moonslav59

I forgot Kike.

2019-2021 OPS .747 Arroyo .743 Iggy .741 Vaz .665 JBJ

The CWS, a team than never made the playoffs in back-to back years in 120 seasons, until the last two years, and a team with one of the worst farms in MLB is reportedly interested in Montas or Manaea.

I also feel it is not likely we add a solid starter before the season starts, but I can't help wishing we did. To me, Wacha is the perfect 6th starter/starter depth type pitcher. Winckowski, Seabold, Crawford and Bello should be #7 and beyond. (There's also Houck & Whitlock.)

The Rays are famous for a revolving door. However, your concerns are noteworthy, as many pitchers decline sharply after leaving them.

McHugh signs with the Braves for $10M/2. That seems reasonable enough for Bloom to bid $1M more...

I know very well both started much of the season. Maybe it wasn't the best example as both were signed with an apparent understanding they'd start. I'm not sure Wacha was promised anything about starting other than he will start as the front runner for the 5 slot. I would think Hill would have a better understanding he'll be starting, but the quote I provided by Cora sounds like he's is viewed as a flex pitcher. I'm not sure what, if any, promises were made, but Nick sure sounded like he thought it would be a "LIE" if they put either in the pen after adding another SP'er. Then, he yelled, "How the f*** do I know what was promised?" All i know is, teams often add starters to the mix and more than 5 think they should or will start, but one or more do not, at the start of the year. This all came about as a result of me just suggesting 3 ways we could add a starter and make it work. I never said we would or should choose one of the suggestions that said we might move Hill or Wacha to the pen. Hell, many here have been saying Houck and or Whitlock should start, which would mean someone goes to the pen, barring injury. I seriously doubt Wacha will be all that upset, if someone else beats him out of the 5 slot. He pitched 6 games from the pen, last year, including one near the end of the year. He had an ERA of 5.00, too, so why should he feel like he's earned anything? Hill is another story. He's been an exclusive starter for so long, and being so injury prone, I'm not sure I'd mess with him. I'd only put him in the pen, if he's sucking or worse than Wacha or Pivetta as the season progresses.

Richards $10M and Perez $5M were both moved to the pen, last year.

You did act like you knew they promised they'd both be starters by saying they would have lied by putting them in the pen. Give me a break! Why go off like a rocket? That was one of teh suggestions I made that would make room for adding a starter. I never said I prefer that one. I showed evidence Cora saying after the signing that Hill was viewed as a flexible position pitcher.

True enough, but not as much mileage as most 41 year olds.

Your man, Connor Seabold is up pretty high! Rule 5 being cancelled may have kept one or two on this list.

$5M seemed like a lot, but I agree. There are other Iggy-like SSs out there, and some are not in decline.

IP, last few years (2021 and going backwards): Hill 159 39 59 132 136 Wacha 125 34 127 84 166 138 181 Maybe the over/under might be Hill at 75 and Wacha at 100.

I thought it was the little guys who aged poorly.

He seems to be at the age where one seeks the max overall deal. Plus, it's not like he's coming off a so-so season; he hit for a better BA and OPS than his career numbers. Career: .295/.384/.509/.893 2021: .300/.393/.503/.896 (Although his OPS+ of 133 was below his career 138.)

Just yanking your chain.

Wow! Newsflash!

If those are the only two choices, and the money is similar, me too. If we sign Freeman, do we trade Casas and Dalbec or try to turn one into a LF'er? Or, do we trade JD and make them DHs? Casas can be the DH in 2023, as is, but choosing Freeman as "the guy" makes little sense to me, despite being a very good player.

No doubt we could "use him," and he'd also add a boost to the OF by making Kike our FT CF'er, but it's about the cost and the long term affect on who we can NOT add to the roster in coming years. Signing Correa almost certainly means good bye to Bogey, who has been way more healthier and steady. It might also mean no Devers. Correa has been under a .730 OPS in 2 of his last 4 seasons. I just can't see thinking "This is the guy we have been waiting to go large and long" for. Sure, we'd be way better when he's healthy, but I see and saw go off the board better options.

You think this spending will continue? Could you guys be looking to dump some salary? How long will you remain over the tax line? (I'm pretty sure not 3 years.)

We traded some salary in the summer of 2020- most would have been FAs, after that year, anyway. Then, we traded Beni. The Lux Tax numbers were: 13.8 Pedey 5.0 Beni 4.5 Pillar 3.5 Workman 3.0 Moreland 2.9 Peraza 1.6 Hembree 1.5 Lucroy 850K Osich Countin Pedey, that comes to over $35M, so yes, most of Bloom's spending just replaced lost contracts from 2020, but isn't that what most teams do, even the Sox of the past for more years than not? In Lux Tax dollars, here is what Bloom spent, last winter. (I did not count replacing Perez with Perez.) 10.0 Richards 8.9 Ottavino 14 (7 x 2) Kike 3.1 Renroe 3.0 Marwin 3.0 (1.5 x 2) Sawamura 2.1 Andriese (Plus, the Barnes extension which counts towards 2022.) Before 2022, we lost: 10 Richards 8.9 Ottavino 8.3 ERod 5.0 Perez 3.0 Marwin 2.1 Andriese This is almost identical to the amount that came off the books the previous winter. Bloom has added this, so far: +8.9M JBJ over Renfroe's 2021 salary +5M for Barnes extension 10 Paxton 7.0 Wacha 5.0 Hll ??? Diekman 3.0 Strahm It looks like he's over $40M with more to spend.

In a sense, yes, to some extent, but he did raise the lux tax budget line from $185M to $208M from 2020 to 2021, so he did add more than half of the "$40M" or so in beyond replacement spending. Also, only DD was allowed to add and add and add beyond replacement spending year after year until that stopped before 2019. Theo often saw his over spending go up and down, so he was not allowed to keep adding and adding beyond the replacement numbers. Theo's player salary budget went down in 2005 & 2006, up a ton in 2007, down in '08 & '09, up a ton in 2010, down again in '11, and under Ben up in '12, down in '13, about the same in '14 before jumping up a lot in '15 under DD. It went up again in 2016, stayed the same in '17 before jumping up a lot in 2018 and a little in 2019.

Are you sure he won't be on the IL opening day?

Bloom did spend $40M, last winter and might spend the same, this winter. It's just hard to make big splash signings when you have 7-10 slots to fill for that $40M.

Yes, but maybe his value as a catcher is worth more to another team that it is at 1B for the A's.