moonslav59

How many more wins would we have had we played Dalbec at 1B FT, played Cordero in RF everytime Arroyo did, and gone with another crappy RP'er instead of the one he chose?

Not me. I'd sign Devers forevers, but I'm not sure this management team will ever go larger and longer than about what Story got. They did offer Betts a ton, so who knows. I think we need to "bite the bullet" once or twice a decade. As much as I knew the Price deal was too large and way too long, I felt it was needed, at that time. I feel like, this coming winter will be a time like Price's was. I suppose we could go with 2-3 Story type deals or $20-24M x 4-5 year deals, but I don't see a stud coming out of the minors anytime, soon, so a big one may be needed.

They jumped Rafaela from 19 to 8, but Bleis only from 8 to 7. Would you put these two ahead of Yorke, Walter & Mata?

Great news. He might get enough PAs to give us an idea about how much we might count on him for 2023 and beyond. (I think we find a 1 year 1Bman over the winter.)

There are no longer one game for WC match-up. The 3rd best division winner joins the 3 WC teams for a 3 game series at the higher record's home field, but yes, 2 teams will be sent packing in the first round, in b oth leagues. The 3rd Div winner & 3 WC teams have a much lower chance of winning it all that the teams with first round byes. Having to win 3 series sure beats having to win 4.

I agree. In 2021, Cora got credit for sticking with guys like Dalbec, Kike and Renfroe, who struggled early, but then he should get dinged for sticking with players like Dalbec, Diekman and others, this year. Our 40 man roster is way stronger than 2020 and significantly stronger than 2021. This is the area Bloom addressed right out of the gate, and it shows. Given a larger budget, Bloom was finally given the chance to address the top of the 26 man roster. So far, Story has been a letdown, despite his RBI total keeping him from being a total disaster out of the gate. Wacha & Strahm carried us for a while. Last spring's waiver wire pick-up of Schreiber is looking like the type of "gems in the rough" finds the Rays were famous for making, when Bloom was there. Refsnyder is quickly proving to be a similar type find. So far, we've seen 20 players get 3 or more PAs and 14 with 80 or more. The bottom 5 of those 14 have done much better than the bottom 5 of 2021. PAs Player OPS 203 Cordero .713 127 Arroyo .640 101 Duran .763 91 Plawecki .487 80 Refsnyder .957 2021: 271 Marwin .567 173 Plawecki .737 136 Cordero .497 127 Santana .597 112 Duran .578 (+82 Chavis .549/ 75 Arauz .643) The biggest gains have come from the SP'er pick-ups as compared to 2021's: IP Pitcher ERA 2021 137 Richards 4.87 114 Perez 4.74 73 Whitlock 1.96 2022 71 R Hill 4.20 70 Wacha 2.69 36 Davis 2.48 (much pen than starter) Pen 2021 62 Ottavino 4.21 53 Sawamura 3.06 37 Andriese 6.03 (DFA'd) 2022 36 Davis 2.48 31 Danish 4.02 31 Diekman 3.48 29 Schreiber 0.62 28 Strahm 3.58 25 Robles 5.84

It seems to go in waves.

I'm not convinced this team has totally sworn off large and long deals, forever. I see the logic in that philosophy, but sometimes biting the bullet is needed. To me, if it's not for Devers, I can't see it being anyone else, at least for a while. I'm wondering if the Story deal is as large and long as they dare go.

We have too many ML bubble RPers to fill the 8 slots for the pen. At some point, Bloom will have to go with quality over the desire to keep as much quantity as possible. The returning IL pitchers will force his hand, and the return of Barnes might be the one that forces Bloom’s hand. I think Diekman goes. Unless someone else gets hurt we can’t have 3 of the 8 slots filled with Barnes, Davis and Diekman- all with no options. We already have Sawamura for low leverage situations.

Long awaited!

A blind man reading braille can see the light of day on Diekman.

Me, too. Coming after losing Betts & Bogey will compound my misery.

I was dead wrong on him, last deadline and last winter.

I've never wanted anyone DFA'd over one game, and I've suggested Diekman be DFA'd days and maybe weeks ago, but I'm done with that guy. I know we have a bunch of guys on the IL, but when one of these guys return, Diekman has to go. The sooner, the better.

Is it safe to say, Bello is demoted after, tonight to make room on the 26 for Sale?

It's easy to find out. Go to baseball reference and see he has 337 PAs, this year. Then, click splits 2022 and schroll to men on base: 168 PAs w men On. 168/337= 49.9% (64 of those 168 were with 2 or more men On) RISP: 97 97/337= 28.8%

I do, too. There is no reason to think injuries will continue.

Expand the roster to 30 and 50 and have no days off with doubleheaders every Sunday.

Okay with me, but only after we get robo umps! Lol

Some were upset about losing Ellsbury, especially to the Yanks, but they sure went quiet quickly. Agree on Manny. The only reason people got over losing Damon was the fact that we replaced him in kind. We may do okay replacing these 3, too.

Why trade the world to get him and then pay him what we wouldn’t pay Betts?

Well, a very low BA and OPS Against is one reason.

Many wanted Dalbec benched or worse, last April, May and June. Cora kept playing him. Renfroe sucked in April. Kept playing him. Kike at lead-off? This board lit up. Cora kept playing him and leading him off. There are some failure stories, too- like giving Marwin 250 PAs, but it has worked a lot.

Indeed, and we don't know what will be said about Betts, Bogey, Nate, JD and maybe Devers years and years after they walk.

Agreed. Those 10-12 games x 30 teams is worth more than they make with an extra round of playoffs, even if you make the first round 5 or 7 games.