moonslav59

Good point, but then just when you think they are back to spending big, like with Bregman, they trade Devers and add almost no salary but Hicks and a couple small partials at the deadline. I thought last winter proved something- now we wait, again, and wonder...

Here are some of Breslow's most notable pitching moves: Trades for pitchers: I Campbell for L Urias Fitts, Weissert & Judice for Verdugo Slaten for R Ammons Sandlin for Schreiber Uwasawa & B Horn for cash Paxton for M Bolivar Priester for Yorke Sims for O Portes L Garcia for Lugo, Kavadas, Zeferjahn & Vargas Vogatsky for EValdez Fajardo for Booser Moran for Gasper Crochet for Teel, Montgomery, Meidroth, Wikelman McShane for Shugart Alacala for A Lugo Harrison, Hicks, J Bello & Tibbs for Devers Matz for Jordan May for Tibbs & Ehrhard Pitchers traded: OF O'Neill for V Santos & N Robertson IF Grissom for Sale & cash Narvaez for E Rodriguez Priester for Holobetz, Y Rod and comp pick (Phillips) Newcomb & Van Belle for cash FA Signings: Criswell, Giolito, Hendriks, Chase Anderson, Brad Keller, Wilson, Chapman, Sandoval, Buehler, Newcomb, Burdi Extensions: Bello (6 yrs) IFA: Charlie Zink, D Reyes, J Medina, Delzine, Cordero, Montero Drafted: Tolle, Neely, Clarke, Aita, Cason, Futrell, Brooks, Tygart, Gartrell, Y Cruz Witherspoon, Phillips, Eyanson, B Morgan, Foutch, Patton & others

Mr. McGoo could see our #3 is Bello not Buehler. They both start with a "B."

Exactly. The Betts trade killed us, but what made it even worse was not spending one penny of what we offered him, before we decided to trade him.

I would too, but to me the choice is Duran vs Anthony or Ryan vs May (or ZBuehler)

Garcia is on the 40. This could have pertained to 2025, as well.

I'm only looking at pitching, and the problem is Acala is out of options, so all the others can just stay on the 40. ERAs for pitchers are deceiving. Yes, I'd rather keep I Campbell. He's prearb and Alcala has just one arb year left and won't be on the winter 40 by the time Rule 5 comes around. Remember, 8 of our 9 sixty-day IL players have to be on the 40 before opening day. While I would not necessarily want IC over Alcala, right now, and that is the crux of keeping Alcala, I do like 4-5 AAA pitchers more than him, right now. This is not the "keep as many options alive" time of year: it is the put your best 13-14 pitchers on the big club, at all times. Moves like the Criswell demotion have some merit, but keeping Alcala on the 26 does not, IMO. This tells me more than his ERA does: .852 OPS Against in 2025 .914 last 4 weeks 1.226 last 2 weeks.

I don't disagree, but we are doing well, and the deadline is past. I think trading for someone like Ryan or Keller (or both, if I had my way) will be cheaper in DEC than JUL.

That would suck, but consider this: We trade Duran and Abreu gets hurt: LF: Garcia (Yoshida/Refsnyder) CF: Rafaela RF: Anthony Rafaela gets hurt: LF: Anthony (Yoshida/Refsnyder) CF: Garcia RF: Abreu/Refsnyder I know Jh Garcia is untested, but do you like the above more than this? We don't trade Duran for Ryan and have this: Crochet, Giolito, Bello, Sandoval, Harrison (Dobbins & Crawford start season on IL) not this... Crochet, Ryan, Giolito, Bello, Sandoval If one gets hurt, our depth goes one more deep.

Teams like TEX, SEA and DET also "did better" than us at the deadline. Let's look again, in a few weeks.

