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Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. The Mariners lost a few games last week and are 0.5 games behind Houston for first place, but the good news is that the Rangers are three games back and are seemingly fading fast. In other great news, the Angels did several more unfathomably bad and stupid things as baseball team in the week following my merciless hit piece. You just can’t make these things up.
Remember the whole waiver wire dump thing to get under the luxury tax threshold?
Turns out the #Angels are still barely over the luxury tax threshold (by less than the $1.7M they are paying Randal Grichuk, who went unclaimed).
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) September 2, 2023
Obviously that's a small amount the Angels would pay for 2023, but it means they would pay 30% instead of 20% if they go over in 24.
Oh no, what to do! Ah, here we go.
This move does get the Angels below the luxury tax.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 3, 2023
The Angels have kept Stassi on the IL throughout the season, as he dealt with a family issue, which was the right thing to do. By not paying him for the final month, they’ll get below the tax. https://t.co/5j6BbRaX2Q
This is when calling a team “a literal poverty franchise” stops being an exaggeration. My goodness.
I wonder what the vibes are like in the Angels dugout these days?
하피야.... pic.twitter.com/CntlctmUvd
— 탄감자 (@tan_gamja_) September 7, 2023
Me: “Siri, show me an example of ‘ennui.’”
Siri: “here is schadenfreude-tinged ennui, you sick fuck.”
Then there was........this......
Today was Angels photo day. But Shohei Ohtani wasn’t available for it. So they used a body double, and will presumably photoshop him in. He was taken through a back exit by Angels PR. pic.twitter.com/5yFuDjLw4o
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 5, 2023
There he is, the greatest baseball player ever, Shohei Ohtani pic.twitter.com/ImWCMZMoHo
— Razzball (@Razzball) September 6, 2023
When Shohei’s grandkids ask him in 50 years, “Wow, grandpa, what happened with the 2023 Angels anyways?” Shohei can say, “Don’t know. Wasn’t there.”
Massive shoutout to Sam Blum for covering the car crash in real time. You’re doing incredible work, comrade. We salute you.
Okay enough about the Angels, I did not intend for that to be so long but wow they just can’t help themselves. Anyways, we’re gonna talk about those MLB rules changes that many of us gnashed our teeth about at the beginning of the season. I am on record as being pretty firmly against the pitch clock, at least its current state. I love that it’s good for literally everyone who plays and works the games, but I still do not love how it shortens my time at a ballgame when I do actually get to attend. I will admit it has bothered less as the season has gone on, but I do still think it was an absolute crazy move by MLB to roll out several massive rules changes all at once instead of doing one per season to see how it affected the game, but the MLB owners are famously not scientists.
Forbes says MLB is self-reporting that the rules change are having a bonzers effect on TV and streaming numbers, but we’ll just have to take their word for it since there isn’t really a way to objectively confirm that. It also says the Mariners are up 25% in year over year viewership on their RSN (ROOT Sports, which they own). Let’s just keep that lil’ factoid in our pocket for the offseason, right?
Because Manfred and the owners wanted to speed-run baseball for the viewership numbers, they also threw in the “pitchers can only do two disengagements or pick-off attempts” rule along with the pitch clock, so every moderately fast player is prime Rickey Henderson on the base paths now. Personally, I’m pretty okay with this because stealing bases is exciting and creates potential for chaos in the game, but I mean it will change how we value stolen bases as a stat.
Entering tonight, and with a few weeks of games left, there have been 435 more SB than last year, and by the end of the weekend, we'll see a 3000-SB season for the first time since 2012.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) September 7, 2023
So how are we feeling about the state of the MLB rule changes as we approach the end of the season? Let’s hit those polls!
Poll
Of the three major rules changes, I like this one the best:
This poll is closed
-
55%
The pitch timer (this includes the limit on pick-off attempts)
(239 votes) -
6%
The bigger bases
(29 votes) -
37%
Defensive shift limits (death 2 the shift)
(163 votes)
Poll
Of the three major rule changes, this one bothers me the most:
This poll is closed
-
28%
The pitch timer (this includes the limit on pick-off attempts)
(99 votes) -
37%
The bigger bases
(129 votes) -
33%
Defensive shift limits (death 2 the shift)
(115 votes)
Poll
True or false: I barely notice the pitch clock anymore
Poll
True of false: The explosion of stolen base numbers will have a negative effect on how I view the stat going forward
Poll
Why did they make the bases bigger but still make them out of hard rubber so players bounce off of them often, which allows teams to make dubious usage of the replay challenge rules?
This poll is closed
-
60%
Because Manfred doesn’t actually watch the games
(234 votes) -
29%
God works in mysterious ways
(115 votes) -
9%
Gotta slow down the pace of play somehow!
(37 votes)
Feel free to elaborate on your thoughts on the rule changes in the comments!
Have a great weekend and go Mariners!
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