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New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Anonymous MLB player thoughts are here. Plus: Breaking down the Orioles' deadline strategy
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. It's a big day today: Our annual anonymous player poll has dropped. This year, we have five different angles to choose from. Plus: Ken has notes on the Orioles' deadline strategy. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Of all the questions we ask the big leaguers, the ones that get the most attention are the ones that allow players to throw a little shade. In our first story, players were asked which managers they would most/least like to play for, and which organizations had good/bad reputations. The most predictable one — no surprise if you've paid attention to free agency recently — is that the Dodgers have a good reputation. The best, in fact. They got 82 'good' votes and zero 'bad's. The four runners-up: the Yankees, Braves, Cubs and Guardians. Advertisement Interestingly, nine teams didn't receive a single 'good' vote. You can probably guess the three at the bottom of the list: Rockies, White Sox and — with 39 'bad' votes — the A's. As for managers, Bruce Bochy (Rangers) and Terry Francona (Reds) took the top two spots, with the now-fired Bud Black (Rockies) and Oli Marmol (Cardinals) taking the two least-popular spots. Best quote: '(The Angels) just don't know what they're doing top to bottom. That's what I've heard.' More Player Poll: Which players do the players love to watch the most? And who would they least want to face with the World Series on the line? All that in our second story. We'll be back with more player poll results, but first, here's Ken … From my latest column with Will Sammon: The currently 26-39 Orioles will be sellers, that much is fairly obvious. But as they point toward a possible return to contention in 2026, it would behoove them to be buyers, too. Easier said than done. The Orioles' biggest need for next season, with right-handers Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton on one-year deals, is starting pitching. Yet with so many pitchers injured, few teams will be willing to trade major-league starters, or even prospects at Double A or Triple A. The risk of getting caught short will be too great. Which isn't to say a buy-sell strategy for the Orioles is unrealistic. It's just that such an approach probably would be best viewed through a broader lens. Any significant additions by the Orioles might be more likely to occur during the offseason than the deadline. If, for example, the Orioles' best offer for Eflin included two highly regarded prospects in A ball, those players obviously would not be ready to help Baltimore in 2026. But if general manager Mike Elias acquired enough of those types, he would be in better position to deal from strength during the winter. Advertisement Beyond Eflin, Sugano and Morton, the Orioles' potential free agents include first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and catcher Gary Sánchez, plus relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. A fairly intriguing list. Relievers Andrew Kittredge and Félix Bautista also could be in demand, but the Orioles control both beyond this season, Kittredge through a $9 million club option, Bautista through two years of arbitration. Bautista, earning a relatively paltry $1 million this season, is an interesting case. Coming off Tommy John surgery, his strikeout rate from his last healthy campaign in 2023 has dropped from 46.1 percent to 30.1, and his walk rate has increased from 11 percent to 17.2. So, this probably is not the best time to extract maximum value for him. And in 2026, when he is another year removed from surgery, he could be an important part of Baltimore's club. At the moment, the Orioles' rotation options for '26 include Grayson Rodriguez (if he ever gets healthy), Cade Povich, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers and two pitchers who could return from elbow surgeries in the second half, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. In other words, Elias will be in the same spot he was last offseason, needing to add at least one top-of-the-rotation type. Assuming he is still GM, he cannot afford to miss again. Might Elias try to force the issue at the deadline by trading a prospect such as corner infielder Coby Mayo for a high-caliber starter? Perhaps, but few such pitchers are likely to be available. And contenders are more likely to pay a premium for those arms, placing greater value on what they might offer for the rest of 2025. More notes here. Now, back to the poll … Our third story comes in light of recent news that the automated ball-strike challenge system is likely to be implemented in the big leagues next year. Players were asked their opinion on the 'robo-umps,' and I was a little surprised by these results: Some of the arguments against were logical — catchers, in particular, are worried that it will make framing less valuable. Fair! Others made less sense: One player included the words 'It will make injuries and the competitive nature of the game worse.' I'm not sure I follow. Interestingly, when it was presented as