The A's are 10-42, the worst start in MLB in 91 years.
They have a 6.88 ERA as a team. They are batting .222. They have been outscored by 184 runs.
We are witnessing one of the worst teams of all-time. Always remember, this was done intentionally.
Just passed by Zack Greinke walking the concourse at Chase Field. He’s blending in with the crowd.
No credentials, no flashy clothes, just a normal guy going to a game.
Sandy Alcantara's last 11 starts
7 IP, 1 ER
8 IP, 1 ER
9 IP, 0 ER
8 IP, 1 ER
7 IP, 0 ER
9 IP, 0 ER
7.2 IP, 2 ER
8 IP, 2 ER
7 IP, 4 ER (no one's flawless)
9 IP, 2 ER
8 IP, 0 ER
This was also my first time visiting Cleveland and I was stunned at how beautiful and vibrant the city was. I'd heard all the stereotypes and had low expectations coming in, and I couldn't believe how different it was. Clean, beautiful, historic...I came away very much a fan
Braves signed or under team control long-term
1B Matt Olson - Through 2029 (+ team option)
2B Ozzie Albies - 2025 (+ team option)
3B Austin Riley - 2025
OF Ronald Acuña Jr. - 2026 (+ team option)
LHP Max Fried - 2024
RHP Mike Soroka - 2024
RHP Ian Anderson - 2026
The Braves were 52-55 on Aug. 2 with no Ronald Acuña, no Mike Soroka and an entirely new outfield.
Now, they are headed to the NLCS. Quite an impressive turnaround.
The Dodgers announce manager Dave Roberts, OF Mookie Betts and LHP David Price are donating their full game salaries today to the Players Alliance in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.
Hometown band Blink-182 is playing over the PA system here in San Diego and Petco Park is singing at the top of its lungs, rocking in the rain. It's absolute madness here.
The Padres acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish while keeping six of their top seven prospects entering the day, all of whom will likely be on the 2021
@BaseballAmerica
Top 100.
Back in December, I was told by a team official that a prominent, influential owner had been openly saying his goal during negotiations was to "break the union", not find a fair deal.
Not all 30 principal owners feel this way, but the fact that mindset exists is problematic.
Just for reference, here is the hierarchy of how evaluators and front office officials generally view the quality of the various Asian leagues compared to MLB and MiLB.
MLB
NPB (Japan)
AAA
KBO (Korea)
AA
High A
CPBL (Taiwan)
Low A
The last time the A’s hosted a playoff game, they sold out the Coliseum with a crowd of 54,005, a record crowd for Wild Card Game.
When ownership invests, acts in good faith and puts a good product on the field, A’s fans show up en masse. Don’t forget that.
A lot of players who had been to four, five, six All-Star Games talked about how they felt this was the best one with just how the city of Cleveland ran everything and the passion of the fans.
This was my fourth All-Star Game I've covered, and I'm inclined to agree.
The best records in the American League since Aug. 10:
Mariners 30-15
Rays 29-16
Yankees 28-17
Blue Jays 27-19
Yes, the Mariners have been the AL’s winningest team over the last seven-plus weeks.
Programming note: Mark Appel pitched in six games for the Phillies this year. That means if the Phillies win it all, he'll get a World Series ring in the year they beat the Astros.
The Padres’ most recent spending spree may not be paying off yet in terms of wins and losses, but I’ll say this: the effect on attendance (and thus $$) is massive.
This is the crowd for a Monday night against the Royals in May, when school is still in session. Petco is packed.
Victor Gonzalez and Julio Urias were signed after the same scouting trip to Mexico by the Dodgers in 2012.
Tonight, Gonzalez got the win and Urias got the save to clinch the Dodgers first World Series title in 32 years.
As of right now, the Padres are the only team to commit to paying their minor leaguers through August AND have no furloughs/layoffs for their baseball employees through October. We'll see if other teams join them in the coming days.
Scherzer on the CBT acting as a de facto salary cap: "No other way can be can be shown, point blank, plain and simple, than the San Diego Padres having a higher payroll than New York Yankees."
Julio Rodriguez has had one of the largest media contingents here at AL All-Star media availability. Not often you see a Mariners player outdraw Yankees players at these events, but it’s been that way most of today.
A lot of people like to bang on LA fans. But as I’ve started traveling to stadiums all over the country in my new role the last two years, I learned something: when it comes to electricity, volume and energy, Wrigley has the only home crowds that compare to Dodger Stadium.
Agent Joel Wolfe says Kodai Senga has already been offered multi-year contracts of five or six years, which is what he’s looking for. Wolfe says Senga’s priority is to be with a “team that wants to win, right now.”
UPDATE: The Dodgers just confirmed with me that they are also continuing to pay their minor leaguers the usual stipends and allowances they receive during spring training.
The Rays and Mets are continuing to pay their minor leaguers the usual stipends and allowances they receive during spring training.
