caulfield12

Posey and Sal Perez as well…

Eternals is officially a disaster, even moreso since politics means it can’t play in a number of countries. Too many characters to introduce, not enough emotional investment. Not funny enough when it tries to be light-hearted. I like Gemma Chan was well as K.Nanjiani, but they can’t carry this type of film very well. Too much jumping around in history, it wants to be more profound on a philosophical/political level but stumbles there as well. Then two GoT actors reunited felt oddly discordant as well. Discordant. Wrong tones….looking at Chloe Zhao’s previous indie work and visual style, this was always a bit of a strange fit with a Marvel film. And I could have cared less about the Deviants and why they showed up except to justify the CGI/special effects budget.

A little bit more range than Dye, who was a statue, but not even half the arm.

Well, that doesn't have any potential to backfire. Besides you take one of the team's emotional leaders who'd just signed a long-term deal to be a part of the championship window and put him on another contender...not to mention the fact that Hahn's unlikely to do that because he would actually be risking his job if it blew up in his face. That said, not even sure post-trade Sox Kimbrel can mess up the AL Central next season.

Then they just give K.Jansen $10-12 million for one year and keep Dominguez. Or Melancon $7-8 million. Or trade for Hader. I just don't see any reason they would do that without $2-3 million coming along with Kimbrel in the exchange. When I said generous, I meant Philly giving up much of anything for taking on that contract, not a particularly well researched insight into Dominguez. Also don't see Iglesias getting 4-5 years from anyone but the Dodgers or maybe Angels...but you certainly could be right, we just don't know how the CBA uncertainty will impact the FA market quite yet.

I would love to sample whatever "optimistic juice" you're having... Looks like the ship has already sailed on Rodon, unless all the talk about the QO has just been a smokescreen.

Someone had Dominguez coming back...which seems generous. Forgot Mychal Givens, too. https://www.sportstalkphilly.com/2021/10/phillies-5-free-agent-closers-for-2022.html That seems like a pretty big gamble for Philly...can't afford to keep missing the playoffs with that payroll and keep your GM job. Because if it goes wrong, everyone will be able to make the hindsight arguments just like we did with Adam Dunn in 2011. That helped push KW into the C suite.

That's fine and good for the very final finishing piece to complete a WS contender, but it is not more of a need than RF, 2B, and another starter if we lose Rodon (have to watch Kopech's innings, too) and even a legit backup catcher like Roberto Perez...who could also give Grandal more time at DH and help slow down the opponent's running game. Those are four better ways to spend that $16 million.

That was the Law argument, 1/$10. But he hates the White Sox, right? Chapman for Kimbrel straight up would make more sense for White Sox than Yankees, with Sox paying $18 million instead of $16 million, then packaging Bummer for a 2B...not exactly the most logical move financially.

Boston would be another big market team but limited interest in a Kimbrel reunion…they could go after one of the other names, though, helping out by driving up potential demand. 1. Relief Pitcher “Different people have different perspectives on the pros and cons of spending big on relief pitching, and that’s all well and good. Regardless of the approach they take, the Red Sox need to find some bullpen help this winter, and that’s especially true if Houck and Whitlock enter the season as part of the rotation picture. That seems likely to be the case, and so that means the Red Sox would be left with a back-end of Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor, Ryan Brasier, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Hirokazu Sawamura. That’s not going to cut it. Not even close. There are some interesting options ready to come up from Worcester, but there needs to be some real attention to this group. I’d prefer a mix of established names and potential diamond in the roughs, but either way new faces are needed.” https://www.overthemonster.com/2021/11/2/22755577/boston-red-sox-2021-2022-offseason-preview-chaim-bloom-eduardo-rodriguez-jd-martinez-vazquez-arroyo

Only for trade partners/speculation…not Madrigal/Heuer commentary. LAD K. Jansen off the books, but he could also return for much less than $20 million 2021 salary, could go with a Knebel/Melancon type and save a lot SD Melancon will decline affordable option and hit market coming off overachieving season, Padres are near luxury tax threshold, need to dump Myers, Hosmer, Frazier/Kim/Profar Cardinals might not be 100% set with Gallegos, also saw “good” version of Kimbrel firsthand in 2021, but not the first franchise you think of spending that money on a closer…new manager will have a big say in decision LAA depends on QO situation and keeping Iglesias happy with multi-year deal better than “bargain” $9,125,000 deal this year…top closer on the market if he leaves, would be looking at 3/$39-45 realistically. Milwaukee could throw a wrench in the White Sox plans by putting Hader on the market…they certainly wouldn’t want to take on Kimbrel’s salary. Kimbrel for Narvaez reunion, haha? Minnesota….but they won’t spend like that unless they lock up Buxton and go for it next year, highly unlikely due to budget/payroll Cincy had Iglesias and didn’t want to pay him big money in the first place, or Wade Miley for that matter. Unlikely. Joe Kelly is a pitcher who also is going to draw considerable interest as a potential closer. Kendall Graveman will draw interest as well. Teams unlikely to be looking. Sea, Cle, Philly, Atl, KC, SFG, Toronto, Houston, NYM https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/early-2022-fantasy-baseball-relief-pitcher-rankings-top-20-shows-that-bankable-closers-are-in-short-supply/

