By Kenny Sirmans: aka VOR
Speaking of reality…
IMO, the Freddie Freeman situation is not the most pressing issue this team faces going into 2022. In all honesty, there are ways to address 1B other than Freddie even if we don’t want to admit it. There are answers even if some are not as popular as others. We know that Alex did reach out to Oakland regarding Matt Olson prior to the lockout. That could certainly just be due diligence, but in a lockout world, its big news.
But that’s NOT the team’s most pressing issue.
Marcell Ozuna is.
Ozuna is still owed the balance of the 4 yr / $65M deal he signed with the Braves prior to last season and prior to the domestic issues that turned our big money Free Agent into a team albatross. Yes, I agree that as long as he completes his required services handed down by the court in his particular legal case, he has “paid his debt” and should be able to move on. But it’s really not that simple, is it? It’s just not that black and white. Regardless of his legal status, there will be a cloud that follows him wherever he goes. And that cloud is darker in Atlanta where the deed went down. The wound is fresh here, and this fan doesn’t see it healing very easily especially in a time of #metoo. It’s a personnel decision that is especially difficult for Alex given the annual salary restraints the team faces. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to understand that the team cannot afford to just eat the remainder of Ozuna’s salary to simply release him. Even if a trade partner could be dug up, it would take a pretty good prospect attached to even pique anyone’s interest, and would also require paying a portion of the remaining $$ amount of his Ozuna’s deal. Basically, the better the prospect, the less the percentage must be paid. But unless Alex has a rabbit up his sleeve, some significant amount will still become dead money.
And thus the great debate. You have to pay the man. Can you overlook it all and just let him earn his paychecks?
For those keeping up with the baseball side of it, Ozuna appears to be back on top of his game. His Dominican Winter League team just won their league championship and Ozuna was a big part of their success. In fact, he was the championship series MVP. MLBTR: In the final game, he was 2-3 with a 3-run homer and a walk. Overall during the series he hit .333 with 3 home runs, 6 runs scored, and 8 RBI as part of his Series Finale MVP performance. And over 21 regular season games, he slashed .317/.389/.519 with 4 HR, 10 BBs, and 13 Ks. There is nothing wrong with his bat.
So just when you start to think, maybe if he can quietly step back into the lineup and keep his nose clean, we can make it work for 3 more years, this pops up…
Yes, I hope that Alex can take care of Freddie Freeman as soon as this lockout crap is over. But that will be a walk in the park compared to solving the Marcell Ozuna puzzle. This one has no good answers. None.
Braves & Stuff 
Excellent work Sir, nothing like a case of harsh reality to bring us back to the fore…
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GOOD ANALYSIS AND SUGGESTIONS!
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I stop watching them with Gil for a while when the let one of my favorite players go, and Chipper retired. If they let Freddie go I promise I will never watch them again, and Gil will never make it to D.C. to watch a game. if I am taking him. š
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I respect that, Miss Josie. There are arguments to be made on each side. I love Freddie Freeman alot, in much the same way that Tigers fans love Miguel Cabrera and Angel fans love Albert Pujols. I believe those comparisons are valid. I just want what’s best for the team, because they’ll be here (and hopefully I’ll still be here too) far beyond Freddie Freeman. There aren’t very many Chipper Joneses in the game… they are a rare but valued breed. It’s possible that Freddie could reach that status, but the true chances are that he won’t… much like Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols didn’t. All HOF’ers, but not ageless.
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It’s at this point that I must clarify… my preference is that the Braves and Freddie Freeman come to an agreement and that Freddie remains a Braves through retirement.
BUT…
I also understand the dynamics behind the hesitance on Alex’s part to hand out a 6-year $180M deal. Let’s say that Freddie signs that exact deal, and that for the sake of simplicity, he receives $30M per year through the year 2028. Let’s also look at the total payroll for the team and extrapolate it forward 6 years.
The Braves set a payroll record in 2021 at $134M total payroll. Since 2020 was a truncated year, it’s not possible to chart the percentage trend, but we do know through published reports that the Braves are going to expand their payroll for 2022. No one know how much, but speculation says they’ll likely land somewhere around $145.
Again, for the sake of easier math, let’s say the Braves go as high as $150M for 2022, a single player in Freddie making $30M means that 20% of the team’s total player budget is gone on one guy before factoring in anyone else.
And he’s not the only one whose figures are going up. Max Fried has to be locked up long term. Same for Dansby Swanson, if he’s to stick around. And behind them will be Austin Riley and Ian Anderson. At some point, if all goes as speculated, they’ll have to break off Michael Harris.
And in the last 2 years of Freddie’s potential 6-year deal, Ozzie Albies could walk in 2027, with Ronald AcuƱa, Jr. right behind him in 2028. Those guys will need to be extended at some point, especially Ronald.
Having one singular player take up 20% of the team’s payroll isn’t unheard of, and isn’t even outrageous… if that player is in his prime. Freddie will be 38 in 2028, the seeming year of contention in negotiations.
So in the spirit of simple debate, I ask a simple question. In the year 2022, would you rather pay Freddie Freeman $30M, or would you rather pay Matt Olson $12M and, say… Clayton Kershaw $20M? Makes you go hmmmm, doesn’t it?
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If you believe the published reports, yesterday’s meeting between MLB and MLBPA wasn’t as warm and fuzzy as Monday’s. I always take the media reports with a grain of salt these days, so once again if you believe the reports, where MLBPA gave some ground in their counter=proposal to the league on Monday, the league was not as flexible in their response yesterday. In fact, in the article I read, the words “rejected” and “laughable” were used. Those are not words used when progress is being made.
I was somewhat optimistic on Monday, not so much today.
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I can come up with a compromise on the most publicized economic issues…
On the topic of Free Agency/player compensation: Raise the minimum salary beyond a token amount; institute a bonus pool for pre-arb players that achieve certain performance milestones; do away with Super 2 and back up arb to all players after 2 years of service as it was when arbitration first appeared; keep the threshold for Free Agency where it currently is. RESULT: Younger players get more of the money, but they are still bound to their team for the current term. Win/win.
