moonslav59

That, of course, is the biggest concern, especially at his age. Plus, he's a fine defensive 1Bman, so there should be better ideas.

With winter moves not finished, here is where we currently rank in projected AL team WAR: 51.3 NYY 42.9 TOR 41.2 HOU 40.4 MN 38.4 CWS 38.4 LAA 37.0 BOS 36.7 OAK 34.0 TBR 5 teams make the playoffs, normally, and we are ranked 7th- just 1.4 from LAA and 2.5 from CWS. If we sign Colome, that will close the gap a bit. If we also sign Schoop or Pillar, we may tie or pass both. If we sign Odorizzi and Colome, we will likely be ranked 5th, assuming the other two teams do not add much.

LOL. A hundred teams made the playoffs, last year. When was the last time both WC teams came from the same division? Actually, fairly often... 2017 NL West (AZ & COL) 2016 AL East (TOR & Yes! BAL!) 2015 NL Central (PIT & Cubs) 2013 NL Central (PIT & CIN)

It looks like Joc Pederson got $7M/1 with $500K in incentives. I don't think this affects the value GMs are placing on Beni. Also, Matt Moore to PHI for $3M + incentives.

I'm not saying this is the best idea, but Mitch Moreland can play LF and he hits righties very well. Could he be signed as insurance for Dalbec/Chavis at 1B but also as a LF platoon, assuming Beni is traded or playing CF or RF vs RHPs while Renfroe sits?

Is that worse than having no Colome or no Schoop or Pillar? Also, Chavis hits RHPs better than LHPs and better than Renfroe, or we can add a min wage platoon LF'er.

I'd rather have a Beni-Renfore platoon than a Renfroe-Chavis one, but if it's at the expense of not being able to afford a pitcher and a 2B/CF'er then the choice looks more difficult.

I'm thinking since Hernadez is a big plus defender in CF and not that great at 2B, it makes more sense to sign someone like Schoop at 2B than Pillar at CF.

I hope we don't think Barnes and Ottavino are enough.

It is much harder for 2 wild card teams to come from the same division, but that doesn't mean we can't or won't be at a serious wild card contender level.

Well, if anybody was looking to sign Joc and lost out to the Cubs, Beni might be their "fallback."

I've come out against trading him, when his stock is so low, but there are three factors that indicate he might be the top candidate to be moved. 1) We have a LF'er who is probably better than him, in Renfroe, and although a platoon looks nice, Renfroe is not all that bad vs RHPs. 2) We have 2-3 serious needs that outweigh the value of a platooned LF'er: 2B or CF, Closer, SP. (I might even rather have Moreland than Beni.) 3) We appear to want to stay under the Tax line, and freeing up his $5M might allow us to sign 2 players like Colome & Schoop- not just one. Let me ask you this: would you rather have Beni in our current OF where someone has to play CF or Schoop at 2B, Hernandez in CF and Renfroe/Chavis in LF? The budget cost may be close to identical. Hernandez in CF greatly improves our OF defense, and Schoop may end up hitting close to what Beni will hit in 2021. Or, we sign Schoop and not Colome by keeping Beni, so Colome vs Beni? I'll take Colome. This doesn't even factor in what we get back from the Beni trade, which would, in theory, make a trade a clear net plus. Again, trading Beni when his stock is low is reason enough not to do it, and to me, it probably makes sense to at least wait until the deadline to decide, but reasons abound on why we might pull the trigger, soon.

Joc Pederson to sign with Cubs. (What he gets paid might help set Beni's trade value.)

I think it gets us to serious WC contention, but we certainly won't be a top 4-5 team in MLB. We could maybe be ranked 4th or 5th in the AL, but two of the teams ahead of us are in the AL East (NYY & TOR). It might be enough to see us pass TBR, but I never count them out. The CWS & Astros would be close but ahead- maybe.

Moving Chavis does not save us any money. Apparently, there is no firm directive to stay under the tax line, but I do think it is a high priority that could be overturned, if the "right player" came along. (I doubt that player is out there.) I think we'll stay $2-5M under the line to start the year, and if we look like we might be in the running, we may decide to go over at the deadline. If we spend it all, right now, and stay under the tax line, we could probably add just one from Colome or Schoop.

It will be harder to make the wild card game due to having to play so many games vs NYY & TOR, but that was not the question asked.

1. Kolten Wong 2B (.358 OBP last 2 seasons combined) 2. Verdugo RF 3. Bogaerts SS 4. Devers 3B 5. JD DH 6. Beni/Renfroe LF 7. Dalbec/Moreland 1B 8. Vazquez C 9. Hernandez CF Odorizzi, ERod, Eovaldi, Richards, Perez/Sale Colome, Ottavino, Barnes, Brasier, DHern, Taylor, Houck, Pivetta

I kinda saw the value in pushing the tax re-set back one more year, but I'm starting to see a team with a chance, if we just add 3 players- none of which are big risk or more than 3 years in length. Just sign Ordorizzi to 3 years, Colome to 2 or 3 years and K Wong or Schoop to 1-3 years. That could be less than $28M and maybe even have enough for Moreland, too. With 3-4 roster additions, we could even trade Chavis and maybe a couple other players for some non 40 man roster prospects. Draft well and get competitive while the farm improves. With Odorizzi, Kolten Wong, Colome and Moreland or Marisnick, I think we'd be favored to make the playoffs. Better, yet, making the playoffs would drive jacko nutty!

If we sign Odorizzi and go over, we might as well sign Colome and a 2Bman (Wong or Schoop), too. If Sale ends up returning to norm, and with all the contracts running out after 2021, many at or near dead weight, we may be able to re-set in 2022 or 2023 while staying competitive.

Would this team be a legit 2021 contender? C Vaz, Plawecki 1B Dalbec, Chavis 2B K Wong, Arroyo 3B Devers SS Bogey LF Beni-Renfroe CF Hernandez RF Verdugo DH JD Odorizzi, ERod, Eovaldi, Richards, Perez, Pivetta (Sale) Colome, Ottavino, Barnes, Brasier, DHern, Houck, Taylor, Whitlock/Andriese

(You forgot DH: JD Martinez) These two signings might do the trick, too: C Vaz, Plawecki 1B Dalbec, Chavis 2B Schoop, Arroyo 3B Devers SS Bogey LF Beni-Renfroe CF Hernandez RF Verdugo DH JD ERod, Eovaldi, Richards, Perez, Pivetta Colome, Ottavino, Barnes, Brasier, DHern, Houck, Taylor, Whitlock/Andriese

Cards re-sign Wainwright to $5M with $3M in incentives.

One reason I want Brice out is that he has no options.

So, if Moreland gets $2M, getting Schoop for $5-6M might be just $3-4M more. If we are trying to stay under the line, the difference is significant.

Not bad. I'm no big Chavis fan, but I think he deserves one more extended look, so why not give him the inside edge at 2B? If he sputters, give Arroyo another look. If he sputters, and Munoz is doing well in AAA, then maybe add him to the roster and roll the dice again. If we go oh for 3, then we look for a 2Bman or CF'er at that point. Depending on what Moreland and Schoop cost, I'd prefer Schoop, and keep Chavis as the back up 1Bman.