The Official 2024-25 MLB Offseason Discussion Thread

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Doom

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I do not want to see him in pinstripes, or in Dodgers colors, in the future. I agree with Blaze that he belongs in Atlanta. I want to see him play his entire career with the team, until he retires.

In sad news, Jason Giambi's brother Jeremy Giambi, dies at 47 by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest a few days ago:

ESPN

LOS ANGELES -- The death of former major leaguer Jeremy Giambi was a suicide, the office of the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner said Friday.

Giambi, 47, died Wednesday at his parents' home in suburban Claremont.

The cause of death was a gunshot wound, according to the coroner's online case records.

A brother of five-time All-Star Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi spent six seasons in the major leagues as an outfielder and first baseman with Kansas City (1998-99), Oakland (2000-2002), Philadelphia (2002) and Boston (2002-03).

He hit .263 with 52 homers and 209 RBIs. His best season was 2001, when he batted .283 with 12 homers and 57 RBIs for the Athletics.

Born Sept. 30, 1974, he played for the Cal State Fullerton team that won the 1995 College World Series.

Very sad news to hear about Jason's brother. My condolences to him and his family. :(
 
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Washington Nationals great Ryan Zimmerman's retiring, after spending all 16 seasons with the team:

ESPN

Longtime Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman announced his retirement Tuesday, ending a decorated career in which he became the franchise leader in many major categories and boosted the team to its only World Series championship.

The veteran infielder issued a statement via CAA Baseball in which he thanked the Nationals' front office, managers and coaches, trainers and medical staff, teammates, his agents and his family.

"When we first met I was a 20-year-old kid fresh out of the University of Virginia,'' he wrote. "I had no idea how unbelievable the next 17 years of my life were going to be.''

The Nationals took Zimmerman with their first pick in the 2005 draft (fourth overall) soon after the team moved from Montreal to Washington. He retires as the Nationals' career leader in games (1,799), runs (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061).

A two-time All-Star, Zimmerman helped the franchise win its World Series championship in 2019. He had hits in 10 of the Nationals' 16 postseason games in 2019 and hit the first World Series home run in Nationals franchise history, in the second inning of Game 1 off Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.

"Ryan will forever be Mr. National. From the walk-off home runs, to carrying the World Series trophy down Constitution Avenue, to the final day of the 2021 regular season when our fans gave him an ovation that none of us will soon forget, Ryan gave us all 17 years of amazing memories,'' team owner Mark Lerner said in a statement.

Zimmerman, 37, also was a two-time Silver Slugger winner (2009, 2010) and a Gold Glove winner ('09).

"For 17 seasons, Ryan Zimmerman epitomized what it meant to be the Face of the Franchise. He was an All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, Comeback Player of the Year and World Series champion -- but those accolades pale in comparison to his impact on our organization and in the community during his career," general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. "Ryan always carried himself with class, honor and respect and played the game for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back. I want to personally congratulate Ryan on a fantastic career and wish him and the entire Zimmerman family all the best in retirement."

He had 11 walk-off homers in his career and is one of only 10 players in major league history to have that many game-ending home runs, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Eight of those players are in the Hall of Fame. Albert Pujols and Zimmerman are the only players who played last season on that list.

Zimmerman became the Nationals' third baseman in 2006 and stayed there full-time through 2013. After spending time in the outfield and infield in 2014, he took over at first base in 2015.

Zimmerman spent 17 seasons total with the Nationals, but didn't play in 2020, choosing to sit out because of concerns about his family's health during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His mother has multiple sclerosis, and Zimmerman and his wife had their third child in 2020.

Zimmerman established the ziMS Foundation in 2006 to raise money and awareness for programs to help those with multiple sclerosis. The foundation has raised a total of $3.5 million.

"Although my baseball career has come to an end, my family and I will continue to be heavily involved in the DMV community,'' Zimmerman wrote in his retirement announcement.

"You have given so much to us over the past 17 years; it is now time for us to give back to you. We look forward to continuing many of our community programs and starting new ones in the future. Our kids will be raised here, as this is now our home, and we couldn't be more excited. So this is not a goodbye but more of a 'see you around,''' he said.

Zimmerman was nominated six times by the Nationals for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Major League Baseball.

"Ryan's numbers and accomplishments speak for themselves, but the way he led by example and was respected not only in our clubhouse but around the game -- that is what I will remember most about his career,'' Nationals manager Dave Martinez said in a statement.

He hit .243 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs last season and retires with a career batting average of .277.

I gotta say, that this guy has had a amazing career. He was the leader of the team, and help guide them to their first ever World Series appearance, by beating the heavily-favored Astros 4-3 to win the franchise's first ever championship. The Nats are grateful to have him, with all the things he gave for the team. Like team owner Mark Lerner said, "Ryan will forever be Mr. National."
 
