and more

The Padres have agreed in principle to a Deadline Day blockbuster to acquire Nationals superstar outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell, a source has told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi. Washington will receive shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, plus right-hander Jarlin Susana in return for Soto and Bell, according to Morosi, and standout lefty MacKenzie Gore and one additional Major Leaguer are also headed to the Nats, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Neither club has confirmed the deal.

The Nationals made Soto available after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension, with Soto turning down the team's 15-year, $440 million offer in July. Soto is eligible to test free agency after the 2024 season.

I finally get to stop checking the Blue Jays transaction list. Zimmer with his 105 average is DFAd

Any takers?

Yikes! Well that wave of prospects was pretty much a bust.

Thankfully they apparently learned from their past errors. Now they target guys who can actually make contact.

Philadelphia Phillies
@Phillies
· 5h
The Phillies have claimed OF Bradley Zimmer off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. To make room for Zimmer, OF Bryce Harper was transferred to the 60-day IL and OF Brandon Marsh was placed on the 10-day IL with a left ankle sprain (retro to 8/17).

Zimmer for Harper is a pretty equal replacement.

Twins bombed by the Rangers 7-0. As is often the case, the MN bullpen goes up in flames. [5 runs 9 hits in 2 2/3 innings]
They might be interested in adding Ernie Clement to their bullpen crew, he can't be worse than Pagan.

civ ollilavad wrote:Zimmer for Harper is a pretty equal replacement.

They're both left handed. That's about the only thing in common.

BTW Harper just started a AAA rehab assignment. Zimmer's stay might be very temporary.

saw a video of him making a very nice diving catch; and he got a hit too. It's unfortunate that he could never develop, he has some real skills

forget about the White Sox, they have sunk below 500. Defense is lousy. Pitchers keep walking guys with bases loaded.
Lots of excellent talent. There have been plenty of injuries but that doesn't explain it all.

For civ:

Yainer Diaz
Contract officially selected
CHouston Astros
September 1, 2022

Diaz's contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS

Diaz has been productive at Sugar Land this season but has been particularly dominant at the plate over the last two weeks. He's put together eight multi-hit performances over the last 12 games and has slashed .393/.443/.661 with four home runs, three doubles, 17 runs and 14 RBI over that stretch.

The 23-year-old will provide catching depth for the Astros, but he also has experience at first base and the corner-outfield spots.

As civ pointed out - so much for the Straw deal being such a steal!

What MLB players and managers are saying about the rule changes for 2023



Nov 5, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; Detailed view of an electronic pitch/pace of play clock in use during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By The Athletic MLB Staff
Sep 11, 2022
150

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Major League Baseball’s competition committee approved a slate of rule changes that will go into effect for the 2023 season. The changes include the implementation of a pitch clock, restrictions on defensive shifts and larger bases.

The new rules sparked varied reactions from around the league. The Players Association had four seats on the 11-person committee, and all four voted against two of the three measures — the ban on the shift and the pitch timer. The larger bases were approved unanimously.

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Giants owner Greg Johnson, who was on the competition committee, said he was surprised by the results of the vote.

“Despite the vote, I would say the dialogue was very collaborative, very positive, very respectful,” Johnson told The Athletic. “It wasn’t like you were in a battle going back and forth. People tried to be very thoughtful in this process.

“I think everybody on the committee agreed with the spirit of these rules. It just seemed like we got bogged down on a couple of nuances or subtleties. If the players brought up six items, we probably compromised on five of them, and didn’t on the sixth, and that resulted in the vote going the other way.”


Here is a sampling of opinions from players and managers around baseball:

Charlie Blackmon, Rockies outfielder/DH: “I’m actually very against how it’s happening. It helps left-handed hitters like me. But anytime you have the boss implement something against the will of the players, that’s not good for the game of baseball. … It would be really great if we could have arrived at a conclusion together, with compromise. That would have been nice. It sounds like something we should have addressed in the (collective bargaining agreement), which, I guess is our fault as players. But it seems contrary to the whole spring training goodwill tour our guy took.

“I’ll tell you what, if we’re trying to bring more new fans to the game, adding a whole bunch of shot clocks and special rules like that is probably not really conducive to learning about the game.”

Austin Slater, Giants outfielder and member of the competition committee: “We are disappointed that more of our feedback wasn’t included in the final proposal. But players will adjust as we always do. At the end of the day, these changes will improve our sport and hopefully be viewed positively by fans.”

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Brandon Hyde, Orioles manager: “I think it’s going to better the fan experience. I think it is going to better the player experience on the field — I’m hoping.

“The other sports have made a lot of changes in recent years and have made adjustments, and it’s nice to see our guys, the league and the players and the umpires, come together and try to better the game for the fans and the players.”

Caleb Ferguson, Dodgers LHP: “I think it’s gonna be really good. I think the pace of play and everything they’re trying to accomplish is gonna be great. But I think they need to change it, or do something to where it can’t dictate a game, late in the game.”

Donnie Ecker, Rangers hitting coach: “My thoughts are that I’m less concerned with how I feel about a rule and I’m more concerned with what is the rule, so we can take advantage of the rule as quickly as possible.”