On the topic of tanking: Disincentivize tanking by going to a NBA-style draft lottery for the bottom team from each division; institute a rule that no team can draft #1 in consecutive years; tie revenue sharing into team records rewarding higher achievement and penalizing tanking. RESULT: Teams gain incentive to remain competitive. Win/win.
On the topic of luxury tax: Create a percentage scale tied to league revenues, raise the threshold with direct relation to said revenues; create a salary floor guaranteeing that shared revenue is put back into the team rather than into the pocket. RESULT: Players receive a commensurate amount of the increase in league revenues. Both sides profit. Win/win.
On the topic of revenue sharing: Create a percentage scale tied to league revenues, including all local TV/streaming contracts; tie revenue sharing into team records rewarding higher achievement and penalizing tanking; create salary floor as described above. RESULT: Greater percentage of league profits go back into team operations; the disparity of Free Agent spending between teams is reduced. Win/win.
On the topic of expanded playoffs: Keep the current 10 team format, but eliminate the stupid 1-game Wild Card play in game making it a 3-game series. RESULT: The regular season is not further watered down; MLB gains an additional layer of playoff revenue. Win/win.
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One thing I failed to address… the issue of holding a prospect back to manipulate their service clock. I haven’t given that one alot of thought other than to realize that it’s a bad policy. I don’t know how to enforce that, but I side with the players on it. Kris Bryant should have made the Cubs out of ST. Ronald AcuƱa, Jr. should have made the Braves out of ST. I’m not sure how you can measure and quantify it, but it needs to be corrected.
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Make too much sense for the for them to adopt said rule changes but you should forward your suggestions to the negotiators. Tell them you are willing to serve as an arbitrator. š
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What I do know is if MLB continues this silly lock out, they will lose more than money.
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V, I understand what you are saying about FF, but…team chemistry is a funny thing. I don’t think anyone here saw (I could be wrong) live the players in the stadium, to a MAN say, re-sign Freddie. the fans cheering loudly for it to happen too of course. So, lets say FF. gets some uber cray 35-40 Mil deal for 10 years, sure, you can understand both parties being wary, but if 6 years 180 Mil scares our GM (a STEAL in this day and age – of course, if theres a long strike….) well, He will pay a stiff price…fans will be sour, team chemistry will be different, lesser (no 1st baseman that took over will have his cache of respect with the team, or the fans) everyone from Acuna on down knows they will be traded away at some point…and you will have to give up a TON of prospects to actually get someone with F.F.s bat (though no one hits his average out there) like the younger guy from Oakland. Trust me, they aren’t going to give him up for what we think is a fair trade…
as for the wifebeater…15 mil a year for 3 more years is nothing these days….drop him like a hot potato. Just don’t care. Keep the wifebeater, and lose the face of the franchise? Oh, that’s a great combo
as a non-wise man would say, hey , look fat…the mutts, will become the Dodgers at some point (Hopefully many years down the road) that means, we will become the Giant’s / Pads, a team that can try all they want, but won’t win many divisions….
Ugh…
think I’ll crawl back into my cave, and remember how the braves beat the Brewers, Dodgers, and Astros to win the W.S.
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Good comment Ber, while it is hard to put a price on continuity, baseball might just be the place for it. While you never want a team full of old guys with long term contracts, having one or two at the top is often the difference between being a champion and and being an also ran.
The Philiies have two 30 million dollar a year players in Realmuto and Harper, yet, they still haven’t climbed to the mountain top. Not because they are cheap, they just have not yet acquired the “it” [piece to their puzzle. A piece like Freddie Freeman…
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While it is pretty easy to spend someone else’s money, it is somehow pretty hard to understand how you can’t pull the trigger when you have to. Have we not seen how long term contracts play out? Don’t we all know that if the Braves were to sign Freeman for 6 years, he would still be worth every penny in his sixth year from jersey sales alone? I saw Chipper in his early years and his sunset years and the one thing that ran true, he was a big draw. When you are charging $75 for the cheap seats, you better have an attraction which merits the money. TV is cheaper and the beer is colder and the seats more comfortable.
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Let me reiterate and repeat… my preference is that the Braves and Freddie Freeman come to an agreement and that Freddie remains a Braves through retirement. Period. Because of all the reasons we’ve discussed.
But that’s the point. We’ve discussed.:-D
What else are we to talk about? That the Braves signed Mike Tonkin to a minor league deal?
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Word on the street, well ok… word on the internet is that most baseball people feel that a deal on the CBA needs to be agreed upon by Feb. 1 in order for all the i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed and players report by Feb. 14, which is about when most teams are reporting. Not sure if you’ve looked at your calendars lately, but Feb. 1 is next Tuesday.
Now… alot of the typical talking heads/typing fingers are sitting on the fence regarding the recent meetings between the league and union.
Except…
Mark Feinsand is a bit more bullish on the progress. In fact, Feinsand wrote Tuesday on MLB.com, following the latest meeting, that Significant progress made in CBA meeting.
Rather than try and regurgitate his article here, I’ll just drop the link instead and you can read his article.
I think he paints a pretty rosy picture, but mostly just reports the points and counter-points. Is that a good thing or just a thing? Your mileage may vary. Here’s the link: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mlbpa-cba-talks-progressing
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I’m still laughing…
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Make sure the sound is on, and make sure you hang around for the last rip. Ronnie is ready.
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Today’s CBA update…
After doing my daily reading on the topic, I am a little but optimistic today. It appears that the 2 sides are at least agreeing on principal on many of the core economic items, they just need to come together on dollar amounts. In my humble opinion, that’s fertile ground for progress.
Several outlets are reporting today that the biggest issues remaining involve the luxury tax and revenue sharing. Reportedly the two sides are still fairly far apart on those amounts. But… they are at least negotiating them, so hopefully it’s just a matter of time now. Perhaps each side understands the danger of letting this affect spring training. The optics would be horrible.
