Who is your front runners going into spring training??
Posts archived: 97 / 97 posts (100%) · the total is Torn's reply count + the opening post at the last fetch
I think the Dodgers are still a powerhouse.
The Braves look hot. Picking up Profar, and getting Acuna and Strider back... could be a strong team.
I think we'll see the typical teams, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Astros.
Not exactly the question you were asking, but I'm hoping for a Rays/Athletics ALCS, so that we have an entire championship series that cannot take place in a Major League park.
Strictly speaking, I'm okay with this ALCS pairing outside of this year, as long as both teams are both still playing in a minor league park.
In my head, it would be awesome if the Rays somehow reacquired Brett Phillips and we are able to see him do the airplane thing again....acquiring a save in the ALCS.
I strongly approve of this plan
If we can get some solid pitching out of Sale along with a positive progression with Spencer Schwellenbach and Bryce Elder we'll be fine even w/o Acuna and Strider. Now I say that based on their projected return. My Braves bullpen will be our weakness. Something I hope they can improve as season goes on.....seemingly most teams do that.
On a unpopular topic down my way, I want the the Braves to trade Acuna. His contract value and talent vs what we could get........pfft. Obvioulsly any GM would ask why this if ATL offered......let him get right first then trade. Two bad knees this early.......value goes down exponentially from here. Braves will not give him another contract.
Your Brewers will be solid as always. I need to see what moves they made
Love the LP video you have on your profile!!
On a unpopular topic down my way, I want the the Braves to trade Acuna. His contract value and talent vs what we could get........pfft. Obvioulsly any GM would ask why this if ATL offered......let him get right first then trade. Two bad knees this early.......value goes down exponentially from here. Braves will not give him another contract.
- Are you hoping for a prospect haul in a healthy Acuna trade or established major league talent?
- Which teams are you eyeing as a possible candidate for a healthy Acuna trade?
For number 1, I'm guessing that the Braves management goes with a prospect haul with a hypothetical healthy Acuna trade, since the Braves are basically a rich man's Tampa Bay these days.
For number 2, I'd guess that the Angels would be open to a hypothetical healthy Acuna trade, although the Angels farm is a bit weak at the moment due to promoting so many players so quickly.
Minor league players are commodities obviously. Top tier minor league players are the ones used to move big time major league players. Yes the Braves are owned by a company that gives them a limited budget. With the years remaining on Acuna's contract (extremely team friendly). I personally was taken back when he signed the long-term contract. I thought it would've been more but hey.....I'll take it.
Acuna is still very young believe it or not (27 yrs old). I would hope it would bring back a couple top tier MLB ready prospects along with a solid young MLB player. Could be more or less, I just know that contract matched with a healthy Acuna is potentially a massive haul in return.
I want no part of anything the Angels do....they have made really bad decisions in the past. Hell they've been paying Anthony Rendon a ton of cash to rehab for the last 3-4 years and he's "hurt" again. Gotta love guaranteed contracts lol.
We had soooooo many injuries to MVP and Cy Young type player(s) and many more to all-star caliber players, and still made the playoffs. One game away of Sale not hurting his back and being scratched from who knows how we'd do.
I'm looking forward to see what 2025 brings for the Braves.
What are ya'lls thoughts on the new "challenge" system for batters/pitchers?? Have you seen the "golden bat thought" that MLB is mulling??
I wonder if a batter's dugout would start visibly arguing with the batter heading back the dugout if the batter loses a bunch of challenges.
Same situation, but for a pitcher and his defense for a pitcher that loses a bunch of challenges.
I also wonder if they will (eventually) allow catchers to challenge pitch calls in the same way that pitchers were allowed to.
To anyone that watched the Tokyo Series live in a US time zone (especially mountain or pacific)
What was your strategy for watching the game at such an awful start time? :D
Not exactly the question you asked, but I'm low key rooting for the Athletics and the Rays this year, due to the circumstances that forced them both out of their major league stadia.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Athletics actually manage to sneak into a Wild Card berth this year since the AL West seems a bit weak AND because their temporary home stadium seems very hitter friendly. I'm actually making plans to go to the Athletics temporary home stadium when my actual fav. team goes to play there in 2026.
