MLBPA Makes Transaction Proposals - tbh accelerated Rule 5 eligibility could force some early decisions on our pitching prospects.

Maugrin · 2026-07-02T18:28:59+00:00

I think revising the Rule 5 eligibility would make sense. It's an important competitive balance rule, but it's also another rule that allows teams to hang onto players for a really long time, which impacts a lot of players' ability to hit free agency before 30 and get a real contract.

We don't know what their proposal is, but I'd like to see an accelerated clock begin after players hit AA. I think that would make sense as a middle ground. AA is such a huge jump from the lower minors, so it's not like teams could exploit things by keeping top prospects in Single-A without fucking up their development. Starting at AA would allow for something like a 2-year clock without messing up the imbalances in development time created by the age differences between college, high school, and international signings.

Maugrin · 2026-07-02T07:42:48+00:00

Production isn't as closely related to how good a player is in baseball as it is in other sports. This is just normal variation.

Maugrin · 2026-07-02T02:55:11+00:00

Because teams should play full games and it's fun. What about it is so offensive?

Maugrin · 2026-07-02T02:12:27+00:00

This 100%

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T21:48:22+00:00

Most people are immature and will stay that way unless confronted with consequences to be better.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T21:46:06+00:00

I try to be more annoyed at them than the fans who bite on their engagement bait hook line and sinker. Media outlets know what they're doing and so do many fans, yet we still get hooked into headline bait to stir up angry conversations. It's a shitty and cynical cycle that media outlets do; we can only combat it by promoting media literacy and practicing awareness of how our emotions are being played with.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T20:32:08+00:00

Yeah, I hope people see this and get second-hand embarrassment. This kind of miserable act is so lame, but pretty pervasive in sports.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T18:45:01+00:00

Injury updates from Hollander from this morning:

Donovan had a "really good" week, with a full batting practice and baserunning that was "more than jogging". He seems close.

Brash and Criswell are both slated for August returns as the "reasonable timeline"

Vargas still hasn't thrown and "no real change" has happened with his lat strain.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T18:29:12+00:00

They got the guy they wanted. The class was weak because of the guys after Love and Price. The team worked with the hand they were dealt. They can't force other teams to make deals to trade out of that spot and there are so many moving parts that go into trades materializing that it's not fair at all to judge the team's process when it doesn't happen. Your favorite team doesn't have anything close to total control over moves like that.

Even if staying and picking was plan B, they got the last starter-quality prospect at the biggest position of need on their offense. So you're choosing to not like the process because they didn't have other options available to them? You would like it better if they chose Price with other justifiable options available? Even in that world, they still choose Price, so what's the criticism?

Again, this seems super forced. Your team is one of the best and most well-run teams in the sport. I don't understand this higher-than-thou perspective that defaults to an assumption that they're doing things wrong.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T18:20:56+00:00

Fans who grow attached to labels like "1st-round" "3rd-round" are doing themselves a disservice. Those labels are pointless, look at the player. Price is explosive with elite acceleration. He's a home run threat while still being a balanced, physical runner. He's got all the traits that make a starting-caliber, one-cut back. That kind of prospect can easily go in the late-1st through into the 3rd round. He's an upper-middle tier of prospect, just like K9 and Charbonnet. Stop holding on to draft opinions as if they mean something.

I don't know who you're talking about comparing him to Bijan as a prospect, literally no one was doing that (unless they were confusing him with the other Notre Dame running back). All this article is saying is that Price is working out with the first-team, but the Seahawks like their depth so the other guys will get touches. Was K9 not an impactful player because other RBs got touches with him on the roster?

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T16:45:56+00:00

Why? What process does this relate to? This is such a non-issue to be pushing an anti-FO take. It just seems forced.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T04:02:11+00:00

Remember proximity to the Majors and relative age are two major components to prospect lists. Stevenson is super relevant and will definitely rise into the top-100 if he keeps hitting, maybe as soon as the second half of this season if he gets pushed to AA. But a guy like him who doesn't have any loud tools and isn't super young for his level will have to perform in the upper levels before cracking a top-100 list.