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V, thanks for those 2 clips, they made me happy! š
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There is reportedly a meeting scheduled for today. I’ve been reading reports from Ken Rosensource and Evan Drellich that do not paint a very rosy picture. Pretty much portrays the owners in a not so favorable light. I’m about to get really irritated with all of it. I’m gonna be extremely ticked if it delays spring training. I’m not sure how I’ll feel if they screw up the regular season. I have already learned that I can live without professional basketball and professional football. What makes professional baseball special? Actually, it is special. But what makes it special is diminishing. I’m old now. I’ve learned how to find things to focus my passions on. It does not have to be on a collection of miserable greedy millionaires and billionaires.
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V, I hear ya! I think I have said in the past, that if there’s another strike, sayonara baseball , but now…after the screwed up 2020 (a shortened season for once not the cause of bickering millionaires ) I’m not sure ….
but, IF they do really screw things up, force a 140 game or less season….fans should really just ignore the game this year. I don’t know if the players would care…that much, but man, the teams sure would…what should have happened to football after it got all woke, but sadly, people missed the game too much….
But yeah, start the season mid may or in June…have 10K games….that would be aok with me….
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I’ve said before, the best thing about fb is seeing posts you made on this date, 5-10 years ago…
I tagged a bunch of you and you came to my rescue against the Non-baseball folks, many years ago š
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oh….can’t link to fb here, really? sigh….
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Well, the parties met today for 90 minutes.
90 minutes.
Reports say they’re still far apart on key issues. Well maybe if they actually put some effort toward working something out., but they aren’t.
90 minutes.
In my world, the parties enter a meeting area. They do not leave until they get it worked out.
90 minutes.
If you ask me, this is all drama for the press anyway. Neither side really wants to negotiate in good faith. If they did, you’d see actual negotiation and more of it. 90 minutes is just theater.
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Just too good not to post, makes me giddy just to watch again and again… I am an old man now, I would love to see the Braves make at least one more run at a World Championship. I don’t believe I can wait another 26 years to see another…
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You know your old when….someone like the “kid” David Green passes away. Anyone here even remember him, or would have to be a Cards fan in the early 80s? He was part of what the Cards got back from the Brewers in the Ted Simmons, Rollie Fingers, and Pete Vuckovich to the Brewers. THE trade that made me no longer be a Cards fan (well, Keith Hernandez and Garry Templeton as well) I remember people really being upset as Ted Simmons was basically Mr Card after Lou Brock retired, and Whitey Herzog swore scouts were saying he was the most talented player they had seen in 25 years.( I remember thinking at the time, really, more talented than Reggie Jackson?) IF that had happened, perhaps, perhaps I would have stayed with the Cards, but while he was fast and a decent fielder, he just never really hit and when we moved to Jax, I followed the Braves and Cubbies via the superstations….
sad, apparently alcohol did play a role in him never quite reaching his potential, and likely his death too. 20 when traded to the Cards, dead at 61, wow…rest in peace
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/02/david-green-passes-away.html#comments
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Fast and a great fielder but a weak bat… Like 99% of the other can’t miss phenoms… Major league pitching can mess up a promising career can’t it?
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CBA news of the day…
Reportedly the 2 sides met again yesterday face-to-face and discussed many of the “non-core” issues, such as the universal DH and expanded playoffs. The sides are seemingly finding more common ground on these issues, so at least there’s movement even if not on the big things. Gotta start somewhere I suppose. Still, there’s alot of ground yet to cover in a short time to get something done and not disrupt the regular season.
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I also heard some discussion yesterday that sort of confirms what we have all pretty much known already. It’s naĆÆve to think that teams and players are not having contact. It’s pretty much accepted that there are discussions and maybe even loose agreements even if there are still details to be ironed out. When (not if, but when) this stupid lockout is lifted, there is going to be a fast and furious barrage of deals going down.
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Another goodie
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I enjoyed that way more than I thought I would. š
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remember how impossible it seemed to actually get 3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers??? For Tyler to get out that group of hitters…I mean, Phat Albert hit I think .300 against lefties last year, so no easy out..and was probably the easiest of the 6. What a stud he is, and when you think where he has come from….
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I don’t remember this at all!
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I’m not sure what to think about this…
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I think this is how I feel about it.
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perhaps it’s their way of herding cats, so to speak. If the 30 owners are all over the place, and can’t get together on specifics, perhaps an outside mediator can be the bad/good guy ? Just guessin’
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Mediators are funny animals, in my union days I remember it as being a crap shoot as to whether you got a pro labor or a pro management guy. They were assigned cases on a rotational basis and a good lawyer could guess which guy was up next. We shall see….
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Speaking of Phat Albert , saw this story. When I think of Derek Jeter, I recall a guy that was ever so easily handled by the braves pitching staff, when I think of Pujols, I think of just about the scariest hitter there ever was, in his prime, you absolutely did not want him up with the game on the line.
https://www.audacy.com/wfan/sports/yankees/baseball-fans-cant-believe-new-ranking-of-jeter-vs-pujols
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I’m pretty bummed over the latest developments in the zillionaire spat, so I’m going to do a little something different today. I’m going to actually write about the team and the roster and the lineup.
I’m gonna dream a little.
If I could put this roster together as GM, and I mean in a realistic way, this is what I’d do as soon as the lockout is officially buried…
Item #1, I get Freddie Freeman inked. Period. No putzing around. I get it done and make him happy.
Item #1B, While my assistants are taking care of the paperwork with Freddie, I’m making a “bad contract swap” with Arizona and sending Marcell Ozuna out to the desert for Madison Bumgarner. And the truth is, Bumgarner is owed more money through 2024 than Ozuna is. But this is the reality of Ozuna. And in return we get a veteran pitcher who is on the down side of his career, but who has a ton of experience to guide a still young staff. I’ll probably ask for a fringe minor leaguer along in the deal to help even things up a little, but I’m not gonna let that hang up getting Ozuna out of town.
