caulfield12

Is he the alter-ego from Westeros?

So we would trade for Paxton, HOPE he doesn't get injured over the course of 2019 or 2020, then TRY to get two better prospects than Dunning/Collins back in return at one of the next two trade deadlines (or next off-season) if he can get on a run where he's one of the five best pitchers in the AL? Sounds like a plan where absolutely nothing could go awry. I guess if they know for a fact that Collins can't catch and Dunning won't stay healthy...that's about the only way it makes sense, and all of Paxton's medicals actually show no red flags.

Paxton makes no sense because of the prospects he’d cost...only a move for fully “all in” teams. Unless we are also signing Harper or Machado, which is unknowable.

I shouldn’t have specified Marines and just used the term “service members.” Rates of probable PTSD among current and former serving military personnel reached six percent in 2014/16, up from four percent in 2004/2006, the King's College London study said. The results of a major cohort study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed frontline soldiers were most affected, but so too were those who have since left the military. Some 17 percent of ex-military personnel who had combat roles in Iraq or Afghanistan reported symptoms suggesting probable PTSD, compared to six percent of those who were deployed in support roles, such as logistics. The overall rate of probable PTSD for veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars was nine percent, compared to five percent of those who did not deploy to those conflicts. Meanwhile the rate of probable PTSD among currently serving personnel was five percent, close to the rate among the general population. "For the first time we have identified that the risk of PTSD for veterans deployed in conflicts was substantially higher than the risk for those still serving," said Dr Sharon Stevelink from King's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). https://www.yahoo.com/news/british-troops-suffer-higher-rates-ptsd-study-093316675.html

For those playing in the games, especially at the amateur and youth level...sure. Winning is (usually) more important for parents/fans/coaches.

Unless we sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado with an opt out after 3 years...there’s no reason that Robert should even sniff Chicago before September.

Our pitching coaches in A ball are almost universally-lauded. Same with Vizquel and Jirschele. Nobody knows what we have in Robert at this point. Off the chart tools correspond with his signing bonus, just like Moncada or Eloy. That said, we’ve also seen huge amounts of money dumped on guys like Rusney Castillo, Hector Oliver’s and Jorge Soler. There are no guarantees. Ask the Twins. That said, would have absolutely no problem changing up the entire staff at the big league level.

Just the idea that with so many mental health issues related to military service that Trump’s suggestion of putting them on duty on security/guard duty has a good chance of backfiring...what is the percentage who have to be treated for psychological issues after returning? 10%? 15%?

Fair enough. The only way to move the meter with the majority of “pragmatic/realistic” Sox fans is to actually go out and genuinely shock the baseball world. And they’re boxed in at this point to even Machado or Kershaw coming over not being enough to break the apathy. It’s either Harper or bust.

Which is why there’s a pretty close parallel to the Bulls. You have Hoiberg/Renteria, and the fact that they’ve never really been able to land a big fish from outside the organization, either. Ever since I can remember, and this is the late 70s/early 80’s, we’ve always been baseball’s version of the Land of Misfit Toys in terms of attracting premier free agents...the ONLY exceptions being Belle for one year and signing Adam Dunn before the 2011 season.

It’s a perfectly logical question. What has changed over the last 5-6 years, where they would suddenly be willing to hand out a contract FOUR or FIVE times the largest in team history...when we would never even give a $100+ million dollar deal to our OWN franchise players at any point over the last two decades? We definitely had a “core” of competitive players at various points (after 2012, then again with Sale/Eaton/Q/Anderson/Rodon) recently, the problem of course being that we were “tapped out” at $125-135 million and there was no remaining payroll flexibility. That makes it easy to imagine them spending $100 million in additional payroll for 2019 alone? Seems like a lot of wishful thinking, let’s see, suddenly JR is old/desperate...the division is there for the taking...Luis Robert’s an All-World CFer again, when this seems more like a classic case of “eyes are bigger than the stomach” and we all end up being terribly disappointed again.

Well, in that case...they wait until they can go bargain hunting in March or try to hold on until the trade deadline. Trying to compete in 2020 and especially 2019 only makes sense if you (first) start building around a superstar. Otherwise, you’re just improving at the margins. Not to mention that signing Harper first makes it infinitely easier to add those other veteran pieces. Without him, you’re just offering playing time and hopefully the opportunity to be traded to a playoff team OR simply to re-establish value for another run at free agency at the end of next year.

Well, sure...the ONLY daunting part is actually signing Harper AND doing something the front office has perhaps done well twice in the last 15 years, the run-up to 2005 starting with Garcia and Contreras and then that offseason flurry of moves, as well as the cycle of adding Quentin, Alexei, Floyd and Danks before 2008 (followed up with Beckham and Viciedo fizzling). I’m not sure which is more improbable, probably the exact correct mixture of 4-5 veteran acquisitions from Tier B/C. This year, it would look something like Moustakas or Donaldson, Cruz, McCutcheon/Brantley/Adam Jones and two bullpen guys like Ottavino or Kelly and whichever closer becomes a last minute value play, probably Herrera, Britton or Allen. Of course, that’s adding something like $70-100 million in 2019 payroll in just a single offseason, if you factor Harper into the equation.

