caulfield12

Sure, but that doesn't mean they're going to suddenly open the spigots again on the older players like Robert Abreu Alexei Ramirez that weren't subject to the intl signing pool limits due to age. Okamoto Murakami Imai etc.

https://fansided.com/mlb/these-5-overpaid-mlb-players-deserve-the-anthony-rendon-treatment At least the Sox can rank in the Top Five/Ten for one category… https://www.si.com/mlb/anthony-rendon-worst-mlb-contracts

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/live/bears-vs-eagles-chicago-makes-huge-statement-with-black-friday-win-in-philadelphia-183044514.html

Ren and Stimpy quotes lol? That's right out of the Jason Benetti playbook.

Welcome to dutifully watching Iowa football the last thirty years, except for much less dynamic/exciting skill position players across the board (with the obvious exceptions of Dallas Clark and George Kittle)... Still, must have been totally satisfying for Bears' fans who haven't seen those backfield yardage numbers since the SB Shuffle.

Sox fans are so starved for winning that Jerry Dybzinski and Tito Landrum are more famous in team history forty years later than any of the current players. Meanwhile, Dodgers' fans simply believed "winning was their destiny" simply due to having the most talented and most expensive team...and few even remember Kerkering's name after that historic WS.

I can't imagine what you would be like as an Eagles' message board poster. Two Super Bowls in the last four, including knocking off the "dynastic" Chiefs and quasi-GOAT Mahomes and yet they've resorted to loudly booing Hurts Sirianni Barkley from the very first failed offensive possession at home and leaving the stadium early in droves when down just two scores. When their team came into the game at 8-3 and still pretty much assured of a playoff spot now at 8-4 with just five games remaining. Remember when the White Sox were getting mock cheers for nearing the all-time loss record in late 2024 and Benintendi finally showed some fire and got pissed off at Sox fans? Fun times. Really can't imagine the shock value if those two franchises (Phils and Sox) had switched cities since the original Harper FA deal.

Don't you mean officially becomes control person/takes over the team and brings in the MLB equivalent of Ben Johnson....? As it stands, the value of his shares will be decreasing the next two years.

Great marketing tagline for 2026. Talk about a unique selling proposition or USP.

Other than that slight design flaw with the eight supposedly airtight compartments mathenatically meaning 5/8 being breached would lead to an inevitable sinking...the HMS Titanic was a fine ship. The White Sox, otoh, have intentional design flaws with offense, defense and pitching. At any rate, as soon as the Sox can match the heart of the Phillies or Mariners post-deadline lineups, that will be a day to truly look forward to, because they're not really close yet. Actually, having awful position player production has been the norm during the Getz regime. Above average has been the outlier.

At least Ishbia with the Suns has totally changed his modus operandi. He seemingly puts the fans first or at least speaks to their wants. JR has become more stubborn and entrenched in his bunker...scoring at the very idea of being in the Ohtani market while being totally blind to the marketing value of the Japanese players or likes of Bryce Harper. You have to spend money to make money. A cliche, sure, but truer words were never spoken.

Costs too much.

Merely to make a point to the other owners...not because he really wanted to keep him on the payroll long term.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/blue-jays-signing-dylan-cease-155029540.html Blue Jays are signing Dylan Cease: Here’s 3 reasons why the move will backfire "According to StatMuse, Cease has pitched to a 4.61 ERA across 29 outings against AL East teams in his career. He has struck out 199 hitters and recorded a 7-8 overall record as well. For the most part, Cease has failed to find success against the division, but the situation becomes even more concerning when looking at his numbers versus specific ball clubs. The New York Yankees — who will likely be the Blue Jays’ biggest threat for the division crown — have absolutely dominated Cease over the years. In six starts, Cease has a lackluster 5.34 ERA and has given up five home runs. It gets even worse for Cease against the Boston Red Sox, as his 6.04 ERA versus the team is concerning.'

They do now have ONE sole scout now covering the entire NPB and KBO and Taiwan to boot!!! That's also what tends to happen when you spend just $94.7 million per year on 2024-2026 payroll during an era when the mid market teams need to be in that $135-150 million range just to be competitive for a post season spot (unless you're as resource allocation efficient as CLE and MIL). Not enough talent and farm system depth to cover up all the holes when you refuse to even play in the Tier B/C free agency pool. Everything is riding on the 2026 draft...but still two 1 1/2 to 2 more rebuilding seasons at a minimum if you hit on that pick.

"At a minimum, the Blue Jays get a solid middle-of-the rotation starter to go with Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios. The good version of Cease is a No. 2 starter who sometimes looks like an ace. If Bieber is healthy for the entire season and Berrios' late-season elbow inflammation was just temporary, that's a rotation that could be as good as any in the game. We knew the Jays were going to strike big this offseason. This might not be their only move of consequence."-- Schoenfield Grade B https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46994593/2025-26-mlb-offseason-grades-free-agency-trade-analysis

Table 8 filled with all the Japanese players drinking Asahi...

fWAR 4.5 4.4 3.6 (traded at a low) 4.7 3.4 Worth about $25-26 million based just on this past year...but average fWaR over last five seasons is exactly in line with performance and FA contracts over the last decade. Just the current price of doing business with the true heavyweight franchises. Two extra years added for being near top of class premium tier along with Valdez Suarez Imai.

Like the Dodgers...they have insurance now for injuries/non-performance in their starting rotation. As things currently stand, the Blue Jays have a potential juggernaut of a starting staff set up for next season, with Cease joining Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber (who opted in for 2026), Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios to line up a fearsome five-some. If they can then go ahead and convince Imai he gives them the best opportunity to take down the Dodgers...he will likely sign with Toronto. We saw all the evidence of that in a 7+ game World Series. Perhaps top pitching prospect Gage Stanifer (No. 6) could join him soon, too, but regardless of how well 2026 goes for this farm system, the 2027 rotation needed help. And there's also Eric Lauer and the possibility of bringing back Chris Bassitt as well for a swing role.

Valdez Imai and Suarez are going to get paid...Michael King might be the bargain or could easily implode from a durability standpoint due the bulk of his career coming as a short reliever. Ofc that also comes without Cease or Valdez mileage.

For who though? Quero Vargas or Sosa? Quero would replace Contreras...

TJ initial surgeries usually don't hold for more than a decade or more. Not with how many high stress innings he has pitched since then...

Cubs fans are going to get frustrated...but they're around tenth in payroll and it's not like they stopped showing up for games since the last playoff window closed. In some ways, they're the victims of their own popularity as Ricketts can get by with second and third place teams. Not like the Sox are threatening them in any way, either. They DO pretty much need that ace though, unless they're really counting more than everyone else on Steele's comeback and Horton taking that next step. And Boyd just can't keep it up IMO.

I think it's closer to 1.5, but point still stands. fWAR had Meidroth leading entire team at 3.1, that might be even scarier

4D Sodoku