Item #3, I need a DH and I need him to swing it from the LH side. I really need to find this guy via trade if possible. THere is ruor the Reds will listen on Jesse Winker. I think the time is right to start using our prospect depth and go all in now. I send Drew Waters and Ryan Shuster off to Cincy. I get my bat, under team control of a couple more years, and balance my lineup. I can also utilize him in the filed as necessary until Ronnie’s return. In fact, if I need to DH Ronnie from time to time, especially early, Winker has plenty of OF experience. Sending 2 of my top 10 prospects is touch, but the OF is going to be crowded in another year or so when Michael Harris is ready to emerge, and Waters’ value has already started to drop. Shuster is the lesser of the Wake Forest lefties, so I let him roll. Winker is a bat worth that booty.
Now, I probably am also making some smaller non-impact signings to fill some gaps, but those 3 moves are the bulk of the heavy lifting. And those moves also come with some ripple effect.
I’ve spent alot of money on Freddie, and even more on Madbum, so I have to cut the flow of cash right there. I am forced to rely on Cristian Pache to prove himself in 2022. I know the guy has a ML glove, but I don’t need his bat as much as I did last season. I’m batting him 9th and being happy with whatever I get there.
So my lineup is this:
Ronnie, RF (R)
Freddie, 1B (L)
Riley, 3B (R)
Winker, DH (L)
Duvall (R)
Ozzie, 2B (S)
d’Arnaud, C (R)
Swanson, SS (R)
Pache, CF (R)
It’s deep and dangerous.
My bench needs some work still:
Pina, C (R)
Arcia, Util (R)
Ehire Adrianza, Util possibly resigned (S)
Scrapheap OF (L)
My rotation now looks like this:
Fried (L)
Morton (R)
Anderson (R)
Madbum (L)
Wright (R) or Davidson (L)
My bullpen is still pretty stout:
Smith, CL (L)
Matzek (L)
Luke (R)
Minter (L)
Ynoa (R)
Webb (R)
Jay Jackson (R)
Toussaint (R)
I think Huascar will make a heckuva reliever if he’ll embrace it.
I’m not really happy with the way I left my bench but I have no idea who will and won’t be available, so why even spitball?
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V, that’s a very interesting lineup…but…and there’s always a but….and quite frankly I am bit disappointed in you for missing this! š¦
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Madison Bumgarner IS THE LEFT HANDED BAT OFF THE BENCH! š
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Baseball doesn’t need a commissioner, they need a momma. When the childish sides start getting unreasonable, the momma can tell both sides, “Don’t make me come up there!”
And if she did have to come up there… well, they wouldn’t do it again.
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A little incite for you folks who have never been in a union. Contract negotiations is a bit of a game. Normally, things start off slow and build to a deadline when each side thinks they have leverage. The nitty gritty is normally both sides have a negotiator who has the authority to actually hammer out a deal. Good ones will come up with a final offer. That offer is presented to the rank and file. Normally a negotiator will “advise” those voting as to if it is a good deal or not.
What I have seen so far is the owners strong arming the “union” … Bad Faith bargaining is a real thing.
The real question to me is which owners are pulling the strings behind the scenes. That is the real culprit. Mt question is this. Is this really an ego thing? I’ve not seen any owners to this point not have an ego just as big as Trump. Just saying.
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What I have seen so far is the owners strong arming the āunionā ā¦ Bad Faith bargaining is a real thing.
Agree. The union has made concessions with each counter. The owners haven’t budged more than a token amount. I get the players’ frustration.
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There’s not really news. Well, somebody is supposed to meet and somebody is supposed to offer/counteroffer and blah blah blah blah.
Duh.
I’m almost over it. Rather than report on speculation, let me present you with facts.
Both side knew way prior to the expiration of the former CBA that it was set to expire, and both side knew when that expiration date was. It ran for years. There was ample time for representatives to work out a new one before the old one expired. They didn’t even have a serious talk.
The former CBA expired on December 1, 2021. Since then, the entire months of December and January have passed. All of December passed with no meetings, and most of January. They first meeting lasted just 90 minutes. There is currently nothing scheduled. They aren’t in any hurry.
Spring camps are scheduled to begin in less than a week. That’s not happening. And with that not happening, the regular season is more likely to be delayed than not.
The longer this drags on the more tired I get of it. I already at some point last week too all of my Atlanta Braves hats and put them away. Same with my shirts. I’m not wearing them Why should I? In reality, they don’t exist at the moment, so there’s no need.
This fan has started watching basketball on TV… NBA at the moment, but there is plenty of NCAA to choose from. That’s a real option. The local high school team has their first exhibition game this Thursday. I’ll be there. I’ll be at most home games and some away games. (It doesn’t hurt that the coach is one of my close friends.) UGA opens their season 2/18 at home. I have an insider for tickets now that my daughter is in school there. Think I can’t find plenty of other things to fill up the space that MLB used to occupy?
I hope MLB returns. I am a little bitter that my beloved Braves won the World Series and we didn’t get to properly enjoy it because of the childish labor dispute. Honestly, we were robbed of the experience. Can it ever be the same? I didn’t think so after the ’94 strike, but it eventually was. I’m older now. I can’t say that it will. I want to say “no”, but it might. It won’t come quickly, though. To this guy who was a rabid fan, the 2022 season is already tainted before it even gets on the field.
So the Braves hats are completely put away. Do you all realize how may other hats I have to choose from? I actually already have a new favorite one. Look up the definition for “microcosm”. Definitely applicable here.
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Ditto….
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“Madison Bumgarner IS THE LEFT HANDED BAT OFF THE BENCH! ”
Hey Berigan, Bumgarner is a RIGHT HANDED HITTER!!!! D’Oh! š¦
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is this a big deal, or not? I mean, if they juiced up for a few months, wouldn’t they lose it fairly quickly?
https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/sports/mlb-no-testing-players-peds-drugs-lockout
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Maybe but roid rage is a real thing.. AKA Ozuna on steroids…. LOL….
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king of steroids…. Jeremy Giambi dead at 47…. damn! ?
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should have said “speaking” of steroids because as we all know, Barry Bonds holds the title of king of steroids but I digress….
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… with a ginormous crown.
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Nothing in this crazy, topsy-turvy world surprises me anymore.
