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Who Owned Baseball July 8, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB

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For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Nathan Eovaldi was perfect through the first 6 innings and finished with 7 innings of 1 hit shutout ball, striking out 9 Mets as Tampa Bay rolled, 9-0.
Junior Guerra allowed 1 run over 6 strong innings to lead the first place Brewers over Atlanta, 10-3.
Ryon Healy hit a 2 run doubled and a come from behind 3 run homer that put Seattle up for good against the Rockies, 6-4.
Pablo Sandoval hit a go ahead 3 run homer, collected 2 more hits and drove in 5 altogether as the Giants took the 13-8 slugfest from St. Louis.
They all owned baseball on July 8, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball June 15, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB

RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Yangervis Solarte homered twice and added a double to help Toronto best Washington, 6-5.
Freddy Galvis collected 5 hits, including a double and a homer, in the Padres 9-3 win over Atlanta.
Tyler Skaggs struck out 8 Oakland batters while allowing 2 unearned runs over 7 innings to give the Angels a much needed 8-4 victory.
Jose Urena threw 8 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and struck out 4 Orioles to earn the 2-0 decision for Miami.
They all owned baseball on June 15, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Dear Santa: An Open Letter To Saint Nick From All 30 MLB Teams Fanbases

NY Yankees: They need to speed the clock up like Back To The Future 2. The Pinstripers are resetting for the 2019 season and beyond Bryce Harper era.
Based on how good the Red Sox Winter meetings have gone this far, you have to know there will also be a lot of Yankees 27 World Series Rings to Boston’s 8 on a T-Shirt scoreboard.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
It is time for our yearly letter to head to the north pole. Perhaps the ‘fat old jolly’ guy will respond promptly at the 2016 Winter Meetings.
The Bronx Bombers will also ask for their former Captain to please make more appearances in the public eye so they can milk the retiring of Derek Jeter‘s #2 on May 14, 2017 for about the next 6 months in a viable smokescreen to their 2017 performance.
Boston: Can we ask that Richard Simmonds become Pablo Sandoval‘s personal trainer all offseason?. For a guy who had more broken belts than hits in 2017, Sandoval can re-write his Boston legacy by proving what he can do when they are in the 2017 playoffs.
There also needs to be a discounted rack at Fenway Park for all of the S-Medium shirts that may have been there for the recently departed Yoan Moncada.
The Red Sox are always the clubhouse leaders in big tall lanky pitchers who herk and jerk when throwing, so can we ask the home broadcasting network for extra wide lenses.
Boston Throws Down A Hell Of A Haymaker To The Rest Of The American League With Acquiring Chris Sale

Chris Sale has been as about as dominant as a pitcher as there has been in the American League since he entered into the rotation. He is 74 – 50 with a clean 3.00 ERA over his career thus far – wtth 5 straight top 6 Cy Young Finishes and ALL – Star Appearances. Sale set career highs in Wins (17) CG (6) and IP (226.2) during the last campaign. He is only set to earn $38 MIL over the next 3 seasons total, so the cap hit is even better news for the Red Sox, who are already nearing the Luxury Tax Threshold Limit, and are subject to a 50% penalty as 3rd time abusers in 2017.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
The Red Sox have landed an ace in the winter for the 2nd straight winter. Boston has acquired Chris Sale from the White Sox in exchange for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech – with two other prospects Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz also heading to the Pale Hose.
This is the type of trade that brings a championship. For a MLB club that was right up against the Luxury Tax Threshold already of $195 MIL for 2017, having Sale only making $38 MIL over the next three years is the biggest plus to this pact going down.
Boston loses a young player like Moncada for sure. and he may be World Class in the future, but you have to give something up to get something. The Beantowners will still also be alright for their future with the likes of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley JR. just kickstarting their young careers, while they also held onto other great prospects like Andrew Benintendi and Blake Swihart.
They still have plenty of colorful veterans (with plenty of postseason experience) in talking of Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez – and yes even Pablo Sandoval. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 4, 2016

NESN
Would anyone be stunned if we found out Pablo Sandoval‘s shoulder surgery was faked to get him off the roster for the year? Meanwhile the Phillies are off to a fast start and have hope for 2017 and beyond.
It is an “Ow My Arm!” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Justin Smoak, Chris Carter, Jose Quintana, Matt Wisler, Danny Santana, Wilson Ramos and Michael Wacha all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Can The Boston Red Sox Solve The Pablo Sandoval Situation?

