Official MLB Discussion Thread

[Slagaholic]

I love the idea of adding wild card teams for a few reasons:

1. What I heard is that each league will have 2 wildcard teams who will have a one game playoff during the standard break between the regular season and the start of the NLDS.

 

2. They're starting the season earlier from now on so the season won't be scheduled to go into November ever again.

 

3. It adds much more incentive for teams to win the division since if you don't win the division your entire season comes down to 1 game where anything can happen.

 

4. It forces the wild card teams to both travel and use their top starter before beginning the NLDS which is a HUGE advantage for the division winning teams.

 

I love the one game playoff idea as it won't add any extra off-days to the season. Three game playoff is meh but I wouldn't mind it if it is held over 2 days (day 2 would turn into a doubleheader if necessary). Those are the things I've heard. Plus with less off-days during the playoffs and the season starting earlier you could conceivably have a one game playoff AND a seven game NLDS and not have to go into November. That would be ideal to me.

[BHK1978]

I love the idea of adding wild card teams for a few reasons:

1. They're starting the season earlier from now on so the season won't go into mid-November.

 

2. What I heard is that each league will have 2 wildcard teams who will have a one game playoff during the standard break between the regular season and the start of the NLDS.

 

3. It adds much more incentive for teams to win the division since if you don't win the division your entire season comes down to 1 game where anything can happen.

 

4. It forces the wild card teams to both travel and use their top starter before beginning the NLDS which is a HUGE advantage for the division winning teams.

 

I love the one game playoff idea as it won't add any extra off-days to the season. Three game playoff is meh but I wouldn't mind it if it is held over 2 days (day 2 would turn into a doubleheader if necessary)

 

I read that the Players union is not that keen on a one game playoff.

 

The thing I hate about this and the Wild Card in general is, it makes the regular season not matter. A team that just got into the playoffs can get hot at the right time and knock off a team that played well throughout the season. Yes I know that it happened when it was a four team playoff and it happens now that it is an eight team playoff.

 

What is the point of the regular season, if you can have a Wild Card team that say wins 82 games and they get hot and win the World Series. To me that cheapens the World Series because the best team did not win that year, the team that happened to get hot at the right time won.

[Slagaholic]

I read that the Players union is not that keen on a one game playoff.

 

The thing I hate about this and the Wild Card in general is, it makes the regular season not matter. A team that just got into the playoffs can get hot at the right time and knock off a team that played well throughout the season. Yes I know that it happened when it was a four team playoff and it happens now that it is an eight team playoff.

 

What is the point of the regular season, if you can have a Wild Card team that say wins 82 games and they get hot and win the World Series. To me that cheapens the World Series because the best team did not win that year, the team that happened to get hot at the right time won.

 

*boos MLBPA*

 

Cheapening the regular season is part of the reason why I like the idea of adding a wild card team and having a very short series in which anything could happen. Even red hot teams can lose 2 out of 3. They'll also be a lot less 'hot' if they're facing a division winner's #1 and they have to throw their #3 or 4 out there.

 

The best team doesn't always wins the World Series even back in the days when the World Series WAS the playoffs.

[BHK1978]

The best team doesn't always wins the World Series even back in the days when the World Series WAS the playoffs.

 

Very true, I guess I just do not want baseball to end up looking like the NBA or the NHL playoffs.

[Slagaholic]

For that to happen the season would definitely have to be shortened. I don't think that's going to happen...at least in our lifetimes.

 

*crosses fingers*

[Imarevenant]

I love me some Big Time Timmy Jim!!!!

[BHK1978]

Glad the Giants won! Even more happy that the Rangers lost.

[GatorBait19]

<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5796135" rel="external nofollow">http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5796135</a></p><p> </p><p>

lol well your first bad habit is the fact you are looking to hit HR instead of getting on base.</p>

[Stennick]

<p>I think Justin just gave every other team in the league a good idea on how to pitch to him this coming season. I can't believe you would admit that into the press even if that was your team mentality. </p><p> </p><p>

What are the distances that he was complaining about? Are they that far out of whack compared to the rest of the league? Wouldn't it be just as hard for the other team to hit said HR's as well thus helping your pitching staff in your park? Haven't we seen the league move to a more pitcher dominated league in recent years?</p>

[GatorBait19]

I think Justin just gave every other team in the league a good idea on how to pitch to him this coming season. I can't believe you would admit that into the press even if that was your team mentality.

 

What are the distances that he was complaining about? Are they that far out of whack compared to the rest of the league? Wouldn't it be just as hard for the other team to hit said HR's as well thus helping your pitching staff in your park? Haven't we seen the league move to a more pitcher dominated league in recent years?

 

Not only that, but his team is built for more of slap hitting and higher avg. Justin is really the only guy who will belt 25 plus HR's a year.

