MLB Offseason 2020 News & Notes

jon abbey

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Eh, I associate DD with being able to turn good-to-great farm systems into good-to-great major league teams but the Angels farm system is already bottom-third so not sure how much he would have to work with there.
And Adell ended the year just a few ABs short of graduating, that will knock the system even lower.
 

jon abbey

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Phillies GM Matt Klentak is out, that seems like a better fit for Dombrowski.
 

DeadlySplitter

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https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/theo-epstein-exit-cubs-tom-ricketts-future
Sources have confirmed to me that Epstein and Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts will meet next week to discuss the long-term plan for the baseball operations department, and as I said on the Kap and J-Hood morning show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago this week, I don’t see Epstein returning to run the Cubs baseball operations team when his contract expires next year.

Sources confirmed to me that while the status quo is most likely, one of the possible scenarios that will be discussed is Epstein exiting now rather than waiting to complete the final year of his contract, which runs through the end of the 2021 baseball season, if that better positions the Cubs for their future.

But the larger news is that it is virtually certain that Epstein will not seek to sign another deal to remain at the top of the Cubs baseball operations department. He was clear when he arrived in the fall of 2011 that after 10 years both the executive and the organization need change.

Ricketts and Epstein have a great relationship and will collaborate on planning a transition that is in the Cubs’ best interests. The two options that will be discussed include Epstein staying through the end of next season and helping transition the organization to a new team president. Or, Epstein exiting now and the club hiring a new head of baseball operations.

While the Ricketts family has not yet told current general manager Jed Hoyer that he would be the successor many in the organization including Epstein feel that he is ready to assume that responsibility. He is incredibly well liked and respected throughout the Cubs organization as well as throughout the rest of Major League Baseball. If he is indeed the successor to Epstein the transition would be very smooth.
 

Max Power

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Seems a bit contradictory to smoothly transition to someone Epstein has worked with for decades while also saying the management needs to change every 10 years. Is promoting the second in command really much of a change?

After the Red Sox and Cubs, there isn't a hugely historic challenge out there. But it would be interesting to see what he could do with the Mariners, Pirates, or Orioles.

The Mariners have never made it to the World Series and haven't even made it to the playoffs in 20 years. They're in a decent market and have been willing to spend, but it just doesn't work out. Maybe it's all the extra travel from not being near any other major league city.

The Pirates are a formerly great team that have found themselves in a small market. But being in the weakest division in baseball should give them a chance.

The Orioles are in a similar situation to the Pirates, but have the misfortune of playing in the toughest division in baseball. Getting them back to being a contender would be a huge challenge.
 

sean1562

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Seems a bit contradictory to smoothly transition to someone Epstein has worked with for decades while also saying the management needs to change every 10 years. Is promoting the second in command really much of a change?

After the Red Sox and Cubs, there isn't a hugely historic challenge out there. But it would be interesting to see what he could do with the Mariners, Pirates, or Orioles.

The Mariners have never made it to the World Series and haven't even made it to the playoffs in 20 years. They're in a decent market and have been willing to spend, but it just doesn't work out. Maybe it's all the extra travel from not being near any other major league city.

The Pirates are a formerly great team that have found themselves in a small market. But being in the weakest division in baseball should give them a chance.

The Orioles are in a similar situation to the Pirates, but have the misfortune of playing in the toughest division in baseball. Getting them back to being a contender would be a huge challenge.

Why not the Angels? Big market, superstar CF, payroll coming off the books in the next few years. Could be a great fit

edit: but after q uick google search it does seem like he is sticking around in Chicago for another season so the Angels are gonna need to find someone else
 

Max Power

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Why not the Angels? Big market, superstar CF, payroll coming off the books in the next few years. Could be a great fit

edit: but after q uick google search it does seem like he is sticking around in Chicago for another season so the Angels are gonna need to find someone else
I was just thinking of the mountains to climb in baseball. The Red Sox and Cubs were by far numbers one and two, but beyond that it's not entirely clear. The Indians haven't won in forever, but they're still a good team basically every year. The Angels are bad, but won in 2002 and are kind of invisible as a franchise even with the best player in the game. The Orioles and Pirates have a great history, but no hint of a decent future. Winning with them would be a huge accomplishment. And the Mariners are their own thing altogether, which might be fun for Theo to try to tackle.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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I think the Mariners would be the best situation for building a long needed championship. Although I'm not that familiar with what they have in the cupboard, their ownership seems supportive and hands-off. The Angelos family seems meddlesome in Baltimore and Nutting simply doesn't care about winning in Pittsburgh. Cleveland still seems happy with Antonetti, who has really been running the baseball side of things for the past 15-20 years (Mark Shapiro was always more of a facilitator, open-minded to what his assistants brought to the table), and the Indians haven't hired an outsider to run the organization since Hank Peters in 1987.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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I was just thinking of the mountains to climb in baseball. The Red Sox and Cubs were by far numbers one and two, but beyond that it's not entirely clear. The Indians haven't won in forever, but they're still a good team basically every year. The Angels are bad, but won in 2002 and are kind of invisible as a franchise even with the best player in the game. The Orioles and Pirates have a great history, but no hint of a decent future. Winning with them would be a huge accomplishment. And the Mariners are their own thing altogether, which might be fun for Theo to try to tackle.
In the absence of an obvious fit, perhaps the sentimental choice for Theo would be Baltimore, since that is where he got his start in baseball. Maybe he could convince the Dentist to go back to Baltimore too, though I think he's too busy yucking it up in Worcester.
 

