Category Archives: MLB Podcast Network
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 12, 2016
In New York City, I took a look at the Yankees rebuilding process, the assumptions and the last time there were no active World Champion Yankees on the roster.
It is a step by step rebuild episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 11, 2016
It is Sunday and time for The Sunday Request.
@swampudlian @sullybaseball What do you think is worse: many yrs of being too terrible to make the postseason, or yrs of postseason ❤️break?
— NastyBeth Richardson (@Bethrich52) November 23, 2016
A dynamite philosophical discussion.
I decided to tackle that question at a little league field turned Christmas Tree lot on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 10, 2016
Attention White Sox fans!
The next few years will not feature a lot of wins for your team and LOTS for the Cubs. But if you stay loyal to your team, the amazing rebuilding process by the GM will reward you soon.
Good things happen to those who wait on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Aroldis Chapman Signing Is The First Step In Yankees Reload
Aroldis Chapman is on pace to be one of the best ALL – Time Closers in the game. Toting a Career ERA of 2.08 – and a incredible 15.2/Per 9 IP SO rate, this man is about as hard to hit as they come. At entering the 2017 season at just Age 28, a 5 year deal worth $86 MIL is not as risky as it sounds. This organization is used to having elite Closers like him during their 23 year over .500 streak, so this is par for the course.
Brian Cashman is handling the offseason like he should. If the brass can somehow pull off a few more trades, than I would really like the projections for future years.
Aroldis Chapman inked a 5 year deal worth $86 MIL (or exactly 5 times the what the Qualifying Offer was this year.) New York didn’t have to pay the Cubs any compensation for the signing since he was traded to Chicago by these very Yankees at the Trade Deadline.
The whole concept of trading players though the year, only to re-ink them after those said seasons, is a practice that MLB clubs have not done in the past.
This is a common maneuver for NHL teams over the last 15 – 20 years, and we may it see it happen a whole lot more in future campaigns.
Not only do the Yankees get their man, but they also are armed with all of the prospects they acquired from the July trade. (Rashad Crawford (minors), Billy McKinney (minors), Gleyber Torres (minors) and Adam Warren. )
Out of those 4 players. Torres may be the best down the road. He may also even free up the ability to deal a Starlin Castro or Didi Gregorius in the next few years.
Warren is probably headed back to the Bullpen permanently again in 2017, however he can still grant you a spot start for the rotation. Read the rest of this entry
The San Francisco Giants Should Sign Matt Wieters, Play Posey At 1B + Belt In LF
Matt Wieters accepted the 1 Year Qualifying Offer with the Baltimore Orioles last year – and he played his first full campaign since 2013. At Age 30, he is still a decent Catcher both offensively and defensively. I first came up with this idea a few years ago, but Posey was still putting world class numbers out of the backstopper position, and they had several Outfielders on the depth chart. Now.there is an opening beyond the grass, so Brandon Belt could move there – freeing up Posey to play First Base – and the team to sign Wieters.
The Giants are one of the best franchises at fostering their home grown talent. It has culminated in 3 World Series from 2010 – 2014, and the franchise has several of its core players locked up for the next 3 – 5 years.
With the recent news of the Luxury Tax Threshold penalizing the Dodgers something fierce for obliterating their payroll, the NL West has come back to the Giants to win – considering the LA squad has taken down 4 straight Division Titles.
San Francisco started the process of healing their Bullpen this winter. by forking out some big dollars to secure Closer Mark Melancon ( 4YRs/$62 MIL). There is still a long way to go in shoring up the Relief Core, but they should have the funds to do it.
Which brings me to my next point. Beyond the suspicion that Eduardo Nunez may not be a great long=term fit in the Bay Area, the Roster is pretty secure in the rest of the lineup – except for say the LF position.
There are not a lot of prime Free Agents on the open market that can play the OF. Michael Saunders will cost too much money…Angel Pagan..well the Giants should just say no…Colby Rasmus…yikes…Brandon Moss….um….should be a 1B/DH type in the American League.
As for the depth chart currently for Bruce Bochy‘s squad…..Mac Williamson, Jarrett Parker and Gorkys Hernandez…Not sure that cuts the mustard on a playoff caliber squad.
