For quite some time we have heard rumors that MLB wants to expand to 32 teams. It makes sense. Instead of uneven leagues, you would have 16 in each league, which would allow you to have four 4-team divisions. That also fixes some of the problems with the way the playoffs are set up now. Four division champs in each league. You could also if you liked, do some re-alignment. NL West would be LA-SF-SD-AZ.
One of the hang ups right now is the situation in Oakland. The A’s really need to move. Their stadium is a dump, their attendance is abysmal, and the team is not competitive, and hasn’t been in a few years. The A’s have become what they were in the last few years in KC. A training ground for players before they are traded for younger players to stock the farm system.
It looks like for all practical purposes; they will be moving to Las Vegas. Vegas already has professional football and hockey. But playing baseball there in the summer is almost certainly going to require a stadium with a roof and climate control like Arizona.
Baseball also has to address the situations in Florida. Neither team there draws very well. Miami drew 1,162,819 and the Rays, who led their division much of the year, only 1,440,301. The Royals drew less than the Rays, and the A’s drew less than one million.
So, the next question would be to which cities should they award franchises? Las Vegas would have been one. But with the impending move of the A’s, that is off of the table. Portland, Oregon has been mentioned in the west. Nashville has a very successful AAA team, so that could also be an option. In the middle of the country, maybe Oklahoma City would get some consideration. There have also been some rumblings about putting a team in Mexico. Not sure how feasible that would be.
Some have even mentioned MLB returning to Montreal. Another option could be San Antonio. Wherever they decide to go, then comes the chore of stocking these teams with players. There would no doubt have to be an expansion draft. For the MLBPA it is a win-win situation. They would get 80 more MLB roster spots. 52 during the regular season.
Would like to hear idea’s on where you might think they should place a team. For years I thought if anything, they should close down a couple. But they seem to be intent on expanding the game. It is going to be very interesting to see which direction they take.
My choices would be Portland and Nashville. If not Portland, maybe Salt Lake City. They do have a professional basketball team there. Montreal was a mess the last time they were in the league, but, if they did expand, and put a team there, there would at least be a rivalry with the Blue Jays. Just not sure the Canadians really want another team. I do think that San Antonio might get some support. They have been chomping at the bit trying to get a pro-football team or an MLB team to go along with the Spurs. damn, it is snowing again. Oh yeah, we passed our inspection with a 87 score yippee.
I think Salt Lake City would become like Denver. A place hitters love and pitchers hate for the most part.
Probably right, and the night life isn’t all that.
That made me chuckle
I think it’s a shame that the Bay Area is losing the A’s–and it didn’t have to happen.
The City of San Jose, where I lived from 2000 to 2010, wanted the A’s to move there, but the Giants invoked their “territorial rights.” The 49ers now play closer to San Jose than San Francisco, and the San Jose Sharks hockey team is popular too.
The Bay Area is losing its regional rivalry. Remember the Giants-As World Series that was interrupted by the earthquake? It was a natural rivalry, much like the Yankees and Mets. LA has the mighty Dodgers and the little brother Angels.
The San Jose A’s would have still played second fiddle to the Giants–but that will be ending.
The Bay Area is a huge and very affluent market and, with a good stadium, could merit two teams.
Some years ago, there was talk that Cisco Systems would partner with As on a hi-tech stadium in Fremont, about 20 miles south of Oakland and just outside of Giants territory. Not sure why that plan collapsed. Anyway, I think the Giants and MLB screwed up by screwing San Jose.
It puzzles me that Indianapolis doesn’t have a baseball team. Great sports town with football, basketball and the Indy 500. Nashville makes a lot of sense. Maybe Charlotte, which already has football and hoops.
What’s wrong with Florida? Maybe Florida Man just prefers football.
No matter what, I think Oakland will have attendance problems. Have you been to Oakland lately? I have no desire to go back. SF is going to experience some attendance issues. While the area immediately around the stadium is OK, overall, it is a Sh_____Hole. My wife is from SF and we visit frequently. They have really messed up that city!
