It's Time Again for the Hot Stove League!
mikescott said:
Pricing just does not allow that today for typical middle class family.
It does if you make some choices. We chose three, maybe four, Phillies games a year, plus lots of radio. (And no Dave & Buster’s, FunZones or Chuck E. Cheese’s.) That was enough.
DaveSchmidt said:
mikescott said:Going to the ballpark as a family and cultivating a love of the game in our son has provided rewards that I wouldn’t trade for all the other entertainments in the world.
But for now, it makes no sense to go to a game with kids vs other entertainment.
He’s almost 20 now, but if I had a newborn I’d make the same choice today.
And it's a myth that a person needs to spend hundreds of dollars for tickets. Anyone who wants to sit in the upper level at Citi Field can get a ticket for $15, which isn't a lot more than a movie.
ml1 said:And it's a myth that a person needs to spend hundreds of dollars for tickets. Anyone who wants to sit in the upper level at Citi Field can get a ticket for $15, which isn't a lot more than a movie.
That, too. And in Philly (I forget Citi’s policy), you’re welcome to bring your own food.
DaveSchmidt said:
ml1 said:That, too. And in Philly (I forget Citi’s policy), you’re welcome to bring your own food.
And it's a myth that a person needs to spend hundreds of dollars for tickets. Anyone who wants to sit in the upper level at Citi Field can get a ticket for $15, which isn't a lot more than a movie.
I suspect the ticket price complaint is probably coming more from Yankees fans or Red Sox. The Mets don't typically sell out, and there are a lot of nights you can get deeply discounted tickets if you buy one at full price.
And a hot dog and a soda at the ballpark really don't cost that much more than a bucket of popcorn and a soda at the movies.
Baseball among all the major sports remains the most affordable for a middle class fan. (None of them are accessible to working class folks, but that's another issue that's bigger than sports).
mikescott said:
When I was a kid I would go to 10-12 baseball games a year as well as several knick and ranger games. Pricing just does not allow that today for typical middle class family. now we talk about going to one baseball game a year.
Honest question: What kind of other family entertainment do you prefer now to baseball?
DaveSchmidt said:
mikescott said:Honest question: What kind of other family entertainment do you prefer now to baseball?
When I was a kid I would go to 10-12 baseball games a year as well as several knick and ranger games. Pricing just does not allow that today for typical middle class family. now we talk about going to one baseball game a year.
good question -- I have chosen the movies for the most part but find my self going to the jersey shore more often as well.
At Yankee stadium you can bring in food (no beer) - so we do save money that way. I usually take the subway/train to games to avoid traffic but I did park at the stadium last year. I think it was $39.00. Two of us can go to a movie theater and share a popcorn and get our own soda for a few dollars more than just the cost of parking.
True, if we were starting over with a kid here in Maplewood we’d have to factor in the price of the train plus subway or tolls and parking. In Philly, getting to and from the game cost us only a couple of subway tokens.
mikescott said:
DaveSchmidt said:good question -- I have chosen the movies for the most part but find my self going to the jersey shore more often as well.
mikescott said:Honest question: What kind of other family entertainment do you prefer now to baseball?
When I was a kid I would go to 10-12 baseball games a year as well as several knick and ranger games. Pricing just does not allow that today for typical middle class family. now we talk about going to one baseball game a year.
At Yankee stadium you can bring in food (no beer) - so we do save money that way. I usually take the subway/train to games to avoid traffic but I did park at the stadium last year. I think it was $39.00. Two of us can go to a movie theater and share a popcorn and get our own soda for a few dollars more than just the cost of parking.
that's more an NYC problem than a MLB problem. It's also going to cost you about $40 to park if you go to a museum, a play, or Central Park.
If I had known mikescott’s contention was really that it makes no sense to go to a Yankees game with kids vs. other entertainment, I would have agreed from the start. 
DaveSchmidt said:
If I had known mikescott’s contention was really that it makes no sense to go to a Yankees game vs. other entertainment, I would have agreed from the start.
seriously. The new Yankee Stadium has all the charm of a cavernous shopping mall. With gravestones 
DaveSchmidt said:
ml1 said:That, too. And in Philly (I forget Citi’s policy), you’re welcome to bring your own food.
And it's a myth that a person needs to spend hundreds of dollars for tickets. Anyone who wants to sit in the upper level at Citi Field can get a ticket for $15, which isn't a lot more than a movie.
Is that because they want you to throw food at the other team? Philly fans can be brutal.
