2021 MLB offseason - news and notes

jon abbey

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Lots of smoke around Freeman to TOR, Vlad Jr changed his position on his Instagram to 3B. That would suck.
 

NYCSox

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At this point it wouldn't be surprising if Votto and his last two years (2/50) can be had for less than you might otherwise think. Not a bad fall back for Jays to get a Candian son on their roster.
 

staz

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The cradle of the game.
If true, I'm glad that smaller market teams are competing for the elite free agents, but once again, do the Rockies have any semblance of a strategy?
Teams tanking: COL, CIN, OAK
Teams not tanking but should: TEX, WSN, MIN
And CIN doesn't even care if it gets 80 cents on the dollar, apparently.
So the Reds and A's have punted their seasons already. Curious to see if A's manage to have fewer than 1000 people in the stands for one of their Tuesday games. I wouldn't rule it out. That ownership group has destroyed a once-proud franchise with extremely loyal fans.
It is a shame. And today, A's get a ton of prospects for Olson; another cohort of fine young players they will develop these next couple of years, and then sell off before realizing the fruits of their labor.
 

LogansDad

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I love this for the Mariners. Williamson is a good prospect, but they had three guys here last year with the Travelers who are more polished and likely ready to contribute this year or next (Brash, Kirby and Hancock, though Hancock got shut down with a lat injury yesterday... and to a lesser extent Levi Stoudt). There is not a lot of offense coming through outside of Julio, though, so I love the addition of Suarez and Winker for them.
 

radsoxfan

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So what are the chances Tatis Jr fractured the wrist in the motorcycle accident last December?
Seems quite likely. Incredible to go undiagnosed this long, I guess maybe the Padres docs couldn't get involved with the lockout?

This is the one bone in the hand/wrist you don't want to break and going 3+ months since the initial fracture puts it at real risk for avascular necrosis (bone death). He will probably need surgery, potentially bone grafting, and very close follow up.

These are very commonly missed fractures on initial X-Rays, and when patients come back (sometimes 3 months later, sometimes 3 years later) lots of long term problems are possible. Of course for someone who just got a 340M contract, a missed scaphoid fracture on an X-Ray shouldn't matter because it should be caught on an MRI right away.

But I guess somehow offseason, injury in Dominican, lockout, etc. this slipped through the cracks. You'd think the Padres would basically demand he come in for a full eval to prevent something like this though. He could have had surgery in December and basically be good to go right now. What an expensive mistake.
 

jon abbey

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The lockout started December 2 and part of that was MLB could have no contact with the players on the 40 man, the motorcycle accident was December 7 or 8 (reported at the time).
 

nvalvo

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So... looks like a massive unforced error by management, then. Their lockout stunt will cost a half-season by their exciting young star.
 

YTF

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So... looks like a massive unforced error by management, then. Their lockout stunt will cost a half-season by their exciting young star.
Good point, but the guy on the motorcycle bears some responsibility here as well. He was on the IL a couple of times last season missing 30 games due to a partially dislocated shoulder. The issue was bad enough that there was a decision to be about whether or not he should have surgery and he opted against it.
 

Everetts Dinosaurs

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JCizzle

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This would be a shame, a real shame.
Unvaccinated players on the Yankees and Mets are covered by the same private sector employer mandate that is keeping Kyrie Irving off the court in Brooklyn, a City Hall spokesperson told the Daily News.
...
It’s unclear exactly which players on the New York baseball teams are unvaccinated, but Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is widely believed to have not received the shot. When news came out that unvaccinated players could not play road games in Toronto, it was reported that the Yankees “would miss a chunk of the middle of their order,” implying star hitters other than Judge were unvaccinated. Judge’s vaccination status came up last summer, when he was among several Yankees to test positive for the virus after the All-Star break.
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-unvaccinated-mlb-new-york-home-games-20220315-xs2exzidsjda7ptjpk5dywpori-story.html
 

Murderer's Crow

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I actually think this is great news - because it will force the Yankees players to get vaxxed. It will still be a question mark for a couple of players and definitely for players in other states. But now you have players in the AL East not able to play in two states. Quick math tells me that's 12% of their salary + the Mets series. So many questions here but my gut tells me the one we care about most - Judge, will get vaxxed. He could either be in a position for a long-term contract with the Yankees and maybe a captain, or he could be traded and run out of town by the team.
 

YTF

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View: https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1503778615611305989?s=21


“Not only does Atlanta have a new 1B in Matt Olson, it’s going to have him for a long, long time. Olson and the Braves have agreed on an eight-year, $168 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta locks up the hometown kid two years before he was due to hit the market.”
I'm assuming that this isn't true extension as in an additional 8 years to his current contract, but rather a new deal that buys out his remaining arbitration years ('22 and '23) with an additional 6 years to follow.
 

jon abbey

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I'm assuming that this isn't true extension as in an additional 8 years to his current contract, but rather a new deal that buys out his remaining arbitration years ('22 and '23) with an additional 6 years to follow.
Correct.
 

YTF

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I actually think this is great news - because it will force the Yankees players to get vaxxed. It will still be a question mark for a couple of players and definitely for players in other states. But now you have players in the AL East not able to play in two states. Quick math tells me that's 12% of their salary + the Mets series. So many questions here but my gut tells me the one we care about most - Judge, will get vaxxed. He could either be in a position for a long-term contract with the Yankees and maybe a captain, or he could be traded and run out of town by the team.
I'm as pro vax as the next guy, but I find the NYC rules very curious. Will this be similar in that unvaxxed players will be allowed to practice or take BP at home , but not allowed to play like Kyrie Irving with the Nets?
 

