In-Season Tournament: Yes or No?
I read today on MLBTR that there have been some discussions about having an in-season baseball tournament. I see no need for this myself. Isn’t that what the post-season is all about? The best in baseball playing each other? Besides, they already have the WBC once every three…
I read today on MLBTR that there have been some discussions about having an in-season baseball tournament. I see no need for this myself. Isn’t that what the post-season is all about? The best in baseball playing each other?
Besides, they already have the WBC once every three years. Baseball does not need to become more like the NBA. There is talk of expansion to 32 teams, which I see as a need to balance both leagues. They could then split into four-team divisions regionally.
But playing a tournament during the season? Unneeded in my opinion. As long as there are large market teams with virtually unlimited resources, there will not be total parity in the league. Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees, Cubs and Red Sox, will always be able to fill holes better than some others in free agency, and player development.
And they will continue to pay penalties to the rest of the league for doing business that way. Teams in the lower tier of the league, will have to find creative ways to compete. Remember though that the Brewers, who play in Milwaukee, not exactly a huge market, had the best record in the MAJORs last year during the regular season.
Not sure what the future holds, but one thing I do know is that an in-season tournament for MLB teams is not something that I would look forward to. It makes no sense to me at all, especially since it makes the post-season longer. We have the WBC every three years. We don’t need an NBA type game.
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Discussion (82)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Why would Tucker want to play in NY because everything he does right or wrong will be scrutinized in the newspapers and on sports talk shows? Everything I’ve read is that he wants to stay out of the limelight where if he chooses LA he will be surrounded by MVP caliber superstars. I guess it comes down to us and Toronto and LA’s high annual salary short term deal or a long term contract with more money over time with Toronto.
Per Robert Murray: The Mets have offered $50 million per season on a short-term contract to Kyle Tucker. Per Will Sammon: Industry sources believe the Mets have offered Tucker a contract worth $120–140 million over three years. Sammon also notes that both the Blue Jays and Dodgers may have offered more money to Tucker at this point, although that remains unknown. He added that Tucker could sign as soon as this week as his market has begun to pick up.
“The top free agent of the offseason is still unsigned with about a month to go until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Some recent reporting, including from Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio, has suggested the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Mets are the top suitors for Kyle Tucker at this point. All three have recently met with Tucker, either in person or over Zoom, per Duquette. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports today that the Mets are in the range of offering him $120MM to $140MM on a three-year deal. Sammon says Tucker could make his decision as soon as this week”. If this is true the Dodgers could certainly match or beat this deal.
In order to make room on the 40-man roster for Andy Ibañez, the Dodgers designated infielder/outfielder Ryan Fitzgerald for assignment.
Dude, calm down. Tranquilo is the word down here.
“After more than a yearlong residency on the rumor mill, Nolan Arenado’s time in St. Louis is over. The Cardinals announced Tuesday that they’ve traded Arenado and cash to the D-backs in exchange for minor league right-hander Jack Martinez (Arizona’s eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft). The Cardinals are including a reported $26MM in cash to help facilitate the trade”.
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that a trade sending Arenado to Arizona is “close.” Woo and colleague Ken Rosenthal add that Arenado has agreed to waive his no-trade clause.
Well, there is Giants news, and I was wrong again! Per Passan: The San Francisco Giants are aggressively pursuing a second baseman and have been engaged with Chicago on Nico Hoerner and St. Louis on Brendan Donovan, sources tell ESPN. An infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Donovan or Hoerner and Rafael Devers would be among MLB’s best.
Would somebody do something!!! Cubs sign former aaaassssstro. Bregman . Good for them! So who’s next? Yankees want somebody,anybody, just give them somebody to love! Jays want Tucker. Why hasn’t he signed? Money? Length of contract? Location? Wants to be a Dodger? Phillies look like a sure bet for Bichette. Hate it! Bellinger? A dark horse team may emerge in the Cody sweepstakes. The pirates? Although they seem like a possibility for Eugenio Suarez. 35+ homers for the pirates? They aren’t sitting still this offseason. No matter what happens , I believe the Dodgers need to upgrade their offense. Bichette, Tucker, Hoerner, Donovan, any of them help. The youngsters are not ready just yet. And, there’s no guarantee they will be what we expect them to be when they get here. Maybe 2 of the bunch become Very good MLB players. Maybe more! We can’t predict how it turns out. But they can upgrade instantly with Bichette, Tucker , or someone else! I keep hearing they are all in on Bellinger. I secretly believe they are afraid of him. Especially a long term deal. 3, and I believe they are all in. Just don’t believe they believe in Cody for more than 3 years. Somebody do something!!!
