moonslav59

Why do you care that I have no desire to meet with an "alpha" troll? I have the guy on ignore, now. It's like you guys are trying to stir it back up, again. I won't get into a long list, but the guy doubles and triples down on lies about me and my positions. Feel free to meet with him, yourself. Don't try to lecture me about what I should or should not do. (And, you can stop lying, too.)

As always, the Yanks look good on paper, when everyone is healthy and playing a full season. There is absolutely no reason to expect that to happen. In fact, one could or maybe even should expect more and more missed time, as so many key players are at the end of prime or post-prime. Almost all their key players are aging. Judge turns 32, soon, and plays a very demanding position, especially at Yankee Stadium. Since 2018, he has missed more than 30% of possible games played in 4 out of 6 seasons. Stanton is now 34. His OPS has decline, every season, since 2019 and was .695 in 2023. (.729 from 2022-2023.) He's played over 110 games, once since 2018. LeMahieu turns 36 in July. He has a .720 OPS, over the last 3 years. He's no longer the .922 hitter he was the first 2 years w NYY. He's also has not played over 136 games, the last 2 years. Rizzo turns 35 in August. He's had a couple decent years since his last big year in 2019, but he's a .768 first baseman in the last 3 years. His games played have steadily declined from 157>153>146>141>130>92. Cole turns 34 in September. He's been a horse over the last 7 seasons. Nobody has started more games, in the last 7 years (206.) There is no reason to think that changes, but he is getting older. Rodon is 31. It's well-documented, that this guy is injury prone. Stroman turns 33 in May. He has a pretty decent history of not missing too many starts, but he's only gone more than 139 IP, once in 6 years (twice in 8 years), and that was just 179 IP in 2021. Kahnle turns 35 in August. Nestor is only 28, but he's only had one good, full season (2022.) The Yanks have a lot of big question marks, as do many teams. They won 82 games, last year, and it took a late season collapse by the Sox for them to not finish in last place. They've made some huge moves, unlike the Sox, but the Soto trade hurt them in other areas, and they lost a couple other key players, too.

It's been over 70 for a week straight, here near Houston, so I guess some spring fever is setting in. I think there will be a lot of enjoyable things to watch. I do think it is wishful thinking on our rotation, but I've got that wrong a few times over the years, and maybe 2024 is the next one. I like our line-up. Our defense should be better- maybe near average. Our pen looks good and pretty deep. It's just the rotation that looks bad. I know: it's like saying you are in excellent health, except for the brain tumor.

The holes in the rotation, SP'er depth and farm SP'ers has been well documented and dissected. I think we all agree that it is our highest need area. I'd say it is our #1 and #2 weakness, in terms of needing at least 2 SP'ers before any other position. The rest of the team may have some areas in question, but all have some sort of hope- now and or in the future. Catcher: Wong and McGuire are not a top 15 tándem in MLB, but they are not awful and still have room to improve. The bigger hope is with the future. Teel could end up being the best Sox homegrown catcher since Fisk. Even if we did not have Teel, the remaining catching prospects look pretty good, too: Joh Garcia (19 y/o) Nathan Hickey (24 and may not stick as a catcher) Brooks Brannon (19 and has a lot to prove) Stephen Scott may never make the bigs and has Roberto Perez & T Heineman ahead of him. 1B: may have the least organization depth of any non pitching position, but it also has our best 24 or younger MLB player in Casas. Dalbec seems doomed to be a AAAA player. Jordan has to prove a lot. Kavadas has all but lost any hopes. EValdez may be given a 1Bman mitt, despite being just 5-8. 2B: Grissom looks like a very promising 2Bman, but still has to show he belongs. I like his chances. Reyes is a decent back-up and EValdez and Yorke offer some long term depth, despite some defensive limitations. (Story may move back to 2B, someday.) SS: Story is a great defender, but he needs to bring his bat back to respectability. Mayer is a top 50 prospect, who did not really jump up, last season, maybe due to injury. I'm a huge Cespedes fan, but he is far away. Rafaela is a decent SS, but is better in CF. Zanetello may end up in the OF. Romero needs to show growth, this year. Paulino is a super longshot, and is not really a SS. DHam could be DFA'd. Alcantara may end up at 2B. 3B: Devers has a lot of years left on his deal. He may end up at 1B or DH, someday, but not likely this year or next. Meidroth offers some hope. OF: We seem loaded with LF'er at the big league level (Yoshida, O'Neill, Duran & Refsnyder,) but we have some young ML ready or near ML ready OF'ers knocking loudly on the door: Rafaela: Great D but questionable O. He is best in CF. Abreu: Good O promise and okay D. He could play CF and maybe CF. Anthony (19) might be our most promising prospect and can play CF. Bleis (19) lost a year to injury, but he still has a lot of promise. Castro (20) is still promising. (Others mentioned as maybe moving to OF.) So, our 3 weakest non pitching positions: catcher, OF and middle IF seem have our best prospects.

