Kyle De

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

If you stumble across any of my Tweets on the Chargers roster building, or compensatory pick details, consider checking out our site at https://t.co/9lAy3gpcsI!

It’s free, no ads, just hosted by myself and @RyanWatkins20 to chat about two things we are passionate about - roster-building (me) and scheme/coaching/scouting (Ryan).

We have a small but knowledgeable community that generates great discussion on the site, without the worries of running into political banter or other crap you run into on X. 😂

Come check us out!

I’ll detail some of the new features our site has below!

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@BrettKollmann Brett - he was just posting an example of how boring the cover Adam Schefter posted, which appears to be the original, is. He’s just saying this one is much better, despite it being a 10 second ChatGPT ship.

Can’t say I disagree. The original is rough.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@Autonomic443 @iFightForKids @lexjeanne @LegacyProgramVP @WSMV Worshipping a guy that carved his way to fame the way Chud did is a choice, bud, and it sums up what’s wrong with the internet.

Enjoy what the mirror shows ya.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@iFightForKids @lexjeanne @LegacyProgramVP @WSMV Dude, he said she “looked pretty chopped” for 16, and said she looked 25. Negatively.

That’s a disgusting statement from a disgusting human, and directly contradicts what you claim to brand yourself as.

I have no idea what drives the mental gymnastics people do defending this

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

This is very easily explained IMO. Han was basically enslaved to a crime syndicate as a kid. He didn’t have much real contact with the outside world other than rumors - and if someone tells you there’s a group of religious warriors that protect the citizens of the galaxy, but you and a significant group of kids spend your entire life under the thumb of a crime lord and feel like you’ve been left there to rot, you’re probably very skeptical of any powers this group would claim to have.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

I have no idea how you can repeatedly make this statement and think it supports your argument.

Correct! The growth opportunity for the league lies within the 20 other teams spending more! But a floor must come with a cap, because the small-market teams will ALWAYS lose a financial resource war with the big market teams, as the Dodgers repeatedly show by continuing to outbid teams despite being in the highest luxury tax tier.

Put your bias for your own team and aside and look at what’s good for the whole league, man. Come on.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

Thanks to the Giants and Brewers, we have a real-life example of the three-pump rule being actual lore.

[Jeff Passan @JeffPassan]

The three-pump rule. Hingle McCringleberry taught. It's on us all to listen.

[Big League Advantage @BigLeagueAdv]

For those curious about BLA, the case involving Fernando Tatis, Jr., and how we operate as a company please read this entire post that debunks several misconceptions.

BLA has operated for over 10 years, signing more than 700 players. Our founder, Michael Schwimer, was a former MLB player who built this company to help players maximize their chances of MLB success.

Misconceptions:

“BLA is investing in people.”
BLA has never invested in a person. BLA invests in a specific income stream: a player’s future earnings as a Major League professional baseball player. For example, BLA receives nothing from Fernando Tatis Jr.’s endorsement deals or any other income he earns or may earn in another field or profession.

“Players are obligated to play baseball if they do a deal with BLA.”
There is no obligation in the BLA contract that requires a player to continue to play baseball. Multiple players have signed with BLA and quit baseball within days of receiving the capital. There is no recourse to BLA if a player never reaches the Major Leagues for any reason.

“BLA does deals with minors.”
BLA has never done a deal with a player under the age of 18.

“Players do not understand BLA deals.”
Not only do players have their own lawyers review the contracts with them, but each player is also asked a series of questions confirming that they understand all material terms about the contract. If they do not answer those questions correctly on record, BLA will not sign a contract with them.

As an example, before Fernando Tatis, Jr., signed an agreement with BLA he was asked, “Do you understand, that by signing this contract, if you make $500M in the big leagues, you will owe BLA $50M throughout the course of your career?” Fernando replied “yes.”

“BLA offers loans to players.”
BLA has never offered a loan to a player. Every deal BLA does is an investment transaction. Loans have principal, interest rates, and payback schedules. Our agreements have none of these things because the funds we provide a player are a non-recourse investment.

BLA offers a player a set amount of upfront capital in exchange for a percentage of the player’s future MLB earnings. The player can choose the % (and therefore the total investment $ amount) that he is comfortable with. This means every player can do a deal for as little as 1% of future earnings if he chooses. The player makes the choice. If a player does not make it to the MLB, he owes BLA nothing.

