Major League Baseball: 2023 Season

[Blitz24]

The 2022 season has ended and the Houston Astros are the World Series Champion. 29 other teams are looking to de-throne Houston in 2023. With new rules (limiting of pick-off plays, banning the shift and bigger bases) along with a new more equal schedule (everybody plays everybody) 2023 looks to be an interesting year.

The first big free-agent has signed too. The New York Mets have re-signed RHP Edwin Diaz to a 5 year, $102.5 MM Contract with an option for a 6th year.

Aaron Judge might switch teams, so might former Cy Young Winners Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw. Let the free agent frenzy begin.

 

[JohnBM01]

Houston vs. All Y'all.

This season- really. In fact, it's more like "(your favorite team) vs. All Y'all." Every team will face the 29 other teams in the season. So we'll have a lot of GTPlanet inner-forum rivalry series, except in the case of inner-division series (like Reds vs. Cardinals or Yankees vs. Red Sox for example).

There are also a bunch of different rule changes like eliminating the shift, limits on pick-off attempts, and more. This season will be very interesting. Whomever can adapt to the changes and make the most of this season will surely be the champions of the 2023 season.


Let me give out a reminder of how last season ended up just to set the discussion mood, starting with the 2021 All-Star Break...

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE (as of the 2022 All-Star Break) ---
AL EAST: New York Yankees (63-28), TB (51-41), TOR (50-43), BOS (48-45), BAL (46-46)
AL CENTRAL: Minnesota (50-44), CLE (46-44), CHW (46-46), DET (37-55), KC (36-56)
AL WEST: Houston (59-32), SEA (51-42), TEX (41-49), LAA (39-53), OAK (32-61)
CURRENT AL WILD CARD: TB, SEA, TOR

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE (as of the 2022 All-Star Break) ---
NL EAST: New York Mets (58-35), ATL (56-38), PHI (49-43), MIA (43-48), WAS (31-63)
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee (50-43), STL (50-44), PIT (39-54), CHC (35-57), CIN (34-57)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers (60-30), SD (52-42), SF (48-43), COL (43-50), ARI (40-52)
CURRENT NL WILD CARD: ATL, SD, PHI

...the regular season final standings...

--- American League: Final 2022 Regular Season Standings ---
AL EAST: New York Yankees! (99-63), TOR (92-70), TB (86-76), BAL (83-79), BOS (78-84)
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland! (92-70, CHW (81-81), MIN (78=84), DET (66-96), KC (65-97)
AL WEST: Houston!! (106-56), SEA (90-72), LAA (73-89), TEX (68-94), OAK (60-102)

--- National League Final 2022 Regular Season Standings ---
NL EAST: Atlanta! and New York Mets (101-61 each), PHI (87-75) MIA (69-93), WAS (55-107)
NL CENTRAL: St. Louis! (93-69), MIL (86-76), CHC (74-88), PIT and CIN (62-100 each)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers!! (111-51), San Diego (89-73), SF (81-81), ARI (74-88), COL (68-94)

...and the playoffs...

• AL WILD CARD 1: SEA def. TOR, gets HOU in ALDS
• AL WILD CARD 2: CLE def. TB, gets NYY in ALDS
• NL WILD CARD 1: PHI def. STL, gets ATL in NLDS
• NL WILD CARD 2: SD def. NYM, gets LAD in NLDS

• ALDS 1: HOU def. SEA
• ALDS 2: NYY def. CLE
• NLDS 1: SD def. LAD
• NLDS 2: PHI def. ATL

• ALCS: HOU def. NYY
• NLCS: PHI def. SD

* WORLD SERIES: HOU def. PHI

This was all last season. One has to wonder how this upcoming season will go. Houston will try to defend their championship; the other 29 teams want to knock Houston off of the top of the MLB mountain.


As for news and notes...

* Dusty Baker will return to manage the Astros. Possibly looking to get a second World Series triumph as a manager. Justin Verlander, however, recently opted out of his current contract and will test the free agent market. The Astros also let go of Trey Mancini and Will Smith (the pitcher, not the actor/rapper).

Got to love the Hot Stove.


The first real action for 2023 will happen in late February for Spring Training.

 

[JohnBM01]

James Click will not return as manager of the Houston Astros. There is some speculation as to how owner Jim Crane and James Click couldn't come to terms. J. Click used be part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization before joining the Astros. I'm just hoping the Astros aren't having a feeling similar to blowing up the core and starting over again. Hot Stove just started, and already things are getting weird.

 

[Blitz24]

1B Anthony Rizzo returns to the Yankees on a 2 year deal (with an option for a 3rd year) totaling at least $40 million.

