chasfh

Not quite ready for prime time, is he?

We don't need a first baseman, so I would think trading for Ryan O'Hearn is a non-starter. I also don't think Arizona will be so quick to sell, given how they just shoveled a bunch of money into Corbin Burnes's and Ketel Marte's pocket, as well as Corbin Carroll and Eduardo signed for big money just last year. Also, they're only 5-1/2 games out of the wild card with a third of the season to play, and while I would agree that they have much chance at all to make the playoffs, I'm hearing they themselves might not see it that way.

Technically true as this is, the cap players go into the Hall with means something to most ardent fans, probably because we tend to be fans more of teams than individual players. I would like to see Verlander go in as a Tiger. I'm a slappy that way. To the degree it's important at all in the big scheme of things, which is not really, it's important to me. Until just recently there would be a good chance he would go in as an Astro, especially after he won his second ring and his second Cy Young with them. They supercharged his late career and made him the winner practically all players long to be. When he went back to the Astros last year I thought he might retire with them and cement his legacy with their franchise. But he was terrible for them last year, so the Astros let him go, and now he's flailing with the Giants at the moment, so I think there's significantly less chance now that he goes in as an Astro. Part of it depends on how he finishes up. If he retires as a Giant, I think it's much better than 50/50 he goes in as a Tiger than as an Astro. BUT: if he were sign a one-day contract with one or the other team and he retires with that team, I think that's the cap he's going to wear to Cooperstown. And he has a reason to sign that ceremonial contract with either team.

Isn't that because the NBA has a salary floor?

The bigger problem is how they did so in November.

maybe the rubes will gnaw on this bone and forget the whole epstein hoax now

Aggrieved wanna-be dictators are becoming so boring

It's thinking along the lines of that which underpins fan support for team salary caps. The belief is that it will level the playing field among teams. Assuming whatever new salary cap is going to be roughly the same as next year's CBT amount, which is $244 million, at least 25 teams are already under that. And even if they set the first team salary cap at something drastically low—say, $150 million per team—the active payrolls of 20 teams are still under that. Most organizations are already hamstringing themselves when it comes to signing top talent. What makes us think these teams are all of a sudden going to spend a lot more once a cap is in place? Besides, even if by some unrealistic assumption the bottom feeders were to start spending under such a cap system, once the money is capped by team—once the top offers coming from places like Los Angeles and New York and Chicago versus Kansas City and Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are essentially the same—then the difference in money offered becomes less important, and other factors both hard (Which teams are going to win this year?) and soft (Which cities would my wife want to live? Where can I get the most national visibility and build my personal brand?) becomes more important. And this doesn't even contemplate whether it's fair and equitable that a team that generates way way more revenue, like the Yankees and Dodgers, should be held to the same hard spend caps that the Rays or Marlins are.

They still do, although to your point, the numbers the league leaders in this category put up have been dropping in the past few decades.

To be clear, I don't care whether Skubal makes 20 million, or 40 million, or 100 million a year. It's not the money I'm concerned about committing, because it's not my money. It's the years, because they are my years. I don't believe the hypothesis that teams reinvest money they save from friendly signings on additional star players has ever been borne out by any examples. Or, at least I can't think of any examples. Maybe someone else can?

Oops ... I meant this to say, now we know what Joe Biden himself sounds like in private.

America alone!

Boo ****ing hoo to the guy and the wife. I do feel bad for the kids forced to be caught up in this horse****.

Speaking of shaking out Biden's policies, that is basically Trump Job #1.

And now we know what Joe Biden himself sounds like in public.

Must ... resist ... urge ... to post .... cheesecake ...

She can wear anything she wants, as far as I’m concerned.

MAGA counterpoint: prison is supposed to be hard.

I think they believe that is totally fiscally responsible, because they can imagine the lazy vermin who would have eaten that food otherwise.

It’s all this, plus another aspect is that he is still working his ass off to get better so he can pitch. I can imagine the idea that players coming back from injury work have to harder at their job than healthy players on active rosters typically do.

I could see Skubal being the kind of guy who might not relish the white hot spotlight of New York or Los Angeles, but I would also think he would play in either spot if they offered the most money, because all three organizations have a chance to win a ring in any given year. And since he’s going to get good and paid no matter where he ends up, the best chance of winning rings is ultimately what he’s going to want in a new contract.

Believe me when I tell you that Alex Cobb is not happy with his circumstances at the moment.

A treat for those who enjoy watching strikeout after strikeout after strikeout …

Will Vest is The Man.