poppysox

I know the argument but Eloy, Grandal, Abreu, Vaugh, Collins, and Sheets can't all be the DH. Trades might be the way to go but selling low isn't the answer.

Play Vaughn/Sheets in RF. Use money on other needs. These young guys need to play somewhere. Abreu is still the 1st baseman and Grandal is still DH when not catching.

Hahn doesn't believe Rodon to be worth the risk at 18.4 million. I think Hahn is interested when/if the market doesn't materialize at these 20 mill numbers people are tossing around. Hahn will be interested if and when Boras wants to talk about incentive-based deals IMO. Carlos won't be the first Boras client to not get the asking price.

We shall see.

And yet some think Schwarber is just fine. We all want a Clemente clone but they are hard to find in our presumed price range.

Yeah, I know. They make the routine plays and nothing is perfect. My view is we have two good young ballplayers...we need to use them. I know that some would say trade them but their value hasn't really been established.

I still favor a pairing of Vaughn & Sheets for RF...use what we already have. The money can be used at 2nd, backup catcher, and strengthen pitching.

I would make that deal in a heartbeat. It would be worth it for the PR alone.

Obviously...Tony likes him. I think he stays.

No...and NL sluggers scare me to death.

Kimbrel just might have more value than some here think.

Maybe RH doesn't believe anyone is going to offer 18 + for Rodon.

Maybe they want to have Rodon test the water and realize an incentive-laced deal is the best he is going to get. I don't think 18 million is the chump change some here think.

You make lawyers sound like bad people...some of them are not horrible. I presume...I haven't met one yet.

RH is either planing to use Kimbrel in our pen or is certain he can recoup a meaningful player in a trade. No way is the 16 million being spent in order to ship him off for a bucket of balls. Personally, I would have just released him and spent the money elsewhere. However, the FO has tons more knowledge of the market than we fans.

Yep...just confused the option with the QO. Still think RH knows he got some takers for more than scraps.

If Dominguez is the best we can do...I don't see why RH would risk a QO. I think RH would have released Kimbrel and spent the 18.4 million elsewhere. I believe RH knows something that we don't on this one.

Cub fans still love Kimbrel. We could probably get Madrigal ++if we would pony up 8 million toward Kimbrel's salary. Just for the record....I'm not joking.

I agree. These 150 inning pitchers have become acceptable in today's baseball.

Anyone can be traded for the right price of course. As a general rule, I am not in favor of trading our high 1st round draft picks. Madrigal was quite enough to last me for a while.

Yep.

My current thinking is to pair Sheets and Vaughn. They need to play somewhere and RF makes the most sense. Spend resources on 2nd base and a reserve defensive catcher. Of course...pitching is always on the shopping list.

Ouch!

Now I'm getting excited. Sounds like a lot of great stuff going on. Um...what did he just say?

I agree with you. Good post.