Deadspin: Every baseball related Final Jeopardy Question

This fantastic Sporcle quiz consisting of every baseball-related Final Jeopardy question going back to the ’80s has totally derailed our afternoon. Barry has the high score with 36/41.

35/41 here.  Really mad about two of the ones I missed.

MLB statement on independent investigation regarding the Seattle Mariners | MLB.com

The firm did not uncover credible evidence that the Mariners, or any of its employees, violated Major League Baseball’s Workplace Code of Conduct, or applicable anti-discrimination law, in the treatment of Dr. Martin or the termination of her employment. The investigation also concluded that there is no credible evidence to support Dr. Martin’s claim that Mariners’ employees, including Jerry Dipoto, Scott Servais, or Andy McKay, made any of the comments attributed to them in her public ...

Source: Bryce Harper, Giants met this week in MLB free agency visit | NBCS Bay Area

The Giants would be a great fit.

Marlins sign Curtis Granderson to minor-league deal

Granderson, 37, is a veteran of 15 major-league seasons and has been a beloved presence pretty much wherever he’s gone (he’s been dealt to a contender in each of the past two seasons and has played in the playoffs for each of the last four years, so take that for what it’s worth). With that in mind, it’s easy to see why a young team like the Marlins would want him around as a veteran mentor, even if it’s just for spring training. But if they’re making an honest effort to put the ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 2-6-2019

Hugh Fullerton on gambling in baseball, via the New York Evening World, February 6, 1919:

Not one case has been proved—the wrong thing, in my mind, has been that not one case ever has been thoroughly investigated or followed up. Even the famous case in which a New York hanger-on of the Giants was charged with trying to bribe an umpire was never exposed.

It is strange that these men with fortunes invested in baseball should take the attitude that it is “for the good of the game” to suppress all ...

The ‘Tank Tax’ Could Push Teams To Try Harder

So that’s why I propose the tank tax.

It’s relatively simple. The same draft system continues to exist. The worst team picks first, the second worst picks second, etc., with one caveat: any team that fails to win 70 games in back-to-back seasons faces a 10-spot draft penalty.

Have one awful season (like the Giants and Tigers 64-win teams in 2017) and your club reaps the benefits of having the top picks in the draft and the larger draft bonus pool that comes with it. But if a team wins ...

Analyzing this year’s Phillies Wall of Fame ballot

The Phillies Wall of Fame ballot is out and you can cast your votes through Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.

Fans can select their top three choices among the 10 men on the ballot. Votes are weighted differently for first, second and third place. The five players/managers/coaches with the most voting points then make up the five-man ballot voted upon by a special Wall of Fame Selection committee.

This year’s inductee will be honored prior to the Phillies’ game against the White Sox on Saturday, Aug. 3 at ...

James Loney signs to be a two-way player for an independent league team

When last we heard from James Loney he was being released by the Atlanta Braves in May of 2017. That release came, like, five days after they signed him to maybe cover for the then-injured Freddie Freeman. He became expendable when the Braves brain trust decided that Matt Adams would be better at that. He probably was.

Finally, some action on the free agent market!

Cardinals hope Goldschmidt can lead them back to playoffs

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After missing postseason play for the past three seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals believe they’ve struck gold with Paul Goldschmidt in their quest to play into October.

“We knew we just couldn’t have a stagnant offseason. We knew we had to make some changes to our club because we felt like even though we had a good team last year, we still weren’t good enough,” said John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball operations.

“We looked at all the different ...

Source: Phillies have indeed had trade talks with Marlins regarding J.T. Realmuto

The Phillies have engaged in recent conversations with the Miami Marlins regarding a trade for All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, a baseball source confirmed. The talks were initially reported by several national outlets on Tuesday.

The Phillies were linked to Realmuto during the winter meetings two months ago. At the time, a member of the Marlins organization said the Phillies didn’t have the prospects to pull off a deal. But after months of trying to move Realmuto for top value, the Marlins’ ...

Astros’ Carlos Correa, Rays’ Tommy Pham win arbitration cases

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Tampa Bay outfielder Tommy Pham have won their salary arbitration cases.

The decisions Tuesday gave players a 3-1 lead over teams in cases this winter.

