MLB Intel

February 28th Deadline Set By MLB for Season to Start on Time With Spring Training already have been set to have begun over a week ago and negotiations still on going, the owners have now set a hard deadline of Monday, February 28th or risk a shortened regular season. That leaves just under five days to get thing sorted out. Negotiations to this point have gone no where as the most recent round of negotiations enter its fifth day. Major League Baseball has told owners and the Players Association that "[they have]  set a Monday deadline for a deal to be completed in order for Opening Day to take place on March 31 as scheduled. The league has said that once games are canceled -- which will happen unless a deal can be struck by Monday’s deadline -- they will not be rescheduled".  Latest discussions have included draft lottery, pre-arbitration bonus pool, and competitive balance tax. So far the there have only been minor tweaks to proposals from both sides and progress has been s

  The day has come! ... And gone. Today is February 15, 2022. It is the day that pitchers and catchers report for MLB but due to the ongoing labor dispute, pitchers and catchers have not and will not report today. I don’t know about everybody else out there, but for me when I see that pitchers and catchers have reported, suddenly it isn’t so cold here in New England. It feels warmer, the sun shines brighter, the snow isn’t relevant, it’s almost an afterthought because there is baseball stuff happening. But this morning’s bitter temperature, or lack thereof (it was 0 degrees when I left my house), felt even more cold. Today feels even more empty. There is no pitcher throwing to a catcher, there are no stars arriving early and telling the media they want to get a head start to be at their best for the season. No. There’s nothing but a bitter cold wind and complete disarm from MLB. To worsen matters, the MLB allegedly wants to stop paying minor league players for their service time during

 DELAYED!   Photo from: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/mlb-stops-testing-athletes-for-steroids-amid-lockout-ap-sources-say According to sources within MLB, commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to announce the delay in spring training due to the ongoing labor dispute. This coming off the recent news that Manfred will hold a press conference on Thursday, 2/10. MLB owners and players have been in a lockout since early December of 2021 and as the lockout rages on into its second month, there seems to be no end in sight. Last week, MLB requested that a federal mediator join in the dispute to try and help settle the lockout, however the MLBPA rejected the use of a federal mediator meaning that no mediator will be brought in.  As the lockout continues, players have begun to voice their own frustrations. Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher, James Paxton threw his hat in the ring with a statement on twitter saying, "A significant part of Collective Bargaining is... actually bargaining&qu

 Born in Somerset, MA on November 8, 1952, Jerry Remy was a hometown kid, he developed a thick Boston accent, a sense of humor and a genuine love for baseball, mainly Red Sox baseball. Jerry Remy was drafted to MLB by the Anaheim Angels in 1971 and making his way to the majors in 1975, he played three seasons for the Angels before going to his hometown Boston Red Sox in 1978 until 1984. Jerry wasn't the best player MLB ever saw, but he would soon find his way to becoming the heart and soul of Boston Red Sox baseball for over 30 years on the Red Sox broadcast station, NESN. "Buenos Noches Amigo's!"  A famous phrase uttered by Jerry Remy at the start of every Red Sox game, a way to welcome Spanish-speaking people to the Red Sox game. This was just one of the many and lasting ways Remy impacted fans across Red Sox nation. Beginning in 1988, Remy would be heard in the booth and would be welcomed into our living rooms every summer night around 7PM for first pitch to last p

 Top 3   MLB Farm Systems. Who Has Help on the Way?   1. BOSTON RED SOX The Boston Red Sox have been in a flurry of moves since their 2011 collapse. They were one of the worst teams in the league in 2012, then won the World Series in 2013, back to the basement in '14, '15 in '16 they would lose in the first round of the playoffs and have DH David Ortiz retire. Not much improvement in '17. But would win the World Series in 2018, falling short in '19 and '20, a sad 60-game season in the midst of a pandemic in '21. They drafted considerably well in those down years, however. Adding the likes of Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Nick Yorke and Bryan Bello. In exchange for playing a miserable season in '21, they drafted at #4 overall and selected Marcelo Mayer. Mayer was rated at #1 in the MLB pipeline draft talent rankings. The strength of these drafts saw the Red Sox cut their farm system position in half, from 24 in '21 to 12 in '22.  2. Texas Rangers T

MLB BCA Negotiations so bad, the Feds have been called in                                          MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. Photo from: https://islandwriter.net/mlb-negotiations-continued-but-with-little-progress/ According to ESPN insider, Jeff Passan, the MLB and the MLBPA have been unable to reach an argument, with either side unwilling to waiver in their own demands. Passan reports that MLB has contacted federal moderators to come in and assist with the situation. The MLBPA has yet to fully agree to the moderator and it is not clear if there will be clearance given by the PA.  According to glassdoor.com, moderators are often brought in and will be used as a third party with no stake in the negotiations whatsoever. This third party will come in and see what the two sides are disagreeing about and work to find common ground between the two sides to assist in the negotiations and hopefully end the lockout and disagreement. There is, however, a renewed sense of optimism regarding

                                        Photo from: https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb MLB fans everywhere are waiting for their teams "Truck Day", the day where the team loads up their 18-wheeler rig full of baseball supplies and heads for either Arizona or Florida to begin a month-and-a-half stretch of warming up, practicing, drills, routine and exhibition games to prepare for the 162-game season. in early December, the MLB owners and MLB players association entered into a lockout as they were not able to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) before the deadline. As the MLB lockout rolls into its 6th week, fans from Los Angeles to Boston, Miami to Seattle are all worried that the Truck Day will not be coming anytime soon. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the CBA lockout is destined to continue, and it sounds as though spring training will be delayed because of it. Nightengale cites salary arbitration, draft pick compensation, minimum salaries