SoxBlanco

But that was only because of the expanded playoffs. We knew we were in no matter what, and the seeding didn't matter very much, so winning the division was not that important. I fully believe that if the division winners got a bye last year, we would have won the division. We wouldn't have cruised to the finish line if we still had something to gain. We wouldn't have rested Anderson a day after clinching a playoff spot if the division still mattered. And Ricky wouldn't have made some of the bullpen decisions he made if the division still mattered (he was prioritizing resting the pen and seeing what certain guys could give him over trying to win the division, and I don't necessarily blame him).

I think this line of thinking makes sense only if there were negative reactions. Nobody will get their feelings hurt with positive reactions, though. And if the "laugh" reaction is being used negatively to make fun of posts instead of actually thinking something is funny, then just remove the laugh option and allow people to see who reacted to their posts. That's what I would prefer.

Barely made it into the postseason? What??? We could have lost 7 more games than we did, and we still would have made the postseason.

What are you even trying to say here? Orlando is not the food guys.

I believe @macsandz was the first one to confirm that we’ve been talking to Cruz since December.

James, have we shown any interest in Taijuan Walker? I know that wouldn’t be a trade, but I don’t think we have a general starting pitcher free agent thread.

If we do see him pretty quickly, then wouldn’t we have to shut him down at some point and lose him for the playoffs? Or will he be making 3 inning starts on the big league club when he’s first called up?

Did anybody answer this question?

If they truly believe Dunning won’t be in the rotation from 2022 and on, then it’s not dumb to improve your chances at winning the World Series this year.

Why can’t it just be that Lynn improves our team this year, and we feel that Dunning is replaceable in the rotation because of our other young arms?

Gun to your head, what do you predict Madrigal’s fWAR will be this year, assuming he’s a starter for the full year?

He is a monster. He’s one of the best hitters to be drafted in the last 20 years. The only reason he didn’t go 1-1 is because of his position.

I don’t think he is the foodies. And I actually think the one account he knows is NSC, not Beef or Portillos.

Wait, we’re worried about TLR sticking with a pitcher that is pitching well? The only way Kopech gets blocked is if all five pitchers stay healthy and pitch well. And I wouldn’t call that a problem. I’d call that a dream scenario.

Look at the three posts above this one.

Ha! I'm an idiot. That's what I get for not reading the full post he was quoting. @Squirmin' for Yermin, I apologize!

Was it even possible to NOT decline after his ridiculous 2018 season? His numbers were insane in 2018, and he's one of the best college hitters of the last 20 years. In 2019, his numbers were still awesome, and every opposing pitcher knew the type of hitter he was at that point. He increased his walks from 44 in 2018 to 60 in 2019, and still put up a crazy 1.243 OPS in 2019. Sure, you can call 2019 a decline, but that's not painting a very fair picture.

But if you had the choice between that deal and signing Richards, which would you choose?

I think every single person on this board feels that way, but we all define “significant assets” differently.

Is Madrigal, Heuer, and Kelley considered “backing up the truck”?

Like I said earlier, I think James might know who that Dayton guy is. I have no idea if Dayton is credible, but I don’t believe he just made that up after reading the Reddit stuff.

I feel like @Y2Jimmy0 knows who that is. James, does Dayton have any credibility?

Haha, good observation. But if he just threw that pitch every time, the whole league would be hitting .000 against him.

I don't disagree, as long as that player you are getting has several years of control. Burnes would be a candidate for that, which is why I would consider trading Kopech for Burnes, as long as I don't have to give up any other major pieces.

But if we're not able to spend big money to land an ace in free agency, shouldn't we keeping the players who have the ability to become an ace, even if you think the odds of hitting that ceiling are low?