The MLB Thread

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Never had an interest in the sport but do regret not getting to a match whilst in the US last year.

[DJLJ]

I'm not even a Phillies fan, but anyone's better than the Yankees.

 

They are getting bummed senseless at the moment. 7 - 1 down at the bottom of the 5th.

Matusi has been all over this game sofar. 6 RBI's already, tying the record for most RBI's in the world series. He might still get the record alone.

[Rex Banner]

Looking like it's going to be over, Matsui is seeing em like beach balls.

[OmarVizquel]

Yay. What a surprise: the biggest spending team in world history wins the title. Yippee.

[odris]

Did Matsui get the record or not?

[The-Sir]

Shit it. I wanted Phillys to win for it to go to the final game, cos last night I just couldn't keep my eyes open and had to go to bed. Ah well.

 

Better luck to the Dodgers next year. A Yankees Dodgers World Series would have been epic.

[RedKnight]

Well that was shit, Martinez was too busy puffing out his cheeks and looking like a sulky child to throw any real decent pitches and it was too easy for the Yankees. I hate them, they love themselves way too much.

[RedKnight]

Glad you a good time there, Al. But you can tell that fat bastard Sabathia, that he needs bigger pants and smaller meals.

[RedKnight]

Your very bitter regarding CC mate. What is your team by the way jules?

 

The Red Sox, so a hatred of the Yankees is implied.

[OmarVizquel]

Aw, the Red Sox are so cute. No World Series win since 1918, then they win two in '04 and '07 and they think it's an actual rivalry. Meanwhile, the Yankees have won 27 World Series.

 

(I dislike both franchises intensely, but I have found Red Sox fans to be very annoying in the past 5 years. No offense, however, I'm sure you're a great guy.)

[RedKnight]

Aw, the Red Sox are so cute. No World Series win since 1918, then they win two in '04 and '07 and they think it's an actual rivalry. Meanwhile, the Yankees have won 27 World Series.

 

(I dislike both franchises intensely, but I have found Red Sox fans to be very annoying in the past 5 years. No offense, however, I'm sure you're a great guy.)

 

Everton have a rivalry with us despite not winning half as much, a rivalry is a rivalry.

[RJ Fan club]

Julian is not a great guy mate don't worry about that. Yankees really hate them though. What a fantastic place New York is. And the people great.

 

Going to San Diego next year.

 

Up the Padres

 

San Diego is boss Al. Very under rated.

 

The Ground is in the centre of town I think. They had a Baseball World Championship thing on when I was there in 2006. Needless to sat the USA got spanked and I think Korea beat Japan in the final.

 

After the game head out to the Gas Lamp District for some good bevvies.

[RedSand]

Padres News | padres.com: News

 

Seem's The padres are the Liverpool of MLB.

 

Don't know `bout that, but give us shout when you're down here.

First round is on me.

[Allan]

Missing my baseball on ESPN America, cant get into college football or Ice Hockey, seem's a bit quiet on the Padres front, I'll take that pint red sand next year all being well.

 

Very quiet on the baseball front all round, everyone is trying to figure out their needs through the free agent market and agents are trying to get their clients the best deals going.

 

It's a fairly poor free agent market this year, so I'm expecting 1 or 2 high profile trades, Roy Halladay being the big one. Free agent wise, Matt Holliday is the main attraction this close season. I wouldn't be surprised if both end up in Bean Town come the Spring.

 

Should pick up trade wise early December when the Winter meetings start.

 

Can't wait for April and the start of Spring training.

[Allan]

Who do they play for and where is Bean Town?

 

Sorry, Halladay is one of the best starting pitchers in the American League, and baseball in general, and currently plays for the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

Matt Holliday is a left fielder who was at the St. Louis Cardinals last season, but is now a free agent.

 

Bean Town is Boston, named so due to Baked Beans:

 

While some may believe the city got this label because it flourished with beans, we can’t give all the credit to the magical fruit. It was actually an overabundance of molasses made from sugar traded from the West Indies that contributed to the early colonial obsession with Boston Baked Beans. The dish is no longer popular in the area and restaurants rarely serve it as a specialty.

 

On the Padres front, there have been rumblings that several teams are eyeing your two time gold glove winning first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez.

[Allan]

Sorry, missed your other post earlier, went straight to the bottom of the thread.