a challenge system — a limited number per team, with umpires still calling balls and strikes until a player challenges a call — the opinion shifted slightly. It '… seemed a worthwhile middle ground to many players. Some who said they were against ABS in general said they were open to it as part of a challenge system.' Advertisement But the more entertaining section: Players were asked what rule changes they would implement to make the game better. Many brought up a less arduous schedule, which was to be expected. But some players got creative! One player suggested inning-by-inning match play, and another said the league should be able to demote umpires to the minor leagues. Best quote: 'More hockey fights! How 'bout that? Let's fight each other!' More Player Poll: In light of recent stories about Lance McCullers Jr. and Liam Hendriks receiving threats of violence — and with the recent reinstatement of players who had been suspended a year for gambling — we asked players if increased legalization of sports gambling had impacted them. The overwhelming response: yes, and in a bad way. There's a recurring conversation I've had with friends and family members that always makes me pause, take a deep breath and remind myself: 'They just don't know.' The topic: assuming to know what's going on in the heads of big leaguers. '(X player) just doesn't care.' 'This team has given up.' 'They just don't want it.' So I appreciated our fifth article from the poll: 'MLB players talk biggest misconceptions about playing in the majors.' One line I particularly appreciated: 'Many respondents acknowledged the remarkable privilege of playing professional sports while still taking a moment to vent.' Because let's face it: A job is a job. You can be grateful that you're not making your money cleaning out the porta-johns at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and still be annoyed that Jan from finance won't stop microwaving fish sandwiches in the break room. For big leaguers, a lot of it comes down to the grind. Spring training starts in mid-February. The season ends in early October (and your goal is to keep playing after that). Players get to the ballpark as early as noon for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, and don't get home until close to midnight — even when the team is at home. Parents: Does this seem sustainable? Obviously, it's still a great job. If we ran an anonymous reader poll, I'd bet 90-plus percent of you (and 100 percent of me) would sign up for it. But the next time you think a player doesn't care … buddy, if they didn't care, they'd quit. Best quote: 'I haven't seen my mom on her birthday in 17 years. … Like, I couldn't go to my prom because I had a baseball tourney, you know? It's just little sacrifices you make over the years that you never get back.' More behind-the-scenes: Clarke Schmidt walks us through what a starting pitcher's five-day routine looks like. Bad news in Philly: Aaron Nola has a stress reaction in a right rib that will likely keep him out until at least the All-Star break. Could Giancarlo Stanton be back in the big leagues in time for this weekend's series against the Red Sox? He's not ruling it out. Speaking of not ruling it out … could Shohei Ohtani be back on a big-league mound before the All-Star break? The Giants are 6-0 — including a four-run ninth-inning comeback last night against the Rockies — since Andrew Baggarly returned from his hiatus. Baggs tells us what he's seeing from the team with fresh eyes. If it seems like Jeff McNeil is hitting the ball better … you're not wrong. His walk-off hit last night for the Mets was the latest evidence that his new approach is working. On the pods: Dennis Lin joined Eno and DVR on 'Rates & Barrels' to discuss the upgrades needed in San Diego. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Denzel Clarke's incredible catch — but not Monday's! It was the one against the Orioles on June 6. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB players make it clear they don't want to play for the A's, but which managers, teams do they like?
For most major leaguers, the ground beneath their feet rarely feels stable. Eight- and nine-figure contracts are the exception, not the rule. Each pitch, each plate appearance and each defensive chance can serve as a mini-audition for 29 other teams. But that doesn't mean the grass is always greener on another home field. And this doesn't stop major leaguers from wondering. Advertisement In our annual anonymous player poll conducted this spring, we asked more than 100 of them which opposing managers they would and wouldn't want to play for, as well as which rival organizations have good and bad reputations among players. This was far from a scientific survey. Even when granted anonymity in exchange for their candor, modern professional athletes can tend to be measured in their assessments or opinions of other organizations. Still, ballplayers are going to be ballplayers. There were more than a few interesting answers. Let's see what they had to say. There wasn't a clear consensus. Still, score a couple for the old guys. Almost a sixth of our voting pool named Bruce Bochy, 70, as the opposing manager they would most like to play for. Just behind him was Terry Francona, 66. Both men have taken a recent break from a grueling profession before returning in new cities. And both remain revered for their feel and, between them, six World Series titles. Of Bochy, one player said: 'He's a fun guy to play for and has so much experience that you can't do anything but learn from him.' Stephen Vogt was the third pick with more than 12 percent of the vote. He is only 40 years old, but he's another player's manager and, like Bochy, a former big-league catcher. Craig Counsell came in fourth with 7.4 percent of the vote. Brian Snitker and Dave Roberts tied for fifth at 5.7 percent apiece. Other managers receiving votes included Alex Cora, Carlos Mendoza, Aaron Boone and A.J. Hinch. 