# MLB Offseason Thread 2024-2025 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [November 1, 2024, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526 "2024-11-01T01:39:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/322 "2025-02-21T14:11:46Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I don’t know anything about the Red Sox roster, but it seems kinda of nuts to get Bregman and not play him at third. Devers is a terrific hitter but kind of crap defensively. I am reminded of when the Yankees traded for A-Rod and moved him to shortstop, despite the fact he was a better shortstop than Derek Jeter. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/323 "2025-02-21T14:30:31Z")
You mean third base. A-Rod converted to 3B since Jeter was the Yankees’ shortstop. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/324 "2025-02-21T14:48:35Z")
But Jeter would have made a much worse 3B. A-Rod had the stronger arm by a good amount, it was the right move for the team once you made the trade. The bigger question is should they have made trade at all? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/325 "2025-02-21T15:53:25Z")
Oh no! The Yankees have given in to modern sensibilities, altering their no-facial-hair policy [to allow “well-groomed” beards!](https://nypost.com/2025/02/21/sports/yankees-getting-rid-of-decades-old-facial-hair-policy-in-shocking-move/). By “well-groomed”, one assumes that the [John-Brown-raiding-Harpers’-Ferry](https://www.onthisdeity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hf-john-brown.jpg) model won’t be allowed. Still, it’s a shocking reversal of standards promoted by George Steinbrenner, who must be revolving in his grave. George knew that “order and discipline” (and presumably, good fielding) demanded smooth-shaven Yankees. Just more evidence of the decline and fall of civilization. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/326 "2025-02-21T16:09:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Say goodbye to Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN after this season. I hope to god this doesn’t mean more games on appleTV and Prime. I may be a dinosaur, but I just can’t wrap my head around watching MLB or NFL on streaming services. I hate it. I think mostly because the remote works differently and I can’t fast forward through commercials with my usual dexterity. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/327 "2025-02-21T16:39:09Z")
I’ve been trying to remember players with beards before Steinbrenner and coming up blank. Maybe Thurman Munson? I know beards go in and out of fashion, but there must have some guys in the early 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/328 "2025-02-21T16:47:45Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I’ve been trying to remember players with beards before Steinbrenner and coming up blank. That’s because there were no players in MLB that had beards before the 70s. The A’s of the early 70s changed the norm with the ‘mustache gang’, and there were a few beards as well. IIRC, the Steinbrenner rule was in response to the A’s facial hair. > **[The Mustache Gang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mustache_Gang)** > > The Mustache Gang is a term coined for the 1972 Oakland Athletics team; the Athletics broke traditionally conservative baseball views by sporting mustaches. From the change in American men's fashion away from facial hair in the 1920s to the early 1970s, there had only been two baseball players who had facial hair during the regular season: Stanley "Frenchy" Bordagaray of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who was then ordered to shave by his manager, and Wally Schang of the Philadelphia Athletics. > This chang... ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/329 "2025-02-21T17:50:31Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gjHOtxCRhnw/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - Don Mattingly Sideburns") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjHOtxCRhnw) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/330 "2025-02-21T17:53:06Z")
Note the Reds of the 70’s were much more strict than the Yankees were, with absolutely no facial hair, and length restrictions for scalp hair. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/331 "2025-02-21T18:40:12Z")
Didn’t have to move Jeter to 3rd. There were other options. I think the answer to your 2nd question is a clear yes. Arod was an all time great and was an absolute star for the Yankees. You can question the extension, but the trade was an easy win. I mean he won 2 MVPs in four years. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/332 "2025-02-21T18:43:20Z")
Not really, those were the two spots. A-Rod was filling the third base hole left by the Boone Basketball injury. We needed a Third Baseman. I lean towards A-Rod was more trouble than he was worth with the PEDs and the injuries. He hamstrung even the Yankee’s payroll for a while. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/333 "2025-02-21T18:46:05Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > You mean third base. A-Rod converted to 3B since Jeter was the Yankees’ shortstop. Right, sorry. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > But Jeter would have made a much worse 3B. A-Rod had the stronger arm by a good amount, it was the right move for the team once you made the trade. I’d rather have the guy with more lateral range at short, which was A-rod. Arm’s important there too. Jeter was a great player but he really should have been a center fielder. Terrific speed and range. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/334 "2025-02-21T18:55:50Z")
