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MLB 2016-2017 Offseason |OT| At Least Next Year is an Odd Numbered Year.

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W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Mortemis said:
https://twitter.com/gregjohnsmlb/status/837105553985830913
Jerry Dipoto just can't stay still for too long.
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euHks9k.gif
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First step Dipoto, is admitting you have a problem. He makes Coppolella's trade rampage look amateurish.
 
C

Corran Horn

May the Schwartz be with you
Windu said:
Heyward is better / Posey was out.
Click to expand...

4× All-Star (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
3× World Series champion (2010, 2012, 2014)
NL MVP (2012)
NL Rookie of the Year (2010)
3× Silver Slugger Award (2012, 2014, 2015)
Gold Glove Award (2016)
NL Hank Aaron Award (2012)
NL Comeback Player of the Year (2012)
NL batting champion (2012)
Golden Spikes Award (2008)

vs

World Series champion (2016)
All-Star (2010)
4× Gold Glove Award (2012, 2014–2016)



Which is better...hmm


fHGAl02.jpg
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Mark Shapiro: 'As an industry we have disproportionally rewarded power'

Edwin Encarnacion got an expensive lesson this off-season in the way baseball executives are rapidly devaluing home-run hitting sluggers.

Shortly after the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays offered Encarnacion a four-year contract worth about $80 million, hoping to retain a player who has averaged 39 home runs over the past five seasons.

Encarnacion declined, his representatives confident that he would receive nine figures from a deep-pocketed franchise like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.

That never materialized. In January, Encarnacion accepted a three-year deal from the Cleveland Indians with just $60 million guaranteed, well below what industry analysts projected. A team official said that while developing their initial off-season plan, the Indians quickly dismissed Encarnacion as a target with hardly any discussion, never thinking he would fall into their price range.

Encarnacion isn’t the only power hitter in camp this spring who earned significantly less in free agency than expected.

Chris Carter, who shared the National League-lead with 41 homers last season, considered going to Japan before inking a one-year, $3.5 million pact with the New York Yankees. After hitting 20 homers last season, Adam Lind signed for $1.5 million with the Washington Nationals, down from the $8 million he made in 2016. Ryan Howard and Pedro Alvarez, who in 2016 bashed 25 and 22 home runs, respectively, remain unemployed.

These players are the latest victims of baseball’s information age, which continues to rapidly redefine how to judge talent. Once the sport’s most expensive commodity, power production alone is no longer enough to ensure big money.

Chris Carter, who hit 41 homers last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, signed a one-year, $3.5 million pact with the New York Yankees this winter. Chris Carter, who hit 41 homers last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, signed a one-year, $3.5 million pact with the New York Yankees this winter. PHOTO: GENE J. PUSKAR/ASSOCIATED PRESS “As an industry we’ve disproportionately rewarded power,” Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said. Now, teams are getting “a better picture of the complete player. You’re looking at it more holistically as to, ‘How does he help you win?’”

Advances in how to empirically evaluate subtler aspects of the game like defense and baserunning, coupled with a more sophisticated understanding of how to quantify their effect on wins, have emphasized versatile, multidimensional players above all.

After simmering for the last couple of years, this principle came to a head this year, resulting in one of the strangest winters in recent memory.

“You’re dealing with a generation of teams who probably don’t value the home run quite as much as the generations before it may have,” Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said.

No case raised more eyebrows than Carter’s. Despite his prodigious home-run output, the Milwaukee Brewers declined to tender Carter a contract for 2017, letting him walk two years before he otherwise would’ve reached free agency.

‘As an industry we’ve disproportionately rewarded power’ —Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro Their rationale, general manager David Stearns said, was simple: In the Brewers’ estimation, Carter would make substantially more through the arbitration process—probably about $8 million—than he would on the open market.

That proved accurate—and it stunned Carter.

“The whole non-tender thing wasn’t even a thought in my mind,” Carter said. “I thought it was impossible for that to happen.”

At that price point, the Brewers not long ago might have overlooked Carter’s flaws. Without the tools available to show otherwise, it’s not unreasonable to think his home runs would justify his 206 strikeouts, .222 batting average and subpar defense at first base.

Not anymore. The Brewers replaced Carter by agreeing to a three-year, $16 million contract with Eric Thames, a 30-year-old who spent the last three seasons playing in South Korea. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays signed Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce for less than one season of Encarnacion’s deal.

“There has been a fundamental shift in the game in how people value players,” Shapiro said. “There will continue to be, especially as the metrics get better and better at defining defense and some of the other aspects of players’ games.”

This isn’t to say that home runs aren’t important. Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore said that “power production is huge” and that he “tried to build our team with a little more emphasis on that this year.” This winter, the Royals signed Brandon Moss, who hit 28 home runs last season, to a two-year, $12 million contract. They also traded for Jorge Soler.

The Kansas City Royals signed Brandon Moss, who hit 28 home runs last season, to a two-year, $12 million contract The Kansas City Royals signed Brandon Moss, who hit 28 home runs last season, to a two-year, $12 million contract PHOTO: JOHN SLEEZER/ZUMA PRESS But Kansas City’s off-season approach only highlights an undeniable truth: Teams increasingly believe that power is easier to obtain than it has been in years. That’s why it was available to the Royals, a team looking to shed payroll.

The 2016 season saw a home-run explosion of historic proportions. Teams across the league hit 5,610 homers, the second-most ever. A record 111 players hit at least 20 home runs, up from 64 in 2015.

In other words, why pay for something that’s as abundant in the baseball world as bubble gum and sunflower seeds? In fact, Carter said he had better financial opportunities overseas than he did in the U.S.

