MLB 2024-25 Hot Stove Thread

[micropolitan guy]

Tying this all together...a lot of people believed Conforto, the Washington state kid, wanted to end up with Seattle while he was with the Mets. Don't know if that ended up being inaccurate dot connecting or if any chance of the return home evaporated due to the Mariners' thriftiness and/or Conforto's untimely injury. Of course, everyone thought Pacific Northwest kid Mathew Barzal was gonna end up with Seattle or Vancouver and he's signed thru 2031 w/the Islanders, so it was probably just inaccurate dot connecting.

His career would have died at Safeco. Nobody hits there. San Francisco wasn't a great spot for a left-handed hitter either, certainly not as welcoming as Citi Field.

 

[qtlaw]

Conforto not taking the deal turned out to be a really bad idea, especially if he got hurt in foolish fashion, but it was still more defensible than Alonso's decision. Conforto/Boras could spin his ability to play center in a pinch and his upward trajectory as someone still in his 20s...he had a lousy walk year in 2021, but he had an OPS+ of 134 from 2018-20 and looked like an MVP candidate during the pandemic season. And that's one sweet left-handed swing. You don't have to look too hard to think you're seeing a modern-day Will Clark. Of course, he's not, and now he's a .240-hitting left fielder who doesn't draw walks and didn't hit lefties until last season, so he's probably looking at one-year deals the rest of his career. He won't need a bake sale any century soon but still, that's a lot of money left on the table.

Admittedly I did not take much note of Conforto '18-22 but in '23-'24 even in the SF uniform I NEVER thought I was watching Will Clark. That's fantasy. Please give Will the Thrill a bit more respect!

 

[micropolitan guy]

Of all the MLB players I've seen at Microville Tech over the years (Rutschman, Conforto, Madrigal, Cole Gillespie, Ellsbury, Barney, Susac, Larnach, Stefen Romero, Jamie Burke) I never ever suspected that Steven Kwan would be the best hitter of them all.

And I've never seen a longer homer than one hit there by Cal OF Xavier Nady.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

ESPN is pondering walking away from its MLB deal, and MLB is saying that would be a one-way trip.


If ESPN opts out of TV deal, MLB warns it could walk away: source — The Athletic

 

[micropolitan guy]

ESPN is pondering walking away from its MLB deal, and MLB is saying that would be a one-way trip.


If ESPN opts out of TV deal, MLB warns it could walk away: source — The Athletic

Be prepared for Sunday night WNBA! Every single Indiana-Chicago game!

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Who is MLB's agent, Boros?

 

[outofplace]

True, but the injury occurred after he decided not to re-sign (supposedly hurt his shoulder at a bachelor party or wedding celebration, not game-related). Had he been under contract he would have been paid for 2022, and beyond.

That was my point. Conforto eventually got less than he had hoped for, at least in part, because he got hurt later. There was no event like an injury that caused Alonso to get so much less than he could have if he had taken the Mets' long-term offer.

 

[Della9250]

ESPN is pondering walking away from its MLB deal, and MLB is saying that would be a one-way trip.


If ESPN opts out of TV deal, MLB warns it could walk away: source — The Athletic

where does mlb think it's going to go?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Be prepared for Sunday night WNBA! Every single Indiana-Chicago game!

Boston will get an expansion team and we'll be getting the Boston Tea Women vs. the New York Liberty every other week.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Walking away from ESPN might not be a great move for MLB. On the other hand, the ESPN baseball broadcasts largely suck. So maybe there could be something better?

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Admittedly I did not take much note of Conforto '18-22 but in '23-'24 even in the SF uniform I NEVER thought I was watching Will Clark. That's fantasy. Please give Will the Thrill a bit more respect!

Haha well I said he's obviously not Will the Thrill (Mike the...Maniac?)! But in his pre-peak years, when he was on, that swing was a thing of beauty. Whatever it was went away with the injury though.

 

[YMCA B-Baller]

What good is ESPN doing for baseball now? They broadcast it like they hate it.

ESPN gives absolutely no coverage to the regular season outside of lazy, large-market narratives. Good riddance if they go. The sport is largely a local phenomenon and that isn't changing regardless of which network has the rights.