Jack Flap

I believe Dombrowski said there had to be prior coaching experience, not necessarily managerial. Cora has managed in Puerto Rico in addition to obviously coaching on a major league staff.

Yeah, any interest in Bruce should be predicated on his coming cheaply. (The Guardians picked him up for next to nothing in August, if I remember correctly.) He doesn't really excite me, but neither do the Morrisons and Dudas of the world. It seems like there will be enough 1B/DH type bats floating around that we'll probably be able to grab one or two of them for a relative bargain - though I wouldn't bet that Dombrowski is going to be shopping in the bargain aisle this winter...

Regarding Otani - if he comes over this winter, he'd be subject to international bonus restrictions, meaning the financial commitment required to sign him will be pretty minimal. Definitely worth a roll of the dice even if the ankle issue looks worrisome. Where he actually ends up is anyone's guess, though. I do think Dave is going to zero in on Martinez (we've seen that when he wants to make an upgrade, he goes after the top option available and usually gets his man), but if we fail to land him, what about Jay Bruce as a fallback option for DH? 36 HR with an .832 OPS this year, no qualifying offer, and shouldn't really break the bank. Justin Upton will be another name out there if he opts out of his contract.

One factor that I haven't seen much discussion about is that Hanley's $22 million option for 2019 will vest if he reaches 497 plate appearances next season - something that Dave should be thinking about how to avoid, IMO. We should probably come into ST prepared with a few different 1B/DH candidates and force Hanley to earn playing time. I'd be fine with something like Martinez primarily DHing and occasionally getting a start in the outfield to give one of the B's a rest, while Moreland and Ramirez split time at 1st, with Hanley DHing when JD is not. (Moreland basically had a typical Moreland season, neither better nor worse, so I'm not sure he could command a much bigger contract than he did last winter, particularly in a rather crowded market for 1B. If he can be signed for a similar amount, I'd welcome him back.) Travis and Swihart could be other candidates.

No to Hosmer...for the money, I'd rather re-sign Moreland and keep the draft pick.

Aye.

Based on what little we have to go on, I'd say Kapler would be my first choice, followed by Cora...but my gut is saying DD is thinking Ausmus or Gardenhire. But again, what do I know.

Tomase is a fool, asshat, buffoon, halfwit, dunce, dolt, ignoramus, cretin, moron, imbecile, and simpleton. Also, broken clocks are right twice a day.

I hear you...the length is definitely kind of scary, but I'd much rather pay Stanton til he's 37 (or 38 with team option) than into his 40's like guys like Cabrera, Pujols, and Votto. Assuming he ages fairly well, $25-30 million probably won't look that crazy by the time the contract is winding down. Ultimately, though, I'd much rather just sign Martinez as well. I don't really see standing pat with the offense as a realistic option...I think it's fair to expect some improvement with a full season of Devers, a more experienced Benintendi, and some bounce-back from Betts, Bogaerts, and Bradley, but adding a real power bat would take us to another level, and I'd be fairly shocked if Dave didn't make a move. Agree. I'm not sure if guys like Bogaerts and Bradley who are a mere 2-3 years from free agency and so would have to be extended in the near future would be all that appealing to the Marlins...if they cared so much about the present, they wouldn't be trading their franchise player to begin with. We've seen the Cubs and Astros tear down and rebuild and come out better for it in the long term, and if I was a Marlins fan (man, I shudder as I type that) I would rather they go that route than remain stuck in the twilight zone of mediocrity, good enough to feign competition every year but not good enough to actually win.

Same. I don't think there's any reason for anyone not to wish him the best.

..?

The cost in talent would worry me more than Stanton's contract (which really isn't terribly unreasonable). Pick up some SP depth and the obligatory reliever or two, re-sign Nunez (maybe a necessity if Pedroia is going to need surgery and miss significant time), steal Ohtani if you can, and BRING ME JD MARTINEZ... then call it a winter.

Many of this team's issues date back to decisions from the Cherington era, from the Sandoval and Ramirez contracts to (I would argue) the botching of the Lester and Lackey trades in 2014. Right now you can fault Dombrowski for not adding a power bat last winter and for trading Shaw, but that's about it. On the other hand, we wouldn't even be in it this year without Dave's additions (Kimbrel, Sale, and Pomeranz primarily). I would think Dave's job is not even close to being in jeopardy at this point.

Tonight we are all Twins fans.

Not to mention a .767 OPS is solidly above league average for a second baseman (MLB .739 / AL .737)...if you think Marco Hernandez is going to give you that, share what you're smoking with the rest of us.

You're sort of answering your own question here a bit, aren't you?

E-Rod seems to have a pattern of getting hurt and then being f***ed up for a month or so when he gets back, but outside of that he's been fairly reliable. Easy choice for #3 right now, IMO.

I was taken aback by how bad he's actually been with the Rays when I looked up the numbers...I remembered him hitting a bunch of home runs, but has a cool .181 BI and .281 OBP to go along with them. JD Martinez would be my vote.

I agree Brannen is one to watch, but he's just out of high school and spent most of his first professional season in the GCL. More likely he's a September call-up in 2020 or 2021...

I never thought Shaw was going to be the third baseman of the future, but we didn't need him to be...even 2016 Shaw would have been a good deal better than the various stiffs we trotted out at third from April through July, and he could have served as a cheap first base option with some pop for 2018 and after. Not a good deal any way you slice it...yes, Thornburg could come back healthy and pitch effectively again, but he'd basically have to perform at his 2016 level (2.5 bWAR) for the next two seasons just to match what Shaw has done for the Brewers this year alone.

I remember a lot of people complaining about this one, even after 2007.

I think I started the process of eating crow on this trade a few months back. I'm not writing off Espinoza by any means at this point, but Pomeranz has been superb this year. I haven't heard any news on this, but hopefully DD has already started thinking about working out an extension this winter.

A round on me for the house. (Lol. Sorry, harmony.)

Only if he can curse as much as he wants.

I agree. I think we bring in a 1B/DH type (preferably someone who can hit a few bombs) but otherwise look pretty much the same. Nunez would be nice to keep around if he'd agree to be "the new Holt" as you put it, but after his great second half I imagine he'll find a regular gig somewhere.