Paul in Virginia

How soon will we discuss locking him and/or Cowser up long-term?

They're there to learn about AI.

Has to be awful for property values.

Didn't know where else to put this, LOL.

I think one thing hasn't been mentioned solidly enough in this thread to-date. It appears that Rubenstein is doing this largely/mostly for sentimental/nostalgic reasons. And maybe I misremember, but didn't he make some comments to the effect of "being in my later years" or the equivalent? Why bother buying a team at that stage of life if your primary motive is making money? Actuarily, there isn't sufficient time to make that "huge capital gain" before selling, which obviously HE wouldn't be around to enjoy. For a guy like him, I'm confident there are better avenues for him to pursue to print cash (and print it NOW) if that's his primary motivation. Thus, I think it's very reasonable to expect a material increase in payroll. It's clear that he wants to win.

Thanks Jabba and Interloper. It makes me wonder how many other bargains may be out there. What a fascinating science this is.

Apologies if this has already been discussed in this or another thread, but has anyone else wondered why we got Burnes for such a good price? Surely other teams are looking at this deal and kicking themselves. Are we to assume that every other overture for Burnes was of lower quality than ours. I guess that's an obvious "yes," but I'm very surprised at that fact, and I'm baffled as to how/why.

Wasn't sure where to put this

Law's not a fan: Kimbrel does still strike out a lot of batters, but he’s gone from hovering around 40 percent for most of his career to 31 percent over the past two seasons, without any improvement in his walk rate or how much hard contact he allows. He’s lost over 2 mph on his fastball since 2017 and much of the movement on his out-pitch breaking ball, although both were so good at his peak that they’re still above-average pitches even with their respective declines. He’s got that big save total and the capital-C Closer tag, which still holds some sway in the market, but I didn’t expect this Orioles’ front office to pay any sort of premium for those things. The Orioles were short a reliever with ace closer Félix Bautista out until 2025 after Tommy John surgery, and adding someone who will primarily work the ninth inning frees up Yennier Cano to work in higher-leverage spots earlier in games. Still, I don’t think this makes the Orioles much better, if at all, and takes up cash that they need to put toward the rotation. How Eduardo Rodriguez, Jeimer Candelario and Craig Kimbrel fit on their new clubs: Law - The Athletic

Prediction #2 is scary: Ohtani will surprise many by signing with the world champion Texas Rangers. The contract includes incentives, escalator clauses and award bonuses that will make him the highest-paid player in the history of the sport. The Dodgers and Mariners finish as the runner-ups in the Shohei sweepstakes.

I posted this on the "Scoreboard Watching" thread; I should have posted it here instead.

Imagine OUR game thread in such a circumstance........

Only thing worse is the Bookings.com commercial.