My thought is – why not sign Matt Wieters to a 3 – 4 year contract worth about $33 – $44 MIL ($11 MIL AAV) – to be the prime Catcher for the Giants – then move Posey to First Base and Brandon Belt to LF? To me it makes sense. Read the rest of this entry
Signing Wllson Ramos WAS A Great Necessary Gamble For The Tampa Bay Rays
Wilson Ramos was in heavy NL MVP consideration in the 1stt half off 2016 – .330./382/.546 – with 14 HRs and 48 RBI for his 1st 68 Games Played before he slowed down a bit in the 2nd half before tearing his ACL (for the 2nd time of his Career) in the last weekend of the regular season. Ramos can deliver as a #4 or #5 Hitter on the Rays if he is fully healthy. The big Venezuelan should see some time as Designated Hitter and Catcher in 2017 – before taking over the primary duties as Catcher in 2017. For a 2 YR/$12.5 MIL minimum commitment, this is a steal for Tampa if Ramos can bounce bacl.
You have to feel horrible for the Wilson Ramos tearing his ACL late in the season for the Nationals. He was one of the most valuable players in the National League for the 1st half of the year.
Ramos would have been the #1 Catcher on the open market had he remained healthy, and could have seen a deal that rivaled the Russell Martin contract from a few seasons ago (5 YRs/$82 MIL). Instead he lost 75% of his value as an injured player.
The 2 year pact comes with a base of $12.5 MIL – and has been said to include several incentive bonuses. This is exactly the kind of risk the Rays need to make in order to compete.
Matt Silverman and the brass are gambling that Ramos could come back in early spring, and then split time as both a DH and Catcher throughout the 2017 season, until he could take the primary backstopper position for the 2018 year.
Tampa Bay struggled in 2016 – failing to register their 1st 80 win season since 2007. but a lot of that was due to Starting Pitcher injuries – or guys underperforming. Among the position that were bad was the Catching Position. Read the rest of this entry
Cubs Acquire Closer Wade Davis: It’s A Smarter Maneuver Than You Think
Wade Davis has been one of the filthiest late inning Relievers in the game over last three years, and only comes with a salary for one year at $10 MIL. Chicago is really smart for doing this as Aroldis Chapman cost the Yankees $86 MIL for 5 years yesterday, and Kenley Jansen is not far behind. he Cubs may also give Davis a Qualifying Offer after next season is over. Who knows, maybe he would accept a one year deal at $18 MIL to stay on this World Series Contender. The most important factor in landing Davis is his playoff pedigree. He has proved he is an elite Closer on the grandest of stages – something that Chicago plans to be involved in again to defend their championship.
With the news that the Cubs brought in Wade Davis in exchange for Jorge Soler, the Cubs have effectively brought in a 9th Inning Man – who won the World Series for the Royals in 2015 as their stopper.
Davis will earn $10 MIL in 2017, and can may be extended the Qualifying Offer for 2018 in the process. With another spike potentially in the top 125 salaries (this years total was $17.2 MIL) maybe Davis would take the one year deal for 2018 after this next season.
As one of the game’s premiere Late Inning arms since the 2014 season, Davis is also a perfect replacement for the departing Aroldis Chapman.
With a team that has a World Series under its belt, they just added a Pitcher with a 4 – 0 record, with a 0.84 ERA and 0.959 WHIP in 32 Innings worth of work – spanning the 2014 and 2015 World Series trip for Kansas City. He has performed at the optimal level – under the most pressure. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 8, 2016
Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America
The Cubs brought in Wade Davis, who will be the closer for the defending World Champions for the second straight year.
If he clinches a post season series in Chicago, he will join a select fraternity in terms pitchers for 2 different franchises.
Slam the door on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 7, 2016
Jon Durr/Getty Images North America
Chris Sale was dealt to the Red Sox from the White Sox… and oddly it could make a lot of sense for both teams.
The Red Sox are trying to win now and got him without bteaking up their young outfield.
The White Sox need quality AND quantity in their farm and Sale’s value is at its peak.
