

Damn Dodgers!

[d-money]

1 minute ago, Jasonbay44 said:

That was one of the best games and series I’ve watched in awhile. Incredible entertainment 

The blue jays will feel this one for years to come.