Whatever it's called, greetings to all on Christmas and look forward to a great 2022, assuming the owners un-lockout the players and a season happens.

From The Athletic:

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (80-82): Improve the corner outfield.

Here is the amount of money Cleveland has guaranteed to spend on its 2023 payroll: $0. Zero dollars. OK, factor in a $13 million club option for José Ramírez, arbitration figures for Shane Bieber and a few others, and the team will have to spend some money.

But the lack of long-term commitments frees up owner Paul Dolan, along with potential new investor David Blitzer, to make a relative splurge on a bat. The Guardians need help in the outfield. The free-agent market features plenty of outfielders. Surely, a deal can be struck.

Assuming Blitzer does indeed come aboard, in retrospect the team followed the precise playbook to attract an investor.

You strip the team down, both in personnel and payroll so that the new guy comes in with as clean a slate as possible.

Shoot - in this case the team/Dolan even took the bullet of the name change in advance of Blitzer who may well indeed be the next full owner.

As well, there is a new influx of income from the sale of new Guardians' stuff. So the stage is set. The Sherman precedent proved that a minority/future owner means influx of money. Now what?

Is there any evidence of how Blitzer improved other teams that he controls once he purchased them?

Has anyone read anything anywhere about any negotiations between the billionaires and the millionaires? Is there any indication either side has any interest in playing this season?
Baseball has lost its status as the "national game' long ago and pretty soon the powers that be will drive it below soccer and maybe even hockey.

Last I read about it - and it is still relevant - they were going to resume talks in January.

EVERYONE takes the holiday season off.

So I do expect movement this coming week.

I guarantee you both the players and owners want to leave enough time for the remaining players to find homes.

The current issues are legitimately different then past years because analytics has completely changed the way the game is played and viewed AND paid for.

But the issues are not what they were back in the 80s or 90s. It will get settled. I predict later in January - mid to late.

I'm too lazy to try to find out what the issues really are and I could care less.

But here's my guess.

Players want more money in their pockets and the owners want more money in their pockets.

Players want more time off and time to themselves and the owners want the players to constantly sell the product.

Players want more freedom of movement between teams and the owners want more return on original and future investments.




Six weeks to pitchers and catchers

I think those are all true but this particular time you could add:

Players have seen analytics make the 30+ aged player devalued. Yet by the time they reach free agency they will stretch into their 30s. Meantime the earlier years they work dirt cheap. (Think Shane Bieber - a crazy underpay.)

In the past teams DID pay veteran players more money - into their 30s or whatever. But analytics told teams 30+ was a bad investment.

So plain and simple the players want their pre-free agent years paid more to make up for that. It's currently decided through arbitration and that system is dated too.

There is also, for the first time, a team FLOOR payroll being discussed. Hooray if that happens for teams like Cleveland. Don't be all that surprised if the minority owner hunt was put in high gear because of that possibility.

Also there will be plenty of back and forth over rule changes to make the game flow quicker. Shifts will be in play as well as the DH in the National League. Time clock between pitches is pretty much automatic - the minors use it.

I can't believe rule changes are holding things up.

Is there a list of proposed rule changes?

What are the arguments For and Against?




The rest is all money issues.

Q and A in Articles said rules changes are not an issue.

Forum back

Guess we didn't miss anything on the lockout.

is there a place we can go if and when the site goes down again? I would hate to not have access to the wealth of information/opinions that everyone brings here.

Coco Crisp not returning as manager of Scrappers in 2022
The veteran
Wednesday, January 12th 2022, 11:42 AM EST
By Dana Balash
Image
The Scrappers will have a new manager in 2022.

Coco Crisp, who led the team in their first year of the MLB Draft League will not be returning. 21 Sports has learned he could be in line for a job with an MLB team.

Crisp broke into the majors as a player with the Cleveland Indians and spent time with Red Sox, Royals, Athletics before closing out his playing career with the Indians in 2016.

The Scrappers are expecting a new manager to be named in the near future

Is it time for the Equipment Truck to leave Cleveland for Goodyear?

Just dreaming.

I see they signed a couple of 16 yr old kids.

Call me in 4 or 5 years


https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/202 ... turis.html