With the new season upon us, let's talk baseball!

Just heard word yesterday that Luis Severino was scratched from his Spring Training start and tests indicate he has inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Not a great sign. Hope he can work through it during the season and won't require surgery. The Yankees are going to shut him down for 2 weeks to see what that does and he'll more than likely miss Opening Day. Does this force the Yankees to go out and grab Dallas Keuchel or Gio Gonzales who are still available free agents? I doubt it. They'll try to plug the problem with internal options.

Looks like the Yankees are going to stand pat with their rotation. Really hope it’s nothing serious with Severino.

That makes 2 of us. I hope these young kids can contribute.

They’re going to have to. That’s the front office is really banking on. Which I like a lot. But we’ll see how much I like it if they end up not performing lol

I don't have much confidence in them. Until they show me otherwise, I'm pessimistic.

MLB rules changes for the 2019 season:

-There will be no trades after July 31. August trade waivers have been eliminated, though players can still be placed on and claimed from outright waivers, as they would throughout the rest of the year.
-All-Star voting will still be conducted by fans online, but the top three players at each position, in each league, will now participate in an All-Star Election Day. -The top three vote-getters at each position, in each league, (top six in the case of outfielders) will receive bonus payments.
-The Home Run Derby will now come with $2.5MM of prize money, including a $1MM prize for the winner.
-The maximum number of mound visits per game will be reduced from six to five.
-Commercial breaks between innings are reduced to two minutes in length for all games.
-The MLB and MLBPA will form a “Joint Committee” to discuss further issues and rule changes.

Effective Beginning in 2020

-The standard roster size in regular season games and postseason games will increase from 25 to 26 players. Beginning on Sept. 1, roster size will expand further to a 28-player maximum (as opposed to the current 40). A maximum number of pitchers will be designated by the Joint Committee. (Passan reported that the league has proposed no more than half a team’s players can be pitchers.)
-Position players are only eligible to pitch in extra innings or when a team is leading or trailing by seven or more runs. Certain position players may be designated as “two-way players,” but to be eligible, they’ll need to have accrued at least 20 innings pitched and started 20 games as a position player/designated hitter in the current season or the preceding season (including at least three trips to the plate in each of those lineup appearances).
-A pitcher must face at least three batters per appearance unless he is removed due to injury or the half-inning in which he is pitching ends before three batters have come to the plate.
-The minimum length of stay for pitchers who are optioned to the minors or placed on the injured list will increase from 10 days to 15 days. This change is still “subject to input” from the newly formed Joint Committee.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/mlb-mlbpa-agree-single-trade-deadline-expanded-rosters.html

I like that they’re giving people an incentive to compete in the home run derby.

I do too but as I've said in the past, I'm not a fan of the 3 batter faced rule. I think it's going to diminish the product, having pitchers go up against batters they shouldn't be facing.

I don’t understand that rule at all. Is that an official rule yet? There’s no need to mess with a game that has worked fine and has been played the same way for around 100 years.

It's going to begin next season, not 2019. It's all an effort to speed up the game but I'm with you, the game is fine and has been played the same way for 100+ years. This is just an effort to appeal to more millennials who can't sit through a game.

It’s ridiculous. And this severino injury looks serious.

And now add Yankees prospect Estevan Florial to the injured list as he injured his wrist trying to chase a fly ball in center. No timetable has been given to his recovery but I hope he doesn't have a lost season like Clint Frazier did last year with his concussion. Even if Florial is able to return, the season could be a bust for him with a wrist injury to his throwing hand.

Such a let down. Voit and bird are battling it out for first. I don’t trust bird, always has a great spring training. He’s a pull hitter.

Who do you think has the edge so far? I don't/haven't watched Spring Training and I haven't heard much between them. I'm guessing Voit gets the nod unless Bird just has such an unbelievable spring. Although Voit's defense leaves something to be desired; however, I heard he worked on it during the offseason.

Voit is definitely winning. But cashman loves Bird. They’re just so fascinated with having a left handed bat in the lineup even if it means forcing a lesser player in. I say you play the best guy regardless of what side of the plate he hits from. And that’s Voit. Voit has also shown improvement defensively. He is winning the job but do not be surprised if Bird gets it.

Watched the Yanks/Phils play, Tulo looked like his old self. Heard Severino is out until May, that's pretty serious if so.

I wouldn't mind getting a left-handed bat in the lineup (one of the reasons I desired Harper over Machado if the Yankees were going to get either). But I agree, put the best guy out there.

Shutting Severino down for the month of April is not a good sign at all. Plus Sabathia is suspended for 5 games for throwing at the Rays at the end of last season. Plus he's working back from some offseason surgery. Rumors are the Yankees have reached out to Gio Gonzalez as well but a deal doesn't appear imminent. Although I've heard Luis Cessa has been throwing the ball well in spring training and I'm sure the Yankees are going to go with him. Hopefully it'll translate to the regular season as well. Looks like Loáisiga has been up and down but German hasn't been bad either. The Yankees have some youthful arms; they just need to produce at the major league level.

Hicks hurt. I liked the Hicks signing a lot. But not off to a good start with this.

The money isn't bad but I think the years might be a little much. Every season he has something going on though. I like Hicks, but I'm not high on him. I hope this opens up an opportunity for Clint Frazier to get some major league AB's since last year was a lost year for him due to his concussions.

Hopefully Gonzalez can still pitch

I hope so too but it's a low risk, high reward deal IMO. It's a minor league contract and if he makes the roster, it's $3 million.

I can't believe Trout just got a 12-year, $430 million extension!

Trout deserves it too. What a talent. I don’t like people putting him over certain all time great players just because of his War(I like the stat itself a lot but there’s more to baseball than that) but he is on his way to break some records.

The season is officially underway. First yanks game next week.

Can't wait! But it's always at noon and I'm at work. But I'll see what I can't do in terms of watching it.

Ichiro received some send off over in Japan.

Heard from a MLB source.

A leak is spreading regarding a test performed by MLB having pitchers and catchers using electronic devices allowing for communications during games in order to end sign stealing.

They are leaning towards this but leaked the info on purpose to get feelers on how it would be viewed by public.

Not surprised in the least he retired in Japan. The man had one of the greatest careers in the history of the game and he deserved it. However he's not the all-time hits leader IMO as I don't count his numbers from Japan. You gotta do it in MLB.



I don't mind this at all and perhaps it could speed the game up as well so pitchers/catchers don't have to continually go throw missed signs, switch signs up, mound visits, etc. They already do it in football with the quarterback and the coach, so I don't mind at all this implementation.

Beat 'em Bucs!

Pirates don’t have a bad team at all this season right?