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I do think it may be a little inappropriate to use the phrase “they buried the hatchet”, though. They are each capable of doing just that. Congratulations to the happy couple, and you better keep your eyes open… you crazy kids. š
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Today’s prediction, not that I really care. I’ll start caring again when everybody starts acting like adults. Anyway… today’s prediction:
On the heels of the announcement that the childish lockout is over, the Braves will announce their new contract with Freddie. I’m willing to bet the terms are mostly already hammered out. Do you really think they are all just having a Coke and a smile during this freezeout? Of course not. Freddie’s deal is set and just needs to be signed.
Marcell Ozuna will be the DH, which we now know is already going to be in place. After giving Freddie all of the team’s walking around cash, there isn’t anything left to make any significant moves. Keeping Marcell is actually the best option on the field. Off the field… well, you can decide for yourself. Might as well get used to him batting 4th behind Freddie for a couple more years.
We all better hope that Cristian Pache is better prepared to be a ML regular. We’re gonna need his glove in CF and his bat in the 9 hole. We’ll just have to be happy with what we get. Can’t afford anything else.
Alex will pick up a few players from the scrap heap to fill out the roster, including some pitching castoffs that are hoping for a fresh start. Hey, one man’s Sean Newcomb is another man’s Tyler Matzek.
Seriously, I wouldn’t expect much else earthshaking to happen after Freddie is brought back. There could be a trade or 2, but nothing major.
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Our lineup is going to be ridiculously RH heavy. Maybe Alex can find a cheap LH platoon partner for LF or CF. I wouldn’t expect a whole lot, though. I love Freddie Freeman as much as the next fan, but he’s gonna put a stranglehold on the team’s payroll flexibility. It’s just a fact.
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The Braves can spend whatever they want to, it is just a matter of Liberty Media not wanting to.
I am very tired of Atlanta crying “poor me” …
Perhaps it would be best for all concerned to come up with a league separated by payroll.
New York, Chicago , LA in one league, everyone else in another….
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Keep in mind, the Braves do not have no trade contracts… How much of a return would you expect for a Freddie Freeman? Who else would you get for $30 MM per year? What do you expect it will cost to keep Ozzie and Acuna after their discount runs out? How much higher will ticket prices go? Are folks in Georgia really that poor? Seems like a pretty good place to live and work.
I will not worry about how much money Liberty Media makes, how much do you think the franchise would go for on the open market? Inflation takes a toll on everyone but the rich. Freddie has paid his dues, the Braves have no one to blame but themselves, this deal should have been done last year at this time….
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For what it’s worth…
According to Fangraphs, the current “ballpark” figure for the 2022 Braves’ payroll, estimating arb raisesis $139,991,500.
This figure does not include Freddie Free and/or any other acquisition(s) yet to be made.
For the sake of this exercise, let’s add in $30M for Freddie and we’re at about $169,991,500, or rounded off at $170M before even thinking about bringing anyone else in. I do think it’s possible we could see the payroll stretch as high as $180M, but I’m not holding my breath. Still, what can you go out and get for $10M when you really need another veteran starting pitcher and a LH power bat?
Answer: not much.
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Previously I believed that Alex would bring another veteran starter for this staff, but I’m now backing off that and believing the rotation will be: Fried, Morton, Anderson, Wright, Davidson/Muller. That places alot of hopes on some young arms, but Wright has been up and down a few times and needs to assert himself in 2022. The other guys just simply need to merge.
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Giambi, 47, was found dead in his mother’s home in Claremont, California, on Wednesday morning. A report released by the coroner’s office listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest.
declared a suicide by the coroner. Odd way to do it but…. roids can mess you up methinks…
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Of course he could have been aiming at his head but missed… but I digress….
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very sad about Jason’s kid brother. How bad off would he have to have been to kill himself , at his parents home?
from wiki….(never heard what happened to the lawyer who leaked the info before)
“In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported it had seen Giambi’s 2003 grand jury testimony in the BALCO investigation. The newspaper said that in his testimony, Giambi admitted to using several different steroids during the off-seasons from 2001 to 2003, and injecting himself with human growth hormone during the 2003 season.[45] In a press conference prior to the 2005 season, Giambi apologized publicly to the media and his fans, though he did not specifically state what for. The lawyer who illegally leaked the testimony later pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison.[46]
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I for one am on the one hand glad the Braves staff will no longer have to face opposing pitchers batting, their record against them was awful.
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If I heard this correctly, when the owners submitted their 130 page proposal, 130 pages, to the players’ union on Saturday, they emphasized that it wasn’t their final proposal… just a proposal. Excuse, me, but if I’m not mistaken, the players around the league were supposed to start reporting for Spring training today! Isn’t it about time they stopped messing around and made some final proposals?
Idiocy. It’s all pure idiocy.
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Letās stop messing around with it. Put some officials in a room, guys with authority to make decisions, and list out the differing numbers on a big white board. Either come up with a compromise or quit yanking everyoneās strings. Get a deal done or just admit it wonāt happen. Then we can all just move on.
I can remember when life happened for the sake of reality. Now itās all theater. Everything. Itās all about spin and optics and branding.
I miss the days when there was no internet connecting the whole world in real time. Then things got done without millions of Iāll informed micromanagers having an effect on everything. This goes for sports, politics, manufacturing, everything.
We live in a make believe world because everyone fancies themselves the authority over everything they consume. Truth is most of us are idiots.
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*ill-informed. Autocorrect mangled that one.
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Yep, there is always somebody behind the scenes who get a misguided sense of power. Most likely Scott what’s his name…
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of course stupid twitter now makes it harder to read comments to tweets, cuz…they stink.
so, are the teams being magnanimous about giving new players a 100K more per year, and then each additional year? Am I reading that right? I know, huge money to you and me, but how much more per team, less than a million a year? and they are offering it only now?????
In a way, it’s sorta like politics, you just assume even the furthest left pols still like/love their country…and heck, even center left/center right, MONEY is all that matters to them.