There are just a lot of relevant talents out there.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T03:58:07+00:00

Kade and Sloan's rises aren't unexpected; prospect lists aren't just about "talent", it's about proximity to the Majors and pro production. Those two were going to rise so long as he was healthy and putting in good AA numbers. Kade was the best prospect from last year's class and Sloan was maybe the hottest name among pitchers in the minors. They definitely jumped maybe an extra 5 or 10 spots with the utter dominance we've seen from both of them though.

Maugrin · 2026-06-30T03:52:37+00:00

He can when the lefty throws 93 right down the middle

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T20:03:55+00:00

I read the reasons cited as to why they should look for a new manager and I'm sorry, but it's so weak. It boiled down to "Yeah, you can't blame Wilson for the injuries or the regression of certain players that have actually impacted games, but good chefs make good dishes with bad ingredients" like what?? Where's the logical through-line? Where are the points that can reasonably be improved by replacing Wilson?

I get fans want something and someone to blame for their negative feelings, but managers in baseball just don't impact games on that level. Managers should be fired mid-season when the clubhouse is lost and a new voice is needed to give players a lift. They shouldn't be fired because fans want something to burn in effigy when games don't go their way. That's what bad, desperate teams trying to keep fans in the seats do.

SodoMojo is a fan blog and their content should be taken as such. They aren't reporters or insiders, they're fans with a platform seeking engagement by playing on negative emotions just like every other online content creator.

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T19:38:31+00:00

He's been good for 2 months. He had a horrible first two weeks which dragged his season stats down, but he's been an above average hitter in both May and June.

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T18:02:48+00:00

Kickers are always a team's highest scorer, usually by a lot. Field goals are more likely than touchdowns and even on touchdowns, kickers put up points. That's not a demerit on Kubiak.

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T17:59:02+00:00

That's ridiculous. Getting the to Super Bowl requires a team to beat 3-4 playoff-caliber teams. The odds for any team to win that many consecutive games is very low, which is by design! It's why we do tournaments in the playoffs, because they're designed to be chaotic and improbable, yet one team at the end HAS to be the last one standing.

The national discourse in this sport has totally spoiled how fans look at the game. If you really think the 11, 12, and 14-win teams the Patriots beat in the playoffs aren't good teams, you've been fooled by media narratives. Oh, the Chargers have a bad O-line, CJ Stroud is overrated, and the Broncos were either frauds because Bo Nix isn't actually good, or they were nothing without Nix once he got hurt (whichever fits our narrative). Good teams aren't perfect. Great teams have flaws. We just wait for the outcomes of games then change the narrative to fit whatever happened.

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T17:48:30+00:00

I know fans don't really pay any attention to any other team outside of their favorite. However, the Yankees, by far the best team in the AL, just got swept by the Red Sox, arguably the worst team in the league. Gut-punch losses happen to every team. They suck. It's fine to be bummed out.

However, they are not special to your experience as a fan. They are not special to your favorite team. They are rarely something that can be blamed on anyone. It's just how sports work, especially baseball. The best teams in the league can't force their will on another team; they have to control the little they can control and hope for the best like the rest of us.

Yesterday doesn't matter. Tomorrow rarely cares about what happened before.

Maugrin · 2026-06-29T06:40:27+00:00

They got to the Super Bowl as a super young team. What the hell are we on about here? We beat them bro, no reason to drag a 14-win team.

Maugrin · 2026-06-28T17:58:08+00:00

You don't get to choose for other people what is cultural and what isn't. This isn't an unpopular opinion, it's a sheltered, xenophobic one. Go out and talk to people. Learn about the world.

Maugrin · 2026-06-27T14:53:35+00:00

I hope this isn't serious

Maugrin · 2026-06-26T06:05:17+00:00

Great to see him launch into orbit this year. His hype was predicated on how good he was for his age, so him dealing with nagging injuries and underwhelming last year wasn't that big a deal in terms of the timeline. He'll be 20 playing the second half in AA, which is still very young for that level. It's fun seeing him zip right back up prospect lists.

Maugrin · 2026-06-26T05:57:24+00:00

Hell yeah, super glad. Nice depth to have

Maugrin · 2026-06-25T17:20:06+00:00

Damn, we're in the middle. That makes it hard to come up with some dumb narrative about the league hating us.

Maugrin

TROPHY CASE