Bombers

At first, I thought the same thing, well this seems stupid. But the question asker in me said, ok - what is the argument for this? So I did some looking into last year and started to realize, well maybe there is an argument. Ultimately the argument is, has defensive shifting suppressed not just hitting in general but specifically left handed hitters? The answer is clearly yes. Advanced statistics have hurt all hitters (IMO) as defenses can align themselves to spots on the field you are prone to hitting to. That part, I can get past as those same advanced stats can provide a benefit to smart hitters to know how pitchers work. However, with lefties, the defense can pull a player way away from his normal spot (left side of infield) and provide an advantage to the defense whereas they rarely do that shift vs righties. Say what you want but their is proof to this as SI reported last year: http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/07/22/shifts-rule-change-lefthanded-batters-david-ortiz I am sure they cherry picked some numbers, but it does make sense. I for one would be slightly peeved as a lefty hitter. It's a shift that can only be used on lefties. And I know, we can all say "well, just drop down a bunt, it's sooooo easy!" - which is a very easy thing to say. But I highly doubt bunting a 94 MPH slider is "easy." So, if you are generally more of a power hitter, and probably haven't bunted since spring training or maybe not even for a few years are you really going to bust this out in a game and lay down a bunt? I guess to me, I am starting to believe you need to have 2 infielders on the left side of the infield and 2 on the right isn't such a bad idea. I am not saying you can't shift. But when they play the 3rd basement in-between 3rd and SS and put the SS to the right of 2nd, and then the 2nd basement in shallow RF, that is getting out of control. (And then on top of it, the pitcher throws nothing but inside of the plate pitches to make sure the left-handed hitter can't go to the opposite field.)

He gave up a HR in 13 of his 69 appearances. For a 19% HR rate. That is bananas. He gave up a hit or a walk in 42 of his 69 appearances. So every time he comes in, there is a 61% chance of a guy getting on base. Couple the two together and he can watch leads evaporate quickly. The HR rate is the largest issue. When you are working with a 1-2 run lead, what kind of faith can you have in the guy? Any slight screw-up and it's a blown save. Can he be effective member of a pen. Sure. But if we sign him, do you really think RRR will just put him in "situational spots" in the 7th and 8th innings? Doubt it. He will be the closer.

Right, because most guys who are 33 start gaining velocity J/K ... History and science tells us that pitchers will lose velocity but that doesn't mean they are garbage and won't be successful. Or in other words, I guess you are saying is stay away from all relievers who are in their 30's who once could throw 95+ because once his velocity has decreased so his career must be over. Or the guy, semi changes his style and continues being successful. And if you look at his SO/9, yes that has gone down in recent years but his BB/9 has also decreased. In addition, his LD% is relatively unchanged. So maybe he is just a good pitcher, who, yes with a 95+ MPH fastball will strike out more guys. But now, he relies on his stuff, which subsequently also gets a ton of guys out.

I guess to me Joba's ERA hasn't been under 3 since, 2011 and before that 2008. I get it, he is in the AL and he had a decent year last year. But he had two really lousy years before that where his HR/9 was near K-Rod territory. I am just not a Joba fan. And for K-Rod, I really want to steer clear from a guy who gives up so many HR's. His HR/9 is through the roof. So it's a pretty easy decision to me, go with Pap who only gave up 2 HR's all of last year and his HR/9 is almost always under 1. (And he hasn't had an ERA over 3 since 2010. Which was his only year ever with an ERA over 3.

This too. If we get Pap it slams the door on a K-Rod return. Which will please me.