'A lot of championships.' 'I like old-school style.' 'He commands a room almost like a friend. He's still an authoritative figure, but I would say he's more like a young grandpa.' 'He's a legend.' 'Because I played with Stephen Vogt and I love Stephen Vogt.' Advertisement 'Awesome guy. Fun to be around. Everybody knew he was going to be a manager before.' 'His teams win, have fun and play with an edge.' No surprise: Fewer players responded to this question, and there was even more variance across those answers. Bud Black, who has since been dismissed by the historically terrible Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol were tied at the top with five votes apiece. Some players included a caveat in their answers. 'Only because (the Rockies) stink,' one National League pitcher said, explaining his selection of Black. Others professed a lack of familiarity. 'I don't really know many managers,' another player said. In the potential absence of more concrete knowledge, some respondents seemed to rely on distant impressions. 'He has gotten mad publicly for some things that don't seem that serious,' an NL position player said of the San Diego Padres' Mike Shildt, who joined the Los Angeles Angels' Ron Washington in receiving four votes. Gabe Kapler, who hasn't managed since he was fired by the San Francisco Giants in 2023, got three votes. Other managers receiving multiple votes were Roberts, Mark Kotsay and, before he was let go by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton. 'Because he doesn't stop talking when he's in the dugout, and as a player, it gets kind of annoying. Plus, it means I'd be pitching in Colorado.' 'Honestly, whoever was the Rockies' manager was who I was going to say.' 'I don't really know many managers. I'm trying to think of someone in our division, just so I can say someone. Who is the Cardinals' guy? … Yeah. Just put him down.' 'Because I want to use my cellphone.' On Opening Day, four of the majors' five lowest payrolls belonged to the Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Pirates. Not coincidentally, those four clubs joined the Rockies in receiving the most mentions when we polled players on the sport's least reputable organizations, allowing multiple answers in each response. Advertisement 'All the poor ones,' one player said. 'There are no poor ones,' another pointed out. Of the 115 players who responded, 39 named the relatively nomadic Athletics as an organization with a bad reputation. Coming off an all-time bad season, the White Sox received the second-most mentions, with 31. The Marlins and Rockies tied for an ignominious third place. They were followed, in order, by the Rockies, Pirates, Angels and resourceful but frugal Rays. One American League player, asked to name at least one team he wouldn't want to play for, settled on the White Sox. He added: 'At the end of the day, you're in the big leagues. How can you complain when you're in the big leagues? I don't think there'd be anybody I wouldn't want to play for.' A fellow member of the AL provided a similar perspective while pointing out the unusual circumstances of the Athletics and another somewhat transient club. 'The major leagues is the major leagues, but it's got to be tough to be on the Rays or the A's,' he said. 'Because they're cheap.' 'They're going to be playing in Sacramento.' 'I had a buddy who was traded to the A's as a minor leaguer. … He went to Oakland and said the way they were fed, the places they stayed were just not good.' 'Miami has no direction, and all their prospects are 17, so they're seven years away from doing anything.' 'I've heard specific things about them getting, like, Subway sandwiches on the road sometimes. It's little stuff like that where it's like, we're in the big leagues. Cheap stuff. It's a billion-dollar industry. Let's be a little better than that.' 'They're not trying to win.' 'I've heard the player development isn't very good. They're stuck in the past and don't do a whole lot for their guys.' Advertisement 'I never understand what they're doing as an organization. They've been bad for a long time.' 'It's just a dumpster fire through and through.' 'They lost the most games in history last season. I mean, why would you want to join that team right now?' 'The Pirates give players resources, but their owner just has zero interest in winning.' 