[BHK1978]

Look at the staff of the Diamondbacks:

 

Manager: Kirk Gibson

Pitching coach Charles Nagy

Hitting coach Don Baylor

Bench coach Alan Trammell

 

That is one heck of a staff right there, if they are able to coach the way they played (something that Ted Williams could not do) the Diamondbacks could be a very tough team.

[GatorBait19]

<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5819502" rel="external nofollow">http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5819502</a></p><p> </p><p>

Dude the yanks are dumb. They could go as low as 3 years 10 mill a year. He wont command much on the open market because of the fact he is so old and had some of his worse numbers. Don't let the gold glove fool you either, he doesn't have the range he use to have.</p><p> </p><p>

I would offer 10-11 mill a year for 3 years take it or leave it. Jeter probably just wants 5 or 6 years because it would put him at 40-42 and since MLB contracts are a sure thing he could play all 6 years suck or get cut and still get all the money he signed for.</p><p> </p><p>

You don't want to lose him and I understand that, he will probably be the first yankee with 3000 hits, but 21 million a year to me at least is crap.</p><p> </p><p>

Also do the Yanks go and get a closer like Soriano this year and have him as the 8th inning person for a year or two until Rivera is ready to hang them up?</p>

[MorenoKing24]

Very pleased with the Dan Uggla trade, he is going to fit in quite nicely at the 4/5 spot in the lineup.

[GatorBait19]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MorenoKing24" data-cite="MorenoKing24" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26724" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Very pleased with the Dan Uggla trade, he is going to fit in quite nicely at the 4/5 spot in the lineup.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> put him behind Hayward to protect him</p>

[MorenoKing24]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="GatorBait19" data-cite="GatorBait19" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26724" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>put him behind Hayward to protect him</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Uggla in the three-hole? No thanks. Hoping that .289 avg from this past year keeps up, but if not I surely don't want him hitting third.</p>

[GatorBait19]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MorenoKing24" data-cite="MorenoKing24" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="26724" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Uggla in the three-hole? No thanks. Hoping that .289 avg from this past year keeps up, but if not I surely don't want him hitting third.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> why not in the three hole first of all. I mean the three hole is for players who drive in runs and Uggla has proven he can do that on a team where he's had no protection like the Braves can offer him.</p><p> </p><p> And no, I was thinking the 4 hole. He hits 30 HR a year and Heyward hit 18, but I expect to see that rise at least 7 HR this year. With Uggla hitting behind him, Heyward will see better pitches. </p><p> </p><p> I expect Lee to be back this year at a much reduced salary. I think McCann will bounce back. Overall I think this will be a dangerous offense.</p>

[BHK1978]

Well Felix Hernandez won the A.L. Cy Young with a 13-12 record. I really do not have a huge problem with it because his era was so low. Therefore, he was a victim of his team not getting him enough runs and that was out of his hands. Anyone else agree or disagree with him being the CY Young winner?

[MorenoKing24]

The Mariners scored the fewest runs for a team since 1971. Well deserved Cy Young.

[GatorBait19]

good season for cy young in the AL. I would have liked Price to win, but Felix had a great season for a crappy team.

[BHK1978]

With Carl Crawford going to the Red Sox, I never again want to hear a Red Sox fan cry about how the Yankees buy their championships.

[GatorBait19]

With Carl Crawford going to the Red Sox, I never again want to hear a Red Sox fan cry about how the Yankees buy their championships.

 

lol well at least we can say the Rays will never buy a team

[BHK1978]

lol well at least we can say the Rays will never buy a team

 

You know even though they are in the AL East with the Yankees, I think I would have rather had the Devil Rays stick together. Maybe it is because of the fact that I dislike Red Sox nation more but I would have no problem with a good Devil Rays team.

[Stennick]

So is it 2004 all over again with Boston and NY playing in the AL East to see who wins the World Championship? I've enjoyed the "small" ball of the past couple of years with Texas, Tampa having their moment in the sun but I guess in reality its always one really big team and one smaller team in the World Series. Phillies might have the largest NL Payroll but its nice to see Werth leave for the Nationals even if it is a WTF moment

[PeterHilton]

Meh...I think what's been proven over the years is that pitching wins in the playoffs more so than anything. The Giants had - comparatively speaking - garbage in that lineup but won the World Series because their starting pitching and bullpen was so dominant.

 

The Sox still need another lefty in the bullpen and they need Beckett healthy. They might even need another starter.

 

If that doesn't happen they'll still be playoff contenders ...but they won 90 games last year so that's not really an improvement.

[JTandSilentBob]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say yay four the orioles getting mark reynolds and jj hardy. Finally something to look forward to in baltimore.