Blue Jays Discussion: Off-Season IV: Off-season progression! (Lockout over: Jays acquire Chapman for 4 prospects!)

[Cleetus]

'Homer at the Bat' turns 30: A collection of memories from all nine All-Stars in 'The Simpsons' classic
(PAYWALL)

"Homer at the Bat" turns 30 this week and the author his short bits of discussion with all 9 MLB ringers from the episode and some background info.

It's a solid read but damn I feel old now.

come on..... im still young!, dang I feel old now too thanks lol

 

[The Nemesis]

come on..... im still young!, dang I feel old now too thanks lol

I haven't felt this old since someone pointed out more time has passed since the end of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (Revenge of the Sith premiered in 2005) than passed between the end of the original trilogy (Return of the Jedi was in 1983) and The Phantom Menace (1999)

 

[dredeye]

well that sucks

 

[BigBlu]

 

[theaub]

I don't agree with his Jose Bautista-bashing policy, but I do agree with his Rob Manfred-fighting policy.

 

[Bjindaho]

I don't agree with his Jose Bautista-bashing policy, but I do agree with his Rob Manfred-fighting policy.

The ultimate problem with Commissioners in general, is that they are appointed by the owners. While their best interests should be what makes them money, there are too many owners that have no sweet clue that the game is essentially being slowly run into the ground.

(Edit: I am using Commissioners plural because this is not unique to baseball).

 

[phillipmike]

Steve Phillips predicts the lockout will end by the end of the week.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Steve Phillips predicts the lockout will end by the end of the week.

When you actually look into what the differences are....they aren't that big in the grand scheme of things. That would make any lost games that much more infuriating. I am hopeful saner heads do prevail but my faith is waivering slowly

 

[Discoverer]

When you actually look into what the differences are....they aren't that big in the grand scheme of things. That would make any lost games that much more infuriating. I am hopeful saner heads do prevail but my faith is waivering slowly

I felt that way until the last couple days. Going from 10 minute conversations once a month to multiple extensive meetings with proposals and counterproposal the last couple days makes me way more confident. I still think they start the season late, though.

 

[Anthrax442]

well that sucks

I missed who CJ Van Eyk even was

 

[canucksfan]

I hope a deal does get signed soon but it also needs to help the sport. Baseball is declining a lot.

 

[Anthrax442]

I hope a deal does get signed soon but it also needs to help the sport. Baseball is declining a lot.

I used to love going to the games, but ticket prices and concession prices are out of control, I am not paying near 100$ to sit there for 4 hours

 

[Anthrax442]

Not fan friendly anymore

 

[The Nemesis]

Steve Phillips predicts the lockout will end by the end of the week.

glass half-full: Yay, hope!
glass half-empty: It's Steve Phillips.

 

[canucksfan]

I used to love going to the games, but ticket prices and concession prices are out of control, I am not paying near 100$ to sit there for 4 hours

Game length is a huge problem. Most people can’t sit for four hours watching a game. Part of the reason why I think soccer is growing in popularity in North America because games end in under two hours. Another problem is there are teams that rarely are competitive for years. This so why having a tougher cap/tax ceiling and then putting in a floor would benefit.

 

[Anthrax442]

Game length is a huge problem. Most people can’t sit for four hours watching a game. Part of the reason why I think soccer is growing in popularity in North America because games end in under two hours. Another problem is there are teams that rarely are competitive for years. This so why having a tougher cap/tax ceiling and then putting in a floor would benefit.

its alrite when i am at home and can do other things as the game is going. but not at the stadium, usually see a lot of people start to head out around the 7th

 

[Anthrax442]

Game length is a huge problem. Most people can’t sit for four hours watching a game. Part of the reason why I think soccer is growing in popularity in North America because games end in under two hours. Another problem is there are teams that rarely are competitive for years. This so why having a tougher cap/tax ceiling and then putting in a floor would benefit.

im against caps. im for more teams in playoffs. automatically solves a lot of problems.

