Snopek

Ayyye my random former player as username spirit animal gets a mention. For...*rereads post* ...not good reasons.

This thread rules.

Interesting poll, but I struggle with the "fully healthy" thing. What does a fully healthy TLR even look like? I don't think he was necessarily healthy when he took the job, but well enough to deal with the stress and travel of the job. Until he wasn't. Sort of a ticking time bomb thing. I feel like it all just finally caught up to him to the point where there's really no coming back from it.

I kinda feel like they're well aware that it's overdone and that's part of the bit.

Yup. There’s obviously truth to the whole “just get in and anything can happen” thing. But it’s also true that decent but not great teams generally tend to have poorer showings in the playoffs. Both are true, but it seems like there’s a tendency to treat them as mutually exclusive ideas.

Based on TLR's observational analytics, the answer was still Leury, since he was playing through injury to the point where he was struggling to swing a bat.

I would guess that the new staff is more well-versed all around in analytics and communication that they don't feel the need to dedicate a specific family friend position to that role.

For me, the Sosa/Romy thing is similar to Colas in that they can all be impact players and need the opportunity, but how long is the leash if they struggle? It seems stupidly long given that there are no fallback options. Typically, I don’t mind this approach, but for a team that is still telling people they are contenders, it seems pretty shortsighted and arrogant (aka pretty White Sox). And as others have said, the fallback options will eventually come in early August and all they’ll cost is more thinning out of a farm system that finally seems to be turning itself around. Cool stuff.

Hey now. One of these franchises is completely aimless, the other aims for second place ? Also, one of them has two World Series titles in the past 100 years.

I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Maybe they wanted a voice from outside the organization. Maybe Grifol didn’t even want the job.

The nerve of the Rangers to block Odorizzi and Dunning with better players.

In addition to Varsho’s D and the jays needing LH bats, Teoscar is also a free agent after the season. Varsho’s value is incredibly higher than Teoscar’s.

That’s really my only gripe with him.

80-grade typo right here.

Just because they are due for better luck doesn’t mean they should plan on better luck.

Twins not getting any of the shortstops is cool.

Yes, the low risk approach by the Sox has proven quite successful indeed.

If we can simply combine the strengths of all these guys, I think new LF Andriachel Confallo would be a fan favorite.

Yeah but think of all those big contracts the spending teams have regretted.

I don't mind players doing that. I just enjoy seeing more outward joy and animation on the field, rather than the stoic and soldier-like approach.

And the best way to mitigate risk on a deal for a premium player is to never offer one in the first place. Go Sox!

Pretty sure these teams signing the deals are aware of that risk. Meanwhile they have a bonafide superstars in their prime years as they try to win titles.

It's pretty cool how risk-averse the team can be with regards to the contracts they won't sign, but they'll go right ahead and throw a couple of first basemen out in the outfield, shrug their shoulders, and see what happens.

Was hoping the O's would have been a little more active by this point. Kind of a bummer.