Good article on M's GM Jack Zduriencik
Charlie, I thought you said this guy sucks? Maybe I'm mistaking Zduriencik with Bavasi
7 months ago
OpiateOfTheMasses
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I was thinking of doing a Fanpost on the Ms this morning
I don’t have time today to write it up properly, but it was about how being in a 6-team division really hurts us, esp. relative to a 4-team division club. I realize that we’re not in the Ms’ position talent-wise, but basically Jack Z is able to go all-in this year, after having a marginal team last year, because he can look at his 3 competitors and have a pretty good idea who will do what.
In contrast, look at the Legendary 2008 Pirates. Even if you argue (as I have) that they were conceivably a couple pieces away from winning 85+ games, what guarantee do you have that none of the other 5 teams in the division win 95? In the AL West, the odds are much lower that another team will get lucky and outperform their talent level. But in the NL Central, the odds are good that, in any given year, at least one team will get lucky (I kind of think the Cards did that last year, actually – I simply don’t think they really had the talent to run away the way they did; IOW, they were good, just not that good).
Which all comes back to: I wish to hell that MLB could add 2 more teams and go to an NFL-like alignment. I understand the talent/market issues, but the current situation blows.
Why not?
A 32-team league would make a lot of sense. Four divisions per league, with four teams per division.
Nonono, please and thank you.
Jeebus, the talent pool’s been reduced to the depth of a Doughboy.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 21, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
Actually, I would argue...
…that MLB is deeper now than it was at virtually any other point in its history.
I'll respectfully disagree,
and leave it at that.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 21, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
I’d take 2 more teams in a heartbeat, despite the negative effects, just to get out of our 6 team division disadvantage.
by Adam Reynolds on Dec 21, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
And...
I’d feel bad for the two teams stuck in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox. Probably the Orioles and Blue Jays. The Rays would probably have a kegger to celebrate getting out of that division. But I can see a 32 team Major League. I think it’d be nice to get in to a division, perhaps something like Mets, Nationals, Pirates and Phillies. South would have Braves, Marlins, Astros and Reds. North would have Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals and Rockies. While the west would be what it is now, minus the Rockies…
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 21, 2009 7:44 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t know about expansion, but adding divisions is definitely not the way to go. You guarantee mediocrity that way because you reward a team that ends up on top of a crappy division with a record of something like 83-79. I don’t think its a bad idea if they went back to two divisions, and take 4 playoff teams with the two division winners and the next two best records getting in.
Expansion would be fun if they put a third team in the NY-NJ area…which, of course, would never happen.
There’s enough talent to fill out 2 more ML rosters…the bigger obstacle to expansion is the lack of viable markets in which to place the new franchises. Where do you put your expansion teams? Charlotte? Ok City? Indy? Sacramento?
Not a lot of attractive options out there. Expansion would just add 2 more small-market punching bags to the majors.
I mean realistic options. There’s no way the Yankees and Mets let a 3rd team slice into their pie. Who’s going to stand up to the Steinbrenners and put an expansion team in their backyard? Bud Selig? I don’t think so.
Then the NY teams ought to shut their traps about free market capitalism, yada yada yada. The main problem in disparity is that there are too many baseball dollars chasing too few teams in New York.
by MarkInDallas on Dec 23, 2009 3:03 AM EST up reply actions
Why not?
Another NY team would mean big bucks for all the other owners. The Yankees and Mets only have two votes. And if Bud were really all that scared about irritating the Yankees, he never would’ve allowed the Luxury Tax to go through in the first place.
The hard horse-trading would come with teams in other large markets (like Chicago) assuring them that their personal territories would still be respected if they added another NY franchise.
I suppose I’m just being pessimistic. NY is the most logical place to site a new franchise, so the idea that Bud & Co would actually do what makes sense strikes me as implausible but who knows, I guess.
Not only would having another team in New York in the AL East help spread out the large market free agent pool, it would also generate a ton more MLB interest and money, which would help out small market teams through revenue sharing. I doubt the Yankees would suffer much if at all with a lower fan base.
Can you imagine having not only the Red Sox-Yankees series, but also having a Yankees-Brooklyn series every year? That would be extremely exciting. That has not been seen since the Giants and Dodgers both played in New York.
by MarkInDallas on Dec 23, 2009 9:30 PM EST up reply actions
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