Around the MLB

[Schad]

MLB only cares about the perception of a level playing field. They don't really care too much otherwise beyond individual teams feeling like they're falling behind rather than gaining an advantage. I'd be absolutely shocked if there weren't other teams using cameras and such because... it's happened before. This got out there and suddenly the perception is that the Astros were cheating so MLB has to act. Reality doesn't bother MLB in the slightest.

It has happened before. And when it has happened, MLB has punished the teams involved. Because there's documentary evidence of this happening over a long period of time, and MLB reiterated that the use of electronic devices to steal signs is really very much against the rules (back in 2017, when the Red Sox were fined for using Apple Watches to relay signs) it's very likely that the punishment will be severe.

I'm not arguing that MLB cares on a moral level; they don't, about anything. But yeah, they care quite a bit here, because 29 other teams reeeeeeally care, and that's all MLB as an institution really is, the representative of the 30 clubs (but mostly, the owners of the 30 clubs).

[Schad]

As expected, Kevin Pillar has also been non-tendered.

[Wo1verine]

Why did we tender Drury ? Atkins needs to stop with the non sense.
He sucks major balls and you could get his production for cheaper but since he traded for him it would look bad to non tender Drury.
He has a major love for scrubs Atkins.

[I_Like_Dirt]

I'm not arguing that MLB cares on a moral level; they don't, about anything. But yeah, they care quite a bit here, because 29 other teams reeeeeeally care, and that's all MLB as an institution really is, the representative of the 30 clubs (but mostly, the owners of the 30 clubs).

Of course they care. My point was more about why teams keep doing this. They're all doing it to various degrees. They just really care when someone gets caught because they can try to stop that team from cheating temporarily while they continue their own variants, along with the whole optics side of the equation. It's like asking why insider trading continues to be a thing just because a few of them have been caught and punished.

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

The owners of the New York Mets are in talks to sell up to 80% of the Major League Baseball team to billionaire Steve Cohen, who is already an investor in the club, according to person familiar with the matter.

The transaction would value the team at a baseball-record $2.6 billion, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The Mets confirmed the talks in a statement.

The move would put a sometimes-controversial Wall Street figure in charge of a team that’s long sat in the shadow of the New York Yankees. But the transition will take time.

Fred Wilpon, the team’s principal owner, will remain in his current role for at least five years, at which time Cohen would control the franchise, said the person. Jeff Wilpon, his son, will remain as the team’s chief operating officer for the five-year period, the person said.

Cohen, whose net worth is $9.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, will remain as chief executive officer of Point72 Asset Management, the person said. Cohen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fred Wilpon is making the move as part of estate and philanthropic planning, the person said. The Wilpons will retain a stake in the franchise they assumed control of in 2002 at a valuation of $391 million.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Fred Wilpon is making the move as part of estate and philanthropic planning, the person said.

My cynicism detector is tingling. Owns part of the team - buys the rest of the team in 2002 just before Congress passes the American Jobs Creation Act which allows owners to basically write off almost the entire cost of the purchase price of the team as an "expense" over 15 years. Sells team 15 years after the change in the tax law for "estate and philanthropic planning" reasons. I don't even know that the Wilpons found a way to get their purchase included as a tax break despite being before the Act passed but the timing sure seems convenient were that to have been the case.

[agkagk]

Fred Wilpon is making the move as part of estate and philanthropic planning, the person said.

My cynicism detector is tingling. Owns part of the team - buys the rest of the team in 2002 just before Congress passes the American Jobs Creation Act which allows owners to basically write off almost the entire cost of the purchase price of the team as an "expense" over 15 years. Sells team 15 years after the change in the tax law for "estate and philanthropic planning" reasons. I don't even know that the Wilpons found a way to get their purchase included as a tax break despite being before the Act passed but the timing sure seems convenient were that to have been the case.

aaaaand this is how the rich to keep on getting richer.

[agkagk]

questions regarding the non tendered players:

do these guys automatically become ufa's or do they go through waivers? im curious how the process works and how it affects future control of these contracts.

[Schad]

questions regarding the non tendered players:

do these guys automatically become ufa's or do they go through waivers? im curious how the process works and how it affects future control of these contracts.

They automatically become free agents. However, it doesn't change their team control...if a guy with 3 years of major league service is non-tendered and signs a one-year deal somewhere else, he'll still have two years of arbitration remaining after that season (unless the contract stipulates that he will be granted free agency, thereafter, which happens in rare circumstances).

It's where guys who have gone overseas become fairly interesting. Lindblom isn't terribly exciting, but the upside play is that he has five years of team control remaining after being released in 2017...they aren't super-cheap years, because you'd be paying $4m or something for what would have been pre-arb seasons, followed by three years of arb, but you can pretty well go year-to-year after the first two through the end of his productive career.

[dagger]

Yankees have given Gerrit Cole an offer: 7 yr/$245 m

No reaction yet from his camp.

[Fairview4Life]

Yankees have given Gerrit Cole an offer: 7 yr/$245 m

No reaction yet from his camp.

[dagger]

Strasburg back to Nats. 7/$245m

Read on Twitter

[Schad]

Was projected at 6/$180m by MLBTR, so continues the trend of FA pitching meeting or exceeding expectations. That's a year and $5m AAV above.

Guess you have to do it given the circumstances, but that's a heck of a contract for a guy who has an extensive injury history.

[dagger]

Was projected at 6/$180m by MLBTR, so continues the trend of FA pitching meeting or exceeding expectations. That's a year and $5m AAV above.

Guess you have to do it given the circumstances, but that's a heck of a contract for a guy who has an extensive injury history.

Read on Twitter

[SharoneWright]

What is that? Just about exactly $1 Million per start for Strasburg over 7 years..

[Schad]

What is that? Just about exactly $1 Million per start for Strasburg over 7 years..

Or close to $1.5m/start based on his starts/season average for his first ten years, heh.

[polo007]

AP source: Baseball's amateur draft moving to Omaha

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Major League Baseball plans to hold its amateur draft in Omaha, Nebraska, ahead of the College World Series, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because MLB did not plan to make the announcement until later this week.

The draft will be held from June 10-12, and the College World Series is slated to start June 13. The decision was first reported by the website d1baseball.com.

Baseball’s draft was long held by conference call at the commissioner’s office in New York and draws far less attention than the NFL and NBA drafts. The baseball draft was moved to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, for 2007 and 2008. Since 2009 the first round has been held at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Players who are residents of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are subject to the baseball draft.

[SharoneWright]

The Philadelphia Phillies have reached agreement with former New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN's Buster Olney.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28269047/phillies-agree-1-year-deal-ss-didi-gregorius-source-says

[phillipmike]

Gerrit Cole to the Yankees. 324M over 9 years. 36M per

[Schad]

So, yeah, spending is a thing again.