barbed wire Bob

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Why not the Angels? Big market, superstar CF, payroll coming off the books in the next few years. Could be a great fit

edit: but after q uick google search it does seem like he is sticking around in Chicago for another season so the Angels are gonna need to find someone else
The big problem with the Angels is that he would have to work for Arte Moreno. He has too much involvement in the day-to-day operations and he doesn’t really allow the GMs to run the organization as they see fit.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2020-09-21/puzzling-lack-of-leadership-arte-moreno-continues-to-haunt-angels
 

barbed wire Bob

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Tommy Pham stabbed outside of a strip club in San Diego.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30102832/padres-tommy-pham-good-condition-stabbing-san-diego
Pham then was stabbed in the lower back, the newspaper reported. No major organs were hit, and stitches were needed to sew up the wound.
The San Diego Police Department told the newspaper that the stabbing occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. PT outside the Pacers Showgirls International gentlemen's club. Police are still investigating the incident, and the attackers remain at large.
The Padres said Pham, 32, was in "good condition" and is expected to make a full recovery.
 

barbed wire Bob

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Phor Phuck sake, strip clubs are open?

Good thing his team was done with the playoffs
That got me too. I assume masks are being worn, social distancing is being observed and good, sanitary practices are used. :rolleyes: The other thing that got me was why on earth did he get involved in an argument between two guys? Yes, I know he wanted to get into his car but the best way to survive a knife fight is to not get into one in the first place.
 

Marciano490

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That got me too. I assume masks are being worn, social distancing is being observed and good, sanitary practices are used. :rolleyes: The other thing that got me was why on earth did he get involved in an argument between two guys? Yes, I know he wanted to get into his car but the best way to survive a knife fight is to not get into one in the first place.
Second best:

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Izio3eO-zXw
 

jon abbey

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That would be the most obviously disastrous managing choice since Bobby Valentine in BOS, I feel bad for CWS fans if true.
 

Seabass

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I can't see a reason for the Sox to pass on claiming Hand. 1/10M for a reliever of his caliber is fantastic.
 

jon abbey

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It's almost too obvious to even say, but La Russa over Hinch is going to haunt the White Sox franchise. They evidently didn't even interview him (Hinch).
 

Twilight

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It's almost too obvious to even say, but La Russa over Hinch is going to haunt the White Sox franchise. They evidently didn't even interview him (Hinch).
They got his autograph, though.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Brad Hand is available for no trade capital, at the very least.

View: https://twitter.com/ZackMeisel/status/1321861464827846656
I don't think there's a chance a team picks up Hand and his $10M option. I was thinking the allure here might be that he's basically a restricted free agent at the moment, where a team could pick him up and have a short negotiating window to offer him a new contract before next year's option needs to be picked up or bought out. However, if I'm reading things right, that negotiating window would end at midnight either tonight or tomorrow night, so this is really just a Hail Mary from Cleveland to see if someone will let them off the hook from the $1M buyout they're currently committed to. It's going to be a really depressing off-season in Cleveland.
 

jon abbey

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No one claimed Brad Hand for $10M, so CLE paid him the $1M they owed him and he is now a FA. It’s going to be a brutal offseason for the players.
 

E5 Yaz

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No one claimed Brad Hand for $10M, so CLE paid him the $1M they owed him and he is now a FA. It’s going to be a brutal offseason for the players.
I suspect we'll see many many guys taking "first-best" offers
 

OCD SS

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How the hell does what idiot DeBlasio thinks or feels or emotes or whatever about Cohen buying the Mets matter at all?
DeBlasio is probably serving as a mouthpiece for the NYC administration, and the city may have a financial stake based on tax breaks given for Citi Field.

DeBlasio is a complete idiot (or maybe just/ also a pot head).