They (baseball folks) Don’t love the game like we do. They don’t care if the season is 162 games, or 145. As long as they don’t take too big a hit financially . and if they don’t pay the players for a month or so, or pay to feed them or fly / bus them around in spring training….they don’t care….they think we will always come back and quickly
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The new “thing” is that in that 130 page proposal, MLB snuck in a proviso that would allow them to cut teams’ offseason minor league rosters from 180 players to 150. Not sure why that’s a big deal because players don’t get paid in the offseason anyway. Seems to me it would make for more player movement and opportunities each new season, but what do I know? At any rate, the union wasn’t happy that it got tucked away in the proposal as if hidden. Needless to say, it’s a non-starter with the union. Personally I think it’s a perfect reflection of the way the league seems to be conducting their negotiations. Nothing seems above board. It all seems like they’re hoping to wait out the union then cram something down their throat as time starts running out.
I’ve always been about ownership because.. hey, they own the teams. They should be able to do what they want with their property. But this new collective snakery has really turned me off. I hope they get taken to the cleaners.
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More like “Everything we wanted to know about negotiating we learned from the Democrats” … You have to pass it to see what’s in it… Just saying
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Details via MLBTR:
[Jeff] Passan tweets that the union is planning to reject MLBās proposal to possibly shrink the number of minor league roster spots. He adds that the MLBPA has declined similar offers by the league in the past.
Among the provisions included in that broad offer: a clause that would allow the commissionerās office to reduce the amount of minor league roster spots available to teams in future seasons, according to a report from Passan.
Currently, teams are permitted to carry up to 180 minor league players in their organizations during the season; that number expands to 190 over the offseason (not including the Dominican Summer League). According to Passan, MLBās proposal would leave that 180-player limit in place for the upcoming season but would provide the league the flexibility to set the limit of minor leaguers per club at under 150 players at some point during the term of the next CBA. Passan hears from a league source that theyāre not currently envisioning cuts to minor league membership at any point in 2023 but value the opportunity to implement stricter roster limits down the line.
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Thanks for the update
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Ryan Zimmerman announces his retirement from baseball today. Ryan was one of my favorite baseball players. He was the National’s first draft pick after moving to Washington. 17 years as a Braves nemesis…
https://richmond.com/sports/professional/washington-nationals-star-ryan-zimmerman-announces-his-retirement/article_4e48c273-321f-5d87-ae70-373592fcb14d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
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As if it isn’t bad enough that the childish lockout has robbed us of an offseason of celebrating our World Series championship, consider this…
Currently on our roster we have just 2 viable CF candidates, Adam Duvall and Cristian Pache. Duvall isn’t really a CF, but he’s a good fielder with good speed and good ability that can make enough plays to be passable. Pache could win a Gold Glove as a rookie but has yet to prove he can hit ML pitching. That said, he’s the best candidate on the roster and could really use a full spring to hit against ML pitching and prove he can make a contribution.
But he won’t get that now will he?
I’m so disgusted with the people yanking the strings. I’d like to throat punch them all.
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A good swift kick in the gonads might be called for too, providing they have any…
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Ya know P&CR should have been yesterday. Instead we have P&CSIL&HNRITD.
Pitchers and catchers sleep in late and have nothing really important to do.
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I really want to get past this stupid stalemate so we can get back to the business of putting this team together. There is sooooooo much work left to be done, and now there is sooooooo little time to put it together.
We still need 1B, CF, LH compliment to LF, veteran SP, bench pieces…
Alot.
We need alot.
The lineup is too RH heavy, the bench is near empty, the rotation is young… I just do not like where it stands and I don’t see a clear path to fixing all the problems…
… especially when the league remains closed for business.
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All the while runaway inflation begins to weigh heavy into every potential contract.
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I suppose maybe Alex and Derek can go to Liberty now and claim that the $180M they haven’t been willing to give to Freddie is really only worth $174M now, and thus it’s a better bargain. Think they’d buy that?
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Nearly every minor league player qualifies for food stamps…
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I’ve had trips to the bathroom last longer than 15 minutes.
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Braves don’t want to pay FF 180 Mil, meanwhile….”Juan Soto Declined $350MM Extension Offer(over 13 years) From Nationals Before Lockout”
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If I’m honest, I don’t believe that the Braves “do not want to” pay him 6/$180M. I think that the front office was doing what front offices do… they had a starting point from which to begin negotiations. And then the lockout came and that initial offer is what was left out to hang in the breeze. I think the Braves have as good a gauge, and probably better, of Freddie’s value as any team. But the process didn’t have a chance to play out. If you go and look at all the doomsayer media regarding Freddie and the Braves over the last few months, there is not one shred of substantive information in it. It’s all speculation. And from that speculation, an editor writes a click-bait headline.
I’ll give you an example…
From Dodger Blue, which is picked up nationally, the headline reads: Chipper Jones: Freddie Freeman Frustrated With Braves, Will āListenā To Contract Offers From Other Teams
What did Chipper actually say?
āI havenāt talked to Freddie in quite some time, but Iām sure heās probably a little frustrated this wasnāt done in Spring Training last year. But the fact of the matter is we didnāt have any fans in the stands. Weāve got owners that didnāt know where revenue was going to be at the end of the year and maybe held out a little bit.
“Heās being courted by some of the prettiest girls on the block right now, heās gonna listen to them.
āThe bottom line is, Freddie I believe before itās all said and done will be playing where he wants to play. I know heās a West Coast guy. I know he has a home here in Atlanta. But Freddie, if he wants to play for the Atlanta Braves, will be playing for the Atlanta Braves. Iāll leave it at that.ā
And every day you see a headline that says something like “Freddie Freeman Could Sign With The Yankees”, or “Freddie Freeman Could Sign With The Dodgers”, or my new favorite “Rangers Emerge As A Possible Contender For Freddie Freeman”. In reality, you could say “Freddie Freeman Could Sign With [insert any MLB team here]” and have some semblance of truth.
These writers have absolutely nothing to write about right now so they have to gin up speculative stories about the biggest names left on the market, and since Freddie has been connected to 2 of the highest profile teams, whose front offices have no secrecy at all, he’s the guy getting most of the national pub.
In my humble opinion, Freddie’s camp has been in plenty of contact to the Braves’ decision makers through back channels, and they are probably in agreement on a framework already. It won’t take too much time to get a deal finalized once the Day Care releases the bickering children from timeout.
