The Official 2024 MLB Regular Season Discussion Thread

[Doom]

Great job Bravos!

 

[Doom]

In that game, Oneil Cruz smashed a ball at 122.4 MPH:

 

[Swerve]

We are now only one game behind the Mets in the win column!

 

[Hidden Blaze]

We are now only one game behind the Mets in the win column!

Nah 1.5.

 

[Swerve]

Nah 1.5.

That's because we have two more losses than them. The Mets have 79 wins and we have 78.

 

[Apoho Creed]

Dude had 2 Home Runs in his first Game rehabbing yup he's ready to roll. Time to make a run of this momentum and make the Playoffs!

 

[Swerve]

The Rockies are really bad!

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Fuck em

 

[Rosie]

The Rockies are really bad!

In other news: The Sky is blue

 

[Necro]

Me as a Red Sox fan this year.

 

[Doom]

The Mariners have locked up Julio Rodriguez with a long-term 14-year extension:

Seattle Mariners, Julio Rodriguez finalizing 14-year extension worth at least $210 million, sources confirm​

ESPN

The Seattle Mariners and slugger Julio Rodriguez are finalizing a long-term contract extension that guarantees the rookie standout $210 million over 14 years and could be worth more than $400 million, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

The new contract includes player and team options, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Rodriguez, 21, has parlayed his breakout rookie season into a new deal, as he became the first rookie in Mariners history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season, reaching the milestone Wednesday when he hit a solo shot in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals. He is the fourth rookie in American League history to accomplish the feat since 2000, joining Mike Trout (2012), Andrew Benintendi (2017) and Randy Arozarena (2021).

MLB.com first reported on the overall value of the contract extension.

Rodriguez was the runner-up to Juan Soto at the Home Run Derby this year while making the AL All-Star team in his debut season. He is hitting .269 with 64 RBIs and a .799 OPS in 108 games for the Mariners, who currently hold the third wild-card spot in the AL.

 

[Doom]

Cuban teen Luis Morales declared free agent by MLB, expected to get record bonus for a pitcher, source confirms​

ESPN

Cuban right-hander Luis Morales, a coveted 19-year-old prospect who is expected to demand a record-breaking sum for a pitcher from the international bonus pool, will be eligible to sign with an MLB team on Sept. 7 after being declared a free agent on Thursday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Oakland Athletics are considered heavy favorites to sign Morales, who peaked at 97 or 99 mph in various workouts for MLB teams. He defected from the Cuban U-23 team in Mexico City in September 2021.


Morales, who held open showcases for teams in January and April in Mexico City, has a breaking ball that projects to be above average, but his changeup is a clear third pitch and his command still comes and goes, as is common for pitchers with that kind of velocity as a teenager.

Since most of the pool money in this current international signing period has been spent, Morales is expected to sign when the next period begins on Jan. 15.

The biggest bonus given to a pitcher since the international bonus pool was capped was to Cuban right-hander Sandy Gaston, who was given $2.61 million by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. Shohei Ohtani received $2.315 million from the Los Angeles Angels in Dec. 2017.

Oakland has had a strategy of spending at the top of the international market of late. If the Athletics can land Morales as expected, it would have echoes of a bold move from the team's past. Prior to the salary cap, the A's set an international bonus record in 2008 by signing Dominican right-hander Michael Ynoa to a $4.25 million bonus.

Overall international pool amounts for each MLB team range from approximately $4.5 million to just over $6 million each year. The highest bonus for a pitcher in this current period was $1.7 million to Jarlin Susana, an 18-year-old right-hander who has already hit triple digits with his fastball and was included in the Juan Soto trade package from San Diego to Washington.

Pitchers are seen as a much bigger risk to teams at this age, with the top players usually signing at age 16. The top 15 bonuses in the current international signing period have all gone to position players, and at least one position player has received at least $4 million each year under this system.

Beisbolfr.com first reported the news of Morales being declared a free agent by MLB.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Would be great for the Twins to somehow sneak him in since we could always use more pitchers.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

 

[Rosie]

Where is the Braves Twitter? All I see is a mustached individual