2024-25 MLB Hot Stove

[TallTitan34]

Not that it mattered, but MLB out here gifting Ohtani homeruns.

[Hards Alumni]

Maybe its coincidence, but MLB has two teams playing in minor league stadiums for the next two years. CWS' don't appear to be even worthy of a vote for stadium funding. Is there a real problem with MLB? I think there are media rights issues and maybe some teams without TV deals. Aa a casual fan, I don't understand why Miami can't draw flies to the new stadium or field a decent team.

I think MLB is entertaining expansion, but they appear to have more pressing issues.

But, I could be wrong.

By all logic Miami should be a big draw.  A large immigrant population that is baseball obsessed.  Then again, it is also filled with retirees who can't exist in the Florida summer heat for three hours.

[WhiteTrash]

Well there's enough data out there now to extrapolate out a 0-162 season for the cubs. kraig is a failure.

The CWS only get one year of celebrating their MLB record?
Such is the life of Sox fans. 

[WhiteTrash]

By all logic Miami should be a big draw.  A large immigrant population that is baseball obsessed.  Then again, it is also filled with retirees who can't exist in the Florida summer heat for three hours.

Good points. Again, I might be ignorant but the overall health of MLB does not appear great to this guy.

And I'm not saying MLB is dying (like football  ), I just think they need to address some issues in a time where it appears all sports leagues are killing it, except for MLB.

[The Sultan]

Good points. Again, I might be ignorant but the overall health of MLB does not appear great to this guy.

And I'm not saying MLB is dying (like football  ), I just think they need to address some issues in a time where it appears all sports leagues are killing it, except for MLB.

MLB attendance has been up for two straight seasons. TV ratings were really good for the WS last year. (Yankees v. Dodgers will do that.) So its hard to argue that things aren't going decent considering the downward trends. And demographically they are capturing a younger crowd as well.

But the problem is that there are just so many absolute loser franchises owned by guys who just want to print money and not compete.

[WhiteTrash]

MLB attendance has been up for two straight seasons. TV ratings were really good for the WS last year. (Yankees v. Dodgers will do that.) So its hard to argue that things aren't going decent considering the downward trends. And demographically they are capturing a younger crowd as well.

But the problem is that there are just so many absolute loser franchises owned by guys who just want to print money and not compete.

The franchise on the South Side of Chicago is the perfect example. They are suffering from 100% self inflicted wounds and not an MLB problem.

Maybe the MLB problem is needing to washout the bad owners. Maybe a hard floor/cap is needed? Maybe a pooled media rights deal? As a CWS fan, I appreciate that MLB precludes them from a top ten pick in the draft, but that doesn't seem to motivate JR to try harder.

[TallTitan34]

MLB attendance has been up for two straight seasons. TV ratings were really good for the WS last year. (Yankees v. Dodgers will do that.)

While I hate nearly everything Manfred has done, the pitch clock has been great for the game.

[Uncle Rico]

Baseball has always had bad owners.  Baseball has always had skinflint owners.  Baseball has always had have's and have not's.
Baseball owners long ago killed any chance at labor peace and market parity.

History, it teaches us a lot. 

[MUBurrow]

Baseball has always had bad owners.  Baseball has always had skinflint owners.  Baseball has always had have's and have not's.
Baseball owners long ago killed any chance at labor peace and market parity.

History, it teaches us a lot. 

This is true, but I do think that MLB's owners are bad in a far less interesting and more strangulating way than the NFL's or even NBA's bad owners.  MLB's bad owners generally tend to be miserly, often quietly competent at making money and generally disregarding the fan experience.  NFL owners on the other hand are like a clown car of cartoon villains that constantly lend to media coverage and interesting personality clashes with coaches and players.  That combined with the salary cap means that the NFL owners' personalities don't generally directly affect the onfield product, while providing hilarious storylines.  But MLB's owners generally just sort of quietly suffocate both the onfield competitive balance and media coverage in a way that doesn't have any off label benefits to the league's popularity.

[The Sultan]

Baseball has always had bad owners.  Baseball has always had skinflint owners.  Baseball has always had have's and have not's.
Baseball owners long ago killed any chance at labor peace and market parity.

And look where it has gotten them.

[Uncle Rico]

And look where it has gotten them.

125 years and still going.

[The Sultan]

125 years and still going.

Right. But we aren't talking about their survival here. We are talking about some of their current struggles.

[Pakuni]

Right. But we aren't talking about their survival here. We are talking about some of their current struggles.

There are some problems, always will be, but overall the game and league are in great shape.

Record revenues last year:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-reports-record-12-1-billion-in-revenues-for-2024-season/

Average franchise value up 4% last year, 1,137% since 1998:
https://www.forbes.com/lists/mlb-valuations/

Largest attendance in seven years:
https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-finishes-2024-season-with-highest-attendance-in-seven-years

Highest TV ratings for playoffs since 2017:
https://www.sportspro.com/news/mlb-2024-world-series-dodgers-yankees-tv-ratings-viewership-fox-november-2024/

[The Sultan]

There are some problems, always will be, but overall the game and league are in great shape.

