Baseball

[pdub]

I wasn't able to watch this game because, at the time, I was trying to see if I could do without cable/streaming until basketball season ramped up.

I found a radio broadcast and listened to it while putting together a endlessly complicated drawing/drafting desk. I remember hitting my head standing up too fast on the desk when we tied it.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Rangers / Astros
I hope both teams lose but I prefer the Astros lose more than the Rangers lose.

DBacks / Phills
I hope both teams lose but I prefer the Diamondbacks lose more than the Phillies lose. Although, I probably hope Bryce Harper loses more than I hope the Diamondbacks lose.

2023 = What if they had a World Series and Gutter didn't care?

[Sparko]

Lack of fan interest translates to much more interleague play. Disparity in pitching money. Baseball may turn into a former major sport soon.

[Shirley]

Trevor May, former pitcher for the Oakland A's, took to his Twitch to blast owner John Fisher.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Rangers / Diamondbacks World Series.
Good for the people who had the Diamondbacks at 65-1 to win the NL.
Bad for the rest of us who couldn't care less about them making the World Series.
I'm guessing 95% of the country couldn't name one player on each team. 98% of the "World" can't either.
I figure a lot more people would have preferred to see the 73-89 Angles (with a healthy Ohtani) play the 75-87 Mets.
Wake me up if there is a game 7. Otherwise, this WS = Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[pdub]

At this moment, I don't think I can name 20 non Royals players in the MLB.
I watched maybe two innings of MLB this entire season.
I'm glad two unheralded teams are playing - but yea, I may at best watch a game 6 or 7 since it would fall on a Friday/Saturday night.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Watched the 9th and 10th innings. Thought the Rangers would win in the 9th and then when they had their lead off guy get a BB I thought they would it in the 10th.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Glad it ended in the 11th.

[pdub]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/387 ... r-rankings

28. Kansas City Royals
2023 record: 56-106

2023 final ranking: 29

The Royals have two starters rostered who made more than 12 starts in 2023 -- and both had ERAs over five and a half. They don't have a single reliever returning who pitched at least 20 innings and had an ERA under 4.00. They do have Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans, who had a breakout performance the final two months and looks like a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. A healthy Vinnie Pasquantino will help, and maybe Nelson Velazquez will show up, but the pitching staff basically needs to be completely re-constructed -- with a farm system that has little to offer.

[Back2Lawrence]

They finished 29th in the power rankings? Did someone fold (yes, I know Oakland was worse than KC this past season).

[KUTradition]

10 year, $700 million?

jfc

[Back2Lawrence]

Royals payroll 2023 ~$92,500,000.

Seems legit.

[pdub]

lol.
You could have three Baltimore Orioles for that.

Not three players, three Oriole teams.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

10 year, $700 million?

jfc

Serious question.
Was there any possibility he would have gone to a team other than the Dodgers, Giants, Mets, or Yankees and at 700 million, how much would he really be "costing" those teams?

I don't have a subscription to The Atlantic but I think this article kind of breaks it down.

https://theathletic.com/5121067/2023/12 ... good-deal/

[pdub]

Now just hate the Dodgers more.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Now just hate the Dodgers more.

Riddle me this one Batman.

I like the Dodgers and I like Ohtani but for some unknown reason this makes me like the Dodgers less. Maybe it has to do with my generally rooting for the underdog/s and this makes them more of an alpha dog?

[Back2Lawrence]

Hey look, $680 million/700 million deferred by Ohtani, he helps richest (or close) team in baseball avoid a whole lot of tax. Sounds about right.

More reason to dislike the sport, IMO.

I mean he makes <$40 million a year in endorsements, so it’s not a bad move, but it’s icky.

Gotta remind myself KU is one of the Dodgers in terms of college basketball. But, alas, my care/concern/give a rat’s ass about the players is basically zero now anyway, as less and less we see players develop. And we are virtually spoiled in that regard.

[jfish26]

Hey look, $680 million/700 million deferred by Ohtani, he helps richest (or close) team in baseball avoid a whole lot of tax. Sounds about right.

More reason to dislike the sport, IMO.

I mean he makes <$40 million a year in endorsements, so it’s not a bad move, but it’s icky.

Gotta remind myself KU is one of the Dodgers in terms of college basketball. But, alas, my care/concern/give a rat’s ass about the players is basically zero now anyway, as less and less we see players develop. And we are virtually spoiled in that regard.

I'm not sure that the CBT rules were drafted with deferrals of this magnitude even being in someone's imagination. I don't think this is the right result, or a result that is in the best interests of the game.*

However, while you're absolutely right that Ohtani is helping the Dodgers keep some powder dry (which of course benefits him also), he's ALSO creating a situation where his own tax liability stands to be materially less in at least some (if not all) of the payment years. On the assumption he'll have left California by then for residency purposes, anyway. So he's not purely doing the club a favor here.

* All of this said - the massive deferral structure is not, in and of itself, cause to light the FUCK THE BIG MARKET CLUBS signal; while this guy was never going to sign with a flyover team, the structure is actually one that would have made it MORE possible for smaller guys to compete with the offer, not less.

[Back2Lawrence]

Oh, I know, fish. People avoid tax responsibilities isn’t something I’m a fan of by default. I get we are all human and selfish, individual-serving fucks, but I don’t agree with it.

It wouldn’t really make it easier for smaller markets to compete. They still have to throw $44 mill/year into escrow.

Many clubs simply don’t have $44 a year in wiggle room, especially for one player.

I really need to get off the baseball threads….it’s really making me mad. Like IRL kinda pissed, in no small part as the sport I liked most as a kid is floating rather quickly out of view. I think someone else (Pdub?) said a few replies ago that he can’t name 20 players. I can’t name more than 3 Royals, without looking on paper.

I once knew every roster and at least some modicum of who might be brought up league wide. Because, I was a fantasy nerd before fantasy nerding was popular. But no more. Sigh. It’s quite possible I’m phased out of sports minus MLS in 5 years. And I really hate their playoffs.

[jfish26]

Oh, I know, fish. People avoid tax responsibilities isn’t something I’m a fan of by default. I get we are all human and selfish, individual-serving fucks, but I don’t agree with it.

It wouldn’t really make it easier for smaller markets to compete. They still have to throw $44 mill/year into escrow.

Many clubs simply don’t have $44 a year in wiggle room, especially for one player.

I really need to get off the baseball threads….it’s really making me mad. Like IRL kinda pissed, in no small part as the sport I liked most as a kid is floating rather quickly out of view. I think someone else (Pdub?) said a few replies ago that he can’t name 20 players. I can’t name more than 3 Royals, without looking on paper.

I once knew every roster and at least some modicum of who might be brought up league wide. Because, I was a fantasy nerd before fantasy nerding was popular. But no more. Sigh. It’s quite possible I’m phased out of sports minus MLS in 5 years. And I really hate their playoffs.

The biggest issue I have here is this sentence.

Because yes, they do.

They just don't want to.

And, in my opinion, fans should not suffer because owners do not want to eat the vegetables at the big boy table.