SonofaRoache

The Twins fans and beat writers seem to think the Twins will go all in for the same pitchers we are looking at, as they only have 62 million on the books. They seem to want two of Stras, Bum, and Wheeler. Does anyone think the Twins will make a big push for these guys?

If the Joc rumors are true, maybe the two teams didn't want to work together? This or the Dodgers trusted themselves too much because of back to back World Series appearances and the success they've had. The Cubs and Dodgers have been the top two teams in the NL for 5 years and blew ot this year by not having depending bullpen arms at the back end. Kimbrel was falling apart last year so I wasn't convinced he'd help them.

The Yankees own the Twins unlike any other team has been owned and the Astros were on the brink against the Rays. I don't think the original point is all that valid in this case either. I just think the Nats have just as good a roster as the Dodgers did by season's end, as did the Cardinals with the Braves, although more so on the pitching side of things.

The reality is, when you match the Nats and Dodgers, one could argue the Nats rotation is just as good, their offense is better, and their bullpen is better. The Nats also played great down the stretch, so I'm not surprised they beat the Dodgers. I am surprised that the Dodgers still trust Kershaw as much as they do in the post season.

"We have to take our walks, we're last in walks." Sounds familiar, I like to hear that. Sounds like he is a no frills straight to the point coach.

These guys had ERAs under 4 for the most part. I prefer a front line starter but 2 number 3's is fine by me. Especially if the FO is convinced Giolito, Kopech, and Cease will be Ace caliber. What you don't want are guys like Covey, bad version of Lopez, Detweiler, Fulmer and other scrubs anywhere near your rotation.

I think the Cards and Nats played better than both of them to end the season.

Are these the Mario Brothers 3 suns? Because they still scare the crap out of me.

Nope, I'd be happy. But I'd rather have Cole, JDM/Grandal, Calhoun, Hammels and a bullpen arm.

I envision him playing like Dunn and LaRoche

If we have to kiss Boras' ass, then so be it. We need a seat at the big boy table.

I wouldn't mind Calhoun if we also signed Cole and JDM/Grandal.

There is no reason our payroll shouldn't reach 130 this offseason. This is the year we need to improve our roster through FA. Next season we can look for more cosmetic signings.

Go big or go home. JDM is a big name to get nation exposure and excite the fan base. He is also a much better offensive talent. We could sign both of those guys if it came to it.

It may have been more. We also have a pipeline there, so it gives us a competitive edge.

I think the separation comes when the money is close. If you are 30 million off, the player will take the money. If both offers are close enough, the player will take the better situation for themselves. Rick Hahn even said a few weeks ago that our team is more attractive to free agents now than it was last year because of player development. Things like that matter when looking at similar contracts. If you overpay by a wide margin, you are paying a premium for not being attractive.

We won't know until this offseason as we haven't been on any FA's worth mentioning. Manny may count but the dollar amount and security was so significant he had to take the Padres offer.

Samson actually said this in his interview this morning. I don't agree with it, but remember the Sox had great attendance in 2007 as well. So had they continued to finish in second with a solid record, I think the attendance may have held up. But it didn't work that way and they bottomed out in 2007.

I take it as once the team wins a title, fans will lose interest. If you keep coming up short, fans will continue to crave that chip. If you finish in last, there will be no one craving anything. The whole rebuild works even though we suck because we are hopeful to have a contender. It's pretty odd that the Sox are essentially a second place caliber team since the mid 90s. I assume Jerry's rebuild intends to get to the postseason, but come up short before finally winning the big one, then he can leave a happy man and the team to his kids.

Really? Then why does the team go out of their way to bring fans in?

You must not know many Cubs fans. The only two fan bases worse than them are the Red Sox and Yankees.

The first sign of a blatant lie is, "I have no recollection".

I mean the lack of spending sucks. And for the NBA it is about getting into the luxury tax, which the Bulls avoid like the plague. Being at the top on attendance even in bad years should mean they go over the tax to win. But, they don't.

Bulls attendance numbers are between 1st and 4th most years. Yet they still suck.

If we look at guys who are successful with multiple franchises, we'd know spending is a double edged sword?