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Andrew Martin (Featured BBBA Writer/Owner baseballhistorian.blogspot.com) Follow @historianandrew
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A mere 18 months after signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox, third baseman Pablo Sandoval has for all intents and purposes become a pariah with his new team.
Having lost his starting job at the end of the recently concluded spring training, his future with the team is unknown, and at the same time feels untenable. With four seasons remaining on his deal, it’s incumbent upon the Red Sox to find a solution, but what can be done?
READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 14, 2016
Pablo Sandoval has gone on the DL, and the Red Sox have all but admitted it was because he needed some time to unwind.
That should go over well in Boston.
It is a play yourself off the team episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Carlos Carrasco, Jerad Eickhoff, Ryan Goins, Nolan Arenado, Scott Feldman, Adam Conley, Jose Altuve and Brandon Belt all added to their totals of Who Owned Baseball.
See the updated Who Owns Baseball tally by clicking on MLB REPORTS
MLB Power Rankings: April 2016
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Yesterday won’t change much for the rankings. Although it kicked off interleague with the Royals beating the Mets 4 – 3, and starts the Junior Circuit looking to win the AL vs NL competition for a 13th straight year.
Pittsburgh also beat the Cardinals. I have them both ending the year win 91 victories, but these squad’s really intrigue me.
There are a multitude of reasons why I have picked the Cubs as the #1 team. I explain them in the writeup.
Each Monday, we will post a new set of power rankings and go over the week that was. Read the rest of this entry
Pablo Sandoval + His $17 MIL Contract Will Ride The Pine This Year To Start In Boston
Ground Rule Triple Blog (Featured BBBA Website – groundruletriple.com)
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Red Sox manager John Farrell has announced that 2-time All-Star third-baseman Pablo Sandoval will begin the season on the Red Sox bench. Travis Shaw will begin the season at the hot corner.
Just last offseason, Sandoval signed a monster deal with Red Sox leaving behind the San Francisco Giants who he won multiple World Series with. Sandoval will make a whopping $17 million while on the bench (at least initially). He still has $75 million over four years left in his contract.
Sandoval commented that it’s the right decision, and manager Farrell commented that Shaw’s defense was key for this surprising decision. The Red Sox have shown that past lucrative contracts given by former management will not dictate the lineup.
This post will be updated as we get more updates. Stay tuned.
In the mean time, did you see this coming? Any thoughts on Sandoval on the bench?
READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY
Odds To Win The MLB Divisions In 2016: Best Value Bets

Should win between 82 – 85 games in my view – and is the best odds on the board for this wagering in any category this week. Picking them to win the AL East for a +1200 is full value.
Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The BBBA On Twitter Follow @baseballblogs
Bad Value – Red Block
Good Value – Blue Block
AL East
As stated in an article this week, I am loving the value of the O’s across the board. Picking them to win the Division at +1200 should be ranked 1st, to win the American League Pennant at +2800 is 2nd – and to win the World Series at +5000 is third.
Since Baltimore would have a tough NL matchup for the Fall Classic, the best cash should be thrown on the AL East win, then to win the Pennant.
Boston and Toronto are both listed at 87.5 regular season win odds – whereas the Jays are favored to win over that amount just slightly ahead of the Sox. Here they are evenly slated.
David Price is a regular season beast, and Craig Kimbrel solidifies the Bullpen, but I just can’t put money behind them winning this Division.
It was a good job by BET365 handicapping the AL East
Boston Red Sox +175 (6)
Toronto Blue Jays +175
NY Yankees +350
TB Rays +800
Baltimore Orioles +1200 (1)
Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB Divisions