Has anybody tried the brewery at CitiField? That's where they tend to get me. I get in for $5 to $10 then spend at least $20 to $30 on food and drinks.
mfpark said:
Is that because they want you to throw food at the other team? Philly fans can be brutal.
Phooey.
Anyone who brings a disposable hoagie just doesn’t know where to get a good one.
Hey DaveSchmidt. Looks like the Phillies are going to get JT Realmuto in a trade for some good young prospects. Jorge Alfaro is a good one--he caught in 108 games last year and is 25 years old. 10 dingers, .262 BA, .731 OPS, and a ton of strikeouts relative to at bats.
The Marlins are also looking at Sixto Sanchez, a live-armed minor league starter, and Adam Haseley who is a good hitting minor league outfielder.
Realmuto is controllable via arbitration in 2020 and is a FA in 2021. He is 27 years old, has good power, and carried a .825 OPS last year. A good acquisition, even if the price in prospects is high.
So, if they bring in Realmuto and are facing a FA situation in 2021, does this reduce their interest in Machado and Harper?
Oof. Just based on your post, I think I’d rather have Alfaro, Sanchez and Haseley than Realmuto. That seems too steep a price, from what I’ve seen of Alfaro and what I’ve read about the other two.
I wouldn’t think it’d affect the pursuit of Machado/Harper either way, though.
I am mixed on the deal. Realmuto is a rising star and there is a good chance he has not reached his peak yet. But you only have him for two years and then you pay up big time or he walks. Then again, if the Phillies are looking to contend this year and next year, he is a better option than Alfaro.
The rumors have Alfaro and Sanchez as definitely in the package, with Haseley one of several additional players that may be involved (and there may be more Marlins prospects coming back to the Phillies).
Alfaro is a decent work-a-day catcher who is not an automatic out but does not seem to have a lot more upside. He will be a regular lineup player for someone in 2019 and 2020, which means the Phils could keep him and focus on other priorities if they wish.
Sanchez is more of an unknown quantity but I have read that he has a really live arm and the durability to be a starter or long reliever.
Haseley is the one I would be concerned about (his name has been floated but not linked solidly to the deal yet). He has hit for power and average at all stops so far.
No Haseley, per Inquirer:
The trade - the details of which were first reported by ESPN - will have the Phillies send Jorge Alfaro, top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and minor-league lefthander Will Stewart to Miami. The Phillies will also send the Marlins slot money to spend on the international free-agent market.
...
The price was steep for Realmuto, who the Marlins patiently shopped this offseason as they waited for the right offer. Sanchez is the best Phillies’ pitching prospect since Cole Hamels and is armed with a fastball that can reach triple digits. Alfaro is just 25, under club control for five more seasons, and made strong progress behind the plate last season in his first full year.
Parting with Sanchez is difficult, but the Phillies had concerns with his health. The 20-year-old Sanchez, who Baseball America ranked last month as the 13th-best prospect in baseball, missed most of last season with injuries. He was sidelined by an elbow injury and then injured his collarbone when trying to prepare for the Arizona Fall League.
Adding Realmuto does not take the Phillies out of the race for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The team remains optimistic - perhaps even more so after adding Realmuto - that they will land Harper or Machado before the start of the season. Realmuto, who turns 28 in March, is close with Harper. Perhaps this move could help motivate Harper to join the Phillies.
I think Alfaro still has upside, but I like that deal better.
maybe instead of extra innings, they decide the game with bikini chicken fights.
DaveSchmidt said:
No Haseley, per Inquirer:
The trade - the details of which were first reported by ESPN - will have the Phillies send Jorge Alfaro, top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and minor-league lefthander Will Stewart to Miami. The Phillies will also send the Marlins slot money to spend on the international free-agent market....
The price was steep for Realmuto, who the Marlins patiently shopped this offseason as they waited for the right offer. Sanchez is the best Phillies’ pitching prospect since Cole Hamels and is armed with a fastball that can reach triple digits. Alfaro is just 25, under club control for five more seasons, and made strong progress behind the plate last season in his first full year.https://www.philly.com/phillies/phillies-trade-jt-realmuto-marlins-jorge-alfaro-sixto-sanchez-20190207.html
Parting with Sanchez is difficult, but the Phillies had concerns with his health. The 20-year-old Sanchez, who Baseball America ranked last month as the 13th-best prospect in baseball, missed most of last season with injuries. He was sidelined by an elbow injury and then injured his collarbone when trying to prepare for the Arizona Fall League.
Adding Realmuto does not take the Phillies out of the race for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The team remains optimistic - perhaps even more so after adding Realmuto - that they will land Harper or Machado before the start of the season. Realmuto, who turns 28 in March, is close with Harper. Perhaps this move could help motivate Harper to join the Phillies.