Socks are changed and bad puns are made on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
The Dodgers Will Regret The Rich Hill Deal: Yet Another Injury Prone Chucker In The Rotation
The Dodgers have spent over $300 MIL in back to back years, and are the clubhouse leaders in Luxury Tax penalties paid. At a 50% penalty, the Los Angeles forked out $40 MIL in Luxury Taxes in 2016. With an estimated $204 MIL payroll – considering there are several roster holes now created by departing players, the team will need to spend around $235 MIL in 2017 total payroll. With a 50% penalty – and an additional 45% hit for going $40 MIL over the new $195 MIL limit in 2017, I highly expect the organization will be less willing to spend 95 cents extra for every dollar spent beyond that. Because of the Rich Hill signing, it will make it tough to get back Justin Turner and land a Closer – without paying the maximum surcharges for payroll.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
I don’t hide the fact that I have been a Dodgers fan for some time. I have continuously ripped the past and present management for signing players that are injury prone. For the last 4 years the Injury/Dead money the club has doled out has rivaled what some of the lowest payroll clubs on an annual basis.
So what do the brass do? They ink a guy, who is 37, and could barely toe the mound for a handful of starts due to a blister, to a 3 Year Deal worth $16 MIL per year. Didn’t they learn their lesson with the Scott Kazmir contract? How about Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brett Anderson or Bronson Arroyo?
This is not even taking into a factor all of the positional players and Relief Guys they have taken a powder on (hit the ground and dust flies up because of being knocked out). The Franchise ate $41 MIL in 2013, $37 MIL in salary for 2014, $86 MIL in 2015, and $71 MIL in 2016.
For those scoring at home, that is a whopping $233 MIL in lost cash since the beginning of 2013, which was the Guggenheim Consortium’s first full year at the helm.
When you factor in some more penalties for exceeding the Luxury Tax Threshold, the organization is well over the $250 MIL mark in 4 seasons. Now 2017 doesn’t look to be much different – with $47 MIL in dead money already on the board.
Carl Crawford ($21.9 MIL), Alex Guerrero ($7.5 MIL), Hector Olivera ($4.7 MIL), Matt Kemp ($3.7 MIL) and Jose Tabata (250K) are not even on the active roster anymore, yet they will see some serious coin paid out by the Dodger Blue.
The Dodgers are also paying guys $10 MIL to play in the Minor Leagues. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 4, 2016
Ed Zurga/Getty Images North America
It is Sunday and time for the Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball Should Bud Selig make the Hall of Fame?
— Wesley Hofmann (@wesjoke) December 2, 2016
No way. No f—ing way. Yeah, I know good things happened on his watch. But he also was involved with one of the most shameful episode in the history of baseball.
I am not talking about steroids or the strike.
One word: Collusion.
I am thinking about the good of the game on episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 2, 2016
I couldn’t find my car. I had no idea where I parked it. So as I wondered around a parking lot late at night, I tried to remember the 1987 Twins and 1988 Dodgers and praised the powers that be for signing a new CBA.
I remembered all the 87 Twins and 88 Dodgers except for George Frazier on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives Dec 1, 2016 – Dec 31, 2016 (Episodes 1500 – 1530)
Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1499 days consecutively heading into Dec of 2016!
Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are episodes 1500 – 1530 of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
We will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans. Check out all his Archived info here.
Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.
Follow Sully Baseball On Twitter Follow @sullybaseball
To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 1, 2016
One Thousand Five Hundred straight days of podcasting.
Today, along with the audio that as always can be found on Soundcloud and iTunes, I did a video podcast to mark the occasion.
I looked at the concept of baseball nostalgia and realized that everything is trying to celebrate the late 1940’s. Why should post WWII monopolize traditional baseball?
Celebrating 1500 shows in the can and many more to follow on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
New York Yankees State Of The Union For 2017: Stemming The Tide For Upcoming Seasons
The Yankees shocked the baseball world by contending for the last 2 months in 2016 after dealing away Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran at the Deadline. With a the young ‘”Baby Bombers” on the way, tt will take a few good veterans to compliment the talent in order for the Yankees to become extremely dangerous once again. It all starts with the GM Brian Cashman.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I will be the first one to give credit to Brian Cashman for arranging the July Trade Deadline deal moves to free up a rebuild on the fly. The Yankees rewarded their longterm GM by continuing their season streak of over .500 to 22 years.
