Jake

I have a feeling that golf is going to become an actual country club sport like polo where there just aren't many people playing it and it becomes more clearly a sport for rich people. I wonder if any high schools are cutting it - I know mine always made the kids pay all the expenses so they'd never cut it so long as there is a course nearby

Israel is indubitably committing war crimes. What an awful situation over there, all perpetuated by US policy.

Eminor3d, when you say SS is the position our system is most likely to be able to replace...are you intentionally leaving out 2B? Because it's 2B

Dayan getting a much-needed day off. He needs to clear his head and perhaps take one last shot at nuking his swing and/or approach at the plate and trying something new. Maybe Sierra continues pushing for more playing time as well.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 09:29 AM) This will sound stupid but does anyone else have an exercise they have trouble with mastering the form? For the life of me I can not nail deadlifts. I've worked in the fitness industry for a while and I research this stuff all the time so I know how they're supposed to be done but for whatever reason I always round my back. So I just won't do them anymore if a trainer isn't with me. It's annoying as hell. On a positive note, hit my personal best on squats this week. Overhead squats. I think I just lack the shoulder flexibility

Cleveland definitely thought they were a playoff team and it wasn't an outlandish thought. They were just a mess in the clubhouse, Kyrie was awful out of the gates, and they may have had a terrible coach. I actually see Kyrie potentially torpedoing all the good vibes over in Cleveland. I think he's a terrible teammate.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Aug 1, 2014 -> 11:36 AM) Shocked at the amount of people happy to put Leury Garcia back on the bench. What would he have to hit before the fact he can play a few positions and pinch-run is outweighed? I actually wouldn't mind putting him back in the minors. He's got several intriguing tools, he's young, and he's never repeated a level. While I think he's a nice enough little bench player, he's not irreplaceable so I'd like for him to get a chance to turn his bat into something serviceable. He doesn't have to post an .850 OPS to be a major league regular. He just has to not have a .500 OPS and strike out as much as Adam Dunn.

Cowley's article was s***. He was one (apparently) original quotation from Rose about being surprised about a rift being there. Then he speculates about whether something went on during the Melo recruitment by repeating rumors, speculates about BJ Armstrong, and speculates about whether Rose has done something about his people. Then he quotes Derrick out of context saying he's going for a new start.

Trading Davidson would be hilariously stupid. That's not how you deal with prospects. When they play badly for the first time in their career right after you trade for them, you don't just assume that suddenly they are bad.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 1, 2014 -> 11:12 AM) Why would you bother keeping DeAza then? What makes you think Sierra's a better option than Viciedo? Why would you think Micah Johnson is ready for the majors, and that it should be in LF, where he's never played and probably not very comfortable...? Semien will be moved to the OF before Micah Johnson, in my opinion. Keep ADA because there's no reason not to - good depth. Sierra isn't a better option than Viciedo, I traded DV for Wilin Rosario. The org. seems to really like Micah Johnson so while I think he probably isn't quite ready, I think he could start the year in MLB. Semien is a better defensive player so it's my hope they keep Semien in the IF more often but I think they work them both out at multiple positions.

I'll break it down positionally. Catchers Tyler Flowers Wilin Rosario (traded for Dayan Viciedo) Infielders Jose Abreu Alexei Ramirez Marcus Semien Micah Johnson Andy Wilkins Conor Gillaspie Leury Garcia Outfielders Adam Eaton Avisail Garcia Alejandro De Aza Moises Sierra Marcus Semien Micah Johnson Leury Garcia Starting Pitchers Chris Sale Jose Quintana John Danks Hector Noesi winner of ST battle between Scott Carroll/Erik Surkamp/Erik Johnson Relief Pitchers Jake Petricka Ronald Belisario Zach Putnam Dan Webb Surkamp (if he loses 5th starter battle) Carroll (if he loses 5th starter battle) Tom Gorzelanny Jesse Crain (if Johnson is not winner of 5th starter battle) Not the most eventful offseason, culminating in us buying low on Wilin Rosario and selling low on Tank who might profile better for a COL team that plays in a hitter friendly park and is getting sick of Rosario. Sox treat catcher position as open position, but hope Rosario earns it with his bat and remains adequate defensively. Rather than target a full-time DH, that position will be used much like it is now in Charlotte to get extra at-bats for guys and partial rest days for guys. Same with LF - no obvious full-time player there, but instead a way to relieve the glut of infielders you have. And while Gillaspie is your starting 3B, but may lose most starts against LHP. I would say there's some chance Sanchez gets the nod over Micah to start the year. We don't target SPs in FA due to barely adequate depth and desire for continued payroll flexibility. By the time SP depth looks like significant concern, hopefully Rodon emerges from a MiLB stint as SP. Sample lineup against RHP Eaton CF Ramirez SS Abreu 1B Gillaspie 3B A. Garcia RF Wilkins DH Rosario C Johnson LF Semien 2B against LHP Eaton CF Ramirez SS Abreu 1B A. Garcia RF Rosario DH Gillaspie 3B Semien 2B Flowers C Sierra RF If everything goes right, it's a good team. If not, you're looking at a year like this one...except with this team, you'll know exactly what holes you need to fill to have a really good team the next season. This year we're in a bit of a holding pattern because there are several young players in the high minors and MLB that we aren't sure about just yet.

