drewski6

Gasper is too hot to bench right now, and if he doesnt cool down by the playoffs he will need to be in the lineup.

No dude, streaks dont stop happening because the playoffs begin. You are what you are at that time. These things are dynamic/ever-changing/fluid. Guys who are in a season long funk dont magically snap out of it. Stay flexible. Ride the wave of momentum.

Didnt ask me.

Which one? Story? You sure Siegler going down? A week ago, I was. Plans change. Im less sure now.

Only he said the opposite. He said we like his bat. We like that he can play multiple positions. We'll figure it out. So I guess it depends on the dates. But it certainly wasnt the case of having a plan and then trading for him. The plan is to have coverage. Like any good manager.

Sure, I can meet you here. But trades and injuries can happen in season too. So maybe it was at 3b unless something changes, and i agree they wont move him around just to move him around. But like if an all-star 3b falls into our lap at the deadline, or injuries decimate.....could have adjusted. I do think that his versatility was a legit reason why they wanted him tho. Maybe second to his pull-air hitting profile.

I like ENTP, ESTP, ENFP, ENTP Gotta have the E to communicate and gotta have the P to think on your feet and react. Js with their love for everything to be simple and concrete and planned and formulaic and the world doesnt work that way. Mike Tyson taught me that.

So you think hes lying when he says that he likes that durbin is a pull air guy with positional versatility and they like how that means that they will be likely able to fit him and that hes played 2b, 3b and even a little ss.

I dont like him because hes an I and not an E. But hes clearly a P and not a J.

So an outcome means no other outcome was ever possible and that outcome was always planned and destined? Maybe you are just a J and see the world through the lens of a J.

https://www.mlb.com/video/craig-breslow-on-trading-for-caleb-durbin We're excited about getting a good player into the organization. He can play anywhere. We like that because we know we can fit him. Can play 3b, 2b has played some SS. We'll figure it out.

Nope. They will postpone making a decision as long as possible and then finally make a decision when they have to, at that time. The plan is to be flexible. This is your prediction. It may be the likeliest scenario. But its not "the plan", Inflexible plans and high level rules like "never do x " and cliches are just attempts to simplify the complex. I knew Farrell sucked the first time I heard him talk because I heard him use 3 cliches in his first 3 sentences. So I said here we have a regurgitator and not a thinker.

Teams are staying flexible, prepared, and versaile....Decisions are being made on a case by case basis....Its not like teams have this massive depth chart at positions. Its not granular like that. They try to have a mixture of quality ball players that they can move around to withstand the twists and turns.

Yeah, there are a few factors going into this, and one of them may certainly be that Im ahead of myself regarding how fluid/flexible it has become. But like when AROD switched positions cuz the yanks had jeter, that was perceived as a big deal, and it wouldnt be today. Your best defensive infielders is probably your shortstop and those guys dont get displaced that much via trades, bumped by better But every team is staying flexible right now. The red sox liked durbin because he can cover multiple positions. That doesnt mean they dont have a preference of where theyd like him. And I dont think the brewers were like we like hamilton as a SS and think hes going to be great there. I think more likely they liked that he could play SS as well as 2b. Versatility and flexibility is in , rigidity and pigeonholing positions is not. And its effecting baseball, basketball, hockey, and football.

I dont believe that "shortstops" are even a thing in 2026. Everyone is schroedingers cat. They are neither ss nor 2b nor 3b but at the same time they are all 3....And they hover in limbo until the lineup card is announced.

And if I have an elite defensive 2b who is less elite at ss defensively and is playing 2b and then i get a 40 hr, .300 hitting guy who can get by at 2b but no world beater, I move the former 2b(the one I had) to ss and not think twice. The juggling is worth it for a big bat.

I just dont believe that there are guys who go from A+ defensively at 2b to unplayable at SS. Sure the throw is longer, but mostly I think its jsut the minimum im willing to accept is way different. So guys like Romy/Monasterio - these guys I think at like B-/C+ defensive 2b and cant play SS. But its about their level and the higher % of fielded plays at SS....Not about being more suited for one than the other. I believe that any A+ defensive 2b or 3b can play ss to at least an B+ level.

I dont think thats even possible. Whether he should play SS or 2b depends on who else you got. If hes sucking hard at SS, he wouldnt have been a plus at 2b (my opinion). Maybe its a head thing where like he hit a slump adjusting to SS and couldnt ever get out of hte funk. But I dont believe in positional optimization like this.

As long as hes not an ULF as in Samuelsson, as in one of the dirtiest to ever play in the NHL.

well maybe dont have the plumber come over in October. ANd then you wont have to worry about seeing cracks during playoffs.

homerism/optimism?

I definitely never said that a team built around pitching and defense would hit a ceiling and you are stacking the deck against yourself by not building around the bats. Especially not to you in a debate 3-4 months ago that Im now ready to concede and hand you the "w" on your "no specific formula" thesis.

Thats like saying the sox dont need a big bat because they had KC

This is a good "yes and" and a valid contribution to the discussion, but I was thinking more on the individual level. For example, 2 weeks ago you would have asked me who goes down for Story and Roman - and I would have said Siegler and Gasper. Now Im not sure. Monasterio and Sogard appears to have cooled off and Siegler and Gasper seem hot right now. So Im not really a fan of....beginning part of the season, focusing on who is better. Oh we dont need this guy because we have x,y,z. All teh trade Masa's there was a time this season and last that he was useful. So Im kind of a less of a quality over quantity guy than Ive been in the past. And now Im kind of like hoard as many as you can. Have Story, Monasterio, Siegler, Durbin, Arias, Sogard, Romy, IKF, Cheng, Mead....Cuz you dont know who is going to fall out (for injury or bad play) and who is going to emerge as useful...And you can absolutely have a guy who struggled all year but got hot at the right time and now he's hitting clean up for you in the playoffs and at beginning of season he was very far down on list of guys who you would have thought would have been a key part of your playoff team. Im a fan of exploiting hot streaks and maintaining flexibility. So thats moving guys around to fit in the hot bat. Im not a play your SS at SS. And Im not about deciding who your team is and jettisoning the rest to chase max efficiency.

Thank you!