Indy has two problems: (1) Where a stadium would have to be built is downtown, and Indy used to have a safe, wonderful, family-friendly downtown. No more. The mayor who just won his third term has turned downtown into a crime-ridden Sh_____hole! We are down 300-400 police and are rivaling Chicago in murders. (2) Indy is 90 minutes from Cincinnati; 2 hours from Chicago; and 4 hours from St. Louis and Milwaukee. None of those owners wants a team in Indy.
MLB also still has problems with Miami, KC, and Tampa which need fixed. Tampa may be on the right track, but the rest are nowhere near fixed.
Excellent points Duke.
The A’s helped keep the Giants from moving to St Pete in 1992 by giving Territorial rights in San Jose to the Giants for free. And then the Giants exert these rights 30 years later to prevent the A’s from pursuing a San Jose venue.
Another reason to dislike the Giants.
Dodgers Digest makes an interesting point about the Japanese pitching prospects…
“Before getting started, there is one thing worth noting: it was impossible to hit the ball in Japan this year. 2023’s pitching numbers were inflated as a result. The NPB-average OPS in 2023 was .666 (MLB’s average OPS in 2023 was .734); the average ERA was 3.17. While the league remains a higher-contact affair than MLB, batters only managed to hit a home run once in every 51 plate appearances, 40% lower than the MLB rate. The power disparity is especially worth noting, as holes in a pitcher’s arsenal which could lead to home run problems were not frequently found in NPB.”
My guess is that it’s related to the umpiring, and the American game is more hitter-friendly.
At any rate, my hopes for Yamamoto have dimmed and I think Imanaga is a more feasible target. I still assume that Ohtani is AF’s priority, and the budget would quickly shrink. But a veteran lefty like Imanaga makes a lot of sense. I greedily want Yamamoto but the Yankees and Mets are greedy too. The Yanks spent big on Garret Cole so they could do it again for Yamamoto–or maybe they’ll spend big for Belli instead.
Back to the Dodgers: the need for a lefty could provide an opening for Justin Wrobleski and Maddux Bruns. They were in Great Lakes last season and could be ready to move to Tulsa. If either of these guys come on strong, they could move up the depth chart. Remember: Michael Grove jumped from Tulsa to LA
Lots of growing pains with Grove. I think this year will be his breakout year… and it will be in the bullpen. I like him a lot as a multi-inning reliever.
I think the biggest reason for the pitching dominance is the fact that Japanese baseballs are manufactured with built-in tact. Here’s a good article on that and what it does:
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2021/6/5/22519252/yankees-mlb-baseball-npb-cole-bauer-gallegos-cardinals-dodgers-lindbergh-ringer-sports-illustrated
Wrobleski, Bruns & Kopp are all legit LHP prospects. 2025-2026 is the earliest we’d see them.
Raleigh, NC.
Would be easy for me to see 3 more Dodger games….
OK. Raleigh is fine with me. Do it for, Matt! 😉
Vancouver & Mexico City
I don’t know dude. At over 7,000 ft I don’t see Mexico City being a viable place to regularly play MLB games.
but tacos tho
Tacos are an American invention, at least the way we look at them. You ever eaten a taco in Mexico???? Totally different animal. I used to go to Juarez a lot when I was stationed at Ft. Bliss. They take a tortilla, slice some roast beef into it and hand it to you. No cheese lettuce, tomato, or even taco sauce. The altitude would be a problem, but the main problem I see there is the pollution. Mexico City’s smog is some of the worst in the world. Right next to Bejing China.
Haha
Not as good as mine
Charlotte or Raleigh, Nashville, SLC. No Portland. Don’t see how they could get it done there anyway. The anarchists would probably cause havoc with baseball….too easily defined as the oppressors.
Is OKC market big enough?
OKC just moved into the Top 20 most populated cities. It’s a consideration.
You are right there. When I went to visit my daughter on the train, I could not believe how many homeless people were in that city.
Okay, no expansion. MLB is struggling with attendance in some areas. The A’s should have been allowed to move to San Jose and that city really wanted the team. It was blocked, of course, by the Giants, who had the territory. MLB should have found a way to buy that out.
MLB has four teams averaging less than 18,000 people a game and other teams just over the 20,000 mark.
