Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 06:23:10 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Baseball 2021 - we defy you to care

Started by Famous Mortimer, January 22, 2021, 05:41:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Famous Mortimer

As every team decides to spend less and be less interesting, let's see what 2021 has to offer us.

Hank Aaron dead at 86

Oh.

Gurke and Hare

There's also the Mets, for the second consecutive off-season having to fire a high profile hire before the season even starts for something they did in their previous job.

Famous Mortimer

Ah yes, and here's a story about it:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30741273/new-york-mets-fire-gm-jared-porter-wake-report-sent-explicit-texts-images

What's at least decent about this time is I've read very little which says the Mets are overreacting. So, very slight progress?

sevendaughters

Blue Jays have got Springer. Am really excited for the season now.

Bernice

Got into it in a big way for the first time during the 2020 playoffs. Need to find a team this season so I can start getting hats.

sevendaughters

Quote from: Bernice on January 22, 2021, 08:03:47 PM
Got into it in a big way for the first time during the 2020 playoffs. Need to find a team this season so I can start getting hats.

yeah it is always a bit arbitrary as a non US/Canadian fan, I find. I picked the Jays as I started watching during 92/93 when they were great, and then I went to Canada in 2003 and got to go to Opening Day vs the Yankees which sort of sealed the deal. I picked the Browns for NFL and the Wild for NHL, but they're looser connections based on a perception that may not even be true. Still not picked an NBA team really, though I do like basketball.

Bernice

It's unfortunate because the team I actually feel a pull towards is the Yankees - saw them beat the Red Sox in London, know about them via Seinfeld - but I mean, fuck that. Can't be an overseas fan latching onto the fucking Yankees.

sevendaughters

Quote from: Bernice on January 22, 2021, 08:10:07 PM
It's unfortunate because the team I actually feel a pull towards is the Yankees - saw them beat the Red Sox in London, know about them via Seinfeld - but I mean, fuck that. Can't be an overseas fan latching onto the fucking Yankees.

I know in a way they're like the Great Satan and a triumph of marketing, they really do have an amazing history and culture full of characters and talents. Also the Seinfeld appearances made me think they had a sense of humour about themselves, at least in the 90s.

Dex Sawash

Quote from: sevendaughters on January 22, 2021, 08:07:45 PM
the Wild for NHL,

Pretty certain I've never heard of them but wikipedia says they exist. My boss's wife works for the Hurricanes, going to check if he has heard of them.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: sevendaughters on January 22, 2021, 08:07:45 PM
yeah it is always a bit arbitrary as a non US/Canadian fan, I find. I picked the Jays as I started watching during 92/93 when they were great

A good choice for gear too as they have easily the best logo.

The Cubs one is classic but a bit plain for my tastes, so I have the alt one with the bear cub on it



Really looking forward to watching sunny day games of an evening.

sevendaughters

Quote from: Dex Sawash on January 22, 2021, 08:14:48 PM
Pretty certain I've never heard of them but wikipedia says they exist. My boss's wife works for the Hurricanes, going to check if he has heard of them.

not a great name either (I just call them Minnesota in my head) but they fitted the bill ie. nice logo, reasonably anonymous, not going to burden me too much as a casual fan

Famous Mortimer

Wow!

The Cardinals have traded for Nolan Arenado, giving up some fairly middling prospects and getting $50 million from Colorado to pay off some of his contract. (this is if the package reported yesterday ends up being correct)

He's a fantastic player and I'm now interested in watching the team again. A breakout season from someone like Dylan Carlson and the Cardinals are set.

Ferris

Arenado is a terrific player, Cards have done well to pick him up. He was being so overpaid that I think he recognized the only way he was going to get traded was to defer some of his contract but I'm surprised the Rockies were willing to send cash along with him. Great deal for both teams, though I don't know the Cards prospects or farm system at all.

As noted above, Jays picked up Springer and Semien (who's moving over to 2B) which are a really good couple of upgrades. We look very solid for position players now, and good depth all round. Would love to get another impact starter or two and a reliever, and kick the tires on Realmuto just in case, but I think we actually look competitive this year. Actually, is Bryant still being shopped for trades? I'd take him at third and all.

