CentralChamps21

Has a head cold according to twitter.

I think I said this in another thread, but I'm OK with trading Vaughn for a 3+ WAR pitcher, but not for some guy who might not be better than Keuchel.

If he's still intending to find a team and pitch, wouldn't he have been getting himself ready by throwing on his own, like to college kids or something? Seems like it shouldn't take too long to get a vet like that up and running.

I would trade Vaughn straight up for a pitcher with at least 2 years of control and projecting at least 3.0 WAR this year. I would trade Vaughn for a pitcher with 1 year of control and projecting at least 3.0 WAR <OR> at least 2 years of control projecting at least 2.0 WAR this year if we also got mid level pitching prospect in addition.

I don't buy for a minute that he's been in the system for 40,320 years.

No chance Kopech throws enough innings to get CY consideration. I could see Cease putting it all together this year and making a run.

Despite the glaring hole in the rotation that wasn't fixed, I can't give this offseason worse than a C. Bullpen: Kimbrel jettisoned, Graveman and Kelly added. Lopez resurrected. This bullpen is better than last year and last year was really good RF: Pollock is a huge, massive upgrade over last year 2B: Harrison will be better than Cesar, and with the OF shored up, Leury can be strictly an infielder and can help here more. C : McGuire is a huge upgrade over Collins/Zavala, at least defensively Not improving the starting pitching baffles me. This team isn't getting a playoff bye unless Giolito/Cease/Kopech are all extraordinarily healthy and Keuchel is remarkably better than last year.

They're putting together the worst possible team so that attendance falls so low they can move the team to a more desirable locale. Someone should make a movie about that.

Especially given what SD paid. I wouldn't have been willing to guarantee 2 years for Rodon, but I sure would have given him the QO and rolled the dice with him if he accepted it (which I think he wouldn't have).

Nobody is going to give up anything significant, but teams that are lower down on the waiver list may give up a low level prospect to avoid having some other team claim him.

Eh, that's a normal day in Florida.

I don't think I'd give up Vaughn for either of them. I'd rather just give ReyLo the innings if we can't get someone better.

I don't overrate Vaughn, but there's a wide gap between Vaughn and what the Padres gave up to get Manaea.

Weird day to schedule a night game with the Final Four on tonight.

Players on the 40 man roster get sent to Charlotte, or sometimes Birmingham. Players not on the 40 man roster get reassigned to the minor league camp. Both things mean they start the year in the minors.

Wasn't suggesting that 2022 Rodon could replace 2021 Rodon, but somebody needs to. Kopech helps, but you still have Keuchel, so maybe I should have said it's a C+ until they get someone to replace Keuchel. No matter how you look at it, it's a C+ if the starting rotation stays as is.

Really? He made 30+ starts each of the past 3 full seasons.

I'd be down with that.

You just made a wonderful argument that Manaea is a huge upgrade over Keuchel, and what you do with Keuchel is let him do mop up duty. There's a special term for teams whose 5th best pitcher is as good as Sean Manaea: World Series Contenders

Against the better RHP at least, Sheets needs to be in the lineup. There's just not enough other pop from the left side. Vaughn can spell Eloy or Jose on some of those days.

Right now it's a C+ because the biggest hole was left by Rodon and still hasn't been filled. Getting Manaea can raise that C+ to anywhere from B- to A- depending on what is given up to get him.

I agree. Dodgers figure to have a lot of games where they're ahead by so much it's not a save situation.

With the acquisition of Pollock, Engel is now pretty much in the Billy Hamilton role. Pinch run, late inning defensive replacement, moves up the chain when there are injuries. He has the potential to be more and maybe another team tries to trade for him, but he just hasn't proven himself enough to give him regular starts over the other guys.

The Sox and Dodgers kind of backed themselves into their own corner. The Dodgers couldn't afford a closer until they unloaded Pollock's salary and the Sox couldn't afford an OF until they unloaded Kimbrel's.