Toronto has traded OF Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Erik Swanson and Prospect LHP Adam Macko.

 

[JohnBM01]

According to reports, the Houston Astros picked up Jose Abreu from the Chicago White Sox. He was one of the hottest free agents on the market. The Astros had interest in getting a 1B. Houston has their guy in Jose Abreu now. I'll be interested to see what he brings to the Astros.

 

[Blitz24]

Zach Eflin has signed with the Rays for a 3 year, $40 million contract.

Jacob deGrom, the most lucrative pitcher on the free agent market, has signed with the Texas Rangers for a staggering 5 years and $185 million.

 

[Blitz24]

Follow up to my prior post.

Justin Verlander has agreed to a 2 year, $86 Million contract with the New York Mets.

 

[Joey D]

Man, imagine having Scherzer and Verlander in your starting rotation. That's like a guaranteed World Series right...right?

sad Tiger noises

 

[JohnBM01]

Best of luck to Justin Verlander up in Flushing. Many people were speculating maybe JV would join the Dodgers. He could basically go anywhere he wants to after securing two World Series championships. Well, National League, you saw what damage Justin Verlander can do against the American League. Now, you got to deal with him in new colors and for a new team. Good luck.

And of course, in the spirit of every team playing against every team now, and in the sense of "Houston vs. All Y'All," the Astros and Mets will surely have their play dates this upcoming season. Going to be fun.

 

[Joey D]

Judge has ended up with a 9-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees:

Sources: Judge, Yanks reach 9-year, $360M deal

Aaron Judge has answered baseball's burning offseason question, agreeing to a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the Yankees, sources confirmed to ESPN.

www.espn.com

I have a feeling this contract is going to be bad in a couple of years. While Judge is good, he's also a big dude and big dudes get hurt.

 

[Blitz24]

Big names have switched teams:
SS Xander Bogaerts goes from Boston to San Diego (11 years/$280 million).
SS Carlos Correa goes from Minnesota to San Francisco (13 years, $350 million).
SS Trea Turner goes from Los Angeles to Philadelphia (11 years, $300 million).
SP Chris Bassitt goes from New York to Toronto (3 years, $63 million).
C Willson Contreras goes from Chicago to St. Louis (5 years, $87.5 million).

Japanese SP Kodei Senga signs with the New York Mets (5 years, $75 million).

 

[Blitz24]

Big names have switched teams:
SS Xander Bogaerts goes from Boston to San Diego (11 years/$280 million).
SS Carlos Correa goes from Minnesota to San Francisco (13 years, $350 million).
SS Trea Turner goes from Los Angeles to Philadelphia (11 years, $300 million).
SP Chris Bassitt goes from New York to Toronto (3 years, $63 million).
C Willson Contreras goes from Chicago to St. Louis (5 years, $87.5 million).

Japanese SP Kodei Senga signs with the New York Mets (5 years, $75 million).

See the strikethrough above? The Giants deal for Carlos Correa has fallen apart and now he is set to go to the New York Mets for 12 years and $315 million. He will likely be the team's 3B.
SS Dansby Swanson to the Chicago Cubs.

 

[Fezzik]

See the strikethrough above? The Giants deal for Carlos Correa has fallen apart and now he is set to go to the New York Mets for 12 years and $315 million. He will likely be the team's 3B.
SS Dansby Swanson to the Chicago Cubs.

Mets payroll around 10 times that of Oakland/Baltimore/Tampa. 2 whole teams' payroll ahead of the 2nd most expensive roster.

Meanwhile, a live look at Scott Boras:

 

[Joey D]

Man the Mets have spent a ton of money. It's going to suck for their fans when they go all LOLMets and lose out in the Wild Card round.

 

[Blitz24]

Man the Mets have spent a ton of money. It's going to suck for their fans when they go all LOLMets and lose out in the Wild Card round.

As a Met fan, I anticipate them to do that.

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Reds picked up Wil Myers for a year. Curt Casali is returning to Cincy as well to back up Stephenson if when he gets injured again. And Moose has been designated for assignment.


On a more somber note, I just found out that Reds' Mr. Perfect, Tom Browning, passed away on Monday. While there have been several no hitters, he remains the only Red to throw a perfect game.

 

[JohnBM01]

I think if the Cincinnati Reds didn't have as brutal of a start last season, they probably could have made some noise in the NL Central and in the NL In general. So on that front, my suggestion is try to knock down some wins and some series wins early. The Cardinals and Brewers will no doubt be tough customers in the NL Central. I doubt the Cubs and Pirates will do too much of anything this upcoming season.

