caulfield12

Everyone will have a problem with his age...seems more like a 4th/5th outfielder on a playoff team. "Strong as Fletcher’s offensive numbers have been to this point in his career, defense is the outfielder’s true calling card. In ranking Fletcher as Arizona’s #11 prospect last season, MLB.com described him as a center fielder with strong reads off the bat and solid routes in the outfield that he pairs with an arm strong enough to handle right field."

See Burger trade for Eder. Would love to hear where Getz was on moving him vs. Anderson/Hahn in those trade talks.

David Epstein/Getz types across the board. All grinders/overachievers like Madrigal lol.

Except he bought them all post peak other than Crochet. Not when Herrera Davis and Holland were all younger/cheaper. https://www.mlb.com/news/trio-of-royals-relievers-signing-names-under-best-ever/c-98921730

Makes a lot of sense. Him and Crochet...hopefully he's willing to be flexible and embrace whatever role he ends up in.

Also the heart of the Royals' approach in 2014-15 relied on having one of the best lockdown pens in the history of the modern game. Follow...the Royals, not money here. For an emulation of similar blueprints.

Assuming you get big improvements from Benintendi's cratered work last season. That can't as easily be blamed on his wrist issues.

Well they have to try to win some games (Grifol) and this whole pitching/defense thing won't work as well if starters are never rewarded with the encouragement of occasional victories. Being as bad a pen as last year...well, hard to do but the sheer talent level is not even comparable. But who knows...so unpredictable.

Seems every possible player with a bad rep or intimations of a bad rep (Santos) gone now...just Eloy and Moncada currently remaining.

Just like Benintendi...and properly grindy if anything like his brother David of Angels' fame. At leather there's some competition now and potentially younger players incoming.

Leasure or Berroa the closer now?

DeLoach is an average runner and has improved to be an average defender in the outfield. His below-average arm fits best in left field, but he can fill in at all three spots. Hope they don't put Benintendi in RF. At least better than Sheets in RF I guess.

You're still counting on Rodriguez?

He's due $8 million for the last two months and another $5 for buyout. White Sox would have to pay half ($6.5 million) but that's still like acquiring a nearly $20 million annual salary player even with the Sox paying 50%.

Not expecting much from Stassi either after being out so long at his age.

https://m.startribune.com/twins-television-bally-sports-north-diamond-streaming-cable-satellite/600340621/ Read all the comments at the bottom. Makes SoxTalk sound absolutely optimistic in comparison. They hate the Poh llads even more than Chicago is disenchanted with Reinsdorf. Coming off a playoff appearance and dramatically-charged series win for the first time in almost two decades. Baseball is still getting rich for the time being, but essentially killing off Gen Z and Millennials, or at least until they get the streaming and no black out situations fixed once and for good. This next year is simply just a temporary patch or Band-Aid.

"But the Minnesota's oft-stated plan to offer a streaming option to non-BSN subscribers will wait, under the new contract, until at least 2025. Financial terms were not revealed, but the deal is expected to include a sharp cut in the $54 million that BSN paid the team last season. The agreement gives the Twins assurances that fans can access their games this year, an urgent need with Opening Day now less than two months away. But it does not include the ability for fans to stream BSN's broadcasts without subscribing to a cable or satellite carrier. A direct-to-consumer streaming option, which the Twins had said they were determined to create this year, is specifically prohibited in the new contract." startribune.com/sports For 2024, 85% or more of existing $54 million deal would be around let's say $10-11 million in lost revenues.

Spend spend spend Rangers...at least take Montgomery out of the running or give Adolis Garcia an extension. Twins' fans have to hope and pray their team starts to spend again to build on 2023 playoff progress, with the loss of Sonny Gray the biggest hit.

AL Central nemesis lives on to fight another day.

Would be interesting to learn if Kim Ng made that staffing recommendation to ownership at some point...

Don't forget Kimbrel Keuchel Pollock...Kelly. Hendriks hard to blame...he or Woodruff would be much better gambles with that money compared to the resources Getz has wasted already.

Yeah it's basically left to Eloy Moncada and Kopech to take the hits as symbols of what might have been...the last vestiges of the Great Rebuild of 2016/17/18/19.

Time to bring back that Fangraphs article about how the 2nd through 4th strings provided one of the worst statistical performances in modern baseball history...

Ozzie no TLR no Grifol love their veterans...are we back to prioritizing winning that day's game? This 100% was supposed to be a development/flip anything not nailed down year... The only discernible philosophy is the latest Expendables somehow get defenders miraculously transforming pitchers into assets for the deadline. But how likely are any of those newly acquired guys to be even rated as 40 FV prospects?

Pillar 2.2 combined fWAR last five seasons but no negative until 2024. Had a 0.0 mixed in there with a high of 1.0, last two years totaled a 0.1.