DocLuna - I agree. I really don't understand why he is universally hated on this board. I didn't know we had so many closet Red Sox & Philly fans that everyone has such an intricate knowledge of his personal life. As for his obscene gesture, it came after he blew a save to the Marlins last September, fans were booing him and he made a stupid decision. Clearly a horrible idea which resulted in a 7 game suspension. But in reality, that crotch grab was brewing since he first showed up in Philly. They didn't like the signing from the get go and only wished Lidge would play forever. Pap drew the ire of pretty much all fans in Philly during the 2013 season by telling a reporter the team needed to be blown up, sighing "I definitely didn't come here for this." ... he then went on to blow the save in his next game. Ouch. Philly just didn't like him and now he gets a bad wrap. Boston liked him and he won the World Series with them. In all honesty, I don't know much about him, but it appears the Philly media is making him a villain and everyone is believing it. His personality is whatever to me, if he can play, lets get him. Losing never brings out the best in people. Adding him, gives us an awesome bullpen, IMO.

JB - I am going off of what I think RRR will do. He likes vets. (as we all know) ... I don't see Parra only playing once a week. I see it more like a 50/50 split with Davis. (I understand Parra will end every game that we are winning as a defensive replacement, but I just feel like RRR is going to start him more this year.) Davis also batted .239 with a .298 OBP vs RHP last year. Parra wasn't drastically better but did hit .273 with a 3.09 OBP. And Parra's career splits are .286 / .334 / .424 / .758 vs RHP. Where Krush rocked RHP in 2013 to a tune of .297 / .369 / .549 / .918 in a little over 100 ABs. But then saw 400+ AB's and hit .239 / .298 / .451 / .749 vs RHP in 2014. So will the real KD please stand up. My thinking is RRR has doubt in Davis, thus more playing time for Parra. And unless Davis starts off hot, Parra plays. Aram isn't a source of power anymore, true story, so I really hope RRR is smart enough to put him in the 6th spot. The NL average SLG in the 6th spot is .390. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/split.cgi?t=b&lg=NL&year=2014#lineu .. Aram hit a SLG of .427 in 2014. I don't think Aram will be under .400 this year. So that is a perfect spot in the lineup for him. I think Aram will still hit (~ .280 average but not much HR power, however he will get his fair share of 2B) As for Sardinas. That's just a guess. I just don't see them going with H Gomez. Not sure why. I would do exactly as you say. Let Sardinas play in the minors through May and if he is doing well and you need him, bring him up. But with the way Segura played last year, my gut is telling me they want some insurance against him and for some reason I think RRR will want Sardinas.

Roache or Goforth should be enough unless the Phillies are paying $10M+ of the remaining $26M he is owed through 2016. I think they'll pay more like $15 million of the remaining $26 and they'll get either Yadier Rivera or Sardinas in the deal. I think that is quite high but awesome if they can get it. When we traded for K-Rod in July 2011, the Mets sent over $5 million. Part of that was to cover his $3.5 million buy out clause. (He was due $17 mil in 2012.) ... So The Brewers traded 2 no name guys for Krod and we paid Krod, about $4.5 for the remainder of the 2011 season. We then signed KRod for $8 million for 2012. So we paid KRod about $12 mil+ (unsure on his exact 2011 payment from brewers) http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-down-the-mets-brewers-trade-k-rod-and-scott-boras-just-got-played-2011-7. Part of the risk of this trade is the next year. I could see, at most $10 mil coming over. Probably more like $8 mil. So we would pay about $18 mil over 2 years. And it will probably be structured so any money we get comes off of this years payment on his salary. (the Brewers have a lot of money coming off the books at the end of this season.) Then we are paying him about $5 million this year but owe his full salary next year.

With the most recent trade, here is what I see with the players we have today... 1/22/15 vs. RHP 1. Gennett 2. Braun 3. Gomez 4. Lind 5. Lucroy 6. Ramirez 7. Parra 8. Segura Vs. LHP 1. Luis Sardinas - I get it, he is new, but I think his splits are going to play in the Majors. (Minor league vs LHP .333 / .379 / .444 ) 2. Braun 3. Lucroy 4. Gomez 5. Ramirez 6. Davis 7. Maldanado 8. Segura / Scooter - Hopefully Segura can rebound this year.

