Eric Thames is planning on holding a showcase in Korea in November, according to a report from MK Sports relayed by The Athletic’s Sung Min Kim. The slugger previously played in Korea from 2014 to 2016 and parlayed his star turn there into a three-year, $16MM deal with the Brewers for the 2017-2019 seasons. He had a solid run over the length of that deal, playing 383 games, hitting 72 home runs and slashing .241/.343/.504. That production was 18% better than league average, according to wRC+. But it only amounted to 5 fWAR due to his defensive limitations. The Brewers passed on a 2020 option, leading Thames to sign a one-year deal with the Nationals. That turned out to be a miserable campaign for Thames, as he hit just .203/.300/.317. He then signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Unfortunately, as Kim notes, Thames missed all but one game this year due to a torn achilles. It’s unclear who will be invited to the showcase, but it stands to reason that interest from MLB teams will be limited, given how the past couple of years have gone. However, if this winter’s Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations lead to a universal DH, as has been widely speculated, that could theoretically increase the chance of Thames getting offers, though likely only of the minor league variety.
Some other items of note from the baseball world…
- The Pirates have interest in re-signing Yoshi Tsutsugo, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports. Given how Tsutsugo performed (.268/.347/.535 with eight homers in 144 plate appearances) after signing with the Pirates in August, it isn’t a surprise that the Bucs would want him back in the fold. Returning to Pittsburgh on a short-term (or one-year) deal makes sense for both sides, Stumpf reasons, as Tsutsugo would get a full season as a platform year for a bigger deal in the 2022-23 offseason, while the Pirates would get a relatively inexpensive player who could maybe be flipped at the trade deadline. A few weeks ago, MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about Tsutsugo’s breakout with the Pirates.
- Over at Baseball America, in relation to the CBA expiring December 1st, J.J. Cooper answers a question about a theoretical work stoppage and how that would impact the minor leagues. Cooper reminds readers about previous stoppages and how the minor leagues continued essentially as normal. However, only players not on a 40-man roster were allowed to participate since the MLBPA includes every player who is on one. If the next strike or lockout follows historical precedent, that means baseball fans could get their fill with minor league ball while waiting for the big leagues to return. Cooper also relays that the 1994 Rule 5 draft took place during the most recent strike of 1994. This situation could theoretically pop up again, as the current CBA expires December 1st, with the Rule 5 draft typically taking placing a the end of the Winter Meetings, in the second week of December.
This notion that the dh in the NL is going to open up tons of spots for all these one tool players is silly. Most teams in the AL anymore use the DH spot as a way to rest players. Teams aren’t signing a slug who occasionally can pop one out when just about every team would rather use another relief arm. And it’s going to be that way into they make rules that forced teams into leaving the starter in longer or increasing the minimum batter rule.
If there is a team that uses a primary DH it’s probably because they have a high priced injury prone player see (stanton and Springer) it cripples teams roster flexibility. All the more reason to not sign free agents over 30 for more than a year.
I came here to share these thoughts, too. DH siloed players are at least 10 years out of date. There are a few rare exceptions like Martinez but it’s become a tool for teams instead of a change of play style.
Spot on as usual but you lost me with the last comment.
Players come up and make peanuts in their prime, Vlad earned $605k this year producing 6.7 WAR, fangraphs has that at around $50mil in value.
Until players get their fair share for the first 6 years, owners should continue to over pay for aging stars and past performances. The owners have lined their pockets for far too long, the players are the talent and what we all pay to watch.
There is an obvious flaw in your logic. There is no way to predict what a player will hit in the future. And Vlad’s first 2 seasons are not worth $50 million. And it would be stupid to sign to a $50 million for 2022. He could easily revert to is 2019 numbers.
I love how you say there is a flaw in my logic but then use the same logic to predict that he could revert to 2019 numbers, in which he was still worth far more than 600k.
You didn’t address the obvious and undebatable point that players are severely underpaid for the first 6 years of their career.
You need to learn the English language. I made no prediction about what he will hit in 2022. You can not say with absolute certainty what he will hit in 2022. He’ll obviously get a big raise for 2022. What would you pay players with less than 6 years of service?
Dude I can’t explain it any further because you don’t have the capacity to comprehend the point.
This has nothing to do with what will happen in 2022, it’s about owners being able to drastically underpay talent and performance their first 6 years vs complaining about 30+ year old players being overpaid.
It might be worthwhile for you to learn about the business side of baseball, or just stop arguing in places that you are very clearly out of your depth
I will ask you again. What would you pay a player with less than 6 years of service? Vlad signed his contract for 2021 back in December/January. What dollar value would you have put on it? There is no way it would be $50 million.
The you don’t have the capacity to understand argument completely removes your validity, keep that in mind
Players are not making “peanuts”. Vlad made more than seventeen times the median Individual wage for Americans, not peanuts. You could argue that he was underpaid due to his productivity and what that produced in income for baseball, but to argue players earn peanuts is to lose sight of perspective.
Most Americans work for peanuts, not MLB players, and many of those peanut workers perform jobs far more important than playing baseball.
I feel sympathy for neither the owners nor the players in the upcoming negotiations. Regardless of the result of the negotiations, neither group will suffer, both will benefit.