 

[theaub]

Game length is a huge problem. Most people can’t sit for four hours watching a game. Part of the reason why I think soccer is growing in popularity in North America because games end in under two hours. Another problem is there are teams that rarely are competitive for years. This so why having a tougher cap/tax ceiling and then putting in a floor would benefit.

Longer game + ball in play less = boring

Also I don't think parity is much of an issue. Ignoring the zombie 2020 season, since 2014 (ie the last 7 years), only Seattle, Philadelphia, Florida, Cincinnati and San Diego haven't made the playoffs. 21 of the 30 teams have won their division.

 

[Discoverer]

im against caps. im for more teams in playoffs. automatically solves a lot of problems.

Pretty much the same here. Plus, the whole "parity" thing is just an excuse to have a cap. The main goal of every salary cap is to keep salaries lower.

 

[phillipmike]

2022 Top 100 Prospects

10. Gabriel Moreno, C, TOR

Video
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2016 from Venezuela (TOR)

Age	22.0	Height	5′ 11″	Weight	210	Bat / Thr	R / R	FV	60

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Tool Grades (Present/Future)

Hit	Raw Power	Game Power	Run	Fielding	Throw
55/60	50/50	40/45	50/50	45/50	50

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The most athletic catcher to come along since J.T. Realmuto, Moreno’s 2021 power output was a bit of a caricature, but his bat-to-ball ability is real and spectacular.
As much as any prospect could break out during the dark 2020 minor league season, Moreno broke out. He was fairly well-regarded coming out of 2019, then was seen on alternate site video, during instructs, and later in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he hit .373/.471/.508. The length of his year was as close as any catching prospect came to replicating a full season behind the dish in 2020, and there was already enough buzz at that point for us to include Moreno on last year’s Top 100. Then 2021 began and Moreno started on an epic tear, slugging .650 at Double-A New Hampshire before missing a couple of months with a fractured thumb. He ended up playing in just shy of 40 regular season games, then picked up reps during the Arizona Fall and Venezuelan Winter Leagues.

The visual evaluation of Moreno’s power does not support the idea that he can slug .500, his career mark. One could argue that’s because he was most widely seen coming off a hand injury that might dilute his power, but his batted ball data from before the injury also indicates his Double-A output was inflated. You can’t fake an 11% strikeout rate, though, which is Moreno’s career mark. While he’s an aggressive hitter who sometimes takes fundamentally unsound swings, he has 70-grade bat control and tends to find a way to poke, spray, and slash contact all over the field. He can square high-end velocity, and though his overall hit tool grade projects below his raw barrel control due to his flawed approach, there’s enough offense to make him an All-Star offensive performer at catcher. He also has rare speed for the position and has an overall skill set like that of a less-toolsy Jason Kendall. Defensively, Moreno catches on one knee until there are runners on or there are two strikes, then sets up in a very wide crouch as if he’s always preparing to block a breaking ball in the dirt. He’ll sometimes finish on one knee in an effort to frame a pitch on the edge, even if he didn’t start there. He popped in the 1.95-1.98 range during Fall League, a slightly above-average range of times for throws down to second base.

32. Orelvis Martinez, 3B, TOR

Video
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2018 from Dominican Republic (TOR)

Age	20.3	Height	6′ 1″	Weight	195	Bat / Thr	R / R	FV	55

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Tool Grades (Present/Future)

