MLB (Non Phillies) News and Discussion 2025 Season

[zambonir]

I don't think this is going to become common. Bristol has done this before in football and also none of the four states around there have a team. The Reds and Cards made regional sense [including with their AAA fan base] but there's really nothing for MLB or the nearby teams to gain from playing in PA or Delaware.

But they should really have an NHL Winter Classic at Penn State, if they are going to keep doing them [personally I think that whole thing has played out by now too. Bristol wants one, of course].

[Philsmania]

But they should really have an NHL Winter Classic at Penn State, if they are going to keep doing them [personally I think that whole thing has played out by now too. Bristol wants one, of course].

Flyers-Penguins would be the obvious choice for a Winter Classic at Beaver Stadium BUT the Pegula family which owns the Sabres are big Penn Staters (gave the money for the Nittany Lion's on-campus hockey arena) so the may feel entitled to be one of the teams which plays there. Getting off-topic there.

A Speedway Classing at Dover would probably be the Phillies-Nationals while at Pocono would probably be Phillies-Mets.

[flyers19rw]

A Speedway Classing at Dover would probably be the Phillies-Nationals while at Pocono would probably be Phillies-Mets.

The number of Nats fans in down State Delaware and the Eastern shore is quite high. A game involving two of the Phillies, Nats and O's would draw a good crowd.

[zambonir]

For sure but the main point of this game was to draw fans from Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina, including NASCAR fans who already go to Bristol and have great affection for the place. The fact that the Reds and Braves fans could also drive five hours to go and spend the weekend also didn't hurt. The other point was to break the MLB attendance record, which they did with 91,000. I don't think Pocono or Dover hold quite the same appeal on any count, and Dover's barely bigger than the baseball parks.

Good point about Pegula but I think he'd have to stay out of the way of this one. Ohio State (Detroit/Columbus] and Michigan [Detroit/Toronto] have the two largest crowds in NHL history and the only way to take a run at that is with the Pens and Flyers.

[Philsmania]

For the first time ever, we will have a woman umpire in a MLB game in this weekend's Marlins-Braves series.

https://www.mlb.com/news/jen-pawol-to-become-mlb-first-female-umpire

[andyb]

Nola gave up 8 runs today. Austin Nola that is. Closing out the Colorado Rockies 20-1 loss.

[zambonir]

Turns out the Cardinals' small-market magic isn't impervious to losing

Cardinals' fans are flying the coop

The Cubs are playing in St. Louis Friday night. Just the sound of it is enough to toast the ravioli. But this is 2025, and you not only don’t have to negotiate with a scalper to squeeze into Busch Stadium, you can score a ticket for 27 bucks. The supply has surpassed the demand to see the Cardinals, and Baseball Heaven is suddenly just a sweaty place to watch the aging and the unproven.

The Cardinals are averaging 28,881 fans per home game, 11th most in the National League. Only Cincinnati, Washington, Pittsburgh and Miami are lonelier. Did you ever foresee a universe in which the Cardinals averaged 14,000 fewer fans than the San Diego Padres? Even the Rockies, who lost their 80th game before they won their 30th, have an average crowd of 29,646. The Cardinals have never finished as low as 10th in N.L. attendance.

[Philsmania]

Boomer Esiason has unflattering things to say about Juan Soto.

Juan Soto’s Attitude in Latest Mets Loss Rubs NY Radio Host the Wrong Way

[zambonir]

The Mets were 45-24 on June 12, holding a 5 1/2-game NL East lead over the Phillies, and they have gone 18-31 since to hand Philly that same 5 1/2-game lead.

We're 29-20 since then. 7-2 in August.

[Philsmania]

The Mets were 45-24 on June 12, holding a 5 1/2-game NL East lead over the Phillies, and they have gone 18-31 since to hand Philly that same 5 1/2-game lead.

We're 29-20 since then. 7-2 in August.

I say this with the caveat that there is still roughly 1.5 months of the regular season to go but it almost looks like the converse of last season. On June 3, 2024, the Phillies seemingly were on top of the baseball world at 41-19 while the Mets were 24-35, 16.5 games behind us. From that point onward, they were a full 10.5 games better than us--Phillies went 54-48 the rest of the way while the Mets went 65-38. Them being the better team in the NLDS should not have been a surprise since they had been the better team for the prior four months by a fairly wide margin. Here in 2025, we've been the team that's been 10.5 games better since June, caveat so far (Baseball Reference says we were 5 games behind them on June 12).

[zambonir]

Brewers also doing this. Started 0-4, were 31-28 on July 1, 42-16 since (including 9-0 this month). Cubs led by 6.5 in June, they're back 6.0 now.

[Philsmania]

To add to my comment above, I am enjoying the Mets' current misfortunes and would be happy to see the Reds overtake them so long as the Reds don't get hot until this Thursday.

Both New York teams have been in a funk of late and are in danger of being overtaken by their league's Ohio team for the third WC spot. A lot of speculation that Boone may be on the hot seat.

[Philsmania]

I did my daily look at the standings and note that the Padres have pulled even with the Dodgers in the NL West. But the Padres are only +42 on the RD and have been lucky by 3 games. Dodgers playing to even luck.

[andyb]

Forget luck for a minute. Phillies are only 1.5 games ahead of the Dodgers/Padres. Since the Brewers look unstoppable for the moment, it is going to be really important to keep that 2 seed and avoid the wild card round. I know that round has been good to us lately, but I'd rather have the extra rest.

[zambonir]

And until a little bit ago we were the #3. It's gonna be a very tough race. Obviously you are supposed to want the rest and the bye and better seed, but it's definitely hard to feel too invested in it given the way the last three seasons have played out. Not just us: '24 Dodgers are the only NL team to win the NLDS as a Top 2 seed.

Where it would go bad is if they missed out on 2 and dropped all the way 5 or 6.

[zambonir]

Pohlad Family No Longer Pursuing Sale Of Twins

Yikes.

[zambonir]

Worth remembering, the unlikely but not impossible scenario where the Phillies could snag a depth pitcher on waivers (just not this one). Several pitchers moved in 2023, as did Harrison Bader.

Jon Gray goes unclaimed after Rangers place him on waivers: Sources

And, in a coincidence

Jon Gray Placed On IL With Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

[bkox]

Rob Manfred says MLB expansion could lead to geographical realignment in...

[andyb]

Pretty much hate everything about that. 4-team divisions are terrible. And while the Northeast division they imagine would be fun, it would also be the toughest division by far in many years assuming we don't go with a salary cap.

Not a huge fan of expansion, but much prefer the 4-division 8-team option.

[dicemen99]

Pretty much hate everything about that. 4-team divisions are terrible. And while the Northeast division they imagine would be fun, it would also be the toughest division by far in many years assuming we don't go with a salary cap.

Not a huge fan of expansion, but much prefer the 4-division 8-team option.

I can not see any way that those 4-team divisions happen. They seem to be the product of a fantasy league commissioner, not based in the reality of dollars and cents. Ensuring the playoff inclusion of 2 to 4 small market teams every year, while eliminating the playoff possibilities of a couple of large market teams every year, in addition to reducing the potential for two large market teams to meet in a ratings bonanza WS each year, sounds like something that a bunch of baseball purists from the Midwest can get behind that has zero chance of ever happening.

I'll make @Austinfan and @Jazzhead happy and ask if Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, and AOC contributed to that article.