Non Phillies 2016-2017 offseason Discussion

bkeich 2017-01-30 20:35:20 UTC #86

I wonder if it is the "looking at internal trade discussions" that got them. That might really be damaging, the scouting reports are bad but not really this bad. Of course if the Cards ended up taking some guys the Astros found because of all this then it is easily justifiable.

I think this falls in the "we want everyone to understand this is not to be contemplated" kind of penalty.

zambonir 2017-01-31 02:01:45 UTC #87

This guy thinks they got off easy. Lighter penalty than the Sox just got, the long delay meant they got to do a bunch of stuff before the punishment. It's possible that had they not signed Fowler the punishment might have been different. Also, bluster, but Crane said he was hoping to get a Cardinals player

zambonir 2017-01-31 02:04:11 UTC #88

Meanwhile, I guess we know how much more the Phillies preferred Saunders to Brandon Moss, or just how little use they thought Moss would be.

andyb 2017-01-31 16:13:25 UTC #89

The more I read about it the worse it seems. I still don't think Houston should get the extra draft picks. But now it looks like they signed Fowler and gave up their number one pick because they knew they would lose it anyway. At the very least they should forfeit their 2018 number one pick (not to a team - just forfeit it).

As articles say, one of the picks they are losing is their competitive balance pick which they should not have had in the first place.

Lawman 2017-02-06 18:31:47 UTC #90

GunbladeVIII 2017-02-07 02:46:59 UTC #91

It feels like every year, baseball says they're going to mess with the strike zone. And every year, that sticks for about a week until it goes back to normal.

BostonRoss 2017-02-08 07:29:28 UTC #92

I love it when eliminating the pitches on intentional walks is touted as a way to speed up the game. It could save several seconds, I'm sure.

LoneStarPhan 2017-02-08 14:18:15 UTC #93

Nothing makes MLB look dumber than such measures as eliminating the pitches for an IBB. Please, don't mess with the fundamental game.

BtownFan 2017-02-08 21:23:49 UTC #94

It is amazing how many pitchers make mistakes in this situation...or are they mistakes?

Philsmania 2017-02-08 21:47:30 UTC #95

Twins designate 1Bman Byung Ho Park for assignment but with the money he's owed, he's pretty much a lock to clear waivers. Wasn't there some frustration in some corners of this forum that the Phillies weren't more aggressive in trying to get him when his Korean team posted him?

Lawman 2017-02-09 15:10:13 UTC #96

Forget the IBB and the strike zone....if they were to actually implement the below idea, that would be bad.

xogfog 2017-02-09 20:21:02 UTC #97

This whole effort to try to shorten games is ridiculous. What are they trying to do, get a 3:05 game down to 2:55? What is the point? What has slowed down baseball is advanced strategy. The multiple pitching changes, sometimes 3 different changes in one inning, catcher's visits to the mound, replays, etc... The intentional walk happens at a rate of less then half per game by league average, it is a non-issue.

Games used to take 2:00 when guys pitched complete games, pitch counts didn't matter, and TV didn't have to cram a bunch of commercials into the broadcast. Now they use about 4-5 pitchers per game, all the extra warm up time. TV loves it, that's more time for commercials. If they think they need to gimmick the game up because the average attention span has made baseball less watchable, then what is the point? Baseball is the only game that has no clock on it. I'd rather see baseball die on the vine then have the game bastardized to the point where it doesn't resemble what we know as baseball now.

andyb 2017-02-09 20:36:14 UTC #98

I think there are some common sense things they can do:

Shorten some commercial breaks by 30 seconds. Come up with some exclusive sponsorships (like Golf or Soccer do) to make up some of the shortfall. NFL is even thinking of shortening their commercials in some ways.

Limit mound visits by pitching coaches AND catchers.

Think about either a 2 or 3 batter minimum for pitchers unless starting an inning. This is what they should really experiment with. Cut the mid-inning pitching switches in half. This means fewer pitchers in a game which will be good for the health of all these pitchers on a pace to appear in 70-80 games.

