The Hey its 2021 now guys MLB thread

[#UnleashSean]

Guyyyyys

[Jockey]

Good job, Unleash. Wake us all up.

A couple more months and we'll have some signings to talk about.

[#UnleashSean]

Hey now, we can talk about Jared right now!

[buckchuckler]

Lots of scuttle about a Sox-Brewers trade.
Not alot of details except Corbin Burnes.  Can't really see the Brewers dealing him at all.  Its probably just internet nonsense.

[Jockey]

Lots of scuttle about a Sox-Brewers trade.
Not alot of details except Corbin Burnes.  Can't really see the Brewers dealing him at all.  Its probably just internet nonsense.

Would take Vaughn and another very good prospect - but don't see Brewers wanting to move Burnes. Small market teams need cheap pitching.

[buckchuckler]

Would take Vaughn and another very good prospect - but don't see Brewers wanting to move Burnes. Small market teams need cheap pitching.

Yeah, doesn't make much sense.  I really don't see the Sox moving Vaughn or Crochet, but who knows.  I wonder if it would be Kopech or Cease and Madrigal ++ or something. 
Its a fun rumor to think about, but I'm not holding my breath.

[dgies9156]

Jon Lester signs with the Nate.

Cub pitching looks awful for 2021. Lester was a shell of his former self but could still be the mature anchor of tHe staff.

[nyg]

Jon Lester signs with the Nate.

Cub pitching looks awful for 2021. Lester was a shell of his former self but could still be the mature anchor of tHe staff.

Max Scherzer is the mature anchor of the staff.  Same age as Lester.  Lester should be a good addition to a staff of Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin and is an upgrade over Anibel Sanchez and Joe Ross who held that fourth rotation spot last year.

Nats were disappointment last year, they really missed Anthony Rendon.  But with Schawber and Josh Bell pickups, they now have little more power in the lineup than they did last year.  Bench is thin, so they are one injury anyway for some problems. 

[MUBurrow]

Nats were disappointment last year, they really missed Anthony Rendon.  But with Schawber and Josh Bell pickups, they now have little more power in the lineup than they did last year.  Bench is thin, so they are one injury anyway for some problems.

Very much agree with this. I'm surprised they're trying to improve by paying Schwarber and Bell $16M this year.  Kinda think it would be better to build out a broader number of useful depth pieces. I'd rather mix and match, like, Mitch Moreland/Matt Adams, Adam Duvall/Hunter Renfroe types.  Gives you more flexibility and depth, and you're less dependent on hoping 2019 Josh Bell shows back up.

[MUBurrow]

A bunch of signings over the past week or so. The one that made me smile and shake my head the most was Realmuto back to the Phils for $115/5.  Not because its an indefensible deal (though I wouldn't want to give a 30 year old catcher $115M, even if he's been clearly the best in baseball for the last 3 years).  It was more that the Phillies have been pounding the table about saving money and then brought in Dombrowski who - shocker - gave out a big contract.  Without even debating the merits of his moves, I would very much like the job where you pop around from team to team and are given the green light to spend all of the money they've been fastidiously saving.

[cheebs09]

Brew Crew linked to Justin Turner and Eddie Rosario. Hoping they spend some money this off-season. Listening to Haudricourt spewing the "they have no money to spend" line is nauseating.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Brew Crew linked to Justin Turner and Eddie Rosario. Hoping they spend some money this off-season. Listening to Haudricourt spewing the "they have no money to spend" line is nauseating.

Would love to see Turner in Milw. 

[CTWarrior]

A bunch of signings over the past week or so. The one that made me smile and shake my head the most was Realmuto back to the Phils for $115/5.  Not because its an indefensible deal (though I wouldn't want to give a 30 year old catcher $115M, even if he's been clearly the best in baseball for the last 3 years).  It was more that the Phillies have been pounding the table about saving money and then brought in Dombrowski who - shocker - gave out a big contract.  Without even debating the merits of his moves, I would very much like the job where you pop around from team to team and are given the green light to spend all of the money they've been fastidiously saving.

