7Mo

The "new hot dog vendor" thread is on it's fifth page so I'll vote for that.

Clev is also sending $500,000. That wasn't included in the early reporting. I think in a few years, we'll have a better return.

We may well have gotten more for Bundy than they did for Kluber.

I get that. But I still don't understand why the league is doing this rather than individual clubs. Maybe the answer is sweeping and drastic changes all at once because the bargaining power is so much greater that way.

I understand independent leagues and teams. I'm trying to figure out why MLB is making an issue of this when each team should be able to make their own choices. Is MLB just carrying the sword on behalf of teams who would prefer not to be the first to drop affiliates down to 5 total?

So help me here. Most teams have 6-7 affiliates and this plan would reduce that to 5. Most teams support 212 players and this would reduce that number to 160. Are major league teams committed, now, to keeping 6-7 affiliates and 212 players? Why wouldn't each MLB team make their own choices and decisions about reducing?

And the key word is "building". It takes time.

You've seen him a lot more than I have so that's good enough for me. Thanks.

I was surprised that Moustakas did an adequate job as a second baseman. Do you believe Mountcastle moves well enough laterally for a second baseman?

Well, the Tigers were exceptional at what they were doing last year. The O's are far from the only team that waits on a prospect to be on the cusp of the major leagues and then decides a position change is a great idea but I am at a loss for why it wasn't done last year. Seems like they were pretty satisfied with his progress in left. I don't really understand the 2B experiment.

All in good time my friend. Why interrupt the pennant chase with experimenting?

But with a month or 2 at Norfolk to start the year, they'll get all of that figured out.!! Sorry, couldn't resist needling you there.

True. Hopefully Mountcastle can be league average as a defender in left.

Maybe, probably, but I'm glad they're not taking the easy route and just sticking him at first. I think he eventually winds up in left and is at least adequate.

Agree with all of this but I really like the idea of adding in the minor league phase especially when we can pick up 1-2 guys that Koby Perez is very familiar with. That's an area where we are deficient and this seems like an easy and cost effective way to build.

38. December 12, 2018 article. Also, anyone who is on the 38-player Triple-A roster is protected from being picked in the minor league draft. The minor league phase is much simpler--there are no eligibility rules that have to then be maintained. The player is drafted, the player's old organization is paid $24,500 (editor's note: this is updated after originally stating an incorrect figure) and immediately the player becomes a member of his new organization. Almost all of the players picked in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft are viewed as useful organizational players for their new team, but occasionally a player does find success with his new organization. Top players picked in the minor league Rule 5 include Alexi Ogando, Justin Bour, Omar Narvaez and Alejandro de Aza. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/explaining-the-rule-5-draft/

This says there are 2 additional protections, one at AAA and one at AA. There are three separate phases in the Rule 5 Draft: the Major League phase, the Class AAA phase and the Class AA phase. A player selected in one of the three phases must be placed on the Major League Club's Reserve List in the same classification of the phase in which the player was selected. Within each phase, only players from a Reserve List of a lower classification Club are eligible for selection. Major League Clubs select in reverse order of their League standing at the close of the preceding championship season. Keep in mind that the roster size for purposes of the Rule 5 draft is much larger than the actual playing rosters. The Major League reserve roster is 40, while the playing roster is 25. The AAA roster size is 38, and the AA roster size is 37. https://pennstatelaw.psu.edu/_file/Sports Law Policy and Research Institute/teaching_handout_3.pdf I don't see a date published anywhere.

He wouldn't need to be now, right? The Rule 5 has passed. I worded it wrong. They didn't want to complete the trade with SD before the Rule 5 because they would need to protect him but once it's done, they get a guy they don't have to put on the 40 man until next year at this time. Your wording above is more accurate.

Exactly. They didn't want to carry Reed on their 40 until after the Rule 5.

If you want to grab on to something positive, Ramon Laureano. The Astros gave away Laureano for Brandon Bailey. Clearly a bad value trade. Elias just picked up Bailey for a Rule 5 pick. Bailey won't need to produce a lot to justify the value. But you're right. It's the process. It's not one trade, but a way of operating over a series of trades/picks/signings. It'll take time.

Ok cool. Wonder why the A's completed the trade for Buddy Reed immediately after the Rule 5? The Rule 5 is the tail wagging the dog. It should start the winter meetings, not end it. That would allow teams more freedom to finish trades.

Those are all issues to take up with MLB. And yes, I think the Rule 5 draft deters trading at winter meetings. Do you disagree?

He found one heck of a lunch plan.

I agree with this. There should be 3-4-5 guys where you can compare '19 to '20 and shave a run or more. I watched Ty Blach in college. I like Ty. But it shouldn't be a big challenge to improve on the innings he threw.

Springer was a strike out machine but in the opposite way of Gray Rod. The stros changed his swing and approach and developed a toolsy but ineffective player into a great player. "Astroball" has a very good description. Altuve was an undersized second baseman with zero power until the stros re-made his swing. We don't have an analog to the "post swing change Altuve". But we have a few "pre-swing change Altuve" already, as does about every MLB team. The key will be whether we can develop hitters as well as pitchers going forward. I have more confidence in the pitcher development program but hopefully we get both. In a perfect world, Means becomes Keuchel but that's really a stretch.