MLB 2024 Regular Season Thread

[Hiromi]

Cubbies in trouble. Bellinger collided with the outfield wall and broke a rib. No details on the length of his stay there.

thats likely around two months on the IL

[achilles]

Speaking of the Cubbies, the Red Sox spanked them the other day. Doesn't change that the Cubbies are doing fine so far, and the Red Sox are...not. Yamamoto has pitched fine since his getting rocked early, and the Dodgers are on a roll. Lots of teams up there with them for what it's worth this early. But teams that notably aren't....D-Backs, Rangers, and the Astros!

Phillies are a very fun team to watch IMO, by far my most watched team.

[InfamousBG]

The Red Sox are going no where this year but they have been an interesting team so far. If they picked up some pitching and maybe a bat at the trade deadline the season could be saved.

Cheap...one thing I never thought id say or see with the Sox. Now, today? Yikes. Good farm system but they need to spend some cash to get back to where they were not that long ago. Just my take.

[MRP]

Ah yes the big spenders who are oh so successful in winning World Series...

The Yankees-haven't one a World Series since 2009

The Mets...please.

The Padres...not

the Dodgers-despite all their spending the only WS title they have is in the COVID shortened season which is a huge asterisk


meanwhile the most consistently successful teams of the last 2 decades are the ones who build their scouting and farm systems, trade late contract stars/veterans for prospects, build from within their organization, and spend conservatively with targeted free agent acquisitions to address specific deficiencies rather than spend gobs of money on superstars who are being rewarded for what they already did rather than what they can still so for the team they are coming to. And yet every "knowledgeable" baseball fan falls back on the old saw that my team needs to spend more to be successful despite all the evidence to the contrary that has accumulated in the last 2 decades. The spend 'til you win model was successful for a longtime in baseball, but that time has passed. The Sox problem isn't the lack of spending, it's that they aren't getting the kind of returns they should when they do trade away their aging and expensive assets. Just about every players Red Sox fans wanted to Sox to spend money on this offseason is off to a bad start and the Sox would have a worse record than they do now if they had acquired and relied on those players, but that doesn't stop the tired old refrains about Sox spending.

And if the Sox need to add pitching, its because of injuries testing their depth, not the quality of the pitchers they have, who currently are producing as one of the best rotations in all of MLB. Their biggest issue keeping them from winning more consistently has been their defense. It's cost them several games and several leads and wasted several excellent pitching performances already. That's not something you can necessarily add via trades either. And as for the offense, yes, it is not dominant, but it is a lineup that managed to sweep a series with its 4 best hitters injured. Not a lot of MLB teams could accomplish that in this era of top heavy line ups. But I agree, the Sox are not contenders this year. Not because they didn't spend, but because they can't field the ball consistently and because they don't have enough organizational depth to whether the storm of injuries they have had so far, especially on the pitching front. That speaks to the need to spend more on their farm system, not on spending gobs of money chasing superstars headed towards the downsides of their careers in free agency.


-M

[achilles]

Well, Mike Trout has done his annual break from the Angels as he tore a ligament in his knee. He's not expected to be out for the season.

On Monday, the Dodgers managed a feat they'd not done since 2006---they went the entire game without striking out, not once. Impressive.

Jose Abreu has been sent down to AAA by the Astros. He's batting .099. Enough said.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

April ends with my Phillies as the first time in MLB to 20 wins. However, we're a half game behind the 19-9 Braves in NL East. Irksome!

[achilles]

Dodgers/Diamondbacks were delayed yesterday for an hour due to bees. "My god, the bees!" They played "Holding out for a hero" as the beekeeper removed them, (from the top of the netting). He got to throw out the first pitch!

[achilles]

The Beekeeper, who presumably violently kills the bad guys in his spare time, has himself a limited edition Topps baseball card!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Looks like the Marlins, bringing up the rear in NL East at 9-25 (only the White Sox have fewer wins with 6) have already punted on the season by trading two time MLB batting champion Luis Arraez to San Diego for a bunch of minor leaguers.

[Deathstroke]

Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson had a specially made bat for the game today. It celebrated Star Wars Day. You can see a brief video of it in this Sports Illustrated article.

[Deathstroke]

Looks like the Marlins, bringing up the rear in NL East at 9-25 (only the White Sox have fewer wins with 6) have already punted on the season by trading two time MLB batting champion Luis Arraez to San Diego for a bunch of minor leaguers.

Thus effectively making those who bought season tickets victims of theft by the team.

[MRP]

Thus effectively making those who bought season tickets victims of theft by the team.

If you have been a fan of the Marlins for any length of time, you have to be prepared for fire sales, They do it at least once a decade, more like once every 6-8 years, so if you are a Marlins season ticket holder, caveat emptor, any year could be that year. It's been that way since the first glimmer of success that franchise had.



-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

If you have been a fan of the Marlins for any length of time, you have to be prepared for fire sales, They do it at least once a decade, more like once every 6-8 years, so if you are a Marlins season ticket holder, caveat emptor, any year could be that year. It's been that way since the first glimmer of success that franchise had.



-M

Exactly that. Makes me wonder if starter Sandy Alcantara is next out the door.

Meanwhile, my Phillies continue to rampage, curbstomping San Fran 13-4 last night and now have a MLB best 23-11 record. However, a cloud settled over Citizen's Bank Park after it was announced that SS Trea Turner will be lost for six weeks after hurting his hamstring in Friday's win over the Giants. Hopefully, Turner won't be out that long.