2025-2026 offseason thread

[The Tariff King]

Don't care what anyone says.

Andruw should have won MVP in 2005 for what he did to carry us that season.

That's my fandom and I'll die on that hill.

 

[Enscheff]

Don't care what anyone says.

Andruw should have won MVP in 2005 for what he did to carry us that season.

That's my fandom and I'll die on that hill.

fWAR agrees with you since Andrew led the NL 7.9 to 7.7 over Pujols. Back then people were still overrating BA, and didn’t know how to quantify just how much defensive value Andrew produced.

While a 0.2 WAR lead isn’t conclusive, he should have gotten way more MVP love than he did.

 

[thewupk]

I don’t see a single season where Pujols was the clear cut most valuable player, much less 6.

Look harder. I bet you'll find it.

 

[bravesnumberone]

14 days until pitchers and catchers report. Today would be a fantastic day for AA to improve the roster.

 

[UNCBlue012]

Framber, Gallen, Bassitt, Little, among others, are still available. Kind of crazy

 

[Carp]

So happy to see that Valdez completely tanked his value with that little stunt this season. What an asshole.

 

[Tapate50]

So happy to see that Valdez completely tanked his value with that little stunt this season. What an asshole.

We think.

He totally should have. Anyone’s catcher group would probably go medieval on management for bringing that cat on

 

[Super]

Gallen declining the QO is a weird mistake. No one is going to want to pay you much more than that with a pick attached to you. Take the QO, hope to rebound, and be an unencumbered FA next offseason.

 

[Tapate50]

Gallen declining the QO is a weird mistake. No one is going to want to pay you much more than that with a pick attached to you. Take the QO, hope to rebound, and be an unencumbered FA next offseason.

He may be sitting until that pick rolls off… what’s that May?

 

[bravesnumberone]

I can't imagine the QO rule will stand in the new CBA. Not sure why the players ever agreed to it in the first place. Teams should be incentivized/compensated for keeping their talent, not the other way around.

 

[Carp]

He may be sitting until that pick rolls off… what’s that May?

I think he would just resign with AZ before that.

 

[Carp]

I can't imagine the QO rule will stand in the new CBA. Not sure why the players ever agreed to it in the first place. Teams should be incentivized/compensated for keeping their talent, not the other way around.

I think there should be a tier. If a player signs a deal for 5+ years OR a total value of like 150 million, then that team forfeits a its 2nd highest pick. The team he was originally with before FA started can gain a pick if they sign him to a deal matching those figures.

 

[Jaw]

Compensate teams that lose free agents, penalize teams for extreme spending whether high or low. Attaching penalties to individual players is terrible.

 

[Enscheff]

The QO really seems to hurt players whose expected overall contract is right around $50M-$100M. They become almost unsignable, and more should be accepting it.

Maybe they need to make the QO be something like a 3 year deal at the current rate so more guys will take it? Maybe allow teams to offer a 1 year, 3 year or 5 year option with escalating penalties for the new signing team?

 

[MadduxFanII]

Maybe they need to make the QO be something like a 3 year deal at the current rate so more guys will take it? Maybe allow teams to offer a 1 year, 3 year or 5 year option with escalating penalties for the new signing team?

This is kind of an intriguing idea. A tiered qualifying option system would introduce a lot of interesting dynamics into the decision-making process.

Let's call Tony and Rob, make it happen.

 

[Enscheff]

Look harder. I bet you'll find it.

OK...

2001
Bonds - 12.5
Pujols - 7.2

2002
Bonds - 12.7
Pujols - 5.4

2003
Bonds - 10.2
Pujols - 9.5

2004
Bonds - 11.9
Pujols - 7.8

2005
Andruw - 7.9
Pujols - 7.7

2006
Pujols - 8.1
Beltran - 7.8

2007
Wright - 8.4
Pujols - 7.7

2008
Pujols - 8.7
Mac - 8.3

2009
Pujols - 8.4
Utley - 8.2

2010
Votto - 6.9
Pujols - 6.8

2011
Kemp - 8.3
Pujols - 3.9

Everyone who understands which version of WAR more correctly values defensive contributions also understands that anything less than a 1 WAR difference is by no means conclusive of anything. Pujols was never clearly the MVP, much less 6 times in a row.

 

[Tapate50]

This is kind of an intriguing idea. A tiered qualifying option system would introduce a lot of interesting dynamics into the decision-making process.

Let's call Tony and Rob, make it happen.

I like that, plus also an option for the team to match any competing offer if they chose

 

[CyYoung31]

Off-topic (are we ever on topic here?), if Bonds still has his legs from the 90’s during the 2000’s run…how much WAR is he putting up?

 

[Enscheff]

Off-topic (are we ever on topic here?), if Bonds still has his legs from the 90’s during the 2000’s run…how much WAR is he putting up?

That's the thing about baserunning...it adds very little value. His peak runs added due to baserunning was 5.0 runs in 1990 when he stole 52 bases. His worst baserunning season was his last in 2007 when he was at -4.3 runs. That's a difference of less than 1 win between his absolute peak, and his absolute worst. During the 2000s he was mostly a 0, so his 90s legs would have added, at most 0.5 wins per season...but probably not even that.

And his defense was also overrated. In the 80s he was elite, posting up to 30 runs in defensive value. However, in the 90s he was very mediocre, usually adding 0-5 runs of value. Then in the 2000s he was negative, but not massively negative until his last couple seasons when he literally couldn't move. So again, at most, maybe 0.5-1.0 wins per season if he had his 90s legs.

Even in the 90s Bonds' value mainly came from the .400+ OBP, back when folks underrated OBP. Then he hit the juice, became the most fearsome slugger to ever live, and his OBP jumped even more to .500+, peaking at an absolutely absurd .600+. The stretch from 2001-2004 is the most absurd offensive performance in the history of the modern sport (wOBAs pushing up against .550), and I doubt it will ever be matched.

What would have helped Bonds more than anything would have been the DH. I bet he'd have another 10+ WAR if he was able to just bat from age 40 to 45, and likely passes Ruth as the all time leader.

 

[CyYoung31]

That's the thing about baserunning...it adds very little value. His peak runs added due to baserunning was 5.0 runs in 1990 when he stole 52 bases. His worst baserunning season was his last in 2007 when he was at -4.3 runs. That's a difference of less than 1 win between his absolute peak, and his absolute worst. During the 2000s he was mostly a 0, so his 90s legs would have added, at most 0.5 wins per season...but probably not even that.

And his defense was also overrated. In the 80s he was elite, posting up to 30 runs in defensive value. However, in the 90s he was very mediocre, usually adding 0-5 runs of value. Then in the 2000s he was negative, but not massively negative until his last couple seasons when he literally couldn't move. So again, at most, maybe 0.5-1.0 wins per season if he had his 90s legs.

Even in the 90s Bonds' value mainly came from the .400+ OBP, back when folks underrated OBP. Then he hit the juice, became the most fearsome slugger to ever live, and his OBP jumped even more to .500+, peaking at an absolutely absurd .600+. The stretch from 2001-2004 is the most absurd offensive performance in the history of the modern sport (wOBAs pushing up against .550), and I doubt it will ever be matched.

What would have helped Bonds more than anything would have been the DH. I bet he'd have another 10+ WAR if he was able to just bat from age 40 to 45, and likely passes Ruth as the all time leader.

I was mainly talking about defense. But I was thinking his 90’s defense was more in line with what it was when he came up.