Dombrowski forced the Red Sox into a hole, but it was well worth it for the 2018 championship.  Those horrible new contracts for Sale and Eovaldi may well have cost the Red Sox 10 years of Mookie Betts, and that is hard to forgive.  I feel for Tower because the Tigers felt the post-Dombrowski pain without the championship to make it worthwhile.

[tower912]

Should have spent money on some team speed and a bullpen.   And really shouldn't have had a week off (2x) between the ALCS and the start of the WS.

[shoothoops]

Adam Wainwright re-signs with St. Louis. (Turned down San Diego and Atlanta)

[dgies9156]

And now Arnando. The Cardinals are for real!

[PGsHeroes32]

Bauer to the Dodgers.

That should be fun for the NL

[wadesworld]

If the Brewers do end up getting Turner, I actually like what the roster looks like this year.

[JWags85]

The Mets will be very good and I don't think this makes or breaks anything for them, but with all their recent cause for optimism, this was classic "hopes up for nothing" Mets action with Bauer

[PGsHeroes32]

The Mets will be very good and I don't think this makes or breaks anything for them, but with all their recent cause for optimism, this was classic "hopes up for nothing" Mets action with Bauer

To be fair, he played them pretty good.


Always wanted to go home. Just got them to help drive the Dodgers price up a bit. Definitely got their hopes up for nothing, but wasnt much they could do.

[buckchuckler]

Thats a lot of dough for a guy that was terrible in 2019. 

Its also alot of dough for a guy that was outstanding last year.  Wow.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Trevor Bauer's AAV and the payroll for the pennant-winning '20 Tampa Bay Rays is probably eerily similar.

[JWags85]

Thats a lot of dough for a guy that was terrible in 2019. 

Its also alot of dough for a guy that was outstanding last year.  Wow.

He was great in 18, had some issues in 19 but that was a weird season including switching leagues, and then was fantastic this year.

Dude is durable, eats innings, and just turned 30. Pitching salaries are getting crazy but he's deserving.  He's kind of a lunatic but I love his approach to pitching and think he's only gonna get better as he enters his prime, absent some major injury.  Also love him betting on himself taking a shorter deal.

Buehler and Bauer are a hell of a 1-2 before Kershaw.

[buckchuckler]

He was great in 18, had some issues in 19 but that was a weird season including switching leagues, and then was fantastic this year.

Dude is durable, eats innings, and just turned 30. Pitching salaries are getting crazy but he's deserving.  He's kind of a lunatic but I love his approach to pitching and think he's only gonna get better as he enters his prime, absent some major injury.  Also love him betting on himself taking a shorter deal.

Buehler and Bauer are a hell of a 1-2 before Kershaw.

Putting Bauer ahead of Kershaw in any measure seems like madness to me.  He has pitched in 9 seasons and in 7 of them, his era was above 4.  His career WHIP is 1.27.  His career K/bb is 2.82.  He was great last year, and is a good bet going forward.  But he hasn't shown consistency at all.  He isn't in the same class of pitcher of Kershaw.  Last year was the only year he has ever been better, and Kershaw was great last year too.  Bauer is durable, and can dominate.  He can also be petulant and bad.  He was traded from the Indians following a temper tantrum in the mound.  No doubt he can pick apart a lineup.  No doubt he uses every tool avaliable to him to get better and analyze how to dissect a lineup. 
But to put him ahead of Kershaw? Because of a season in which he threw 73 innings?  I can't do that.  You could take any year 9f Kershaw's career and it would be one of the best of Bauer's career.  If I'm Dave Roberts, Bauer is my game 3 guy.

[HutchwasClutch]

Thats a lot of dough for a guy that was terrible in 2019. 

Its also alot of dough for a guy that was outstanding last year.  Wow.

Must be rough making personnel decisions for the Dodgers.  If Bauer bombs, no problem, they'll give his replacement a ridiculous contract.

It's like baseball is a 100 yard dash and Dodgers start the race 30 yards ahead of everyone else.  The Yankees even seem penny pinchers to their spending now.  They do develop from within well, will give them that.