Hot Stove

[DOUGHBOYS]

Let's pretend that this is a blurb in a journalism class.....

Former Mets general manager Jim Duquette is hearing that the Yankees informally offered Manny Machado a seven or eight-year contract for $220 million.

Duquette went on to say that "a lot of teams are in that range also" and "another club has gone further than that." His comments appear to up the ante on Friday's report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who stated that the White Sox are holding firm on their seven-year $175 million offer and that they are considered the favorite to sign him. The Padres and Phillies are also aggressively pursuing Machado. He was reportedly hoping for a ten-year, $300 million windfall as he entered free agency but there have been no public indications that any team has made an offer anywhere near that figure.

The key words in the lead sentence?...."Is hearing".
This means that Duquette's source could be Floyd the Barber during his last haircut.
Believe me, there are NO General Manager's letting Duquette know how much was offered.

"Up the ante"...it's GUESSWORK, HOW CAN THIS POSSIBLY UP ANY ANTE ?...Over exaggeration by the writer of this blurb.

"He was reportedly..." That 'report' from another guess like this one. No sources are ever given.
Guesses are going on all across America.
In guessing themselves, these 'reporters' are losing credibility themselves.

"The favorite to sign him"
Really. And where do we see these odds?
The 'odds' are embedded in each of our minds.
There is no 'favorite' to sign either Harper or Machado. Only guesses.
You'd think a lesson would have been learned when it was 'reported' constantly that the Dodgers were the 'favorites' to make a trade for Realmuto.
(By the way, I took the time to go through Sixto Sanchez old 'updates'. Not one 'report' or guess of him being traded for Realmuto.)
Not one.

It's simple. When having FACTS, report them.
'Reporters' are now 'reporting' on other reporters guesses. A farce.
Don't be like your readers or listeners. You're supposed to be better than that.

This blurb gets an 'A' for buzz words.
An 'F' for content.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Allow me one more tirade on another blurb....

'Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports the Reds might not use ace reliever Raisel Iglesias as their everyday closer this season.

He points out that new Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson (who served in the same capacity for the Brewers last year) prefers to use his best reliever in a swing-type, high-leverage role. Josh Hader was the best reliever on the Brewers and he was used in multi-inning stints when the game was on the line rather than being saved for the ninth inning.'

First, Mark Sheldon is not 'reporting' anything. He is using his imagination. (Notice again, NO SOURCE)
He believes that the same pitching coach in Milwaukee will yield the same methods in Cincinnati.
NOWHERE, NOWHERE does he say that Cincinnati has a pitcher like Josh Hader.
YOU KNOW WHY?
Because other than Milwaukee, NO OTHER TEAM HAS A PITCHER LIKE JOSH HADER!
You can use Josh Hader anywhere, anytime.
Especially, ESPECIALLY if having a bullpen that features Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress to close out games.
Cincinnati has no Josh Hader.
Don't try to put Iglesias and Hader on the same plane.
It' stupid.
Besides that, Cincinnati has no other reliever like Knebel or Jeffress.
This 'reporter' is reporting on apples and oranges and ends up with tangerines.
It makes NO SENSE.

Rant over. Thanks for the listen.

[DOUGHBOYS]

BETTER!....

'Giants CEO Larry Baer said the team's Monday meeting with free agent outfielder Bryce Harper lasted for four hours.

"Bryce Harper is an amazing player," Baer said Saturday at the Giants' FanFest. "It’s very hard, and these are competitions, and I can’t handicap it. I don’t know where we are. But we’re giving it a shot. That’s all we can do." The Giants are latecomers but seem to have some momentum, or at least as far as we can gauge a courtship that has been conducted mostly in the shadows. They at least seem to be serious in their pursuit, for what that's worth. We'll know soon enough who's the most serious, with camps set to open this week and Harper surely not wanting to drag his free agency on to the point that he's missing valuable preparation time. Or he will. Who knows at this point.'

[DOUGHBOYS]

THIS is just too much!

'MLB Network's Jon Heyman says the White Sox's reported offer of $250 million for eight years for Manny Machado isn't accurate.
Heyman doesn't know what the offer is, but he believes it's lower than $250 million. The Machado market has been pretty quiet. Rumors have said the Yankees have jumped back in, but there's been little concrete to back it up. The Phillies and Padres are also possibilities for the four-time All-Star.

