Too early? Well, the sooner we can put 2013 behind us the better so fuck you.

Let's start this off right. The Yankees not only picked up Jeter's 1 year option, but they gave him a $2.5m raise. Why? Because fuck you!

Wait, did I say right? Because I meant "god fucking damnit what the fuck is wrong with you twats?"

Brad Ausmus is in as the new manager of the Tigers. Been seeing a lot of comparisons to Matheny in the reports I've read. I wonder if that's the point, and if Detroit is taking the "if you can't beat em, join em" route with this move. Quite the change from Leyland, in any case.

I wonder what's up with Dave Martinez. He seems like the next Willie Randolph, one of those guys who gets talked up for a couple years, gets lots of interviews for coaching positions, but something isn't working for him and he never gets chosen.

cubs will stink, again, but i will have access to primo season tickets.
can't wait. nothing beats a lazy summer day spent at wrigley.

I'd really like to see a game at Wrigley before Chicago overhauls the place. I've always preferred that vintage look to places like Safeco or Great American. But I also think AT&T Park is the best looking in the MLB, seagulls aside.

Love Wrigley....my favorite stadium I have had the opportunity to catch a game at. Need to re-visit AT&T Park, as I wasn't as impressed by that stadium as I think I should have been which I think it had to do with my seats. Ended up getting tickets for seats in left field, and I have never enjoyed outfield seats. I am all about 1st/3rd base side or behind home plate. I will always tak an upper deck seat on a sideline before a lower level outfield seat, personally.

Looking forward to see teams start signing players. Really curious where Cano will end up landing and for how much? I see the Yanks caving and giving him at least 8 years and at least $200 million. Doubt he will be worth it those final couple seasons, but I do think it is smart branding. Yankees live off tradition and they are the lone organization in baseball that really puts their money with their mouth is. How many other teams can lay claim to keeping their stars around like the Yanks have (Jeter and MO and now potentially Cano)? The Rockies did it with Helton but beyond that?

Free Agent season begins today.

Mariners hire Lloyd McClendon as their Manager, which is a bit of a kick in the balls. I guess if we're on the same path as the Pirates we're only eight more years away from the playoffs!

Sure this should probably be in the MLB 2013 thread, but I saw on Rotoworld that finalists have been announced for the various awards. Since when are there 3 finalists for each award. Can never remember this being announced? Doing it kinda like the NHL does with trophies.

^ I noticed that too, Mullett. Guess just a new way to draw additional attention to baseball.

Given that the Mariner's coaching pool was not super sexy to begin with and i don't know enough about Mclendon to know if I think its a good or bad signing. Probably won't matter too much either if way if they don't start bringing in some offense. I keep seeing Ellsbury as a candidate for Seattle, I think he has PNW roots or something?, but not sure he is the answer. Saw some stats about CF's 33-34 years of age and older and they really lose their value, many needing to shift over to a corner fielding spot. Ellsbury is 30 and already with some injury concerns, not sure he's the right piece for Seattle to go all in on, unless he comes with another power bat (or 2).

McClendon had five years managing the Pirates. Not that the guy had very good teams, but i'd rather they either roll the dice on a new prospect or go with a guy who has done something somewhere. Six years as the Tigers Hitting Coach, but I felt like that team really under performed this season on the offensive side. They may have not even made the playoffs if Scherzer hadn't pitched out of his shoes this year.

The whole three finalists seemed like a new wrinkle to me. I actually like it, a lot.

Beltran turned down the Card's QO, saying he wants a 3-4 year deal. I'd like to see him in NY, he and the right field fence would make for a beautiful friendship, but anything more than 2 years leaves me hesitant. Dude will be 40 at the end of a 4 year deal, which...no.

I just remember the obstruction call, didn't watch any. like my first year playing in '85 when I was 9, down to the last pitch of the last out I didn't have a hit all year, everyone hung it up, against the kid most feared in the league, so fast, he was questioned for age, went pro or something, I hit that thing and the first basemen missed it and I was on. my dad took off in the bronco went to kmart and bought me a model of a early 70's chevy nova to build then came back why we were waiting. the next year in '86 I got a double even. by 13 we were all basketball, and it showed soon after, no one can ever catch up.

indeed.

I can see Beltran scoring a 3 year deal with an AL team, where he can DH. I'd be scared if that was my team doing it though.

Everyone seems to be talking as though David Price getting traded is much more likely than not. I just hope he doesn't go to LA. Kinda wondering if Texas decides they have a logjam in the infield and make Profar available for Price. I bet Texas is beginning to regret giving Andrus a $120 million deal now....not that they shouldn't have felt that way from the beginning.