What do you think of the pitch clock?
Joe Barlow, Rangers RHP: “I hate the pitch clock. Not because of the time necessarily — to speed up the game, I think that’s reasonable. But for the penalty to be a ball or a strike … I’m imagining winning a World Series on a ball four because the pitcher took too long. I think if they really wanted to do it. I think you (should) probably go with fines. Fine guys. I just don’t think you can make a rule up that genuinely affects the outcome of the game.”

Ferguson: “I think I’m a fan of it. I think the problem you’re gonna run into is that it can dictate a game. I think for me, the pace of play is going to be great. Whenever I was like, in the middle of my rehab assignment (in the minors), there was a 17-1 game, and it was under three hours. … But I also saw it dictate a game. … All closers take a long time. But those are the hardest three outs to get in the game. So take the time that you need to get them.”

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Josh Sborz, Rangers RHP: “You gotta have a good catcher, that’s really what it’s gonna come back to. I didn’t have a problem with the clock once I got used to it, but it’s because I trusted the catchers. It’s gonna be more shocking for hitters because now they only get five seconds to get in that box. You have career guys that have played for eight-plus years and they’ve done the same routine for God knows how long; I think that change might mess them up, too.”

go-deeper
GO DEEPER

Rob Manfred introduces pitch clock and ban on shift for 2023 over player objections

Alex Vesia, Dodgers LHP: “I’ve asked a couple of my buddies who are in the minor leagues, and they say that it’s definitely fast. The only thing that is tough is if you’re three balls, two strikes and you don’t know what pitch you want to throw, and the clock times out. That’s ball four? You’re now predicting the game.”

Jonathan Hernández, Rangers RHP: “I don’t think it’s going to affect me because you just have to prepare mentally for it. Sometimes you take your time because you know you have it, but now with the pitch clock, you have a certain amount of time, so I don’t think it’s gonna be a big effect; we just have to be comfortable with it.”

Jonah Heim, Rangers catcher: “The two throw-over (rule) is definitely going to be challenging. I know they’re trying to get some offense going. Some excitement, base-stealing stuff, but as a catcher, we already kind of have a hard time with this because guys are outrageously fast and they’ve got all the data in the world. So it’s gonna make our lives a little harder, but I guess it just means you’re gonna work harder.


Corey Seager (Nick Turchiaro / USA Today Sports)
Is Seager the happiest about the shift rule?
Corey Seager, Rangers shortstop: (laughing after being shown this tweet) “So it sounds like I want the shift to be banned.

“I think it’s two-sided. You’re excited about it offensively, obviously — especially now that you’ve told me it was that many (hits taken away by it). But then again, you think about the defensive side, and how much it is beneficial.

“I just think that it becomes more important (with) the personnel you pick. Now, third baseman, first baseman, it’s becoming more important, because you only do have two people on the same side (of the infield). First base, especially, because (in the shift) they just guard the line, you can throw somebody way out there (in right-center field). And you don’t really know how they are defensively because if it’s not hit at them, they go to the bag. So I think it just changes the game for them more mentally, knowing that I have to go both ways now.”

How will banning the shift impact the game?
Terry Francona, Guardians manager: “I do worry about the shifting thing that … the unintended consequences. Like are you rewarding guys that just pull the ball instead of trying to get back to using the whole field? Like I keep hearing people say, ‘Guys are tired of hitting into the shift.’ Then hit the ball the other way. There are solutions other than just lift and separate.”

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Gavin Lux, Dodgers second baseman/outfielder: “It makes kind of being able to be a versatile defender actually be more important and then obviously you can move the ball around, there’s more hits. From a hitter’s perspective, I like it because there’s more hits.”

Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager: “I think the shift … is good in the sense that offense has been suppressed so much. If you can knock a ball through a hole to create offense, that’s a good thing. And I also think it will bring in some athletic plays from infielders that now there’s not as much ground to cover.”

Hyde: “I’m looking forward to going back to what it was before. I do like traditional baseball. Maybe I sound old-school, but I do like the way it was (with no shift) a little bit.”

How long will it take for players to adjust to the rule changes?
Francona: “I think the guys are gonna get used to the pitch clock. I think (in) April, there will be some confrontations. But I think guys will learn quickly and adapt. The bases, I don’t know. I’ve never seen that before. We’ll adapt. We’ll adapt to whatever.”

Ferguson: “Honestly, I was pretty used to it (pitch clock) right away. … I’m kind of a guy that gets the ball and gets right back on the mound in general. I think working fast keeps everybody behind you into the game more, your infielders don’t get flat-footed and everything just tends to go smoother and you don’t have time to think.”

Will the new rules change how teams construct rosters?
Roberts: “I don’t want to give kind of inside dope, but I do. I think the smart ones will.”

Chris Young, Rangers GM and formerly MLB head of operations: (when asked if he knew about these rule changes when the club signed Seager) “I certainly was aware of the conversations. It didn’t play in our decision to sign Corey Seager; we didn’t factor in ‘Oh, in two years, there will be a ban on shifts that will benefit this player.’ That was not part of our decision-making.”

I do not really care what the baseball players think about anything. The game is SUPER boring for everyone. Watching an entire 9 inning game is a snooze fest. Be happy you are getting paid.

Amen Rusty!