2024 MLB Season Thread

[Inferno]

I'm cheering for nobody. It's too bad both teams can't lose.

[looooob]

never really been a Dodgers fan (yeah still stinging from Blue Monday) but there are a few reasons (some random, some not) why I'll be pulling for them- only some of them relate to my stronger distaste of the Yankees



amazing that this is the first match up of these 2 since 1981. I started following the MLB around 1977 and in those first 5 years there were 3 dodgers-yankees series, none since!


also an interesting factoid they mentioned about this being the first matchup of the 2 HR kings since Duke Snider v Mickey Mantle!

[Samonadreau]

This matchup is a MLB wet dream.

[Strange Brew]

I think I'm cheering against the Dodgers, their whining makes them worse in my books.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

This matchup is a MLB wet dream.

It's definitely a Jon Heyman wet dream. He constantly pumps both team's tires.

[bluejays]

I strangely don’t hate the Yankees. I don’t like Cole and I don’t like their fans very much but at the start of the season I didn’t like the overspending to a championship by LA. They simply outyankeed the Yanks. So I guess I want a poor showing by their top guys more than anything.

[GirlySports]

Same, I'm cheering for the Yankees. I've always liked them, especially over the Red Sox.

[troutman]

This Giants fan could never cheer for LA.

[Strange Brew]

You don't have to cheer for anybody. You can just root against one of the teams, that's my theory.

[flamingred89]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

You don't have to cheer for anybody. You can just root against one of the teams, that's my theory.

Haha exactly.

I despise both of these teams. But at the end of the day I always have to root against the Yankees. Always.

[Sylvanfan]

I'll cheer for the Dodgers here. I'm not as put off by big spending as some are. Really marquee teams in the Championship is what brings a sport attention. So this one has a lot of star power. I hope for some dramatic games. A bit like what the last three in the Yankees and Guardians were. Today's game tends to kill it's bullpen by this time of the season so I do expect a lot of late inning blowups.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I'll cheer for the Dodgers here. I'm not as put off by big spending as some are. Really marquee teams in the Championship is what brings a sport attention. So this one has a lot of star power. I hope for some dramatic games. A bit like what the last three in the Yankees and Guardians were. Today's game tends to kill it's bullpen by this time of the season so I do expect a lot of late inning blowups.

Yeah, I think analytics works in the regular season but not really the playoffs.
Sure, you don't want batters seeing a pitcher 2nd or 3rd time through the order, but take that over 7 games, batters are going to see your relievers more and more. Over a series, do you want the opponent to see your starter 6 times or some setup guy 6 times.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by bluejays

I strangely don’t hate the Yankees. I don’t like Cole and I don’t like their fans very much but at the start of the season I didn’t like the overspending to a championship by LA. They simply outyankeed the Yanks. So I guess I want a poor showing by their top guys more than anything.

This Yankees team is a bit different too from the Yankees teams of the 90's and 00's.

They have a huge salary cap but it's not because they went and bought all the biggest free agents.

They actually drafted well and built a good prospect base which allowed them to trade for pieces like Stanton and Soto.

Drafted pieces like Judge, Wells, Volpe, Torres which are key pieces of the battling lineup.

The only true "Free Agents" they brought in buy outbidding other teams are Cole and Rodon.

Dodgers are the team built via free agency/trade: Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, Rojas, Yamamoto, Smith, Muncy make up the top 9 in WAR for the Dodgers.

Smith is the only drafted player. Betts, Glasnow, Rojas were traded for. The other 5 guys were all free agents.

[bizaro86]

I think the Yankees will be at least in on Soto. $600 MM is probably 15 x $40, with a good chunk of that deferred to lower the luxury tax calculation and make it more like 15 x $35 in real value.

They're paying Rizzo $17MM this year and his next year is a club option. Plus retained salary for next year is like $8MM lower than this year, as Josh Donaldson comes off their books ($6MM) plus a few other guys. They're already paying Soto $31 MM. Give him Donaldson's $6 MM and that gets you to $37 MM/year. Save a few million on a replacement first baseman and you've got a very competitive offer.

I'm not saying they'll be the highest bidder for Soto, but if they're in at $35-$40 MM the Mets/Dodgers will need to beat that number. I think it'll come down to the number of years he can extract. I think he'll get $40 MM per year (matching Judge) and 13 years easy, and up to 15 if he gets a couple of bidders going.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

This Yankees team is a bit different too from the Yankees teams of the 90's and 00's.

They have a huge salary cap but it's not because they went and bought all the biggest free agents.

They actually drafted well and built a good prospect base which allowed them to trade for pieces like Stanton and Soto.

Drafted pieces like Judge, Wells, Volpe, Torres which are key pieces of the battling lineup.

The only true "Free Agents" they brought in buy outbidding other teams are Cole and Rodon.

Dodgers are the team built via free agency/trade: Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, Rojas, Yamamoto, Smith, Muncy make up the top 9 in WAR for the Dodgers.

Smith is the only drafted player. Betts, Glasnow, Rojas were traded for. The other 5 guys were all free agents.

The Yankees teams were built from within, Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Williams, Rivera. They did trade a lot of prospects too to get guys like O'Neill, Brosius, Knoblach, Cone, Wells

I think when they started strictly buying in the 00s it all went downhill. Just the one title in 09.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The Yankees teams were built from within, Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Williams, Rivera. They did trade a lot of prospects too to get guys like O'Neill, Brosius, Knoblach, Cone, Wells

I think when they started strictly buying in the 00s it all went downhill. Just the one title in 09.

Yeah that's fair.

The late 90s teams were more similar to how this team was built.

It was the 00's and early 10's teams where they just tried to buy teams and it didn't work.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Yeah that's fair.

The late 90s teams were more similar to how this team was built.

It was the 00's and early 10's teams where they just tried to buy teams and it didn't work.

There's the pre ARoD Yankees, and the post ARod Yankees. The 96 team was a pretty regular group with like Charlie Hayes and a washed Cecil Fielder playing over vets like Boggs and Tino Martinez due to injury or lack of performance. Jim Leyritz is hitting a 3 run home run...later on there's no room on the roster for non status type players.

That group of Jeter/Posada/Williams/Pettite/Rivera made those teams go.

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by looooob

never really been a Dodgers fan (yeah still stinging from Blue Monday) but there are a few reasons (some random, some not) why I'll be pulling for them- only some of them relate to my stronger distaste of the Yankees


amazing that this is the first match up of these 2 since 1981. I started following the MLB around 1977 and in those first 5 years there were 3 dodgers-yankees series, none since!


also an interesting factoid they mentioned about this being the first matchup of the 2 HR kings since Duke Snider v Mickey Mantle!

Yes, Blue Monday!! I was a huge Dodgers fan as a kid and they are still my favourite NL team. We watched this game as an entire junior high in the gym. I knew better than to cheer the out loud when Monday homered but I floated home from school that day!!
I loathe the Yankees. They caused me a lot of pain as a child. Reggie Jackson and his fat butt will always be hated by me!! Go Dodgers!!

I forget how to embed

https://youtu.be/tvWKWvrVfrI?si=R_vkNxTV-7Egb4b-

[dirk diggler]

As a Padres fan, just cant go for the Dodgers. Was hoping for Padres/KC WS earlier in the playoffs

[DoubleK]

Go Dodgers!