The relationship is similar to an entrepreneur who accepts outside capital from investors to increase his business plan’s odds of success. Players seek out BLA investments to increase their odds of success as a professional athlete, just like an entrepreneur gives up financial upside in the future to improve his chances of success. BLA invests hoping that the player is successful but also knowing that the investment will be lost if the player does not make it to MLB—just like any business investor who has no guarantee he will ever see a return.

“Players do these deals because they are betting against themselves.”
Many players use BLA funds for nutritional upgrades, trainers, physical care, analytical services, mental clarity, investment opportunities, and several other things to help increase their chances of making it to the big leagues. These players are signing a deal with BLA to give themselves the highest possible chance to achieve their dream of reaching and staying in the MLB. They are betting ON themselves.

“BLA is taking advantage of players.”
As noted above, BLA works to ensure players have a full understanding of the terms of the contract. We provide guaranteed capital to players with no certainty of a player’s promotion or success in the big leagues. The truth is that only about 10% of minor league players will play even 1 day in MLB, and roughly 70% of the players who enter agreements with BLA will either not make it to the big leagues at all or, if they do, not pay BLA more than the original BLA investment.

In fact, BLA signed deals with nearly 200 players who fit this profile. They collectively received more than $40 million from BLA. What do they have in common? They were able to use and keep BLA’s investment even if they never made it to MLB and even if they never came close to paying BLA the original investment amount.

“Why is there so much bad press on BLA?”
As noted above, the vast majority of BLA players don’t make it to MLB but still get to benefit from BLA’s investment. We understand that those stories get no coverage because most readers aren’t interested to read that “Player X gets cut from professional baseball but is now able to transition easily to his next chapter in life because of the investment from BLA.” Meanwhile an isolated dispute with a high-profile player like Fernando gets thousands of clicks. We understand this reality but the facts are the facts—the public only hears about a small number of disgruntled players, not the majority of players who have worked with BLA to improve their lives and their chances.

Interestingly, this type of bad press doesn’t exist in any other industry. For example, when early investors invested in Amazon, and Jeff Bezos accepted upfront capital and gave up future financial upside in order to give his business the best chances to succeed, even though those investors have made +1000x return on their investment, no one thinks those investors took advantage of Jeff Bezos.

“Why would a player who thinks they will definitely make it to the MLB do this deal?”
99% of players that do deals with BLA believe that they will be future MLB All Stars. In our conversations with players, the most common theme is that they believe they can use the money from BLA while still in the minor leagues to help them get to the big leagues faster, ultimately increasing their career earning potential. They seek BLA’s investment to help them realize their full potential on the field and in their future earnings.

Our original relationship with Fernando is a good example. After he received $2 million, Tatis said publicly that he used the funds to hire a personal trainer, upgrade his offseason practice field, and improve his nutrition and living arrangements. He said that he wouldn’t “spend that money stupidly” and he freely acknowledged what would happen if he made “all that big money.” His own Father, also a successful former MLB player, praised what BLA did for Fernando Jr. because it allowed him to better prepare to reach the big leagues as quickly as possible.

“Have BLA’s agreements been tested legally?”
Yes. Although the vast majority of our 700+ players have used their BLA funds and lived up to their promises, a small handful have legally challenged their agreements. The agreements have been upheld by arbitrators and judges numerous times. Most recently an arbitrator and retired judge ruled against Fernando on all of his claims and awarded BLA all of the money Fernando owed plus attorneys’ fees and interest. Fernando’s lawyers then challenged that award in court and they lost again.

We are proud of the work we do with the players who enjoy long careers and earn generational wealth. But we are just as proud of our investments that go to the vast majority of players who never make it but leave the game in a better financial position because of BLA. The choice to enter a deal with BLA is always the player’s to make.

@JoePompliano
@darrenrovell
@heitner
@Sportico
@mikedeportes
@ryanripkenshow
@LaPelotaDeAqui
@McCannSportsLaw
@kbadenhausen
@FOS
@TheJacobTurner
@DavidPSamson
@jasonrmcintyre

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@rationalyankee Man, that’s exactly WHY the cap (and floor) should be implemented 😂.

If you want the sport to grow, you want parity in the league.

Force those teams to spend, and ensure they won’t just get grossly outspent in a cash arms race, and the sport will grow in those areas.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@tommyswings Would it really be a more effective cap number for teams though? Earnestly asking here - because other leagues have backloaded contracts and don’t use an annual average for their cap calculations.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

This is why I’ll never understand players digging their heels in and refusing to approve a salary cap.

This is the MLB’s proposal - not the union- yet it adds nearly $600M to player payroll if you bring the over-ceiling teams to the ceiling, and under-floor teams to the floor.