Player salary 1 Chapman Aroldis Chapman NYY $18,000,000 2 Kimbrel Craig Kimbrel CHW $16,000,000 3 Hendriks Liam Hendriks CHW $13,333,333 Will Smith, who closed out the World Series for the Braves, 4th at $13 million. Spotrac is actually showing Kenley Jansen at $20 million, which they obviously want nothing to do with anymore. Raisel Iglesias at $9,125,000…likely to negotiate a longer term deal because he loves LA, but he’s part of the QO field and could come free and would be a Kimbrel alternative to other teams. You’ve also got Melancon who will turn down his $5-6 million option coming off one of his best seasons. Chapman is/was definitely not worth that $18 million in 2021 and lost his job. Heck, 15-18 teams in baseball would take 2-3 Carlos Martinezes and hope to catch lightning in a bottle for the same price as one fading Craig Kimbrel. The HoF label isn’t going to put more than a handful of butts in the seats, either. Relievers: Archie Bradley, Alex Cobb, Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand, Andrew Miller, Adam Ottavino, Trevor Rosenthal, Kirby Yates

“But the lack of success meant the White Sox moving on from Kimbrel would not come as a surprise. So far, though, they haven't, and there's an argument to be made that a full offseason to get acclimated to a new team and a new role could allow Kimbrel to pitch more like himself next season. With plenty of other departures from the bullpen — Ryan Tepera and Evan Marshall are free agents, and Michael Kopech is set to move to the rotation, with Garrett Crochet perhaps also beginning to prepare for a starter's role — keeping one of the game's elite relief arms around wouldn't be the worst idea.” Thanks for really selling the move, Vinnie Duber.

Yes, but then just wait when his being on the payroll is used as the excuse for not making some (from the fans’ standpoint) obvious moves in free agency…until Kimbrel can first be successfully offloaded.

Or fooled by Hahn’s non-Eaton/Sale/Q horse trading genius…

Did “look here, pal…” start the conversation?

Undoubtedly McNeil and reuniting Giolito and Flaherty. But with our luck, Carlos Martinez. Gallegos and Reyes, but neither are long-term answers for that spot for various reasons. Hicks theoretically returning.

And they didn’t want to pay a certain former Cuban closer Iglesias now on the Angels…

Melancon will likely opt out…but move not possible without substantially cutting payroll.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32542085/dave-clawson-created-college-football-version-moneyball-wake-forest Really cool story on Wake Forest coach and philosophy….Moneyball 101.

It’s a risk. But without him, we don’t have a Max Fried, Bumgarner (2012-14) or Walker Buehler/Scherzer type you expect to go out and dominate throughout a postseason. You’re relying on the offense to carry the team, or Cease to take another massive leap forward in terms of dominating playoff caliber teams and not just the Bottom 50% of the league.

Guess we need to think of it from Kate’s perspective…LA, SD, SF or NY. Maybe the Nationals.

Well, except it didn’t work for the team with a payroll roughly $100 million higher than the Sox to add 2 of the top 5 gets of the entire deadline in one fell swoop…and Scherzer hasn’t pitched in the AL since his Tigers’ days. It’s definitely a “prove it” moves in terms of claiming to be a legit WS contender. Odds of it actually happing are what, 5-10%?

If they can’t bring back Verlander somehow, sure…

Sure, but that’s when we were still getting our payroll back to normal levels for a contender…essentially a Top 12 one. And Lynn would likely not have received that money without first proving himself with the Sox first, plus the TLR connection. Keuchel I’ll give you, that was a bit of a head scratcher at the time but it worked for one season. The argument being we needed a proven veteran winner, the same reason the Royals added James Shields slightly past his prime. Just feels like the writing is already on the wall with Rodon and even Giolito…and this is a dangerous complacency if we are assuming all we need to do is stand pat to get through the Central for two more seasons. The word complacency is the operating word if we bring back the full coaching staff with Eloy in LF and no plan in sight for improving the catching spot behind Grandal. We’ll see, I guess. 2B feels like it’s Leury’s to lose until proven otherwise.