javy knows my name

So this is the closest I can find as far as an explanation of what the braves actually did. Did they basically just spend a ton more money than they were allowed under the CBA? What are some of the similar things that teams like the Cubs have likely done to circumvent the rules, but less "brazenly?" The stuff that's illegal that all teams actually trying down there do.....They'll make agreements with 14 and 15 year olds. They'll even package players together, to help pay the buscone(that's the players trainer) and to get a guy or two at a lesser price that fits your budget. I'm sure they'll give additional " gifts" too, houses and cars, etc, that are untraceable. If you're going to package players together though...its ridiculous to expect it to slide, when you're getting guys worthy of 500k to a million dollar type of bonuses......For the 300k max, by funneling money thru the lesser players or buscone. Especially, when you're trying to package guys that aren't even in the same draft class. Or start packaging guys that are still two years out from signing. They were taking too much advantage. Its one thing to get a player or two into your class every once in a while, that's kind of shady. Its another thing to do it as often as possible, which is basically what the Braves were doing. And they weren't even good at hiding it. Honestly, I think most teams can still get away with these things. Because they're not insanely greedy about how often they go to that well...... Thanks, that makes a lot more sense! That whole packaging players thing just sounds like amateur hour. Our FO can cheat way better than that.

Eh, I'm honestly not that sure about that. This is MLB coming down super hard on a team being super stupid. Coppolella and the gang were really stupid and brazen. Trying to package guys from different classes, including a year you're under the penalty? I think there's a wink-wink, nudge-nudge to how things get done in that market, but the Braves went a bit too far, plus they were stupid with hiding things. And trying to do a package deal with a 14 year old? They were just too brazen and too dumb. On top of that, Coppolella was hated by the rest of the league. If it were someone else, I honestly doubt the penalty would have been as harsh. He just pissed everyone off, by being greedy. And then by being stupid. I think all this does is helps get rid of the buscones and makes teams cover their tracks a bit better. So this is the closest I can find as far as an explanation of what the braves actually did. Did they basically just spend a ton more money than they were allowed under the CBA? What are some of the similar things that teams like the Cubs have likely done to circumvent the rules, but less "brazenly?"

Joe Morgan's threat that these sanctimonious HoF greenie takers will boycott induction ceremonies is more like a best case scenario for baseball

I would super appreciate some evidence of said budding friendship

Hendricks appears to be solo. [creep alert on myself] Hendricks' gf/fiance/maybe wife now? is posed with Travis Wood, whose wife I believe is behind Grimm. F yeah Hendricks

Stupid question: if we assume breakeven defense for Schwarber in left, that would make him more valuable there than as a DH elsewhere, correct?

I don't know where you get Schwarber being near 4 WAR because baseball reference has him at 0 for 2017 and 1.1 for his career. I agree that Almora can be a 3+ CF. You might be right about Happ being a 2-3 player and being as good as it gets. I just don't understand posters willing to be patient with the youth offensive flaws of Russell, Schwarber, etc., but aren't willing to see what Happ can do. The potential of a 30+ HR, switch-hitting, fast, versatile 23year old is not something to quickly dismiss. I feel like you missed this

Yeah, I'm thinking for one of those two, it'd take two of Happ/Almora/Schwarber and prospects (or just Russell plus some prospects?). The alternative would be the Happ-for-closer type trade that was being discussed here a few days ago, and then one of the other two for a mid/back of the rotation controllable starter (ideally a younger pitcher with upside). I'd go for Schwarber and Russell instead of Happ or Almora. Schwarber needs to be in the AL because he was born to DH. Russell can be replaced by moving Baez to SS with Happ/Zobrist playing 2B & LF. Almora has shown me enough to be a solid CF and Happ has the power, speed, and versatility to be a valuable member of the team for the next decade. You keep saying this and it's not getting any less ridiculous. That's a gigantic downgrade defensively and just an outrageous kneejerk undersell of a pre-prime cost-controlled Russell.

It was horsefeathering pancreatic cancer. A 17 year old had late-stage pancreatic cancer. That horsefeathers should be reserved for 70 year old alcoholics who drank their lives away, not 17 year olds. Just terrible. Ugh oh my god I want to throw up

Yeah what the hell. I would almost say that it's impossible for someone who did the things this person is accused of to be legitimately sorry. Yeah this is psychopath behavior. There's no "getting better" when you're capable of such deep and harmful deception in the first place.