I don’t remember the specifics, but just looking Cairo/Wilson who played 2nd both played a fair bit of 3rd in their career, so you could have done Jeter 2b and flipped them to 3b. I agree center would have probably been even better, but hard to make that work with that roster. Arod was really durable is his prime, so I don’t really understand that complaint. The least games he played in the first 4 years with the Yankees was 154. Again maybe you don’t extend him into his 40’s, but if we are just talking about the trade, I don’t think this is a tough decision. You want to be on the side that gets the best player in the league. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/335 "2025-02-21T19:04:51Z")
I’m with the Blue Jays on this one. Giving Vlad 500 million plus seems very risky to me. Large slugging first baseman is not a class of player that tends to age well, and Vlad has only been sometimes been great while he is young. Blue Jays are in a tough spot with a mediocre team in a tough division, but these giant commitments can really screw you up if do them wrong. I would be fine with them waiting until free agency and see how the market develops. Vlad also has plenty of money, so I doubt he is giving them much of a discount to sign early anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/336 "2025-02-21T19:10:15Z")
Well of course it’s risky. All big deals are. Juan Soto might blow up too. Shoehi Ohtani could get hurt. You never know. At some point if you want to win, you’re gonna have to give money to someone. The Blue Jays have money and could have extended a very young star. Guerrero is REMARKABLY similar to Miguel Cabrera, who was great well after his age 26 season. Same body type, very similar right handed hitters, same numbers up to this point in their careers, both started at third basemen and moved to first, same contact ability. I’ll give that some cash. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/337 "2025-02-21T23:36:12Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > At some point if you want to win, you’re gonna have to give money to someone. This. A million times this. I’m constantly confused by the eagerness people have to defend billionaires being frugal when it comes to sports teams. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/338 "2025-02-22T00:41:35Z")
I’m surprised it was the lead story on NPR: > **[A brief history of beards and baseball after the Yankees lift their no beard...](https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305107/new-york-yankees-wear-beards)** > > The New York Yankees are changing a nearly 50-year-old policy that banned beards. Here are some things to know about the history of beards in major league baseball. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/339 "2025-02-22T00:48:46Z")
The top story in spring training will soon turn to robo umps. While I favor them, I’m not crazy about the implementation. Teams will have two challenges per game (and you don’t lose a challenge if you’re correct) but why not get the calls right on every pitch? Going all robo, you’d still need a home plate ump. I’d prefer a system in which the balls and strikes are instantaneously relayed to the home umpires’s headsets and he indicates the call. The game would look the same, except the calls would be correct. Or more correct, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/340 "2025-02-22T21:06:15Z")
Blue Jays Chris Bassitt gets to serve as batboy as punishment for fantasy football. > **[Chris Bassitt serves as bat boy for fantasy football punishment - ESPN Video](https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/43968973)** > > Pitcher Chris Bassitt came in last place in the Blue Jays' fantasy football league and has to be the bat boy for their spring training game against the Yankees. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526/341 "2025-02-22T23:28:42Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > The top story in spring training will soon turn to robo umps. While I favor them, I’m not crazy about the implementation. Teams will have two challenges per game (and you don’t lose a challenge if you’re correct) but why not get the calls right on every pitch? Going all robo, you’d still need a home plate ump. I’d prefer a system in which the balls and strikes are instantaneously relayed to the home umpires’s headsets and he indicates the call. The game would look the same, except the calls would be correct. Or more correct, anyway. I know they have been testing various methods in the minors the last couple of seasons. I’m assuming they had a list of pros and cons for each method. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-offseason-thread-2024-2025/1009526.md?page=18)