MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

I just love that Preller keeps doubling down. His team underperforms every year and he keeps adding to it (except Soto, which to be fair is a pretty big subtraction). I'd love to play poker with him. "I'm fucking due, all-in again on a 3-7 diamonds! Gimme three cards! The straight flush will come thru!"

 

Like I typed, if Marlins can’t get Arraez home what with all those times on base, what good is he to them?

 

Per Baseball-Ref, Arraez's nearest comps are Bill Madlock, Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. His slash line through age 26, according to David Lauria of Fangraphs, is the same as Gwynn's. Sounds great!

But Madlock hit 163 homers, Gwynn stole 319 bases and Boggs walked 1,412 times, none of which are in Arraez's toolbag. He's great at hitting soft line drives in front of outfielders for singles. And plays a decent second base. Is that really worth $10M?

 

Madlock seems to be the best comp for Arraez, since Gwynn might be the best hitter who ever lived not named Ted Williams and Boggs was a walking/double machine who eventually won Gold Gloves. Bill signed a six-year deal worth $5.1 million after winning his third batting title in 1981. That $850,000 annual salary is barely more than the current minimum salary ($740,000) and the equivalent of just under $2.8 million in 2024 bucks. No chance Bill would only be making $2.8 million. Adrian Houser is making just over $5 million to post an 8-something ERA and get booted from the Mets' rotation. By that standard, Arraez is a goddamn bargain!

 

As I responded, that is not a reflection of his value. It is a reflection of their weakness. By your logic, they should get rid of every decent player they have just because they don't have enough of them.

 

No, he is not as good Boggs and Gwynn, two Hall of Fame hitters.

Madlock hit those 163 home runs in 15 seasons, an average of 10.9 per season. That's more than Arraez, but he also had a lower career on-base percentage than Arraez.

 

Agreed, but wasn't some of that at the urging of Peter Seidler?

 

Indeed. With Peter sadly no longer with us, I have to think Preller knows he's done if they don't go deep this year, so he's going for it and not worried about what the impact is for the Padres in 2025 and beyond.

 

Oh, I really do. I think Arraez's .325 is going to translate into a much more impactful number with the San Diego lineup around him.

Tatis behind him in the order? That's a whole different world for Arraez, as far as seeing pitches.

And after a couple of months of Birdland screaming for Coby Mayo and Holliday, I've become very conscious that prospects are just that -- prospects. Not proven production; prospects.

I'm a lot more comfortable with trading prospects away for win-now talent than I used to be.

 

If someone had told me on March 20 that Kyle Bradish or John Means would be close to returning to MLB by May 4, I would have said Baltimore made out pretty good.

They've both been lights-out in their first starts. Add Cole Irvin pitching the best ball of his life, and what looked like a big question mark with the rotation has suddenly become a strength.

 

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