Yes, but the Florida State League is a class A minor league, much easier to work around rain as there’s no tv ratings to think about nor a huge fan interest or media presence
The Rays are going to be playing at Steinbrenner Field, which is the home stadium for the Tampa Tarpons – so, they’ll be sharing the stadium (and, probably, alternating dates) with the Tarpons.
The ESPN article to which @Superdude linked notes that Tampa gets a whole lot more rain in June-September than it gets in April and May, which is undoubtedly the main reason for this scheduling change:
So…Montreal Rays?
Maybe a better link:
Nashville Rays maybe?
Should I mention how I originally mistakenly read that? The Tampa Tampons, obviously.
The Dodgers sign Blake Snell to a 5 year $182m contract.
Starting pitching is really thin in the free agent market, and Snell was one of the top 3 options (Burnes and Fried being the others). Snell has some real shortcomings (mainly, he doesn’t pitch deep into games at all) - but those are minimized in what looks to be a 6-man rotation in LA. It’s the most ideal landing spot for Snell, and that’s a pretty cushy contract for him.
Another aspect to the Snell signing is this may take Sasaki off the table for the Dodgers. I’d never count them out, and they certainly know how important a deep rotation is after so many bullpen games in the World Series - but this rotation is kind of silly:
Blake Snell
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Tyler Glasnow
Shohei Ohtani
Bobby Miller
Gonsolin/May/bullpen
I guess a lot of bullpen innings will be needed after Snell’s 5 IP starts, and Ohtani may be on a similar limitation. So do they sign Sasaki, and just assign Gonsolin/May to Snell/Ohtani as designated bulk relievers for 2-3 IP?
Ohtani won the MVP without throwing a pitch. It wouldn’t surprise me if they decide his arm isn’t worth risking. Sasaki is an international pool player so cost isn’t really a factor. He would have to choose to sign for less money if he goes to the Dodgers.
As a Dodger hater I’m hoping this is one of Snell’s off years. Even during his last Cy Young year he led the league in walks. He certainly can’t be counted on to go deep into games.
He won’t have to. The Dodger bullpen is solid and they’re probably going to a 6 man rotation next year anyway. If we can land a quality SS I’ll be happy.
Jose Hernandez, a SS in the Dodgers minor league system, is suspended for the upcoming Arizona Complex League season after testing positive for boldenone and nandrolone.
Dodgers lock NLCS MVP Tommy Edman up with a 5 year, $74 million contract.
Cardinals fans have recognized Edman’s tremendous potential ever since he came up to the bigs. If he stays healthy, the Dodgers will have spent well. But I have to warn Dodger fans, the guy gets hurt a LOT. I hope the Dodgers also took out a $74 million insurance policy on his contract.
Edman’s a terrifically useful guy when he’s healthy and the Dodgers have all the money, so why not? It’s a huge deal for a utility player but if he plays 130 games he adds 3-5 wins to your team.
I’m starting to become convinced that
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is avoiding answering his phone until Juan Soto signs somewhere because Soto’s deal will increase his own value, and
- The Blue Jays will trade him no matter what.
If Soto gets to ludicrous deal people are saying he will, Guerrero - who is actually a little bit younger - will see his extension value soar. It’s hard to explain why Soto deserves $650 million but Guerrero “only” deserves $300 million. Soto has been better, but not THAT much better.
The Red Sox have signed Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal.
It adds left-handed bullpen help, but if the team’s expecting him to be the primary closer, Sox fans are in for disappointment.
Geez, they’re banking on him closing even after it took Boone and Cashman about two years to discover he was past it. That’s a great signing- from a Yankee perspective.
Chapman’s still a decent pitcher. If you just need a closer and have no other good candidates, he’s an okay bet.
Chapman still throws triple digits. His problem has always been between the ears. Once he throws a few balls it’s over. When he’s on he’s still pretty great. You just can’t count on today being one of the good days.
With the signings of Blake Snell and Tommy Edman, the Dodgers now owe over $1 billion in deferred payments to players under contract, which will be payable between 2028 and 2046. Just over 2/3 of that is what they owe to Shohei Ohtani ($680 million between 2034 and 2043).
So I’ve been to a number of Savannah Bananas games. They’re a ton of fun, they’re extremely entertaining and engaging, and they add a lot of bonkers schoolyard rules that make it fun for non-fans. When guys are doing flips in the outfield before catching a fly ball, I don’t get too worried about the general level of competitiveness - I’m there to see the flips and behind-the-back catches and the guy pitching from stilts. The walk rule is super fun to watch, but doesn’t belong on a little league field.
So when I saw that Rob Manfred is entertaining the idea of implementing the Golden Batter Rule, I have to assume he’s just run out of ideas. He’s just an absolute clown.