Correa was awarded a $5 million salary, rather than the $4.25 million offered by the Astros. Arbitrators Elizabeth Neumeier, James Oldham and Gary Kendellen made the decision.

Today’s news in arbitration.

Chris Antonetti has some thoughts about Francisco Lindor

Take a second and breathe. Let’s all be rational adults here.

Chris Antonetti answered a bunch of questions from Paul Hoynes, none of which had any kind of follow-up, and in one of them he sort of sounded like he was trashing his best player who is slated to be a free agent in two years.

At the rate it’s going, I’m beginning to suspect that the folk who gather at Central Park each year are becoming a legitimate threat to win the AL Central.

Lance Berkman says it’s strange he fell off the ballot, but Edgar Martinez got into Hall

Houston Astros outfielder Lance Berkman has a bone to pick with Hall of Fame voters, and it’s not going to make Seattle Mariners fans happy. Berkman isn’t sure why he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot while Edgar Martinez made it to Cooperstown.

Berkman told Fox reporter Mark Berman there’s “something off” about the disparity in voting when he and Martinez “virtually had the same career.”

In his first year of eligibility, Berkman received just five votes for the Hall of Fame. ...

Aaron Judge would switch positions for Harper, but should he?

Spring training is right around the corner and Bryce Harper still doesn’t have a team to play for. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is hoping his pitch to Harper works.

The New York Yankees have yet to make that splash free agency signing that fans are accustomed to around this time of year. It’s looking less and less likely that they’ll sign Manny Machado even though the third baseman is holding out hope that the Yankees get back into the race.

Just because they won’t be ...

Rangers to retire Adrian Beltre’s number, is Cooperstown next?

The Texas Rangers have decided no player will ever wear No. 29 again. The team will retire Adrian Beltre’s number during the 2019 season.

Beltre will be honored during a pre-game ceremony June 8, according to the team’s Executive Vice President of Communications John Blake. The Rangers will take on the Oakland Athletics that day.

The move solidifies Beltre’s place in Rangers’ history. While Beltre played for four different teams throughout his Major League Baseball career, he ...

Idelson to retire as Hall of Fame president

Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, announced Monday that Jeff Idelson will retire from his role as President following July’s Induction Weekend.

“I am heartbroken for the Museum and its staff, but thrilled for Jeff,” Clark said. “Over his 11-year tenure as President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Jeff’s leadership and passion have guided this institution to great successes. We could not be more thankful for his commitment to the ...

Rosenthal: Three-batter requirement for all pitchers, universal DH part of proposals that could bring big change to baseball

As part of a Jan. 14 proposal to the players’ union on pace of play, baseball suggested a rule requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three batters, sources told The Athletic.

The Major League Baseball Players Association responded last Friday with its own comprehensive proposal that addressed the players’ concerns on competitive integrity and service-time manipulation in multi-faceted fashion, sources said. A lowering of a team’s draft position for failing to reach a specified win ...

How Christian Yelich helped California heal during the fires | SI.com

Helping fire victims is a cause that’s near and dear to my heart. Despite the focus on negativity and divisiveness in the news every day, people can be very generous. I witness regular people stepping up to help their neighbors all the time. It’s nice to see major league players do the same.

As the fires burned, Yelich got on a group text with Braun and Moustakas. They weren’t sure how much damage there might ultimately be, but they knew that they wanted to do something. “When we knew that, ...

My week at umpire school, where everyone wants a thankless job

I’m blowing it.

I can sense Dana DeMuth’s disappointment, and there’s nothing worse than disappointing Dana DeMuth, whose 35-year tenure as a big-league umpire earned him the dubious privilege of helming this cage session. I can’t really see his disappointment, though, because my grossly oversized umpire’s mask keeps nudging my glasses further and further down the bridge of my nose.

Not being able to see also makes it difficult to determine whether a pitch is a ball or strike. And, as I’ve ...

Should baseball go to a pay-for-performance model?

On top of the base pay, a player would be owed $4 million per WAR based on his performance that year. The antiquated arbitration system which rewards service time over production would be completely eliminated. There would be no reason to game the system for service time (except to move back free agency and that could be remedied somewhat by making it either 5.5 or 6.5 seasons of service time to be eligible for free agency). There is also no reason why you couldn’t have a player’s base pay ...