Murderer's Crow

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I'm as pro vax as the next guy, but I find the NYC rules very curious. Will this be similar in that unvaxxed players will be allowed to practice or take BP at home , but not allowed to play like Kyrie Irving with the Nets?
No disagreement. The rules are pretty contradictory as highlighted by the Kyrie situation. Baseball is outdoors, it's very weird to not have a carveout for outdoor sports. In the meantime, I hope it means more players get vaxxed.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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I think it’s more about the fact that they wanted to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and carving out exemptions for millionaire athletes when they weren’t doing so for cops and nurses wasn’t a good look.

Granted, things have changed and at least in NYC, I think Adams could lift this and not feel any pressure from anyone. I highly doubt he wants to hear about this for the entire season.
 

YTF

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I think it’s more about the fact that they wanted to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and carving out exemptions for millionaire athletes when they weren’t doing so for cops and nurses wasn’t a good look.

Granted, things have changed and at least in NYC, I think Adams could lift this and not feel any pressure from anyone. I highly doubt he wants to hear about this for the entire season.
Oh, I fully understand the whole "it's a bad look" thing, but they're only prolonging the outcry as it's not going away.
 

Lowrielicious

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Seems quite likely. Incredible to go undiagnosed this long, I guess maybe the Padres docs couldn't get involved with the lockout?

This is the one bone in the hand/wrist you don't want to break and going 3+ months since the initial fracture puts it at real risk for avascular necrosis (bone death). He will probably need surgery, potentially bone grafting, and very close follow up.

These are very commonly missed fractures on initial X-Rays, and when patients come back (sometimes 3 months later, sometimes 3 years later) lots of long term problems are possible. Of course for someone who just got a 340M contract, a missed scaphoid fracture on an X-Ray shouldn't matter because it should be caught on an MRI right away.

But I guess somehow offseason, injury in Dominican, lockout, etc. this slipped through the cracks. You'd think the Padres would basically demand he come in for a full eval to prevent something like this though. He could have had surgery in December and basically be good to go right now. What an expensive mistake.
With the club not in contact its pretty incredible that Tatis didn't have an MRI on his own if it was hurt enough to Xray.
 

radsoxfan

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With the club not in contact its pretty incredible that Tatis didn't have an MRI on his own if it was hurt enough to Xray.
Agree.

I'm sure an MRI is not standard of care in the Dominican for a "sprained wrist" and "normal X-Ray" right away.... but you would think someone would have gotten him in an MRI scanner sooner rather than later. It must have still been bugging him.

I can only assume the Padres and their medical staff had little to no knowledge about the specifics of his injuries otherwise I'm sure they would have pushed for one if he was still sore at all.
 

EvilEmpire

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I wonder if it was a case of him not wanting to ask questions that he really didn't want answered. Young guy hurts himself doing something that he shouldn't have been doing. Hoped it was a sprain and would heal on its own without getting the kind of follow-up care that might hit the papers.
 

chawson

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Interesting note from Rosenthal’s latest here:

• The Reds, rather than continue to reduce payroll, intend to keep right-handers Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, and add free agents with some of the money they saved in various deals. The team’s payroll, per Fangraphs, currently stands at $90.1 million.
 

LogansDad

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chawson

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I actually kind of hope they end up with Freeman, too (it's doable, as it would allow them to swap Vlad and Freeman between 1B and Vlad and Chapman between 3B, and give all three some extra rest/time as a DH).
Vlad was a +2 defensive runs saved first baseman last year. I wouldn’t put it past them the way they’re going, but moving him to DH at 23 seems like an awful lot of defensive value to give up.

Sadly, Schwarber makes more sense. I’d hate to see that.
 

LogansDad

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Vlad was a +2 defensive runs saved first baseman last year. I wouldn’t put it past them the way they’re going, but moving him to DH at 23 seems like an awful lot of defensive value to give up.

Sadly, Schwarber makes more sense. I’d hate to see that.
Yeah, I agree and was more just letting my brain fungus come out loud. I really think the Blue Jays will be a lot of fun to watch either way.
 

Tokyo Sox

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Man this Suzuki news is such a gut punch. I thought for sure the Sox would sign him, such a perfect fit. Then we miss Schwarber. Then Sale is injured. Then we had a big earthquake over here. Crap.
 

edoug

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Man this Suzuki news is such a gut punch. I thought for sure the Sox would sign him, such a perfect fit. Then we miss Schwarber. Then Sale is injured. Then we had a big earthquake over here. Crap.
I hope you're okay.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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Rough day...

Still on the table: Correia, Freeman, Bryant, Story, Jansen, Conforto, Pineda, Greinke, Soler, Rosario, Joc Pederson?

A trade for Sean Murphy and Montas/Manaea would put a spring back in my step, but I don't know that the Las Vegas Aviators have any more room in their clubhouse.
 

Yelling At Clouds

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So I guess we’re looking at Correa back to HOU, Story to LAA, Freeman to LAD, Kris Bryant … Rockies? Is that really happening? I’m going to say there’s still a possibility he goes to Seattle, even after the trade.

Castellanos, no idea. Conforto, nowhere until after the draft.

EDIT: As I think about it, Bryant makes a ton of sense for the Red Sox, but there has been zero buzz about that from what I can tell.
 
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