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Transmogrified Tiger

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  1. what's the real story? I mean, this can't be about something that happened in 1991, right? Flynn and Jay Berhalter are all multiple years ago at this point, and Stewart isn't as much being forced out as he is leaving since he's gonna be PSV's technical director. McBride, I don't really know.
  2. Makes absolutely ZERO sense to me why a rebuilding Kansas City would trade Mondesi at his absolute lowest value for a middle reliever. I'm truly stunned. I would have taken Mondesi to be the Cubs everyday 3B (when healthy) for that return 10 times out of 10. Mondesi is coming off a torn ACL, has one year to free agency, and is not a realistic option on an MLB roster at 3B with his punchless bat. Him having any value is predicated on being a plus defensive SS, and that's obviously going to be an open question coming off a knee injury and only having played 80 games of innings at SS(with decidedly not-elite metrics) since the start of the pandemic.
  3. Actually, he still has the option to refuse to accept the outright assignment and declare free agency. Based on the framing from the tweets I maybe mistakenly assumed that step had taken place, but yeah. Considering he was available to teams at bare minimum terms I have to imagine odds are against him refusing the assignment. Serves me right for assuming
  4. It is the youngest in at least 50 years, the closest is 1996-97 with 27 (Favre), 26 (Brunell), 24 (Collins), 24 (Bledsoe)
  5. The Marlins must loooove Arraez, because with a market as broad as Lopez's they certainly didn't have to attach multiple prospects to get a controlled bat/infielder in return.
  6. For me the risk with Lee is that he becomes a tweener that dramatically lowers his ceiling. If he's not an MLB SS(we'll have to wait and see, but at a minimum 5 errors in 25 games is a bad start), then as a 3B/2B guy he really needs to hit for some pop, and that's an open question. Even though he was panned as a late riser, I agree Neto might be the one that is the real regret if he's a bona fide MLB SS defensively. Possibly Collier too, but HS prospects are a bit more blank canvas.
  7. The only player from the 2022 draft to play pro games for more than a week was McGeary, the 15th rounder who didn't get bonus pool money. Only 1 of the 9 guys to get bonus pool money played pro games at all(Paciolla). Haven't we followed the draft and minor leagues long enough to know that sweeping declarative statements about draftees/draft classes is only good for looking foolish later
  8. Actually, he still has the option to refuse to accept the outright assignment and declare free agency. Based on the framing from the tweets I maybe mistakenly assumed that step had taken place, but yeah. Considering he was available to teams at bare minimum terms I have to imagine odds are against him refusing the assignment.
  9. Leiter Jr. cleared waivers and was outrighted, so he stays in the organization.
  10. Kinda surprised the Astros haven't already done it, they haven't replaced Verlander with a similar rotation anchor and it's the exact type of amoral move they specialize in.
  11. I think Swanson will play *every day*(he's missed 2 games in the last 3 seasons), be a good defender, is gonna hit for his share of power(especially in Wrigley), and should steal a sneaky amount of bases(especially with new rules). That puts his floor around a 3-3.5 win player barring injury. That's good, but that's also the type of overall production you pay Jameson Taillon 17 million to put up. The unknowns for me are if his batting average/BABIP will stay high enough to be a 115 wRC+ guy instead of 100-105, and if his defense is elite vs. just good. Those are the things that take him from 3 win floor to repeating his 6 win 2022.
  12. the Anthony Richardson as a first rounder stuff is a joke that no one wants to admit is a joke, right
  13. No relation to famous character actress Margo Martindale
  14. I would go as far to say that it's pick one, given the potential for bonuses(especially Mancini's) and other unknowns with getting to the exact LT amount. My preference is extending Hoerner, trading Madrigal for a 5M caliber reliever, and going over at the deadline if you really must to be competitive, but admittedly there's non-public details(Hoerner's asks, Madrigal's league wide interest) that could torpedo that plan pretty quickly.
  15. Mancini also had a 116 wRC+ as late in the year as September 17th(in 538 PA so a starter's workload), and then I believe had an injury that impacted him through the playoffs(he was like 10th on the Astros in PA and went 1 for 21).
  16. Couldn’t he DH too? Who is the current DH, Madrigal? The current norm is a 13 man pitching staff, which means a 4 man bench including backup C. If your 1B and DH are basically locked to the bottom of the defensive spectrum, you probably aren't too likely to put another guy like that on the bench. Mancini has played corner OF, but the metrics are not kind to his performance(one silver lining, it's basically limited range instead of a bunch of errors).
  17. This is a pretty substantial update from Sharma, and there's some eye-opening stuff to me: https://theathletic.com/4091508/2023/01/14/cubs-convention-roster-holes/ - He says the choice may be between adding a bat and adding another RP, and seems to imply it's because RP asking prices are so high(using Matt Strahm's 2/15 deal as an anchoring point). Matt Moore and Chafin are mentioned as targets. - He says Mervis has been told his ST performance will not dictate whether or not he makes the team. Combining with the above, you can read between the lines that Mervis makes the team on opening day if a RP gets added but probably not if they add the bat. The RH bat targets listed are Mancini, Franmil Reyes, and a mystery unnamed player. - He spends six paragraphs talking about 3B and doesn't say Morel's name once. Instead it's Wisdom as the favorite, McKinstry as his platoon/hedge(though teams are asking about McKinstry in trade?), and Mastrobuoni and Madrigal(!?!?!?) are also options. - Morel's name finally shows up in a list of players who may start in Iowa but play a significant role or end the season with the big league team. Others include Madrigal, Wesneski, Velazquez, and Assad.
  18. Chelsea’s front office is just three agents in a trench coat, change my mind
  19. Hence similar and not the same, no? The win is in building the confidence of being a “true” CF prospect, count the runs when that time comes No, because the point is even in the optimistic evaluation of Alcantara's defense there's still a chasm between that ability and what the broad consensus of PCA's defensive ability is. Tossing them in the same 'true CF' bucket and saying we'll figure out the exact difference later whitewashes that huge difference in likely value under the banner of 'similar'. Especially if we're going to proclaim Alcantara will be a better hitter(not a crazy idea) when PCA has achieved more and at higher levels at the plate.
  20. Okay, but 'Alcantara may not have to move to RF and is a 50 defender' is still, uh, not similar to the wide consensus on PCA's defense.
  21. Similar is doing some really heavy lifting here, what is that based on?
  22. Yeah it's probably the out of options thing (though IMO that'sa bit silly to worry about for a 31 year old making league minimumbut I digress). I wonder if that means they're bringing in two more relievers? Right now you have the following as locks: Alzolay, Thompson, Hughes, Boxberger, Wick Jed also seems to like to leave one spot for the Iowa shuttle, which brings us to 6 of 8 spots accounted for. Are those last two currently outside the org, or is it just one more veteran and then a more mopup-y long reliever like Sampson? That is my guess, Sampson, a FA/external acquisition, and then someone from the Estrada/Rodriguez/Rucker group(with Heuer following behind).
  23. This also means that the only players on the 40 man who are out of options and on the fringes of the 26 man are McKinstry and Alzolay.
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