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It's obvious that there's not a lot of news going on other than the ongoing MLB lockout, that started last December. Since then, nothing has changed, and it's probable that the lockout will continue on through the start of the regular season, which the season starts March 31. Until then, I'll try to keep everyone updated with baseball news and stuff.
 

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Juan Soto says he was offered 13-year, $350M extension by Washington Nationals before MLB lockout​


ESPN

The Washington Nationals offered a 13-year, $350 million extension to outfielder Juan Soto before the current lockout by Major League Baseball, he confirmed to ESPN's Enrique Rojas on Wednesday.

The offer, made before the work stoppage, was intended to start this season and did not include deferred money, a Nationals source told ESPN. Had it materialized, the 23-year-old would have earned an average salary of almost $27 million until 2034, when he will turn 36.

"Yes, they made me an offer a few months ago, before the lockout," Soto said. "But right now, my agents and I think the best option is to go year by year and wait for free agency. My agent, Scott Boras, has control over the situation."

Soto is eligible for free agency after the 2024 season.

"Anyway, I still think of Washington as the place where I would like to spend the rest of my career, so we will see," Soto said.

The total offer from the Nationals would have been the third-highest contract extension in MLB history, bested only by the $365 million deal over 12 years that Mookie Betts received in 2020 from the Los Angeles Dodgers and the $360 million over 10 years given to Mike Trout by the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.

Soto, who has played four MLB seasons, is considered by many to be the purest hitter in the game today. The left-hander has hit .301 with a .432 OBP and a .981 OPS through 464 games.

In the 2020 season shortened by COVID-19, he led the majors in hitting, OBP and OPS. Last season, he had a .313 batting average and drew 145 walks while hitting 29 home runs with 95 RBIs.
 

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:DEAD: Jesus Christ that contract.
 

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Soto wants to be a Dodger

 
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Soto wants to be a Dodger


It's quite possible that he could be a Dodger if they're willing to spend a fortune on him like they did with Mookie Betts, with a 12-year $365 million contract.

I think he'll be looking at other teams that are willing to pay him more, or go to a winning team, because the Nationals for the past two seasons after they won the World Series, have been shitty (26-34 in 2020 and 65-97 in 2021).
 

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My God if he lands with the Dodgers I'm going to rage hard. Keep him out of the NL East and I'll be fine with that and my Phillies need for sure this Offseason Pitching, Bullpen help, and of course more Offense because what we've got won't get it done.
 

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MLB delays start of spring training until March 5; CBA negotiations resume Monday​

ESPN

Spring training games won't begin until at least March 5, Major League Baseball announced in a statement on Friday.

"We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of spring training games," the statement said. "All 30 clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands.

"We are committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to each side. On Monday, members of the owners' bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time."

Owners locked out the players in December after the last collective bargaining agreement expired, as negotiations for a new agreement haven't proven fruitful so far -- talks on Thursday broke off after just 15 minutes, sources told ESPN.

Talks between the league and the players union should intensify next week as the deadline to start the regular season on time looms. Negotiations are scheduled for Monday -- just the seventh time that the two sides have gotten together since the lockout began Dec. 2.

Spring camps were set to open this week, with games starting on Feb. 26, but all of that is on hold.

"MLB announced today that it 'must' postpone the start of spring training games. This is false," the MLBPA said in its statement Friday. "Nothing requires the league to delay the start of spring training, much like nothing required the league's decision to implement the lockout in the first place. Despite these decisions by the league, players remain committed to the negotiating process."

The league has previously stated they would prefer about four weeks of spring training, so camps would need to open by early March in order to start the regular season on time.

The sides are far apart on a number of issues including revenue sharing between the clubs, service time for players to enter the arbitration system, the amount of money in a pre-arbitration bonus pool and the thresholds and penalties for the competitive balance tax.

The last time spring and regular season games were missed -- outside of the COVID-19 pandemic -- came during the player's strike which began in 1994 and carried over to 1995. The 1995 season opened on April 25 and went for 144 games.

Fans who had purchased tickets to spring training games that will not be played have an option for a full refund, MLB said in its statement.
 

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Yeah, this keeps making me think that we're not getting a season this year.
 
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In lamens terms, the fuck is the problem with the agreement? I'm keen to try and like baseball but it sounds like no season and that's a shit go
 
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we got one during the pandemic...we will get one this year too.
 

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Just…. Amazing only one close is Braves and Nats. Everything else is pretty good gaps.
What I see here is that the pitates need a new damn owner who will spend money and won't ship everyone away once they get good the team that us and will actually build upon that team. I love watching all our players from the wild card years on other teams doing amazing.