caulfield12

With a guaranteed deal for next year, you can practically guarantee Herrera will be on the roster for at least the first 2-3 months of 2020.

That was one of the best trades in KW's career, it brought back Quentin, who should have won 2008 AL MVP. 1) Tatis and Machado share the same agent/representation, so you can be sure they're on the same page about signing an extension or not. There is a danger if the Padres can't at least make the playoffs in 2020 or 2021 (blocked by the Dodgers) that they both start looking to greener pastures. 2022 will be the key year, for both their futures. After 2023, Machado can opt out. Then we can go through this whole offseason fiasco again with a 31 year old Machado, yay!!! 2) Commendable job of working Colombian caballos into the story. 3) The Padres wanted to set the tone from the very beginning of the season that they were going to put their best team on the field. Hosmer and Machado actually talked to Preller and management about it in spring training, and they finally agreed. At that time, they also agreed to put Paddack on the roster...even though they knew he would be limited in his innings not too far removed from a TJ. Other than a brief 3-4 start stretch, he's been as good as advertised, and has become one of the best NL young hurlers, along with Soroka. 4) By my count, they've brought up eight Top 100 MILB guys to the majors this year....most of them on the pitching side, once you get past Tatis, Urias and Naylor. They pretty much knew they weren't going to compete this year, but they wanted all those young arms to be in competition at the major league level to see what they actually had: starter, reliever, or back to the minors for more seasoning. In that way, they're able to make a determination on trading Yates (they have a kid in Munoz throwing 102-103 and still growing) or holding onto him for one more season (see Colome situation with the White Sox). 5) Whether they can compete with the Dodgers next season, it's all going to come down to Mackenzie Gore and when he arrives. If they start him in the major leagues on Opening Day, then you'll really know they're throwing all caution to the wind. You can definitely make an argument with all the volatility with pitchers, you might be better off forgetting about years of control and just utilizing them as long as possible before they start depreciating (see NY Mets, 2015....or Nats/Strasburg.)

This thread is in danger of entering borderline creepy Watchmen territory...

I ended up parking $150k in a CD that pays twice a year at 2.5% Have to keep it in for 25 months (25th anniversary of local bank here). Wish I could go back to that time in China about 4-5 years ago when my wife through her insurance company could get a CD guaranteeing 8%, but (already) there was a limit to the amount you could put in, something like $50,000. Last time we did it, it was only 3%.

The problem is nobody is going to value either Giolito or Moncada (Moncada would definitely have the higher value) in that Sale fashion until they keep this up at least through mid-season next year. You said it yourself...who was so faithful to Giolito last year and then has had that confidence shaken over the last month in 2019, if his biggest fan isn't going to overvalue him or believe in him in terms of trade/asset value, why would an opposing team's GM feel even more strongly about overpaying to acquire Lucas? In retrospect, I certainly get why trading Eaton made sense...he was AT BEST a negative clubhouse presence, he was coming off an anomalous healthy season where he had an extremely high fWAR because he'd moved from CF to RF and was piling up the assists, which isn't an easily repeatable stat...but there's the problem that if you trade both of them, you're still looking at losing Anderson/Rodon, you've still got Kopech/Cease/Dunning with TJ histories, then MAYBE you buy ONE extra year of contention? The problem with that is White Sox fans have already been going through this for a decade...they're not going to stand for a payoff to their patience that's deferred until the 2023 and possibly the 2024 season. Then you're basically just the Oakland A's. If they want to do that, get someone from the front office of Oakland, Tampa Bay, Cleveland or even Atlanta that really knows how to operate in that type of rebuilding/retooling on the fly environment, because it's definitely not Hahn and Williams any longer.

That argument would work better if they missed the playoffs entirely...still going to the NL Championship against the Mets validated that decision in the minds of Epstein and Hoyer. They got there one year earlier than anyone could have predicted. That said, if Bryant's determined to walk as a result of that bitterness, you pretty much have to keep Baez/Rizzo/Contreras together as long as possible. Realistically, it was never going to be realistic to keep all four of those guys, not with other contracts like Heyward, Chatwood and Darvish on the books.