Not only are 'reporters' making up their own figures (think about it, has any GM offered up one figure? ), now they want to take the time to say that those figures are not accurate.
It is like a room full of fellas guessing how many Wins the Red Sox will have this year. Everybody guesses, then disagrees with others reckoning.
THEN, this room full of guessers and dissenters are published as if 'news'.

This is comedy at its finest.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The ugliness of fake news continues. It seems nobody is better at it than 'baseball reporters.
Yesterday, a barrage of figures came out.
$240 mil for Manny
$280 mil for Manny
$310 mil for Harper
'Well over $300 mil for Harper'
With again no real source.
My favorite being Bob Nightengale 'reporting that "Other teams are saying that Machado has been offered $280 million by the Padres"
Notice, he doesn't say which 'teams' or WHO from each team told him this.
This from the same fellow that said "The White Sox did not sign Manny's brother in law and best friend for nothing",
It is just getting worse out there, folks.
The only 'real' story will be when somebody actually signs a contract.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Mike Moustakas signs with the Brewers....

Seriously, SERIOUSLY, when does Mike Moustakas fire Scott Boras?
Boras has other matters far more pressing than Moustakas and each year, Moustakas ends up with a puny (for a baseball player of his talents) contract.
ONE YEAR contracts!
Again, Moustakas waited till Spring Training. And again, was disappointed.
Last year, Moustakas and his little friend (Boras) turned down the Royals qualifying offer of over 17 million dollars to eventually sign for 8 million dollars.
In effect, he LOST more money than made!
Rumors were that multi year deals were offered and turned down early in the Hot Stove league.
Deja vu all over again as Moustakas signs for 10 million this year.
Boras gets attention for the big deals, but man, his smaller clients get s-c-r-e-w-e-d.

For the Brewers, they get a known quantity. It means they strengthen their defense on the left side of the infield, while Travis Shaw moving to 2B weakens the defense. The Brewers will take the hit though with those two big power guys on offense.
Their offense perfectly proportioned with Moose, Shaw, and Yelich attacking from the left side.
Cain, Aguilar, and Braun from the right with Grandal being a switch hitter.

For fantasy, Shaw already had 2B eligibility. It takes him out of his comfort zone and gives the Brewers more of a reason to platoon him a bit and take him out of games early for defense. A bit of a hit for Shaw owners.
It also gives Hiura no place to play. He will probably spend more time in the minors this year.
A blow to those who drafted him in DC Leagues.
It also effects swiss army knife Hernan Perez.
The only bad thing about owning a player with multi-position eligibility is a lack of at bats.
Perez may get two starts a week.
The shit rolls further downhill for Eric Thames.
Another player in front of him.
Thames becomes last year's Domingo Santana and Keon Broxton. Forgotten.

[DOUGHBOYS]

We take Spring Training reports with a grain of salt.
Every player can be in the best shape of their lives.
Every player's arm, legs, shoulder, knees feels great.
Blah Blah Blah

Now, it is about radical weight loss/gain. Look at this...

'Jon Gray put an emphasis on gaining weight over the winter and now checks in at 235 pounds.
Gray was down to 209 pounds at one point last year, a factor which he said contributed to his struggles, including diminished velocity. In addition to "eating anything and everything" this winter, he dedicated himself to heavy lifting to get back to where he wants to be.'

If it works, Jon Gray becomes a hero to the 'stocky' crowd.
Eating 'anything and everything', Gray surely goes against the grain of 'best shape of his life blurbs'.
Maybe 'Bigger is better' becomes the new credo if this is successful for Gray.
If so, Bartolo Colon may be opening new wave gyms and nutrition centers in a city near you.

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Tyler Glasnow was experimenting with a slight pause in some deliveries while throwing batting practice on Tuesday.
Topkin described it as "an Alex Cobb-like slight pause." It's possible he could have just been messing around in that environment, but it's something to watch once he switches over to game action. If anything, it shows that he's feeling good and confident this spring. And he has reason to be, as he was reportedly sitting at 98.7 mph in his early bullpen sessions. Glasnow is a name that is trending up going into 2019.'

Focusing on that last sentence....

