Balta1701

My guess is they would figure all that stuff out if they had to do so to avoid losing money. I don’t think a rapid bout of player movement is more complicated than figuring out how to avoid the season shutting down over Covid-19 outbreaks in 2020. In the NFL and NBA, like 75% of free agency is done in a couple of days, a week at most, it’s only MLB where owners are trying to drag salaries down, increase their revenue share, and where so many teams don’t want to compete that we have these 3 month free agent sagas. You might have to do things like arb hearings for guys already in camp, a 28 man roster to start the year again, and hire Ron Washington to run a spring training for guys who haven’t signed yet, but those are minor compared with the much bigger disagreements over how the sport is run. So basically, I still think March 1 is within a day or two of your drop-dead date for opening day.

We have a recent and relevant example, MLB in 2020. The agreement for the 60 game schedule was reached on June 23. It was expected to require a few days of testing and travel to get everyone to “spring” training, and opening day was slated for July 23 or 24. Opening day next year is scheduled for March 31. Basically, no deal by March 1 give it take a day or two means you start losing games.

When the Astros were looking at managerial candidates, they asked people specifically if they would allow the front office to dictate the lineups. Many guys said yes. When AJ Hinch interviewed and was asked that question he answered no, that there would be too many days when he would know there was some reason a guy wasn’t ready or needed rest or whatever else was going on and he couldn’t have the front office overruling him on that. He would take their advice and information, but he would get the final call. Note who they hired. While dictating nearly everything from the FO works for the Rays, for most teams, the right answer is striking some balance. If your answer is “I make the f***ing lineups” when someone provides info, you’re doing it wrong and that was Ozzie previously. Outside of Tampa Bay, if your answer is “what does the computer say”, you’re probably also doing it wrong. Previous Ozzie wouldn’t work today for most franchises because he made the F***ing lineups. Has he become more willing to adapt and work collaboratively with a front office, rather than having everything devolve into a fight over personal fiefdoms? That’s for the Padres to decide.

Here is the broken leg Altuve K.

I have a slight disagreement with this statement.

One thing that is important and not yet said is that the Bulls didn’t just change personnel, they changed literally the entire franchise way of thinking this year. Literally my entire adult life the goal with the Bulls has been to clear enough salary to offer a max contract or two. If you understand max contract levels and the tax level, you could predict what the Bulls would try to do. It even almost worked once, and might have done so but for one player’s legs. The ways teams like the Lakers, Nets, Rockets, Celtics made moves while over the cap but still brought in the players they wanted - you didn’t even need to know those to be a Bulls fan. It was like a completely different language. Then all of a sudden this offseason, the Bulls are making moves over the cap like any of those teams. This franchise went from thinking of themselves as the Sacramento Kings or Minnesota TWolves to acting like the Celtics or Nets in one offseason. It may not work. Houston never won a title that way and now they’re tapped out after their star left. But I’ll say this - what the Bulls are doing now is way more fun than trying to convince yourself that this year they will stay healthy enough to go for the 8th seed.

The phrases “overkill” and “diminishing returns” come to mind.

I am not a fan of Covid-19 and am happy to lump a few teams down there with that.

Tyler Flowers and Yasmani Grandal co-own a company that makes anti concussion catcher head gear. I just learned something.

Can we get 1 more Walker?

I think I literally have a post saying that he had finally broken out in 2019 somewhere, and his overall performance hasn’t matched that yet, plus 2021 was his first full season in a while. He has 2 years before FA. The Cubs would probably be motivated to move him, but the risk/reward might motivate them to hold off to the trade deadline. This seems like one you try for but I feel like the Cubs will be the problem.

Forbes’s top 5 NBA franchise valises: Bulls come in number 4. Number 5 is the Boston Celtics. https://stories.espn.com/page/meta/890372de-487b-0ee3-f786-39ffa929ed0b/d63d6031-840e-c332-4ab9-39ffa92bf9b3

So the problem is he’s streaky and there’s a risk you buy him and he turns into a “White Sox trade acquisition”, with solid upside? This one is tough.

Beat the living snot out of this team tonight Dodgers.

Why didn’t the Cubs move him last year?

I have no idea how to value him.

Totally spitballing here. Would Crochet and Vaughn as centerpieces be enough to get the Rays talking about Brandon Lowe?

That's what I meant - play him like the Dodgers do, have other guys who are "the normal starting RF and 2b when Taylor plays somewhere else", and when someone gets hurt, Taylor is the guy who takes over.

Obviously it doesn’t solve the RH balance problem, but it makes me shut up about depth if he’s in a 10th man role.

That just seems so low to me. Mentally I had him pegged for Zobrist money.

As dominant as anyone in baseball. What happened?

Actually interesting here - Sheets is 25 right now. Through his age 25 season, Kyle Schwarber had an .809 OPS/112 OPS+ for his career. Sheets put up an .823 OPS/130 OPS+ this year.

I know why it won’t happen ($) but with the injury record of the White Sox’s key players, you would be well justified in having a couple of guys of that caliber around.