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squally1313

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Everything posted by squally1313

  1. Lineup (see above re laziness) Busch Hoerner Happ Tucker (DH) Suzuki PCA Swanson McGuire Shaw
  2. Too lazy to figure out how to get a tweet from my phone to here, but Santana accepted being optioned to make room for Tucker and will be pack of the taxi squad next week. Horton played catch today and team is expecting him to pitch next week.
  3. I don't disagree from the eye test, but we're 5th in overall (ie including defense) offensive fWAR in September somehow. Do not ask about the pitching.
  4. It's the pitching. It's always been the pitching.
  5. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. They better do something really good with Suzuki then.
  11. Based on a twitter account that posts pictures of players arriving, Tucker and Caissie are both in the building tonight.
  12. Palencia back, Tucker maybe back Friday (per counsell)
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. The decision to not upgrade the rotation looks better and better every day
  16. 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.
  17. lol, man
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
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