"They'll be fine, they'll still have small gift-giving from your parents half week" remains the best thing ever posted here

It's pizza. As long as I'm not eating the slice next to the pepperoncini, it's tolerable. The only way I'll eat a slice is if it's doused in that pepperoncini

You spelled NIGHTMARES wrong

Again, you're looking at this completely unrealistically. The reason that things like the racist bus company exist and the imbalance of police power is due in no small part to the people who are willfully opposed to these protests. You're talking like the people that are pissed off are people who are missed opportunities, but they're not; they're one of the main parts of what's being protested! They're culpable! They are the bus company. The cops that kill innocent people are the bus company. Ohhhhhhhk I get it now. I disagree. What they're protesting are the conditions that allow for the cops to kill with impunity. You know, the same thing that BLM is about.

Again, so much the "disrespecting the military" narrative is willfully created; it's done intentionally to distract from how the players are protesting for very real, much more complicated issues. To blame that on the protests themselves is completely backwards. Americans LOVE twisting and lying about protests, especially when it comes to issues focused on black Americans, so it requires doing something as attention-grabbing as protests on this level to even just get a fraction of the population actually hearing about or talking about why they're protesting. There's ALWAYS going to be a ton of noise when you're trying to say something that a LOT of people intentionally try to not hear. You've got to keep pushing it for the few that do. Create cracks, no matter how small. It's a ridiculously unrealistic expectation to think someone is going to come up with a protest regarding racial issues that's going to be widely embraced and understood. It's always going to be an uphill battle with a TON of pushback...but that's the absolute last reason to give up. It’s a super easy thing to twist when it’s an offensive/disrespectful gesture to so many. I can’t imagine public perception has changed that much on the subject of police brutality. I just wish that they had used a more ironclad vehicle because they could have made a larger impact. Again, the thing they are protesting is not very controversial — I mean, show Vin Scully the Philando Castille video and he’s on the same side. But when you mix that message with a perceived offensive act, credibility erodes. The anthem protests have become inseparable from the message and that’s a big miss. It's like you're willfully misunderstanding the point of everything

Again, so much the "disrespecting the military" narrative is willfully created; it's done intentionally to distract from how the players are protesting for very real, much more complicated issues. To blame that on the protests themselves is completely backwards. Americans LOVE twisting and lying about protests, especially when it comes to issues focused on black Americans, so it requires doing something as attention-grabbing as protests on this level to even just get a fraction of the population actually hearing about or talking about why they're protesting. There's ALWAYS going to be a ton of noise when you're trying to say something that a LOT of people intentionally try to not hear. You've got to keep pushing it for the few that do. Create cracks, no matter how small. It's a ridiculously unrealistic expectation to think someone is going to come up with a protest regarding racial issues that's going to be widely embraced and understood. It's always going to be an uphill battle with a TON of pushback...but that's the absolute last reason to give up. This reminds me a lot of the people opposed to the OWS protests who said they agreed with the cause, but it was done poorly. "People are just standing around doing nothing/excuse to skip work," "It's random/uncoordinated," "This isn't convincing anyone otherwise," "Why don't you do something that will actually get a bill passed," etc. There are always going to be reasons to ignore/belittle/criticize the protest, no matter what, how, or where it's being protested. If it gets attention, it's successful. If it gets national attention, it's wildly successful. It doesn't need to change minds to work.

IMB is MVP

Oof I am stupid

I'm now 100% sure he's trolling everyone

Shark was public with his comments about some trades the Cubs did in 2012/2013 and the direction of the ballclub. He was irked that one of the pitchers were traded. I think it was Paul Maholm Scott Feldman? I know that stuff, but persona non grata? That seems a little more severe. I'm pretty sure it was the Feldman trade, which obviously turned out great for the Cubs. Um, you're the one who said it

Yeah I was at the game. It was nerve wracking I was at that game too. I felt fairly calm. I figured I was at least getting see the Cubs in a WS game at Wrigley, no matter what happened. I am really glad I didn't go to game 4. Game 4 suuuuuucked

I think Addison's hit/contact tool is coming along, and when it gets here, he's going to be a monster and we'll be very glad we kept him. The difference in defense at SS appears negligible, but the combo of excellent defense at both positions is pretty unmatched. However, much as I love him, I'm moving Javy 100 times out of 100 before Russell

What did it say?

Not interested in using Happ to get rid of Heyward's contract. Unless it's required in order to sign Harper or something else similarly awesome, I'd rather keep Heyward as a 4th outfielder if nothing else. Which is where Heyward would be anyway with that ridiculous outfield

I hear that Girardi works better with vets rather than young players, so that could be part of it. You'd think that would make him a good fit for the Nats. I don't want to see the Nats with competent managing. Dusty's available