How ex-player David Bell plans to modernize the Giants’ farm system

Not much info provided.

The Opt-Out Clause Is Evolving | FanGraphs Baseball

Jeff Sullivan explains Jake Arrieta’s contract.

‘Badass’ is bringing nasty streak back to Mets’ pitching staff | New York Post

Uh oh.

SABR Analytics Conference | Society for American Baseball Research

Highlights from the conference.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 3-13-2018

Bridgeport Times, March 13, 1918:

The mystery as to why Harold Ruel of the Yanks was nicknamed “Muddy” was explained by [Yankees team secretary] Harry Sparrow, who says it is because Ruel’s uniform while at Memphis was always the color of the Missouri, part of the Mississippi river. He never had his unirofm washed while on a hitting streak, and, as he always hit well, the flannels never saw any water.

Bill James mentions a completely different story in the Historical Baseball Abstract, in which ...

Neil Walker signs one-year deal with Yankees | MLB.com

The 32-year-old Walker, who had been working out at the free-agent camp in Bradenton, is entering his 10th Major League season. His signing could signal the Yankees’ intent to have touted prospects Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres begin the year in the Minor Leagues.

“I don’t control that,” Torres said. “I control playing my game every day and making progress every day, staying humble and trying to help my team. I don’t know what happens right now.”

Walker’s contract is believed to be worth ...

Jake Arrieta, Phillies agree to deal | MLB.com

That’s a pretty good contract for a guy who is trending in the wrong direction.

The Phillies made a remarkably bold move Sunday, particularly for a team that still considered itself building for the future. Sources told MLB.com that the Phillies and Jake Arrieta have agreed in principle to a multi-year contract, pending a physical. MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports it’s a three-year contract worth $75 million—Arrieta will make $30 million in the first year, $25 million in the second and $20 ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 3-12-2018

Washington Herald, March 12, 1918:

An unusual and interesting feature of the spring training of the St. Louis Americans is focusing the attention of the fans upon Shreveport, La., for there Jack Powell, fat and middle-aged, is attempting what, if successful, will prove one of the most remarkable come-backs in the history of baseball.

Powell, who twirled for the St. Louis club during the team’s first year in the American League, and who left major league baseball in 1912, is paying his own ...

Dodd: Scott Boras says “The system has failed” Mike Moustakas – The Athletic

The “system” or his agent?

Moustakas is a good player. He’s not a great player. He’s also the type of player who has lost value…slow, mediocre fielders with one above-average tool (a tool that is plentiful in the market). Boras should have gotten him signed earlier.

Boras, his agent, had misjudged the market. Moustakas lost nearly $10 million in the process in 2018. Yet as Boras, Moustakas and Moore gathered for a group media session on Saturday morning, Boras questioned the “integrity” of ...

OTP 12 March 2018: Trevor Bauer thinks Major League Baseball trying to silence him on Twitter

Last February, Bauer made waves on Twitter when he argued over politics with his followers. He tweeted that almost all of the Indians supported Donald Trump and told another user they were “welcome to quit life.”

Bauer has been much calmer as of late and that could be because MLB stepped in. The 27-year-old hasn’t tweeted that much this offseason and when he does it’s been about things like the Olympics and his training.

Staying Ahead of the Curve: Why Conventionality is a Luxury of the Rich | The Process Report

Some great analysis on a idea that I’ve been a proponent of for a long time. Hopefully the team will get full buy-in from players with the ability to execute the plan.

Heyman | Arrieta closing in on deal with Phillies | FanRag Sports

Twitter says it’s a done deal.

Mannis: Slow market, ‘tanking’ on the table for SABR Analytics Team Approach Panel | Society for American Baseball Research

The place to be.

Scouts: Shohei Ohtani not MLB ready offensively

“He’s basically like a high school hitter because he’s never seen a good curveball,” the scout said. “He’s seen fastballs and changeups. And you’re asking a high school hitter to jump to the major leagues?”