Best Division odd value on the board this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As the season approaches we are seeing more and more gambling entities finally display and update their Division odds on a daily basis.
Over the course of the year we will be doing a weekly post on both the World Series and the MLB Divisions for best value.
I have selected one good value pick and one bad value pick for each Division. Next to a good pick, or a bad one, there will be an assigned parenthesis number for the degree I love the wager compared to the other Division picks.
The Chicago Cubs are the biggest favorite to win their own Division which is not surprising. In the American League, the KC Royals have the lowest odd.
I like how this establishment has the Royals as their favorite lock to make the postseason, yet still have the Red Sox and Blue Jays favored over them for the World Series odds.
This goes the same for the Giants in the National League. San Francisco is +900 to win the ‘Fall Classic’, yet the Mets and Nationals are more of a favorite to win the NL East, then they are the NL West. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 21, 2016

JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES
It is time for the Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball Do you think that Pablo will help eat up ground on the other AL East contenders? Nice off season working out, Kung Fu Whale.
— Pat Tarantino (@PATJAY13) February 18, 2016
Yup. Pablo Sandoval is fat. He was fat. He is fat. He may always be fat. And that is no way to win over fans.
That and some spring cleaning on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 17, 2016
From San Francisco, I talk about the crap I keep getting from Giants fans about Pablo Sandoval and why those same fans will miss Tim Lincecum.
It is a “Love Those Even Years” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
San Francisco Giants State Of The Union For 2016

With the club pretty much being set for players all around the Infield and Outfield, and now the Starting Staff, the Giants look poised to make another run at a World Series run for an even year this decade. 2016 will see several of its Bullpen members on the last year of their contracts.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The only real need to upgrade could be at the Outfield level, with either a CF/LF. Angel Pagan is also in the last year of his deal, so maybe signing a guy to man the position beyond this coming year would be an option.
The Starting Rotation will be a lot stronger in 2016 with the additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
You can say what you want about Cueto’s time in Kansas City not being as effective., but he has played most of his career in Cincinnati – and pitched extremely well at Great American Ball Park.
Funny enough his best years have also come in even years with finishing 4th in NL Cy Young Voting in 2012, and 2nd in 2014, when he led the NL in Innings Pitched with 249.2 – and Strikeouts with 241 for the Reds.
Samardzija still has great stuff, and as a #3 Starter, you could see him bouncing back with a nice year in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 31, 2015

USA Today Sports
The last podcast of the year. So much can happen in 365 days. So many legacies can be changed. So many events not foreseen at the beginning of the year can totally be flipped.
Just think of Salvador Perez, ending 2014 as the man who popped up to end the World Series… and being the World Series MVP for 2015.
Think of Pariah Alex Rodriguez leading the Yankees back to the playoffs.
Lots of changes happened. Lots more will happen in 2016.
Be sure to listen to all of it on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Boston Red Sox Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

With adding the contracts of David Price and Craig Kimbrel in recent player moves, this pushes Boston to near $200 MIL in team payroll for 2016. I think they should try to add a few pitchers near the 2016 Trade deadline. With a lot of money tied up in the future, any player they take on should have their contracts end in 2016. Boston stands to pay 17.5% for money spent over the $189 MIL limit. They could run with a $220 MIL salaried club in 2016 and only pay around $6 MIL in additional fees. Do it, and pale it back afterwards.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Well the Boston Red Sox are finally going to join the Dodgers and Yankees as teams that cross the Luxury Tax Threshold for 2016. This was made possible by recently picking up David Price for 7 YRs at $31 MIL average per year.
Already in 2017, the team is committed for around $162 MIL – and that is without their stalwart DH of David Ortiz anymore. 2018, the salary obligations are at $151 MIL, and the franchise has already lumped $139 MIL on the books fr the 2019 cash.
This is a leap of faith for the franchise, as they were always reluctant to pay top dollars for Free Agent Pitchers.
Last year’s signings of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez are looking like poor moves right now, however they can be helped with bounce back years in 2016. Read the rest of this entry
The Middle Infield Positions Have Regressed To What They Used To Be In The MLB Power Wise

