HeyAbbott

This is spot on. If a guy is a sure fire can't miss guy, he wouldn't be a prospect. He'd be a starter. With respect to tanking, I am still debating with myself what constitutes a tank.Oakland very frequently has low payrolls, but has had many competitive teams . I do tend to think that long term management might mean that the upper limit for a free agent contract should be 4 years. After all, a couple of years pass there will be another star, another"can't miss" guy available.

At the beginning of the lockout, I thought July 1 was a reasonable starting date for the season. Given what has transpired so far, I am convinced there will be no season. Neither side is "negotiating" at this point. There has been too much negotiating in public and both sides are looking for a PR advantage. I have found the owner's various offers laughable and insulting . When the MLPA increases its demand on the pre- arb pool, goes in the opposite direction with no off setting changes elsewhere in their latest proposal, we are not going to see baseball for a very long time.

I have read, (I think it was CBS Sports) the the MLBPA has filed, but unresolved grievances against Miami , Pittsburgh, and I believe Tampa Bay. These formal actions were filed before the CBA expired. Can anyone clarify or expound?

I would trust any member of this forum to do a far superior job. Legendary Lloyd will be a disaster. Heck, there is probably a couple of strippers in Toledo who would be a better choice.

We have been together since 1982. We have a number of shared interests, but our separate interests have actually become things we both enjoy talking about. We knew in 1986 we were confirmed lifers when we wall papered together and had a grand time, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Neither of us had ever wall papered before.

What about moving the mound height to 6 inches higher than the 1968 standard? I would tend to think that would reduce home runs.

With as common as home runs are now, it is like watching beer league slow pitch softball. I never watch any games in which the Red Sox or Yankees play because I cannot commit five hours to watch a game that should be played in 2 1/2 hours

If we assume that the playoffs had expanded to 14 teams in 2021 as is likely for 2022, Seattle would have made the playoffs while scoring 697 runs, the same that the Tigers scored in 2021. The Seattle situation is an outlier,however, the details should be examined by someone. I did some basic spreadsheet work that suggests a 74 run reduction in runs allowed and twenty additional runs in runs scored will probably be enough to make the playoffs. The additions of Barnhart and Baez I figure being worth 70 defensive runs saved over Niko Goodrum and company. I am assuming that Baez will be worth 4 additional offensive WAR over Goodrum and company. That gets us potentially 11 additional wins, or roughly 88 wins in 2022. There will also be chances to improve this team at the trade deadline. In addition to some of the positives listed earlier Faedo will be coming off of Tommy John. I see us being 2 solid relievers and maybe one more bat, which either Tork or Greene may provide,short. I also have to think that Hill might be a surprise, given that he seems to have found himself before his knee injuries, assuming he recovers well. That doesn't mean I am opposed to adding a bat. I don't think it is a make or break, as there will be a need to add something at the trade deadline.

I agree that a 10 year contract is too long.Baez has an opt out in 2 years. I like that flexibility. The goal is a championship. There are other pieces in the minors, and there will be other opportunities in the future.Some of the pieces of the puzzle we're depending on will be lost to injury. Outside of the SS position we're are about one SP and three quality relievers shy ( assuming that Tork and Greene are what we think they will be) of being a serious contender for a World Championship. I believe staying flexible for a while. I really don't want to hear about a leaked statement to season ticket holders that ends with, "You try and trade him". As for the playoffs, when MLB expands the playoffs to 14 teams, 85 wins will punch that ticket.

On another subject, does anyone out there have any real information on the negotiations between the players and the MLB?

When Detroit went through bankruptcy, Detroit institute of Arts collection had to be appraised, and the original appraisal was for $50,000 for one of their VerMeer paintings, which was the purchase price when they obtained it if I recall correctly. The creditors of Detroit demanded and got an appraisal from Sotheby's and on the top 1,000 pieces the DIA owned, and the painting was appraised at 15 million IIRC. The problem is, there hasn't been a sale of a VerMeer in a long time. This means that Sotheby's number was never tested in the market. Correa's price is being tested. An initial offer is just that -- an initial offer. Bidders often bid up quickly. Correa will get paid 10/350 or more I would guess, as there will be someone who pays him close to what he wants. With the needs that the Tigers have, I am glad we got Baez. We are still at least one SP short of being a playoff team, unless we get the 14 team playoff. Hopefully the work stoppage will be settled.

Sometimes there is an unserious seller.

BTW, I need to correct myself on the value of a Vermeer painting. Here is information on the last known sale taken from the website " Art News" "After nearly 10 years of research, Sotheby’s announced the sale of the newly attributed painting by Johannes Vermeer, A Young Woman Seated at the Virginal. On July 7, 2004, the painting sold for GBP£16,245,600, which amounts to approximately US$30,140,259. The painting is still in the possession of a private collector, but has been loaned to institutions for public viewing. Its most recent appearance was at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome in early 2013"

Solid observations in the above quote. In a negotiation, any bid is fair. If your trying to sell a VerMeer painting, and the seller states he wants 12 million, and you offer 50,000, you simply have a starting point for negotiations. BTW, a authenticated Ver Meer sold about a dozen years ago for 3.5 million, if I recall correctly. What does to seem to be odd though is that there seem to be only a few people serious about Correa, as if there was some collusion in the background somewhere...

I am at the 83 to 85 win range for the Tigers, for 2022, assuming the season starts on time. With a 14 team playoff, 87 wins should get a team in.

I like your take on things, and it would be the most logical. I do think that much of the remaining negotiations will be forged out of a cauldron filled to the brim of the unpleasant alloy of greed, arrogance and ego. In such an environment, it may take a long time for mutual self interest to prevail, maybe several months.

NLRB is the National Labor Relations Board. If either side were to make claims of an unfair labor practice, that could give them jurisdiction. They have the power to appoint an aribiter, and this will often happen to avoid delays in settlement. Their powers are very broad, and many remedies are placed in their hands by law. I think that if there is any hope to a meaningful season this year, it will be the fruit of some kind of arbitration.

I still think my favorite season was 1967. Still the greatest pennant race I've seen with 1987 being right behind it 1961 was very good as well.

If both sides agree that they have bargained to impasse,tThey could get an NLRB Arbitrator to decide. We are a very long way from that though.

I sense that the owners and the players have adopted a siege mentality. July 1 looks like it will be the 2022 opening day, assuming that there is a season.

The conversation here has raised many good points. I do think this will be a very long hiatus. July 1 looks like a good date for a settlement.

The suit by a conned gambler ploy is what originally got the Black Sox case to trial. The scenario is perhaps unlikely, but possible.

Given that MLB has gotten cozy with the big gambling corporations, If someone bet on those games and lost big, they might have an actionable suit that would promise a good financial reward.

I am sympathetic toward the players making league minimum when such a huge pot of money sloshes around. If any of the numbers that are out there are that I have seen are remotely true, there is a structural financial imbalance that has developed between the players and the owners. A larger share of the revenue should go toward the players. I'd feel a lot better about the whole thing if the league minimum were closer at least 800,000, if not 1 million. The reason that there are signing bonuses for high rated draft picks is that minor league players make nothing. The numbers I have seen are $15k for AAA, $9.4k for AA, and 6k for single A. The minor leagues are another matter, but at least get the lower tier of MLB players a substantially higher minimum. https://sport-net.org/who-qualifies-for-mlb-minimum-salary-2/