'They just don't know what they're doing top to bottom. That's what I've heard.' For all their preternatural talent and uncommon work ethic, major leaguers are just like us. Who doesn't love winning and getting paid handsomely while you're at it? In 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers combined those two things better than anyone else. It's early, but they remain favored to win it all in 2025. And this spring, 82 of 126 respondents named baseball's foremost juggernaut as a team with a good reputation. The New York Yankees, last year's postseason runner-up, were second with 40 mentions. Like the Dodgers, they have long paired a rich tradition with a wealth of resources. 'Teams that want to win, they give everything to the players,' one respondent said. Said another: 'You want to be where they spend money.' Also receiving at least 17 mentions were the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians, who don't spend a lot but, like the Rays, have a reputation for maximizing their expenditures. These teams were followed by the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Rays. 'You win the World Series, and you go out and do what they did to add to it? That's what professional sports — not just baseball — is supposed to be.' 'The Dodgers take care of players and their families, but they also excel on the player development side.' Advertisement 'The Dodgers stand out. Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to get paid. You go there, looks like that happens.' 'The Yankees and Dodgers are the gold standards for players. Accommodations. Always in on free agents. Home stadium is always packed.' 'They take care of their guys. The food there is incredible.' 'Everybody who goes to the Yankees absolutely loves it there.' 'They have a relaxed, old-school feel.' 'The Braves do everything just as good as the Yankees. The way they take care of the players, players' families, the way they treat you like you're the best in the league.' 'Players I know in Chicago, they talk about how well they treat families.' 'They are just about keeping traditions alive. They love their history and their legacies and try to continue that.' 'The best family room in the league, by far, is the Mets. The Cohen family put a bunch of money into that because they know how important it is to take care of family.' 'The Guardians make players, especially pitchers, better.' 'Their medical staff is top-notch.' Editor's note: Some player quotes included in this story have been lightly edited for length and clarity. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photo of Oliver Marmol: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images; Bruce Bochy: Samuel Corum / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB players on the impact of sports betting on fan interactions: ‘People suck, dude'
We see the players' performances. We see the gambling billboards. If we want to see the betting lines, we can easily find them, too. What we don't see is how gamblers interact with the players they bet on. In this year's edition of The Athletic's anonymous MLB player poll, our writers asked players about the experience — and to judge from the overwhelming responses we received from major leaguers, it's even uglier and scarier than you think. That, folks, is a landslide. But the most startling part was what the players said after 'yes,' 'no,' or 'unsure.' In recent weeks, we've seen pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Liam Hendriks reveal that they and their families had been targeted with death threats. Harmless taunting – 'Nice game, pretty boy' – is taking a darker turn, and the reason is obvious to players. Most of the time, players said, the worst stuff comes to them anonymously on social media. 'They wouldn't say that stuff to your face,' one pitcher said. But it's also become routine for fans to remind players of the betting lines for that day's game (Note: The Athletic has a business partnership with online sportsbook BetMGM.) Advertisement 'As a starting pitcher, you go to warm up, and all it is is people hanging over the fence: 'I've got you on the over!'' said one former National League All-Star. 'You try to tune them out – that's not my focus – but you hear that stuff and you're very aware of what your over-under is for the day in strikeouts.' The major league minimum salary is $760,000, theoretically rich enough for players to resist overtures from gamblers. But many players make only a pro-rated portion of that salary, based on the actual days they spend in the majors, and some players worry that a sinister element could infiltrate their ranks. 'My fear,' said one seven-year veteran, 'is that these young guys coming in, if (a gambler) can manipulate them, I don't want to ever see that happen.' One veteran relief pitcher said he had gotten threats his entire career, but they've become more specific because of gambling. He, too, fears the worst. 'I've received (something) as simple as a Venmo request with a threat on it that says, 'You owe me $9,000 because you blew the game – I need you to send me that money or I'm going to find your family,'' he said. 