Transmogrified Tiger

I'll reiterate my take from a few weeks back that Actually David Ross is Good, and that most of the things people get upset at him for are either incorrect, ignoring one of a few factors that come with managing a team over 162 games, or looking for an outlet when a player simply doesn't succeed.

More high end quality is always preferred, but by fWAR the Cubs have the 15th, 39th, and 68th best position players, as well as the 7th, 10th, and 45th SP. If they have a problem with the core it's that there is too much overlap in how those players(plus Bellinger) derive their value, combined with complete zeroes at 1B/DH. If they had Josh Naylor and Marcell Ozuna at 1B/DH those two would be bang average from a value standpoint but the whole position player group would be very good because they'd provide an offensive floor to balance the defense-heavy value from the middle infielders. Instead the 1B & DH positions have combined to be less productive offensively than Madrigal, and Seiya has had a disappointing season to boot.

This is even funnier in context where he had just gotten done being as diplomatic as possible in saying that the home plate umpire needs to be better.

lol I have never seen a deserved strut off the field from an OF before

is that a bat boy coaching first base

The itemized explanation for the call at home was a terrifying half second

yeah he's out, good block by Amaya

They sure aren't lingering on that for it being the difference in win/loss, but JD seems confident

Morel doing everything poorly on the baseball field except hit is one of the more baffling things to happen this year

was that just a cut to Palencia throwing a warm up pitch to the screen

The one on Morel he just has to be looking out, but the one on Alzolay sure felt like him being punished for Adames arguing with the ump for 15 seconds

lol Contreras ran over top of the ball when it was a foot and a half in the grass

That doesn't include Hendricks, who does have that option. If you ask me it's basically the same thing since there's next to no chance the option is picked up, but either way Hendricks isn't part of the 2024 payroll calcs.

That 180 is probably including Stroman, using some back of the envelope arb estimates I have them around 160 without him.

Missed an Immaculate Grid because my Twins closer maxed out at 36 saves, ugh

In an effort to avoid a 3000 word screed ramble post, here's some questions and my assumed answer that I think clarifies what the approach will be and what decisions are the tipping points. I also think it's instructive to again ask what it means to 'sell'. 1. Does Jed have enough job security to trade from the multi-year core he has created(Swanson, Hoerner, Seiya, Happ, "Taillon") and make 2024 worse than 2023 and increase their timeline to a playoff berth? I'd say no. 2. Since even the most optimistic of us did not think a playoff berth was probable, it's most useful to think in terms of 2024 expectations. How has the outlook for 2024 changed compared to the start of the season? I'd say it's muddled, there have been clear improvements vs. middle of the road expectations(Steele, Swanson, Morel, Alzolay), clear disappointments(Taillon, Seiya, Mancini, Mervis, Stroman shooting the moon and guaranteeing opt-out), and some shades of gray(Amaya, Madrigal, Wesneski). I would summarize this that if they thought the current roster could continue progressing to be a clear playoff team in 2024 that is still on the table, but not as clear cut as it could have been. 3. What players have trade value and can't reasonably expect to contribute to a 2024 contender? Fulmer, maybe Hendricks? Mayyyyybe Mancini if he picks up the pace for a few weeks? 4. What players are borderline to contribute to a 2024 contender that have trade value and might be traded? Stroman is the headliner, and by extension Bellinger would too even if I don't think he's going anywhere. Smyly and Madrigal make sense depending on other roster decisions and what they could bring in return. Hendricks could also fit here too(I think by production it's possible he's on a 2024 contender but roster considerations make it very unlikely)

A first baseman that's better than a league average hitter and doesn't play defense like they put the glove on the wrong hand. Doesn't feel like a ton to ask for.

It only just now occurred to me how infuriating it must be to be an opposing fan and watch Madrigal get an XBH against you, some real 'only my teams' stuff

Jacob Wilson is the one that jumped to mind, maybe not so surprising given that he's Jack Wilson's son.

Same, yesterday's game thread was a no go on mobile but seems to work now.

Oh so this is why there was that weird extra off day last week, then? I approve.

Did you not immediately go to the Red known for getting lots of hits? I can sympathize though, my first guess was Oakland/200 H and it was wrong, and then even though I don't feel too bad missing BAL/STL and BAL/CWS, I'm kicking myself for not remembering the more obvious CIN/STL answer.

Swanson is 15th in MLB in fWAR, between Tatis and Trout. He's at a 109 wRC+ compared to previous highs of 115 & 116. He's a few HR short of what we might've thought, and the rest of the roster puts more expectation/hope that he can reach/exceed career highs, but he's been an unmitigated success as a signing so far.

Gimenez dropping his hands into the path of a pitch that misses the plate by about an inch seems a wee bit questionable to me

Same behavior that Banedon is describing, including the EX0 error code. I also tried Firefox on iOS and get the same problem.