I don't think the Rays will make the playoffs though...the AL East seems too stacked.
Dodgers....then maybe the braves
ATL has a great ballpark with a small town feel, you can walk around in and forget you're at the ballpark.
Any predictions on Cy Young and MVP???
So, the Angels gave up on Moniak....I had my hopes that the Angels could rehabilitate Moniak (and get him for a steal) the way the Dodgers typically do.
So it goes, I guess.
How about them O's??
It was great seeing such an offensive explosion after we really lacked that down the stretch last year. Efflin was on fire yesterday, only giving up a 2 run bomb. As always, pitching is going to be the huge question; I honestly think people are sleeping on Sugano, even after he was brilliant in spring training. I think he will be dominate in the beginning, as teams get tape on him. Anybody not thinking he has a legitimate shot at being a dark horse ROTY (at 35 no less) should pay attention to this guy. Sure, he may not be able to adapt to the MLB and bomb, but I think there is a better shot at him defying expectations.
I am eager for us to win a playoff game this season after hitting 101 and 91 the past two years and being swept in the postseason.
I'm honestly shocked that the Os haven't won a playoff game these past two years....it's good to see their rebuild succeeding.
I'm holding out hope that the Os can hold onto their young core long enough for the Nats to get their young core online, so that we can see an all DC World Series.
Yeah, I know that particular World Series may not draw the best ratings, but it would be cool nonetheless.
That would be amazing. Sure, probably not the most marketable WS, but it would be absolute madness in the DMV. It was a bit disappointing to see our lack of serious pursuit of a new ace, but I'm hoping our guys can be consistent enough to make up for it. We have a couple injured pitchers that will play key roles down the line.
How about the Nats tho, Gore with 13Ks. Hopefully he can keep some consistency, because he's great when he's on. I would love to see this kid have a breakout season. I would love to see the Nats get the upper hand on Philadelphia for a bit, who have the absolute worst fans in baseball.
How about the Nats tho, Gore with 13Ks. Hopefully he can keep some consistency, because he's great when he's on. I would love to see this kid have a breakout season.
All I will say is that it's nice to see the Padres top prospects circa 2022 Nationals young core succeed, not that Padres fans are bitter about that trade or anything.
I hope the Nats will be able to field someone for the All Star game this year that the fans actually voted in (I think Josiah Gray was put on last year's all star team by MLB to make sure that the Nats had some representation).
I would love to see the Nats get the upper hand on Philadelphia for a bit, who have the absolute worst fans in baseball.
I would love to go to Citizen's Bank when the Dodgers are in town to see the two worst MLB fanbases compete for who can be number one...all while I'm conveniently wearing clothing not affiliated with any team.
I went to an O's v. Phillies game long ago during interleague play. The fans were so rude, we didn't even get into the park before we were being screamed at. We literally had a car creeping towards us as we were crossing the street at a red light. I have only even been to one Nats game, when they first came to D.C. and Pittsburgh; i found the fans to be pretty chill.
Have you been to Camden Yards? I don't know how true it is, but allegedly we have the best fans in baseball or something, which i feel like is surprising because it being Baltimore and all. Then again in the dozens and dozens of games I have been to, I have never seen a fan ne slightly disrespectful. I actually enjoy talking to out of town fans.
Have you been to Camden Yards?
Camden Yards is near the top of MLB stadiums that I want to go to that opened after 1980, ever since I saw a YouTube video that went into the different eras of stadium architecture. 1980 is a convenient dividing point, because the older stadiums are kind of on a pedestal the newer ones can't match.
What is at the top of that particular category for me?
Tokyo Dome (has hosted MLB regular season games, and opened after 1980). Eat it, suckas.
There's nothing that particularly attracts me about the other planned or present MLB World Tour venues....they're just too new. Some of the international venues before the MLB World Tour look intriguing, such as the one in Australia.
If we are talking about stadia within US/Canada, some of the others I'd like to visit (besides Camden) is the home stadium of the Giants, loanDepot in Miami, and PNC, because I've heard good things about all of them. I'd also like to visit Kauffman, because I think its days are numbered.
I made a point of catching a game in Oakland before the Athletics moved out. While it was awe inspiring to be in the same place that the Bash Brothers made home, the stadium had clearly seen better times. :(