2019-20 Offseason Thread

[polo007]

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[agkagk]

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Id say what is jd waiting for but he strikes me as a total dbag who would rather hold out for 5 or 10 percent more to play on a bottom feeder in a city he doesn’t like.

God bless the ego.

[polo007]

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[polo007]

Shun Yamaguchi’s Blue Jays deal could be worth more than $9 million | The Star

In addition to a guaranteed $6.35 million (all dollars U.S.), pitcher Shun Yamaguchi’s two-year contract with the Blue Jays could reach $9.15 million if he pitches 170 innings per season.

The 32-year-old Yamaguchi, signed by the Jays on Dec. 28, will make $3,175,000 per season with the chance to earn:

• $100,000 each for reaching 70, 80, 90 and 100 innings

• $100,000 apiece for 110 and 120 innings

• $125,000 each for 130 and 140

• $150,000 for 150

• $250,000 apiece for 160 and 170

Yamaguchi also can’t be sent to the minor leagues without his consent, and will be eligible for free agency when the contract ends.

[fbalmeida]

Darkhorse wildcard contender on the back of budding young core and breakout pitching, or excessively optimistic?

[agkagk]

Darkhorse wildcard contender on the back of budding young core and breakout pitching, or excessively optimistic?

If we had signed Edwin for a year or two I’d say yes.

Unless we see stark improvement from over a third of the roster, flirting with .500 is the best case scenario.

[Fairview4Life]

So the Red Sox also cheated in the 2018 season (not the apple watch thing, something new).

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2020-01-07/dodgers-red-sox-astros-world-series-stealing-signs-cheating

[dagger]

Darkhorse wildcard contender on the back of budding young core and breakout pitching, or excessively optimistic?

If we had signed Edwin for a year or two I’d say yes.

Unless we see stark improvement from over a third of the roster, flirting with .500 is the best case scenario.

I don't think Edwin would have made much difference. He's purely a DH now, and we have no shortage of guys who can be rotated through DH. In fact, rotating these guys was thought to be a feature, not a bug, providing them with a semi-rest day.

What concerns me is an outfield comprised of sub-optimal talents, save for Gurriel in between his long injury absences. If there was even one above average defender in the group, I'd sacrifice some offence on the premise it would help our pitchers to have a guy in centre in particular, but also in the alleys, who can flag down at least one or two balls per game our current outfielders can't get to in time.

[Tanner]

Darkhorse wildcard contender on the back of budding young core and breakout pitching, or excessively optimistic?

I don't know about wild card contender, but .500ish team that will actually be entertaining to watch most nights seems realistic.

[polo007]

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[SharoneWright]

Talk to me about this guy... We need young premium outfield talent::::

• Pedro Leon, OF, free agent: Oscar Colas is not the only Cuban outfielder to leave the island in recent months. Leon, 21, will hold a showcase for scouts in the coming weeks and may be one of the most sought-after players this July 2. As a 20-year-old, he hit 15 home runs in 33 Cuban National Series games before a shoulder injury sidelined him. The shoulder is healthy, and among the power, the elite arm strength and the incredible speed from the right side, Leon is the sort of player who would have prompted teams to burst through their bonus pool when they weren't hard-capped.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28430628/mlb-superstar-trades-sign-stealing-punishment-more-passan-answers-20-questions-2020

[polo007]

Mailbag: Will the Blue Jays add a big name to the outfield? | The Star

Hi Gregor, which outfielder would we be able to get via trade or free agency? Also, Brandon Drury, Billy McKinney, Anthony Alford, Jonathan Davis or Derek Fisher. who makes it on the 26-man roster?
-- Girish, Toronto

The biggest names still available in free agency include Marcell Ozuna, Nick Castellanos and Yasiel Puig but I would be surprised if any of them end up in Toronto. The Blue Jays remain open to adding a centrefielder, but there appears to be far less interest in adding another corner outfielder to an already crowded group of candidates. A more likely scenario would see the club maintain the status quo and give Teoscar Hernandez another shot in centre. Drury currently projects as the back-up infielder, while there's a scenario where both the out-of-options Fisher and Alford make the team out of camp with the extra roster spot. McKinney and Davis have options remaining and figure to open the year in Buffalo.

