moonslav59

It's not some kind of fluke. These guys weren't even good fielders before this year. They were and still are bozos in the field. For someone who loves blaming Bloom, this is a perfect set-up, but instead it's Cora's fault for not turning clowns into fundamentally sound defenders overnight. He had, what like a week with Munoz?. Three weeks with Schwarber? He was supposed to turn JD into a defender?

You mean, it was meant to make sense?

YES! He's building trade value.

Lock him up!

But, he won an award.

That makes total sense. lol

Not looking good. 51 pitches in 3 IP. Behind 2-1. Yikes!

I'm not denying poor coaching may be part of the problem. As for Vaz, It's not just metrics and CERA. I watch every pitch of every game.

Vaz: LOCK HIM UP! Long term!

Understandable is not close to meaning guaranteed.

Bogey has the worst or near worst DRS of his era. The others are okay. Renfroe is not good-not bad. Don't get me started on Vaz.

Still, we made Sale throw a few more pitches to get the 4th and arguably even the 5th out.

The first is at least understandable. The second is basic foundations.

Yup, after there should have been a ground out.

That's racist with no supporting evidence.

This is worse than the Bad News Bears.

We are 6th in the league in HBPs and moving up.

How much should the players bear? The GM for giving Cora a team with maybe 3 decent fielders?

I would have given up a few Alex Scherffs, but I still don't know any specific offers that were suggested. I thought giving up Aldo was more than expected, and maybe trading him and Scherff plus other lesser pieces for a better RP'er or two would have worked better- maybe not. I had the idea that we could trade some of our players that might be DFA'd for rule 5 players, but I'm sure other teams knew they just had to wait, and how much trade value did Potts, Rosario or even Arauz or a catcher (RHern or Wong) have? Would you have traded Bleis, Howlett or Crawford? That might be who GMs insisted upon.

Not only was Lopez just called up, he's starting. 1. Schwarber 1B 2. Renfroe RF 3. Devers 3B 4. JD DH 5. Verdugo LF 6. Vaz C 7. Duran CF 8. Lopez 2B 9. Arauz SS Lopez has a .749 OPS in the minors (1.213 AA/.699 AAA) I might have tried Dalbec at 1B with Schwarber in LF and Duran on the bench, but I guess Cora wants the lefty bat and Dalbec as a PH'er.

As tired as you guys are, you still have to play 2 more games than us, this month.

My God! I won't recognize half the team!

You expected 2 under-the-radar RP'ers to both work out, when the success rate for better RP'ers is 50-50, at best, and it's all Bloom's fault he missed on both, badly. I'm not doubting the significance of those two failures, even when weighed against the addition of Schwarber, but I guess I just think maybe expecting so much for so little is where the level of overall blame for the implosion is off a bit. Here, trade Alex Scherff and bring us a ring.

Sale is one smart cookie. I think he knows we need 7 innings or a superb 6. I think he may try to not K everyone and just get quick outs- like that's something easy to do. Maybe I'm wishful thinking, but Sale has shown flashes of quick innings, this year. He just needs to string a bunch together. The Rays are smart enough to know this, too.

Agreed, and he failed miserably at his attempt. I guess what I'm trying to say is that RP'ers are a crapshoot- even better ones than "under-the-radar" types and I don't think it's fair to blast Bloom so hardly for failing at a craps. I have to admit, he's missed on finding gems in the rough more than I expected. It shows how much the system is more important than the GM, as MVP has stated. I think I'm also trying to look at the big picture and let smaller moves go more than some seem to do. We went into this winter in total shambles. One can argue we are there, again, right now, but this is what Bloom had to work with. He had about $33-34M to spend and had these high need areas: S1 until Sale returned- say Richards at $10M (MISSED) (S2 & 3 were Eovaldi and the questionable ERod) S4 Pivetta (acquired last summer) S5 $6M Perez (MISSED, but only after his first 11+ starts were very good) (S6 Houck was not a bloom addition) R1 Barnes (Questionable as a closer- worked first half) R2 Ottavino (cost almost $9M. I think a plus but close) R3 Whitlock- a god send of a plus- major gem find. R4 Taylor/R5 DHern- the same R6 $1.9M Andreise a complete failure R7 Valdez- the same R8- Rios, Workman-Robles-Davis, Brice- MISSED (C- Vaz the same) Added Plawecki, last year 1B- Replaced Chavis with Dalbec last summer- stuck with him 2B- Arroyo added, last year- Kike, last winter (SS Bogey & 3B Devers- the same) Utility: $3M Marwin a complete disaster. MISSED LF- moved Verdugo from RF to LF CF-$7M x 2 Kike- a big plus. RF- $3.1M Renfroe- a big plus (DH- JD-the same) Added Schwarber at the deadline: Plus So, basically $33M to find 2 SP'ers, 3 RP'ers, a CF'er, a RF'er and a Utility Player, this winter, plus hope ERod & Eovaldi stayed healthy, Pivetta, Arroyo and Dalbec all held their own. One could argue their slots could have been considered "open," too. To, me the fact that it is September and we are in the lead for a playoff slot with all that going on, last winter, Bloom not guessing right on a couple RP'ers at the deadline seems rather trivial, despite the fact that it looks like that was a major reason we imploded.