moonslav59

We are resetting, this year. If we spent $10M more and got just below the line, we'd be about 8th or 9th. That is the real reason we have dropped. Yes, the reset is just an excuse that does not take away the fact that we are spending less than before, but it is something that has been done often, since JH took over. JH has never gone over 3 years in a row, and going over 2 years in a row, under the newer systems is not a frequent thing, either. If we don't spend big, this coming winter, I will feel like you do, now.

If the trade deadline was today, it's a tough call. We have about $10M to add to the budget and still reset. We could buy a lot of pro-rated salary for that and be buyers. We could trade 1-2 year remaining players and pay nall or most of their salaries to improve the return and widen the trade pool, while still resetting. We could buy and sell, like last year. Tough call. Had you asked me 3 days ago, I'd be more inclined to say "sell."

While I have lauded Bloom's depth building, and even thought our pitching depth (including the minors) was greatly improved, we can't touch a team like the Astros, who lost 3 of their starting 5 and still have this... 2.27 Valdez 2.90 Javier 3.35 Hunter Brown 3.42 JP France 4.01 Brandon Bielak BAL may not have a proven ace, but Tyler Wells is quickly becoming one. 3.20 Wells 3.90 Gibson 3.90 K Bradish 4.74 D Kremer (Their 5th starter has sucked- Cole Irvin 7.66 & G Rodriguez 7.35) Bryce Elder is pitching like an ace for ATL 2.69 Edler 2.08 Fried (on 60 day IL after 5 starts) 3.60 Morton 4.12 Strider 4.57 Shuster We may shrug at 4.57, but here are our ERAs by order of most GS'd: 5.05 Houck 4.58 Sale (on 60 day IL) 3.78 Bello 6.75 Kluber (demoted to pen) 5.40 Pivetta (demoted to pen) Not top 5 in GS: 4.38 Whitlock 3.09 Paxton

The mass shedding was immediately after 2019. My point was about recent signings, which included the Devers extension that has not kicked in, yet. We have spent a lot since the Story signing, and that was the only period of time I was talking about. Compare from the start of 2019 to March 2022 (nearly 3 years) to March 2022 to the start of 2023 (about 13 months) and you'll see the uptick, even without counting the Devers deal, but I was counting Devers and total money spent, not AAV. Or, look at spending 2020-2021 vs 2022-2023 and there is an uptick without Devers new deal counting. If you go by yearly budgets, you have to figure in we are re-setting this year, but after we slashed nearly $60M from the 2019 to 2020 pre-rated budget, here is what we added: CB Tax Numbers $23M in 2021 $28M more in 2022 ($51M more than 2020 combined) -$19M from 2022 Our Opening Day budget for 2020 was $74M -4th ranked (Not pro-rated,) and we ended the season at $64M (13th ranked). My rough prorated numbers make those about: $185M Opening Day $160M End of Year Changes: Opening Day -41M 2020 -5M more in 2021 +26M in 2022 -25M in 2023 This shows just a $1M boost from 2021, but that is due to the reset. EOY -68M 2020 (from EOY 2019) +27M 2021 +20M more in 2022 (47M combined) This clearly shows we have been spending more since the start of 2020, and actually since the trade deadline of 2019, where no money was added. $186.2 is about the same as 2021's $187.4 but is $31M less than 2022's tax line crossing number. Again, counting the Devers deal, we have started spending more since 2020, and most of that is from 2022 to 2023. Cots has our projected EOY budget at $186.2M, right now, which is $5M more than the opening day budget and we may spend $11M more to stay under the tax line at the trade deadline. (We may also sell and see that number go down.)

Nothing like a couple wins to make Stork disappear.

As badly as we have played, especially the last couple weeks, we are at .500 and just 4 games behind the "mighty" Yankees after 70 games played. WC Standings -- NYY & HOU tied (39-21) -0.0 LAA -0.5 TOR -4.0 BOS -4.5 SEA BAL is probably going to be too far ahead to catch (+8.5 on the Sox.) 92 games to go.

Funny how he lowered his ERA, tonight!

The bats need to keep rockin out.

The Devers extension kicks in, next year but since the Story signing in March 2022 to the Devers extension, we've spent a ton . 314 Devers 140 Story 90 Yoshida- not counting posting fee 32 Jansen 22 Turner 19 Martin 10 Kluber 7 Duvall Is a lot really this subjective?

Indeed. Maybe we are not the only team with several issues.

Maybe Turner jumped the gun on the second half of season hot hitter tradition!

If we don't get a traditional ace, we'd need two guys like this year's Wacha and Nate (with no expectation they will continue being this good for more than one season.) Again, what are the odds any GM can go 2 for 2 on signings like theirs? It's easy to say, just do this, but the odds are so long, it's frightening.