 

Yes I read that, did he make team of the year? he was up for it I read?

 

What about the other question about signing free agents and then buying players?

 

Gonzalez made the NL gold glove team for the past season, the 2nd time he has done so.

 

So is there a specific time scale were you can buy free agents, then a period were you can buy for money?

 

Am I reading your post right. Padres not going big at all next season I read.

 

Are the Padres on good financial footing mate?

 

The trade side of things in baseball is fairly complicated, and I don't really understand it well enough to give you a proper answer, perhaps one of the American based posters could assist with this question?

 

Here's a link to the important dates for MLB: Important Dates

 

No idea what the finances of the Padres are like, though from what I have read, there looks to be a potential shake up on the horizon, with the possibility of a new General Manager from what I can gather, again, one of our American based posters would be better placed to answer this.

 

Just reading the Padres site, and I get the impression that they'll be using their farm system for this coming season instead of bringing in high(er) priced free agents.

[Allan]

Sure they brought in somebody from the Red Sox as GM

 

Yes, you're right, they did, passed me by:

 

Padres Announce New GM

[OmarVizquel]

What about the other question about signing free agents and then buying players?

 

A team owns a player until that player's contract ends. At that point the player becomes a free agent, and can choose any club willing to pay him.

 

North American leagues don't "buy" players like they do in Europe. Either you sign a free agent during the off-season -- giving him a new contract that you will pay yearly --, or you trade a player (or players) to another team for another player (or players). There are windows during the year when you can and cannot make trades.

 

For example, the Cleveland Indians drafted CC Sabathia in 1998 (when he was 18 years old), signed him to a rookie contract, developed him in their minor league system, brought him up to the major league club, and then signed him to another contract in the early 2000s. In 2007 he won the Cy Young award, as the best pitcher in the AL. However, his contract was ending after 2008 -- this meant he could become a free agent for the first time in his career, thus being eligible to accept any offer from any team. The Indians, as a small club, knew they couldn't afford to sign him, so they decided to trade him to Milwaukee in the middle of the 2008 season for 4 prospects. This meant that they at least got some good young players in return for him, as opposed to NOTHING when he would eventually leave via free agency.

 

After the 2008 season with Milwaukee, his contract ended. As a free agent, he signed the biggest contract in MLB history (for a pitcher) with the Yankees, and won the World Series with them in 2009.

[OmarVizquel]

(Also, here's something I found online that might help...)

 

History of baseball free agency

 

From the 19th century through 1976, baseball players were bound to one team for life because of the reserve clause. Teams could renew contracts for one year for as long as they wanted to keep the player.

 

The beginnings of free agency began in 1969, when longtime Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood was traded to Philadelphia and refused to report. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court but lost, but his case put in place an arbitration system for players' union and owner disputes.

 

In 1975, pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally played without a contract, arguing that their contract could not be renewed if it was never signed. An arbitrator agreed, and they were declared free agents. With the reserve clause effectively abolished, the players' union and the owners then agreed to the rules governing free agency that the teams and players would follow.

 

After a player is drafted

 

A player is bound to the team that drafts him for three seasons in the minor leagues. Contracts are automatically renewed on a year-to-year basis.

 

After three years, a player must either be on a team's 40-man roster (as he is then considered as having a major-league contract) or he is eligible for what is called the Rule 5 draft (see below). Once he has played for three seasons and is on the 40-man roster, the team then has “options” on the player. They can send him to the minors and still keep him for three additional seasons with automatic contract renewals. Each player has three option years and can be sent up and down from the minors as many times as teams see fit during that period.

 

A player with three years or more service cannot be removed from the 40-man roster without his permission. The player can opt to be released immediately or at the end of the season.

 

A player also can elect to become a free agent whenever he is removed from the 40-man roster, starting with the second removal of his career.

 

Rule 5 draft

 

After three complete minor league seasons, a team has to decide if they want to keep a player and must sign the player to a major-league contract (adding him to the 40-man roster).

 

Players who aren't placed on the roster are eligible for the baseball Rule 5 draft. A player can be drafted by another organization for $50,000. But there is a risk for the drafting team: They must keep that player on the 25-man major-league roster for the entire next season or he is offered back to the original team for $25,000.