Should be a good season! If covid ever fucking ends I'll go to Toronto for a few games, maybe take the nipper.

Famous Mortimer

The Jays are looking really good now - I loved it when they came to St Louis a couple of years ago, hopefully they come again when I've had a vaccine (because I do not trust the sort of fuckers who go to Cardinals games to have any respect for social distancing or wearing a mask).

The prospects the Cardinals gave up aren't much of anything, as far as I can tell. Gomber is a decent pitcher, but that's all, and the Rockies fan site I went on to see how their lot are reacting were pretty upset, at the same time as being resigned to having a very bad FO.

Ferris

The Rockies are an impressively badly run organization. At some point, they must have had Blackmon, Tulowitzki, Arenado and Scherzer (?) on the roster and they translated that into the square root of fuck all, with the additional bonus that every one of those players hates the organization and doesn't mind saying publicly (and presumably privately to other players).

BlodwynPig

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on January 22, 2021, 08:15:19 PM
A good choice for gear too as they have easily the best logo.

The Cubs one is classic but a bit plain for my tastes, so I have the alt one with the bear cub on it



Really looking forward to watching sunny day games of an evening.

I got a cubs t-shirt in Chicago a couple of years ago (but don't tell Ferris)...I also have a Blue Jays pride t-shirt which is very striking (rainbow coloured).

Ferris

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on January 30, 2021, 03:54:41 PM
The prospects the Cardinals gave up aren't much of anything, as far as I can tell. Gomber is a decent pitcher, but that's all, and the Rockies fan site I went on to see how their lot are reacting were pretty upset, at the same time as being resigned to having a very bad FO.

I'm looking at the (rumoured) prospect return for Arenado. What are the Rockies doing? And they're paying St Louis $50m?!

They also traded for Kevin Pillar then let his contract expire after half a season (after he put up a career high .801 OPS)? To be honest I've never paid much attention to Colorado but they seem to be run by a magic 8 ball.

Ferris

Quote from: BlodwynPig on January 30, 2021, 03:59:25 PM
I got a cubs t-shirt in Chicago a couple of years ago (but don't tell Ferris)

Ok well don't tell anyone but the Cubs are my NL team and I think they have quite a good logo.

Ferris

Pedroia officially retired. I think he had one year left on his deal, I assume the Red Sox will just give him that money to avoid him taking up a roster spot as he's played 9 games in 3 years with no return in sight.

On his day, one of the best contact hitters in the game. Slick second baseman, bit of pop, would have been a lock for the Hall if he could have stayed on the field another couple years. This is the best outcome for all sides I suppose, but he powered my Beat The Streak team for 2 years so I have a soft spot for him.

Famous Mortimer

More Cardinals news - they traded Dexter Fowler to the Angels, and are kicking in most of his salary (12.75 out of 14 million), just to get rid of him. He was never fantastic in St Louis, but I liked him on the team and am sad to see him go.

Ferris

I like Fowler as well, I was looking at his batted ball profile the other day and think he is due a bounceback. His peripherals are better than you'd think, though not amazing or anything.

I'd say with some new scenery, a .780 OPS for his 2021 isn't unrealistic. As long as he's still halfway decent in CF at that price, he's a good pickup for San Fran. Though maybe they're thinking bench bat? I don't know what their outfield looks like tbh.

Awful nothing post. Sorry about that.

Anyone want to guess where Bauer is going? I am quietly hopeful he'll sign with the Jays...

Bauer is the most odious player I can recall ever seeing in MLB, and he is also bizarrely overrated as a pitcher. He has just one and one third seasons of being better than a #3 starting pitcher (2018 and 2020). That is going to be one of the worst short-term contracts in the history of the game if he genuinely looking at $30-40 million per season as is being reported.

sevendaughters

Fowler must be a bench bat, no way he's prising Trout from CF.

Famous Mortimer

I'll guess Mets, because the offer looks too good to ignore. But it looks like they're expecting a decision in the next few hours.