“It’s easier to find now,” Carter said. “If you have 25 guys on the market that hit 20-plus, your value’s not as high.”

Not everyone is convinced that the winter of 2016 represents a seismic shift. Instead, some argue it was a product of the specific makeup of this year’s free agent class. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman pointed to the bounty of first basemen/designated hitters available and attributed the depressed market to the fact that “the chessboard was set up with more participants than there were chairs.”

That worked to the Yankees’ benefit. After signing closer Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Matt Holliday, Cashman had exhausted his winter budget. But when it became clear that talent was available on the cheap, owner Hal Steinbrenner consented to outlay another $4 million. Cashman didn’t even need that much to land Carter.

The Yankees’ deal with Carter resonated around the league. Shapiro said Carter “was clearly a value” and “was worth more than what he got paid.” It exemplified a market that perhaps de-emphasized home runs a little too much.

Because in baseball, one thing will remain true: There’s no more efficient way to score runs than hitting the ball over the fence. Maybe next winter, that skill will again be rewarded.

“At some point, markets will overcorrect,” Stearns said. “If you can identify that before everyone else, you’re going to have a competitive advantage.”
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B

Beckx

Member
I love how Alvarez is one of the examples of a supposedly sudden re-evaluation sweeping all of baseball, lol

i mean there's a reason why he was available to the Orioles last year.

Sanjuro said:
David Price to go see Dr. Andrews today.

Sounds positive!
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maybe he wants to be a doctor!
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Corran Horn said:
4× All-Star (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
3× World Series champion (2010, 2012, 2014)
NL MVP (2012)
NL Rookie of the Year (2010)
3× Silver Slugger Award (2012, 2014, 2015)
Gold Glove Award (2016)
NL Hank Aaron Award (2012)
NL Comeback Player of the Year (2012)
NL batting champion (2012)
Golden Spikes Award (2008)

vs

World Series champion (2016)
All-Star (2010)
4× Gold Glove Award (2012, 2014–2016)



Which is better...hmm


fHGAl02.jpg
Click to expand...

Posey was also never traded to the friggin Cardinals!
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Beckx said:
I love how Alvarez is one of the examples of a supposedly sudden re-evaluation sweeping all of baseball, lol

i mean there's a reason why he was available to the Orioles last year.



maybe he wants to be a doctor!
Click to expand...

I know I would have much rather have Alvarez then Morales if the Jays were so hellbent on cheaping out and trying to move on from Edwin.
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Beer and burgers, excuse me.

I could make that tonight, maybe grab that bag of homefries in my freezer....damn you guys, now I'm thinking about dinner.
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Further proof that passing on Price was one of the best damn things the Jays have ever done.

Love you when you were here, David....but we are so glad we dodged that albatross of a contract.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Braves upping their hot dog game. I assume this means no ketchup.

http://batteryatl.com/more-restaurants-retail-added-battery-atl/
Joining Yard House in this next wave of restaurant openings is Chef Hugh Acheson’s First & Third Hot Dog and Sausage Shack which is accessible from inside SunTrust Park and from The Battery Atlanta. Acheson has curated a menu of high-quality sausages and hot dogs, most from local butcher Patak Meats in Austell, Georgia, 12 miles away from SunTrust Park. Guests can treat themselves to elevated ballpark classics and also experience artisanal flavors from Andouille to Merguez. House made chow-chow, radish-serrano salad and pickled red onions will accompany the meats and enhance the dining experience.
Click to expand...
Corran Horn said:
4× All-Star (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
3× World Series champion (2010, 2012, 2014)
NL MVP (2012)
NL Rookie of the Year (2010)
3× Silver Slugger Award (2012, 2014, 2015)
Gold Glove Award (2016)
NL Hank Aaron Award (2012)
NL Comeback Player of the Year (2012)
NL batting champion (2012)
Golden Spikes Award (2008)

vs

World Series champion (2016)
All-Star (2010)
4× Gold Glove Award (2012, 2014–2016)



Which is better...hmm


fHGAl02.jpg
Click to expand...

XiaNaphryz said:
Posey was also never traded to the friggin Cardinals!
Click to expand...
lalala can't hear you in my Braves 10 time champions fantasy world. Anyway, Posey is from GA, so i guess thst counts for something.

still out
 
B

Beckx

Member
Atlanta Hipster Liberals said:
experience artisanal flavors from Andouille to Merguez.
Click to expand...

i swear to god the next time someone trots out how hipster bullshit is just a coastal elite thing i am going to use this

CosmicQueso said:
Those new regulations for the year... RIP Carter Capps
Click to expand...

per Fangraphs and others, it's just outlawing that new second hop he's been doing in ST
 
B

BumRush

Member
Fantasy advice question...

I'm in a roto keeper league where you get to keep 3 players in the round they were drafted.

I'm keeping Harper and Trout because I got them when they first came up and have them locked in later rounds.

My other 2 choices are:

Syndergaard (rd 4)
Pollock (rd 15)

I'm leaning towards Syndergaard since he fills out the pitching categories and I already have 2 outfielders but Pollock is probably better value. Thoughts??
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
BumRush said:
Fantasy advice question...

I'm in a roto keeper league where you get to keep 3 players in the round they were drafted.

I'm keeping Harper and Trout because I got them when they first came up and have them locked in later rounds.

My other 2 choices are:

Syndergaard (rd 4)
Pollock (rd 15)

I'm leaning towards Syndergaard since he fills out the pitching categories and I already have 2 outfielders but Pollock is probably better value. Thoughts??
Click to expand...

I'd say go with Pollock.
 
J

JDeluis

Member
Too bad I don't have t-mobile. I just noticed my subscription auto renewed. Guess Ill keep it since it will be the only way to watch Dodgers games.
 
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