https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status...092781056?s=19
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another great pick by dayton.
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Is that what it was? Steve Blass disease is the sudden inability to throw strikes. I don't know if that's "a lack of confidence." But I thought Russell was suffering from something deeper, such as depression or anxiety. The Royals made it sound like it was not baseball related, but life related, and when he got that squared away, the baseball would follow. That's not Steve Blass disease.
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Assuming the best...that he becomes a prospect again...in terms of his original contract and option years, how is it all affected by the 2 year layoff? I have no idea how these kinds of situations affect team control years and original signing bonus, etc.
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Holland signed by the Dbacks.
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@FlannyMLB: Per source, the Royals are closing in on a one-year deal with reliever Brad Boxberger. Story to come on http://Royals.com

@JonHeyman: Boxberger goes to royals. 2.2M plus incentives
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Surprised nobody has posted this stuff yet. Crazy stuff. I'm all for several of these proposals. Proposal 1 would render Terry Francona's maddening bullpen management style obsolete. GOOD. Proposal 2 would drag the NL out of the stone age. GOOD.

Sources: MLB and players discussing rule changes that could alter game

12:03 PM CT
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are discussing potentially drastic changes to the on-field game and economic landscape of the sport in the middle of a collective bargaining agreement, a significant departure from the past that speaks to the chasm between the parties but represents a thaw in the chill that has divided the sides, sources familiar with the talks told ESPN.

Dueling proposals from MLB on Jan. 14 and the union on Friday covered a wide range of topics, according to sources. Among them include:

A three-batter minimum for pitchers

A universal designated hitter

A single trade deadline before the All-Star break

A 20-second pitch clock

The expansion of rosters to 26 men, with a 12-pitcher maximum

Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams

A study to lower the mound

A rule that would allow two-sport amateurs to sign major league contracts

With owners meetings set to begin this week and spring training next week amid another tepid free-agent market, the willingness to bandy about ideas -- and the openness to addressing concerns -- is seen as a step in the right direction by both sides. Whether any substantive change comes of it, sources said, remains unclear.

The three-batter minimum for pitchers, first reported by The Athletic, is perhaps the most controversial measure, as it would ostensibly eliminate a job created by modern bullpen use: the one-out left-handed reliever. MLB's proposal of the idea illustrates the league's concern with both time and pace of game, as constant bullpen shuffling has contributed to the average game time lasting longer than three hours. The rule would apply to all pitchers, except in instances in which pitchers finish an inning or are injured, sources said.

The union did not strongly oppose the idea, according to sources, instead suggesting it preferred the implementation to be delayed until 2020 rather than 2019, as MLB proposed.

The league's other bid to deal with pace of play was the enactment of a 20-second pitch clock, something commissioner Rob Manfred can put into place unilaterally. While numerous players have spoken out against the pitch clock, the recognition that Manfred has the ability to mandate it, even without the union's support, gives him leverage on the issue, according to sources.

In the discussions, the possibility of the clock being turned off when runners are on base was raised, sources said.

One of the union's counterproposals was the adoption of the designated hitter in the National League, according to sources. While a compromise could be the rule being eased in, the union is advocating for a universal DH in 2019, sources said.

In addition to the universal DH, the MLBPA is interested in changes that would use draft picks to incentivize winning and grant players the ability to earn additional service, which could allow them to hit free agency earlier and theoretically counteract what the union believes is the manipulation of service time by teams.

Low-revenue teams that succeed -- whether by finishing above .500 or making the playoffs -- would be given greater draft positions or bonus pools under the union's proposal, according to sources. While the depth of the penalties were not clear, the union suggested teams that lose 90-plus games in consecutive years could be affected negatively in the draft.

In the wake of Oakland Athletics first-round pick Kyler Murray potentially leaving behind baseball to pursue an NFL career after a Heisman Trophy-winning season, the union also suggested the idea of bringing back the major league contract as an enticement for two-sport athletes to stick with baseball, sources said. Currently, all draft contracts are minor league deals subject to a draft pool that penalizes teams that exceed it.


Athletics draft pick Kyler Murray recently announced he's entering the NFL draft. The MLBPA has suggested bringing back the major league contract as an enticement for two-sport athletes to stick with baseball, sources said. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Service-time issues remain a key concern for the union, according to sources, with teams capable of keeping major league-ready players in the minor leagues without recourse. While both sides acknowledge service time is a difficult problem to solve, the union's proposal included the possibility of additional service time for performance, playoff appearances or awards, according to sources.