What!?!?! This is awesome!!! Wow, such a huge signing. Oh, wait what's that? It's 2015 and not 2005. Awwwwwe. It is simply amazing that teams still are kicking the tires on him when he hasn't had an ERA under 5 since 2006. That my friend is simply astounding. But whatever, it is just a minor deal with an invite. If you are looking for the positive, somehow the guy is only 33 and must have thrown his first pitch in MLB when he was 15. Maybe, just maybe he can be an effective Loogy

This. Well said Paul. I just get slightly irritated when I see these large international players (A) signing huge deals and (B) basically eliminating 20 teams out the gate because they can't afford them. And just like you said, all because of where they were born. Case and point US Born Player - On June 19, 2013 - Mark Appel (2013 #1 pick), signed with the Astros for a $6.35 million signing bonus. Non-US Born Player - On October 29, 2013, the White Sox sign Jose Abreu for a six-year $68 million deal. The 26-year-old received a $10 million signing bonus and earned $7 million in 2014 and 2015 (Then $10 million in 2016, $10.5 million in 2017, $11.5 million in 2018 and $12 million in 2019.) It is simply ridiculous to allow the international market to be the wild wild west.

Diplan, 18, was 7-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 64 1/3 innings in the Dominican Republic summer league. It was his first season as a professional.

I am on the side of the fence of letting Scooter play but I just don't see that happening. I will say, if you platoon Scooter with Sardinas, you better platoon Davis with Parra and just go all in on the platoon. Including the Lind platoon with Lucroy that we all know is going to happen.

This appears to be a nice haul. Even from the Rangers perspective: http://www.lonestarball.com/2015/1/19/7854401/yovani-gallardo-texas-ranger-brewers-get-sardinas-knebel-and-diplan "...This is a bigger haul for Milwaukee than I would have expected. Sardinas is a guy who you figured was likely to go in a deal for pitching this winter, but giving up both him and Knebel, a fairly well regarded relief prospect, with Diplan included in the mix, is more than I would have thought Texas would part with; however, the Brewers are apparently sending cash to the Rangers as part of this deal, which helps explain why the prospect package is better than you would have thought. ..."

Pitch clock is now coming to AA and AAA fields for this season. It doesn't say which fields. I hope this can continue rolling along and be installed for the 2016 MLB season. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24963362/report-pitch-clock-headed-to-double-a-and-triple-a

Ya, I like those ones too. As well as the barrel man one.

Jonah Keri has a good look going forward on who's coming onto the ballot: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/hall-of-fame-reset-a-very-early-look-at-mlb-induction-possibilities-for-the-next-five-years/ One of the more interesting cases is Milwaukee's own rented son, Jim Edmonds. Reading that article just makes me slightly perturbed. I mean, Vlad Guererro might not get 75% of the votes. HUH?!?! That is crazy. Complete Ludacris. I am 32 years old and he is one of the best players I have ever seen. He could do it all. His canon for an arm was downright jaw dropping. His plate coverage was hilariously awesome. (hilarious because of him swinging at laughable pitches but yet awesome as he would drive them all over diamond.) In my world, he is a first ballot HOF all day, every day. Pudge, just like Piazza should make it in easily but like Mike might not? More silliness as these two guys were just amazing catchers and the last 2 catcher's to make the hall last played over 20 years ago (Carlton Fisk in 93 and Gary Carter in 92.) Here are Pudge's numbers from the article: made 14 All-Star Games, won 13 well-deserved Gold Gloves and seven Sliver Sluggers, earned five top-10 MVP finishes, and won the award in 1999. He batted .296/.334/.464 for his career (106 OPS+), Yep, just another regular old Joe sitting behind the dish. I couldn't imagine being one of these guys and not getting the votes needed. As the writer wrote, Tim Raines dominated the league for a frickin decade and isn't in! Somehow there needs to be a way to ban a writer from voting. Or bypass the idiot's all together an allow MLB to get someone in. I mean some of these guys are sabotaging the voting process and that just flat out isn't right.

