So, I know that the season isn’t technically over yet, but the moves have already started. The Cards fired Shildt today.
“Philosophical differences”? I’m sure we’ll hear more about this story over the coming weeks. Not sure how you fire a manager who’s made the playoffs all three years he’s managed.
Yeah, that’s a little weird.
Rumor has it that the Cubs and Carlos Correa have mutual interest, but I doubt anything will happen on that front.
Whoa! I did not see that coming!
I’d bet a lot this ends up being like the Dodgers getting rid of Mattingly (446-363 managing the Dodgers). Even if you’re winning 90+ games per year you could be holding the team back if you don’t embrace modern player management and analytics (542-329 since Mattingly left).
So far the Yanks have let go Hitting coaches Marcus Thames & P.J. Pilletere and third base coach Phil Nevin. Nevin was a clear-cut case of a bad coach. I can say almost nothing to defend him. As to the hitting coaches, they had no successes to point to so that is how baseball goes. Yankees baserunning was abysmal this season and Nevin had a lot to do with it.
I’m hoping Boone goes out the door also.
Aside from on-the-field personnel issues*, the Mets need to end the manager merry-go-round (4 in 5 years) and stick with one guy for at least a few years. Does Carlos Beltran deserve a second chance?
*they could do worse than to bring back Baez, Conforto and Syndergaard and sign at least one quality starter. And they probably will.
Do worse, that is.
Bobby Valentine will be available after he loses the Stamford, CT mayoral election in November.
I really doubt the Mets will go the rookie manager route again, so I’m guessing Buck Showalter will have a new gig.
I just heard that the Cardinals had to get special permission to announce it when they did, I’m guessing because of some media rules about the playoffs or something. So there does seem to be a reason they did it so hastily and soon.
It’s hard to swallow that this is merely a “philosophical difference” concerning baseball strategy.
The Australian Baseball League has called off their entire season for 2021-2022.
I always enjoyed watching this league during the middle of winter here in the USA, was a nice appetizer before spring training started.
Rumor has it Albert Pujols may reunite with the Cardinals. Pujols has been really bad the last 5 years or so, but actually had a decent postseason with the Dodgers. He’s entering his age “42” season, more likely probably age 43 or 44. Who knows. I think it would be cool if he returned to St. Louis just for the nostalgia.
Well, this is a headscratcher.
The Reds, in their infinite wisdom, put Wade Miley (6.0 WAR in 2021) on waivers and he was promptly snagged by the Cubs. They save $1 million in doing so by avoiding his buyout. Their other option was picking up his $10 million team option. I mean, even if they didn’t want to pay the very reasonable option, couldn’t they have picked it up and traded him? Gotten some prospects?
This seem very dumb, but maybe I’m missing something.
I don’t get it either. $10 million is a very tradeable deal.
The only thing I could think of is that maybe he has an injury or medical issue that only the Reds are aware of that would be revealed during a trade, and they just want to get rid of him now.
Honestly, Miley is going to be 35 years old and coming off what is a career year that he’s almost certainly not going to duplicate. Not sure what kind of return Cincy could get in a trade without having to eat some of that $10mil.
Yet another story in the Boston Globe suggests (on dubious evidence) that the Red Sox are going to make a splash in the free agent market.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Ownership has been mainly concerned with saving money for quite some time now, and doesn’t appear charged up about improving on 2021’s record. Sign Carlos Correa to a long-term deal and move Xander Bogaerts to second? Significantly upgrade starting pitching and the bullpen? Dream on.
So the AL MVP finalists include two Blue Jays and Shohei Ohtani. I wonder when the last time was that the top three in AL MVP voting were all guys on teams that didn’t make the playoffs?
I think it was 1991.
You’d be correct (not considering '94 obviously).
I don’t even think there should have been MVP Awards in 1994.
Former MLB player Julio Lugo died at 45. Initial reports suggest a possible heart attack.