Methinks the New York Mets want to try to one-up their Subway Series foes, the New York Yankees. I'm getting the feeling the Mets want to build a super team. It is a little refreshing to say that the Mets could be better than the Yankees. In my extremely early predictions, I can see a Mets-Padres NLCS for 2023. The Mets already have two beasts with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer dealing. All they'd need now is timely hitting by the Mets offense to be World Series contenders. That cause will be helped further by another former Astro, Carlos Correa. It would be a disappointment if the Mets somehow get knocked out in the NL Wild Card series or even lose in the NLDS. I am feeling the Mets regardless this season and maybe next season also.

As for my defending champion Houston Astros... I am not really sure. We do have some great talent, but things will be much different without Justin Verlander in Houston. I seem intrigued by the likes of Jose Abreu and even the pitching prospect of Hunter Brown. Especially if Brown can improve with his mid-90s slider, he'll be a solid pitcher for Houston. This past season was a magical one, and I don't we'll replicate or better last year's team unless we somehow get more wins than last year's team or even more wins than the 2019 Houston Astros.


There's still a lot to speculate until Spring Training gets underway.

 

[Blitz24]

See the strikethrough above? The Giants deal for Carlos Correa has fallen apart and now he is set to go to the New York Mets for 12 years and $315 million. He will likely be the team's 3B.
SS Dansby Swanson to the Chicago Cubs.

Lol,
Carlos Correa deal has fallen apart with the Mets and he will now be signing a 6 year, $200 million deal with an option of 4 years, $70 million with the Minnesota Twins.

Pending Physical.

 

[JohnBM01]

I feel sorry for the ex-Astro Carlos Correa through all of this. He'll make just about any team better. I just hope it isn't the end of the line for Carlos Correa with this leg injury thing.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros found their new General Manager recently. Meet Dana Brown. With Dana Brown and Dusty Baker, the Houston Astros are the second-ever MLB team to have a Black General Manager and a Black head coach. Dana Brown made some rather bold statements taking the reigns of the Houston Astros. Most notably, he mentioned "getting greedy about winning." I don't know if the Astros need that sort of character outside of their villainous character, but I appreciate his ambition.

 

[JohnBM01]

I'd like to offer my condolences to Ted Lerner, who died at the age of 97. He was the owner of the Washington Nationals. The 2022 Washington Nationals finished with the worst record in the NL East and overall at 55-107. They didn't stink when they won the 2019 World Series (at the expense of my Houston Astros ).

On a lighter note, next thing you know it, Spring Training 2023 will be coming up. So we'll get to see these players gear up for the upcoming season.

 

[JohnBM01]

Spring Training 2023 begins TODAY! It will be a different look and feel to Major League Baseball with new rules implemented starting this season. Among new changes are pitch clock, larger size bases, runner on 2nd base 10th inning onwards, and changes to the shift. This is all to speed up the game and make things more exciting. We'll see how the 2023 season goes...

 

[JohnBM01]

HEADS UP! Some of the first Spring Training games are coming up and being played. I'll be interested seeing how this new style of Major League Baseball will play itself out. My Astros are currently taking on Blitz24's New York Mets in Spring Training play.

PLAY BALL, GTPlanet!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros have played two games now as of the time of this post. I heard the game yesterday with the Astros vs. Mets lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes, and this Astros vs. Nationals is (give or take) two hours and six minutes.

If you need some sort of refresher on the new MLB rules, this Tweet is for you:



The 2023 season is going to be real interesting as everyone is trying to get adjusted to the newer rules. How do you all feel about these new rules and the new pace of play so far?


[UPDATE] The Astros at Nationals game was still going on. So it went 2:06:00.000, and not 2:03:00.000 as mentioned earlier.

 

[JohnBM01]

The new rules reportedly have shaved off an average of about 23 minutes per game so far in Spring Training. By this logic, an average baseball game has gone from about 2:45:00.000 to maybe 2:23:00.000 now. The general consensus, though, is NOT fond of the new Pitch Clock. There is still a lot of Spring Training left to practice some of the new rules, so I'm sure these players and teams will come around to them once the regular season starts.

 

[JohnBM01]

Both Edwin Diaz and Jose Altuve suffered injuries during the World Baseball Classic, and they will likely miss a good amount of time each. NYM closing pitcher E. Diaz will miss the entire 2023 season, and HOU 2B J. Altuve is told to miss about 8-10 with a fractured thumb.

 

[Dolph Drago]

And already unfounded rumors that the Mets are looking to trade for Edwin's brother, Alexis. The Reds have shot down the rumor. Good. He very well likely could become an All Star closer for Cincy. Please don't give him up.

Sorry to hear about Altuve, John. That's a tough hit to take right before the season starts.