[Underdog MLB @UnderdogMLB]

Current payrolls above $245.3M proposed ceiling, via @EthanHullihen:

Dodgers ($418M)
Mets ($383M)
Yankees ($335M)
Blue Jays ($322M)
Phillies ($315M)
Red Sox ($263M)
Padres ($259M)
Braves ($249M)
Tigers ($246M)
Cubs ($245.5M)

Current payrolls below $171.2M proposed floor:

Reds ($150M)
Rockies ($144M)
Athletics ($142M)
Pirates ($140M)
Brewers ($138M)
Twins ($128M)
Nationals ($119M)
Cardinals ($115M)
White Sox ($113M)
Rays ($111M)
Guardians ($98M)
Marlins ($81M)

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

If this CBA proposal were in place today, here's what it does to total league spending.

6 teams over the $245.3M ceiling get capped down:
Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves
Total cut: -$283.2M

15 teams under the $171.2M floor get raised up:
Orioles +4.2, Mariners +9.2, Royals +25.2, Reds +39.2, Brewers +43.2, Rockies +54.2, Twins +66.2, Pirates +67.2, Rays +68.2, Cardinals +77.2, A's +77.2, Nationals +78.2, White Sox +81.2, Guardians +91.2, Marlins +93.2
Total added: +$875.2M

Net change: +$592.0M

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@SasakiTruther @lake05626064 @KingWRLD3x @baseballdugout_ @UnderdogMLB @JesseRogersESPN I did read that they renegotiated the 84M to 130M in the first year of the deal, but the exception runs for 25 years.

Their TV deal averages to $334M a year.

Assuming they are taxed at $130M, that’s almost $100M a year in savings.

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@SasakiTruther @lake05626064 @KingWRLD3x @baseballdugout_ @UnderdogMLB @JesseRogersESPN But for one it’s worth, the path to parity is revenue sharing on TV deals as well (contracts negotiated through MLB as it is with football and other leagues)

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@SasakiTruther @lake05626064 @KingWRLD3x @baseballdugout_ @UnderdogMLB @JesseRogersESPN You’re aware that the Dodgers were given a crazy one-time exemption from the TV deal revenue sharing, and that they don’t contribute the same amount into revenue sharing as every other team?

They’re only taxed on 84M (growing 4% since 2012) of their $334M, which is insane.

[Underdog MLB @UnderdogMLB]

Current payrolls above $245.3M proposed ceiling, via @EthanHullihen:

Dodgers ($418M)
Mets ($383M)
Yankees ($335M)
Blue Jays ($322M)
Phillies ($315M)
Red Sox ($263M)
Padres ($259M)
Braves ($249M)
Tigers ($246M)
Cubs ($245.5M)

Current payrolls below $171.2M proposed floor:

Reds ($150M)
Rockies ($144M)
Athletics ($142M)
Pirates ($140M)
Brewers ($138M)
Twins ($128M)
Nationals ($119M)
Cardinals ($115M)
White Sox ($113M)
Rays ($111M)
Guardians ($98M)
Marlins ($81M)

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@darrenrovell He signed the deal on the 2017 offseason (I read somewhere Oct 2017). At that time, MLB Pipeline had him as the 4th prospect in their system at 52nd overall.

The deal likely took months to iron out and come to fruition as well, and through most of 2017 he was outside the top100

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@rjsmith265At @TexasPharmD @darrenrovell I read something years ago about their hit rate being pretty insanely high, but it doesn’t change how I feel about it. I’m a Pads fan, but Tatis acknowledged that the money helped him with his training, lodging, etc while in the minors, and that he understood the risk. Pay up 🤷

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@CTownEnjoyer @TMB_DIGGY @SilverScreams13 She and Charlotte are wearing the same hats, outfits and are the same age in their respective photos. Their photos literally represent the same scene you just dropped- and you think Tiana is represented differently than Charlotte?

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

Pittsburgh Zoo got crushed trading 7 y/o Frankie for 33 y/o silverback Little Joe. Classic “win now” panic, mortgaging the future.

Except their pipeline is already cooking up another top prospect nobody saw coming. Trade bait… or the new foundation?

Only Pitt knows.

[Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium @PghZoo]

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has news to roar about! A female African lion cub was born on Sunday, April 5, to nine-year-old parents: mother Scarlett and father Hondo. The cub is expected to make her public debut in late summer. Read more here: https://t.co/FBfkV9qn5I

[Kyle De @TheKyleDe]

@_willcompton Will - you being unintentionally responsible for debunking Oz because you can’t text is one of the funniest things in 2026. 😂😂😂