caulfield12

Well, that deteriorated quickly.

This always looked like it was set up to be a split…really going to have to battle their butts off now.

Of course, Cruz probably won’t go down so easily. Never should have been a tie game in the first place with such a favorable pitching match-up.

Would have been out if he didn’t slip but a really risky play.

Uh-oh.

He was locked in on a 3-0 fastball and chased one not in his zone…pretty simple. Anderson’s certainly our best hitter now, you take your chances.

Or Harold Baines…

Different sport, where the QB/Brady or in NBA 2-3 superstars can control a game…see LAA playoff record or lack thereof with Trout and now Ohtani.

Don’t we already have Moncada, Robert and Madrigal pretty much in bubble wrap? Might as well add Engel, too. That’s a lot of fragility for one lineup, not to mention Grandal.

Yeah, Willie McGee was the equivalent of Yadi from the previous generation of great Cards teams…

Donaldson’s deal and then keeping Cruz at $13-15 million for next year are really hampering their financial flexibility. In my mind, they want to keep at least one of those guys and go all in on 2022 again, or they pretty much have to blow the whole thing up. They have complementary pieces like Arraez, Kepler, Sano and Polanco from the first wave that they have to connect to the second with Kiriloff, Larnach, etc. Just like with Eddie Rosario, they will have to part ways with Kepler, Sano or both as they get more expensive and play their way out of the long term plans. Most importantly, they need to solidify spots 3-5 in the rotation, and the internal options are just not developing as quickly as needed, which necessitates more FA spending to cover for the losses of Berrios and Pineda.

Berrios would ONLY make sense (to move this year at the deadline) to an all in/win now team with a lesser payroll (think Rays, A’s, Brewers) who had the prospects to deal and the willingness to take a risk to put themselves over the top, but not much likelihood of being able to afford the 6 year, $150ish extension. Padres also come to mind, because of all the question marks around Lamet, Paddack and Snell…could see a deal with Berrios and Rogers moving together. They have the easiest schedule remaining and desperately are going to want to avoid that sudden death wild card game with SFG or LAD. 90% of the time, these big moves happen over the offseason.

Ron’s less inflammatory alternate handle?

Buxton is the more likely to sign, but there’s a lot of differences on guaranteed/upfront money and additional incentives (if he put together an actual full season, he’d be Top 5 in MVP vote, for example). Twins want to be closer to 6 years, $70 million, Buxton side up to 7-8 years and anywhere from $80-105 million. Huge risk/reward on both sides of that equation, for both organization, and player/agent. Berrios reportedly wants that six year, $150 million deal for a FA of his pedigree and age. Same one Lucas will be pursuing after 2023. He’s gone IMO between the trade deadline and this coming offseason. Twins still have to make decisions on Donaldson, Cruz, Pineda, Rogers (value down), Robles and Simmons, to name a few. Those are the six everyone is watching, along with the Big 2 headliners.

He pitched an inning yesterday so it would/should have been planned to have at least one off day if he was going to try to go 2+.

Lopez, supposedly…

They’re going to have to make some concessions to the acquiring team…doesn’t Keuchel have the right to refuse a trade if they can make the case he is not being given a legit or fair opportunity to hit his 150 IP target and will lose his 2023 option year? Usually teams have to figure out a way to meet in the middle for these sorts of ongoing obligations. “2024 Vesting Option vests with 320 IP across 2021-2022, including 160 IP in 2022“ Essentially they’re looking at up to $38 million in contract responsibility. If I am another team, the minimum I ask the White Sox to pay is somewhere in the $8-12 million range, which is going to severely limit how much “freed up” money there would be for the 2022 season.

Then the problem becomes complacency and not being challenged enough in their own division, which has been. the case for division ever since Indians' World Series run. It will be interesting to see how the AL East and NL West teams do in the playoffs since those are arguably the two toughest divisions...although that West is historically top heavy, even more so than the 2006 AL Central.

Pretty limited to maybe 4-5 posters there, although some coming out of the woodwork more recently.

Depends on how you define expensive and what Giolito gets the next two years in arbitration. But yeah, Cease, Kopech and Crochet are generally cheaper.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movie-theater-owners-blame-marvel-204901310.html

At the rate he’s going, we should be adding ALCIDES Escobar, lol…

Was reading that and thought Daniel Palka was back….

I don’t think we can make any predictions on Burger as a hitter…yet. You can’t measure drive and determination, and just to be in the position he’s in now is pretty incredible, if you look at those threads on him the last 2-3 years. Remember all the concerns from draft year about the arm bar? Yermin kinda let things go to his head, but Burger seemingly is one of those super high character guys.

Terry Forster? Bartolo? Sid Fernandez? Sabathia?