I’m not sure Portland would work, maybe Nashville, but I’m not sure more is better. The City of Portland has issues, not so different from the Bay Area.
That territory stuff is crap. They let the Nats move into DC and it is closer to Baltimore than LA is to San Diego. They want both leagues to have balance and the only way to do that is expand, or contract.
Move the Marlins to Charlotte, NC. New teams in Nashville and Oklahoma City.
I don’t think MLB needs to expand. There are too many cities that don’t draw where teams can’t afford to field a good team already. And more teams means more expanded playoffs.
The largest SMSAs (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas) where there isn’t already an MLB team are:
12 – Riverside/San Bernardino
22 – Orlando
23 – Charlotte, NC
24 – San Antonio
25 – Portland, OR
27 – Austin
28 – Sacramento
29 – Las Vegas
32 – Columbus, OH
Oakland is considered part of the SF SMSA, which is 12th.
Miami is 9th, Tampa is 17th.
We don’t need more MLB teams in cities who won’t support their teams or can’t afford to.
They think expansion is the way to go. And we all know how arrogant Manfred is. He believes he is right and everyone else is bonkers.
The owners call the shots on most everything. Manfred is just their mouthpiece.
True, but they see dollar signs in expansion. And as for the playoffs, Manfred thinks this new system is great. He is a tool.
I agree, but the powers that be are the powers that be.
New Orleans is 57th on that list yet saints draw 68,000 per game and 13th in league in that category. Pelicans draw well to but never hear any mention of getting a mlb team. LSU baseball is real popular to. I suppose same problem as Florida in being football minded. Just curious as why
Not sure why New Orleans has not been considered.
Silver Slugger awards tonight. Mookie is up for two. Phillies announced that from now on, Harper is a full time first baseman. Spells the end for Rhys Hoskins in Philly.
Toscar Hernandez Matt Chapman Blake Snell and Yamamoto would help this club next year and I am saying being back Kiki Hernandez to the dodgers played better after getting him because he livins up the clubhouse before he got there they weren’t having fun plus Kiki can play every where. Could put him at second base Lux at short Chapman at third and Muncy at DH an if you want to change it up you still have Rojas and Taylor to that be better then busch and strikeout Vargas next year.
I’m into teoscar
He’s a RH Max Muncy who doesn’t walk and hits less HR.
Agree on Snell.
Yamamoto is a guess. Being good in Japan does not always translate to being good in MLB. He is likely to get 6+ years and you are stuck with whatever he is! Good or Bad!
Hernandez and Chapman strike out more than Muncy. He’s enough. No Teoscar and MattyC!
I could dig Hoskins in LF.
I’m with you Mark on Rhys Hoskins big time. I overlooked him because on MLB website free agent list he is listed as a 1B and Dodgers have Freeman there.
Tomorrow, I will have another Blockbuster Deal to think about.
Mookie won the Silver Slugger
Here’s the list:
American League
C: Adley Rutschman
1B: Yandy Díaz
2B: Marcus Semien
SS: Corey Seager
3B: Rafael Devers
OF: Kyle Tucker
OF: Julio Rodríguez
OF: Luis Robert Jr.
DH: Shohei Ohtani
UT: Gunnar Henderson
Team: Texas Rangers
National League
C: William Contreras
1B: Matt Olson
2B: Luis Arraez
SS: Francisco Lindor
3B: Austin Riley
OF: Ronald Acuña Jr.
OF: Mookie Betts
OF: Juan Soto
DH: Bryce Harper
UT: Cody Bellinger
Team: Atlanta Braves
MOOKIE BETTS WINS LOUISVILLE SILVER SLUGGER
LOS ANGELES– Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts has won the 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Award for outfield.
