MLB 2016 Season

[Joker]

Super Bowl is done and we're one week from pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training, which means it's officially baseball season!

[Cap10nate]

I'm already getting excited for baseball to start. I am concerned that the Buccos will regress this year. The ownership did not do much to bring in additional talent and they lost about 30% of their home runs to free agency/trade. They won't bring any of their young players up until mid summer as to not start their clock. This makes me think they will have another poor April/May which puts them in a hole like it has the past three years and force them to try to get a wild card spot instead of taking the division. Especially with the improvements by the Cubs and Cardinals this offseason. Regardless, I love baseball season.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Coming off a 99 loss season, my Phillies have nowhere to go but up, having pretty much gutted the roster and restocked the farm system with a bevy of young and promising players (most of them pitchers) who could well return the team to prominence. However, that won't happen right away, and there's still the issue of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, the very last holdovers from the 2008 World Series winning team, and while fans wait on the influx of talent to make their way to South Philly, we're looking at probably another 90 loss season and a last place NL East finish in 2016. Despite that, I think things are looking up for my squad and we'll be back to being a serious contender in a year or two.

[Joker]

Pretty much just hoping for a winning record from the M's this season. Wild Card would be great.

I'd love to feel more optimistic, but I'm not exactly sure about this team at all. New GM, new Field Manager and basically a whole new managing staff, a rebuilt roster with quite a few low rent bounce back hopefuls... it's totally unknown territory.

A lot hinges on the retained talent, though. Cano and Hernandez (Felix had a weird year, but put up 19 wins, which matched his career high) having fluke years last year and returning to form. Cruz having another good year nobody figured he'd have and the fucking starting rotation not being injured most of the year. Kyle Seager just gets better every year and remains a joy to watch.

So, we'll see. The window on Felix/Cruz/Cano isn't going to stay open forever.

[Cap10nate]

Coming off a 99 loss season, my Phillies have nowhere to go but up, having pretty much gutted the roster and restocked the farm system with a bevy of young and promising players (most of them pitchers) who could well return the team to prominence. However, that won't happen right away, and there's still the issue of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, the very last holdovers from the 2008 World Series winning team, and while fans wait on the influx of talent to make their way to South Philly, we're looking at probably another 90 loss season and a last place NL East finish in 2016. Despite that, I think things are looking up for my squad and we'll be back to being a serious contender in a year or two.

All those huge payouts that the Philly's made after their World Series victory has really crushed the team. How much longer is that on the books before they can make a clean break?

[Detox]

New ace and new closer in Boston this year, I can't wait to see how they pan out. I think this team has a great chance to win the East.

[Joker]

new closer in Boston this year

I really hate that we gave up Carson. He's a pleasure to watch, and probably only going to get better as he goes. Enjoy.

(I assume Carson is the closer...?)

[WestPhillyPunisher]

All those huge payouts that the Philly's made after their World Series victory has really crushed the team. How much longer is that on the books before they can make a clean break?

Both Howard and Ruiz are off the books after 2016. Ruiz is nothing more than an expensive backup to journeyman Cameron Rupp who's keeping the plate warm for one of our up and comers down on the farm. As for Howard, the only reason he hasn't been cut is because the front office doesn't want to eat the $25 million he's owed without getting something out of him, problem is he's a shell of his former self and can't hit lefthanders to save his life, so he's in a platoon at first with underwhelming Darin Ruf.

[Detox]

I really hate that we gave up Carson. He's a pleasure to watch, and probably only going to get better as he goes. Enjoy.

(I assume Carson is the closer...?)

Kimbrel. Which means Uehara will slide over to setup, Carson will most likely be middle-late relief as needed.

[Joker]

Oh okay. He's probably a better late reliever than closer at this point anyway. Still, enjoy watching that kid, he's missed in Seattle.

[Adset]

Pretty much just hoping for a winning record from the M's this season. Wild Card would be great.

I'd love to feel more optimistic, but I'm not exactly sure about this team at all. New GM, new Field Manager and basically a whole new managing staff, a rebuilt roster with quite a few low rent bounce back hopefuls... it's totally unknown territory.

A lot hinges on the retained talent, though. Cano and Hernandez (Felix had a weird year, but put up 19 wins, which matched his career high) having fluke years last year and returning to form. Cruz having another good year nobody figured he'd have and the fucking starting rotation not being injured most of the year. Kyle Seager just gets better every year and remains a joy to watch.

So, we'll see. The window on Felix/Cruz/Cano isn't going to stay open forever.

i'm a mariners fan, too. with the jays finally breaking through for a playoff berth we officially hold the longest drought in the majors. hooray!

i always assume seattle will fail, even when they accidentally fail upwards and finish with a winning record. on paper it looks like we've filled several holes (adam lind at 1B, nori aoki in the outfield, even chris iannetta should be better than the black hole that was mariner catchers in 2015) but something will go wrong. it always does. ketel marte will break his leg. nelson cruz will realize he's 36 and lose all his power. iwakuma will miss six months. felix will lose interest. guti's five-year undiagnosed abdominal issue will rear back up. taijuan walker will die from a failed satellite falling from orbit. one or all of those things will happen.

[Detox]

Oh okay. He's probably a better late reliever than closer at this point anyway. Still, enjoy watching that kid, he's missed in Seattle.

He's a stud, I watched him once or twice last year. Looks like your boy Elias might have a shot at making the Bullpen as well.

[Joker]

^^Mid relief might be a really good place for him. **** the Red Sox, but I'd like to see him do well.

i'm a mariners fan, too. with the jays finally breaking through for a playoff berth we officially hold the longest drought in the majors. hooray!

i always assume seattle will fail, even when they accidentally fail upwards and finish with a winning record. on paper it looks like we've filled several holes (adam lind at 1B, nori aoki in the outfield, even chris iannetta should be better than the black hole that was mariner catchers in 2015) but something will go wrong. it always does. ketel marte will break his leg. nelson cruz will realize he's 36 and lose all his power. iwakuma will miss six months. felix will lose interest. guti's five-year undiagnosed abdominal issue will rear back up. taijuan walker will die from a failed satellite falling from orbit. one or all of those things will happen.

Oh man, ha! If Paxton's paper mache fingers don't crumble and Kuma's shoulder doesn't literally explode, I think we'll be okay. This team has no reason to not be at least a .500 club, and plenty of reasons to be better. Even if a piece isn't working, Dipoto's got lots of back up options that shouldn't be terrible.

The only things I see going wrong is Taylor at SS and catchers. Hopefully Marte is ready and gets the job at short. Seager/Marte/Cano is hell of a potential triple threat on the infield. Cruz only DHing, since he seems to hit better when he's playing outfield, too. Even if he's not the best outfielder ever.

I'm not worried about Cano or Felix, much. I think they'll both be eager to prove that last year was a fluke. Hopefully it was.

[Hiromi]

Atlanta Braves ranked with the number one farm system in the majors 2 years after being ranked in the bottom 5, largely thanks to repeatedly raiding Arizona's farm system. Better be the way they've gutted the roster.

[Hiromi]

This is ground breaking, Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia has been lifetime banned from Baseball after being caught a third time on PEDs.