Other clubs have yet to establish formal plans, but they and league officials say they are working on it.
Phillies OF Carlos De La Cruz has been one of the eye-opening prospects this week. He's 6-foot-8 and actually plays a really good center field. Kind of remarkable, and certainly unique.
MLB officially announces rules changes:
- DH in the National League
- Extra innings will start with runner on 2nd
- Arguing/brawling and spitting prohibited
- No pregame lineup card exchange
- Three-batter minimum remains in effect
- Any player may appear as a pitcher
No fans are in the ballpark, but the streets around Petco Park are rocking. Car horns blaring, music blasting, happy screams and cheers can be heard even into the stadium.
The Dodgers have promoted RHPs Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone to Triple-A Oklahoma City and RHP Nick Nastrini to Double-A Tulsa, according to team front office officials.
Miller and Stone are the Nos. 24 and 55 prospects on the BA Top 100, respectively. Nastrini is a big riser.
Strip the team of its stars, let the stadium fall into disrepair, raise prices the deter attendance and use the lack of fan support to justify the “need” to relocate.
It’s the tried-and-true playbook for relocation, and the A’s ran it to a T.
Eight teams have at least 40 wins this season.
AL: Rays, Rangers, Orioles, Angels
NL: Braves, D-backs, Marlins, Giants
Those are your teams with the best records in baseball through Monday.
No Dodgers, Astros, Yankees, Padres or Mets.
Give Eric Hosmer credit. For all the struggles he’s had and criticisms he’s faced, he’s still staying late after games to sign autographs and take pictures with kids, long after most of the clubhouse has emptied out.
NL West standings on Aug. 10
Giants 72-41
Dodgers 68-45 4 GB
Padres 67-49 6.5 GB
Since then
Dodgers 34-11 (best in MLB)
Giants 32-13 (2nd best in MLB)
Padres 11-31 (worst in MLB)
This is your reminder that San Diego is the eight-most populous city in the U.S., the team's TV deal pays them only $2 million less per year than the Mets and Tatis already has landed endorsement deals with Gatorade and Adidas.
Well everyone, looks like we have one more Opening Day roster addition.
My wife gave birth to our first child last night, a beautiful baby girl. Mom and baby are both doing great. We couldn't be happier. 😁
The Pirates are shopping a below-slot number to four players for the No. 1 pick, according to multiple industry officials: Wyatt Langford, Paul Skenes, Max Clark and Walker Jenkins.
There’s a lot of belief Langford will be the pick, but Jenkins is rising as a possibility.
Interesting factoid: The Padres current OPS leader is not Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis Jr.
It's Wil Myers.
Myers is at .989. Machado is .980 and Tatis is .931.
Shohei Ohtani's last six starts
7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K
6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
8 IP, 0 ER, 13 K
5.2 IP, 0 ER, 11 K
7 IP, 0 ER, 10 K
6 IP, 1 ER, 12 K
His ERA is now 2.38 and he is tied for fourth in the AL with 123 strikeouts.
He is also top 10 in the AL with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Chants of "Let's Go Padres" can be heard loudly and clearly from outside the stadium right now. Air horns, car horns blaring, music thumping...San Diego is celebrating hard right now.
The Dodgers got Sandy Alcantara for 10 hits and six runs in 3.2 innings today. That is the most runs allowed, most hits allowed and fewest innings pitched by Alcantara in any start this year.
A’s fans aren’t the problem in Oakland, just as Chargers fans weren’t the problem in San Diego.
When owners blatantly strip the team down, the stadium falls into disrepair and team statements are littered with veiled (or not so veiled) threats, fans have every right to stay away
Watching High Heat now and I have to say I disagree with
@MadDogUnleashed
about the Oakland fan base.
They ARE great fans and deserve better. Oakland is the loudest playoff atmosphere I have EVER experienced. The claim that the fans aren’t there for them is blasphemy
Last week, I casually posited 11 years, $550 million for Shohei Ohtani in free agency to a senior front office official.
His response?
“You’re too low.”
San Diego is the 8th-largest city in the U.S. It is larger than Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Washington & Boston. It is not a small market.
The Padres were only a "small-market" team because previous ownership was cheap. San Diego was never a small market.
Who would ever have imagined,
#MLB
executives say that the two biggest contracts in
#MLB
history have been given out by the small-market Miami
#Marlins
(Giancarlo Stanton, $325 million) and the SD
#Padres
(Manny Machado, $300 million).
Emerson Hancock strikes out the side in the sixth inning. Sinker sat 94-96 and his changeup 84-86 with big-time sink. Got two whiffs and four called strikes. Really sharp outing for the Mariners prospect.
Personal news: Last month was my final one at Baseball America. It’s been a great run, but it’s time to pursue new opportunities. Thank you to all who have read, listened and watched over the last eight years. It’s been a blast.
Alek Manoah's final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K.
