Riverbrian

I don’t have the same assumption as you do when it comes to this making more teams sellers in July. By the same token it could also increase buyers. Less time for the pack to separate. Teams are closer together in July... time creates wider separation of the have and have nots. Elimination of August will ramp up activity in July.... that can’t be argued. Anyway... it’s the MLBPA who wants it. They must have reasons.

The change was proposed by the MLBPA. It is something they have discussed for awhile. MLB Gave some to get some The players wanted this because they didn't like the uncertainty of their fates extended into August anymore. The players have been talking about competitive integrity for a while now. Here is how competitive integrity is addressed with this move. 1. August Waiver Deadline is removed 2. Teams have to decide by July 31st. 3. July Bottleneck increases competition for the available trade options. It doesn't increase them, it just makes each one more valuable. 4. Increased competition leads to higher prices (IE More or Higher Ranked Prospects). 5. Trade price become painful and the front offices learn that they can't come out of spring training with Ryan LaMarre on the 25 man roster unless they want to trade Royce Lewis for a rental later. 6. Riverbrian thrusts his arms in the air in celebration because teams are building to compete in the off-season, where it should happen because the regular season now starts in March not July or August.

Teams are already taking themselves out of contention in July so I don't think it can be "more". I'd actually guess "less" because teams will not be able to continue evaluation into August and 2 months to make up ground is simply a longer time frame. Yes... The argument from me... is that teams need to be prepared for injuries. I say it often and unequivocally and I imagine I will continue saying it over and over again. However... I'm not sure if the data says that older players break down more often. Maybe it does... but I do believe the data says that older players get paid more and often times don't produce more than players making minimum salary. In other words... Baseball Front Offices are already there. They are already stocking up on young players and not paying marginal free agents. I don't think the August Waiver Deadline is going to change that. I believe shortening the trade window available will force teams to be more aggressive in the off-season to plug holes... so they have less holes to plug during the season. Or it will have little or no effect at all and we just carry on like normal without the complicated waiver trade process explanations.

Who benefits? The players do... We do. Urgency is created and teams will be forced to build their squads in the off-season when they should all be building their clubs. It creates even more urgency in Late July and it get them off the fence. Playoff contenders will have to roster significant depth.Teams caught with their pants down, (Which is always their fault) will have to utilize top prospects and give them the chance that they would otherwise delay for service time considerations. And.. And... I won’t have to try to understand the complicated waiver process anymore. I’ve been preaching this for a long time. Injuries are going to happen. A healthy team in July that assumes it will be healthy in August and September deserves the painful fate that awaits them. Any team that picks a starting 9 with scrubs watching on the bench deserves the painful fate that awaits them. When Aaron Judge goes down he can’t be replaced. August deadline or not. You can go get a McCutchen in August to soften the blow but you should already have a McCutchen on your roster because Judge or Hicks or Stanton can also go down in September or In April. Staff your roster. If you don’t... you deserve what happens. Tampa isn’t going to replace Blake Snell even with an August deadline. Tampa will replace a Tommy Pham August injury because if they are in contention they can choose to trade for Starling Marte on July 30th before Pham gets hurt in August. If nobody gets hurt, leaving Marte and Pham both healthy on the same roster... I do not see that as a problem... Kevin Cash can then figure it out.

Teams have until July 31st to prepare for all possibilities. If a team does not have suitable replacements on their roster come August 1st. It will be the GM's fault. Just the same as if a GM rosters a LOOGY and spends the year moaning that his LOOGY has to face 3 batters miniumum which includes right-handers who routinely light him up. The rules will be in place... The GM"s must adjust to the rules or work at a significant disadvantage to the other GM's who adjusted to the rules. Sticking to yesterday's roster management in today's world is generally a bad idea.

As of March 11th, 2019 Anybody older than 53 Years 5 Months and 21 Days are "Old People" As of March 12th, 2019 It will be anybody older than 53 Years 5 Months and 22 Days.

I’d like to presume that but simply can’t anymore.

I tell old people to watch their step on ice. With the Kids you hope they get a million dollar contract playing for the Vancouver Canucks. And if that’s not possible... you hope that they will hold the old guys arm as they navigate the slippery sidewalk.

I concur with you... Yet small sample size single year defensive metrics based on a majority of "can of corn" plays are then tossed into the WAR calculations and from WAR... Win probablity, and everything else. And very few of us look at 3 year increased sample sizes. Most of us see 3.4 in RF and -2 in LF for 2018 and the assumptions are made that the player can't play LF.