When we see young kids succeed early in Spring Training, fantasy players tend to go nuts.
Glasnow meets every requirement for going nuts.
He's young.
He has had success in the minors.
Even spotty success in the majors.
He throws hard.
He gets strike outs.
He throws for a team that 'breeds pitchers'.

The 98.7 MPH blurb from a couple of days ago alone, was enough to kick Glasnow's ADP up a round or two.
Now, any blurb like this, that is not negative, will only serve to make his ADP better, primarily because more and more fantasy drafters will see his name.
If 'secretly' high on Glasnow coming into Spring Training, it pisses off those that already owned him and had hoped to select him in like rounds for the larger drafts.

Sleepers are gone. What we want most from the players we covet is...
1. Not to get hurt.
2. Not to draw a lot of attention.
3. Still be a bargain when drafting.
Unfortunately, number two frequently effects number three.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Machado signs with San Diego....

This is an awesome signing for the City of San Diego, for baseball, and for the Padres.
For the City, it gives them a reason to go to the ball park. After losing franchises in other sports and not having a Major College that does really well in big sports, this works well.
For baseball, it couldn't be better.
Machado goes to a place that is chill. San Diego is one of the least reported on teams in baseball. Left Coast bias and all that.
Machado becomes a local legend, but his celebrity does not grow any larger than when with Baltimore.
For the Padres, it makes them a contender in future years.
They have MANY. MANY kids coming up from the minors. Machado and Eric Hosmer become the Rizzo/Bryant of the Padres.
A core.

For fantasy, it is the opposite. At least for this year.
Machado goes to a team without much offensive help around him.
He goes to a park that will hold some of the home runs struck in Baltimore.
I believe his ADP will tick up a bit from 17 to the 20-25 range.
Part of what kept his ADP at 17 were dreams of him hitting in Yankee Stadium. With those dreams dashed, I believe he will not be as much of a jewel in the eyes of drafters.
Even more so, we don't know where he plays. If getting multi-position eligibility, it will help his cause.
Spring Training will certainly tell the tale there.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I loved the Machado deal.
I loved the Arenado deal.
In as much as I loved those two deals, I HATE the Bryce Harper deal.
Hate it.
13 years. No opt out. No trade.
What could possibly go wrong?
It is like the ARod-Yankees deal. When hearing about it, you just knew there was something wrong about it.
And the last few years of that deal saw ARod getting free money for being a donkey.

Harper is no Cal Ripken or Albert Pujols or even giancarlo Stanton. He is not overly loved by baseball people.
Most call him self-centered. And that's ok for most players. There is a certain kind of self-centeredness we want from most players.
But a 13 year marriage?
There is a reason why most marriages don't last 13 years.
One partner finds out that the other partner was not who they married.
The same will happen here.
It will be all luvvy dubby for the first couple of years.
Each side just pleased as punch that they got married.
Then, around age 30, the problems start.
Harper is not as good in the sack (field)
The fans (remember Philly fans) will let him know that he is under performing in the sack (field).
After the first few years of clapping for his vigorous ways before, they start wondering why it's (stats) getting slower and slower to rise.
He'll start making excuses (dl) for going to the sack (field).
Soon, the Phillies will know that Harper has lost a lot of his labido (skills).
Relentless, the Philly fans boo him mercifully.
At age 35, Harper is a shell of himself ("I just wanna DH!"). He sleeps in the recliner.
He looks at porn (practices), but can't bring it into the sack (field)
At age 37, let go.
Instead of being compared to Mike Trout, he is now compared to ARod and Bobby Bonilla.

Ok, ok, it won't be THAT bad.
But don't be surprised when a lot of news comes out of Philly in the later years concerning the rifts of Harper and the Phils.
THAT, will happen.
And there is nothing either side will be able to do about it.

[DOUGHBOYS]

We are done with the big signings (Keuchel and Kimbrel aside). Now, we are left with Spring Training reports and scores.
Most of the reports have something to do with performance. We try to glean or recognize anything of importance from both the scores and updates.
Sometimes there are reports that are just stupid.
Take this one.....It is obviously from a pro-Yankee perspective....

