moonslav59

Other posters told me for years to just let them go. I understand the feeling of not letting people get away with spewing lies, falsehoods and unwarranted personal attacks, but if the idea is to get them to stop, engaging them only emboldens them and switches them into overdrive. It’s what they thrive.

Yes, they have, and I still have a sliver of hope remaining. We started out 10 and 20 and showed resolve and fight, already this season. The thing is, so many of our key players may not even return from injury, this season, or they may come back in September (Sale, Kike). Others are expected to return in August, but at what level? (Devers, Story, Wacha, Wink, Strahm, Hill, Arroyo and other marginal players). There are just too many healthier teams than us fighting for that last slot or two. A sliver is all that remains.

I used to think that way, too, but they only seek to stir people up and get reactions. Our responses are not getting through to the trolls, and in fact, they only cause- them to continue. They seek the attention their mommies never gave them. If we totally ignore them, they will go away, which is what we all ultimately want.

Some of us a very relaxed and have never thrown a remote. The reality is, we will be sellers, even if we go 5-3 in the next 8.

A fire sale does not mean dealing everyone, including Devers. I'm thinking trade all 9 expiring contracts- pay big chunks or all of the remaining money due to sweeten the return, if needed, and also look at trading some players with team control through 2023 or beyond (not expecting decent returns, but get something more hopeful, even if in single A): Verdugo or Duran (only one can play LF, and the other is not a good enough hitter to DH) Dalbec and/ or Cordero Arroyo and JBJ Sawamura, Brasier and Diekman DHern and Valdez That's half the 40 man roster. That's a fire sale like never seen in MLB history.

.426 career OBP and .448 the last 3 years (ages 21-23). Devers has never ended up over .361 in a season and is at .351 over the last 3 seasons (ages 23-25). Soto has a better SLG%, too. 2 years younger.

How has Devers shown more value? Compare career numbers at age 23, no, forget that. Right now, Soto has a higher career SLG % and kills Devers in OBP by like 80 points. Soto might make $500M/15 while Devers would jump at $350M/ 15.

This is the core you build around: Devers forevers Story because it's a 5 sequal storybook made for a movie Sale because we can't trade him Whitlock because he's damn good Houck because he's pretty damn good Pivetta because we need a solid 3rd/4th starter Schreiber (who-da-thunk?) Refsnyder (pretty sad he's up this high) Paxton's wing a prayer Verdugo or Duran but not both Taylor The Kids: SP: Winckowski, Crawford, Bello, Mata, Walter, Murphy (maybe Seabold, Groome, Gonzalez, TWard or Song) RP: German and some failed starters C: Wong, RHern, Cottam & Hickey 1B: Casas, Jordan, Kavadas 2B: Yorke, Paulino 3B: Binelas SS: Mayer, Lugo, Bonaci LF: McDonough, Koss CF: Rafaela RF: Jimenez

Move all 9 free agents-to-be, unless Bogey invokes his no trade and makes it 8. If he can get a bag of balls for Arroyo, Cordero, Brasier, Diekman and Barnes (1 more year of team control or more), do it. Offer to pay most or all of their remaining contracts to sweeten the return, but just rid of the scrub-a-duds.

We have 8 games to change my mind, but as of now, I'm for selling every player with one year left for the best we can get, no matter how bad it looks. On 2 year players: I'd trade or can Diekman, but if we sell 9 guys, I guess we keep him around, since we're paying him for next year, too, and maybe he turns it around- same with Brasier & Barnes, who has an option for 2024. Trade Sawamura for whatever. Pay his an other's remaining contracts to sweeten the return, if necessary. Devers forevers. I'll keep saying it in hopes it becomes a reality. FAs after 2024, I would not mind seeing traded: Arroyo Verdugo (I don't want Duran & Verdugo both on the 26, next season.) Cordero That should be enough to keep Bloom busy in the next 8 days.

So, you want trades like Lester for Cespedes and Lackey for Kelly & Craig type deals? (Not that we have anyone that good to trade.)

I like your humor.

Some might say Kopech is now a star, but the guy between Ben and Bloom dealt him for freakin' Chris Sale!

They go "large" not "long."

Yes, but their return value is affected.

Not many players lose a tremendous amount of value in just 2 weeks, unless an injury is involved. Vaz is gaining value. Kike has been hurt forever. Nate has come back but sucked, so maybe he has lost the most. Wacha and Hill will be on the IL at the deadline. Strahm has sucked for more than 2 weeks. JD being hurt doesn’t help. Some of these guys were not likely to get us much, but I’m hopeful Bloom will do well- like Pivetta & Seabold and not Potts, Wallace and others.

Not really realistic to go even 5-6

Others are on the IL with no hope of being back before the deadline.

Each loss brings a sliver of a sliver.

We had a lot of the same studs in 2018 and 2019 (and beyond), so this theory is highly questionable.

Nobody seems to love the game more than Devers. I can't see him easing up, based on the fact that he was a little chubby years ago.

To go back to the first post: I may be naive or overly optimistic, but I think this looks like a solid core or players and prospects to build upon. I had left some prospects off the list. Here is the updated version of our 2023 and beyond foundation... SP: _____, Sale, Pivetta, Paxton, Winckowski Crawford, Bello, Mata, Seabold, Groome, Walter, Murphy, Gonzalez, TWard RP: Houck, Whitlock, Schreiber, _____, Taylor, Davis, Brasier German, Danish, DHern C: _____, Wong R Hernandez, Cottam, Hickey 1B: _____, Dalbec/Cordero Casas, Cordero or Dalbec, Jordan, Kavadas 2B: Story Yorke, Paulino 3B: Devers Binelas SS: ______, Downs Mayer, Lugo, Bonaci LF: Verdugo, Duran CF: ______ Rafaela, Koss RF: Refsnyder Jimenez, McDonough If we spend $95-110M, this winter, I think we can maybe get better than we are, now, while maintaining an even brighter longer term outlook as our farm hands continue to impress and grow. Between Mayer, Casas, Rafaela, Yorke, Bleis, Kavadas, Hickey, Paulino, Binelas, Jordan and others, I think we will have enough farm infusions, spread out, over the next 1-4 years that will allow us to spend more at other key positions. We've heard a lot about the failure of our farm to produce top pitchers, and those ideas are not unfounded, but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as well as already getting some promising results from Houck, Whitlock, Winckowski, Crawford and others. All we need are 2-3 significant contributions from a large amount of promising young pitchers beyond Houck & Whitlock: Winckowski Crawford Bello Mata Walter Murphy Seabold Gonzalez German or from some longer shots like... Song Groome T Ward Drohan Bastardo Uberstine I'm still very hopeful about the 2023 team, but more so about 2024 and beyond.

Is anyone still on the no sell bandwagon?

We don't know how anyone will react after signing a mega deal, but I see no indication, Devers will take his foot off the pedal. Also, I think he has worked hard on his defense and improved his footwork. He seems to lose focus for a week here and here, on defense, and that is worrisome, but to me is a keeper, if ever there was one.

The bright spot to this season.