Trade Bait 2021

[NCRaven]

Wondering how the league cracking down on pitchers using tacky substances to increase spin rates will affect Means.

[Just Regular]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-twins-are-running-out-of-time/

Szymborski going long on the Twins, who just lost a series to us.   He suggests they need to buy early if they want to chase a wildcard, and Mancini (to Pipp Sano, I guess) one of the ideas top of his mind.

It's occurred to me, as I could envision Trey RBI'ing his way to a non-tender, that his buyer could make the same choice, possibly giving a Bordick Boomerang window.   Elias could even be extra cagey and give a little lean to trade partners apt to do so.   The Twins were last year's Eddie Rosario authors.

Entering the year I saw the Twins solid real good - it's crazy they may be our competition in Sell market, but Bottom 10% outcomes do happen.

In terms of Trade Bait Mancini, what this post is really about, he is already at 1B 37, DH 18 on the year.   Mountcastle at DH 21, 1B 18 (and OF 15, which I hope is over so he can keep refining hitting the snot out of the ball).   I suppose for NL teams it might be beneficial to showcase if Mancini can 1B nearly every day.

Weighing 2022 DH types, I suppose it is conceivable from here both he and Nelson Cruz would play for ~1 year/$9M, and of course Cruz tough trade competition for AL teams, if Twins go that route.

[UMDTerrapins]

I think the chances of Mancini being non-tendered are incredibly remote. 

[Camden_yardbird]

23 hours ago, NCRaven said:

Wondering how the league cracking down on pitchers using tacky substances to increase spin rates will affect Means.

I posted in another thread ("Is Means cheating" maybe) some pretty extensive analysis about how his spin rates have not changed significantly since he entered the league.  So to answer your question, not really at all.

[NCRaven]

1 hour ago, Camden_yardbird said:

I posted in another thread ("Is Means cheating" maybe) some pretty extensive analysis about how his spin rates have not changed significantly since he entered the league.  So to answer your question, not really at all.

Thanks.  The Orioles are in the top 5 teams that have increased spin rates over the past year according to an analysis on si.com

So, it made me wonder.  Dodgers #1.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, NCRaven said:

Thanks.  The Orioles are in the top 5 teams that have increased spin rates over the past year according to an analysis on si.com

So, it made me wonder.  Dodgers #1.

Trevor Bauer's spin rate is down 274 RPM today. 

[NCRaven]

MLB is watching Bauer.  Wonder if the umpires inspected his cap and glove today?

[rm5678]

4 hours ago, NCRaven said:

MLB is watching Bauer.  Wonder if the umpires inspected his cap and glove today?

Well, it appears the umpires took Jorge Lopez's cap today after the 1st inning, according to what I was reading on another blog. MASN announcers never mentioned it, but apparently the Indians announcers did.

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, rm5678 said:

Well, it appears the umpires took Jorge Lopez's cap today after the 1st inning, according to what I was reading on another blog. MASN announcers never mentioned it, but apparently the Indians announcers did.

As is the norm for MLB something that was technically against the rules but was enforced loosely at best is suddenly a huge deal.

 

[Sports Guy]

40 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

As is the norm for MLB something that was technically against the rules but was enforced loosely at best is suddenly a huge deal.

 

Yea and then they market it to the fans that it’s a huge deal and allow the media to keep guys out of the HOF despite MLB being ok with it for years.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

5 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Trevor Bauer's spin rate is down 274 RPM today. 

Will be curious to see how many other pitchers start looking mediocre with MLB now implementing a plan to monitor pitchers use of foreign substances. 

MLB's enhanced plans for enforcement of foreign-substance rules being finalized, with June rollout pending, sources say

Quote

All Major League Baseball pitchers will be checked repeatedly and randomly for foreign substances by umpires under the plan being swiftly advanced -- and perhaps implemented within the next 10 days to two weeks.

Quote

Among the final possibilities being discussed:

• Pitchers will be checked randomly by umpires, with every starting pitcher likely to be checked at least two times per start. With officials cognizant of having equipment checks slow a sport in which the pace of play is already thought to be too deliberate, pitchers might be checked as they walk off the field at the conclusion of an outing. One management source estimated that there will be eight to 10 random foreign-substance checks per game.

• The discussion about penalties has been centered on suspending offenders 10 days without pay. Upon hearing this in a meeting the other day, one owner noted that the MLB Players Association might file a grievance, and the broad response around him was that the issue was too important to allow someone to get away with a light penalty. "The issue is too important for us now," said one executive.

• Position players will be subject to foreign-substance checks, although the conversations are around issuing warnings initially to non-pitchers, with umpires warning catchers and others to clean up an area of concern.

 

[Can_of_corn]

Now it's too important.

Now.

 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

5 hours ago, NCRaven said:

MLB is watching Bauer.  Wonder if the umpires inspected his cap and glove today?

 

[OriolesMagic83]

9 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

The discussion about penalties has been centered on suspending offenders 10 days without pay. Upon hearing this in a meeting the other day, one owner noted that the MLB Players Association might file a grievance, and the broad response around him was that the issue was too important to allow someone to get away with a light penalty. "The issue is too important for us now," said one executive.

Yeah, I'm sure the MLBPA will just go along w/ suspending players for 10 days w/o pay for "foreign substances"

[Frobby]

11 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Now it's too important.

Now.

 

It’s important now because more pitchers are doing it and the game is trending too far in the direction of strikeouts.    If stricter enforcement helps with that problem, then I’m all for it.