ChiSox59

I feel like if this were true, we wouldn't be in this position. I do somewhat feel like this whole thing is overblown. I do see where both sides are coming from. I don't think raising the min salary to (say) $800k is unreasonable. I am sure there are a share of players who would happily continue on with the current set up. A cancelled season could certainly be devastating to some fringe players. But if the "vast majority" of players were on board with what the owners propose, we would not be in the position.

Welp, still early in the day but I was hoping for tweets discussing positive momentum in the early going.

I have a good feeling this gets figured out in next 48 hours. No one makes money if they don’t play. The agreement was always going to go down to the final hour. Mlb will meet in the middle on most issues by late tonight and we’ll have baseball March 31. At least that is what I am going to keep telling myself.

Best team fit since Yaz. No fucking brainer, really. Fully expect it to happen.

So the Braves, at least a top quarter franchise in the game, has a trailing 5 year profit of $27M. To use @Harry Chappas example of a $2B franchise, thats a 1.35% average return. Not that great. Don't get me wrong, I am not really advocating for billionaire owners to make more $. I just want baseball. But if the Braves are only raking in a 1.35% average annual return, what does that mean for the low level franchises?

Yeah, I mean $104M is a lot of money. But I figured an MLB franchise of that nature was raking in much more $.

Yep. Some very shortsighted decision making by the Sox in 21.

For the obvious reason that they both badly need innings. Kopech needs to throw 120+ innings this year. I suspect they'll use Crochet similarly to how they used Kopech last year and get him up around 70+ (assuming full season). If we play a 60 game season, neither are getting those totals. I don't worry too much about Kopech. He's going to an elite SP. Not sure Crochet ever makes it into the rotation tho.

Yeah it seems to me like this is going to get hammered out in the next week or two, or we're looking at a coinflip of whether this season happens at all. If a shortened season with no pay for the players and no game revenue for the owners isn't enough to get them to meet in the middle when rubber meets the road next week, what is?

Talk about a death kneel to the sport.

I don't agree with @poppysox often, but I do agree that this was always going to be a last minute thing. No side is going to give more than they have to until....well....they have to. Things don't look great, but at least they're meeting daily. Both sides obviously know where the other side wants to be at this point. There is no real benefit to either side cratering or agreeing to meet in the middle until they have to. If we don't have an agreement a week from today, well....the season isn't looking too good. But until then, I remain hopeful. we see April baseball.

IF they did something like this, they'd surely need to give it a year. You can't tell teams they have to spend $75M a few weeks before the season starts. Not sure how many are under that off hand, but at least a handful definitely are. A floor would be nice, but its not happening. $215M is too low for the luxury tax though. The Sox aren't even ginormous spenders, and are going to be at or over that number assuming they sign someone like Conforto, and their problem isn't really going to get any easier next few years.

Personally, I think so. Making the playoffs in baseball should be hard. I don't really give 2 shits about potential interest adding four undeserving teams to the field creates. The 82 win Phillies team shouldn't be in the playoffs. But its the way we appear to be going, so oh well. I just don't like it.

NCAA is a totally different animal. 16 and 15 seeds win well over 95% of the time. A 2 seed in this proposed MLB playoff structure that wins 100 games but misses the 1 seed bye by 1 game is going to lose to an around .500 7 seed far far far more than 5% of the time. Its terrible I hate it. But its not like its going to change my fandom. Bottom line, around .500 ballclubs don't deserve to make the playoffs. It would have worked out OK for the AL last year, but the NL would have been gross.

March 3rd. Season is delayed a week even though it feel like they could have started on time, especially when the date comes. But there’s lots of wishfulness in that take.

Fair enough my friend. Its why both vanilla and chocolate exist!

In a 7 game series, I agree. In a 3 game series legitimately anything can happen. Its baseball. 95-100 win teams are going to lose to slightly above .500 teams regularly in the 2 vs. 7 seed three game series under this format. Its a stupid way to go out after grinding for 162. Win your division or go home. 1 WC was enough. 2 was dumb but acceptable. Anything further is just a money grab. But, such is life.

That's fair. I am VERY against expanded playoffs. I think its horrible. But I it won't impact my love for the game one iota. Just think it removes a little beauty from the game.

It just sucks for the teams that actually had a fantastic season. You win 100 games and then lose a 3 game series and go home. Its terrible.

Probably.

This is an interesting idea. Team defense might be the worst in the league tho with Mous at 2B. We really need a plus defender at 2B. I still really like the LaStella for Keuchel+. LaStella will miss a month or maybe two, but he's a great team fit and Leury/Romy can cover in the meantime. You can still bring in a cheap defense first utility infielder too. But without Keuchel, you obviously have to bring in a reliable SP elsewhere then. I fully expect Keuchel to be on this roster tho, and frankly I think he'll be fine as the 5. This team is plenty good enough to win the division comfortably with Keuchel as the 5. I worry more about keeping his innings in check to avoid paying him $20M in 23 than him killing the Sox from the 5 spot.

You're saying your not going to take Two Gun Pete's words of wisdom on this one?

If the Sox sign Conforto, it won't be for one year. It sounds like the QO is going away, but not necessarily draft pick compensation. From what I read, sounded like the team losing an elite player to FA may still get something in the draft, but necessary "from" the signing team. With Conforto being offered the QO before the CBA expired, not exactly sure how that would be ruled, but assume this year's FA's with the QO attached will still be subject to draft pick compensation.

Anderson SS, Moncada 3B, Robert CF, Abreu 1B, Eloy DH, Grandal C, Vaughn LF, Conforto RF, Leury 2B is a heck of a lineup. Sign a good defensive 2B and push Leury to supersub where he belongs and its absolutely stacked. You can mix up the order a bit if you want, can pretty much roll them out however you want 2-8 and its going to be good. Certainly not the best defensive team out there, but not much you can really do about that at this point. Its why we need at least an average defensive RF and a good defensive 2B tho.

Conforto has a 3000 PA sample size of being a well above average hitter. Sheets has a 180 PA sample sized of good matchups showing he's an above average hitter. These two things are nothing alike. One is also a RF, the other is a DH only. Additionally, the Adams have absolutely nothing to do with Conforto, who isn't really even a "slugger" like those 2 were. Conforto is not a superstar. He is a well above average hitter that fits a ton of team needs and all he costs is $.