Mega Thread MLB season 2024

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So, the playoffs are set. The Mets and Braves are in, and the Diamondbacks are out. The Braves are the fifth seed in the NL, and will travel to face the Padres in San Diego in the NLWC, while the Mets are on their way to Milwaukee to face the Brewers as the sixth seed in the other NLWC. The winner of the Braves @ Padres would face the Dodgers (the #1 seed) in the NLDS, and the winner of Mets @ Brewers will face the Phillies (the #2) in the other NLDS.

The Braves scratched Chris Sale from his scheduled start due to what the team terms "back spasms". It's being reported that Sale is unlikely to pitch in the NLWC, based on the word relayed from Braves manager Brian Snitker to reporters after the second game of the doubleheader against the Mets.

 
With the Wild Card series beginning tomorrow, the playoff clubs will be managing their hurt players.

As noted above, it's likely that Sale will not pitch for the Braves at all during the NLWC, according to their manager.

The Yankees are likely to be without 1B Anthony Rizzo for the ALDS, according to manager Aaron Boone, with Rizzo dealing with fractures to his fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand after being hit by a pitch in the seventh inning of a weekend game against the Pirates. Third baseman DJ LeMahieu (right hit impingement) told reporters on Friday last week that he expects to be available for the ALDS. Yankees RHP Jake Cousins (right pectoral strain) played catch over the weekend and is expected to complete a bullpen session today, then pitch in live batting practice in a few days' time. LHP Nestor Cortes Jr (left elbow flexor strain) was put on the 15-day IL on 25 September (retroactive to 22 September) after a MRI revealed a strain in his elbow flexor. According to Cortes, his UCL remains intact. The Yankees are targeting a return of the ALCS for Cortes.

It's still a toss-up as to whether Yordan Alvarez (sprained right knee) will be available to the Astros for their ALWC. Chas McCormick took live batting practice over the weekend and is expected to be on the roster for the ALWC.
 

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The all-time hit leader, Pete Rose, died earlier today at the age of 83. He was a 17-time All-Star and the 1973 NL MVP. As a Cincinnati native, Rose signed with his hometown team out of high school and made his MLB debut in 1963. Rose ended up winning three World Series rings, and was named the MVP of the 1975 World Series. He still holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). He also holds the NL record for the longest hitting streak (44). He was the leadoff man for the Big Red Machine in the 1970s, batting in front of Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Joe Morgan.

Rose also owns a record that will almost certainly never be broken. He recorded 4,256 hits in his career, breaking the record formerly held by Ty Cobb (4,191). A player who made his debut in 2025 and averaged 200 hits per season until 2045 would not break this record. In his 24 seasons (18 with Cincinnati and the remainder with Philadelphia), Rose had 200 or more hits on 10 separate occasions, and over 180 four other times. He was a career .303 hitter, despite shifting positions from second base to left field to third base to first base. He seemed on course to be enshrined as a first ballot Hall of Famer, and was effectively told as much by Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth in 1985 when Rose broke the record held by Ty Cobb for most hits.

However, in 1989, it was reported that the Commissioner's office was undertaking an investigation into allegations that Rose routinely bet on baseball games, including games involving the Reds. Rose denied wrongdoing, but the investigation concluded that Rose had gambled on games of professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986 and 1987 baseball seasons.

The MLB announced that Rose had agreed to a lifetime ban from the sport in August 1989 and, in 1991, it was decided by the Hall of Fame that he would be ineligible for induction. Rose continued to deny the allegations until he finally admitted the truth in his 2004 autobiography that he bet on baseball, including Reds games, though he claimed that he never bet against the Reds.

 
The St Louis Cardinals have announced that they have hired Chaim Bloom to replace John Mozeliak as President of Baseball Operations after 2025. Mozeliak will keep his role for the 2025 season but will consult with Bloom and ownership on long-term decisions. Michael Girsch has been demoted by the Cardinals from being the GM and is now the Vice President of Special Projects for the Cardinals.









 
The San Francisco Giants announced that they have fired President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and that Buster Posey (who won three World Series with the Giants) is his replacement. Zaidi was under contract to the Giants until the end of 2025, and the Giants also held an option on Zaidi for 2026.
 
The Cardinals are looking to trim payroll for 2025, and it is expected that they will let Paul Goldschmidt walk in the off-season. Goldschmidt is a free agent now that the season is over. It is also expected that the Cardinals will also allow free agents Andrew Kittredge and Keynan Middleton to walk, and it is not yet determined whether the Cardinals will bring back veteran starters Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson for 2025. The Cardinals hold options on both Lynn and Gibson (each worth $12 million, with $1 million buyouts). There is also speculation that RHP Sonny Gray may be traded during the off-season to reduce payroll, while there will also be question marks over the long-term future of third baseman Nolan Arenado, catcher Willson Contreras and closer Ryan Helsley at the Cardinals.


 

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Mega Thread MLB season 2024

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