Except this is not what you put in quotation marks.

Further proof of your reading things into my statements that just are not there. Go ahead and make that your new signature line.

Be my guest. I avoid trolls. To each his own.

He still is. He started 13 games, last year- a career high.

Monty is not enough. Yes, a possible future SS for a top 30 SP;er.

We all remember the Pedro, Schilling, Beckett and Sale trades for top pitchers and rings, but another great trade that brought us a SP'er and great catcher was the Slocumb for DLowe & VTek trade. Another was Andrew Miller for ERod (a prospect, at the time.) Jalen Beeks for Eovaldi Going back farther: Mike Paxton, Rick Wise & others for Eckersley (later converted to RP by OAK) Other trades for SP'ers had mixed results: Cespedes for Porcello Iggy & Montas for Peavy Lackey for Kelly (later converted to the pen) & Allen Craig Allen Webster & Rubby DLR for Wade Miley A trip down memory lane... Brady Anderson & Curt Schilling for Mike Biddicker Reggie Smith & Ken Tatum for Rick Wise & Bernie Carbo Ken Harrelson, Dick Ellsworth & Juan Pizarro for Sonny Siebert & others, John Curtis, Lynn McGlothen & Mike Garman for Reggie Cleveland & Diego Segui Ken Brett, Billy C, Jim Lonborg, & Others for Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse & Tommy Harper Juan Benitez, Steve Barr and Craig Skok for Fergie Jenkins Steve Lyons for Tom Seaver Fred Lynn & Steve Renko for Frank Tanana & Joe Rudi

Yes, Workman & Hembree.

Here's another one" To LAD: Yorke and Jansen To MIA: Mayer, Rafaela, Wikelman & Grove To BOS: Garrett & Puk With some of the savings from the Jansen trade, maybe we can then sign Monty. I'd even sub Duran for Rafaela & Wikelman, and maybe they add Berti.

I don't disagree, but I think we could compete in 2024 with Luzardo or Garrett AND Monty.

I think 3 years of Luzardo is about equal to 5 years of Garrett. BTV has... 65.4 Luzardo (91 value-26 salary) value: 30 per season 57.7 Garrett (103 value-46 salary) value: 21 per season 44.4 Mayer We'd need to add: 22.2 Houck 21.5 Bleis 15.6 Teel 13.8 Rafaela Would you do Mayer & Rafaela for Garrett? Mayer & Bleis for Luzardo?

I've never been high on Duran, but if he just repeats 2023 over a full season, his "upside" is better than ECab's, who has never really done squat. (2022 was not too bad, but not Duran good.)

Ho won't be. Hell, we can throw in DHam... LOL. If it were up to me, I'd find a way to get Luzardo or Garrett for Mayer, and let them keep ECab.

BTV accepts... To LAD: Jansen & Yorke To MIA: Grove & Duran To BOS: ECabrera, AJ Puk & Berti

We do have a glut of LF'ers, and trading Duran does keep Cora from playing him in CF, but for Duran for a pitcher who walked 6 batter per 9, last year is not worth it, to me. For what it's worth, BTV has Duran at 34. 0 and Cabrera at 19.6. It does accept Duran + Mata for Cabrera + AJ Puk. (Having Puk might allow us to trade Jansen's salary and then sign a SP'er.) I'd give them Bernardino & Duran for the two. Trade Jansen to LAD for a nice prospect and sign Monty. Monty Gio Bello Pivetta Cabrera Crawford Houk Whitlock Puk Martin Wink Schreiber Campbell/Slaten/Mata

Some would have been better than Downs, but maybe not Dugo. Lucchesi and Quantrill both have had 2 decent seasons mixed in with some not-so-good ones. Campusano is still just 24 and had a nice season in '23.

