The 2016 Baseball Thread

[Fro]

Figured I would get the new thread going since we're approaching February. The Royals are your reigning World Series champions. Here are the 2016 World Series favorites as of 1/19/16 according to my sportsbook:

1. Cubs (7 to 1)
2. Giants (9 to 1)
3. Red Sox (10 to 1)
4. Mets (11 to 1)
5. Royals, Blue Jays, Nationals (12 to 1)

Big moves of the offseason so far:
-David Price to the Red Sox for $217 million.
-Zack Greinke to the D-Backs for $206 million.
-Jason Heyward to the Cubs for $184 million.
-Chris Davis stays with the O's for $161 million.
-Justin Upton to the Tigers for $132 million.
-Johnny Cueto to the Giants for $130 million.
-Jordan Zimmerman to the Tigers for $110 million.
-Todd Frazier traded to the White Sox.
-Aroldis Chapman traded to the Yankees.

Peanuts, crackerjacks... ok go

[PurePlayer]

Surprised to see the Cubs as the favorites this year. I get they added a big bat but their starting pitching seemed pretty weak in the playoffs. Do they have pitchers coming up from the minors?

[Jimmy Zero]

I don't follow the Cubs super closely, but, if I recall correctly, they don't have anywhere near the young pitching that they do young position players. I'd look for them to try and deal Soler or Baez, or some other young position player with upside, for some pitching at some point this season. That's assuming they make any trades, of course.

[LOCONUT]

Agreed on the Cubs pitching. The most baffling one to me is the Red Sox who I cant see not being terrible again. Sure the Price aquisition is huge but that team is still 3 or 4 pieces away from a playoff spot let alone a world series.

[LOCONUT]

Ill probably put a few bucks on the Dodgers at 16/1 and am tempted to drop a few hundred on The Royals at 25/1.

[Fro]

Royals are at +1200 on 5dimes... Who's giving you 25/1? That's a steal.

[LOCONUT]

Vegas insider has them at 25/1 but I just checked Bovada and they have them at 16/1.

[Rancid_Planet]

Looking forward to the smell of burning rubber coming from Atlanta again this year.

Go Bravos.

[PurePlayer]

16/1 is still damn good betting odds for a team that been to the last 2 world series.

[Fro]

Signs for 5 years, $95 million, has a .658 OPS with 15 errors his first season, comes to camp this year saying he's got nothing to prove, didn't try to lose weight and “I did no work in the field, nothing." Fuck this fat fuck.

[Kdestiny]

Seems about right

[Torn]

Signs for 5 years, $95 million, has a .658 OPS with 15 errors his first season, comes to camp this year saying he's got nothing to prove, didn't try to lose weight and “I did no work in the field, nothing." Fuck this fat fuck.

It was an obviously terrible contract when it happened, your front office are the ones to blame for such a bad signing.

[Fro]

It was an obviously terrible contract when it happened, your front office are the ones to blame for such a bad signing.

That's true and I blame them for plenty. I really don't like the Red Sox ownership. That's probably unfair since they've won 3 titles and I love how they've improved Fenway, but they've run the team like reactionary morons since Theo left. Cherington deserves blame too of course but I saw him more as a stooge. 2013 makes you forgive a lot of their mistakes but if not for catching lightning in a bottle that year you're looking at the clear worst team in the AL East over a 5 year span despite having a top 5 payroll. I hope Dombrowski can right the ship and restore my confidence. Time will tell.

I'm not mad at Panda for being fat but his attitude was disheartening, and it contradicted Farrell and Dombrowski previously being on record that he was supposed to lose weight this offseason. It was a bad signing for sure but he needs to at least get it together to the point of being a viable major league player again. I know he wants to do well but he's teetering on the edge of being a pariah in Boston and these comments and making no effort to lose weight didn't help.

[Pablo Diablo]

Well I guess this is the last season with Bau for us. Quite the line in the sand he's drawn there.

Also don't know about Bruce for Saunders, but really that's splitting hairs between two average players.

[Judas Iscariot]

Heard today the Cubs are 4/1 and the next tier including the Mets, Dodgers and (bahston sawks cack) Red Sox are 10/1.

But that was while listening to Mike Francesa and he's a cunt.

[LOCONUT]

Sandoval looks the same as always. Whats all the commotion for?

[Fro]

People are just riding him because it's Boston and he was the worst player in baseball last year so I guess we expected him to diet. Some radio guy in San Fran says he has an eating disorder and can't control it. Seems a little dramatic.

[virms]

The Cubs don't have the best rotation in baseball but their starting rotation is nothing to laugh at and has the best projected war for 2016 at 17.4. I don't put much stock in that but here is what we are looking at as of now.

Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks.

Combine that with the offense and the defense and the Cubs are contenders.

[Judas Iscariot]

People are just riding him because it's Boston and he was the worst player in baseball last year so I guess we expected him to diet. Some radio guy in San Fran says he has an eating disorder and can't control it. Seems a little dramatic.

Yeah everyone's just riding him because it's Boston, not because if they had to ride him to the first marker they'd have to cut him open and sleep inside his giant, warm gut.

[Judas Iscariot]

Speaking of fat pitchers, god knows what if anything CC Sabathia is really going to contribute this year between staying clean and his knee holding up due to his fatness. He's looking a little slimmer. Amazing what can happen when you're not consuming a day's worth of calories in booze.

[TimeSplitter]

I'm kinda glad the Toronto/LA/Cincy trade with Bruce going to the Jays died. We can get a lot more value for him at the deadline.

[Fro]

"Bautista is a fucking disgrace to the game. He's embarrassing to all the Latin players, whoever played before him. Throwing his bat and acting like a fool, like all those guys in Toronto. Cespedes, same thing. It's a joke. The game is becoming a freaking joke because of the nerds who are running it. I'll tell you what has happened, these guys played Rotisserie baseball at Harvard or wherever the fuck they went and they thought they figured the fucking game out. They don't know shit. A bunch of fucking nerds running the game. You can't slide into second base. You can't take out the fucking catcher because Posey was in the wrong position and they are going to change all the rules. You can't pitch inside anymore. I'd like to knock some of these fuckers on their ass and see how they would do against pitchers in the old days. They have been created from the top, from their computers. They are protecting these kids. The first thing a pitcher does when he comes off the mound is asked, 'How many pitches do I have?' If I had asked that fucking question, they would have said, 'Son, get your ass out there on that mound. If you get tired, we'll come and get you.'"

-Goose Gossage



Thoughts?

[Chris Dolmeth]

I'm with Bryce Harper.. Baseball needs to stop acting like it's still in early 20th century. God forbid some guys have fun while playing the game.

[Chris Scott]

Signs for 5 years, $95 million, has a .658 OPS with 15 errors his first season, comes to camp this year saying he's got nothing to prove, didn't try to lose weight and “I did no work in the field, nothing." Fuck this fat fuck.

Wow.

Glad to know Red Sox are my team.

[Jimmy Zero]

Adam Laroche is a fucking weirdo.

[Fro]

Yea lol that's a funny story. Shouldn't that kid be in school? How's he there every single day?

[darkhorse]

I'm not sure if anyone else here would be able to take advantage of this, but from April 3-10, T-Mobile is offering their customers free MLB.TV Premium accounts for the 2016 Season:

https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-a...s/mlb-2016.htm

Un-carrier customers get big league benefits including a full, free season of MLB.TV Premium, a $109.99 value

[LOCONUT]

Yep, I am all over it.

[Rancid_Planet]

Adam Laroche is a fucking weirdo.

When he played for the Braves the commentators had a thousand weird stories about him. Basically calling him a nice guy but flat out stupid. The running joke was that it always took him forever to think of an answer to even the easiest of questions.

I could care less about the "controversy" though.

The headline should read "Below average player retires. Baseball to continue."

[Atty]

Nah, it's "They gave this guy $13 million a year?!"

[JRSlim21]

I read on Barstool that the rumor in Boston is that Kung Fu Panda might not start? Anyone wanna roll with this?

I just want my Mets to start back up and (hopefully) show that it wasn't a fluke. Especially, LA POTENCIA as I think he'll have more to prove than the rotation guys

[Fro]

I'm all for Panda losing his starting job to Travis Shaw. Coming in last is getting old.

[Pablo Diablo]

Has it been a tough 2 years?

[LOCONUT]

Dodgers have won the West 3 years in a row and I guarantee I feel worse as a fan than any of you bastards.

[Rancid_Planet]

It's harder to root for a good team that under achieves than it is to root for a perennial cellar dweller.

I know this as a Braves fan throughout the 90s.

Getting so close and then getting beaten by less worthy teams over and over is a depressing fucking thing.

[Spedizzo]

I am not an Adam Laroche fan

[Fro]

John Farrell announced that Pablo Sandoval will be on the bench to start the year with Travis Shaw getting the nod as the starting 3rd baseman. Sucks that we have Panda for 4 more years at 17-17-18-18 (million) but I'm glad they aren't starting him based on his salary.

[Kneeneighbor]

I love the early part of the year when there are day games all the time. Helps make the work day go by faster.

[LOCONUT]

Agreed.

[Rancid_Planet]

I love this time of the year because I get to hope that somehow someway my Braves won't suck the ass out of the division.