I agree... I've always assumed that baseball players are also human beings. As long as the front office realizes that the entire team and fan base doesn't have to stumble along in the dark waiting for him to locate the light switch. I'm not sure that they have realized this yet but I also assume that the front office is also made up of human beings.

The lesson of the story was obvious. If you don't let the cat in the basement, The cat can't do what it does best. The cat not utilized to full potential will eventually end up living with your son in college, who is also not at his full potential and the cat will then spend the rest of it's life eating spilled Cheetos off the floor. Geez

There probably is... somewhere.

I think I understand Kinda like this: You have mice in the basement. You have a cat but you don't let the cat downstairs so you settle for a box and string. Your wife asks if the mice are still in the basement and you tell her "that the box and string is in place but after crunching the data it appears that the box and string has only produced a spot where the mice can safely eat their cheese, while in the shade because the tipped up box blocks the sunlight out of the ground floor basement window. Of course... as long as the mice don't tug on the string. The wife listens to the story and says that the cat could get the job done if you would consider opening the basement door so the cat can reach the basement. She then suggests that the box and string could be placed upstairs where she can use them to box up basic necessities to send to your son in college, because he never buys things like shampoo or finger nail clippers for himself. You consider your wife's suggestion but conclude that the only way the box and string method will work is with more time... you decide to keep at it long enough to eventually catch mice. So... you leave the box and string in place, remain hopeful while you bring the cat to your son in college, letting your son take care of the cat because he has always been responsible in the past.

If we get the 2018 version of Sano... we will be better off without him. If we get the 2015 version of Sano... We will be worse off without him.

Polanco plays a passable defensive SS so I'm not screaming for an upgrade. Love his bat and love his potential so I'm glad he plays for my team. However... there is something that I am miles from understanding. If Polanco was a 2B in AAA before being called up to be a SS in MLB. If Polanco has bottom of the pile defensive metrics at the SS position. If Adrianza has better defensive metrics while also looking better at SS defensively. Why did Molitor or the collective group think conclude that Adrianza would be the guy who played OTHER positions when both were in the lineup?

Once you look at his injury history comprehensively. There is no reason to assume that he will be back by May. Sano seems to have his own special diminished healing capabilities and I'm not stating that to be a jerk toward him. There is just very little else that can be assumed when you review his entire injury history. Tommy John Surgery that knocked out an entire year... A foul ball that advanced from shin soreness to a titanium golf club in his left leg. A grade one hamstring strain that took a month. A bad slide that led to a clean MRI but a puzzling knee that knocked him out for the rest of the season. And now a laceration has turned into immobilization and more significant time on the DL as a result. I'll be shocked if he is back by May and if he comes back in May... I'll be shocked if the laceration doesn't come back after two games and we end up reading Lavelle E. Neal explaining that he will be under going a skin transplant. If you squirt him with a squirt gun... it'll turn into Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. Uff Da

We will see but I assume Adrianaza gets the first shot at the open roster spot. If Marwin handles 3B. Gonna need a SS

Exactly how I feel

That’s exactly the result I’m hoping to avoid. No more Logan Morrison walking past the lineup card without checking to see if his name is on it.

Small sample size to small sample size to small sample size to small sample size.

I hope they never stop trying to do that.

I hope Marwin is kept in the role that Baldelli says he is going into... Everyday Utility Player. A player like this can be utilized many ways to help the manager with matchups, hot and cold streaks... you name it. Yes he is insurance at many positions and I have been asking for insurance at all positions since... I don't know... forever. However... my hope is that IF Schoop or anyone gets hurt... instead of just jamming Marwin into a permanent position... My dream is that Marwin can remain in the everyday utility player role and we are able to call up someone from Rochester to take over the playing time. That's when we call up Gordon or Arraez or Wade or Lewis or Rooker or Kiriloff. Call them up and give them a legitimate chance to stay up. I guess I feel that sliding Marwin into a permanent position out of necessity lessens his value a little. I hope he can remain a swiss army knife throughout his two years here.

Do away with the draft. Watch what happens.

Two spring training starts for Tyler Austin. Both at 1B. I've been holding out hope for some OF work.

Well Good... I'm glad the floor is rising... because I'm tired of finding the floor every year. I'd love for it to be a shorter fall. Anyway, Projections are just projections and methodology is methodology. I'm pretty sure they didn't project the Rays, A's and Brewers to do what they did and I'm pretty sure they didn't project the Nationals to do what they did. The Rays got actual performance out of those guys fangraphs thought would get 50 AB's and with the methodology... a 50 AB guy isn't going to make a dent. This is a systemic flaw and it will under value the raising of the floor. Competent front offices would get better options... Like Marwin