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squally1313

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Everything posted by squally1313

  1. squally1313
    Tucker in the lineup today
  2. squally1313
    It's the pitching. It's always been the pitching.
  3. squally1313
    Magic number is 2 with 4 days/games left?
  4. squally1313
    Turning Point for the season?
  5. squally1313
    Bullpen is already covered and by my admittedly back of the envelope map, we're still down $40m from this year, which is down from last year. A stop gap outfielder and two bench guys for $40m?
  6. squally1313
    I think there's basically three paths, which will obviously depend on the budget and whatever else, but don't want to have that conversation. Sign Tucker. From there it's either we blow out the budget and keep the veterans all together, which would be cool but...you know. Or we trade a Happ or Suzuki and plug in Caissie/Ballesteros to clear up some money for another good/very good starter. Don't sign Tucker, but still go for it. Use the money on an ace, keep the gang together and use the rookies as trade bait for controllable arms. Don't sign Tucker, don't really go for it. Sign a long term starter (King, Cease) to make your token splash but trade one/both of Suzuki and Happ, Caissie and Ballesteros in the opening day lineup, Alcantara as the 4th OF, team probably projects for 81ish wins.
  7. squally1313
    Then why is Caissie still here? Alternatively, you can take the 90 win team that's all signed through next year and use that MLB ready (but not MLB proven) talent to make the team (ie the pitching) better.
  8. squally1313
    Using FG, we're at a $220m payroll right now. They have us at $136m for next year for everyone who is signed or guaranteed for next year. Add another $15m for Shota and it's $151m. I'm not sure how they're doing arbitration estimates, but it's basically just Steele and I can't imagine he's going to be much more or different than the $6.5m he's making this year. That covers Swanson/Happ/Suzuki/Hoerner/Kelly/Amaya/Busch/PCA/Shaw on the offensive side, and then Taillon/Boyd/Shota/Steele/Assad/Palencia/Horton on the pitching side. That's 8 offensive starters, a backup catcher, 3.5 starters, a long reliever, and a closer. Call it $30m for the pen. That's still $40m lower than where we are right now, and that's before all this talk about trading one or multiple of the expiring, 8 digit contracts because we have in house replacements ready. What are we spending money on?
  9. squally1313
    Man I'm very happy for all of our sakes that we clinched last week, but the Reds tying their game up in the bottom of the ninth, essentially playing for their playoff lives, is pretty awesome
  10. squally1313
    They better do something really good with Suzuki then.
  11. squally1313
  12. squally1313
    Based on a twitter account that posts pictures of players arriving, Tucker and Caissie are both in the building tonight.
  13. squally1313
  14. squally1313
    Palencia back, Tucker maybe back Friday (per counsell)
  15. squally1313
    That's what I'm talking about though. The pitching gave up 11 hits, 2 walks, and 3 HRs. That's not good! Now, granted, I don't really think it's indicative of what we expect to be seeing next week. Horton either goes longer or they turn to Taillon in that situation. But, while the Dansby error was bad, he didn't give up the home run. Or the home run in the 8th. Or the three runs before that. In September, the offense has been 11th in wRC, 9th in overall production, bolstered by the second best defensive rating in the league. We're 17th in pitching fWAR, 5th in ERA but 16th in FIP. Second best BABIP against in the league. If you look beyond one play, the pitching has been average at best, and the defense has been consistently excellent. We don't have any elite arms (the Mets have Edwin Diaz to get 6 outs. We used Caleb Thielbar), and we don't have enough reliable arms. The time has come and gone to overpay for them. But we should have.
  16. squally1313
    I mean, we'll never know, right? The Cubs needed starting pitching more than probably any other contending team and the Cubs also had between pure prospect talent and the extent to which MLB spots are blocked through next year, the most trading capital to use. We've got Shota who has taken a step back pretty much since the jump of this season, a maybe unlucky but maybe struggling/overworked Boyd, a rookie blowing past any career high in innings, who may or may not be healthy, and Jameson Taillon and his 4.71 FIP. Yes this is short term thinking and with the benefit of hindsight, but we knew we were a playoff team, and these chances don't come around too often. Dumb prediction here, but if I had to guess we're going to see a game like last night where the offense does more than enough but the pitching gives it away and then everyone blames like....Dansby or Happ for striking out with guys on in the 7th or something before losing 10-8.
  17. squally1313
    The decision to not upgrade the rotation looks better and better every day
  18. squally1313
    Guardians/Tigers was nuts last night. The inning Skubal imploded reminded me of that 2017 Game 5 against the Nats, just went back and watched those highlights....truly the dumbest game ever.
  19. squally1313
    lol, man
  20. squally1313
    Me in August: There's no way these game threads can get any worse Matt Shaw: Hold my beer garbage belief system and sense of priorities.
  21. squally1313
    All three in one park, one way or another.
  22. squally1313
    Nico and Happ carrying this offense all month isn't great in the 'the playoffs are next week' sense, but it is cool to see the two longest tenured members of the team playing this well going into their first real playoff series in a long time/ever.
  23. squally1313
    Even setting aside this tie game, there's 5 games left. 5 days ago we had just completed a road sweep and had won 7 of 8. Momentum changes in a hurry.
  24. squally1313
    I don't know how to phrase the opposite of this, but Counsell famously doesn't chase wins, he has a good grasp of winning probability and won't waste top arms trying to mount comebacks. A 6-1 game had us at roughly 90% to win, knowing he wanted to limit Horton's pitches and trying to avoid an injury, recurring blister, etc. he might have figured it was the right gamble to take it home with the pen. Obviously it maybe didn't work (game is far from over). Or he's hurt and we're screwed.
  25. squally1313
    Again, the venn diagram of 'people who use the smallest horsefeathers mistake or slump to trash them and the team in general' and 'people who bend over backwards to defend a guy who missed two September baseball games to attend a stadium funeral/rally' is a circle. Like, setting aside the Charlie Kirk-ness of it all, the idea that the 25 other players on the team didn't have a single death more meaningful occur in their lives over the last six months is laughable, and I don't remember anyone missing multiple games for this type of thing. It's an insane overreaction and should be criticized accordingly, especially by the people who criticize horsefeathers everything else.
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