caulfield12

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/yankees-dodgers-or-mets-predicting-which-team-will-sign-yoshinobu-yamamoto Seems the Yankees are the favorites simply due to the fact that he doesn’t want to be stuck in Ohtani’s shadow and then there’s history of guys like Irabu and especially Tanaka with the Yankees…makes a lot of sense to pair with Cole and have two aces together at the top of the rotation.

https://sports.yahoo.com/why-shohei-ohtani-contract-deferral-232114904.html Four points… 1) Ohtani suggested it 2) No other players are getting $50 million in endorsements to keep the cash flow maintained, let alone $5 million with Trout going backwards 3) The difference in payroll threshold only amounts to adding Joe Kelly’s $9 million…$46 million vs. $55 million salary hit to LAD in 2024 4) Numerous teams could have offered similar packages, we already know the Giants did, for example…so less about Friedman/Warner and more about Ohtani’s desire to be a champion

And the Washington Nationals... Royals closer to Detroit and the Guardians than the White Sox. And that's in the very worst division in baseball. Cubs so far have lost Bellinger and Stroman, and not really punished all that much.

White Sox would never have the vision to pull something like that off... as early as the kid being in high school in Japan, he was on their radar with his destiny written in the stars seemingly. Then when things didn't align six years ago...they still had the foresight to wait for the right moment to strike.

Note to Sox: Might want to use an inspirational "Air"-like MJ video the next time you go after Machado Harper Wheeler-esque free agents. https://sports.yahoo.com/shohei-ohtani-free-agency-dodgers-reportedly-used-6-year-old-kobe-bryant-video-pitch-to-land-star-230419392.html

Or run the Nashville project into the ground with Stewart.

Thanks KW Philosophy...minus the Burger/Eder trade.

Was just joking...no point not to play Colas except Grifol Grudge.

Pitcher was Top 5 organizationally....second half of Top 100 MiLB, but then put up really solid big league numbers in the late season call up.

After the Eloy deal...

And the Pohlad Family in MN is worth roughly $4 billion. Reinsdorf is a lot closer to revenue sharing territory (personally) were it not for the Bulls.

Especially starting pitchers. Everything points to Ohtani having 3-4 years left, period.

Just how much can KC improve???...written before Renfroe and Wacha moves. Posits that .500 is a lot easier to do than 100+ losses unless you're tanking or just totally inept. https://www.royalsreview.com/2023/12/15/24002208/just-how-much-can-the-royals-improve-you-might-be-surprised

Yes but the second/revision ones are becoming more and more common. Ohtani and his agent still won't agree that it was a reconstruction like his first procedure. 2019 Clemson https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/before-and-after-how-braves-spencer-strider-evolved-after-tommy-john-surgery/ZYEZSP2U2FHARBJ7I6Q5KM55D4/

They're closer to the Tigers than the White Sox without Cease.

The Braves are going to need those young pitchers...beyond the ones they alteady dumped off on the White Sox. "Frankly, I think the Braves are entering a sneaky period of pitching vulnerability and are about a year behind the 2024 Dodgers in this regard. They haven’t played in the free agent market, partly because they haven’t needed to but partly by design, and that frugality could be a 2025 and beyond issue. Fried is likely gone next year, Morton will retire at some point and has been declining, and Elder had a 17% K rate. You really have to buy Smith-Shawver to think this will be ok without a legitimate FA signing soon. Then you have the high likelihood of a Strider UCL with how hard he throws the ball." from fangraphs comment boards...following citing miserable lack of Sox replacement fWAR

Probably would have stuck Matt Carpenter in LF...although he was essentially reduced to 1B/DH in SD. Ofc that's never stopped Sox from sticking misfit parts in corner OF spots before.

In the same way questions about Bieber health and the difficulties of getting Burnes to extend. Works both ways. Doesn't make sense for Astros to do a teardown with their current roster and salary commitments.

Just wanted to move on...and didn't have to release Carpenter outright and eat ALL his salary to do so. AA OF Drew Campbell, by the way...figures as a potential replacement for Soto and Grisham. At least one player will come from farm...likely the other through trade and FA. https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-padres-acquire-of-drew-campbell-from-braves

Anderson is gone...the odds of his return are about the same as Lucas Giolito's. Robert was much more than OK last year. Those two players (Beni/Luis) don't belong in the same sentence tagged with similar sentiment...because one would cost the team half his remaining salary in subsidies or talent sent along with and the other half another team's farm system.

Padres were desperate to move on from Cruz/Carpenter at DH, get cheaper cheaper cheaper. Preller bought high on Carpenter based off 2022 the same way Hahn did with Benintendi. And Braves liked Kerr's arm...a lot of similarities with Bummer.

And one of the worst starting lineups in baseball at the moment...along with no bullpen. No bench. If they trade Eloy, the second best power hitter would be Vaughn Moncada or Sheets...who would have been waived by 27+ other teams.

Balta

Dunn really set them back, but that was 2011. This was around the time they brought in Abreu and Avisail Garcia actually looked legit...then you had Sale Q, Anderson coming. Eaton later. The big flops of course were Beckham and Viciedo, though. Nothing ever lined up together, though. Then there was the off season of Melky Robertson and LaRoche...which led to more disasters internally. But Hahn always won the offseason, lol. There was that.

All kind of depends which direction Witt Jr goes from here...and whether he wants security from an extension or to stay to be face of franchise with a new stadium eventually. And pitching pitching pitching the story with this franchise. Singer has been so inconsistent, but they have Ragans now too.