Betts, 31, wins his sixth Louisville Silver Slugger award (2016, 2018-20, 2022-23) and his third as a member of the Dodgers. With his third award, he joins Mike Piazza (1993-97) as the only two players in franchise history with three or more Silver Slugger awards. In 2020, he became the 20th player in franchise history to earn the award and he is one of four players in Major League Baseball history to win multiple Silver Slugger awards in both leagues along with Miguel Cabrera (five in AL, two in NL), Gary Sheffield (two in AL, three in NL) and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (five in AL, three in NL), and he and Guerrero Sr. are the only players to have won the award three or more times in both leagues. He also joins Barry Bonds (12), Mike Trout (9), Manny Ramirez (8), Ken Griffey Jr. (7), Guerrero Sr. (7), Tony Gwynn (7), Juan Gonzalez (6) Kirby Puckett (6) and Sammy Sosa (6) as outfielders that have won the award six or more times. Additionally, he became the 22nd player in Major League Baseball history to win the award six or more times.
In his fourth season with the Dodgers, Betts played in 152 games, hitting .307 (179-for-584) and finishing with a career-high 39 homers and 107 RBI. He became the first Dodger in franchise history to record 40+ doubles and 35+ homers in back-to-back seasons. The seven-time All-Star led the Majors and set a franchise record with his 12 round-trippers leading off a game. Ten of his 12 leadoff homers were prior to the All-Star break, which set a new Major League record prior to the break.
Betts was named the NL Player of the Month in August after hitting .455 (51-for-112) while setting the Dodgers record for hits and runs (35) in a calendar month. He became one of four Dodgers in franchise history to hit over .450 in a calendar month with a minimum of 75 at-bats and was just the third player in MLB history with a .450 average, 50+ hits and 10+ HR in a calendar month, joining Lou Gehrig (June 1930) and Babe Ruth (July 1923 and 1924).
Betts finished among the National League leaders in hits (4th, 179), runs (4th, 126), homers (6th, 39), RBI (5th, 107), extra-base hits (3rd, 80), OBP (4th, .408), SLG (3rd, .579) and OPS (3rd, .987).
The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award is the top offensive honor in Major League Baseball. Coaches and managers of Major League teams vote for the players they feel are the best offensive producers at each position in the field in both the American and National Leagues. They base their selections on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value. Managers and coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.
I looked at DeLuca’s splits and we all know he can hit LHP good, but I looked at his splits against RHP and he’s pretty good. I don’t think he needs to be platooned. Put him in RF, Outman in CF and get free agent Rhys Hoskins (no platoon needed for him) for LF (Credit to Mark for mentioning him).
Betts goes to SS and Lux at 2B. Leave Muncy at 3B and get either free agent JD Martinez or Justin Turner for DH or give Busch a shot at DH and your done with position players. Plus you’re not spending much money on position players, therefore a lot of the budget can go for starting pitching.
Hoskins for LF is an interesting idea, but I think he’ll have a strong market, and the Dodgers have other priorities with their FA budget.
At this point there are so many reports that the Dodgers covet Ohtani above all that it would shocking if he went elsewhere. Could happen, but my speculation starts with that premise.
After that, the focus will be on the rotation. AF doesn’t like to give fat, long-term contracts to pitchers, so I think aces like Yamamoto, Snell and Nola will go elsewhere. To land an ace, AF will turn to the trade market and target Burnes or Cease, or maybe Glasnow.
What’s left of the FA budget might bring in the southpaw Imanaga and perhaps a rehab project. Perhaps LA natives Giolito and Flaherty would take a hometown discount in hopes that Prior can help them reclaim their mojo.
So the ’24 rotation could look something like this:
Burnes
Buhler
B. Miller
Imanaga
Pepiot/Sheehan/ Giolito/Flaherty/Manaea ???
Worth noting that May and perhaps even Kershaw could come back in midseason.
The injury-riddled ’23 season proved the adage “You can’t have too much pitching.” Fortunately, the Dodgers’ farm system is rich with pitching.
My guess is that to land Burnes the Dodgers’ package would have to include one ML-ready SP like Pepiot or Sheehan, as well as a guy in the wings like Knack or Frasso. As Mark has suggested, a blockbuster for Burnes and Adames is possible.
How about a blockbuster for Cease and Luis Robert?
I just don’t see anything in Cease and Glasnow stats that make them an ace. Burnes I do. But apparently the team trading for Burnes has to take Yelich. Yelich had a resurgence last season but the previous 3 seasons he was bad and he has 5 years on his contract at about 24 million a year.
