Yes, I think you have somewhat of a point about the oddity of bringing in Wacha there. With a day off today, why not use some better relievers to try to keep it close?
2020 was just an unstoppable snowballing cluster. You're right about Sale and Erod, but Cora, Betts, Price, Porcello and others were also gone for various reasons.
If ever there was a perfect time to tank...
You trying to start a debate over whether 'winning run' or 'game-winning RBI' is a real thing?
I'm joking. But as real baseball nerds know, the 'game-winning RBI' stat did exist for a period of 10-15 years or so before it was deep-sixed again.
Those same nerds know that the way the 'game-winning RBI' was determined was mirrored on the way winning pitcher is determined. Ergo, the 'game winning RBI' in the 1978 playoff game was by Dent, not Reggie.
That is true. But they've only gone significantly over the cap twice, in 2018 and 2019, and Henry/Werner apparently didn't care for it all that much.
So I think moon is largely correct in looking at the tax cap as the de facto budget cap.
I think you could make a case that Cashman has become flat out incompetent, with the deadline trade for Gallo being the most recent evidence.
"Maybe if we get another three true outcome hitter who's left-handed, that'll fix things..."
OK well, if we go back to OPS, the Rays park-adjusted OPS+ is 112, which was third in MLB behind the Jays at 115 and Houston at 113.
Don't kid yourself, they are a good hitting team. Their unadjusted OPS takes a hit from the TropDome.
Well, the Rays are the defending AL champs, finished 8 games ahead of us and were 11-8 against us head to head this year.
So I've seen wackier things than them being favored in this series.