Around MLB: 2025 Edition

[C Court]

My daughter went to the Hamilton Cardinals inter county league game last night. She sent video of their pitcher wearing his cap sideways.

Fernando Rodney is 48 yo and pitching for Hamilton.

[dagger]

This is potentially impactful

https://www.thescore.com/news/3311023

[polo007]

Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon: MLB draft prospects owe it all to supermom - USA Today

– The Chicago Cubs have been approved by Major League Baseball to host the 2027 All-Star Game – and will make the announcement July 30 in Chicago. It will be the Cubs’ first All-Star Game since 1990. The Philadelphia Phillies will host the 2026 All-Star Game, while the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are the front-runners to host in 2028.

– The Arizona Diamondbacks, muddling along around .500, will definitely be sellers at the trade deadline according to rival executives, believing they have no choice if they want to compete in 2026.

“I don’t see a world they don’t sell," one GM said. “They have so many holes, and so many free agents."

They are making starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor available. They are all free agents after the season. The D-backs are searching for young pitching in return.

– GMs believe that the Toronto Blue Jays could be as aggressive as any team in baseball at the deadline, believing this could be their best chance to return to the World Series since 1993. The Blue Jays are looking for a front-line pitcher, and have shown interest in Gallen.

[Parataxis]

Holy heck. Just took a look at the standings. The Red Sox have won ten in a row now?!

Looks like the Jays are going to have to be watching everywhere - Yankees, Boston, Tampa, and Houston - as we get into the scoreboard watching days of summer.

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

[JN]

The challenge system for strikes is dumb. Why add a strategic element to it?
You have the technology to get it right quickly every time and it would not delay the game. Get it right every time.

This is not like challenging a catch in football or baseball, or goalie interference, or a foul call in basketball, or a steal at second. Those cause delays.. a challenge system for those make sense.

This does not. If you are going to start replaying it, just go all out and use it every single pitch. ****

[JaysRule15]

The challenge system for strikes is dumb. Why add a strategic element to it?
You have the technology to get it right quickly every time and it would not delay the game. Get it right every time.

This is not like challenging a catch in football or baseball, or goalie interference, or a foul call in basketball, or a steal at second. Those cause delays.. a challenge system for those make sense.

This does not. If you are going to start replaying it, just go all out and use it every single pitch. ****

The problem is that the ABS system isn't perfect. It was shown last season that the system was confused on some pitches with movement. It was calling pitches strikes that were realistically balls 99% of the time. I think a middle ground where the ump makes the calls and the pitcher can challenge using ABS is the approach to take for now while we wait for better tech.

[Randle McMurphy]

All Star game swing off, what a time to be alive

[Asianiac_24]

This swing off idea is so lame

[JN]

No Judge or Ohtani in a HR derby that only involves 3 swings.
But yes to Kyle Stowers and Randy Arozerana.

Well done MLB.

[Parataxis]

All Star game swing off, what a time to be alive

Gotta appreciate how they spent the entire swing off talking about how it isn't relevant to the ASG MVP voting... and then choose the guy who went 3/3 in the swing off, but 0/2 in the game as the MVP.