Hit	Raw Power	Game Power	Run	Fielding	Throw
30/45	50/60	35/60	45/40	30/45	55

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

One of the most significant talents in the 2018 international class, Martinez projects as a prototypical power-hitting third baseman.
After destroying Low-A, Martinez posted a league-average batting line during a month at High-A Vancouver, which would be impressive even without a .197 BABIP anchoring his line. Before the promotion, he had more than a 10% barrel rate at Low-A and his top exit velocity was over 110 mph. Between that and a pretty healthy walk and strikeout mix, you have the foundation of a very impressive offensive talent. If anything, the visual report glows even brighter than the statistics. A tick above six-feet tall, Martinez is a chiseled athlete with explosive rotational ability. His bat-to-ball skills are advanced for a High-A hitter, never mind the youngest one in the league. He also adapted very quickly to the circuit’s better arms, bashing nine homers and walking six times in his final nine games after an uneasy start.
Like any 19-year-old, there is some risk in the profile. Hit tool volatility is one potential variable: Martinez’s current timing mechanism leaves him vulnerable to soft stuff and he’ll lunge at quality breaking balls if he’s expecting something else. He also thinks he can drive anything in on his hands, and while he’s often right, pitchers can induce defensive swings if they’re able to get in his kitchen. Some of the contact he makes is thus very soft when he gets off-balance, which leaves lingering questions about how his approach will fare against a steadier diet of better breaking balls. And defensively, he’s a little raw for short. His hands weren’t great in former contributor Brendan Gawlowski’s looks last season, and while he’s quick under way, a slow first step suggests that a move down the defensive spectrum is likely as he physically matures; we have Martinez projected to third base. Ultimately, though, this is a great athlete who has performed as a teenager against much older competition. The bat should play anywhere, and if he’s able to stick on the left side of the infield, he has an All-Star ceiling.

Martin was ranked 56.

 

[Bjindaho]

Pretty much the same here. Plus, the whole "parity" thing is just an excuse to have a cap. The main goal of every salary cap is to keep salaries lower.

I don't think that is necessarily true.

The cap limits how much the top end can spend, but if it includes a floor, it can actually raise overall salaries.

As mentioned before, if the floor is 100M then there is no logical way that teams won't spend more with a cap.

 

[dredeye]

2022 Top 100 Prospects




Martin was ranked 56.

I think Martinez is going to be the prospect teams are asking for in all trade talks as they know Moreno is going nowhere. I'll add that it's great to see him make such a huge jump.

 

[Discoverer]

I don't think that is necessarily true.

The cap limits how much the top end can spend, but if it includes a floor, it can actually raise overall salaries.

As mentioned before, if the floor is 100M then there is no logical way that teams won't spend more with a cap.

Right, but there is currently a "cap" (a soft one, but one with pretty strict penalties for exceeding) and no floor. So going from the current garbage system to a similar one with a floor would definitely increase salaries, obviously. Of course, the owners aren't interested in instituting a floor (which would increase parity) unless the ceiling comes down a bunch to match it. It's all about spending less.

I mean... looking at the NHL cap, there are 19 teams who are spending to within $1 million of the ceiling right now. But at the bottom end, Buffalo, who has the lowest cap hit this year, currently sits at $8 million above the floor.

Other than one or two rebuilding teams each year (and none this year), the floor does absolutely nothing because even the cheapest teams are spending well above it anyway. But the ceiling definitely keeps salaries lower for a whole bunch of teams at the top end.

 

[Bjindaho]

Right, but there is currently a "cap" (a soft one, but one with pretty strict penalties for exceeding) and no floor. So going from the current garbage system to a similar one with a floor would definitely increase salaries, obviously. Of course, the owners aren't interested in instituting a floor (which would increase parity) unless the ceiling comes down a bunch to match it. It's all about spending less.

I mean... looking at the NHL cap, there are 19 teams who are spending to within $1 million of the ceiling right now. But at the bottom end, Buffalo, who has the lowest cap hit this year, currently sits at $8 million above the floor.

Other than one or two rebuilding teams each year (and none this year), the floor does absolutely nothing because even the cheapest teams are spending well above it anyway. But the ceiling definitely keeps salaries lower for a whole bunch of teams at the top end.

MLB's entire structure is garbage.

There is absolutely no excuse for some of the low payrolls given that those same teams are receiving more in revenue sharing than they have in payroll.

 

[djdev]

haha i was listening to a podcast and they were talking about about our lineup if we signed freeman and traded for j ram.
assuming that lourdes would be in the trade..

1. springer(r)
2. ramirez(s)
3. vladdy(r)
4. freeman(l)
5. teoscar(r)
6. bo(r)
7. biggio(l)
8. grichuk(or whomever)
9. janssen(moreno)

that top 6 is by far the best in baseball, and if biggio can be more of what he was 2 years ago jeebuz!
its a very very long shot that it happens but mannnnnnnnnnn, thats pure sex.