Ferris

Quote from: sevendaughters on February 05, 2021, 04:15:06 PM
Fowler must be a bench bat, no way he's prising Trout from CF.

Trout plays for LA, not the giants. Last I checked they were still running out Hunter Pence and Kevin Pillar, but ones retired and ones a free agent so I have no idea if Fowler will be every day or not.

Re: Bauer - he's pretty openly using pine tar, which is why he is far more elite in the last 2 seasons. If I was the opposing manager, I'd refer him to the umps after one pitch and get him tossed. Rinse and repeat all season long - Bauer throws about a dozen pitches all season, or reverts to his non-elite 4.50 ERA normal (with the bonus of costing your opponent a huge amount of money).

I'd still like him for the Jays (even though he's a cunt), but the risk of the pine tar rules actually being enforced means he doesn't have as much value as if he was getting those numbers cleanly because he could be rumbled at any minute. See also: Gerrit Cole.

Famous Mortimer

Looks like things are falling into place - the Cardinals have signed Yadier Molina to a one-year contract, hopefully the last one of a career that'll get him within sniffing distance of the Hall of Fame; they might be in the market for another pitcher, but that looks to be that.

Ball's being changed to make it have a little less pop, so if something isn't done about pitchers cheating with pine tar, I can see this being a less than thrilling season.

Ferris

Ferris' 2021 baseball thoughts:

- I saw the stuff about the ball - I thought MLB's stance was that nothing has changed, but they're tacitly acknowledging that's bullshit if they're changing it back.

- Bauer signed with the Dodgers, cementing their place as everyone's least favourite NL team.

- Considering Yu Darvish went to the Dads for a song, I'm surprised more teams aren't calling the Cubs to pick their pockets. They still have a few good players on that roster - I'd take Bryant at 3rd every day of the week against the Jays' current options.

- Unless we see some big moves soon, I'm worried this once in a generation core of talent (along with the Red Sox and Yankees and rays going into the basement with the O's) will amount to the Jays being competitive in the division and that's about it. We need more starting pitching; Tanaka, Paxton, anybody please and thanks. I want to win it all when we can actually win, rather than another decade of mediocrity.

Gurke and Hare

Quote from: Pearly-Dewdrops Drops on February 05, 2021, 04:13:50 PM
Bauer is the most odious player I can recall ever seeing in MLB

He's a cunt, no doubt, but Aubrey Huff is twice the cunt. And I'll assume you're jsut too young to have seen Schilling.

Quote from: Gurke and Hare on February 10, 2021, 01:14:44 AM
He's a cunt, no doubt, but Aubrey Huff is twice the cunt. And I'll assume you're jsut too young to have seen Schilling.

Schilling wasn't really a weird right-wing asshole until after he left the majors. (Nor was Huff that I recall? I remember he saved my fantasy team one year.) Of course there have always been your John Rockers and the like, but I prefer a normal right-wing asshole (most pro athletes are right-wing assholes) to an obnoxious fratty Twitter troll.

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on February 09, 2021, 11:14:29 PM
Ferris' 2021 baseball thoughts:

- I saw the stuff about the ball - I thought MLB's stance was that nothing has changed, but they're tacitly acknowledging that's bullshit if they're changing it back.

- Bauer signed with the Dodgers, cementing their place as everyone's least favourite NL team.

- Considering Yu Darvish went to the Dads for a song, I'm surprised more teams aren't calling the Cubs to pick their pockets. They still have a few good players on that roster - I'd take Bryant at 3rd every day of the week against the Jays' current options.

- Unless we see some big moves soon, I'm worried this once in a generation core of talent (along with the Red Sox and Yankees and rays going into the basement with the O's) will amount to the Jays being competitive in the division and that's about it. We need more starting pitching; Tanaka, Paxton, anybody please and thanks. I want to win it all when we can actually win, rather than another decade of mediocrity.

Tanaka went back to Japan and signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Reportedly turned down an offer from the Blue Jays after being "frightened" by the film Strange Brew.