And I just checked. Burnes is a 1 year rental because he’s a free agent after next year. Everyone wants to be a free agent so they can get big money.
Cease was one of the best SPs a couple seasons back, and Glasnow’s talent has always gotten raves. Burnes is certainly the most proven.
The Brewers may want to unload Yelich’s contract. Everything would be factored into a negotiation.
I’ve heard that the Brewers might also put RP Devin Williams on the market. I don’t think the bullpen is a priortiy for the Dodgers, but a deal could take some twists and turns.
Last season, the Dodgers got Miguel Rojas for Jacob Amaya straight up.
Right.
If Burnes comes to LA and the Dodgers and Burnes fall in love with each other, perhaps they work out a long-term deal. If not, he goes to free agency. That’s fine.
Best case is he wins the Cy Young and in World Series MVP and we all live happily ever after.
If Burnes leaves after one season, Ohtani should be ready to step into the ’25 rotation–and May and Gonsolin should be back too. (Just read that May is unlikely for mid-’24, as previous reports suggested.) And maybe Maddux Bruns and others are ready for The Show too.
Why are we thinking there needs to be a power hitter at every position. What happened to table setters, then comes the power hitters.
Betts and Freeman were probably the best “table setters” in MLB last season. Or do you mean further down the lineup?
What I was meaning is guys to get on base for guys like Muncy,Freeman and betts to drive them in.
That’s your 1,2,4 hitters in the lineup, so in order for that to happen you need a couple “table setters” hitting 8 and 9 in the lineup. Unless you want Betts, Freeman, Muncy to bat 3,4,5.
“Table setters” don’t really matter now because of the DH. It use to be the pitchers batting 9th and being an automatic out. That’s where the term “table setters” came from.
The job of the table-setter is to get on base.
In 2023, Freddie was 5th in MLB with a .410 OBP, and Mookie was 6th at .408. Freddie wound up 2nd in runs scored, and Mookie was 4th–which helps explain why Max had more than 100 RBI for the first time in his career, and JDM had more than 100 RBI too. (So did Mookie and Freddie).
The top free agent target had a .412 OBP, along with 44 HRs in 135 games, and an MLB-top OPS of 1.066, which was 53 points ahead of Corey Seager.
A lineup that begins Mookie, Freddie, Shohei is a real possibility. And really scary to other teams.
Sometimes the best table-setters also clear the table.
I call a table setters are guys like Maury wills,pete rose,etc.
Maury was great. Of course the game has changed a lot since then.
A generation after Maury, along came Ricky Henderson, perhaps the best leadoff hitter ever. But Ronald Acuna seems poised to eclipse Ricky.
Back in the day, the number two hitter was often a contact hitter who could lay down a bunt. There was more “small ball.” Today, it’s more often the best pure hitter on the team, with Freddie and Trout as examples. In times past, those guys would often bat 3rd, with the biggest power threat in the cleanup spot.
Some folks here used to argue that Lux should bat leadoff, with Mookie third. Lux did have good on-base percentage when he was hot, but Roberts wisely had him more as a “second leadoff” at the bottom of the order.
It was surprising to me how many people here wanted to tinker with the top of the lineup. You want your best hitters to get the most ABs. Now Mookie and Freddie are recognized as one the best one-two punches ever.
And the Dodgers could have the best one-two-three combination ever….
Cease and Luis Roberts would move them outman to right and mookie to second just need a platoon in left with Taylor how about a guy like Adam Duval he can play all outfield spots Betts and Freeman would be licked at first and second. All other positions could have different players based on the pitcher pitching against them.
Duval is too old.
Rule 5
I would protect Frasso, Knack, Feduccia, Ramos and maybe one of Gamboa/Williams/Rosario
agreed
Just saw a surprising point in Juan Toribio’s report on mlb.com– that the Dodgers could have an interest in trading for Bo Bichette to play SS.
Is Toronto putting him on the market? Exciting player. Would not be cheap.
That’s my kind of thinking, a SS that can hit good. Not the pathetic Rojas types.