I think Alfaro still has upside, but I like that deal better.
Yes, saw this when I woke up. Much better deal for the Phillies now. I think the Marlins sold cheaper than they should have, but I also think that with Realmuto having only 2 years before FA there were few takers. I had not seen reports on Sanchez being injured twice--makes the deal a whole lot better for the Phillies. I just do not understand what Jeter is trying to accomplish in Miami.
I think it's a good deal for both sides. Realmuto will probably hit 10 more homers in that bandbox. I think Philly will sign one of the big F.A.'s, too. They're looking pretty good already. Phillies lineup is pretty decent: 1). McCutcheon 2). Segura 3). Realmuto 4). Hoskins 5). Franco 6). Williams 7). Herrera 8). Hernandez. They have five dudes who could possibly hit 20 homers.
I don't think the trade will have a major impact unless it motivates Harper or Machado to sign with the Phillies. I watched Realmuto play several times and don't see him as a game changer. better than average hitting catcher who will be 28 this year.
mikescott said:
I don't think the trade will have a major impact unless it motivates Harper or Machado to sign with the Phillies. I watched Realmuto play several times and don't see him as a game changer. better than average hitting catcher who will be 28 this year.
Alfaro made big strides last season behind the plate, but Realmuto is on another level there. I wouldn’t underestimate a catcher’s game-changing ability from the crouch, which is easy for us fans to miss.
And while I think Alfaro has a chance to get where Realmuto is with a bat in his hands eventually, that’s a current upgrade, too. The more this trade sinks in, the happier I am.
ETA: For the same reasons, I expect Ramos to have an outsize impact on the Mets, too.
DaveSchmidt said:
mikescott said:Alfaro made big strides last season behind the plate, but Realmuto is on another level there. I wouldn’t underestimate a catcher’s game-changing ability from the crouch, which is easy for us fans to miss.
I don't think the trade will have a major impact unless it motivates Harper or Machado to sign with the Phillies. I watched Realmuto play several times and don't see him as a game changer. better than average hitting catcher who will be 28 this year.
And while I think Alfaro has a chance to get where Realmuto is with a bat in his hands eventually, that’s a current upgrade, too. The more this trade sinks in, the happier I am.
ETA: For the same reasons, I expect Ramos to have an outsize impact on the Mets, too.
Agree 100% on both counts. Realmuto adds a lot behind and at the plate. Even if only for two years, he is worth trading Alfaro who was certainly serviceable but not a star (yet, perhaps). Replacing Alfaro with Ramos is a net plus for the Phillies. For the Marlins Alfaro gives them a solid catcher under control for several years, and they get rid of a dissatisfied Ramos. Sanchez may become a solid rotation guy, but that is not a given, especially with injuries. I think Philly came out ahead on this one.
Ramos has the potential to solidify the Mets. That was a great signing. Then again, I said that about Cespedes a few years back and he has become an injured liability, so what do I know?
Machado reportedly to Baltimore West.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26031051/manny-machado-san-diego-padres-reach-deal
DaveSchmidt said:
Machado reportedly to Baltimore West.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26031051/manny-machado-san-diego-padres-reach-deal
Yawn......He went for the money over a chance of being with a contending team year in and year out. Can't fault the man for it, but you would think that once you get over $100M you might have some other priorities beyond money.
Besides, my LA Dodger fan friends say he is a terrible teammate. Then again, they also want to see the Chargers returned to San Diego and think anything from that town is verklempt.
I think he prefers being big man on small team rather than being part of winning team.
This sets the market for Harper, as if there were any doubt. Probably be a 10 year with a 5 year out deal at $301 million. He will sign that deal with the Yankees, Phillies, or Senators, er, Nationals.
mfpark said:
DaveSchmidt said:Yawn......He went for the money over a chance of being with a contending team year in and year out.
Machado reportedly to Baltimore West.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26031051/manny-machado-san-diego-padres-reach-deal
Maybe not.
Keith Law's 2019 ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems
The Padres are poised to sit at or near the top of these rankings for quite some time, even though they'll likely lose at least three top-100 prospects to graduations this year (Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, Luis Urias and maybe Logan Allen), with the 2016 international class still just barely getting to full-season ball, another solid draft class last year and the sixth overall pick this year. The system remains deep in shortstops and power arms...
When I was a kid I would go to 10-12 baseball games a year as well as several knick and ranger games. Pricing just does not allow that today for typical middle class family. now we talk about going to one baseball game a year.