WestEddy

I would think he just doesn't want his decision to be distracted by Ohtani and Yamamoto.

EF Hutton... We're an Easy Target!

Now there is zero reason to resign Clevenger...

He's more of a RF. He's only played 8 games in CF in the minors.

You also have Ron Marinaccio, who should probably challenge for closer.

This probably proves your point even more, but Bryce Wilson has about 50 starts, and Jared Shuster 11.

Elias broke the Haiku engine.

Maybe now that his defense has settled in, he can concentrate on getting his hit tool back.

The '22 team came into the season with Cease, Giolito, Kopech, Lynn and Keuchell as their rotation. They had Jimmy Lambert and Davis Martin starting at AAA. They picked up Vince Velazquez and Johnny Cueto after spring training started. Pretty light considering what a club needs for the season, but not exactly what you describe. I don't remember anybody making any proclamations that Soroka was the #2 starter. If you do, please link to a story about that. I always understood the acquisitions of Fedde, Soroka and Flexen to have been a package gamble that one or more of them could be "fixed".

I don't know. You complain about every single expenditure, so maybe you can speak to that. I like the thought process behind bringing in a great arm to rehab for $3 million for the chance that he pops, and then you have a valuable piece. Montgomery is a junk-baller who may bounce back, but then you're probably eating some of the $7.5 million due him for the remainder of 2025 to trade him. I'm all for Reinsdorf spending more money. I don't need him to pay a beer vendor $1 billion to prove he wants to win, or something.

Which was the whole point of my comment. I'm not sure what is "wise" about taking on $22.5 million for a really bad pitcher to get another guy who could top out as a utility infielder. No, Jerry Reinsdorf shouldn't approve that. They have the makings of a stable rotation with Cannon, Martin, Burke, Thorpe, Wilson and Smith, plus Bush, Adams, Nastrini and Iriarte in AAA.

Missing the point, yet again. Soroka was expected to be a rehab project, which he was. "Flipping" a player is one benefit of having a player on your roster. Another little known benefit is that these players can actually play in baseball games, all of which have 9 defensive positions to be covered for the entirety of the game. Please tell me about all these deals where a team gets a top prospect for taking on money.

The most expensive Cuban exiles don't cost that much. And the 1-1 slot of this last year's draft was less than half of that. The way people wail about paying Mike Soroka $3 million to turn out to be a good reliever, imagine taking on $22.5 million to watch the equivalent of Nick Nastrini's 2024 production, just for the privilege of taking on another Dominick Fletcher.

The Rangers went out and signed Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jacob DeGrom, so it's not like the Rangers are the Tampa Bay Rays.

Teoscar back to the Dodgers. 3/66

He was a Rule 5, so they were looking at having to roster him on the big league club, so yeah, with what looked like a much longer recuperation, they offered him back to the Red Sox. You are right. I did add him to a list of legitimate stating pitching prospects. I'm pretty sure that Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin and Sean Burke were on that list, also.

Dude, relax. I'm not trolling you. I was just looking through the old Bailey Horn thread, and saw your comment, and figured it was notable, considering your reply on Saturday. If Matt Thompson's a "prospect", then so was Drohan. And, by "legitimate" I didn't mean "this dude will dominate!!!", more like, "yes, this guy will start games for the parent club". At the point Thompson was traded, he was no longer a "prospect" in the sense that he was a prospective major league starter. He was a depth arm. Maybe the Cubs run into a jam, and Thompson finds himself sitting in a bullpen for a few weeks, but I really think he's at his ceiling. I hope you're enjoying the holidays.

They gave 38 starts to really bad pitchers last year, and 44 to Thorpe, Cannon (after his 2nd promotion), Burke, Martin and Ky Bush. You're not really "losing" 8 wins between Fedde and Crochet. If they're replaced by, say, production that's on the level of Flexen, you're losing about 2.5 wins for each slot. I don't think it's a reach to make up 2-2.5 wins just by replacing the negative production in those 38 starts with one of their young starters. And just by positive regression on offense, you're probably making up the rest.

You also wrote this in the Bailey Horn thread back in February: I wasn't making fun with my "thinks we only have 3 pitching prospects" comment. You seem to have a fluid definition of what a prospect is.

At this point, I agree with greg that it's too far out. I guess I really feel about 53-54, but dream big, right?

63 wins. They're starting out with a better whole rotation than '24, better bullpen, new manager, rookies competing for jobs instead of lifetime under-achievers getting injured in the first 11 games. They also have their RF and 5th starter in camp from the beginning.