I'm fine with our 2025 staff. I applauded Brez for having a rotation 11-12 men deep, even after the Priester trade. We've needed all of them, and now have May and will probably give Criswell another start, while Harrison has yet to get a look. Our staff ranking has been boosted more by the pen than the rotation, surprisingly. Our SP'ers rank T17th in fWAR and 7th in IP. fWAR is aided by more IP, so 17th might not really reflect how highly ranked we are. We ate 0.1 ahead of #19 WSH. We are 18th in FIP & 19th in K-BB%. (23rd in WHIP) That being said, they have been hurt by bad defense. We lead the league in Unearned runs allowed and many more scored on uncalled errors, unturned DPs and bonehead nonplays. Our starters rank 9th in ERA-, which is the best in the ALE. That's good enough for me, but still not really dominant, like I'd like to see it. We have the 5th best pen fWAR and FIP. Our pen is 2nd in ERA-, and that is what is driving our overall staff numbers looking so good. Our pen is 5th in WHIP. To me, this is a stunning performance, and Cora deserves huge props for getting the most out of a pen that was much maligned in March. Brez & Bailey deserve credit, too. Even with 4 of our top 7-8 SP'ers out for the rest of the year, we still have a nice staff and decent depth. SP: Crochet, Giolito & Bello make a very nice playoff top 3 rotation. Buehler, May, Criswell, Harrison & Fitts offer some hopes we can be okay at #5, but #4 looks very sketchy, to me. Even with Slaten, Hendriks and others out, for the rest of the season, this looks pretty good: RP: Chapman, Whitlock, Wilson & Weissert make a pretty nice top 4 arms for the playoffs. Matz, Murphy, Hicks & Burdi can be a nice supporting four. (I see Alcala's days being numbered.) Bernardino, Kelly, ICampbell and SP'ers like Harrison, Criswell & Fitts might add some key pen depth over the next two months. (Sandlin may be added, when we DFA Alcala.)

Arias might be. He's a top 35 prospect, according to a few rankings. He's already ML ready on D, and might be GG caliber. Romero looks more like a 3Bman or 2Bman. Soto, Cason and Godbout are too far away.

He meant it, though. He's said it in non anti-Fred posts, too. Others seem to think our weaknesses are not bad enough to risk messing with clubhouse morale to try and fix it.

He's been playing great, for sure, but so have Anthony, Rafaela and Abreu/Refsnyder. If it wasn't for Rafaela's need at 2B, one would be benched, since we know YOSHIDA HAS TO PLAY!

I got my head ripped off by two posters for just suggesting we not DFA Alcala and keep Murphy on the 26. I can see a lot of merit in not adding non Rule 5 players, but adding Sandlin seems like a good idea.

Anthony is for real. With Rafaela needed at 2B, we can get a good long look at his defense, too.

Sandlin is Rule 5 and will be added in DEC, so I can see adding him earlier to get a look-see, but I think we have a few others ahead of him: Criswell has to get at least one more start. (May is here, now.) Harrison seems to be ready for a look. Burdi & Kelly are off the IL and did not do too badly, when healthy. Fitts & ICampbell are on the 40, now. Neither one clearly deserves another 2026 look, so maybe Sandlin could pass them on the depth chart. (Early, too.) I think there would have to be a 60 Day IL injury for either to be added to the 40, and Early is not Rule 5, so we will not add him and cause a roster crunch in DEC,

I do agree that we have lessened the areas of need on O and D, Our pitching cannot afford another key injury but looks very nice in some areas and okay in others. The 4 & 5 starter slots are highly questionable, but if we can make the playoffs, their importance drops off sharply. The offseason should be interesting. 1. Bregman or not. (E Suarez or Mayer are options) 2. Closer (Bring Chapman back or sign another one.) 3. SP (Improving on Buehler & Sandoval's 2025 should not be hard, but I think we need to go big, here- Ryan or maybe Keller is enough.) 4. 1B (Unless Campbell shines down the stretch. I'd be okay with Casass-Romy, if we fill 1-3 well enough.) 5. 2B (Mayer, unless he's needed at 3B. Getting some help might still be a good idea. Romy may be needed at 1B or DH platoon, and DHam's days seem numbered. Grissom?) 3 major areas and 2 moderate ones.

I don't think our D has been good, but on paper, they should be, and DRS likes us. We are 8th in least ERs allowed but 16th in least runs allowed, just 4 away from 19th. We all have seen how many runs we allowed by defensive mistakes that were not called errors, too. I think we make a strong run at Ryan, this off season.

I agree. We could have afforded an OF'er and a prospect or two not named Anthony or Tolle. Even losing an OF'er we'd still have a great OF and plenty of OF depth.

Probably right, but we do have team control.

Yup. And recent promotee just had a big game (Romero.)

Good news!

He will likely never get to the plus side of plate discipline, but he doesn't have to, especially as the whole league moves towards his end of the spectrum. I do think he can still improve, but maybe not at this pace (2025>2026.)

Yup. How many teams traded for a number 1 or 2?