2014 World Series thread

Ventura's a rookie, so he's not even arbitration-eligible until AFTER 2016. They can auto-renew him at the league minimum the next two years if they want.

Cain's been around a little longer. He's arbitration-eligible this winter. Despite his postseason heroics, he hasn't been THAT good a player in the regular season. He might get a couple of million in arbitration, but nothing that's going to bust the budget.

 

Gotcha. I thought Cain had one more season before being eligible for arbitration. I agree that the strong post-season is causing people to overestimate how good he has been. He still hasn't even had 500 at-bats in a single season. He hadn't reached 400 until this season.

 

A good comp for Cain is Gerardo Parra, who was an OK hitter and won a Gold Glove with Arizona a couple of years ago. Parra got $2.35 million in arbitration.

Maybe Cain gets $500K more based on his postseason success.

 

And Cain didn't get nominated for the Gold Glove. I don't know how the arbitrators tend to weigh that vis-a-vis the fact that he would be a deserving winner, but it's something.

 

That's like saying once the Royals beat Bumgarner once, the Giants are in trouble. Each is as likely to happen as the other at this point. I'd be more inclined to think it plays out normally and that the Giants will win Game 5. Games 3 and 4 are the Royals' chance to make a move. If they don't at least get it to the pen in those two games, they have little chance. I expect the Royals to win the next two, the Giants win Game 5 and then it goes back to KC.

 

Rarely seen these days is an intelligent story about baseball's changing national television audience but I came across this one this morning.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/2014/10/22/fallen-classic-baseball-wishes-you-watch-the-world-series-but-will-still-stay-rich-you-don/DMuyjKyv5Ub63cQFO4AlYI/story.html

 

That byline rings a bell.

 

So Rany Jazayerli made a good point at the end here: http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2014/10/royals-today-world-series-game-2.html

Is Hunter Strickland getting a free pass here?

 

Yes. The world is totally going easy on Hunter Strickland. I'd love to be him right now.

 

Separate thread or no....

Joe Maddon exercising out-clause. Leaves TB immediately.

Mattingly calling moving company.......

 

Cain and Moose both got snubbed. Moose, I get because he spent a decent amount of time in Omaha. But Cain isn't one of the three best starting centerfielders in the AL? Come on. I read somewhere it might be because his defensive stats were split up between center and right.

 

Baseball is dying!!!11111!!! Ratings!!!111 World Cup!!!!!!111ELEVENTY!!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/sports/baseball/world-series-2014-baseball-is-no-longer-center-of-attention-in-new-landscape.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0