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The MLB Thread- 2014 Season


gmen81

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Professional athletes are loyal to one color, green. It's hard for fans to grasp sometimes, but very few of these guys really care that much about the uniform itself. There are exceptions of course, which the fans tend to love, and some uniforms do inspire more in the players (first being, naturally, the Yankees). Of course some guys also get a thrill out of playing for their hometown team, and this can affect loyalty, though when it goes bad hometown attachment makes things worse, see: James, LeBron. But Kevin Youkilis is from Cincinnati, not Boston, so if the Yankees are going to roll up to his door with a whole bunch of money, why wouldn't he sign? Not to mention that a big reason for the breakup of the Red Sox core in the last couple of years was player discontent breeding locker room animosity. Youk left under uncomfortable circumstances because of a poor relationship with Bobby Valentine.

I'm more concerned about the fact that as a Yankee, Youkilis is probably going to have to shave his beard off and I have to see his ugly mug once every 9 batters while watching a game involving New York.

EDIT: or were you mentioning it more in the context of "why do so many players specifically play for the Yankees after playing for the Red Sox?" In which case, who knows? Maybe because the Yankees see them so often they consider ex-Red Sox a known quantity and covet the ones they see as being the best?

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I guess the Angels were willing to assume some risk that the Rangers weren't. When he's on, Hamilton is one of the most dominant hitters in baseball. But he gets hurt every year, and his lack of consistency, especially late in the year, is maddening.

However, I think a major part of this story is in how it demonstrates that the Texas Rangers still aren't ready for big time. That team plays in one of the country's most populous cities (Dallas is the 4th biggest metro area by population), what should be the largest non-coastal sports market outside of Chicago. And they have it all to themselves. They ranked 3rd in the league in attendance last season, behind the Phillies and Yankees, and they have had plenty of recent playoff revenues added in as well. And yet they get emasculated in their pursuit of a player they really wanted to keep, by their biggest rival with an already hugely bloated payroll to boot. Sure, the Rangers will still be good this year, but this has to be a painful kick in the nuts, and a major message to fans saying that while they may fill the stadium and buy the $11 beer just like fans in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, they still can't get to that level.

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I agree with you all, D'Arnaud looks like he is just going to rake at every level, as a catcher no less. Granted the injuries he has sustained may limit his time behind the plate I see him possibly pushing Lind out of his spot. I don't think Dickey is necessarily a one year wonder but I'm hesitant to give up a future MVP candidate for a knuckleballer. I'd give up any 2 of Gose, Arencibia, Rasmus, or one of their top young arms (have to give something to get something) but I'd hate to trade D'Arnaud.

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A big fat No to Dickey. He's a good pitcher but I think he'll get destroyed in the AL east. Fenway, Yankee's stadium, Camden Yard, and Rogers center where all amongst in the top 10 friendly hitter ballparks around the league.

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I'm surprised at all the scorn around the potential of an RA Dickey acquisition. This is a sure sign that AA sees 2013 as a year the Blue Jays can not just leapfrog a few teams, or grab a wild card, but actually win it all. Some teams stock their farm system to slowly develop a core, others use it as an asset, and while the idea of a home grown team working their way to the top has a certain feel-good appeal, it's not the road to the top in baseball, especially in the AL East. Looking back, you see that basically all the World Series champions of this era have been willing to spend significant money on free agents and sacrifice young talent to acquire veterans along the way. Even among the losers, the 2006 Tigers, 2007 Rockies and 2008 Rays stand out as a short streak of homegrown teams that made it to the Series sandwiched between years of big spenders. AA is basically sending a message to the Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles and the rest of baseball that they should be afraid, very afraid. I think the perfect example of the fate of the homegrown team was the Brewers of a couple of years ago: they'd finally matured their team together, Fielder and Braun were hitting their primes, they had the complimentary pieces in place, and they couldn't pass muster. Fielder left, and they're middling again and needing another rebuild. The Jays obviously don't want to enter that pattern and feel they have the money to rise above it.

Also, as I have posted before in this thread, there's a trend to fetishize prospects these days. Yes, D'Arnaud looks like the real deal, but he's also still in the minors, so he's obviously not the next Harper or Trout or whoever either. Until players actually show they can hit major league pitching, and can handle the rigors of the game at its highest level, for the most part they are question marks. The difference between AAA and the majors is really the largest of all jumps. Let's also not forget that D'Arnaud's biggest offensive numbers have been in the PCL, which is known to be an extremely hitter friendly league. If anything, his numbers in New Hampshire the year before might be more impressive, because the Eastern League is much harder on hitters, but that's AA pitching we're talking about, not the high 90's heat and ungodly junk that major leaguers can throw.

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Do you guys think our bullpen is good enough?

I think it's good enough to head into the season with provided Oliver decides to come back. Janssen was as good as the came last year for closers. Delabar and Loup are great righty/lefty specialists. Lincoln had his rough outings but is still young and can learn pitching in less critical situations for now. If Lyon doesn't come back that sucks as he was a pretty good 8th inning guy but Santos coming off of injury should be able to more than fill those shoes.

Sure you could always use more depth but I think so far so good.

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A big fat No to Dickey. He's a good pitcher but I think he'll get destroyed in the AL east. Fenway, Yankee's stadium, Camden Yard, and Rogers center where all amongst in the top 10 friendly hitter ballparks around the league.

I'm not so sure. Tim Wakefield managed to hang around long after his "best before" date, all the while pitching in those very parks. A full half of them at Fenway.

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I'm not so sure. Tim Wakefield managed to hang around long after his "best before" date, all the while pitching in those very parks. A full half of them at Fenway.

Excellent point Rupe .. plus a healthy hitting line-up will add a run a game in those some Parks for the Jays ..

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Excellent point Rupe .. plus a healthy hitting line-up will add a run a game in those some Parks for the Jays ..

Yeah. I've never really believed that the park makes a big difference to a knuckleballer. Be it Fenway or Minute Maid park, if a hitter like Cabrera or Pujols squares one up, it's going to leave the yard.

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Oh man I hate this trade so much. Your top hitting/position prospect and your top pitching prospect for one aging guy seems like way too much, especially when the Jays are already in a pretty good spot in the AL East it seems. I'd pray that it falls apart but I just don't see the Jays going that far to not meet his contractual demands now.

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