I was thinking this morning,why don’t they give Alex Freeland a shot to play the outfield. He has a strong arm, some speed and power and hit well against right handed pitching rather than left handed pitching in the the minors. He could platoon with Call if they don’t sign an outfielder this off season. They have Kim and Ibanez as utility men to play the infield.
As in they may “potentially” sign him…. but haven’t yet!
So would you offer Rushing in a deal for Shaw or not?
New Dodger substack, new potential Dodger prospect, Ezequiel Melbourne https://open.substack.com/pub/dodgersafterduty/p/the-dodgers-next-international-gem?r=bg1q&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
It is related to the Dodgers Guigenhiem money, Cuban money. Without the NIL Indiana probably wouldn’t make the playoffs. I do enjoy the break up of the lock the SWC had in college football but if they limited the NIL to in-state athletes with a cap it would be more inductive to stay home for their partial college education giving fans few local guys to cheer for. Not sure that is a great cure but it would keep it ba college game
The SEC can no longer dominate college football under the transfer portal. That’s why Nick Saban left Alabama.
I’m with you. I hate the ghost runner. I hate the expanded playoffs. Throwing over to first only twice with a pitch clock is just handing bases to guys. Frankly, I can’t stand interleague play. Manfred can’t leave fast enough for me. It’s been rewarding bad fundamentals and mediocrity.
It’s the Golden Rule. He who has the Gold makes the Rules!
You are delusional, he has been a GREAT commisioner. In addition to overseeing the expansion of the world baseball classic he also ushered in the pitch clock which has arguably been the best rule change in the history of MLB.
And people complain about the Dodgers!!! If the ncaa doesn’t get their sh*t together and fix this nil and portal they will lose the great games called college basketball and football! Or at least the fans!
“The most prominent major donor to the Indiana football program is billionaire alumnus Mark Cuban. Key Donors Mark Cuban: The Indiana University graduate and former Dallas Mavericks owner has made significant, successive donations to the athletic department, specifically to boost the football program’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) efforts in the transfer portal. Cuban had not previously donated to the athletic department until late 2024, inspired by the success of head coach Curt Cignetti’s team. Merchants Bank: The program secured a $50 million stadium naming rights deal with Merchants Bank. Other long-time donors: While Cuban is the most public and recent major donor to the football-specific efforts, other families like the Simons (Simon Property Group) and the Cooks (Cook Medical) have been long-time, significant donors to the university, with their names appearing on various academic buildings and facilities. Cuban’s donations, combined with a strong fundraising push, have enabled the Hoosiers to become aggressive in acquiring high-profile talent through the transfer portal, contributing to their recent on-field success”.
Like I said earlier, Mark, I’m an ACC guy who can’t stand in Miami! I would love to see Indiana beat them 55 to 3! I guess even Miami deserves to score 3 points in the national championship game!
Bichette is meeting with the Phillies today. Some pundits have speculated that the Red Sox might pursue Nolan Arenado since losing out on Bregman. No firm date for the return of Edman, Gomes said he might miss a significant portion of the early season. Opens the door for Kim, Freeland and Rojas. Kike might miss the first two months and not be available until June. Still a free agent.
Matt Shaw came on in the second half and put up a .839 OPS in that time frame. He had nearly 450 ABs. Rushing never got the chance.
Here’s some interesting info not related to the Dodgers: 5-Star Recruits: Indiana Hoosiers – 0 Oregon Ducks – 55 Average Age: Indiana Hoosiers – 23 Oregon Ducks – 20 The Green Bay Packers’ average age is 25. Make of it what you will.
If the Dodgers are high on Shaw, would it make sense to offer Rushing? They are similar in that both are young and their performances so far have fallen short of expectations. A separate deal with the Reds could bring back Rortvedt.