Record revenues last year:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-reports-record-12-1-billion-in-revenues-for-2024-season/

Average franchise value up 4% last year, 1,137% since 1998:
https://www.forbes.com/lists/mlb-valuations/

Largest attendance in seven years:
https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-finishes-2024-season-with-highest-attendance-in-seven-years

Highest TV ratings for playoffs since 2017:
https://www.sportspro.com/news/mlb-2024-world-series-dodgers-yankees-tv-ratings-viewership-fox-november-2024/

Which I acknowledged all above. As well as what I defined as their "current struggles."

[Jockey]

By all logic Miami should be a big draw.  A large immigrant population that is baseball obsessed.  Then again, it is also filled with retirees who can't exist in the Florida summer heat for three hours.

Can't help yourself. You must be really insecure.

[GB Warrior]

There are some problems, always will be, but overall the game and league are in great shape.

Record revenues last year:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-reports-record-12-1-billion-in-revenues-for-2024-season/

Average franchise value up 4% last year, 1,137% since 1998:
https://www.forbes.com/lists/mlb-valuations/

Largest attendance in seven years:
https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-finishes-2024-season-with-highest-attendance-in-seven-years

Highest TV ratings for playoffs since 2017:
https://www.sportspro.com/news/mlb-2024-world-series-dodgers-yankees-tv-ratings-viewership-fox-november-2024/

Ok but some owners can't even afford sand

[Hards Alumni]

Can't help yourself. You must be really insecure.

????

[MU82]

The Skenes rookie card ended up selling for $1.11 million at auction.

The 11-year-old boy who had the card will get $925K from the sale.

[tower912]

Why did the Brewers release Margot?  Will be anything more than a place holding body in the Detroit outfield?

After a minute of research, I guess I should be asking Twin fans.  I don't remember him.

[MUBurrow]

Why did the Brewers release Margot?  Will be anything more than a place holding body in the Detroit outfield?

After a minute of research, I guess I should be asking Twin fans.  I don't remember him.

Margot is fine right handed OF depth, but was redundant with Blake Perkins for the Crew.  Perkins is a better and more flexible defender and is still pre-arb.  I think Margot's bat is a little better, but there just wasn't a place for Margot on the active roster.

[Pakuni]

Crazy baseball fact I saw today... the Giants will be starting a different left fielder on Opening Day for the 19th straight season.

[MU82]

It was Dick's Sporting Goods that bought the Skenes card. From The Athletic:

"Dick's is passionate about bringing fans closer to the game," said Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick's Sporting Goods in a statement announcing the purchase. "Acquiring the Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch card enables us to celebrate his incredible talent while giving our athletes a unique opportunity to experience a piece of baseball history up close. We're thrilled to bring this special card home and display it in our Pittsburgh House of Sport store where it can inspire the next generation of athletes and collectors."

The company is using the card to draw attention to a new "trading cards and memorabilia experience" that will be in certain stores nationwide starting this spring. And while $1.11 million is a lot of money for a trading card, for a marketing campaign that attracts national media coverage, social media chatter and a reason to enter a brick and mortar store in the year 2025, it's a bargain.

[dgies9156]

By all logic Miami should be a big draw.  A large immigrant population that is baseball obsessed.  Then again, it is also filled with retirees who can't exist in the Florida summer heat for three hours.

Excuse me????

First off, Miami's loanDepot Park has a retractable dome. That solves the heat problem. It's actually a nice ballpark, especially with the roof open and its location right off Interstate 95 on the edge of Little Havana is convenient to much of the metro area.

I'm going to Opening Day tomorrow (vs. Pittsburgh) because it's opening day. I usually go a couple of times before we bug out for Chicago in the mid-summer. The stadium is 140 miles, or about two hours, from my house and the drive on the Turnpike isn't bad.

The problem is ownership. Miami has more World Championships in the last 100 years than the Chicago Cubs (don't you just love that, Cubs fans). But everytime the Marlins get good, Ownership goes cheap and the team ends up with protracted stays in the Cubland portion of the standings. If Miami had a Cuban superstar along the lines of Musial, Banks, Aaron, Mays, Mantle etc., it would be a beisbol mecca.

Miami's ultimate problem is that there's too many alternatives to baseball for the community to support a bad or marginally mediocre team. Keep a Dominican or Puerto Rican superstar here that the folks around Miami can relate to and, my gosh, I can only imagine what would happen. Los Angeles -- look out!!!!

[MU82]

Huh ... I didn't know that Musial, Banks, Aaron, Mays and Mantle were Cuban!

[dgies9156]

Huh ... I didn't know that Musial, Banks, Aaron, Mays and Mantle were Cuban!

Ya learn something new every day!!!😄

My point is that the Marlins need a face of the franchise. If he's. Cuban or Rican, all the better l!