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Maybe they could have done something like this before now. š
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It is pretty frustrating to me to not have any REAL baseball news to discus.
So, Juan Sota turns down 13 years $350 million dollars… ??? That is the problem with being in Washington DC area, you lose a sense of reality to the value of money. $350MM guaranteed. Better hope he doesn’t throw a shoe down the home stretch. That is just stupid money…
Hey, he is a great little player but not in that big a market.
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The only real reason I can imagine he’d turn down that kind of guarantee, aside from being a Scott Boras sheep, is that he wants to play his prime years in a major market. I think he wants to take his talents to LA or NY.
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I might even go so afar as to think that WAS should take the hint and deal him after 2022 for the biggest haul they can find.
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Since we have NOTHING To talk about baseball wise…if the braves had, you know, signed FF last off season…well, wouldn’t have to worry about the chance of losing FF, and the P.R. disaster that would be….but hey, saving 5-10 million a year (what they offered, and what it would take to keep him) and having every young brave know they will not finish out their careers there, is totally worth it, right?
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if the braves had, you know, signed FF last off seasonā¦well, wouldnāt have to worry about the chance of losing FF
We don’t know that they didn’t try. We have heard nothing about it from the notoriously silent Braves front office, and we have heard nothing about it from Freddie himself. We’ve heard plenty about it from everyone else and their uncles. But the truth is that we don’t know what the truth is.
What we do have is a narrative that has been shaped in front of us that Freddie is disappointed, hurt, [insert negative emotion here] and is looking at the Yankees (we hear that from the NY press) and the Dodgers (we hear that from the LA press) and now the Rangers (we hear that from the Dallas press). And every news starved major sports department is desperate for clicks and thus has taken these “stories” and inflated them, because there’s nothing of actual substance to print. Did you know that the Giants are also in the mix? I saw that headline last week and followed the link to the “source”, who was a SanFran columnist who simply proposed to his readers that the Giants should make a run at Freddie.
It’s all inflated because there is no real news, so fake news has filled the vacuum. Journalism is dead; check your sources; corroborate them at least twice… and preferably more.
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The Braves fan site Talking Chop, a part of SB Nation, appears to have gone away. If you click on the site link, you get redirected to an unsecured URL. I even tried to go in through the SB Nation homepage. You can get to the MLB page. You can even click through to other MLB team pages. But the Braves link has apparently been corrupted. I initially presumed that the Talking Chop site was hacked, but their Facebook page has also been taken down. Wonder what happened?
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It’s back now. That was weird.
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OK… I have my answer. I just happened to pick the perfect time to find their changeover. Talking Chop has been rebranded as Battery Power.
After 16 years of covering the Atlanta Braves as āTalking Chop,ā I am excited to announce that we are rebranding with the new name of āBattery Power.ā That name may sound familiar as it is the name of our YouTube show that launched last season featuring Cory McCartney and Grant McAuley.
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I’m so over this. We’ve got fathers in Ukraine telling their daughters goodbye knowing they may never see them again, and these fools can’t decide how to divide billions of dollars and play a stupid game. It literally disgusts me. If they lose regular season games, I may check out for good. There are plenty other pursuits to enjoy.
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This is real life.
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Yes, a reminder that some events actually are life and death. Not like baseball sheading fans by the hour…
They are not serious…
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Well, today is “the day” I guess. I’m not optimistic because I don’t believe in fairy tales. MLB is about to lose alot of fans. Those numbers were already on the decline… they’re just tossing a little extra gas on the fire.
What is it the new buzzword? Tone deaf? That’s what we’re seeing… a bunch of ivory tower disconnected millionaires and billionaires isolating their remaining loyal followers.
Screw ’em all. I only say that because I feel like that’s what they’re saying to us first.
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I am about to cancel my MLB package.. I may or may not renew.
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I wish I had a package to cancel….
Imagine if you could (if you were foolish enough to still have cable/satellite) actually get rid of channels you never watch? Imagine if a few million got rid of the MLB channel…I wonder if they would react? Nah….oh well, haven’t been watching baseball for 4 months already, I think I and others will survive.
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They bargained until 2:30am this morning. There seems to be hope. Compromise has begun.
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I guess we will soon learn how long it really takes a pitcher to get ready for the season… Better add a few arms to the bull pen.
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Max Scherzer, who will earn somewhere around $1,450,000 per game/$255,882 per inning/$13,000 per pitch this season, has parked his Porsche and entered the building to renew negotiations where he’ll cry to the owners that the players need more money.
I’m not saying the players are in the wrong here. I’m just saying they shouldn’t make Maxie their labor posterboy.
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Pat Ragazzo is the Mets beat writer for SI.
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This amateur analyst’s opinion:
If the owners are willing to move their deadline, which they did, then it’s not really a deadline. That said, both sides understand that you can only kick the start of Spring Training so far down the line before you start risking pitcher health, as alluded to earlier by Gil. And I also think the owners in particular are beginning to sense the prevailing sentiment of disgust among fans. I’m predicting they’ll get something done before the end of this week and start Spring Training in full swing on Monday as players trickle into camps.
I hope I’m right. I won’t be surprised if I’m wrong.
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That tells me they donāt care about me. And this, I donāt care about them. At least we went out on a high note.
Iāve been a fan since as long as I can remember. But the game has changed. Itās no longer about baseball. Itās just business. Iām not a businessman, Iām a baseball fan. Iāll find something else to be a fan of. Itās not even going to be hard.
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sorta like picking who’s your fav democrat…but, via mlbtr
MLB instituted the lockout unilaterally and couldāve lifted it at any time, electing to proceed under the terms of the 2016-21 CBA. There was never any possibility of the league taking that course of action, but the decision to set a hard deadline (first last night, later delayed until this evening) for an agreement was also made solely by MLB. The Players Association has never assented to that deadline, and Giants outfielder Austin Slater ā the clubās player representative ā argued that the union preferred continuing negotiations over todayās outcome.