I miss winning.

[Judas Iscariot]

Fucking Yankees are going 0-162 fucking assholes

[Chris Dolmeth]

I love this time of the year because I get to hope that somehow someway my Braves won't suck the ass out of the division.

I miss winning.

I feel your pain

[Jenova]

Wow, the Jays got royally hosed in the 9th. What a shitty way to have a win taken away all because of a lame ass rule.

[LOCONUT]

Bautista grabbed Forsythe's leg on/after the slide. It would have been worse if they had let it go.

[Pablo Diablo]

Yeah that was pretty clear interference. Before the replay I agreed nothing looked wrong with the slide. Then I saw the replay where he turns his hand and grabs his leg.

Sorry that's an out. Yes it's true last year they probably didn't have the right rules to make that call, but it's a clear interference.

[Torn]

Correct implementaion of a good new rule.

[Torn]

Ahaha "royally hosed" and "win taken away"

[Fro]

Red Sox rule!!! Mookie for MVP!!! Papi's final year of his HOF career!! David Price for Cy Young!!!

[LOCONUT]

Barf

[Rancid_Planet]

Braves were TEH ROBBED!

[Fro]

Watched that Bautista controversy and I agree it was interference because of how he grabbed the leg. This is going to be a tough rule to implement and I imagine there will be more controversies like this. I'm fine with them cracking down on it though, break-up slides had gotten a little ridiculous and it's one element of "old school baseball" that I'm okay with losing.

All that said, John Gibbons comment of "Maybe we’ll come out and wear dresses tomorrow. Maybe that’s what everybody’s looking for" was A+.

[LOCONUT]

What does grabbing a guys foot after your slide have to do with being manly? This wasn't a takeout slide. This would have been called interference last year too.

[Fro]

Sucks about Kyle Schwarber. Out for the year with a torn ACL/MCL after that outfield collision.

So in the interest of stirring some debate.... David Ortiz in the HOF, yay or nay? I think he should and will get in. I'm not really sure what the national take on him is in that regard.

[hithit]

I love Papi, but i think he's gonna have a hard time getting in because of the rumors about peds.

[Fro]

Awesome comeback by the Red Sox tonight. Now they just need Kimbrel to lock down the 1-run save and prove he can hang in the AL East.

[Pablo Diablo]

Fuck your Sox.

[LOCONUT]

I love Papi, but i think he's gonna have a hard time getting in because of the rumors about peds.

He admitted it. Jury is still out on the guys who acknowledged past use vs. the guys who got caught, but I don't see a scenario where he gets in, nor should he. He is a fat, cheating cheater pants.

[Fro]

He admitted it.

Surely you jest. He never admitted it, he was just reported to have failed that initial anonymous test they did. And I mean, that was anonymous, so it doesn't count. That's entrapment brotha.

[Pablo Diablo]

Fucking making me think the Jays were going to win and then crushing me is entrapment. I will get my revenge when I go back on Sunday.

[VanillaJello]

So... Dave Roberts. Going to be run out of town pretty quick with decisions like he made on Stripling tonight.

[Fro]

I would take Dave Roberts as my manager anyday. I saw the highlights of that game and I think that's a tough call, I don't really fault him for pulling the rookie. Was probably the right decision even though it didn't work out.

[Pablo Diablo]

Really the pen should be able to hold the game from there. Didn't he recently have TJ or am I thinking of someone else?

If he did. Is it worth potentially ruining a pitcher for the hope of a no-no?

[LOCONUT]

A few things on this...

The kid was in his debut, in SF, has a no-no going and Roberts had guys warming up behind him for 2 innings. How much additional pressure did he need? Then Roberts yanks him at exactly 100 pitches because before the game he said he wouldn't let him go over 100 and of course he wants to look like a hard nosed guy since that is his gimmick.

Don't pitch behind a guy with a no hitter going, don't pull a guy with a no hitter going and 1 on, and for fucks sake if you do decide to pull him anyway you better be damn sure that your bullpen can shut the game down.

We just parted ways with a manager who didn't know how to manage a pitching staff. It feels like deja vu.

I like Roberts because he was a Dodger during a pretty special time for me so I will continue to give him the benefit of the doubt but this was dubious decision to say the least. Not happy.

[LOCONUT]

And Pabs, he was 2 years removed from TJ surgery.

[LOCONUT]

Tommy Josh Surgery.

[Pablo Diablo]

No wonder he couldn't finish.

[Pablo Diablo]

Also. Blue Jays pitching staff so far.

[Fro]

Red Sox have their ace and they have a good bullpen. Starters 2 through 5 all suck.

