thxfrthmmrs

Worst tackling job by a defense I've seen in a long time.

Haha pardon me, it was almost a decade ago? I think Steve was certain Lebron to Bulls was a done deal and swore by it to everyone on the forum. And he ran an article calling Rose’s return against maybe the nuggets? And he never returned that season. That also feels like a long ass time ago.

And we got a nice reminder from your signature too.

And years ago Steve ran a story on his site about Lebron coming to the Bulls.

Twins have their own question marks too, this time last year no one predicted they would win 101 games. Point is while losing out on Wheeler sucks, there are other options available to build a competitive team next few years. We certainly weren't in a position to give a him a blank check, and he certainly wasn't good enough to justify that move.

Players use teams for leverage, they don’t automatically eliminate themselves from half of the league.

If Astros are serious about resigning Cole, Greinke should be available via trade.

Are you saying even with Grandall, Ryu and a couple of pieces to round out the roster we’re not a wild card contender? Also, why are we giving reasons for why Ryu would sign elsewhere when the theme the last 20 pages is money talks?

Who’s gonna be better the next 2 years - Greinke or Wheeler? Ryu or Wheeler?

It's a minor factor, but one of the factors nonetheless. I think staying in close to home, doesn't have to face a DH (yet), playing for a team ready to win, in front of a rabid fan base all played a factor.

FWIW IL also has a higher state income tax than PA. So we do have to probably go 5/$130M to sway Wheeler's decision, with everything else considered.

I think even if we went 5/$125M it may not have been enough. Close to home, staying in NL, with a division he's familiar with. I don't fault them for losing this one.

Feel free to delete the last 10 pages of overreaction now.

He’s actually fully healthy now, two full years removed from TJS come next April, and no complications other than some shoulder soreness. He’d make a sneaky good signing on an incentive-based deal.

Colome?

He has been a starter the past 4 years, as crazy as that sounds. He's below average player for sure, but as it stands right now he's their 8th hitter, and you could do worse than having a 1.4 WAR player at that spot. If they land Didi, he's a great fit as a backup IF for them. I think the bigger question mark is Votto, because boy did father time hit him hard last year, and he's due for another 4/$100M

If Senzel comes near his ceiling and and Aquino is 80% of what he was last season, that's a good enough lineup. On the pitching side, they have 4 really good SPs, and Alex Wood would most likely resign as the 5th starter also.

Unfortunately the conversation WILL start with Robert. The closest comp to Hader is Chapman and in many ways he’s more valuable in that he’s truly a multi-inning closer, and he has a lot of control left. And if I’m not mistaken, at the time of trade Torres was already a mid season top 10 guy, or close to it. It was a huge overpay for half a season of Chapman, but for 4 years of Hader (even considering his likely unprecedented RP arb cost), that will be the starting price.

I have a feeling Wheeler negotiations will drag on for a while and hope the Sox are focused on adding their second starter in parallel, be it Wood, Gio, Roark, etc., while others are focused on the Big 3. Also, just selfishly speaking, we need another signing announced soon to keep the stove hot.

You could do worse than Keuchel as your 2nd SP addition after Wheeler.

Absorb Archer’s 2/$20M by trading prospects, or pay 2/$26M for Keuchel and no prospects? The answer is pretty easy on that one.

You’re not going to game the system this way, no one is going to trade a good controllable SP for Madrigal alone. Madrigal and Cease maybe. Also I think most of the controllable assets available in the trade market are position players, so there will be competitive bidding either way.

I dont know how anyone who follows baseball closely would post those numbers without questioning it. Here's the an FAQ of TJS on MLB.com How often do pitchers suffer another arm injury after having Tommy John surgery? "...Another recent study from the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) concluded that 19% of Tommy John patients will have a subsequent elbow surgery and 25% will have shoulder surgery." Can someone have Tommy John surgery twice? "Yes. There have been several studies recently on pitchers who have to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, often called a UCL Revision. Although still relatively uncommon, there seems to be an increase in the number of revisions over the past five years. Previous studies have shown only 2-4 percent of pitchers had revisions but more recent studies indicate an increase in that rate to 10-12 percent in Major League pitchers..." It would have been more believable if the average duration until the 2nd TJS is 4.5 years for those that actually required a revision. Also to put it in context, since the success rate of TJS in recent years is close to 80%, you're still more likely to have a failed first TJS than to require a revision surgery.

Caufield gonna be Caufield.

That tweet was from Shingo Takatsu’s uncle. Very possible he has legitimate source.