caulfield12

Those are the pitchers between Tier 1A and third tier. Hamels, Pomeranz...that’s basically it. Roark, Pineda and Gibson are basically interchangeable...and you could just as easily argue for Hill, Wood, Wacha, Porcello or even Teheran. Basically, you’re a serious/legit suitor on the top group or you’re just nibbling around the edges and picking over the scraps or leftovers.

11-20 Ozuna, Castellanos, Hamels, Will Smith, Moose, Didi, Will Harris, Pomeranz (nobody has mentioned), D. Hudson, Betances  21-30 Abreu, Pineda, Roark, Gibson, Kendrick, Chirinos, d’Arnaud, Castro, Teheran, Puig

Yes, but the relative consistency of the Rays, Indians, Cardinals, Brewers, Twins, A’s, Braves proves it can be done...all teams that really are good to excellent/superior at talent identification and development...it’s certainly not impossible if you’re below the $160-170 million “cut line,” but it’s getting increasingly difficult with the proliferation of the same 4-5 super teams at the top. And the plus side is a team like Washington went from missing the playoffs, losing their franchise icon and almost firing a manager twice (let’s not forget they were 19-31 to start the year) to the Wild Card and then facing elimination three “series” in a row, including taking out Cole once and Verlander twice in Houston. Of course, they were a Top 8 payroll team as well (but at least have the argument that not giving Harper $300+ million turned out to be the smartest move.) Unfortunately, there’s no balanced schedule based on previous year’s record like the NFL. There’s tremendous parity as result, and then the Patriots as an anomaly/outlier. Maybe we should just hire “Georgie” and follow Jerry’s advice of doing the opposite of whatever his gut instinct is telling him...?

He belongs on a “profit maximizing” team like the latter two...and one of only two franchises to go longer w/o a playoff appearance to boot, Btw, what MLB GM’s would NOT have succeeded in signing those 5-6 long-term extensions he’s most noted for? And is the Jimenez extension creating nearly as much surplus value? Finally, does he get any blame then for not keeping Moncada, Giolito and Robert in similar fashion? Well, it’s easy to anticipate they won’t sign, but didn’t we all pretty much foresee how hard that will/would turn out to be?

Fulmer, Collins and Burger...Hansen and Burdi (those will be defended as not Hahn’s fault, and Hansen at least had potential)...Adams...Call/Fisher and the “advanced college hitters” philosophy in addition to drafting a plethora of potential high leverage college relievers who have mainly disappointed...the backsliding of the five remaining OF prospects (other than Walker, who might be “solid” at best).

It’s impossible to imagine they could be any higher than #20-22 losing Madrigal, Cease, Robert, Collins and Kopech. That leaves Vaughn and a bunch of question marks, and a good number of posters aren’t even sold on Vaughn as an impact player. Dunning? Adolfo? Rutherford? You really have to squint hard to find players other teams would demand in trades. Everyone keeps bringing up Stiever, I guess. Thompson and Dahlquist, too.

Never quit, never surrender! Cobra Kai!

Hamels addition is a win now move. Signing him for one year is pointless...and 2-3 runs the risk he’s unable to deliver when you need him in 2021-22. That means McCann and Collins both have to come through, or the offense is going to be short again...relying on two rookies, Anderson not regressing, and Avi actually staying healthy playing RF everyday. They’d need at least one more hitter. Undoubtedly, it would be someone like EE, Puig, Dickerson or Gardner at the bottom tier.

Jon Lester might be a better example, holding onto Zobrist, etc.

You’ve set your sights way too high. Roark or Wood, not both Puig or Gardner EE Will Harris or Betances (with a reclamation sign of Carl Edwards, Jr. or Chris Devenski)

But they were following up FOUR World Series titles in a period of less than two decades...and we made the same bad decisions from 2006-2009, as well. Maybe not to the same scale/extent though.

He wouldn’t sign unless the other 4-5 pieces are in place first...promises to try hard by the FO aren’t going to be enough assurance, and rightfully so.

The Padres just hired WeWork’s former CEO to pull Strasburg out of a hat. Machado 3B, Tatis SS, Rendon 2B, Hosmer 1B, K.Bryant LF/RF (because he went to Univ. of SD) Rotation: Strasburg, Paddack, Gore, Garrett Richards, etc.

That’s exactly the point. Those deals were 1/5th or 1/6th what Betts, Cole or Strasburg are going to get...and yet they somehow conspired to prevent JR from being able to add enough around the Sale, Q, Abreu, Eaton core to field a competitive team.

Yet they have the best player in baseball history...who would be more complicated to get a fair trade return for, Ohtani, Adell, Simmons, Fletcher, they’ve got some pieces. It’s hard to imagine just blowing everything up. https://www.fangraphs.com/teams/angels That said, their pitching was a disaster, and that was prior to Skaggs passing away.

That’s the biggest reason Dickerson isn’t getting huge attention...already 30, which is the new 35 in baseball years, seemingly.

It could work, of course. But every single White Sox fan knows the consequences if a move for Betts, Cole or Strasburg backfires. Now the Phillies and Padres can seemingly be like Captain Dan and fly right into the teeth of adversity...and spend more yet again, but that’s never been the way the Sox operate. It really feels like the Danks and Dunn contracts...along with Cabrera/Robertson/LaRoche, set this organization back all the way to the late 1990’s.

After Herrera, that would make Hahn doubling down Riverboat Gambler of the Year if he was Comeback Pitcher of the Year or first in the unemployment line if we actually held our front office accountable like most organizations.

$375-400 million? Anyone born before the Belle and A-Rod contracts knows that will never happen in a million years under JR ownership.

Polanco would be a lot closer, and Nimmo...at any rate, they’re certainly not capable of putting together the package for the preferable S.Marte with secondary pieces, but the Pirates will Pirate, so who the hell knows.

Age and two TJ surgeries are what depress his value. But it only takes one competing team a better offer than KW made to Herrera. Let’s just call it the Eovaldi/Kelly Effect after this past postseason.

We’re counting on Minnesota and Cleveland to fumble away their current competitive advantages for that to happen. Another TJ hit to the young rotation, Collins/McCann fading into obscurity along with Abreu’s bat speed and the relief corps completely imploding...and then what? They’re 100% forced to get Realmuto at top dollar...and DESPERATELY spending another $60+ million in free agency this time next year, or you can start taking about firing the entire front office and trading off Moncada, Giolito, Anderson, etc. While that’s not LIKELY, it’s also not outside the realm of possibility, either. Certainly not with this front office group’s record the past decade. Just imagine we didn’t add one veteran starter who could even profile as a #2/3 and Kopech/Giolito/Cease goes down with a major injury. Heck, even Lopez, the way the roster is currently constructed. To quote Midway, it would be “sayonara.”

And the Padres’ local media (tv/radio) deal is 2nd worst in baseball. Only KC, Cincy, Pitt, Cleve, Detroit and Milwaukee can vie with it. Despite our abysmal ratings, we’re closer to Top 8-12 in local media market “value.”

Hudson will get more for one year coming out of 2019 than Herrera on a down/decline season in 2018...and he left the White Sox on the not so greatest of terms with Cooper. Not to mention there are only three more legit relievers on the market: Harris, Smith and Betances.

Boston?