Please don't call him "Doogy."

The more I hear about Stroman's optimism ...

 ... the more I'm convinced he's going to be a bust.

I like Girardi well enough.

I think he got a raw deal when he was dismissed. I also think he was largely proven correct. In the sense that Boone's supposed ability to manage the young players was proven incorrect. Notable exception, of course, being Judge.

I think the Mets will have one of the worst bullpens.

That's all I've got for you.

Never heard of him.

Most would agree that Alex Verdugo is not a premium player.

That's why he isn't paid as if he were a premium player.

Net Present Value.

Literally, you can't even put an accurate value on Ohtani's contract.

We know it's a lot either way. Ohtani won't starve on $2 million per year.

It's just not a $700 million contract. Because a 2023 USD is worth a lot more than a 2043 (!) USD.

Name a player who played for the Chicago Bulls.

You thought of Michael Jordan. He hasn't played an NBA game in twenty years. The Bulls are still cashing in.

Celtics? Larry Bird.

Lakers? Magic Johnson.

LA Dodgers? Probably Jackie Robinson first. Koufax; Drysdale; Gibson with the home run; a few others come to mind.

Why is Ohtani worth $700 million? It's branding.

Ohtani is worth $700 million because the Dodgers expect to cash in on an international level until the end of time.

"I'd rather have two $35 million players than one $70 million players." As if this is about runs batted in, OPS, wins and losses. 

Of course it will help if he wins some rings, hits some iconic home runs, plays great baseball, etc. The expectations are that he will accomplish these things. Even more important is his ability to increase the value of the Dodgers franchise over time. The expectation is that he will accomplish this for a lot longer than ten years.

 

Fox signed Tom Brady to a $375 million contract to be an NFL analyst. Who knows if he will be a charismatic on-air analyst? Fox just wants to associate themselves with Brady. That is worth $375 million to them.

Perhaps the Dodgers were bidding against themselves and didn't have to go that high? It's fine. They've got the long game in mind.

This does not guarantee that the Dodgers will win a World Series title and it negatively affects their draft capital.

Also, the Dodgers still need pitching depth.

Just repeating some of the standard objections.

Juan Soto is such a drag.

"Short of watching every inning of all 162 games, it’s foolish to assign specific blame to an aggravating 82-80 season. Surely there might have been times Soto lost sight of a bigger picture for individual gain, but that could be said of any player, in any year and besides, by year’s end, his numbers spoke loudly.

Yet somehow, the formula was off."

The 2023 Yankees were also a disappointing 82-80 last season.

Maybe it was because Michael King and Kyle Higashioka lost sight of a bigger picture for individual gain.

Ever think of that?

Soto already has a ring. Soto batted about 1.000 in the World Series if you give credence to small sample sizes. Soto batted .299 with RISP last season and .304 with two outs and RISP.

Anthony Rizzo had one hit with two outs and RISP last season. Anthony Rizzo: The #3 hitter that you forgot was even on the roster when you heard the Yankees signed Soto.

This is just a typical lazy analysis.

"Since the acquisition of Soto doesn't guarantee a World Series title, the acquisition of Soto is a risk."

It's true!

"Wednesday, the Yankees threw Soto at the problem. A Yamamoto signing would give them a half-dozen players making at least $27 million. It is not quite a superteam, but that is the approach they are taking. To which the Padres say, good luck. They will try a different approach, and they don’t seem too broken up about it."

Good luck to the Padres as well.

The Padres, whose unerring approach has resulted in precisely zero World Series titles.

If the Yankees get Soto ...

 ... where is Verdugo going to get ABs?

Do you want a link to a statement by the Yankees on the passing of Henry Kissinger?

 If so, here is a link to a statement by the Yankees on the passing of Henry Kissinger.

Baseball salaries.

$13 million for one of the worst players in baseball. 

I can't say Passan is wrong, exactly: "... the free agent market has set the price of veteran starting pitchers at $10 million-plus a year -- and Severino's past success bought him slightly more ..." 

... but I'd take a 30% raise, and I wouldn't consider it "slightly more"; and

... where is the demand for Luis Severino that would command a premium, however slight?

Funny way to put it.

“When I was with the Orioles, you were intimidated to play them,” Britton told Ghroli. “They had so much talent. The way they carried themselves, you didn’t want to go to New York because they were so imposing, and I feel like we lost a little of that when I was there."

The Yankees were less imposing once they signed me.

Britton isn't incorrect. It's an obvious observation. He also isn't the proper messenger.

Volpe gets one third-place ROTY vote.

Also got a gold glove. The defensive metrics seem to back it up. I didn't really notice anything extraordinary defensively. I also don't keep track of the shortstops throughout the AL, so what do I know?

Not all Perfect Games acquire Baseball Immortality.

An unlikable player, late night when no one was watching, in a forgettable season vs. Oakland.

I want him.

A lot of the big salary teams missed the playoffs this year.

"The failure to install a salary cap system, though, has assured football at all levels continues to rule over the sport that once called itself the national pastime."

The NFL passed MLB a long time ago.

I don't even understand the purpose of making the comparison.

A salary cap will not allow MLB to catch the NFL. Nothing will.

 

"As MLB displays its version of the final four – the National League Championship Series and American League Championship Series – the teams still alive again represent exclusively plus-sized markets."

I thought the Final Four were Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Phoenix.

 

"Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Phoenix are the cities still alive in the baseball postseason, and it should surprise no one they all represent top-10 metropolitan areas. Because that is how it has been in baseball under the current regime, where small-market clubs content themselves with making money while hoping to get lucky and big-market teams embrace how it all tilts in their favor."

Six teams in the top three markets were shut out.

 

"The fan base of every team in the NFL perceives itself to have an opportunity because the results show they do, so long as their team’s management takes appropriate advantage. And the success of the smaller-market teams has not merely been the product of failing and then drafting an elite quarterback with the first or second pick in the draft. Kansas City got Patrick Mahomes by trading up from the 27^th overall pick to select him at No. 10. Green Bay was sharp enough to select Aaron Rodgers after 23 other players were chosen in 2005. The Bills got Josh Allen with the seventh pick in 2018."

The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015.

The Oakland A's had a movie made about them.

The Detroit Lions may perceive they have a chance to win the Super Bowl every year, but that perception has always been wrong.

 

I mean, if you don't like baseball, then you don't like baseball.

Most people in American prefer football.

The deciding factor is not really the percentage of Final Four participants outside the top 20 markets.

I also can't believe this is still being discussed. I suppose some things never change.

 

 

Mr. 4 2/3 Innings had a better playoff game than I expected ... and a better year than I expected.

This whole exercise is always stupid and always used as a way to ridicule the Yankees.

Players move around all the time.

Sonny Gray, Aaron Hicks, Joey Gallo, Josh Donaldson, and many other ex-Yankees are in the playoffs.

Oh, and Nathan Eovaldi.

Who has also previously played for the Red Sox, the Rays, the Marlins, and the Dodgers.

Who cares?

Tell me that Jordan Montgomery would have somehow saved the Yankees vs. the Astros in last year's ALCS, then I would concede it was a horrible trade.

Bader had a 1.271 OPS in that series. The Yankees were still swept, so it was good for nothing.

The Cardinals missed the playoffs in 2023, traded Bader for Montgomery in 2022, and then dumped Montgomery for nothing.

No one in St. Louis is giving it a second thought.

That went south quick.

I don't subscribe to the Daily News and I don't have a twitter account, but it would be interesting to see if Lupica ate some humble pie on this one.