Korean Baseball Changes Ball Size

I only have this story as a couple of tweets from Sung Min Kim. Link to his 1st tweet above, quoted here for discussion:

Sung Min Kim (Verified account) @sung_minkim

The KBO is implementing a new baseball. It is 1 mm bigger and 1 g heavier, hoping that it could help neutralize the high-offense environment that the league is known for. According to a simulation run by the SK Wyverns, the ball resulted in 20% less home runs than the previous one. The KBO teams are currently in Spring Training ...

New Monthly Magazine Format Allows Baseball America To Stay Focused On What We Do Best

Baseball America is now a monthly.

‘It’s everything for us’: Inside the wild roller coaster of Dominican winter ball

Sometimes players don’t show up for the game, creating a scramble to replace them before rosters lock. Other times, a player will wait too long to tell somebody that he’s ailing and needs a rest. Once, the exact opposite happened. Before one game, with a few minutes before the roster deadline, Ramirez told the team trainer he was feeling banged up. Licey scrambled to remove Ramirez from the roster, only for Ramirez to pop his head into Hammock’s office a few minutes later wondering why he ...

Cubs family patriarch Joe Ricketts apologizes after racist emails are revealed: ‘I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong’

“I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails,” Joe Ricketts said in a statement. “Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I’ve said things that don’t reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong.”

Islamophobia was prevalent in many of the emails, with Ricketts stating, “Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy” in one. Others mentioned the faith of former President Barack Obama. Several of the ...

Bill James: Babe Ruth Lost in Time

James posits that Babe Ruth would be a superstar in today’s game… not sure I buy it.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 2-5-2019

New York Evening World, February 5, 1919:

HAL CHASE NOT GUILTY, PRES. HEYDLER DECIDES

Cincinnati Club’s Charges That He Bet Against His Own Team Are Groundless.

Hal Chase, the first baseman, has been cleared of the gambling charges brought against him last season by the Cincinnati Club. After considering the evidence for a week John Heydler, President of the National League, announced the not guilty verdict this afternoon.

Thankfully, all this talk of gambling and fixed games is now behind us ...

Caribbean Series Starts in Panama

Tournament was delayed two days after being shifted from Venezuela to Panama.  All games available on ESPN+ if you have that service (well even if you don’t they are available there, you just can’t watch).  It’s pretty good baseball and there is more of a ball in play component than usual MLB games.

Group A - Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico
Group B - Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico
Winners of each group face off in the final.

Monday: Dom. Rep. 3 - Puerto Rico 1
      Mexico 1 - Venezuela 5 ...Read More...

US sports leagues split on how to monetize sports betting

Jumping to the section of most direct relevance to baseball:

The NBA, MLB and golf’s PGA Tour began lobbying individual states for direct payments, an idea widely known among legislators and lobbyists as an “integrity fee” but that the leagues prefer to call a royalty. The leagues say they deserve to be reimbursed for costs to make sure their games are free from scandal and manipulation. They also feel that outside companies making money from games should share profits with those ...

A decade into his career, nothing’s surprising Jason Heyward anymore

It’s not hard to draw parallels between Jason Heyward and the Cubs team he plays right field for.

Arriving on the scene with a combo of (a bit green) youth and talent, both had to deal with sky-high expectations from the start. Heyward was the future of baseball, an intoxicating mix of 5 tools topped off with a generational glove. The Cubs were bursting at the seams with top prospects, flush with cash, and run by a man that Forbes magazine decided was a better leader than, among others, The ...

MLB Rumors: Giants have discussed trading for Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury

The Giants’ outfield situation is presenting more questions than answers with just weeks to go until the start of Spring Training, and now we can add another one to the list.

The question: Why is Jacoby Ellsbury’s name being associated with San Francisco?

Ellsbury, 35, missed all of last season with a series of injuries. He’s still owed $48 million on the 7-year, $153 million contract he signed with the Yankees after the 2013 season. He’s a lifetime .284 hitter and former Gold Glove award ...