Also heard LAD is open to trading any of their outfielders not named Puig. I am tempted to say I would be quite happy if the Mets went in on Kemp while his value is so low. Mets don't have the pieces to offer LAD unless they are willing to giving up D'Arnauld or Wheeler. I definitely would not offer Wheeler up, I might be tempted to offer D'Arnaud though. Might being the key word..and only if there was confidence that Kemp could return to someone close to the 2012 version.

and whoever's cups fit properly so they don't get a rash or chafed. I've never worn a cup, I've worn boxers on the court though, takes some adjusting, basically like having no underwear.

Boras says that the starting point for Choo is Jayson Werth's 7 yr/$128 million. Good luck finding a team as desperate as the Nationals were 3 years ago. I just can't see him getting this kind of contract.

Also, I think anyone that pays big for Ubaldy is going to get burned in either terms of years or Average Annual Value. For the 2 1/2 seasons he was with Cleveland, they got 3 really good months out of him when it mattered most.

I agree...he should be thinking more along the lines of Hunter Pence than Jayson Werth. It does scare me that the Mets are continually tied to Choo though> Wouldn't mind the signing, but not at any cost. What really scares me with the Mets is that they are supposedly interested in Stephen Drew.....who just turned down his $14.1 miliion qualifying offer for Boston, so you know he's looking to get paid too. If the Mets want to spend poorly on a SS, I'd rather them trade for Elvis Andrus, who shouldn't require a huge package (would it really take more than something like Bobby Parnell and Lucas Duda...given Texas's mid-IF logjam and Andrus's bad contract?).

I still like the idea of the Mets trying for Matt Kemp for their outfield help. Not sure the cost though.

And I am reading that STL is interested in Tulo....honestly, the idea of the Rockies trading away the best player at the toughest position to fill in baseball, who is locked up for years and in his prime, seems backwards. Don't trade that, IMO. If they do, they better get some sort of ridiculous return....Tulo and Fowler for Tavares, Miller, Rosenthal, Adams type ridicolous....STL won't do that, I know, but that is the only kinda deal I would consider.

Rockies want to make a splash and give up a well paid veteran for a couple inexpensive prospects with high ceilings...trade Cargo. Cargo might be my favorite Rockie, but OF is far easier to replace than SS.

I agree with this too.

I'd rather overpay for Choo than Ubaldo. At least Choo you know what you are getting and its positive production.

Got the news today that the Braves extended by MLB ballpark tour by another trip. Crazy as I was just there this last Opening Day. Only 20 years in that ballpark, Ted Turner has to be spinning in his grave!!! To be fair, it was a pretty cardboard cut-out/boring stadium in basically a desolate monstrosity of the shell of what was the 1996 Olympic Park. Just a huge ass parking lot, akin to what they have in Los Angeles (both sites) and Milwaukee. Traffic in and out of Atlanta is about nightmarish as LA as well.

Some locals are claiming "white flight", moving to suburb mostly concentrated in their ticket base, which is kind of lame given Turner's efforts toward making Atlanta an international/progressive city of the South that catered to all residents regardless of race/social class. Turner would have never had it, but he should have done better by the stadium, like having a mass transit line (Atlanta actually has a subway system of its own) landing anywhere near the park before he sold it and the team.

Has any team ever gotten their money's worth off a top-tier Scott Boras client? There has to be one (or a few) out there, but it this is completely escaping me at this point. A-Rod, Dice-K, Zito, Manny Ramirez (with LA), Werth. It's like a series of epic disasters.

Off the top of my head, Mets got their money's worth out of Beltran and Detroit got their money's worth out of Pudge.

Phillies apparently close to signing Marlon Byrd to a 2 year, $16 million deal. If he can repeat last years performance it's a steal. Who thinks he can do that?

I don't. Relieved, as the M's had been named a possible destination for him.

I don't even remember the Pudge deal. It certainly couldn't have been a mega-sized type of thing a lot of his top tiered clients get? But now that I think about it, both of Beltre's deals (Seattle and Texas) worked out well for both teams. I think partially though because Safeco suppressed Beltre's power numbers for four years. But he was basically All-Star Gold Glove caliber during his stay in Seattle. I really think because of this, Boras steers his clients away from Seattle. So probably no Ellsbury or Choo.

The bad Boras deals way outweigh the good ones.

I just got excited to run them bases.