83 IP + 14 in the PO's is astounding, in today's game, for a closer, byt the guy pitched more innings in a previous season and very close in a few others: 105 in '99 as a closer 88 + 2 in '00 (90) 81 in '01 78 in '02 87 + 5 in '03 (92) w OAK 83+14= 97 in 2004 Price had one really good season (2018), too and 2016 was pretty good, too. The injury in '17 hurt, but his first 3 year totals were very good: 481 IP 3.74 ERA (119 ERA+) 3.76 FIP 1.18 WHIP After 4 years, his FIP was even better at 3.74, but his ERA was 3.84 (118 ERA+) Lackey gave us 1.5 good seasons, including the 2013 ring year and he gave STL 1.5 good seasons, too. That's 3 out of 5 plus a not too bad first year w BOS. Last 3 years of contract: 605 IP (avg 200+) 3.35 ERA (119 ERA+ was the same as Price's for less than half the cost) 3.73 FIP He has a 3.85 FIP in 215 IP, year one (2010.)

Too many ifs and hopes for my liking. I can't stop thinking about DHern when Cabrera talk comes up. I know not all high K & BB are doomed to failure, but Cabrera has had a pretty long time to at least show improvement on the BB rate, and seems to be getting worse- not better. He'll be 26, soon, and that is still young enough to turn a corner, but is BB/9 and WHIP was worse than his career numbers in 2023. I'm not sure Bailey can do anything for him. If he can, then maybe he can just do it for Whit, Houck and others we have, right now. Career: ECab: 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 (197 IP) DHern: 14.0 K/) and 7.7 BB/9 (85 IP) Note: Out of 3,200 pitchers with 80+ IP over the last 50 years, the K/9 leaders are: 15.0 Josh Hader 14.8 Edwin Diaz 14.8 A Chapman 14.2 D Betances 14.2 G Kimbrel 14.1 F Bautista 14.0 DHern Worst BB/9 rates: 8.3 J Briscoe 7.9 S Randolph 7.7 K Coffman 7.7 DHern That being said, I'd like to add ECab to our staff, but not at what you have suggested as the return (Duran.)

I agree that the vast majority see the FO for what it is: a sham. The Theo addition barely makes a dent in that impression. Unless the results change, or the perception of the team's strength- here and now i proves, it won't matter. I still think that 2021 team allowed the FO enough cover to keep many fans "fooled" for a year or two longer than had we sucked in '21, but the jig is up, now. The thing is, I'm not sure they realize 80-90% of the fanbase knows this. In some ways, I think if this is true, it's even worse than thinking they know but just don't care enough to change things, this year or next. They have to know, right?

The Padres were the only other team rumored to be in on the Betts trade. If I'm not mistaken, Myers was part of their talk or offer, but w/o Price. When people say, "We could have gotten more for Betts," I tend to think that is true, but I just don't think anyone was offering much better than what we got. It seems strange. I think we also see how poorly the Jeter Downs part of the trade worked out, and it's easy to think, "Yes, we could have done better," but at the time, he was pretty highly regarded.

It's not going to be Snell. We aren't trading top prospects for an ace. Cleninger is not going to excite enough fans to make a difference. It does seem like it's Monty or bust. I do think adding Monty gives us enough hope for 2024 to keep interest barely high enough. Bare minimum. Monty, Gio, Bello, Pivetta & Crawford Houk & Whit in the pen as long men Wink as the innings eater middle man Jansen & Martin as the 8/9th innings blood & guts guys. That leaves 3 pen slots for the rest to fight over, and there seems to be enough decent pitchers to fill those 3 slots, very well: Schreiber Bernardino Campbell Slatten (Rule 5 restrictions) Mata (out of options) Extended depth: Murphy & Walter Fitts & Gambrell Criswell & Weissert Kelly & Guerrero Long shots: Benitez, Olivares & Song

I think the Sox were trading Betts, no matter what. I think they felt adding Price was a way to save even more money, even if it lessened the return value or teams interested in making offers. Yes, they are that cheap.