He’s gotten four...if you’re including Tim Anderson. That’s still only about half of what Cleveland has managed the last 4-5 years. The better question is which good contracts he’s handed out? Robertson and Abreu were the FA’s that turned out pretty well. Abreu is the only one that really provided anything resembling surplus value. The jury’s still out on Luis Robert, although most Sox fans would score that as a coup when you beat the Cardinals for a player they really want.

Let’s just hope he stays 100% healthy, puts up an 800ish ops in AA and is good enough to receive consideration for Charlotte or Chicago at the end of 2019. That would be a huge boost to the rebuild momentum.

Aren’t they still in Thailand busting up trafficking rings?

Which is why he’s so incredibly valuable on the trade market for those contending teams unwilling to commit $125 million to Corbin. If the asking price is too much for buyers, the Indians can easily pivot to Carrasco (2 years left) or Bauer (3 arb years).

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cleveland-indians/corey-kluber-8504/ just to be clear, Kluber is under control for three more years, Carrasco two... Kluber's contract breaks down this way: $1 million in 2015, $4.5 million in 2016, $7.5 million in 2017, $10.5 million in 2018 and $13 million in 2019. Escalators in the contract can push the last guaranteed year as high as $17 million. The 2020 option is worth between $13.5 million and $17.5 million. The 2021 option is worth between $14 million and $18 million depending on escalators. It includes a $1 million buyout. The escalators in the option years are based on Kluber's Cy Young finishes.

In a dark/crowded movie theatre when the shooter has the element of surprise (and night-vision goggles) and those in their seats have the initial reaction to think the noise is probably related to the movie/another theatre? I would say the odds are not going to be in your favor, going up against a guy with an automatic weapon...unless you happen to be carrying similar firepower around with you everywhere you go.

Corbin's going to get double the amount that Shields got from the Padres, and likely almost double the biggest contracts ever issued in Sox history (Abreu/Danks).

So what do you do if you're the Indians? Trade both Ramirez and especially Lindor and you risk losing that fanbase forever...the only thing working in their favor right now is LeBron being gone, but even the Browns eventually are going to turn things around and soak up 75% of the attention in that town.

Here's a list of the 20 players with the most jersey sales in 2018: 1. Aaron Judge, Yankees 2. Jose Altuve, Astros 3. Javier Báez, Cubs 4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers 5. Mookie Betts, Red Sox 6. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs 7. Kris Bryant, Cubs 8. Shohei Ohtani, Angels 9. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees 10. Yadier Molina, Cardinals 11. Mike Trout, Angels 12. Buster Posey, Giants 13. Bryce Harper, Nationals 14. Freddie Freeman, Braves 15. Cody Bellinger, Dodgers 16. Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox 17. George Springer, Astros 18. Francisco Lindor, Indians 19. Carlos Correa, Astros 20. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves Notice, only ONE pitcher. Sale didn't even make the list, neither did Machado. Obviously, part of it was the fact that the Orioles were the worst team in baseball, and most (sane) fans aren't going to invest in hundreds of dollars for a short-term rental player's jersey. In 2016 Q ratings, Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant, who’s in his second season, scored highest among active players in appeal among sports fans, with a 25% mark. But his national recognition was 38%. Harper was more recognizable, at 53%, with 24% appeal, but Trout, his 25-year-old MVP cohort, checked in at 20% appeal. And all major leaguers lag behind Jeter’s 74% recognition and the 30% appeal of Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. In fairness, Harper, Trout, Bryant and their peers are swimming against a media current vastly different than the one that welcomed Jeter, Ortiz and Rodriguez.

If you're the Indians, you simply HAVE to be prioritizing Lindor and Jose Ramirez contracts down the line...and trying to determine which 1 or 2 starting pitchers (Bauer/Carrasco/Clevinger) you might be willing to extend, knowing some of those starting pitching contracts don't exactly work out well, and also not sure what to make of Bauer's unorthodox workout regimen. Encarnacion, Kluber and Kipnis represent $50 million of payroll. That's a lot for a small market like CLE, with limited broadcasting rights revenues. They're going to have to be creative with some of their more desirable (but expensive) players like Yan Gomes...maybe package him with Encarnacion to clear payroll? Kluber has options for 2020/21 and Carrasco for 2020, so there's certainly a compelling reason to trade ONE of those two, let's say, Kluber to the Yankees. Kipnis would seem to be an impossible player to move, they're going to have to wait for a potential rebound in 2019. If they can re-inject some young prospects into their organization to replace Mejia (Hand trade) and replenish the everyday line-up, that's probably a risk they're going to have to take if they can't carry those two top-line salaries.

Watch the Indians trade Kluber and then announce twin signings of Harper and Kimbrel with opt outs after 3 years on Harper and 2 on Kimbrel...

So much for hiring ex Marines to guard schools/churches/synagogues/theatres/stadiums...reboot that idea, especially since we have so much common agreement on mental health issues in this country.