Ag_07 said:

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I'd like to see the top 3

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We have acquired INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni from the Cubs, and he has been added to the 40-man roster.

🔗 https://t.co/kNaxz5s17O pic.twitter.com/cQFkhcR1wo

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) January 14, 2025

Would you rather have every batter in your team's Major League lineup hit the ball with a 0 degree launch angle (straight/flat) or a 30 degree launch angle?

— The WARmonger (@TheWARmonger_) January 14, 2025

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2. Astros (AL West)
88-73 (3 1/2 games over the Mariners)
If there's ever a year when we only have one team successfully defend its division title, it might be this one, as the gap on this list between the Dodgers and everybody else is rather dramatic. In my personal predictions, the Dodgers are in fact the only team I have repeating as champs. (But we'll get into that over the next few weeks.) The best way to illustrate this is that you can make a legitimate argument that the next-most likely division champion is a team that lost Kyle Tucker and (almost assuredly) Alex Bregman this offseason.

That may say more about the rest of the AL West than it does the Astros, given that the Mariners have been surprisingly idle, the Rangers have serious bullpen questions and, honestly, the most exciting team in this division this winter has been the Athletics. Still, you don't have to squint that hard to see the Astros winning their eighth AL West title in the last nine years. Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are solid additions at the infield corners, while the rotation has been formidable for years now and promises to be so again in 2025. Also, Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve? Still here. The Astros look weaker than they have in a while. But so does the rest of the division.

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Scouting grades: Hit: 65 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

Alvarez was born in Cuba but relocated to the Dominican Republic with his father in December 2021 to begin training for the opening of this year's international signing period. He draws rave reviews from scouts who have seen his game mature and develop considerably over the past few years, as he has continually improved his all-around skill set. Alvarez trains with Javier Rodrguez at La Alianza in Santo Domingo East.

Alvarez boasts a tremendously advanced left-handed swing for his age. While he does have a slight up stroke, it's counterbalanced by his feel for the strike zone and no fear approach in the box. One evaluator gave him a Kyle Tucker comparison for his setup and bat path, particularly since there is still power to come as Alvarez continues to fill out his frame.

While Alvarez has just an average throwing arm, he takes proper routes to the ball while on the grass and maximizes his athleticism with the glove. He fits the mold of a bat-first corner outfielder in the long term.

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Ag_07 said:

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Cam Smith is a pretty big dude

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iamtheglove said:

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Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuz said:

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W said:

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in all seriousness...with regard to the Blue Jays...

has something changed in Toronto in the past 5 years...such that no one wants to play there?

something non-baseball related...i.e. politics, taxes, healthcare, etc..,?

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Canada has increased its taxes on the wealthy in the last couple of years. If you play for the Jays, you pay 53% taxes between federal and provincial for every dollar past $220,000 that you make in Canada. A website I looked at says that's about 35% of a guy's salary over the year (81 road games plus 6 weeks of spring training make up the other 65%).

While most states have state income tax - the only ones without it that have an MLB team are Texas and Florida, no team's combination of state/federal taxes is as high as Canada's. California is closest (37% fed + 13.3% state) = 50.3% and New York is second (37% fed + 10.9% state) = 47.9%, but those teams are also offering salaries far beyond anything the Blue Jays will / can.

So if we take George Springer as an example - and this math is not quite right because of the graduated income tax class system - but regardless:

He is making $22.5 million for 2025.
35% of that is about $7.875 million.
He has to pay $4.17m of that in taxes.
If he played in Texas or Florida, he'd "only" pay $2.91m of that.
Even in California, it would be $3.91m which is $254,000 cheaper than Toronto.

So you're paying a lot of taxes to play for a team despite the fact that most guys probably don't live there year-round, and it seems unlikely anyone moves their family up there if they are from the US.

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Believe it or not, the State of Washington has no state or local income taxes. Spent 12 years in Seattle and that was the biggest surprise.

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tylhair said:

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I'm worried about Altuve's age 37 season where he is owed a whopping $33M.

Same apprehension is why I am pleased with letting Bregman walk, even though I'll miss him and the team would be better with him in 2025. I don't want to pay him a ton of money past his effectiveness.

Ohtani on the other hand, will be paid $68M per year in each of his age 39-48 seasons. He will put up 0.0 WAR in these seasons as the are after the playing term of his contract. If the Dodgers want to re-sign him for his age 39+ seasons they will need to add to the $68M owed per year with a new contract.

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Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuz said:

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I don't like how close we are to a futuristic year like 2030.

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tjack16 said:

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Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuz said:

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I don't like how close we are to a futuristic year like 2030.

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It'll be here before you know it

Feels like 2019 was just yesterday

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Scott Boras has had casual discussions with the Cubs regarding Alex Bregman, per @MLBBruceLevine.

Cubs aren’t interested in a long-term contract. A potential deal with the Cubs could look like a three-year contract with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

Full article… pic.twitter.com/sVs00RM51N

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) January 14, 2025

Let this be a lesson in perseverance.

We got this. We keep going until the deed is done. https://t.co/rk29dkZ89U

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) January 14, 2025

Our full top 101 pic.twitter.com/FvuMRKzWD2

— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) January 15, 2025

Connecting dots:

Carlos Baerga said the other day on his Pod that the Red Sox have offered a 3 years with an option for Alex Bregman. I also think there’s mutual interest because he hits well at Fenway, but Baerga says he wants 5 years.

Baerga also said tonight with Morosi the… pic.twitter.com/ogdAP8qKup

— Robbie Hyde (@gingersnaphyde) January 15, 2025