The idea that you can expect someone like Wheeler "to get straightened out" while providing him a premium contract (similar to Eeovaldi) is pretty nutty...as most of us already have our doubts about Don Cooper adjusting to the modern game. Far likelier, second tier guys like Bumgarner or Odorizzi will end up with much more palatable 3 year contracts. The line probably gets drawn at no more than 4 years, which definitely means no Gerrit Cole. The likelier Sox path is finding two of those second tier guys to combine with the existing roster. In the meantime, you have to believe in your own prospects fulfilling their destiny and at least one of the three becoming a true, TOR stud. IMO, there is a LOT to be said for simultaneously going after underperforming guys like Aaron Sanchez (like Rodon, Boras is his agent and team control is through just 2020), Jonathan Gray, Foltynewitz, Freeland...as the bigger names are out of our current price range due to the fact that we'd be asked to give up more than we're willing to or can afford to give up.

I'm just not seeing the advantage of doing that, rather than simply selling the house outright...right now, she's having to pay for mowing, snow removal, homeowner's insurance, plus we have to keep the gas/water/lights on in order for the insurance to cover the house while nobody's occupying it.

They better hope an extra year with Robert/Madrigal is worth losing a possibly competitive one with Moncada and Giolito in 2020... 2026 contention doesn't really matter to the fans much at now, and Reinsdorf might no longer even be around. Of course, there's another perspective. I'm sure that Cubs' fans are thankful in these last 2-3 years of their contention window that they control Bryant, Baez, Rizzo and Contreras as long as they do. They can grope and whine about all the prospects they've traded away and how well they're performing with other organizations...but they're still right there in the thick of it in Season 5 (unfortunately for them, the Dodgers and Braves might not be cooperating.) The other thing having that extra year of control does is that it also helps to justify charging $8 extra per month for the Cubs' Network/Marquee. Likewise, the White Sox have to believe that Robert and Madrigal are centerpieces when they are negotiating yet another new t.v. deal in 2024. (Of course, this is the type of argument only an accounting firm or JR's tax attorney would enjoy...)

I can just see it now. Sox acquire Aaron Sanchez, because Coop can fix him like he "fixed" Giolito...there's your Cole/Bumgarner/Wheeler.

The Pirates were actually the first to embrace shifts, pitch framing....emphasizing two seam sinkers to keep the ball on the infield with superior infielders, lessening wear and tear on starting pitchers with elevated pitch counts (more k’s and walks with four seamers, more fly outs/homers).

Michael Wacha came out of the bullpen tonight, his 5.33 ERA will be a bargain...

Or signing Descalso...

Where’s Fathom to make a comment about the Cubs’ Robel Garcia looking like Hack Wilson after four years of pro ball in Italy...? http://m.milb.com/player/593977 We need to acquire this guy....now entering the game for your Chicago White Sox, Johendi Jiminian! He’s pitching for Chatt against BIRM as we speak.

Who’s Maureen? Stapleton from All in the Family?

Madrigal just doubled off him, out of the game after six, gave up just one run.

Jordan Yamamoto turned out to be the main piece in that deal...can’t imagine how Marlins fans feel about that one, similar to our I’ll-fated 2016 trade probably.

He’s like Cy Young against the Marlins in his career...it’s almost uncanny.

The actual Serengeti is a LOT better...watching the Great Wildebeest migration over the Zambezi River

Goins is the next Brent Lillibridge!! McCann’s homer was on a 93 mph fastball, btw.

Actually as high as #16 in 2016, BA http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=171058

Extend Goins!

One of the worst Top 25 prospects in recent history...

This year, Vladimir Guerrero is the new bust...or Eloy, early. Everyone’s sleeping on Yoan because of how many great 3B there are, the White Sox labor in total obscurity and Red Sox fans, for their part, are still happy they kept Devers, although right now they could really use an infield of Devers, Bogaerts and Moncada.