They really don't need to make the game much shorter though. 3 hours is fine. Just get rid of the unnecessary pauses in the middle of innings. Like the NFL needs to get rid of that commercial break after kickoffs when they already had one after touchdowns.

Philsmania 2017-02-09 21:26:57 UTC #99

andyb:

I think there are some common sense things they can do:

Shorten some commercial breaks by 30 seconds. Come up with some exclusive sponsorships (like Golf or Soccer do) to make up some of the shortfall. NFL is even thinking of shortening their commercials in some ways.

Limit mound visits by pitching coaches AND catchers.

Think about either a 2 or 3 batter minimum for pitchers unless starting an inning. This is what they should really experiment with. Cut the mid-inning pitching switches in half. This means fewer pitchers in a game which will be good for the health of all these pitchers on a pace to appear in 70-80 games.

They really don't need to make the game much shorter though. 3 hours is fine. Just get rid of the unnecessary pauses in the middle of innings. Like the NFL needs to get rid of that commercial break after kickoffs when they already had one after touchdowns.

It wouldn't affect the pace of the game but I would like to see a requirement that announced pinch hitters take at least one at-bat. Manuel used to drive me nuts the way he always pinch hit for announced pinch hitters after the other manager countered with a pitching change. Make having to foresee possible pitching changes part of a manager's strategy.

xogfog 2017-02-09 22:35:57 UTC #100

I don't know, I don't mind anything strategy related. Baseball is chess, it is a pastoral, cerebral game, and it doesn't fit in the low attention span generation's viewing habits. If baseball wants to make itself more relevant, then ticket prices need to come down, it needs to be more affordable for an average family to go see a game. Teams are making money hand over fist with TV deals and stadium proceeds, they could make the fan experience more affordable.

I think another reason baseball is slipping a bit in relevance is that real estate demand no longer allows for community baseball fields in populated areas. When I was a kid, there were several fields in walking distance in every direction, and it wasn't hard to organize a game. Now, I can't even tell you where the nearest field is to where I live. Bottom line, less kids are playing baseball, and playing baseball is the best way to create a baseball fan.

Philsmania 2017-02-09 22:40:22 UTC #101

Marlins reportedly have a handshake agreement to sell the team, possibly to Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner who, of course, is Trump's son-in-law. There seem to be complicating issues in the deal though if Kusner is the buyer, namely Kushner's criminal history and his lack of liquid assets (his wealth is all tied up in NYC real estate).

Update: per ESPN, Kushner is not involved in the proposed sale.

Lawman 2017-02-10 00:23:46 UTC #102

I know ticket price is a huge deal for me. I remember my parents taking me and my 2 siblings and spending $5-$15/ seat. Last year I took my 3 three kids and my father. Spent a small fortune on bleacher seats. I will be sticking to my local, unaffiliated, minor league team this year.

Philsmania 2017-02-10 15:21:38 UTC #103

In other words, like NCAA football and NHL, MLB wants to turn its equivalent to overtime into a shootout.

bkeich 2017-02-10 16:45:49 UTC #104

Yes, that is the definition of goofy ideas. Extra Innings are exciting, I know that the Networks hate having their schedule interrupted, but I would be willing to bet that viewership goes up during extra innings, I know I would watch a game if I saw it was in the 10th, and I really would if I saw it was in the 17th.

Changing / expanding the strike zone... a good idea.
Intentional Walk rule... yea, why not, no reason to make the game go slower, this does save a minute of nothing happening.
This idea... silly

Lawman 2017-02-10 18:48:29 UTC #105

Rather then start extra innings with a runner on second, let's do it like this:

10th inning - runner on 1B
11th inning - runner on 2B
12th inning - runner on 3B
13th inning - HR derby-like contest
14th inning - bucket is placed at 3B. RF has to throw the ball, on the fly, into the bucket.

Yeah, I don't mind the IBB, and I don't think I have enough info yet as to decide whether I like the strike zone change. This one, however, is jut ridiculous.