Official Offseason Thread
- Thread starter Hudson2
- Start date
PawPawMaxwell
Called Up to the Major Leagues
At least the JD interest has more strength than Lucroy did for the 650 pages that that guy David kept going for months on the old Scout board.
NYCBrave
Well-known member
It's almost hard to fathom after the past couple of years, to now see such bad contracts being handed out.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
There are fewer teams punting than the past couple off-seasons.
A new CBA is coming up. Need to make sure the MLBPA is happy going into it.
GovClintonTyree
<B>Vencer a Los Doyers</B>
L'Shod Joon Nads
BeanieAntics
Arbitration Eligible
There are a bunch of teams making the same mistake that the Phillies made. Spending stupid money before they were ready to actually compete. I think the Blue Jays, Angels, Reds, Phillies, and Padres are going to be in for a rude awakening in 2020. The one team that I think has a realistic playoff chance is the White Sox, and even they have handed out some pretty boneheaded contracts.
The thing about the Padres is they only have LAD to try and catch. I don't think Arizona will be competing for the division. SF is clearly rebuilding. Colorado is about to start rebuilding. If the Padres can beat up on the weaker teams in their division they could vie for the second wild card which is what I think they're aiming for.
Reds are in an interesting division where there's no standout team. Phillies I think are spending because they want to try and avoid 4th place.
BeanieAntics
Arbitration Eligible
Right now out of all the NL teams in wild card territory, I think the Padres and the Reds are pretty far down in the pecking order despite their additions. If I had to rank order all the potential wild card teams, minus the division favorites (Us, Dodgers, and Cardinals lets say), it would look something like this:
1. Nationals
2. Mets
3. Cubs
4. Brewers
5. Phillies
6. Reds
7. D'backs
8. Padres
9. Rockies
10. Everyone else
I think a LOT would have to break right for the Padres, Reds, or Phillies to make the playoffs as currently constructed. All of them seem to have some pretty major flaws right now. The Reds look pretty horrible defensively and I don't think that lineup is as intimidating as a lot of people think. Their pitching could be pretty good, but I think it'll underperform due to that defense and the ballpark they play in. The Padres starting pitching is an absolute mess right now outside of Paddack. Their number 2 starter is a guy that hasn't thrown more than 76 innings since 2015. They have some good young pitching in the upper minors, but we all know what relying on that looks like. Their lineup is also pretty suspect once you get past Machado, Tatis, and Pham. They have big money tied in to mediocre players like Hosmer and Myers. They have good young talent, but that roster is kind of a mess in a lot of ways.
The Phillies are the best team of the three, but they are also in the toughest division in the NL right now (and maybe in all the MLB). As they are currently constructed, I still have them as the fourth best team in the division. If they add another good starter, I could see them being 3rd, but there really isn't a ton of pitching on the market right now. That lineup has the potential to be lethal if Harper remembers how to be a superstar and Mccutchen comes back healthy and ready to go. But I think they are going to run into a lot of the same problems they did in 2019. Lots of unrealized potential due mostly to bad starting pitching (after Nola/Wheeler) and a bad bullpen.
As far as the Blue Jays go, no idea what the hell they are thinking. They just decided to lose their minds for some reason. The Angels are still doing what the Angels do: Tying themselves in to expensive contracts long term to try to compete. They have a tendency to ignore massive red flags on their roster just so they can get the big shiny toy, and then those flaws keep them from being competitive later on. The White Sox are the one team that I think has a chance to compete despite some suspect decisions this offseason, but that is mostly because they are in the AL Central.
I feel bad for the Jays (and Orioles). They are both in the division with the Yanks and Sox, and Tampa a team that spends less than the others but somehow remains competitive.
Yet somehow the Jays and Orioles were contending the middle of this decade lol.
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
San Diego's spending isn't hard to understand. Preller is under pressure to get to the playoffs. He is less worried about what a contract will look like in 4 years than he is about having a job in 1 year. He would be a fine target for any rebuilding teams with a win now asset. He is clearly willing to overpay.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
The Jays are gonna be contenders again relatively soon. Red Sox are headed for a downturn.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
Padres have a decent chance of contending for a WC spot.
The number of teams punting in 2020 is going to be a bit less than recent years. Marlins are the only sure punting team in the NL. In the AL, Orioles, Tigers, Mariners and Royals.
Teams that have been punting in recent years but are looking to compete in 2020: White Sox, Padres, Rangers, Reds.
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BeanieAntics
Arbitration Eligible
They Jays and Orioles are in the worst possible spot in the MLB. Stuck in a division with two powerhouses and the smartest team in the MLB. The best chance that either has is to slowly rebuild and piece together a team of young cheap talent for the hope of competing within a 2-3 year window, then repeating that process. If they can get 3 competitive years each decade, they are doing a good job. The Blue Jays had a chance to do something like that with their young core of Guerrero, Bichette, Biggio, and Gurriel. But I really hate the Ryu signing. They tied a bunch of money up to a guy on a team whose ceiling is around 78 wins in the toughest division in baseball.
BeanieAntics
Arbitration Eligible
I also think the Pirates and San Francisco might as well be punting in the NL.
I forgot about the Rangers. These are the teams that I think are trying to compete that shouldn't be: Padres, D'backs, Reds, Rangers, Angels, Blue Jays, and White Sox. Of those teams, I'd be willing to bet that none of them make the playoffs (outside of the White Sox, who have a chance given their division). All of them look like 75-80 win teams to me. The Angels may be slightly better than that 75-80 win window, but they are also in a division with Oakland and Houston.
The one good thing about the Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Rangers offseasons is that it should make the AL more entertaining this year. The past two years have been super boring on that side because there were like 3 insanely good teams, 3 pretty good teams, and 9 terrible teams. Now there should at least be 8-9 teams with half a pulse in that league.
BeanieAntics
Arbitration Eligible
I wasn't a huge fan of the Hamels signing when it happened, but seeing how the market has shaped out makes me like his signing more. The same kinda goes for the Will Smith signing. AA has stayed ahead of the curb when it comes to working the market to his advantage. If he can get us 4+ wins at 3rd base, this'll be one helluva offseason.
I think there was a memo sent to teams from the league saying I would be a good idea to spend this year for leverage in negotiations. Think about it, even the AA spent uncharacteristically. It’s a lot of the mid market teams also.