Offseason baseball Thread

[Elliotte Friedman]

For the news, obviously.

Saw a report today that Paul Molitor was "invited" back for 2018, but nothing is signed. Forgive my ignorance, but WTF is going on there?

 

[cranberry]

They should give him three years. Maybe hard feelings about the lack of confidence at the trade deadline?

How San Diego Summit propelled reeling Twins to postseason

 

[wicked]

Richard Justice was on Korneiser last week and said it's 50-50 whether Molitor wants to be back.

 

[User 149557]

I just assumed he was going to go to Philly to work with Ryan and MacPhail.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

They should give him three years. Maybe hard feelings about the lack of confidence at the trade deadline?

How San Diego Summit propelled reeling Twins to postseason

That article is almost a parody of itself.

Inspiring song lyrics! Team meeting! Key pieces traded away!

The Twins got good because their young players blossomed and they had an equally fungible reliever to replace the one they traded.

The Royals and Angels and Orioles probably had the same types of team meetings and attitudes. They just didn't have the talented, energetic, emerging young players to put them over the top. Maybe their managers need an iPod.

 

[Donny in his element]

Ned Yost was too busy looking at the photos from better times on his iPad.

As Royals prepare to say goodbye this week, Ned Yost reflects

 

[cranberry]

That article is almost a parody of itself.

Inspiring song lyrics! Team meeting! Key pieces traded away!

The Twins got good because their young players blossomed and they had an equally fungible reliever to replace the one they traded.

The Royals and Angels and Orioles probably had the same types of team meetings and attitudes. They just didn't have the talented, energetic, emerging young players to put them over the top. Maybe their managers need an iPod.

First, Elliotte asked why might Paul Molitor leave, and this story helped underscore the tension between the clubhouse and the front office far better than anything the Tribune, the competing newspaper, has written on the topic.

Second, young players had emerged before the mid-season slump that caused ownership to bail on this season. That Berardino used the lyrics from the song Molitor wrote about on the clubhouse white board only suggest to me that Berardino asked a lot of questions.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Hey, he wrote what they told him. Nothing wrong with the article. It's just that what they told him was nonsense. But I believe they believe the team meeting is why they won. Good thing Molitor had that Springsteen song on his iPod.

 

[cranberry]

It wasn't nonsense at all and nobody said it is why they won. The players on the team consider it the turning point in their season. It was.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

The Red Sox are 12 innings away from joining this thread, perhaps in more ways than one.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

They should hold a team meeting.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

New York Mets will buy Syracuse Chiefs, bring its Triple-A team to Syracuse

 

[Matt1735]

Twins, Molitor agree on new 3-yr deal.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Red Sox fire Farrell. It was obviously his fault no starter could get into the fifth against the Astros. He was IMO an utterly average manager. Odds are overwhelming that's what the next guy will be, too. Sox getting back into bad habit of thinking PR can win ballgames.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Dave Dombrowski: Reasons for firing John Farrell, 'I'm going to keep to myself'

Ok, cran. You aced my first question, on Molitor. Now, WTF is this about?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Talk radio and the subset of fans it caters to here (and everywhere) has been after Farrell's scalp for the last three years. Ownership is extremely PR conscious. Worse, I think ownership believes that managers are responsible for "clubhouse culture" whatever that is, and that if the Sox were happier warriors, somehow they'd be better than the Astros. Won't they surprised when David Price is the same oversensitive moody guy in 2018 he is now and that Dustin Pedroia is gloomy because his career is winding down, not because the manager doesn't love him.
Farrell won the exact same number of games this year as he did last, minus David Ortiz, meaning minus the league leader in doubles, RBI, slugging percentage and OPS. He won the same number of games with the team that hit the fewest number of homers in the AL, playing in Fenway. And for the second straight year, his team got bounced in the playoffs because the starting pitchers failed.
He ain't John McGraw. But he got a raw deal today.

 

[outofplace]

I posted this on the other thread, but it really belongs here.

Source: Kapler to be named Phillies manager

The Phillies named Gabe Kapler as their new manager. Thanks to his muscular build, Kapler faced PED accusations during his career. He wrote a guest article for Baseball Prospectus in 2013 in which he addressed the subject, including his concern regarding unfounded PED accusations made against MLB players.

Baseball ProGUESTus: Giving Up the PED Guessing Game - Baseball Prospectus

 

[MTM]

 

[mpcincal]

I can just see Kapler in his office holding court with the media and suddenly says "Hey guys, did I ever tell you the story about my Uncle Sid?"

 

[mpcincal]

Well, I'll bump this up for the first day of the offseason, as the Angels retain Justin Upton, tacking an extra year on his remaining contract.
Angels Sign Justin Upton To Five-Year Contract