maggliopipe

I do wonder if the blowback following the '97 White Flag trade has any bearing on how they handle this deadline. Based on these Hahn quotes, no, but at that time they were like 3.5 games out of first, traded two studs, and heard all about it for years. Having said that, the obvious move this year is to sell sell sell, unfortunately. Hopefully JR still doesn't care about public perception and it happens.

Is it possible there was still residual pain when swinging too hard from his oblique injury? IIRC those injuries, or at least discomfort from them, tend to linger especially given lots of a swing's torque is generated from the oblique. I certainly hope that's a cause of the reduced EV and that he's had ample time to recover by now.

Anyone else think the coaching staff has instructed guys not to go all out running out grounders? With all the injuries they've suffered from dudes running too hard to 1B, I think it'd be justified. I can't think of another explanation why TLR would let these dudes loaf it.

Fucking finally, please just run this defensive alignment out there through the NYY series. I'll even take Vaughn hitting 9th (ugh) as a tradeoff.

Yep, that's a great idea. I have no need for a truck but something like this in an electric vehicle I'd actually buy would give me peace of mind for when the big Cascadia quake hits the pacific northwest.

And if he does manage to somewhat rebound and reaches 160IP, then the fucker sticks around for 2024 at $20MM. I sincerely hope he's long man out of the bullpen/spot starter.

FWIW, Dolphins owner is a huge Michigan booster and is working behind the scenes to get Harbaugh an extension and a raise to keep him there. He's my dream hire so we'll see where this goes. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/report-jim-harbaugh-discussing-contract-extension-with-michigan/2725472/

That's funny shit. I was also in Italy on my honeymoon for the blackout game (and the ensuing ALDS sweep). Obviously regret missing the blackout game but can't say the same for the playoffs.

Bartolo Colon and Mark Kotsay come to mind.

Wasn't Jonathon India linked pretty heavily to the Sox in that draft? Ended up going 5th right after Nick. Coincidentally he's shifted to 2B and has a nice little start to his MLB career with the Reds. It'll be fun to track their careers going forward as he was probably a more realistic alternative to Nicky than Kelenic (given the Sox reluctance to draft HS guys in the first round).

What kind of deal is Kimbrel looking for? If they're going to dive into the free agent market at this point, I'd much prefer to lose a pick signing him than Kuechel. It's clear they've lost their opportunity to sign a game-changing free agent over the next couple years on the offensive side, so maybe they need to change plans and bolster the fuck out of the bullpen instead. A trio of Kimbrel, Colome, Herrara plus all the youngins might do the trick. Would something like 4/56 do it?

I love what Lopez did down stretch last year. Through July, he had a 1.56 K/BB ratio. August and September (all late season, expanded roster caveats aside) it was 3.25. He seemed like a dude who just decided to stop fucking around, get a plan, and execute the hell out of it. Maybe it will prove to be nothing more than a late season blip, but I've got high hopes. Sure as hell I expect a FIP below 5.12!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 25, 2016 -> 03:26 PM) I don't think that's the case. Part of any rebuild is making the decision to protect certain key prospects that are part of "the plan", which in this case means they'd go get some scrap heap guys, combined with a few of last year's AAA guys that are fringe prospects or AAAA guys, and finding stopgaps for the rotation. Man, and there are some real Coop'll fix 'em candidates out there on the free agent market this year. The kind of guys you get a couple good months out of then flip at the deadline. Ya know, like, John Danks, Dan Hudson, Jake Peavy, Edwin Jackson types. I really think Coop could wring some values out of those guys.

So what's Chris Bosh get this summer if he opts out to become a free agent? He was obviously viewed as a max contract guy 4 summers ago but how have his 4 seasons with the Heat affected his value? On one hand, statistically he had some very nice seasons as a third piece on championship teams. And coaches obviously still rate him highly as he was chosen for the all star team every year IIRC despite not having huge numbers. On the other hand, maybe he showed that he's not the guy to lead your team on a max contract, but as a complementary piece he's great. In which case, he's not a guy that deserves a max contract at 30. He wouldn't be a Bulls target obviously but just curious what others think the Bostrich gets. I think he'll still land a max deal.

It baffles me how upfront KW has been about Tanaka, their meeting, his desired circumstances, etc. It's just so damn out of character. I don't know if he's more loose-lipped because of his new position or if he knows he's got no chance and is looking to keep the fanbase interested or what. He normally saves these talks for after his target signs with somebody else, or is traded to another team.