'That's too far. We've communicated as players to MLB security that we need to get a handle on this before it gets out of control. I don't want to say this, but something bad is going to happen and it's going to be like, 'We told you so.'' It was different, players said, when fans focused more on their fantasy teams. These days, they can tell there is a different level of intensity and that some fans want to take out their problems on the players who lost them money. 'It's the worst thing that's happened to the game since I've been up here,' one veteran outfielder said. 'I think it's only going to get worse because of how popular it is. There are ways to bet pitch-by-pitch in the stadium during the game. I'll be in Wrigley in center field and I have people telling me they're going to put money on me to hit a home run the next at-bat. I don't need to know that. Advertisement 'And then the hate stuff if you have a bad day (and) go 0-or-4 — it's gotten out of hand. It's a problem. And unfortunately, they're not going to change it because there's too much money in it.' Many players reported that fans have found their Venmo accounts and are demanding money. One American League pitcher noted that Venmo requests often arrive before games are even over. (Yes, he's changed his username.) 'It's hostile at weird times,' he said. 'It used to be, if you win or lose the game, fans are happy or sad. Now it's like, if you don't cover, they're sad. Or if you give up a run in the first inning, they're sad. Or if you throw a fastball instead of a curveball, they're sad.' Hitters have it even worse, he said, because home runs are such common bets but relatively rare occurrences. 'They're always betting on homers,' he said. 'These guys are trying to shoot the ball through the 4-hole and these (gamblers) have a homer bet and they're screaming at them.' Another pitcher we spoke to was less concerned and pointed to a positive aspect of the gambling craze. 'I have gotten some DMs over the years about whether bets have hit or not hit; that just comes with the territory,' he said. 'But I think it's cool, man. If you're into that, and you don't see it as a problem, and you do it responsibly, I don't think there's a problem with it. I think it gives fans deeper access. With social media, you can reach out to us immediately (and) when you get more access to the sports everybody loves, it can't be too much of a bad thing. You've got a dog in the fight. You're watching.' For most players, though, fans who gamble are watching too closely — and it makes them very uncomfortable. 'It's insane,' said one National League position player. 'Nowadays it's 'f— you, f— your family.' S—, it's a bad day, I'm sorry. It's not like I called you and said, 'Bet on me today.' You're making the fans expect us to go 4-for-4 every day.' Advertisement He continued: 'I get requests all the time on Venmo: 'Thank you for making me lose $2,000 last night …' I get threats: 'I'm going to shoot you from my apartment. I live right across (from) the stadium.' … I got three or four texts like that and I had to report it to MLB security. I don't know if it's for real, but I don't want to find out.' One AL reliever said he also fears violent retaliation, and that the Athletics' anticipated move to Las Vegas in 2028 could be problematic. 'I think there's going to be a security risk or personnel risk,' he said. 'Someone's going to lose a bunch of money and track down somebody in a parking lot, especially if the A's end up moving to Vegas. With the live betting, it could get pretty serious.' One National League pitcher said he mutes the word 'parlay' on his social media accounts and uses an alias for Venmo. The online abuse, he said, can make players cynical. 'People suck, dude,' he said. 'But it's part of it. I had a teammate respond to every person who said they lost money on him: 'You're so poor!' That's kind of funny, (but) it's best to not respond to anything. X isn't fun anymore.' One AL East pitcher said he deleted all of his social media accounts and called it 'the best thing I ever did.' But players are human, too, and to expect them to avoid social media and all gambling sites can be unrealistic. Tucupita Marcano, an infielder for San Diego and Pittsburgh from 2021 to 2023, was banned for life last June for betting on baseball, and four other pro players were suspended for a year. One 11-year veteran said it's naive to think that players can't be tempted. 'The fact that it's so easy to do and you can just go on your phone and just look up prop bets, everybody is gambling,' he said. 'Every man that I know. Obviously not baseball players on baseball, but baseball players are gambling on other sports whenever they can. It's easy, it's fun, whatever. … You don't have to travel to Vegas to go to a sportsbook like it's 2010. It's insane. The obsession with gambling is wild. People watch sports now and it's all about the gambling. It's not about who wins the game anymore.' Advertisement And that, one NL catcher said, is antithetical to the way things should be. The embrace of legalized gambling, he said, was a bad bet for MLB. 'It needs to be abolished,' the catcher said. 'It's brought more fans to the games the wrong way.' Editor's note: Some player quotes included in this story have been lightly edited for length and clarity. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photo of Lance McCullers Jr.: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
