MLB 2018-19 Offseason Thread

Guys named Mesa playing baseball in Miami. What could go wrong?

Marlins sign Cuba's highly rated Mesa brothers

 

https://nypost.com/2018/10/22/agents-are-concerned-over-mets-most-controversial-gm-option/

Boras said he’s turned down front office jobs. Believable?

Mega-agent Scott Boras told The Post he has received multiple offers over the years to lead teams but declined because of such conflict-of-interest concerns.

 

Why wouldn’t it be? Agents in all sports have gone on to be GM’s and presidents.

 

Any team that had Boras for a GM would save itself tens of millions on contracts just because their players wouldn't be his clients anymore. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I were an owner. But trouble is, Boras makes so much now the only way he could make more was if HE was an owner. He'd never take a GM's salary.

 

Here’s another great one

 

I am reading Jane Leavy's new book on Ruth as I type this.

 

How you liking it so far?

 

Really good, a lot different than your standard bio which makes a lot of sense given how many books about the Babe are out there.

 

That's what I keep hearing. I have the book myself, however, I just started a few pages. I wanted to finish another book before really diving into The Big Fella.

Apparently, from what I have heard, Jane talks a lot about Babe's childhood in this one. It's my seventh book on Ruth, very excited to start really reading it.

 

A lot less about baseball and more about the Babe's childhood and his life off the field as it relates to his agent, endorsements, barnstorming, publicity etc.

 

Two of Bryce Harper's top 4 baseball-reference similarity comps are Andruw Jones and Ruben Sierra. If that matches the internal analyses being done by teams, it would give me real pause about any deal longer than 5 years. Both those guys dropped off cliffs at age 30.

 

Harper will be 26 next season though, so even if he drops off the cliff after 30, that's still about half a contract's worth of good production, if you go 7 or 8 years. His full comparables list at age 25 is interesting - Jones, Griffey Jr., Justin Upton, Sierra, Frank Robinson, Mike Trout, Miggy Cabrera, Tony C., Canseco, Eddie Matthews. Plenty of great players, but also guys that didn't age gracefully, or who shifted to other positions.