I like to imagine if they kept Lester instead of signing Panda/Rusney/Porcello

[Rancid_Planet]

Big surprise so far this year. The Braves have no fucking offense whatsoever. Who gives a fuck about pitching when you lose every fucking game 3-2 or 2-1?

[darkhorse]

[Fro]

[virms]

Gutted about Kyle. Luckily the whole curse thing hasn't started yet but it's way too early in the season to freak out.

The batting line up is still amazing and the depth is still great as of now. Just a shame to lose our boy so quick into the season.

[Atty]

The Cubs are so deep right now. Being able to turn to a talent like Soler as a secondary option is just silly.

They could even give Baez a look in left without missing a beat if Soler isn't quite ready.

[virms]

Bryant can go to left field too. Its beautiful.

[Torn]

Red Sox have their ace and they have a good bullpen. Starters 2 through 5 all suck.

[Rancid_Planet]

0-7

The Braves are fucking O and 7.

Way to get the team in shape to win when they open that new stadium.

[PurePlayer]

Cubs are deep on offense but isn't their starting pitching still shaky or did they improve it in the offseason? I remember their pitching being exposed in a playoff series.

[Kdestiny]

Cubs are deep on offense but isn't their starting pitching still shaky or did they improve it in the offseason? I remember their pitching being exposed in a playoff series.

They basically picked up Lackey and said they were set.

I think it's still a weakness

[Kneeneighbor]

0-7

The Braves are fucking O and 7.

Way to get the team in shape to win when they open that new stadium.

2017 World Series Braves vs Twins. Both teams go worst to first just like in 1991?

[virms]

Cubs are deep on offense but isn't their starting pitching still shaky or did they improve it in the offseason? I remember their pitching being exposed in a playoff series.

In my opinion they don't have the best but several "experts" have said they have the best starting rotation in the mlb. I think, as a huge Cubs fan, it's a bit of bandwagoning, but they have a great rotation. If their bullpen can somehow manage to do what they are doing now for most of the year this is a no brainer for the Cubs.

I have said for a couple of years now this is their year. Injuries barring this is theirs to lose.

[Rancid_Planet]

2017 World Series Braves vs Twins. Both teams go worst to first just like in 1991?

Smoltz/Morris is when I became a man.

I don't know through man. The Braves are going to have to figure out a way to score. They haven't had a start this bad since 88.

[Rancid_Planet]

Fuck. Braves 0-8.

[PurePlayer]

Vincent Valasquez from the Phillies just pitched a complete game shutout with 16ks and 0 walks. Pretty damn historic right there.

[Kdestiny]

Jaime had a similar game with a one hitter with 13k

I'm starting to get excited for the team. The Cardinals are gelling now

[Rancid_Planet]

Fucking 0-9.

[Rancid_Planet]

Well the Braves and Twins have managed to win two in a row after winless streaks to begin the season. Look out everybody. These teams may be about to go on a winning streak.

[Mr. Boombastic]

I once met a random guy at a party and we somehow started talking about Major League and he went on and did like a 5 minute impression of the manager from that movie. Its hard to explain but in the moment it was some serious funny shit!

[Rancid_Planet]

I love a good Lou impression.

[Kneeneighbor]

So the Twins fire Ron Gardenhire at the end of 2014 and 10 games into 2016 they hire him as the special assistant to the GM. So typical Minesota.

[JRSlim21]

May 17th signifies 2 things. My dad's birthday and possibly the day we get to see Bryce Howard vs Noah Syndergaard. It's gonna be magical. Hopefully, Thor powers them through it.

[Fro]

Curt Schilling has gone off the rails

[Judas Iscariot]

I love him. It off his fucking mind.

[virms]

Well link the fucking story then you fucks. God dammit!

http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/medi...urt-schilling/

See how easy that was. I expect this from Judas and his fat fingers but FRO?????

[Fro]

This Arrieta guy is kinda good

[Torn]

Blake Snell is the future

[virms]

His curveball is a thing of beauty.

Crazy to think Arrieta didn't make the all star team last year. No doubt he will be starting for the NL. Real question is...how many cubs make it. Minimum will probably be 5.

[virms]

Fuck me I am loving this. I need to find my bouncy Hayden go cubs go avvy.

[Pablo Diablo]

So that's two people who had career years last year being busted for PEDs. Granted Dee Gordon's wasn't as out of the blue as old man Collabello but still.

[Fro]

Ortiz promised a sick kid he would hit a HR last night and he did so with a game winning shot in the 8th. Click this if you want to get a little teary eyed:

http://uproxx.com/sports/david-ortiz...hild-maverick/

[hithit]

The coolest thing about that story is a-rod giving the kid his bat after his hr. Both dudes where stand up dudes for that