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MLB 2024

Gaolee

Gaolee

Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Jan 13, 2010
24,732
172,030
Seattle, Great North Wet
#1
OK, time for the new thread for the upcoming season. Congratulations to Texas and all that. But that was a while ago. I'm slacking.

I'm optimistic about the Mariners' pitching staff, provided they don't get wiped out by injuries or bone headed GM moves. So far, the bone headed GM moves haven't been so bone headed these days. Some worked out, some didn't. What they really need is to make contact when they are up to bat. A couple of high average bats would make the Mariners formidable. They have JP Crawford back, and he's really rounding into a just under the radar beast. Julio will be back indefinitely, and I don't see him doing much besides get even better with time, injury notwithstanding. The rest of the lineup isn't perfect, but it has promise.

On to the hot stove league.
 
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#3
And the off season's big story. Ohtani. I would love to see him in Seattle, but for a half billion? Probably not. You can pay a whole team for the price that guy will probably command every season. Still, if a team can afford to pay, he will probably deliver. He won't be a pitcher any more, if whoever signs him is smart. Maybe outfield.

Ok, the fantasy wheels in my head just started turning. A Mariners outfield of Rodriguez, Ohtani, and an improving Kelenic. Ohtani and Rodriguez would get each other pitches to hit at the plate, and that's going to get other hitters pitches to hit.
 
#4
I've read multiple reports that Ohtani will decide sooner rather than later as to where he lands which is good news for stovetop leaguers as well as all the other FA's. Dodgers have an obvious leg up due to geography, competitive team and historical willingness to spend but I'm also reading the Cubs are up there as well. Certainly the Counsell signing shows their commitment and the fact that merely being in existence in the NL Central means you are in contention for post season has to help; goodness knows they've got the money to spend.
 
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#8
Whoever gets Ohtani will make a lot of money - all of East Asia follows the Japanese stars. I think it's more a matter of putting your team into a pattern you may not like down the road:

6 man pitching staff
Full time DH, so you can't use the spot to rest other players
What if he gets injured again?
With that much allocated to one player, it severely limits the others bigger moves you can make, without incurring the Steve Cohen tax.
 
#9
buldog5151bass said:
Whoever gets Ohtani will make a lot of money - all of East Asia follows the Japanese stars. I think it's more a matter of putting your team into a pattern you may not like down the road:

6 man pitching staff
Full time DH, so you can't use the spot to rest other players
What if he gets injured again?
With that much allocated to one player, it severely limits the others bigger moves you can make, without incurring the Steve Cohen tax.
Click to expand...
Seattle already has experimented with a six man rotation. It seems like a coming thing. DH has been a black hole for Seattle's lineup for years, so a full time guy who can actually hit isn't a bad thing. It's the potential for debilitating injury during a long, guaranteed contract that I don't like. Ohtani's arm is not going to hold up. If he goes into the outfield, he will last a whole lot longer. I don't think anybody knows if he would be willing to do that. Babe Ruth did that, so why not him?
 
#10
Gaolee said:
Seattle already has experimented with a six man rotation. It seems like a coming thing. DH has been a black hole for Seattle's lineup for years, so a full time guy who can actually hit isn't a bad thing. It's the potential for debilitating injury during a long, guaranteed contract that I don't like. Ohtani's arm is not going to hold up. If he goes into the outfield, he will last a whole lot longer. I don't think anybody knows if he would be willing to do that. Babe Ruth did that, so why not him?
Click to expand...

I agree it probably would be better for him in the long term, and he will probably have to do that fairly soon (second arm surgery). But he WANTS to pitch, so if you want to sign him, you have to pitch him.

Dude is having a lot of fun. I can't fault him.
 
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#12
So my Cards replace the retired Wainright with Lance Lynn. Ok. I love Lynn. He gave my Cards good, special years. But we need to look ahead and be the dominant team we used to be. Replacing a 36 year old pitcher with a 36 year old pitcher is not the answer.
 
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#14
SoonerBill said:
So my Cards replace the retired Wainright with Lance Lynn. Ok. I love Lynn. He gave my Cards good, special years. But we need to look ahead and be the dominant team we used to be. Replacing a 36 year old pitcher with a 36 year old pitcher is not the answer.
Click to expand...
They actually replaced a 36 year old pitcher with two 36 year old pitchers! They signed Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal on top of Lynn. This seems like stealth tanking to me :laugh:
 
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#15
thisheregiraffe said:
Trader Jerry getting to work!

D-backs Acquire Eugenio Suarez From Mariners

Have to admit, I don’t totally get why Seattle is doing this… but I appreciate Jerry keeping things interesting.
Click to expand...
I was frustrated by Suarez last season. He was not clutch like he was in 2022 and it hurt. Jerry is nowhere near done. Dollars to doughnuts the catcher he just traded for will be packaged up and sent along to another team before the stove gets too warm. The Mariners have lots of holes to fill. There will be lots of activity.
 
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#18
Apparently the Jays are on the list that Ohtani is considering. Now, being realistic, I can't help but feel that the Jays are only in it, to help Ohtani get a bigger pay day out of either LA, the Cubs or the Angels.
Given the deep pockets that jays ownership has, it would be cool to see Ohtani here!
Fishheadejoe
 
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#19
It would certainly be cool to see the Jays sign Ohtani. He seems like he prefers to be on west coast though. I feel like Toronto would have to significantly over-pay or somehow offer him other perks that the other teams won’t. Also the Jays have really underwhelmed the last couple seasons and Ohtani wants to win. I’d love to be wrong, but I really doubt that Ohtani wants to be in Toronto.
 

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