Winter meetings, the new rules and some non-baseball stuff

The winter meetings have started and here are some thoughts:

1. I hate the new roster rules.   While I am sure minor baseball players would love to make money and have a long career in the majors, a lot of these kids started off by just wanting to make it to the majors.    September is a great chance to get your feet wet in the majors and, for a good number of players, it may represent the only time they play in the majors.   Major league teams also occasionally give promotions to career minor leaguers who have been good organizational soldiers but have not gotten to spend much, if any, time in the big leagues.  The new rule changes all that.    The Indians signed catcher Beau Taylor to a minor league deal last week.   His first exposure to the majors was as a September callup after 8 years in the minors.   He was 28 years old.   He would likely not have gotten called up that year had the current rules been in effect.  This rule sucks.   It saves teams money, that is all.    It kills the little guy in this business who may never be talented enough to stick in the majors but at least deserves that cup of coffee.

2. Have I mentioned that the Indians should sign Lindor to a 10 year deal that he can opt out of after 4 years?  His salaries would be:

2020 - $18 million
2021 - $20 million
2022 - $22 million
2023 - $25 million (opt out if he wants to after this season)
2024 - $28 million
2025 - $29 million
2026 - $30 million
2027 - $30 million
2028 - $30 million
2029 - $30 million
2030 - $30 million (club option or $1 million buyout)
2031 - $30 million (club option or $1 million buyout)

That averages out to $26.4 million a year guaranteed.  We don't do a non-trade clause and the contract, including club options, follows him if we do trade him.

3. This will be the most interesting Rule 5 draft in years, including for the Indians.   You heard it here first.

4. Moving to football, the playoff committee got it right.   If Justin Fields was in perfect health then I think Ohio State deserved the #1 seed.   But he isn't and so there are, therefore, questions about the competitiveness of the Buckeyes against the best competition.    While we would all like to play the weakest competition until the finals in any sport we are involved in, if Ohio State deserves the national championship, going through Clemson and the LSU-Oklahoma winner would certainly prove that.

5. Ohio State Men's Basketball - I have seen them play almost every game this year and, frankly, I am amazed.  They are so much better than the sum of their parts and, frankly, look like they are getting better and better every week.   Yeah, the stars aligned against North Carolina and Penn State but they DEMOLISHED those two teams when they weren't supposed to.   Aside from getting cocky, bored, or just losing motivation, if their goal is and they are dedicated to making it to the final 4, for the first time in my life I can say that is a very likely outcome.

4. Ohio State Women's Basketball - They are not hitting on all cylinders yet but their victory over Louisville shows that the talent is there.   You just don't beat a highly ranked team like that if you don't have talent.