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Iām boxing up all my MLB gear. I wonāt support them anymore. They donāt need my dollars. Iām about to cancel my DirecTV DStream streaming service, the only one that carries the Braves games because I donāt care anymore. Iāll go with a better value service.
BTW, are yāall aware that not just one, but two spring pro football leagues are about to commence? Great timing.
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https://www.foxsports.com/stories/usfl/usfl-everything-you-need-to-know
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Yes, and I still have NASCAR
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I’m tired of even keeping up with it. I’ll just be over here doing my own thing. Maybe I’ll notice when they get it all sorted out. Maybe not.
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One opine I read said basically, the owners don’t mind losing April as that is a slow time and TV rights don’t have a refund default until 25 games are missed…. Just saying.
It is a ploy at busting the union plain and simple. I have seen it all before. Anytime there is a lock out that is all it is.
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Gil, if thats the case, really hope the stadiums are never more than half full.
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meant to say, 1/3 full …all season long…
hey, College baseball is still ok to talk about, right? š
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College baseball is awesome, and HS baseball is even better!
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Decide for yourself…
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Interesting perspective on the state of things from David Sampson, former president of the Miami Marlins. He has alot of inside information that the rest of us are not privvy to. Stick with it through the opening and through about the first 29 minutes…
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Even though I’m not very optimistic, I’ll still post a link to an optimistic opinion. I respect the writer and believe he carries some credibility:
MLB CBA: Two Sides are Closer to a Deal Than Many Think
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Confession…
I’m keeping up with the state of things alot more than I said I would. I can’t help it. Yes, I’m still angry and frustrated. But it’s just simply not as easy to go cold turkey as I’d like for it to be. I do still have all of my MLB gear put away and refuse to wear it, which is a bit of a downer since my Braves road cap is my “go to”. But I’m still keeping one eye on the comings and goings.
Dangit. š
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The optics say that the two sides are earnestly trying to come to agreement… finally. But optics have lied before. Let’s hope they are actually working to get this thing tied up in a nice little bow very soon.
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The video you shared of the former Marlin’s president was an eye opener for me. It is all about getting one more vote…
The players will approve whatever the pubahs tell them to.
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Max immediately followed that statement shouting over his shoulder: “Rita! I’m out of caviar! And while you’re in the kitchen, bring me some more champagne! You just can’t get good help these days…”
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Someone is shouting up to the ivory tower that enough is enough.
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Oops… wrong link. Lemme try that again…
There is someone shouting up to the ivory tower that enough is enough.
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This is possibly the first domino. If they have an agreement here, then they should be able to come to a compromise on the numbers portion and be heading toward an “agreement in principle” that should allow the owners to end their stupid lockout and open MLB up for business again.
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It’s at least a hurdle removed if nothing else.
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These numbers are close. Is there any reason they can’t close these gaps?
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It’s getting close, folks.
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Lets just for a minute entertain the idea that an agreement is reached today and the senseless lockout is over…
There is going to be a player movement frenzy like we’ve never seen.
If you don’t think there has been back channel talks between teams and player reps you are sorely naĆÆve.
For the Braves, I expect Freddie to return and I expect another OF to be signed. I also expect at least one trade if not more. I expect William Contreras to be traded as Shae Langeliers has passed him as the Braves catcher of the future. And among all the non-news minor league signings recently, the Braves signed a former college catcher for depth. Of all the positions in the Braves system, catcher was probably the deepest. Contreras is almost certainly on the way out.
Braves need: Freddie, LH bat, OF, Freddie, bench depth, Freddie.
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There will be a DH this year, and there may be a new ban on the shift. If it’s not this year, it’ll be next year. I’ve been pretty much against this until recently. I believe that the overuse of the shift is just another negative byproduct of the analytics movement, and I think it’s one that is adversely affecting the game. Restrict IF shifts on the field and open up a little more offense. If we’re going to openly embrace the universal DH, then let’s embrace this as well. They’ve been toying with all kinds of crazy ideas to enhance offense, including lowering the mound or moving it back. Let’s stop with those ideas and just keep players better spaced in the infield. Averages and OBP’s will go back up commensurate.
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š¤
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https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1501988298583117829
The proposal is in the hands of MLBPA.
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3pm. That’s 68 minutes away.
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For clarification, the 3pm deadline is for a response, not for a total agreement.
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Let’s all hope that Max “Rockefeller” Scherzer doesn’t screw this thing up for everybody.
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Information is coming fast and furious now. Players are reportedly voting on the proposal now, according to several sources.
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Noteworthy in that this is the first time we’ve had a player vote.
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Info is coming down the pike so quickly and voluminously now…
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(It’s really hard to keep up with all this and work too, but I’m dedicated to the cause!)
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There seems to be a sudden pause in what was a flurry of activity. I am hopeful that this means all the press dudes are sitting on ready to tweet out that the agreement has been reached.
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Translation: Max Scherzer and Francisco Lindor are Metsing this whole thing up, as usual.
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How the votes work.
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Should have been this tweet. Tough keeping up folks. I’m doing the best I can and still keep a job…
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Does this mean..?
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Next order of business:
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By all accounts, the players told Max Scherzer to take a hike.
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There will be a bevvy of new rules and regs to adjust to. Let’s let this dust settle, and let’s move into the flurry of trades and FA signings and then we’ll work on a new post to celebrate the new season finally approaching.
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A bunch of out of touch prima donnas. Glad the players themselves told the “executive” committee to go pound sand!
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Rosenthal reports that 5 of the 8 executive board members are Scott Boras clients. No surprise there. He’s been pushing these buttons all along.
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Of course the NY teams. A little surprised by HOU. Alot surprised by STL.
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So glad the stupid extra inning junk is gone. Same for 7-inning DH’s. Let baseball get back to baseball.
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I have heard that FA will officially restart at 6pm ET, but I cannot confirm it.
Working on it…
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OK. There you have that. No radical rule changes in 2022 except for the universal DH and 12-team playoff.
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I’m sorry I blew up the blog yesterday. I got excited. I’m working on a new lede to reset the ol’ B&S heading into the new season.
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Submitted.
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