notin

The Diamondbacks signed a 27yo minor league shortstop named Jason Leblebijian, who immediately made me think of this thread...

Pretty unlikely Yankees are still a top ten system. Sox are stlll 30, safe bet. No change there...

Or when Dombrowski empties out the pickle jar he keeps his Emergency Bullpen Fund in...

Do all MLB teams own their stadiums?

This is actually slower than last off-season...

Taxes are a form of blackmail. It’s all money I give the government so that they don’t throw me in jail...

Legally, yes. But the methods for doing it cross many ethical lines...

Ted’s head is still better than Ellsbury...

They don’t cheat per se. But they do lobby to have favorable tax laws written...

That’s my question - is any percentage of sales going to the team? I assume whoever owns the park leases out the stand to companies like Aramark or Chili’s or Uncle Blood’s Taco Hut for a flat amount, say $10,000 per month. I don’t know if any of them even tack on, say, plus 5% of all sales. And even then, not all teams own the ballpark, do they? If they don’t, do they get any concession revenue even if there is a percentage in the lease agreement? I’m not sure about MLB, but in Chicago, the Bears do not own Soldiers Field; it’s part of the Chicago Park District. Do the Bears get anything from concessions or does it all go to the city?

Agreed. So if a catcher is dealt to improve the current team, Vaz is the logical choice. If the Sox just want to dump someone off and see what happens, Swihart is the guy. Now, if Oakland wants to save money - not uncommon - maybe Swihart for Rodney? Or maybe the extra years of cheap control inspire the A’s to enhance the deal to Vazquez for Rodney and Julio Mateo or some equivalent prospect? That the A’s have a catching prospect in Sean Murphy who is close to MLB might just cancel their interest as well...

So in order to find a better or arguably better leadoff hitter, you had to go back before the role of closer was even created? Also, Rickey scores more runs, Drew more walks and stole more bases than Cobb and everyone else in MLB history (except Bonds with walks). That’s how being an All Time Leader works. And a quick look at B-R.com lists Cobb as having only 4 leadoff plate appearances. Now his totals here are only a fraction of his career as a lot of data is clearly not available. But it does suggest Cobb may not have been the leadoff hitter very often in his career...

Even then, Rivera’s role meant he never faced the same hitter twice in a game. Kershaw did in nearly every game he pitched...

I disagree, and not only because you don’t know where Ted Williams played. One can argue Mariano’s position is “pitcher” and his role is closer. This is important because the role of closer is relatively new compared to comparing all time left fielders. And certainly Rivera is not inarguably the greatest pitcher of all time. Now if you want to say he was the greatest in his role of all time, that’s fine. But is his dominance as unique as you suggest? Arguably, also not. Rickey Henderson’s role was leadoff hitter. And as a leadoff hitter, he was equally dominant in being the greatest of all time. Before you suggest other great leadoff hitters (which can also span more years than closer, or even relief pitcher), bear in mind Rickey was once the all time leader in 3 categories - walks, runs scored, and stolen bases. These are 3 categories you want a leadoff hitter to excel in, and he did all 3 as the best in history until Barry Bonds surpassed him in walks. But until then, how many other players in MLB history lead all time in 3 cumulative categories?

Do teams make any money from concessions, etc.? I honestly don’t know. It might even vary from team to team depending on the contract with the vendor...

45 years old. They open the season in Japan for two games and can have a 28 man roster, so this looks like PR. Maybe 44 year old Hideki Matsui, 43 year old Koji Uehara and 38 year old Daisike Matsuzaka will follow in a Legends of Japan lineup. Also, Mothra is still available...

There is very little there to get excited about. But if DD is trying to trade a catcher, which one will other teams most likely want to talk about?

Billy Beane was all over collecting versatile players for a while. But the man is defending a Wild Card position here. Swihart isn’t an upgrade at catcher over Phegley and Johnson is a step down (several, actually) from Petit. If you were Beane and/or Frost here, it has to be Vazquez...

So the only real rumors to glean from right now are that DD is talking bargain relievers and trying to trade a catcher. Looking around the league, Oakland is one team that is a match on a catcher/reliever swap, as they have a good bullpen and Josh Phegley sits atop the catcher depth chart. But who do you trade for? If I was the Oakland GM, I’d only be interested in Christian Vazquez. And the reliever I’d offer is Fernando Rodney. Rodney is roughly 300 years old and signed for one more season at $4.5mill with some inventive bonuses. Vazquez has about $20mill over the next 4 years, which means the AAV equals out but not the years. The incredibly underrated Yusmeiro Petit ($5.5mill for 1 year plus a buyout/option) might make more sense for Boston, despite his not ever being a closer. Hey, let Barnes close and let Petit just pitch, which he does very well. Rodney, on the other hand, has a long history with Dombrowski. Texas als needs a catcher, but I doubt any of the Sox trio can land Jose LeClerc. The best deal here might be a Blake Swihart/Matt Bush swap, in what might be a rare instance of a team being interested in Swihart. They have no one that makes sense in a Vazquez trade. Bush still throws very hard, but has had his issues on and off the field (mostly off, and mostly in the past). I do hate the idea of a Vazquez/Rodney swap (although a Swihart/Rodney swap would be more palatable), but it’s not a crazy notion. Hopefully if DDis looking for a Rodney reunion, he doesn’t deal Vazquez straight up. Now Vazquez/Petit? I’d have to think about that....

Where in the Midwest? I’m in Chicago, where being a Red Sox fan was very identifiable for Cubs fans. And there’s no such thing as White Sox fans. But since I grew up in Massachusetts, I am a Pats’ fan. And you’re right about Patriots’ fans. That’s everywhere right now. If we landed a man on Mars, he’d be greeted by little green men sayin “Welcome person from Earth to our humble Martian home. Tell us of your travels and join us in hating the one you call Belicheck.”...

If he comes out of it with a slightly used Justin Wilson and a near-mint condition Nick Vincent, I won’t mind...

I And then the Braves go and sign Nick Markakis, ruining my glorious attempt to pry a closer from them for a utility infielder...

But The Rangers signed Zach McAllister, number 3 on my list, easily my most questionable ranking, but it can be defended somewhat...

Or because they finally came to the realization that Cano was given an awful contract and the only way to get rid of it was to pair him up with their most tradable commodity. And, hey, once you start tearing down it gets difficult to stop...

Why not? It’s not like anyone has grounds to accuse Henry of being cheap...