The Blue Jays rookie now has a 2.59 ERA in 11 starts and is averaging 11.0 K/9. When it comes to midseason additions, he's been as big as any.
Some exciting personal news: I'm relocating back to southern California for
@BaseballAmerica
. We'll have more on-the-ground coverage of MLB, the PCL & Cal League, and the largest hotbed of amateur talent in the country than ever before. Exciting times ahead. I'm coming home.
Quick thoughts on tonight's trade: The Padres acquired a frontline starter on a reasonable contract. Yes, they gave up some prospects who are talented and have potential. But given where they are, and what they needed, you make this trade every day.
Mike Yastrzemski just homered off Clayton Kershaw.
This is seriously turning into one of the biggest trade robberies of the last few years. Yaz 2.0 is the real deal.
Shohei Ohtani is just the fourth player to win multiple
@BaseballAmerica
Major League Player of the Year awards, joining Mike Trout, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds.
You can find the full list of historical winners here.
I'm told GM A.J. Preller was a driving force in making this happen with ownership. He deserves a lot of credit for helping to keep people employed and the minor leaguers paid.
As of right now, the Padres are the only team to commit to paying their minor leaguers through August AND have no furloughs/layoffs for their baseball employees through October. We'll see if other teams join them in the coming days.
Cubs bring everyone back from 95-win team
Brewers upgraded from team that was one win from WS
Cardinals won 88 and added Goldschmidt
Reds have excellent lineup and finally traded for good SPs
Pirates might be last place and would be 2nd in AL Central
Working on the
@BaseballAmerica
2019 ML season preview right now. Everyone is talking about the NL East (and they should), but man, the NL Central is absolutely loaded.
Shohei Ohtani's last four starts: 26.2 IP, 14 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 36 K. His ERA is now down to 2.68 on the year. He's eighth in the majors with 101 strikeouts.
He's also batting .265 with 17 HR and 49 RBIs in 75 games.
Trevor Bauer's reported salary in 2021 ($40 million, per
@Feinsand
) is larger than the current 2021 payrolls of the Indians, Pirates and Orioles, according to Spotrac.
(h/t
@jnorris427
).
I cannot put into words how liberating it is to not be invested in the Chargers anymore. To be able to watch and chuckle and go "yeah, that's about right" and be done with it...glorious
The Padres are the first team in MLB history with a grand slam in four straight games.
Monday: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tuesday: Wil Myers
Wednesday: Manny Machado
Thursday: Eric Hosmer
The Mariners have the No. 1 farm system in baseball. If recent history is any indication, that means the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports will be over within the next two years.
The Marlins commitment is the longest to date. They will continue paying their minor leaguers through August, which would have been just about their entire 2020 schedule.
For those curious, Rich Hill bought steak for all the minor leaguers with
@RCQuakes
tonight. Sides of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables too
#Dodgers
Matt Davidson was a legit pitcher in high school. Went 27-5, 1.06 in his career for Yucaipa (Calif.) HS, playing the best of the best in Southern California.
With the Juan Soto sweepstakes heating up, I looked at every example of a team trading for a recent top MVP finisher in the last 30 years.
Short version: Teams acquiring such a player almost always win the trade, and win big, no matter the prospect cost.
A fan with a megaphone in one of the buildings surrounding Petco Park is going down the Astros roster and saying "(Player name), you are a cheater, shame on you."
I was there. As I was for the dozens of raucous sellouts in prior years. It was one of the best stadium atmospheres in any sport, then the Spanos family drove everyone away and claimed "See, we have no support." A family of dishonest cowards, getting the humiliation they deserve
4 years ago today, the SAN DIEGO
#Chargers
played a game against the defending Super Bowl champs,
#Seahawks
. 120° on the field, didn't stop this raucous fanbase from repping their team. This is what you gave away
@NFL
for that embarrassment in Carson.
#SpanosSucks
#FightForSD
The Rays and Mets are continuing to pay their minor leaguers the usual stipends and allowances they receive during spring training.
Other clubs have yet to establish formal plans, but they and league officials say they are working on it.
Oh my goodness. Dodgers prospect Yunior Garcia just hit a home run 489 feet, per Trackman, off Mariners prospect Michael Morales. 110 mph off the bat. That ball was annihilated.
One thing to note: The MLB lockout has no effect on the minor leagues except 40-man players would not be able to play. In terms of minor league Opening Day or other minor league operations, nothing changes. Minor League Opening Day remains April 8.
The Rays, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Marlins have confirmed to BA that they are currently paying minor leaguers their spring training stipends and allowances
Mike Brito did more than just scout. He opened Mexico as a talent pipeline and reshaped the Dodgers franchise on and off the field.
For his contributions to baseball, Brito is the 2021
@BaseballAmerica
Tony Gwynn Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
The Astros began the trend of teams cutting scouts and replacing them with video and data scouting.
After seeing how that approach turned out, the Astros have pivoted and are now hiring scouts at the fastest rate of any team in baseball.