almagest

Can we keep the music talk out of this thread please? Maybe take it to PMs?

If it's something like 7 years/$240 mil that would be ~$34 mil/year.

Doesn't make sense to sign Tulo unless they plan to deal Andujar and play Machado at third. Then it could work, assuming Tulo goes to the bench when Didi is back.

For sure. I don't know what is going on with his shoulder and that should scare anyone away.

This will never ever happen but boy oh boy would I love it for so many reasons.

I've been saying this for a while. It doesn't make sense to trade talent from the MLB roster or finish gutting their already weak MiLB system just to sign Harper who may not match the level of production they'd be trading away and will probably leave when Bryant leaves anyway because I don't see how they can afford both of them while still remaining competitive (ie paying Rizzo, Baez, Q, Hendricks, etc.) That's not to say the Cubs aren't trying to do this, but I can't imagine they're going to be successful. And if somehow they manage to swing this I don't see that team being any better than they are right now.

Trading Happ/Schwarber and Contreras to add Harper seems like a net loss for the Cubs unless Harper puts up 5+ WAR per season and doesn't opt out. I also don't know how they sign both Bryant and Harper which means Harper is probably opting out after Bryant leaves.

I DMed the Philly Inquirer to see if he's legit. I doubt it but let's see.

With the chatter changing to "White Sox on outside looking in" and some reports coming out now about Harper preferring other destinations and/or other teams being in the bidding/being favorites my assumption is Harper is looking to get the final best offers from LAD/Cubs/Phillies to see if they can field a competitive offer (compared to the Sox). If so he'll probably sign with one of them.

Avi's DRC+ last year was 118. For fun I mapped that directly to a 118 wRC+, and last year the only player with that score was Shin-Soo Choo with a line of .264 .377 .434

What happened?

Wouldn't mind a 2 year deal with him but Atlanta makes sense for him since they're a playoff team. This probably takes them out of Machado. Harper still an option for them?

Machado's been more consistent but doesn't have a 9+ fWAR season like Bryce. That's Mike Trout territory. Not sure he'll ever get there again but if he could... man.

Nice to see Cain be a giant pain in the ass to the Cubs.

Nothing about the White Sox in that article but he seems worth a shot.

I don't know if you guys are watching the game or not but there's been some bad fielding and some lucky hits falling in. He doesn't look bad.

Man I want a t-shirt version of this.

Some really nice movement on this 2-seamer GrayAgitatedAztecant-mobile.mp4

He's throwing a lot of strikes. His command is a little off but no one can square him up yet. I don't think he'll ever need to be pinpoint with this stuff but the more he refines his command... whoo boy.

I'm liking this easy 96/97 with movement.

Sure, that's fine. I was assuming 1500 PAs was enough to take an average and that there wasn't a good reason for his lower BABIP this year beyond luck. I think the improvements in just about every other area warrant optimism with Tim entering his prime seasons.

Tim Anderson this year has improved in every way from last year (except BABIP). Higher walk %, lower K %, higher ISO, higher wOBA. If his BABIP was inline with his career average of .331 he'd be (bare minimum of just adding the BABIP difference) around .282/.328/.451/.779. Yeah he could be making consistently shitty contact and swinging at terrible pitches and that's why his BABIP is down but if Anderson ends up around these numbers in his prime I'm perfectly happy. That's probably a 3+ WAR shortstop every year with his overall skillset.

They're still buried now though, aren't they? A bad farm system means you can't trade for impact players to put you over the top. You can only hope to sign free agents (which costs you draft picks) or hope to get lucky in the lower-end free agent or trade market.

Mentor, second unit PG and you're banking on playoff Rondo

93-94, he's touched 96 a couple times. I think this is where he sits normally.