The problem is that many teams don't conduct themselves like tanking is a bad bet. Finally Charlotte decided it was far better to just get in the playoffs and be watchable than it is to perennially be among the worst 3-5 teams in the league. Not everyone can win the Finals.

It's not that Price isn't worth $20M. He's probably going to give some surplus value, even at that number. But...not much. If any. As we all went through in the Danks thread, we have to convince someone that not only is the player worth the contract, but also all of the value of the players they give you for the privilege of paying the guy. In the past three years, Smyly has earned less than $1.5M and has been worth $24.5M per FG. Big surplus value. So if he gets no better and is used no more frequently (both unlikely IMO) he's easily going to be surpass the surplus value of Price. Add in Franklin, who is extremely talented and played a season of big league ball last year at age 22 in which he was basically a league average bat, and you have the possibility of yet another highly valuable player making no money. While a good prospect, Adames is a longshot to pay off in MLB but you nonetheless are granted that chance with a big talent and zero risk. Meanwhile, if TB kept Price at $20M and didn't increase their overall payroll next year, he'd earn 29% of the team's payroll. The salary is more palatable for Detroit and a few other teams that can manage it (Boston in another year would be an obvious suitor), but you're faced with either losing him in 1.3 seasons or paying him even more annually on a free agent contract which has a 100% chance of being bad - the question is just how bad. They could potentially be without Scherzer, Price, or Smyly in 2016 and have to pick up the pieces with an overpaid and regressing Verlander and Anibal Sanchez, who will make $17M and who knows what he'll be like in two seasons. Porcello is a FA at that point, too. DET has $100M committed to the 2016 squad without Porcello, Price, Scherzer, VMart, a catcher, a single outfielder, or reliever of note signed to a contract. It's not always about surplus cost calculations and stuff and it clearly isn't here -- they want a World Series, which is worth whatever losses they incur along the way. The problem is that a World Series is impossible to guarantee and they further weakened an awful defense and awful baserunning team to make this improvement. Due to the loss of Smyly, they couldn't capitalize on the acquisition by strengthening their bullpen or hedging their bet in case of injury, either.

There just aren't a bunch of teams that can take on that salary, especially if they have to gut their system just for the right to pay it and then see the guy walk away a year and a half later

Tigers will need a lot of help to compete with us, from the looks of things

Nice prospect. JJ Cooper says their fourth, another reporter says many rival execs thought he was best remaining piece in their system.

I'm with Dave Cameron. You get a really good young starting pitcher as well as an undervalued middle infielder who has already been okay in the major leagues, and you get out from under ~$25M of salary commitments

Walker not involved. Nothing else involving SEA beyond Franklin and Jackson. There are surely MiLB guys involved, even if not of great consequence. David Cameron ‏@DCameronFG 5m David Price is very good. David Price, at $20 million next year? No one was giving up the farm for that. David Cameron ‏@DCameronFG 5m If your argument is that “David Price is awesome and Drew Smyly is not”, you need to factor in contracts. Price’s isn’t great.

There are surely minor league players involved in this. Murmurs that Taijuan Walker going to TB

You want every team trying to be good. It's no fun to watch a league where half the teams are disappointed when they win

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) However, Danks makes it for 2 1/2 more years, Rios makes it for the rest of this year and then a buyout. Oh yeah. So he's Adam Dunn.

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 31, 2014 -> 02:31 PM) Leury hitting .186/.222/.246. Meanwhile Rios is wanted by 4 or 5 teams. Rios is the John Danks of batters. He makes $15 million to be average - and he's been worse than average this year, like Danks.

Trout has outhit Abreu and is a similar value defensively compared to average at their respective positions. The difference is that Trout plays center field, where the average offensive player is far worse. That's meaningful. Abreu would be a lower value if he played center field because he can't do it. That's why Trout is valuable. Because Trout is so good and doesn't play first base, the Angels can also have Albert Pujols on their team. Also, Trout is a positive value on the basepaths. Abreu is very good for his speed and position as a baserunner, but he's no Trout.

I'm happy with the lineup as constructed. I'd prefer Dunn behind Abreu and I don't like putting Gillaspie in a position (after Eaton) where he is bound to see more LHP. Where he is, his non-power hits can drive in the runners ahead of him.

Starting pitchers are inconsistent year over year. Danks has dealt with injuries. Sox have no payroll commitments. I'll roll with Danks to see if he can increase his value to us and on the trade market.