35thstreetswarm

I think Hahn is in traditional spin mode, Kenny is just dumb enough to blurt out his incompetence to a reporter off-the-cuff

Exactly. He's just out there blurting out catastrophically damaging information and whining to the press in real time like a clueless fan. They lack the most basic level of professionalism.

We're at less than zero. We didn't just miss, we beclowned ourselves in the process.

As long as we're speculating...maybe the double deal is actually the perfect face-saving measure for both stars/agents in light of the unexpectedly soft market for their services. There is no bidding war, they are not getting the $300M+ offers they expected from any of the limited number of suitors. They are worried about the optics of signing a deal that doesn't look appreciably better than the $300M the Nats already offered. Yet they don't want to take short term offers and leave money on the table, especially if they're not sure there will be a better market in the future. Signing together allows them to say, or at least imply, that they took seemingly "low" offers in order to be part of "something special," echoing the Miami Heat dream team line. The excitement of the super-mega-deal provides a massive distraction from a financial package that would otherwise scream out that they misread the market. I still doubt this is going to happen but it's fun to dream.

The playbook of the armchair accused-racist defense attorney is on full display here—you guys are killing me. Not sure how others are keeping score, but I’m one misapplication of the First Amendment—or “free country” reference— away from racist apologist Bingo!

Replace “thought criminal” with “racist” and yes, you are “rite.”

Whataboutism (noun) The technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/whataboutism

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2819353-cubs-chairman-tom-ricketts-responds-to-dad-joes-racist-emails-leak.amp.html More bad juju around the Cubs organization.

I am more worried by this than any tweet in the Machado thread. I had dreams of making the Craft Kave my home away from home during the coming resurgence. It's perfect. I pray they don't ruin it.

I think you can believe these moves are worth the risk and justifiable from a baseball and/or financial perspective...while still acknowledging that it would be pretty humiliating for the franchise if we end up with the Manny Machado superfriends and no Manny Machado.

Good enough to make the Sox a much more attractive destination (from a baseball perspective) for player #2 if player #1 is inked to a deal, that's for sure. ...assuming the Sox are willing to commit that kind of $ to two players in the first place (which I have my doubts about).

I’d say zero, particularly in a situation like this with such large dollars involved. “Lots of people willingly surrender tens of millions of dollars because they think the team offering less money is cooler—happens all the time. I’m sure it does.” I’ve never seen any notion so widely accepted despite being unsupported by evidence or economics.

...except it wouldn't be great, because they would have passed up the opportunity to add proven, premium, young talent to the promising core that "turned the corner". They would be one Machado/Harper worse than they could have been. Sorry, but your position -- that we should avoid adding premium talent because there is a chance our existing talent level isn't high enough -- is indefensible.

Since the national discussion about Harper's likely destination now seems to be uninterested in minor details like whether the team in question has room for Harper on its roster, has the financial flexibility to pay him, or has met with him/expressed any interest in signing him, why not throw the Red Sox into the mix? They are the defending World Series champs. They are also very popular. Bryce Harper would hit home runs in Fenway. I hereby declare the Red Sox the new frontrunners to sign Harper.

I don’t know that it’s possible for this board to take the Dodgers more seriously. Most of he board seems to have assumed Harper is already there, despite the fact they haven’t made any of the moves necessary to allow it to happen.