Everyone gets paid the value related to the job they perform. Most people’s jobs are able to be performed by millions of people, baseball has entertainment value that people pay to watch and therefor that money translates to both the owners and players. It’s a null argument until tv stations start broadcasting Kim and Dave in accounting working an excel and millions of people tune in
Please, MLB min salary is still a nice salary.
Forcing starting pitchers to go a certain number of innings is stupid.
Having a rule that says you have to keep a starter in longer is a really bad idea. That could get real ugly real quick.
Better think long and hard about a stoppage or a lockout. Get together and get an agreement. The last thing MLB needs is to be less relevant than it already is.
baseball’s hardly irrelevant
The MLB is irrelevant to most of the population is his point.
Every year ~50 million attend MLB games. So yeah
Don’t see that happening. The players union is going to play hard ball because they got screwed in the last CBA. The owners are going to play hard ball in efforts to recoup lost money from covid.
There will be a work stoppage. Inevitable in my view. Hope I’m wrong, but….
Bigjonliljon, screwed, how. Baseball players get paid every $. The injuries are less than football or hockey and get paid more. Baseball and basketball players get paid and are babied.
With or without the DH in the NL if the Pirates keep Tsutsugo they likely end up trading Colin Moran
Pirates need to resign Tsutsugo. Moran is not an everyday player. Solid bench bat against RHP’s only, but doesn’t really extend past that. He’s a poor defender at both infield corners and doesn’t provide all that much power.
I agree. Sign him to a two year deal with an eye on flipping him at the deadline.
Crazy as it seems, I’d also be kicking the tires on Eric Hosmer. The Padres would likely send over some decent prospects and salary relief to get out from the last three years of his contract. He’d be an upgrade at 1B and another potential trade deadline chip.
In a perfect baseball world, yeah, maybe Hosmer is a nice idea. But like the PG article that came out the other day to analyze possible FA targets for the Pirates, you wonder why any player with other interest would opt for “Baseball Siberia”. I’m heartened by what Cherrington has done for the minor league upgrades, but you’re talking about a couple more years of 90 or 100 losses before they flourish at the MLB level
Additionally, why spend big money with this in mind? What’s another couple of last place seasons if there is light at the end of the tunnel?
Agreed, I had this idea as well. If there’s no one worth spending for in FA, they certainly can afford buying an albatross contract for a prospect or two. Even give them Moran if they want a similar and cheaper 1B option.
I also thought about having them trade for Corbin or Strasburg depending on what Washington wants to do.
Since the Pirates are one of the ten teams Hosmer can veto a trade to it would be silly for Pittsburgh to kick the tires on his availability
A lefty part of a platoon is just short of being an every day player considering there is more right-handed pitching.
I can only hope that there is no DH in NL, I detest it. I also detested the little league runner at 2nd in extras, do it in the 12th inning if you must do it as a tiebreaker, but I still detest it even then. Baseball has never been broke, so don’t go ‘fixing’ things that don’t require fixing.
Tsutsugo raked as a Pirate, can play 1st, 3rd or the outfield. I hope he goes well.
I’m going to miss the runner on 2nd rule. It made extra inning games much more tolerable. I think it’s a worthy sacrifice of the status quo and statistical purity.
I like it too, there is no reason a Orioles vs rangers game should go 18 innings in the regular season.
I’m okay with it being altered, ie starting in the 11th and building up from there. But no reason to put players at risk or have fans sit for a 5 hour regular season game
Well, if we’re going to go with fastpitch softball rules, why not go with some of their additional ideas in the interest of shortening games:
-7 innings
-10 run mercy rule after the 5
-courtesy runners for pitcher and catcher
-hey, even the hour and a half time limit
I’m with you tired old dude. If you don’t like being at the ballpark, leave early. I love extra innings and think of it as bonus baseball. Nothin beats a day at the Ballpark.
The only thing baseball needs is a pitch clock. I left the ballpark early twice this year and it was because of a slow pitcher. Save the runners on 2nd for intramural sports.
But would it be hard for Thames to find a job seeing how they’re going to keep on testing for “covid” and PEDs? He’s known to abuse PEDs and got caught a few times but MLB turned a blind eye to the results. I mean he’s ‘roided af.
Please provide proof for that. Otherwise you’re a punk for spreading PED rumours.
Why would the mlb turn a blind eye to anyone ?
Incorrect
I thought they would have retooled the criteria for the Rule V draft for this year since minor league players lost a year of development in 2020.
Yoshi would be a great low risk signing given the position the team is in. However seems more like a waste of money if it is over 1 year 1m. I could see a second year option with a 1m or less buy out to make it a little more tempting at the deadline should he perform.
Don’t be cheap like Nutting. Its not your money. Give the guy a $5M deal.
If you want to give him bonuses that get hi to 5M sure okay no problem
no real reason too sign him at all except for trade bait and a place holder. More so when you already got a place holder 1b on a 3m deal and place hold OF’s are a dime a dozen.
1y – 1.5m + bonuses for plate appearances, hits, rbi’s whatever that can get him to 4-5m
2y – option at 5m with a 500k buyout and similar bonuses that can get him to 7m.
if he performs, yay great trade bait. cheap, average+ with control.
No one in their right mind should give him 5M if you consider his short sample 130 games of being below average.