The management has also been fortunate that Gary Sanchez fared so incredibly well – so they could sell Brian McCann to the Astros, and effectively free up another $10 MIL into their couch cushions.
As it sits right now the clubs projected roster is looking to be in the $167 MIL range for total team salary. Unfortunately they are still on the hook to CC Sabathia for $25 MIL and Alex Rodriguez for $21 MIL in 2017. even though latter is not even on the roster anymore.
So what do the Yanks do this winter? They are perennial abusers of the Salary Tax Threshold, and have been paying 50% of their dollars spent beyond the limit for the last several years.
With the news of talks proceeding on that number potentially reaching $200 MIL or under the new CBA, the Pinstripers should definitely dole out some bread for Free Agents this offseason.
I would say that for the Bronx Bombers to be competitive for the AL East, they need to add at least $50 MIL in players salaries this winter in order to fight the Jays and Red Sox for the Division.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 30, 2016
The universe and our concept of reality is a vast web of connections and reactions to events. And the connections are not always obvious.
Connie Mack not retiring from baseball in the 1940’s affected the existence of the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners.
Trust me, it makes sense on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
MIlwaukee Is Making A Boneheaded Move If Non-Tendering Chris Carter: Should Have Learned From Houston Last Year
Chris Carter would be the perfect ‘cheap’ addition to compete on a lot of American League Rosters. This man has been criminally underrated for the power and walks he has put forth over the last 4 campaigns. With the ability to DH/play 1B or LF, with Milwaukee having 2 years left of team control in Arbitration, the club has DFA’d him, and likely will be forced to release him outright as A Free Agent. The management also signed an unproven MLB’er (Eric Thames) to a guaranteed $15 MIL over 3 years. Pretty bad on all front in my opinion!
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Last year at this time I made the point that the Houston Astros made a big mistake in non-tendering Chris Carter. At that juncture, the man has clubbed 90 HRS over the previous 3 campaigns with the Astros.
Houston struggled at the First Base Position all year in 2016 – with a collection of Tyler White, Marwin Gonzalez, Luis Valbuena and Yulieski Gurriel. With just bringing forth 84 wins. with the cutoff for the playoffs at 89 victories, one could say the franchise could have used the slugger ( and his .821 OPS, 41 HRs and 94 RBI).
The ‘Stros’ finished with production of .232/.299/.381 – 19 HRs, 62 RBI out of the position – which had a huge factor in them not reaching the playoffs, having the 2nd worst offensive output for the American League (Yankees – the worst).
Carter is a powerful dude who is a kind of the new Adam Dunn of the Majors. If he qualified for HR/PER AB ALL – Time with 3000 PA (he has 2645 his 14.97 AB per homer would rank him 13th in Major League Baseball History. So where is the love? Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 29, 2016
Chuck Booth, the creator of MLB Reports, and a partner with your pal Sully, joins the podcast.
He has seen 30 games in 30 stadiums in 30 days and has thoughts on his many pilgrimages.
It is a globe trotting episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 28, 2016
Jeff Gross/Getty Images North America
Are the Dodgers going to be a cost cutting team? Then their front office will have to remember their Tampa Bay Rays days to finally bring a pennant to Chavez Ravine.
Make every penny count on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 27, 2016
Elsa/Getty Images North America
It is time for The Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball #sundayrequest according to multiple sources a lockout is a possibility. What needs to happen to stop our worst nightmare?
— Tim Floor (@Tim_DutchSoxFan) November 25, 2016
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What will stop a Lockout over the CBA? The answer is common sense.
It is a learn from past mistakes episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
The Nationals Should Definitely Sign Aroldis Chapman!
Aroldis Chapman is on pace to be one of the best ALL – Time Closers in the game. Toting a Career ERA of 2.08 – and a incredible 15.2/Per 9 IP SO rate, this man is about as hard to hit as they come. Entering the 2017 season at just Age 28, I would have no qualms about inking this man to a 6 year deal – worth anywhere from $90 – $100 MIL. He will have a few suitors. With the Nationals having an escalating payroll, this might be the best way to sign one guy to galvanize the team.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
This is an absolutely pivotal year for the Washington Nationals. They have many of their players locked up for 1 – 2 more years, but an escalating payroll also has entered the fray, and now they are in deep trouble to re-sign Bryce Harper when he comes up for Free Agency in 2019.