 

A player not on the 40-man roster and not taken in the Rule 5 draft remains under contract with his current organization. He can elect to become a minor-league free agent instead of being taken in the Rule 5 draft, but players want to be selected in the draft because it represents what could be a fast track to the majors, getting away from a team that does not believe he belongs on the 40-man roster.

 

Arbitration

 

Once a player has been on a roster for three seasons and isn't locked up with a long-term deal, he becomes eligible for salary arbitration. A player with at least two years experience is also eligible provided he is among the top 17 percent in cumulative playing time in the majors of players who are between two and three years of experience.

 

During arbitration, the team and player each present a dollar figure to an arbitrator, who then decides for either the player or the team based on comparable wages within baseball. Oftentimes, the arbitration process leads to a compromise salary before the ruling.

 

Major league free agency

 

A player with six or more years of major-league service (on the team's 40-man roster) who is not under contract for the following season is eligible to file for free agency.

 

Teams can receive compensation for the player with a draft pick in the following year's draft in June. To receive compensation, the team must offer the player salary arbitration.

 

It is then up to the player to either accept arbitration or sign with another team. The team must offer salary arbitration to the player by early December or the team will not be allowed to negotiate with or sign the player until the following May 1. After arbitration is offered, the player has two weeks to accept or refuse salary arbitration. If it is refused, the player can only negotiate with the club until Jan. 7. after which no more negotiation can take place until May 1.

 

Top free agents are classified as Type A (the top 20 percent at their position as determined by the Elias Sports Bureau), Type B (between 21 and 40 percent at his position). If a Type A free agent who had been offered arbitration signs with another team, the team receives two first-round draft picks the following June – either a first- or second-round pick of the new team (depending on a team's record the previous season) and a “sandwich” pick between the first and second rounds. Type B free agents earn just a “sandwich” pick.

 

If there are 14 or fewer Type A or Type B free agents available, no team can sign more than one type A or B player. If there are between 15-38, no team can sign more than two. If there are between 39 and 62, there's a limit of three. However, teams can sign as many Type A or B free agents as they've lost, regardless of the limits above.

 

Other rules

 

A player with five years or more major-league service who is traded in the middle of a multi-year contract can, during the offseason, require his new team to either trade him or let him become a free agent. If the player is eventually traded, he's not eligible to demand a trade again under the current contract and loses free agency rights for three years.

[Allan]

Thanks for those Omar.

 

Next, can you explain the balk and the infield fly rule?

 

I kid, though those are the 2 rules I find hard to grasp, especially how they are decided by the umpires.

[The-Sir]

CC Sabathia is a bit of a McMannaman then, if he was under contract before the yankies bought him roughly what sort of money would the yankies have had to pay Milwaukee.

 

I have to say though I like CC Sabathia myself.

 

To my knowledge, they wouldn't be able to buy him for cash, only be able to trade him for one or more of their players.

[OmarVizquel]

So is there no transfers at all with money.

 

Very rarely, a club will trade a run-of-the-mill player for some minor leaguers and "cash considerations." But this is usually a very small amount of money.

 

Not sure if there are rules against flat-out paying large amounts for players. I had a hard time wrapping my head around money transfers when I first started following f******l.

 

You'll only see your Padres acquiring players:

 

(1) through the yearly amateur draft (where every team has an allocated place in line to sign young players who have not yet signed a contract with a major league team)

 

(2) by trading players for other players

 

and (3) through free agency.

 

There are no loans or "transfers" as you know them.

[The-Sir]

That's what I make of it yes. To be honest it seems a much fairer system than the one we have here.

 

They've also got a system in place whereby (I think) any youngsters coming into the game will join bottom placed clubs or something, but as I say I'm not 100% on it, OmarVizquel will know much more.

[OmarVizquel]

(Teams can also trade future draft picks for current players. For example, San Diego may trade their first round draft pick in the 2011 draft for a guy with another team in the big leagues.)

[OmarVizquel]

That's what I make of it yes. To be honest it seems a much fairer system than the one we have here.

 

They've also got a system in place whereby (I think) any youngsters coming into the game will join bottom placed clubs or something, but as I say I'm not 100% on it, OmarVizquel will know much more.

 

That's right. In the yearly draft, teams choose amateur players (high schoolers, college players, etc). The draft order is determined by the previous regular season records in the league, whereby the worst teams get to choose first.