'SARASOTA, Fla. — Yankees ace Luis Severino might already be on the road to recovery from right rotator cuff inflammation that will push back the start of his 2019 season at least until late April or early May.
Four days into Severino’s two weeks of no throwing, manager Aaron Boone passed along some early optimism before Saturday night’s 6-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“He’s feeling well,” Boone said. “Obviously he’s not throwing the ball yet, but he’s feeling better every day. Some of the testing and strengths things that he’s doing, he’s feeling better. So for what it’s worth, the first few days of this thing at least are somewhat encouraging.”
Severino said the same thing to NJ Advance Media on Saturday morning.
“I’m feeling good,” he said.
Severino first experienced discomfort last Tuesday while he was warming up in the bullpen at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for a scheduled first Grapefruit League start. He noticed something was wrong when throwing his first slider, then didn’t throw another pitch.
An MRI later Tuesday showed the inflammation.
After 14 days of no throwing, Severino will be reexamined, and if his issue is gone by then, he’ll be cleared to start his spring over by plying catch.
Severino, 25, was 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 32 starts last season with 220 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings. The two-time All-Star signed a four-year $40-million extension on Feb. 15. '

Why write the damned story? It is not an update. It's not even false hope.
It is like we ask the prettiest girl in the school for prom. She says, "I'll think about it, give me two weeks".
Three days later, when asked by friends for an update, you shout out, "She hasn't said NO!"
This is a news story with no news.
Severino felt something wrong when throwing his first slider, now, we know he doesn't hurt by doing nothing.
WHICH IS THE SAME WAY HE FELT BEFORE THROWING THE SLIDER!
Some of these 'reports' are part of the trash we have to dig through to make us better in our hobby.
At this time of year, dumpster diving is a necessary evil.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I try and watch bits and pieces of all Spring Training games. I downplay the actual performances as they are not up to snuff with 'real baseball'.
What I look for is information about what is to come during the upcoming season for players.
Maybe a coach will say that he is working with a player on a swing intended for more power or a Manager will mention that a player has options.
When a Manager mentions that a player has options, it is like your wife mentioning that the trash hasn't been put out yet.
The options and the trash will be a done deal.

Anyway, I heard on four different games yesterday, about the news that Adam Jones has signed to play with the Diamondbacks.
This is really not a big deal to us as Jones is not exactly on the tip of our fantasy tongues.
All four reports though started the info like this....
"Adam Jones signing with Arizona gives them a great veteran presence in the Clubhouse..."
All four of them.

First, Arizona got rid of Paul Goldschmidt. A presence on and off the field. They knew they couldn't re-sign Goldy, so he was traded.
Now, accolades for signing (a cheaper) presence in the clubhouse.
The Diamondbacks need a presence in the clubhouse like I need a second wife.
They are going nowhere.
They lost their two best players last year in Goldy and Pollock.
Quick, name the first Arizona offensive player chosen in drafts....
See what I mean? It's David Peralta.

Second, when the first thing out of a reporters mouth is that a player is a great clubhouse presence, they are basically saying that the player is not a force on the field.
It is like a friend hooking you up on a blind date. You ask how good looking she is, and he responds, "She's got a great personality!"
THAT is what a great clubhouse presence is.
It means the player is better off the field than on.
Go to Southern California.
Those Angels will tell you what a great guy Albert Pujols is!
And why shouldn't players like Jones and Pujols be great clubhouse guys?
They've made their money. They're hanging around their buds. It's a great gig to be a great clubhouse guy.
It is almost like they've earned the title of 'Great Clubhouse Guy'.

Third and last, all of these Spring Training broadcasts are the same.
The number one rule is to ...ALWAYS PUT PLAYERS IN THE BEST LIGHT!
If making an error, broadcasters will always say how tough the play is or this line....
"It's better to do that now than the regular season"....
Ugh
These announcers have to live with these players on planes and hotels. We get it.
But still, can we at least hear some truth to go with the spin?
Yes, Adam Jones is a great clubhouse guy, I'll take your word for that.
From a realist though, Jones is a player who will take his meaningless at bats in Baltimore and move them to Arizona.
He will be 34 years old this year and is one of the few of the older free agents who was offered any kind of contract at all.
On the field, small impact.
Broadcasters can't say those things though. Fluff, the order of the day.
So, you go Adam Jones.
If having a great season, more admiration from broadcasters.
If failing, you are doing a high wire act suspended just two feet from the ground.
If falling, you will still have the title of, 'Great Clubhouse Guy'.