Flash

Thanks but not usually? We should all be grateful for Steve Cohen's acquisition of the Mets for instilling hope (perhaps falsely) that teams will spend in order to keep pace with an expectation that Cohen's deep pockets will drive the talent market. My sense is that if not for his presence, expectations of any vibrancy in the FA market would be tempered by a 'wait and see' approach from ownership.

I'm following this thread but not sure I understand what should be expected of MLB owners. Should they be expected to ignore the economic impact the pandemic has had on their businesses because their businesses are professional sports teams? Should they be expected to maintain or even increase spending in the face of reduced or perhaps zero gate receipts? Some owners are fiduciaries to their minority investors. Would it be a responsible decision to ignore the financial dynamics of todays environment simply because they had the wherewithall to acquire professional teams in the first place? Do they owe fans visibility into their financial situations because we don't believe they are spending as much as they should be on payroll? Should owners of privately held pro sports franchises be held to a higher accountability standard than owners of other private businesses?

It seems like most of his takes are ill-conceived attempts at throwing names/hypothetical trades/signings on the wall. If you go back through previous posts my guess is well over a dozen, some with 'insider details' as though he is a party to the convos. Good for igniting soxtalk discussion I suppose.

Has anyone other than Portillos put the WS on Springer?

Because Portillos is a wannabe insider who is trying to sound relevant

Would it really surprise anyone if we ride out the market? Not suggesting its the best approach but I'd be surprised if Sox are early movers.

Maybe but you can't ignore the economic uncertainty and that some teams (maybe Cubs) might need to reduce expenses. There is a real liklihood of low to no gate receipts in '21 and for most teams there aren't too many levers for owners to pull other than reduce payroll.

Of the pitchers rumored to be available in trade and the likely assets required to turn a deal, Snell is 3rd on my list behind Darvish and Marquez (neither of whom are 'officially available'). Of course my top target is Corbin Burnes of the Brewers but doubt Brewers are motivated. I just think if the Cubs are belt-tightening, Darvish would be a great get and, on a given day, is among the best in the game and under a reasonable contract. Snell is obviously talented but strikes me as a bit flakey and I agree with most here who would be reluctant to send Kopech or Vaughn...especially Vaughn.

GETS ME WONDERING HOW MUCH TRADE VALUE YERMIN MIGHT HAVE NOW IF HE GOT SOME OF THE ABS THE PARROT GOT LAST YEAR

I think so. Might need to add a sweetener but I think that might get it done unless someone like Mets, Padres or even Twins get involved. Then we might need to get creative i.e. Kimbrel.

Sugano and Darvish and spread the cost of an interpreter.

Who might that be?

If Rays are interested, I'd lead with Kopech. Guessing they would want a meaningful 2nd piece and they love fireballing BP arms so someone like Bummer might be part of their ask. 3rd piece someone like Mercedes (watch him become the next Arozarena). I do not think WS have any interest in dangling Vaughn or Crochet to anyone. I think Cease could potentially headline a package for Darvish but its unclear how Cubs plan to proceed. For Lynn, I'd be reluctant to move any of the aforementioned (except Mercedes) and would consider leading with Stiever but I'm a bit less sanguine about Lynn based on how he finished 2020.

I'm guessing they are done. On paper, thats a powerhouse team.

Not gonna get rich trading with the Rays.

Have to imagine Rays would create an auction among the many teams who covet Snell. I can see them targeting someone like Bummer as a second piece to Kopech. Or maybe something like Cease, Bummer and Dunning (Fl. kid).

Black Sox Karma never ends

None of which is lost on JR which is why I'll be pleasantly surprised if he moves on Springer (especially early). That said, baseball has survived 2 world wars and The Great Depression so there's room for some optimism.

Cubs aren't kicking in to move Darvish unless we took on added salary expense of someone like Kimbrel, which would somewhat defeat the purpose.

I tend to agree but adding Springer (@$25M) plus Darvish (@$20M) would have us bumping into nose bleed altitude (>$140M). For that reason, if we sign Springer, I think Lynn would be the likely rotation addition.

Don't know. Didn't even know his trade proposal until you pasted it from BTVs.

I didn't react to his trade proposition or his rationale...I reacted to his comment which implied he had provided objective data that was ignored.

I don't mind people using their own value...would prefer they didn't disparage the use of objective data, such as MLB Trade Values, when it doesn't support their own values.

How on earth could you possibly know who we are targeting, how much we will pay, contract values, length of contracts, cash contributions and timing if you don't tune in to this knowlegeable group who are all obviously connected to and in the room with Hahn during these discussions ?

Wasn't aimed at Balta...it was in support of his comment on how this board ignores independent and objective information when proposing or nixing hypothetical trades.