Daily Archives: February 12, 2016

Don’t Cry For Players That Were Given The Qualifying Offer: And Are Not Being Signed

The Players of the MLBPA will have their chance to collectively bargain the rule of Qualifying Offer after the current CBA ends at the end of this year. Despite hearing a ton of groaning on radio airwaves from MLB hosts, the problem is just not as direr as they project. I may say they are trying to shock their audience for 24/7/365 programming. I argue the point that the 'QO' is not that bad.

The Players of the MLBPA will have their chance to collectively bargain the rule of Qualifying Offer after the current CBA ends at the end of this year. Despite hearing a ton of groaning on radio airwaves from MLB hosts, the problem is just not as dire as they project. I may say they are trying to shock their audience for 24/7/365 programming. I argue the point that the ‘QO’ is not that bad.  The Draft Picks assigned for the players should not dissuade teams from singing them, as the percentage of picks 11 – 30 of the 1st Round do not have a huge conversion rate in the Majors that would trump these players current production anyway.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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I will spare a ton of rhetoric and cut right to the chase.  3 out of the 20 players are still without a deal that were linked to the Qualifying Offer of $15.8 MIL in November.  This not egregious in any way in my view.

Dexter Fowler, Yovani Gallardo and Ian Desmond all could have taken the deal, played one more year and then hit the open market again.  Heck, they still can, but probably are not going to get in the vicinity of that cash for a one year deal with a Draft Pick nailed to it.

If anyone is to blame it is their agents.  This is simply the price of doing business.

Desmond for sure has no one to blame when the Nats hit him with a 7 year deal worth $107 MIL prior to 2014. Don’t you think he would love a Mulligan on that one? Read the rest of this entry

Dear Atlantis Casino: I Am Coming Right Away To Throw Down Some Cabbage On Your 2016 MLB Team Over/Unders!

 

It is time to start placing bets on what you think all 30 MLB Clubs will do victory wise. I can only hope that Atlantis Casino in Las Vegas keeps these win totals before I come crashing through the door with a bag full of dough to bet tonight.

It is time to start placing bets on what you think all 30 MLB Clubs will do victory wise. I can only hope that Atlantis Casino in Las Vegas keeps these win totals before I come crashing through the door with a bag full of dough to bet tonight.  While I agree with their stance on the American League for the most part, their National League prognostications border on dumb.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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2016 MLB win totals over / unders – baseball futures

 

Forget Prospects When Your Window Is Open To Win With Good (To ALL – Star) MLB Players Available!

I am sick and tired of hearing about Draft Picks being coveted by clubs, and in particular with the picks 11 - 30th having to be given up as compensation for signing a guy who was extended a Qualifying Offer. Prospects turn into Suspects in a real hurry. Only 4 or 5 out of the picks 11 - 30 contribute significantly within 4 years. Meaning if your roster is poised now, go ahead and burn your pick by signing proven players that can help your squad right now!

I am sick and tired of hearing about Draft Picks being coveted by clubs, and in particular with the picks 11 – 30th having to be given up as compensation for signing a guy who was extended a Qualifying Offer. Prospects turn into Suspects in a real hurry. Only 4 or 5 out of the picks 11 – 30 contribute significantly within 4 years usually. Meaning if your roster is poised to win right now, go ahead and burn your pick by signing proven players that can help your squad right now!

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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I can’t stand it when I hear that ready to win Major League Clubs are holding off on good Free Agent Signing because of a pending Draft Pick in the coming MLB Amateur Draft being forfeited.

For current organizations like the  Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, KC Royals, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants – all of them project to be contenders in 2016 except the O’s, and the last 6 clubs listed here are acting on that – while the 1st 4 are not.

Let me kind of qualify that.  The Jays did in 2015 – and may do so in 2016.  The real truth will be told by the August.1 Trade Deadline.  Not picking up a top end rotation guy by then will hurt their chances to win in the last few months and definitely in the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry

2016 NL Cy Young Award Candidates

Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports

Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports

Ground Rule Triple Blog (Featured Baseball Website/groundruletriple.com) 

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The Senior Circuit had a very close Cy Young race last season when Zack Greinke’s 1.66 ERA and 19-3 record went against Jake Arrieta’s 1.77 ERA and 22-6 record and Clayton Kershaw’s 300 strikeouts.

Arrieta beat out Greinke and Kershaw in the end but if it was any other year, there’s a good chance any of the other two would’ve won it. So who will be the NL Cy Young in 2016?

This year’s class will have a tough job of surpassing the statistics of last year’s finalists, but who knows?

Past Cy Young Winners

Bartolo Colón (2005 Angels; Padres): The 42-year-old Bartolo Colón will be returning to the Mets this year where he’s expected to fill that back-end rotation spot until Zack Wheeler returns in 2016. His most recent productive season was 2013 when was an All-Star.

After Wheeler returns, Colón won’t have a spot in the young Mets’ rotation and it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to contend for the Cy Young at age 42.

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY

 

BBBA Members Audio Podcasts + Links This Week

sully and eirann

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast

(Sully has a Streak of 20 minute shows everyday since Oct.24/2012)

(1207th Straight Day With An episode)

What the hell are the Angels doing?

They need to sign a bunch of potential reclamation projects and hope some come through, otherwise, they might be wasting Mike Trout‘s prime.

It is a “far from heaven” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 12, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 11, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 10, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 9, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 8, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 7, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 6, 2016

Read the rest of this entry

Top 5 Projected MLB Holds Leaders (AL + NL) In 2016

With so much uncertainty in the air about Mark Melancon's fate with the club, I can't pick Tony Watson to win this category for a 2nd straight year. He was also the runner up in the 2014 season. I say he is the Closer in the 2nd half of the year. His teammate Jared Hughes will get plenty of opportunities all year in late inning relief.

With so much uncertainty in the air about Mark Melancon’s fate with the club, I can’t pick Tony Watson to win this category for a 2nd straight year. He was also the runner-up in the 2014 season. I say he is the Closer in the 2nd half of the year. His teammate Jared Hughes will get plenty of opportunities all year in late inning relief.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter 

It is time to get our fantasy teams ready in 2016.  Because of the long winter year for certain players, the Relievers market has a pile of roster moves to go down before opening weekend in April.  There are some guys that could make the list, but I am itching to write my list.

For the reasons I was just talking about, Jeremy Affeldt, Matt Thornton, Casey Janssen, Manny Parra, Eric O’Flaherty, Tommy Hunter, Franklin Morales, Neal Cotts, Nathan Adcock, Wesley Wright, Matt Capps, Sergio Santos, Ryan Webb and Joe Beimel won’t appear – although only a couple of those guys are even relevant to the Holds stat.

The biggest questions to think of include trade possibilities.  Will the Pirates trade Mark Melancon?  If this happens, NL Leader of Holds last year, Tony Watson, may see some time as the Closer for the Bucs. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 12, 2016

Screen shot 2015-07-10 at 10.23.34 PM

TED S. WARREN/AP

What the hell are the Angels doing?

They need to sign a bunch of potential reclamation projects and hope some come through, otherwise, they might be wasting Mike Trout‘s prime.

It is a “far from heaven” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Read the rest of this entry