hot stove 2019-20

Neil deMause:

http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2020/04/02/16013/sports-leagues-plans-for-resuming-play-and-why-probably-none-of-them-make-sense/

Similar:

http://theathletic.com/1723090/2020/04/03/rosenthal-mlb-pondering-games-in-empty-spring-parks-but-many-obstacles-remain/?source=weeklyemail

I can't see that this will get much past "pondering."

This is insane. https://t.co/qKtVXvjjg3 pic.twitter.com/3wDR2j34BN

— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) April 7, 2020

who sources expect to be skeptical of separating from their families for an indefinite amount of time—perhaps as long as 4 1/2 months

scoop!

ACTUAL HOT STOVE CONTENT: puig to the braves

Royals acquire OF Franchy Cordero and pitcher Ronald Bolanos from Padres for pitcher Tim Hill

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 17, 2020

#Rockies have informed OF Matt Kemp, UTL Chris Owings and RHP Daniel Bard -- who last pitched for the #RedSox in '13 -- that they have made the 2020 Opening Day roster, GM Jeff Bridich said.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) July 17, 2020

Nice to see Daniel Bard back at it after 7 years out

crazy!

Saw bard in a late September Nyy/Bos game during his rookie season and he was incredible

betts extension with dodgers rumored to be 13 years at $380+ million

! are there even gonna be people in 13 years?

He’s really good and all, but that will pay him until he’s 40!
How’s that Albert Pujols contract working out??

i am . . . pretty surprised. given the financial losses this season and uncertainty about the future, i didn't think anyone would offer him anywhere near that. (also i wonder what sort of pandemic clauses now figure in new contracts)

How’s that Albert Pujols contract working out??

to be fair, betts is five yrs younger than pujols was. though i do appreciate this from espn's sam miller today:

As good as he is, and even as relatively young (27) as he is, he's quite likely already entered his (graceful, gradual) decline, as most players in the majors are.

(and as a red sox fan, if you had given me the choice of paying betts $30m/yr for the last five years of that contract knowing he was going to be dead weight versus paying nathan eovaldi $17m/yr for the next three years, i'd choose betts 100 times out of 100)

Mookie Betts Dodgers deal is official: 365M extension, 12 years, deferrals.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 22, 2020

jeez

Guess he’s not coming back to Boston huh

How’s that Albert Pujols contract working out??

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, July 22, 2020 4:07 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

I wonder how much the Angels recouped with Albert being a playing legend, sometimes a franchise just want to sell jerseys too. I don’t think the exec. calculations are only based on WAR and on field results.

In any case Mookie is as close a dunk as you’ll get in baseball.

also, mookie makes the dodgers' bowling team instantly better.

so mad about mookie

on the other hand, my kids could benefit from a sip or two from the well of bitter disappointment that has watered the tree of historical red sox fandom

I had a feeling Betts just didn’t want to stay in Boston. His excuse about testing free agency I guess was either just that, or the dump truck full of money he just got made him forget about all that.

also worst fans and worst media and super racist city, but ASIDE FROM THAT.

the red sox made it crystal clear they weren't go to offer him anywhere near the money or years he wanted. they never gave him the chance to decide whether he wanted to stay or not. i hate them for that.

yeah.

Deal includes $65M signing bonus, salaries of $17.5M, $17.5M, $20M, $25M, $25M, $25M, $25M, $30M, $30M, $30M, $27.5M, $27.5M. Total of $115M deferred. By contrast, PA values Gerrit Cole’s deal at straight $324M (9 x $36M) because contract does not include deferrals. https://t.co/bqWLUZh1Kt

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 23, 2020

about a 1/3 of his contract is deferred, so not quite the $365M it seemed to be. you got screwed, Mookie!

lol he is wealthier than many countries now

the real question is whether his deferrals are over before bobby bonilla's

i guess the sox did offer 10 years at 300M? when you compare to bryce harper or trout of course that looks pretty low.

i suspect jbj will be gone soon as well. the whole thing makes me sad. i remember going to see them, and noticing for the first time that if jbj made the last out of the inning, he had a thing with mookie where, as they were both running back to the dugout, he'd throw it - a very long throw - to mookie, who'd catch it over his shoulder like a wide receiver.

there's so much to hate about boston now, and those guys were one of the last things that made me feel like - 'we're the good guys'.

If the Sox offered all that money undeferred, it might be worth more than his LA extension?

tbf . . . jbj is already 30 and his defense won't be able to carry him much longer. and they have at least extended bogaerts (for cheap)

but yeah

i would rather live in LA

I may run past Fenway Park (it’s 2 miles from me) when the Mets are playing in a week or so to check out the atmosphere, but otherwise looking forward to a Boston team tanking for the first time in awhile.

turn the stove off and put on the AC

Foltynewicz DFA'd

We have signed RHP Matt Harvey to a minor league contract. #Royals

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 28, 2020

mets to sign bruce maxwell

jarrod dyson to white sox for international $$

taijuan walker to blue jays

Jays also traded for human refrigerator, Dan Vogelbach

that made me think of refrigerator perry. jeez, that guy has a really sad "personal life" section on wikipedia. :(

siri, tell me about the personal life of another public figure

Well, now I’m sad.

rick renteria fired as white sox manager - not sure why since it felt like they overperformed or at least met expectations this season

that is weird

what team dares hire aj hinch/alex cora

they fired don cooper too

i have no particular opinion on how good a manager rick renteria is, but the way front offices value field managers is just bizarre

if you get hired to manage shitty teams -- which is usually where the openings are! -- you apparently get pegged as a guy who can only manage shitty teams

also ~curious~ which managers get multiple chances and which are never heard from again, e.g. gabe kapler vs. bo porter or willie randolph

also, lol

Huh pic.twitter.com/olaxPlvrll

— B-Mad (@brianm731) October 12, 2020

i mean joe torre was a terrible manager for three different teams before lucking into being hired by a rich juggernaut in 1996. even then he was notorious for killing relievers (where are u now, scott proctor) although i give him credit for keeping all the egos more or less in check

wtf

Can confirm Angels granted White Sox permission to interview Tony La Russa for managerial opening, as @BNightengale said. I don’t know if he has desire to manage again, but he was apparently very invested/involved as a special advisor this year. Still seemingly has that itch.

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) October 14, 2020

please no

he would be a fun new role model for the young, exciting team they have

so much fun in the clubhouse

make abreu player-manager imo