moonslav59

You were saying we were good enough to not call it a cliff. We finished in last place 3 of 4 years. Maybe I was hyperbolic.

I'd add a decent prospect but not Tolle/Early or Fajardo/Valera to that package, but maybe Sandlin/Mullins/Dobbins/Drohan/Uberstine types. I'd also give Duran and Harrison or Mayer & Sandlin for KMarte.

Yes, the second bat is the one that would put us too far over the tax line for JH to approve, unless it's a trade for Y Diaz or someone like him. Hicks and Casas for Contreras? Masa, cash and Casas for Contreras?

If we traded Duran and Crawford for KMarte, the balance added would not put us over the first tax line.

We were not competitive, and that's why we needed deadline moves. Why are you trying to say we were? I'm not arguing we could not have been. I'm saying I knew JH would not allow spending to get us there, and that is why DD was let go and the TBR approach was brought in. It is undeniable- or at least I see it that way.

We are both stuck to our positions. I was a cliffdweller. MVP and others were not, and now are trying to rewrite history to say we did well from 2020-2024. All the bitching and complaining was misplaced, as we were really highly competitive on paper but just had bad luck. Look, we all know we could have been competitive all along, but some knew JH would not spend as highly as needed from the Betts trade until the farm provided enough filler pieces to make moderate spending enough to get us to "over the cliff."

I think he said differed money.

I did not think it would be 6 years. I also said 2020-2024, as I thought the 2019 should have been competitive, despite not replacing K & K. I could have said 2022-2024 and been more on target, as that was when we dropped from the the top 3 spending teams. The Betts trade can be viewed as the start of the cliff, and we should not have done that well in 2021, but 2022-2024 might be a better call as we were also a top 3 spending team in '21. Some of us saw a day of reckoning coming. We did not think the prospects DD kept would do as good as they ended up doing, but they still did not do enough to make us competitive from 2022-2024. We saw huge contracts and young stars reaching the point where they'd need to be paid. We saw some guys aging. We knew we'd need to replace them at a high cost and we likely would not. What am i clinging to that is wrong? We never replaced K & K from 2019, Betts & Price , Porcello, JD, then later Bogey and others. The excuses why we did not don't matter. We expected it to happen and it did.

They have done 1B like this for years. They probably view Romy as a better plan B than they had last year, and the year before and the year.... The need at 2B or 3B is not easily filled, so I think that is where they add. Not 1B.

They dump salary, add two players for one and hope for 12 years of control outweighing 5.

Exactly. We coulda, shoulda but did not.

Yes, you keep digging in and denying it happened.

Of course it was "self made" and much of it was due to the confluence of a lot of big contracts and younger players reaching their big paydays in a short period of time. Again, JH could have paid them and become the LAD East, but he did not. Some of us knew he would not and predicted a cliff. The cliff happened. I agree on the reason, but it still happened.

Well done.

Again, I'm all for JH spending to fill the needs. That's my overwhelming choice. As much as I think it's a waste having Duran DH, I'd refer t keep him and waste Masa's contract sitting on the bench. In reality, I think it's not happening, so I propose what I think we can do within JH's stingy parameters. I'm not supporting JH's stinginess by giving suggestions that keep us near the first tax line and below line 2.

In theory, yes. I agree, but JH's MO has been spending in cycles. I'm not going to deny the reality over hopes JH changes his MO.

I'm 99% sure we wont get one big bat and one moderate one. It's 99.9% no two big bats. That does not change my opinion on what we need and should get. (I also think we still need a #2 SP'er, but I'd be happy filling 2 of my big 3 wishes.)

Good thing there is no weight limit on combined pitchers' weight.

It can be 5+ years, but I said 2-3+ (the plus is key.) Duran & Crawford 3 years Oviedo 2 Chapman & Gray 1-2 Whitlock 1 (Houck 1 in 2027) We do lose Masa and Hicks and their money after 2, so we should be able to replace the good players, in kind, but until we do, I see the window as 2-3, for now.

If JH spent, there was no need, yes, but some of knew he would not become the LAD East. To keep Betts, Bogey and replac4e others who left, he'd have had an enormous budget. Some of us saw that coming and knew he would not do that. We predicted it, and it happened. You can say all the "ifs" in the world, but it happened. We had a cliff.

So, that period was fine for you, and all the beef we've heard for years was unfounded. No cliff. Wow!

I'm fine with your position, but I think we have a 2-3+ year window and need at least 2 more big pieces. If JH wont pay for both, we have to trade for 1 (or 2.) I think trading an OF'er makes the most sense (not big prospects) but if we need to include a decnet prospect or two, I'm okay- for the right return. Brez should sign the second piece, but if JH will not allow it, then I'm for trading prospects for it- an not one year players.

I have predicted Casas in the Brez choice at 1B- it's not "my choice." I see Gray as the #3 and Bello as the #4. I do NOT think we filled the #2 SP need, but if we get two big bats, I'd be okay with no pitcher additions. I'm fine trading an OF'er not Mayer, but if we get KMarte and a 3Bman, then Mayer has no slot. If we get a 2B/3B and a 1Bman, then we need Mayer.

I do think it has to be two. I'm saying KMarte is the best option of the 2B/3B choices. Then, we must add a second bat. My position has not changed. If just do one- it has to be K Marte: Alonso & Schwarber are gone.

Never been against that idea.