Among the union's ideas was a single trade deadline before the All-Star break, sources said. Currently, the non-waiver trade deadline is July 31, and players who pass through waivers can be dealt until Aug. 31. An earlier trade deadline could force teams to emphasize the first half, which might force them to focus more in the offseason on acquiring players via free agency to improve the likelihood of that rather than allowing them to strike well past the 100-game mark.

MLB's carrot in its proposal was an expansion of roster size from 25 to 26, creating 30 new major league jobs, according to sources. The offering included a 28-man limit on September rosters and a maximum of 12 pitchers during non-September games, sources said.

The league also is interested in studying mound height, with the potential for Manfred to implement a lowering of the mound in 2020, according to sources.

Another league proposal would end all spring training games that are tied after 10 innings and use spring training and the All-Star Game as testing grounds for the rule that starts a runner on second base in the 10th inning of a tied game.

In typical bargaining sessions, dozens of ideas are offered, considered and placed on the back burner, so the likelihood of a handful of these proposals being ratified, let alone all of them, is unlikely, according to sources. Still, as MLB and the union seek to find a place of understanding amid a winter chill that has fractured already-tenuous relations, the mere discussion, sources said, is considered a positive.
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Royals are the front-runner for international free agent Erick Pena, who is expected to sign July 2 and is rumored to be in line for a $3-4 million bonus. He’s a top 10 guy in the class.

Pair him with the #2 draft slot coming up, and that’s a nice shot of high end potential in the system
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There was something floating out there today that they'd at least thought about the idea of moving the mound back, although I'm not sure that's likely. But the mound hasn't been moved since 1893. It's been raised and lowered but not actually moved to a different distance.

I'm not sure about some of the other rules. I think the DH thing is going to happen. I'm the only person who actually likes the leagues being different. But I'd never want the Royals to lose the DH. Maybe I'd feel differently if the Royals were an NL team.

Not sure what to think of the three batter rule either. I get it. But will it really save that much time? I think another idea would be just to make it so a relief pitcher has to come in ready. Give him like 2-3 warm up tosses and it's time to go. Is that any more dangerous than leaving a guy in for three hitters if he doesn't have it?
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Expect 10-14 score baseball games
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I like this one.
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It's why I can't believe they'd do it. No way it would make the game shorter.

It was a different time for sure and it was a more dramatic mound adjustment because they moved it back several feet.. but when they moved the mound back to the current distance in 1893, scoring skyrocketed about 3 runs a game.

No doubt baseball was different then, but in 1892 Boston won the pennant averaging about 5 runs a game with a sub-3 team ERA and one player on the whole team with a .300 average.

Two years later Baltimore won the pennant scoring 9 runs a game with a 5.00 team ERA. All 8 starting position players hit over .300 and had at least 92 RBI.
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On the bright side maybe it’ll get Alex Gordon to hit better
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Giving lower payroll teams higher picks for winning is an interesting attempt to stop the tanking trend. I kinda' like it because it can only be helpful to the Royals when they're winning - they never really tried to tank like other teams, so I don't see it changing the way they operate - only a potential benefit.

But I'm not sure how it helps the current issues being experienced with FA contracts. Teams like the Royals MIGHT change some behaviors, like signing a lower to mid tier FA here or there instead of going with a rook. However, the top tier FA's continue to stay on the market so late into the off-season because high revenue teams have simply changed their business approach to FA and aren't paying/bidding like they used to.

Since top tier FA's tend to set the market for everyone else, I'm not sure how this will change much, since the high revenue teams are usually signing the big names. I'm curious as to whether the corresponding penalty for tanking applies to high revenue teams as well - I would think it would have to...otherwise, they could tank without repercussions. Maybe they think the penalty will cause them to go spend crazy for the Harpers and Machado's of the world? I'm not so sure. You don't need those guys to simply avoid tanking.
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I’ve seen a proposal where this would occur:

Win 70 or less 2 straight years: next draft pick drops 10 slots
3 straight - 15 slots
4 straight - 20 slots

That gives a team a reason to not completely bottom out and try to remain respectable down the stretch.

I like it.

It seems fair to offer draft position bonuses - maybe after round 1 - for reaching certain win totals, too.
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