Looking at the projected player payroll for the current roster – and this franchise sits at about $155 MIL in 2017. They have some maneuvers they could pull off to take the money down slightly.
I would start with trading Gio Gonzalez to free up $12 MIL. This guy is the #4 or #5 at best. Yes we have seen lesser pitchers like Andrew Cashner sign a deal for one year at $10 MIL with the Rangers, however that has more to do with the Texas depth.
By dealing Gonzalez. the Nationals still would have a rotation of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Joe Ross and Lucas Giolito, with Reynaldo Lopez and A.J. Cole likely seeing some action first out of the “Taxi squad.”
Quite simply put, the Nationals are extremely talented with 2 pitchers that could win the Cy Young (Scherzer who won it in 2016 and Strasburg, who could have won it had they given out an award at the ALL – Star Break) and up to 3 players that would be listed among the top 15 NL MVP favorites (Harper, Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner), but they do possess a few holes with losing Wilson Ramos and Mar Melancon off the end of the year Roster.
I fully think they should shore up their Late Inning work by signing Aroldis Chapman to whatever he wants this winter. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 26, 2016
Leon Halip/Getty Images North America
The Giants want Pablo Sandoval back? Holy cow, whatever they want, the Red Sox should make the deal NOW!
Meanwhile the Diamondbacks continue to be very very strange.
Dump the baggage on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 25, 2016
WHY WHY WHY won’t the Padres embrace their identity? Why won’t they put brown in their uniforms?
Fans want it! Baseball wants it! What do they gain with these boring uniforms?
Root for laundry, just not THIS laundry on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 24, 2016
Happy Turkey Day! And what better way to pay tribute to Turkeys today than talking about Negro League Star and Hall of Famer Turkey Stearnes.
His granddaughter, Vanessa Ivy Rose (nee Vanessa Thompson) is a friend of the podcast and joined me to talk about her granddad, his legacy and the Cooperstown experience.
Be Thankful for friends on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
My blog post I wrote that connected us way back when can be found HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 23, 2016
http://www.net54baseball.com/ – BRUCE BABCOCK
It is Episode 1492, so I am talking Columbus (the city, not the dude.)
Is Columbus Ohio a major city?
Why Cleveland and Pittsburgh and not Columbus? Partially because of decisions made with a minor league in the late 19th century.
Sail the Ocean Blue on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 22, 2016
Harry How/Getty Images North America
What team has the most pressure on them going into 2017?
It has to be the Dodgers, who despite a galaxy of stars could be going into their third decade without a pennant.
Bleed Dodger Blue on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 21, 2016
Getty Images – Rob Foldy/Getty Images North America
The Rays and Marlins might not have the rich tradition of teams like the Yankees, Giants or Cardinals.
That does not mean we shouldn’t savor the fact that the greatest players of their history, Evan Longoria and Giancarlo Stanton, are currently playing for them.
It is a new tradition episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 20, 2016
It is Sunday and time for The Sunday Request.
C’mon @sullybaseball I was looking forward to you dissecting the history of the Mariner’s logo 😜Seriously great podcast about an EPIC game.
— Rob (@IlliniDodgers) November 3, 2016
What started as a joke opening to a show has turned into me actually breaking down my thoughts on the Seattle Mariners hats.
As it turns out, I have some passionate opinions on the matter.
It is a Trident Hat Episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 19, 2016
Jamie Sabau – Getty Images
The Reds might not contend in 2017, but they SHOULD have the best lead off man in baseball in the rebuilding process… if only they would bat Joey Votto lead off. Along the way, I discuss why I won’t play James Bond and I tie it into the discussion.
It is a shaken, not stirred episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 18, 2016
Jeff Gross/Getty Images North America
Mike Trout and Kris Bryant are the MVPs. Both good choices.
Mike Trout is half way to his Hall of Fame clinching.
Kris Bryant has already gotten some of the hard parts over with.
Now just imagine a World Series match up featuring the two.
It is a “New Generation of Superstars” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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