Happy New Year Gregor, do you see any Daniel Hudson veteran types out there for the back end of the pen?
-- Raymond, Cambridge

The secondary market for relievers has really started to move this week. Washington signed Hudson and Will Harris, Craig Stammen re-upped with the Padres and the White Sox added Steve Cishek. Of the candidates still available three names stick out: Arodys Vizcaino, Nate Jones and Hector Rendon. Vizcaino posted a 2.54 ERA while striking out 104 across 95 2/3 innings from 2017-18 with the Braves. The 29-year-old's health is in question after shoulder surgery in April, but he should be open to a similar incentive-laden deal to the one Toronto signed David Phelps to a year ago. Jones is in a similar spot after a May surgical procedure to repair a torn flexor strain in his right elbow. The 33-year-old has been frequently hurt throughout his career, but effective when healthy with a career 3.12 ERA over eight seasons. Rendon's strikeouts were way down in 2019 but he was still effective with a 3.71 ERA.

[Black Watch]

So the Red Sox also cheated in the 2018 season (not the apple watch thing, something new).

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2020-01-07/dodgers-red-sox-astros-world-series-stealing-signs-cheating

Check out what MLB is conjuring up in their effort to rid the game of sign stealing:

The commissioner’s office is in the process of developing a handful of prototype devices to encode pitcher-catcher communication, including a wearable random-number generator and lights in the mound, sources said.

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-discussing-on-field-wearable-technology-to-prevent-sign-stealing-185641614.html

[Fairview4Life]

Lol. Insanity.

[Schad]

There has to be an easier way than giving them a freaking Enigma machine.

[Skin Blues]

Sounds silly, but if it can be done so that implementation is simple, I'd be for it. They're already using an Enigma machine, anyway. It's just one that's overly complicated to use and not very effective. It'd get rid of a lot of dead time with pitchers and catchers getting crossed up and going through a few sets of complicated signs before each pitch.

I'm sure there will be purists that love the human element of a catcher going through a string of different signs and trying to psych out the runners on base, calling time when the confused pitcher can't figure out what he's supposed to throw, all so that the opposing team can't figure out their plan in time to bang on a trash can. But to me, that's not an enjoyable part of the game.

[Schad]

Sounds silly, but if it can be done so that implementation is simple, I'd be for it. They're already using an Enigma machine, anyway. It's just one that's overly complicated to use and not very effective. It'd get rid of a lot of dead time with pitchers and catchers getting crossed up and going through a few sets of complicated signs before each pitch.

I'm sure there will be purists that love the human element of a catcher going through a string of different signs and trying to psych out the runners on base, calling time when the confused pitcher can't figure out what he's supposed to throw, all so that the opposing team can't figure out their plan in time to bang on a trash can. But to me, that's not an enjoyable part of the game.

I have no issue introducing technology, but there's got to be an easier way than some sort of pseudo-random number generation system or flashing lights installed in the ground. Like, give the catcher a wristband that has one button. Just a single button that you can press. Give the pitcher a wristband connected to that which buzzes when the button is pressed. Catcher presses the button however many times they want to indicate pitches in some predetermined sequence. Essentially the system they have now, but mildly electronic, and you could make it out of $20 in parts from Radio Shack, and Radio Shack doesn't even exist anymore.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Personally, I think they should just make it the wild west of sign stealing. If there's a team that isn't doing it, they're all alone on that island. Let teams do whatever and watch how creative teams become when it comes to passing along their own signs. Allowing technology as they're doing seems like an okay idea, though baseball people and understanding technology aren't always a venn diagram that overlaps anywhere. Watch teams have both the 3B and the catch give signs and teams have to scramble to figure out which one was being used in which inning. Just make sure teams couldn't cause a bunch of unnecessary timeouts causing added delays of the game or anything, it could be a great way to regain some of that dust kicking and hurt feelings and such that would be lost by robot umps calling balls and strikes.

[fbalmeida]

I'm with I_Like_Dirt. If you can't hide it between the pitcher's face and the catcher's crotch than it should be fair game.

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[BigLeagueChew]

I think technology is a big issue. Go into a dugout and they have screens with replays from any game. Get rid of the replay system as well as any tech in the dugouts or an office behind the dugout. If you want to replay something, do it on your own natural instinct.