Brannon homered, today (1-4.) Alcantara went 3-5 Joh Garcia 3-4 w 3B

You are right, but what are the odds of finding the next Wacha and Nate? Look at all the pitchers signed within the range of those two contract and what do you think the success rate is? We are 1 for 3 in contracts between $7-17M (Richards, Kluber and Wacha, and Wacha started just 22 games.) IMO

Trading Kike and Turner sould only save Turner's salary, next year. I'm only for trading Turner, if we are out of it and aren't planning on spending a lot, next winter.

As long as Duvall stays healthy, and Yoshida and Dugo keep playing well, a Duran-Refsnyder platoon offers a pretty good option vs using Kike as the 4th OFer. Kike at 2B would not be needed, if we traded him and cash for a prospect, as we could call up Valdez and use an Arroyo/Valdez platoon at 2B, when Story returns or with Reyes at SS until he returns, which is apparently going to be August as a SS. Another option would be to trade Turner, use Yoshida at DH and let Kike/Duran platoon in CF with Duvall in LF. (A Duvall/Refsnyder platoon does not work.) We could trade Kike and Turner and go with this: CF: Duran/Duvall platoon LF: Duvall v L and Refsnyder v R DH: Yoshida (call up Dalbec to replace Turner?) 1B: Casas 2B: Arroyo/Valdez platoon (Valdez takes Kike's slot on the roster) SS: Story or Reyes Personally, I think losing Turner and his second half traditional hot streak would greatly affect our chances in 2023, so I would not trade him, if we are still in it, but I don't think the alignment I just provides is all that much worse than now. Trading Dugo, Kike and Turner would be giving up on 2023 and losing Dugo & Turner for just 2024, as well. It would leave this: RF: Refsnyder (Abreu?) CF: Duran/Refsnyder LF: Duvall/Yoshida DH: Yoshida (Dalbec) 1B: Casas (Dalbec) 2B: Arroyo/Valdez SS: Story/Reyes

Would we get a 28th man for the roster for game 3? LOL

One interesting about that 1968 season is this... 1.12 ERA by Gibson was a 258 ERA+ Pedro: 1.74 ERA in 2000 was a 291 ERA+ (He led the league 5 times in ERA+ and had 7 straight seasons over 163 (6 of 7 over 188 and 5 of 7 over 202) Different eras. Gibson led in ERA+ twice in his career and was only over a 164 ERA+ that one season. Pedro did it 7 straight seasons!

That 171 OPS+ was the 3rd best in his career. 193 1967 177 1970 171 1968 156 1965 (All led the league) The next were 148 in '63 and 139 and 140 in '73 and '74. Some perspective: Top Ortiz OPS+ (Never led league in OPS+) 173 in 2012 171 in '07 Manny (never led league in OPS+ w BOS) 186 w CLE in '00 184 w BOS '02 174 w CLE '99 (only year he led the league in this category) 166 in '08 w 2 teams (He had 12 seasons over 150 and 16 over 144!

Liking may improve respecting and trusting a little more, but I've always resisted thinking all this makes much of a difference. I have some differences in opinions on some strategies Cora uses, but I know he knows way more than I do about strategy and the ins and outs of certain calls and decisions he makes. The amount of differences I have are such a small percent of all the choices he makes, that it does not come close to flipping me to disliking Cora as our manager. I understand the concept of firing a manager to create change, but change just for the sake of shaking things up is not something I like. It does seem to work, sometimes, even when a good manager is let go.

I think Duvall will be in LF some games, which improves the D. If he is in CF vs LHPs, instead of Refsynder, it is an improvement, too. If he is in CF, instead of Kike, and I can't believe I'm saying Duran, too, it is worse.

2020 should always be viewed as a write off, and for several reasons. 1. Short season. 2. Massive budget cuts that included the Betts/Price salary-savings trade. 3. No Sale and Erod due to injuries. 4. In terms of farm building, the shorter draft and loss of a full season of player development has to factor into the evaluation. If you start the clock from 2021, it looks like we have gone backwards on MLB win-losses. In terms of improving the budget, advances were clearly made. In terms of improving the farm and team-controlled roster depth, advances seem to be made, but mush is speculative and unproven. (Most of Bloom's farm additions are still 1-4 years from the bigs and 2-6 years from being mature enough to expect major contributions, so that part of the grading may end up happening after he is cone.)

I don't like the ghost runner, either. The W-L issues has been discussed to death. I'm fine with letting it rest.

Maybe Bloom with solve the issue by just trading Kike and cash at the deadline.

Just don't say improving metrics improves the W-L record.