HOF Ballot Tracker is predicting a class of 5. They track down all the public ballots and make predictions. If 5 people make it that would be great http://www.bbhoftracker.com/ ·Randy Johnson (named on 98.59 percent of ballots) ·Pedro Martinez (97.89 percent) ·John Smoltz (87.32 percent) ·Craig Biggio (80.99 percent) ·Mike Piazza (78.87 percent)

I think their biggest struggle is going to get American born people to move to Cuba. Quite frankly I would never want to live in Cuba nor would I want my kids to. Even as a minor leaguer. It could literally be a death sentence as they have complete military and police corruption and is partially the wild wild west. Sorry to take this off course, but I just don't see a minor league team going there much less an actual major league team. This isn't 1950's folks, when Cuba was a destination spot with a booming economy. I mean in 2013, they have finally lifted their international travel restriction. This restriction was put in place because they feared people would "travel" and never come back. The country has a long LONG ways to go to recover from Fidel Castro's rule and the US embargo (which hasn't been lifted yet.)

What is going on ... I seriously cannot keep up with all this movement. The ink is barely dry on Preller's contract he signed in August. What went on in the Padres personnel meetings? I can only imagine that it went something like: 1. Preller to assistants: "We need to make some moves and shake up the team, anyone got any ideas" 2. Assistant A: "How about A for B?" .... Room Moderator (In my best auctioneer voice:): "We got A for B, anyone want A for B" ... Preller: "Sold! Lets do it!" 3. Assistant A: "How about C for D?" .... Room Moderator: "We got C for D anyone want C for D" ... Preller: "Sold! Lets do it!" 4. Assistant A: "How about E for F?" .... Room Moderator: "We got E for F anyone want E for F" ... Preller: "Sold! Lets do it!" 5. Assistant A: "How about G for H?" .... Room Moderator: "We got G for H anyone want G for H" ... Preller: "Sold! Lets do it!" Bud Black: "What the h*!! just happened. We got 3 RF's, 2 catchers and a partridge in a pear tree" .... or something like that

Juan Uribe hit .311 last year, I don't think they would look to replace on old guy with another old guy.

And where would it "fit in" and still maintain the montage of best tailgate experience in all of baseball? The valley was the perfect spot to allow for the ample parking. The only thing they should have thought about was slightly turning the stadium so you could see downtown from the seats down first base/right field line when the roof / panels are open.

I never know what they are judging. Are you judging the Stadium and only the stadium? Are you judging the stadium district? I have been to Fenway. The park itself is not that great. It's cramped, narrow corridors, not enough vendors, the list goes on. On the flip side, I have been to Comerica Park and that thing is awesome. They have a ground level club for anyone with good seats. (Not a special $10 price to get in. It's free. Clean bathrooms, no line for ordering food / beer. A place to get out of the rain.) Then there is the lounge (Pepsi Porch) that is in the right field 2nd deck is spectacular. Anyone is allowed to go there. They have fire tables, ample space, patio furniture. http://aviewfrommyseat.com/wallpaper/anonymous-20140606090825.jpg They also have these lounge type chairs on the 1st level. http://www.ballparkratings.com/uploads/photos/d2312691f1a1f40b0585892fa84896df.jpg So If I were to go with Park amenities, Comerica trumps Fenway all day long. I also have been to Camden too and that park is better then Fenway. Fenway gets voted because of the "atmosphere" and the area around the stadium and the history of the stadium. Which really has nothing to do with the stadium itself. Anyhow, I do agree with the posters original point that Miller Park being ranked 12th in the NL is ridiculous. I have been to the Great American Ballpark and I will take Miller Park all day long over it.

I always try to find some sort of comparisons. Hart is unique as he was an all star, sat out a year and then followed that with a complete clunker. The Twins gave Jim Thome a $1.5 million contract in 2010 after putting up a .249 / .366 / .481 / .847 and 23 HR's in 2009. Most thought he was in decline. So based on that I would say Corey Hart will be looking at $1 million for his services for next year after his .203 / .271 / .319 / .590 in 2014. (as most probably view Hart as in decline)

He was just designated for assignment by the Pirates. His splits vs LHP last year could be a nice fit for the other side of the Lind platoon. 2014 - .256 / .318 / .429 / .746 Career - .291 / .382 / .481 / .863