 

[Blitz24]

And already unfounded rumors that the Mets are looking to trade for Edwin's brother, Alexis. The Reds have shot down the rumor. Good. He very well likely could become an All Star closer for Cincy. Please don't give him up.

Sorry to hear about Altuve, John. That's a tough hit to take right before the season starts.

Met fans REALLY want his brother for probably obvious reasons. It is more likely they either go with signing Zack Britton or just using a platoon of Ottavino/Robertson and maybe Montes de Oca.

 

[JohnBM01]

GTPlaneteers, the new season of Major League Baseball for 2023 begins TONIGHT! The Houston Astros will try to defend their Championship while the other 29 teams want become the new champions of the league. It will be a long season going from the end of March to some time around late September or early October. It's a 162-game grind with a handful of tweaked and changed rules. Games will be quicker, different strategies changed, and a lot more will help dictate what will no doubt be an interesting season to follow.

I'll do my usual series summaries when series conclude. Or, I may make brief posts if something of note happens. I invite you all to talk about your teams also in whatever capacity.

Well... PLAY BALL!

 

[JohnBM01]

Houston vs. all y'all. Let's get Opening Day series going.

* CHW White Sox at HOU Astros - 4 Games

[GAME 1] It was a pitching duel of Dylan Cease (CHW) and Framber Valdez (HOU). This is the first Opening Day without Jose Altuve since 2011. First to light the scoreboard was Houston in the Bottom of the 7th. The lead would be short-lived as the White Sox hit a solo homer with Y. Grandal. It was 1-1 at the Middle of the 8th. The White Sox banged in two more runs in the Top of the 9th to go up 3-1. It's the first lead for the Southside of Chicago boys. The Astros have won on Opening Day 10 straight times. Eleven in a row on Opening Day is at stake. Yordan Alvarez gave the Astros some hope in the Bottom of the 9th with a solo jack to make it 3-2, White Sox. The 10-game Opening Day win streak for the Houston Astros is over. White Sox win.

[GAME 2] After dropping Game 1, Houston wants to get to a 1-1 start to the 2023 season. An RBI by the White Sox was scored in the Top of the 1st to go up 1-0 early in Houston. The White Sox have been the hungrier team, and it continued when they got an RBI in the Top of the 6th. The Southside of Chicago boys now lead 2-0. Make that 3-0 on the very next pitch on a ground-ruled double. The Astros just seem lost without Jose Altuve in the lineup among other Astros talent. Kyle Tucker (King Tuck) launched a two-run bomb in the Bottom of the 6th to get on the scoreboard and make it a 3-2 White Sox lead. "Air Yordan" didn't hit a homer, but he did launch a deep RBI to left-center to bring home three Astros with the bases loaded. Houston took its first lead of the game at 5-3 in the Bottom of the 7th. David Hensley bangs in an RBI to put the Astros up 6-3. Six unanswered runs helped the Astros secure their first win of the 2023 season.

[GAME 3] When I first followed Game 3, the game was tied 3-3 in the Bottom of the 5th. In the Bottom of the 7th, the Astros went ahead on an RBI. The next inning, "Air Yordan" brought in a run on an RBI. It was now a 5-3 Astros lead. Another RBI was scored by the Astros in the same inning to make it 6-3. The White Sox didn't go out easy, though. Evidence was shown when they banged in a RBI in the Top of the 9th to make it 6-4.

[GAME 4] When I first followed Game 4, the White Sox were up 1-0 on a solo homer in the Top of the 5th or so. They then brought in two more runs later in the game to go up 3-0. The Astros finally lit the scoreboard on a wild pitch and stealing home in the Bottom of the 7th. The White Sox, though, added another run in the Top of the 8th to go up 4-1. The White Sox blasted a two-run homer to the Crawford Boxes in the Top of the 9th, and then I stopped watching the game after that. It was 6-1, White Sox at that point. The game ended 6-3, White Sox.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (3-2; Chicago White Sox)
GM2: (6-3; Houston)
GM3: (6-4; Houston)
GM4: (6-3; Chicago White Sox)

UP NEXT: vs. DET Tigers - 3 games, starting Monday

The Chicago White Sox just seemed to be the hungrier team all series long. I don't know if the Astros underrated the White Sox or were too busy celebrating their triumph last season that they couldn't contain the boys from the Southside of Chicago. Either way, it's a series split for the defending Champions. Hopefully the Astros will take the Tigers more seriously than they did the White Sox.

The 2023 Houston Astros are 2-2 on the season so far after splitting with the White Sox.


Congratulations to all series winners! Feel free to let us know how your team(s) did in their series.