caulfield12

If you’re wrong on most other aspects of the rebuild, then you are simply going to be trading your 28 year-old superstar in his prime and getting back another version of Soriano or Cano, but now playing on a cellar dwelling team. (Soriano put up a 2.3 fWAR average for two seasons in Texas after a 5.1 in NY in 2003, but really took off again with the Nationals and Cubs.)

Let’s be honest. If Kopech, Moncada and Giolito succeeded, we likely wouldn’t even be having this conversation. The strategy always called for bringing in a “proven winner” Jon Lester type to anchor the rotation, but never a whale. In some ways, instead of trusting the process, it’s a classic panic-induced move. It’s probably why neither of those guys sign, ultimately. Righfully so, it’s up to our current roster, Jimenez, Cease, Robert and Madrigal (Collins, to a lesser extent) to prove they can live up to the scouting reports. Bringing in Machado just obscures how offtrack things are for the rebuild, in terms of perception. If the scouting/evaluation is off on most of our young talent, we will simply end up jettisoning a whale contract for 60-75 cents on the dollar. Hahn and KW will be long gone. In some ways, it’s better to let 2019 play out before making any huge long-term moves.

Greg would like this move if he was a Reds’ fan. The problem is we’re so locked in on whales right now, we’ve totally forgotten how to identify good values in the Tier B/C players we usually go for. And, of course, have no reason so far to trust that Hahn will get it done correctly. In the past 15 years, we only managed it in 2004-05 and then leading into the 2008 season with Danks/Floyd/Quentin/Alexei. Of course, the two big players from that era that we’re going to lead to sustained success, Beckham and Viciedo, flopped. Even if we DO actually make the right smaller moves, it’s going to take a couple of years for the fans to buy back in and start to believe again. The only thing that gives them instant credibility is signing Machado or Arenado. Doubt even Rendon gets that done.

They better take out a yuge insurance policy on Eloy, because any type of injury to our franchise hitter would send even some of the biggest fans into cryofreeze for another couple of years. So far, the only surprise is the Indians didn’t get that group of Dodgers’ outfielders for Santana, but we will see where things stand after the expected Kluber/Bauer deal. Pollock to the Indians for 3-4 years actually makes some sense, paired with Verdugo. He would have to come down into the $60-65 million range, though, for that to occur. That would force the Dodgers to up their offer for Harper. As long as he has multiple options (Braves, Padres, Nats, Phillies, White Sox), Boras still is in control of things. Of course, if they’re going to maximize the return for pitching, the Indians might not want to antagonize Friedman like that.

This Muncy idea is not even as good as Mark Teahen at 2B or in the outfield.

Yeah, the Multiverse Spider-Man is a surprisingly good animated film. Although I'm still not quite ready to accept the Porky Pig version.

This makes a lot of sense. Boras, if nothing else, is going to want to be responsible for the biggest contract in the history of the game. That likely doesn't matter AS much to Lozano.

If nothing else, we can save this thread title for when Avengers 4 actually arrives in theatres...coming April 26th, 2019.

Do they have a class now at journalism school about "teasing the news on social media without actually saying anything particularly germane/meaningful/constructive"?

In other news, it's generally advisable to "buy low, sell high."

Are Sox fans better off (if we somehow don't sign either guy) for having once again gotten our hopes up and actually conceptualized a world in which we could believe these signings might take place....or the front office having said nothing publicly and kept it all a secret, for fear of the backlash if everything went to hell? The problem we're likely to have NEXT off-season is the fact we're almost going to have to add at least a #2 starter on the free agent or trade market...which means they would have to focus like a laser-beam on Arenado or Rendon, with the likelihood that at least one of them won't even be available at this time next year. As much as we say we should avoid an overpay here for a guy who might be a #5-10 talent in MLB (as opposed to A-Rod when he went to the Rangers)...isn't it going to be even more difficult not to overpay next year when there's only one really legit 3B on the market? I guess Sox fans will survive this, we've already survived a century, after all...but Harper to the Cubs would be the ultimate gut-punch.

Rick Hahn: Meet a situation known as "backed into a corner" Aka, poop or get off the pot.

"Article"? This ought be good.

Followed up by the White Sox signing Sale and his labrum or elbow falling off.

Let's not get in the national news for creepy misogynistic commentary...actually, that's probably the best element of the first two movies. Maybe the battleoff in what seemed like an abandoned swimming pool.

She makes up for it in Bumblebee, Hailee Stanfield, that is. Or Haylai if she was in Mozart in the Jungle.

At least this is a distraction from all the chaos in the country/world these days, so there’s that. And nearly everyone’s going to be completely burned out by the time this is all over if it drags into late January somehow. Poor AJ Pollock has completely disappeared from the map while this is playing out.

Braves, maybe?

https://sports.yahoo.com/carlos-beltran-part-yankees-pitch-manny-machado-150609574.html Seems most Yankees fans want to keep Andujar and just a few even want Machado...

Yes, the bullpen has to be Priority A, B and C for the Cubs right now.

Especially because of Lester's decline (albeit not HUGE) and Quintana's inconsistency last year...and the overwhelming uncertainty about Darvish's status from week to week, month to month, year to year.

The Cubs can't trade Russell now, and that leaves them with Almora/Schwarber/Happ that have various degrees of value. Another factor is they will eventually lose Zobrist, or he'll fall off a cliff, and Happ's the only one who can replicate what Zobrist does, other than Baez (who'll they obviously try to extend.) Their ability to add Harper and keep Rizzo (50/50), Bryant, Baez AND Contreras (although odds are he won't be worth a long-term extension because of the wear and tear on catchers) are pretty much non-existent. That's not even considering Hendricks or Q, if he can rebound. Unless the Cubs are going to get $200 million per year from their t.v. deal, then it's still at least POSSIBLE. Not wise, given all the issues with Darvish/Chatwood/Heyward and their bullpen.

Great, the fact they have their own t.v. show dedicated to his visit makes a pretty compelling case for the Yankees, if the financials are even close to being in the same neighborhood. Hard to resist being part of that Red Sox/Yankees rivalry that seemingly always results in 4 1/2 hour broadcasts, right?

I thought originally it was about Cuban companies buying signs/advertising behind the plate that would be visible during broadcasts...but most international broadcasts are already selling that space and juxtaposing local ads over what you actually see in the US or on t.v. So NOW we don’t need Machado or Harper anymore, just sign ALL the Cubans. Joking. But I’m sure we will hear that out of the front office if they fail to come through.

3. Chicago White Sox They're the other team that got the private tour of the SS Machado, and for the same reasons they'd be a great fit for Harper, they make a ton of sense for Machado. There has been much talk of the White Sox trading for Yonder Alonso, Machado's brother-in-law, being an enticement for Machado, but I don't know, you tell me: After last Thanksgiving, did you think, "Hey, I'd like to spend all year with those people?" Machado could be the veteran presence for all those young White Sox hitters -- which is a positive or a negative, depending on your perspective -- and they could essentially grow up around him as their centerpiece. The White Sox might not be as high profile as Machado might like, but they were more than good enough for Michael freaking Jordan, for crying out loud. The White Sox are the most fascinating team to be in on both Machado and Harper, and with all that talent in the system, they could be primed to dominate that division for the next five years … with or without Machado https://www.mlb.com/news/ranking-manny-machados-best-suitors/c-301982248 Has NYY and Philly ahead of Sox, of course...