Carlos Correa led all Shortstops with 22 HRs in 2015 – despite not being called up until early June. With how rare his power is at the position currently, this will be an automatic advantage for the Houston Astros for the next half – dozen years. Brandon Crawford was the only other Shortstop to hit the 20 HR plateau in 2015. The position has receded to what it used to be over 20 – 25 years ago when Cal Ripken was a rare player to hit for power at Short.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Onwer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Part of going over the winter transactions wire for all players available in the league has taught me even more of what I had thought about the state of the MLB currently.
Since steroids have been removed practically from the game, Third Base, Short Stop and Second Baseman have seen their numbers plummet offensively.
You could also lump the First Baseman, Outfielders and Catchers to this list as well, however they still own the predominant amount of power hitters in the game.
So you have a need a Third Base this offseason…That is bad news for you because David Freese is the best available Free Agent on the market. Read the rest of this entry
Its Time For Boston To Break From Philosophy + Sign An Ace: Red Sox State Of The Union 2016

The Red Sox will need to spend some money on Starting Pitching this season – and preferably and ace.. They orchestrated a trade for Closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday. A bona fide shutdown guy with 225 Career Saves and an ERA of 1.63 lifetime. The winter has just started for the Beantowners. With many veterans currently aging, and the young nucleus all being under team control, the time to capitalize on the higher drafting as a result of finishing last in the AL East 3 times in 4 years is right now.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Okay, for years the Boston Red Sox would never pay for a #1 Starter on the Free Agent Market – even their owns. They traded away Jon Lester prior to trying to resign him in 2014, and it backfired on them when he hit the Free Agency market not having played his entire career in Boston.
For the most part, I have agreed with the idea of not paying a guy as an ace. Here is the problem..The team had finished last in the AL East 3 of the last four campaigns, and that is unacceptable.
You add in Ben Cherington doling out long term deals to Rick Porcello, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in the last year, and all had bad years. So the temptation may not be to sign anyway. Again, wrong.. You are the Boston Red Sox.
Well mired in the lower tiers of records the last 4 years (except for the 2013 season), the club has accumulated a great deal of talent in the Minor Leagues.
The franchise is in great shape heading forward, but this comes down to the right time to strike on the rest of the league. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Player Futures Bets In 2015: Player Performance Props Results From Hunter Stokes Predictions

What are your best Over/Under Bets for player performances in the upcoming campaign. We delve deep into the numbers and have given you our selections. Its time to throw down some cabbage!
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Fantasy Players are dusting off their notes, and getting ready for the 2016 year. We looked at how we did for our preseason projections based on player performances.
It was another banner year for MLB Reports predicting. We carried a 9 – 4 record (.692). Here is a look at we said back in March..
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 20, 2015
Lauren Campbell, co host of the Red Sox Beat podcast for CLNS Radio, joins the podcast.
We talk about the Dombrowski signing, the state of the Red Sox and how spoiled Boston fans are now.
It is a “Love That Dirty Water” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Yadier Molina, Stephen Strasburg, Jesse Chavez, Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant, Julio Teheran, Michael Brantley and Jeff Samardzija all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball
Follow Lauren on Twitter by clicking HERE.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 19, 2015
OF COURSE A-Rod hit a homer for his 3,000th hit.
It is a tale of two third baseman. One who is beloved by the fan base now and the other reviled. How things have changed for A-Rod and the Panda
It is a Hot Corner Episode 968 of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
CJ Wilson, Zack Greinke, Ryan Howard, Preston Tucker, Anthony Ranaudo, Manny Machado, Jaime Garcia and Yunel Escobar all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?
Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 25, 2015
Comedian and friend of the podcast Nick Stevens is the guest today.
We talked about the state of the Red Sox, our mutual confusion of why they signed Pablo Sandoval and reminded ourselves about the term “Deli Flowers.”
It is two old Red Sox fan friends yapping on episode 914 of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast..
Dallas Keuchel, Mark Teixeria, Aaron Harang, Anthony Rizzo, Billy Hamilton, Andrew Cashner and Scott Kazmir all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?
Follow Nick on Twitter by clicking HERE
Check out Nick’s work on Townie News by clicking HERE
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