Rays catchers will be well-armed with more info, data this season

It’s all in the cards.

Reports: Twins agree to one-year deal with Lance Lynn

Saturday brought the news that they had reached agreement with veteran right-hander Lance Lynn on a one-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge. Remarkably, it was for $12 million with another $2 million in potential performance bonuses. .

Lynn, 30, had turned down a recent two-year, $20 million offer from the Twins, according to a person with direct knowledge, but the two sides kept talking amid a historically slow-moving market.

With Checkups and Chickpea Pasta, the Mets Get Healthier. But Better? - The New York Times

How many teams are already doing this?

SABR Analytics: Wins Above Replacement or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love deGrom

My talk on how we formulate WAR on baseball-reference.com.

A’s, Jonathan Lucroy agree to one-year deal

No details.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 3-9-2018

Bridgeport Times, March 9, 1918:

BASEBALL BAT IS 59 YEARS OLD TODAY

On March 9, 1859, at a meeting of the fathers of baseball held in New York, it was declared that the bat should be made of wood, and have a diameter not to exceed two inches and a half and a length not greater than 42 inches.
...
The early rule that the bat should be made “of wood” wasn’t binding enough in the early days of professionalism for some of the players sneaked in bats into which holes had been made and filled with ...

Source: Rox, CarGo nearing one-year deal | MLB.com

Another shocker.

Mike Moustakas returning to Royals

Boras lost this one.

- Mike Moustakas has agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual second-year option with the Kansas City Royals, according to sources. The deal, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, guarantees him $6.5 million and can max out at $22.7 million.

Astros renew Correa and Bregman

Minor news but they did play nice by giving Correa $1 M and Bregman gets a tiny boost up to $599.

Are Yoenis Cespedes’ camp antics a Mets problem? | New York Post

Spring training 1992. Back field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. New Yankees manager Buck Showalter and I are standing side by side staring out at an outfield drill that Mel Hall is purposely tarnishing.

Showalter never moves his eyes from the drill, never looks at me, but says: “Joel, you can have an ass(bleep) on your team. But that ass(bleep) better be Barry Bonds.”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 3-8-2018

Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, March 8, 1918:

It generally is admitted that the International League awaits only the dead line, March 25, to formally disappear from the baseball scenery. The scene already is set for the obsequies and the remains will be quietly interred.

Persistent word is heard, however, of an effort, said to be backed principally by Jack Dunn, of Baltimore, and McCaffery, of Toronto, the only club owners voting to continue, to patch up a new circuit and in a way keep the ...

Arizona Diamondbacks hope for an edge with hitting strategist Robert Van Scoyoc

After years of gaining word-of-mouth notoriety around baseball as a vanguard of the swing-change revolution, Robert Van Scoyoc was hired by the Diamondbacks in the offseason to fill a newly created role. He will be their hitting strategist.

A lot of good stuff in this article.

Zack Wheeler winning, Rafael Montero losing in Mets’ rotation battle

Zack Wheeler further bolstered his case to start in the rotation Wednesday, when he blanked the Yankees for three innings in the Mets’ 11-4 Grapefruit League loss at First Data Field. His fastball had good life and velocity and he was able to get Yankee hitters to roll over his off-speed stuff for ground balls. His curveball got swings and misses.

As of now, the rotation is looking like deGrom, Thor, Vargas, Harvey, and Wheeler.

SSAC18: Next Frontier in Baseball Analytics

Some interesting stuff.

Kaplan: How a ‘really big fantasy baseball nerd’ became Jeff Luhnow’s right-hand man – The Athletic

An interesting piece on one of the many smart people working in the Astros front office, Brandon Taubman.

Angels’ Shohei Ohtani faces Clayton Kershaw

Sorry, this isn’t smack talk.

“I could care less now,” Kershaw said when asked if he was excited to face Ohtani. “He didn’t pick us. Good luck to him.”