MLB 2014 Season

[EJniceguy]

Didn't really see any recent posts for baseball, so I decided to start a new one.

So what are your hopes and dreams for this upcoming season of MLB?

It's an even year, which is good news for my Giants  Quest for ring #3 in five years?
I am concerned about how the Giants pretty much stood pat during the offseason, but this is pretty much the same team from 2012, so hopefully everybody returns to form and we have a great season!
Go Giants!

[Stephen]

Umh, go Astros, if they ever get the right recruiting done, maybe, just maybe, they can return to their former glory. I'm still with the theory that one day the cubs will actually be good also, don't know when. So, my two best teams happen to be two of the worst teams, but oh well, one can dream.

[mzissner]

I think the Giants will be good again.  Astros, hey, there's next year!

personally i hope the Braves offense will make up for their beat up rotation and at least challenge the Nats in the National East.

[Shiden Kai]

Giants.  Cards.  Bo Sox.   It seems like the same contenders, year in and year out.


Meanwhile, I gotta laugh at my local-ish team, the Orioles. 

[EJniceguy]

The Orioles have a chance to be good as long as Jimenez pitches like he did in the last half of 2013 and their young prospects, like Gausman and Bundy take steps forward (or in Bundy's case, towards full recovery).
Their offense was off the charts in 2013, between Davis, Machado, Jones, Hardy, and Weiters, and I can't see them regressing much in 2014, especially with Hardy and Weiters in contract years.

[Shiden Kai]

Sadly, I no longer follow MBL.  Guess this means I'll be unable to have any kinda meaningful discussion with you about it.  That said, I agree that the 2014 Orioles stand a good chance of being a playoff team. 

Meanwhile, I just wish I could hit up the field again.  I miss playing the game. 

[Cjer5]

My top 3 are Oriels, A's, and Cards

[EJniceguy]

Was watching the Giants-A's game, saw Tim Lincecum take a hard grounder off his knee. He had to get helped off the field, so I'm hoping he's not out for any significant length of time.
My three favorites are:
1. Giants- they are the team I've grown up watching.
2. A's- because I admire Billy Beane and how he fields a competitive team on a tight budget every year.
3. Cardinals- because I admire how they build their team through the draft and continue to develop top-tier MLB talent from their farm system.

[EJniceguy]

Well, Angels fans here should be happy right now. Mike Trout just got a 6 year, $144.5 million contract extension. Good move for them in my opinion, what do you think?
Oh, and also, what is your opinion on Miguel Cabrera getting the largest contract in sports history (10 years, $292 million)?

[Shiden Kai]

Good for the Angels.  Trout should be worth the investment.

As for Cabrera..  I suppose I should preface my comments by saying that when I actively followed baseball (from the mid 90's to the early 2000's), the Tigers were a pretty sad team.  I'd imagine those 'dark times' have not been forgotten by the teams current owner. While the Tigers have turned around their ship in a $big$ way, I can understand why they'd want to hold onto somebody like Cabrera. He seems like a great asset to the team. A great player as well as a great on-the-field leader.  As an aside, it'll be nice to see a player sticking with a team for the long term, even if they are being paid handsomely to do so.

[EJniceguy]

I personally think it's too big of an investment in a guy who's gonna be playing the last 4-5 years of the contract in his age 35-40 seasons, and I have little doubt in my mind that Cabrera will be worth $29 million a year when he turns 35.

[Shiden Kai]

You could be right re: his perceived value in just a few years.  The Tigers made a gamble.  Time will tell how it all plays out for em'..

[EJniceguy]

Agreed. I sincerely hope that it does and Cabrera provides at very least above-average production for the Tigers for the rest of his career. To be honest though, he almost has to finish in the top 3 for MVP voting to justify his salary, and it's hard to envision a player doing that during his mid to late 30's seasons.
Pretty much what I'm saying is, while the salary is justified now, by the end of the deal the Tigers will (most likely) be massively overpaying Cabrera.

[joers1023]

Go yankees. That is all

[EJniceguy]

Tim Lincecum just threw his second no-hitter vs. the Padres! It's a good time to be a Giants fan!