So it begins, The official Hot Stove League Thread 2024-25 Offseason

[Vogelbomb]

How were we involved in trade rumors for him if we didn't think he was a good fit????

When some blogger puts out "the Red Sox and Mariners seem like good trade partners because the Sox have a need in the rotation, the M's have a plethora of controllable arms and need hitting, maybe Bryce Miller for Triston Casas is a good deal" doesn't mean the Mariners wanted Triston Casas

[Vogelbomb]

And no, it doesn't help you to acquire another bat when there's nowhere for him to play and receive the 650 PAs necessary to gain the value you want after trading a key pitcher (conceivably) to acquire him. Luke Raley is a player that similarly needs those PAs.

The Dodgers will soon realize this. All this spending they are doing... perhaps they are improving marginally, but every time they add a pitcher (or any other player), they are also subtracting both a player off the 40 and a member of the rotation as it was already full to begin with. Now they want to use a 6-man rotation? HAHHAHAH be my guest. All you're doing is limiting the value of each pitcher you've spent big time money on.

[Vogelbomb]

Having good players sit on the bench or play in AAA doesn't get you anywhere, you're not getting any return on investment

[D-train]

How were we involved in trade rumors for him if we didn't think he was a good fit????

When some blogger puts out "the Red Sox and Mariners seem like good trade partners because the Sox have a need in the rotation, the M's have a plethora of controllable arms and need hitting, maybe Bryce Miller for Triston Casas is a good deal" doesn't mean the Mariners wanted Triston Casas

Agree but it was National sports writers and it was REPORTED they went to Castillo about waiving his NTC.

[D-train]

And no, it doesn't help you to acquire another bat when there's nowhere for him to play and receive the 650 PAs necessary to gain the value you want after trading a key pitcher (conceivably) to acquire him. Luke Raley is a player that similarly needs those PAs.

The Dodgers will soon realize this. All this spending they are doing... perhaps they are improving marginally, but every time they add a pitcher (or any other player), they are also subtracting both a player off the 40 and a member of the rotation as it was already full to begin with. Now they want to use a 6-man rotation? HAHHAHAH be my guest. All you're doing is limiting the value of each pitcher you've spent big time money on.

Totally agree with that.

[desbcoach]

There is now a lot of talk about how MLB is doomed because of the Mets Dodgers Yankees. A bunch of NFL posters when saying the NFL model is SO much better. How in the hell can you be an NFL fan this Century and watch the Pats and Chiefs win NINE SBs and see the perennial cluster fuck of the Bears, Jets, Giants, Browns and Panthers vs the Eagles, Ravens, Rams, Bills and Chiefs the last decade and think the NFL has it figured out.

MLB needs a salary cap bad. What the Dodgers is doing is killing the game and parity. Why should teams even show up against the Dodgers?

Did you even read my post? They have won ONE WS since Reagan was in office. How about we see what happens this season before Chicken Little-ing the Downfall of MLB. Why hasn't the NFL folded due to the Pats and Chiefs dynasties and why didn't the salary cap prevent them from completely dominating and how did the most dominant team in MLB in the last decade not even come near the luxury tax???

Really comes down to capology along with coach, management and evaluation of talent. KC , NE are tops at it and other team not so much

[Vogelbomb]

Agree but it was National sports writers and it was REPORTED they went to Castillo about waiving his NTC.

I never saw anything about M's going to Castillo about waiving his NTC as if they had some agreement in principle with BOS, I call BS on that. And everything I saw on these trades with Boston, was just essentially trade ideas being floated, from what I read, there was no statement or quote in the stories attributed to Breslow

[Vogelbomb]

My quick 2 cents on MLB and a salary cap:

I've always been in favor of no cap. I'm not going to suddenly change my stance because two teams (Dodgers, Mets) are going rogue. I will say, the idea of deferred $$ is fishy and there should be a cap of deferred money per annum and there needs to be a detailed plan of when that money is to be paid, not some vague idea of it being paid out after 2040 or after 2045 or some shit. I don't like that at all. It reeks.

Why no cap? Well, I like a free-market system and I like the idea of each franchise being able to do what it wants. With one exception here, I believe there needs to be a salary floor and that floor needs to continue to rise with salary inflation. Here's the thing, right? You've got teams that are propped up by revenue sharing and the MLB network funds being dispersed. It's somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-80m per team depending on their revenue share percentage. That's a lot of loot before even selling a jersey or a ticket or a $16.5 beer

Salary floor right now should be about $105m. Give me a break you can't spend that and still make a $20m+ profit even if you're the A's or the Rays or Pirates.

[D-train]

Agree but it was National sports writers and it was REPORTED they went to Castillo about waiving his NTC.

I never saw anything about M's going to Castillo about waiving his NTC as if they had some agreement in principle with BOS, I call BS on that. And everything I saw on these trades with Boston, was just essentially trade ideas being floated, from what I read, there was no statement or quote in the stories attributed to Breslow

https://www.si.com/mlb/mariners/seattle ... on-red-sox

[Donn Beach]

Never heard what his reply was