Hitch

It's not just 1-run games, it's close games. With experience comes a lot that younger players (and sometimes, teams) just don't have the ability to call on. There's also an added comfort level with different scenarios.

I cannot stand Bowden. He makes my skin crawl. A true savant of idiocy. How he continues to keep his job and be asked to give opinions on every podcast/show/editorial is beyond me,

Yes, but only one really, as he's out all of next year.

Because you get up and downs with inexperience. You'll get games where you blow out the opposition but then aren't quite street-smart enough to win 1-run/close games. This isn't a new, or controversial view point.

I've said it multiple times this year - that's the kind of record you get with an inexperienced team. I think it'll balance out a bit next year, but it'll keep happening as the season goes on. I think we'll likely lose in the play offs 2-1 or 3-1 while having a very similar runs scored/given up record on the series. As an aside, I was thinking about next years roster and arbs. etc. I wouldn't be surprised if we're not bringing Tanner back. I know this organisation love buying out the injured year of a pitcher in the hope of getting a healthy second year, but I don't see much point paying Houck $4m+ next year just for a final arb year in which he might be okay. Even as I type this though, I can't see past the logic that they keep doing it, and $4m is not a lot. But I'd be leaving him walk personally.

There's definitely a world in which he gets DFA'd. We're not anywhere near it yet though.

Much love to you, as always, Fred. Less love to Moon, who created this runaway monster!!

You speak some ungodly amounts of s*** on times Fred. That's all this forum does is point out the deficiencies. Every damn day, ad nauseam. You're not doing a service here. You're like Greta Thunberg rocking up at a Greenpeace convention announcing "I'm here to teach you about about the environment." And saying Breslow has failed miserably for two years to bring people in to improve this team when we had 3 all stars and they were all guys he brought in, is quite the comment. As for the deadline, you mentioned you wouldn't give up an Anthony for a No2, but then demanded we get one anyway. Seeing as no team, despite nearly all of them needing starting pitching, managed to get a 2, you'd think it might tell you something. But. no, you know best. I blame Moon for this. You seem to quite taken with yourself and your takes at the moment (despite the fact you often cover every conceivable angle across a couple of posts so you can say - see told ya!), but you're making yourself look ridiculous with some of the stuff you're posting recently. And you are desperate for the team to fail so you can be proven right. It pours out of you. Just enjoy it, it's okay to be wrong on things.

I think the players respect Bres which is something that is often overlooked when we talk of his communication style. As a side note - Carrabis said a little while back that he was speaking to Bres and asking him to come on the pod, etc, and said to him - you need to show the guy that just spoke to me. Not the one you create for the world to see. I think he's likely much more natural with the players than he is with the press, in which he continues to struggle.

I could easily see him being a top player, if he stayed healthy. And therein lies the problem.

I'd love that deal for us, but if Gio keeps dealing I think he'd be looking for 3 or 4 @ 20

Definitely.

Damn decent of you to further emphasise my point, good sir.

Indeed. I think he's mostly made very good moves. Some questionable ones as well, but that's part of the deal. We've got a good one. Now if he could just talk more like a normal human being on times...

Well, as things stand, so far this year is looking pretty successful. But it's the next 5 years I'm looking forward to more. We're set up pretty sweet with only a few annoying situations (hello Yoshi!)

Right. So maybe the 2nd starter wasn't available unless we wanted to do something crazy? And seeing as everyone was after pitching and nobody got a 2, maybe we can let logic dictate this one? While still being a little annoyed that May was the one we got in.

Then you're responding to the wrong person.

Feels like the smart move

Again if you want to trade what is considered between our 2nd to 5th prospect for a 4.60era pitcher for 2 months I'm glad we aren't participating in that market.

That's superb news. Delighted with this! Breslow continues to impress.

That's all fine, but he's worth far more than 2 months of a struggling Cease. Way, way more.

But where's your limit? What if they wanted Anthony? Because I'm not doing that trade.

We'll have to agree to disagree (quite strongly on my part).

No way I'm dealing him for Cease, or any rental. If the deal isn't there, just wait until the winter when prices are more reasonable. Which is what it looks like Breslow has done.

I'm hesitant to make this point because I'm not sure it's entirely new, and I really don't want to start the Devers thing again, but it occurred to me on a hike yesterday, this team is unburdened by Devers, and not in a way that says anything bad about him. This team was his - he was our superstar, the best paid player in the organisation's history. But he didn't like the leadership side of things. He's a quiet guy that doesn't buy into the hype side of baseball, the glitz and all the sideshow. Carrabis said that in the off season he would change his phone and you wouldn't hear form him (which I totally get - I'd be the same). I think maybe he was just too big for Boston in that he's the guy, yet he is detached in a sense and maybe some of the younger kids feel a little unable to approach him and it's not his natural way to take them under his wing and work the video room with them, etc. Then you balance that against Bregman (again no judgement) and he's the opposite - loves the limelight, goes out of his way to go to the youngsters and give advice and lead them and the team. Maybe a character like Duran feels more empowered now to be one of the bigger personalities in the team, take over the radio, etc. I think having this heavyweight of a personality no longer there, everyone else has felt they're more able to move into the spaces that have been released. I keep hearing about how free and together the locker room is now. Whatever about Devers' performance, the Giants will get plenty of great out of him, I've no doubt, but I think the move is quite possibly just what this set of players needed.