2013 MLB Thread

[koodledrum]

The only reason I can see Maddux getting under 90% of votes would be the fucking idiots who steadfastly refuse to vote for first timers on the ballot, there are precious few players who genuinely have an unquestionable list of credentials worthy of enshrinement in Cooperstown but Maddux is one of those players that's for sure. I wouldn't go so far as to say it should be unanimous but it should be at the very least low 90's percent of voters in Maddux's case - sorry to burst Kabookiejoez's bubble, if there's a player who SHOULD get in the high 90's it's Mariano Rivera.

Doc is definately in the discussion, were it not for his mentality he'd have been on a contender much earlier & had a ring by now - but you can't ignore the fact that for a period of maybe 6 years he was the pitcher you looked at and thought "oh shit, we gotta face that guy, jeez...". He was stung by pitching in a tough division & regularly pitching against the aces of ballclubs, which if it's the Twins or Mariners is cool, but it was the Yankees & Sox, had he been out the AL East I think he'd also have had a better record.

[Stommped]

Maddux should get 100% of the votes, I mean it's completely asinine. But it's gotten to the point now where they say "well he wasn't as good <player> and that guy got 92% of the votes, so I'm going to vote no in hopes that it brings his percentage down, but I still want him to get in on the first year"

[draynay]

New posting system with Japan agreed to in principle, under it the maximum a team could post is $20 million, and then the player can negotiate with anybody that posted $20 million.

[koodledrum]

Yeah & the Ratuken Eagles are reportedly thinking about not posting Tanaka as a result, greedy barstewards!

[VanillaO]

So now multiple teams can post bids and if the dude signs with anyone, that team is the one that pays? I'm not sure if that's a positive or negative step for the posting system. More positive than negative, I suppose, but definitely some of both.

[koodledrum]

Designed to give small market teams a fairer crack of the whip, but lets be fair that's a waste of time as small market teams aren't attractive propositions for the vast majority of people coming from Japan & I think what we'll see is teams like the Royals or Twins posting $20m bids alongside the Yankees, Sox & Dodgers and 99.9% of the time the small market teams being ignored. So it's a fair crack of the whip, but a pointless exercise as ultimately unattractive teams will always be unattractive teams regardless - it just gives them false hope that they can compete with the big boys.

[draynay]

It gives Japanese teams less incentive to post premiere players and it gives Japanese players greater freedom in determining where they play in the US, which now they will not get since their teams won't post them, but oh well.

[VanillaO]

Ya, that was a big part of my thought, draynay... Didn't Dice K and Yarvish's posts both go just over 50M? 20M is still substantial, but 40% of what premiere players were getting before seems like a poor choice. The only way I see teams doing it now is if the player is older (like 33+) and will obviously be on the decline soon. Although Ichiro, only got the team 15M or whatever.. so that's not that substantial. It was getting kind of absurd, though - you're expected to pay 50M just to even get the contract negotiations, then pay another 50+ on top of that, because they're obviously an all-star talent. The whole system seems kind of asinine.

And I agree, koodledrum - you're not going to see small market teams' outlook on Japanese players change literally at all because of this.

[koodledrum]

I agree that some of the posting fees were crazy, but I still think the rules are a little anti-player still, in Japan players don't hit free agency proper for 9 years and as good as the standard is over there, it's not where the best players want to play, they want to be playing in the US as that's where their true skill is tested to it's full potential. Perhaps it's because I tend to see things from a bizarre perspective but if your team gets arsey and wants to keep the hold of you instead of letting you follow your dream you're pretty much stiffed over it because of the 9 year rule.

With that being said I can think of atleast one Japanese pitcher who's impact says that while small market might not have seemed attractive to him certainly seemed like a good option for anyone who watched him, Kei Igawa's still influencing Yankees decision makers for fear the same thing happens again!

[kidsafe]

Hmm Michael Morse to the Giants on a one year deal. Should be a nice upgrade over Blanco!

[VanillaO]

Ya, 46M for.. what amounted to I don 't even remember how few appearances.

[draynay]

I'm kind of surprised that Uribe can sign a 3 year deal, have 2 of them be HORRIBLE and then actually get a raise on the next contract, but it is what it is. I'm glad to have him back, not a lot of infielders in free agency, we already lost a bunch of veterans, and he was great for team chemistry.

[kidsafe]

That's crazy talk. Uribe did great things in 2010 as a Giant, but I now can't even see him as a truly useful bench guy. The Dodgers could have gone after Infante. The Dodgers will probably grab Young or Youk when all is said and done...and overpay because they waited this long to make an offer.

Did you see how much pitchers went for at the Winter Meetings. 22M/2yr for Scott Kazmir, the guy whose psyche was so fubar he couldn't even make tosses to 1B without missing by 10 feet. 30M/3yr for Scott Feldman. Makes Tim Hudson's early signing for 23M/2yr seem like a steal.

[koodledrum]

It's a particularly weak pitching market this year, especially after Doc called time on his career you were essentially looking at guys like Bartolo Colon and well, he's no spring chicken (I dunno what they're smoking in the Mets front office, but it aint good for them anyway), so prices were a little inflated - although there are some for whom the market has been stiff. (Joba particularly - 3.5/1yr shows he couldn't convince people he wasn't a bust despite having all the tools to do so)

[draynay]

Makes Tim Hudson's early signing for 23M/2yr seem like a steal.

It was a steal, I wish the Dodgers had gone after him instead of Haren.

[draynay]

Yasiel Puig is fast but he keeps getting caught

[koodledrum]

It's one thing to play at 100mph, but driving at 100mph in a 70mph zone is just plain stupid!

[kidsafe]

Raise your hand if you've never driven 110mph on a freeway as Puig did. I'm guilty of it on multiple occasions. I've driven my old car as fast as 135mph and even a 1998 GMC Suburban up to 115mph. I've passed a cop car doing 110mph, but was lucky that he already pulled someone over.

On some of the slight downward grades here I often find my new car coasting up to 90mph in ECO PRO mode. Tall gearing on BMW diesels with 8spd transmissions. You find yourself doing 90+ at 2500RPM sometimes.

[koodledrum]

I've never done that (mostly as I've only taken lessons in the last year, stick to the speed limit & as a learner can't drive on the motorway - yes the law is that much of an ass in the UK that learners cannot drive on the motorway!), it's about being responsible, particularly when you're one of the most famous people in the country!

[VanillaO]

We don't have to riot in the streets.. Maddux gets in as well as Glavine and Thomas.