JunkyardWalrus

Does drafting more HS arms with Z and such on board make more sense moving forward? Get the arms while they are fresh and with less miles? Thinking they could sculpt them, so to speak?

it's a niche, right? Gotta be good enough to be in the MLB, not good enough to start, and defensively viable. And willing to not take a starting gig for the A’s, Angels and their ilk.

Thank you for taking the time to do these once again!

My favorite scenario is where KA takes RF and runs with it, pushes Seiya to primary DH, and Mo spends time in AAA learning to catch enough to be the #2 for Amaya next year. Be nice if Javy and Rizzo turned into our CF and RF of the next half decade.

Why can’t Shaw play 1b? (Gold Gloves all over the infield… height shouldn’t be a problem, right?)

Isn't that Steele’s FB too?

Effing Furcal

Nice, thanks!

Anyone know if MiLB is included with the MLB package this year? I feel there used to be a blurb or some suchness in the yearly email about my subscription renewing.

Still high on Hope, no Ferris... when did he fall off?

Bj horsefeathers Murray is still around?!

Second growth spurt?

Has the shine on Alcantara really dimmed so much?

Or… maybe… now hear me out… this board just has a homer-boner for Hoerner? It’s okay, but if it lasts for more than 4 hours, you should get it looked at.

Best news I've read in a while

I believe he caught most grounders, just had no idea how to throw it near the 1b.

(I am taller than Shaw, as that wasn’t clear.)

With all the Gold Gloves in the infield? i should be able to play some 1b over there!

Thank you. Brock.

Such a horsefeathers take. Do explain how the left is 'insufferably inhuman? Show me oh wise outsider. Show me the insufferable cruelty of the Left!!

I’m not arguing how the CUBS view him, not sure why you continue to. My argument, remains, how the other 29 teams evaluate him in prospect capital. I’m arguing the rest of the league will laugh their asses off if that’s what Jed's ask is and Nico stays put. You haven’t given me an example of a defensive player with a league average bat nettting anything worth the Tucker package. (Berz mentioned Andres Gimenez, who netted a poorman’s Michael Busch, which I don’t think is really the point he believes as it relates to equalling the Tucker package) to back up your claim they are valued the same by other front offices. I’m not waiting for one. Your argument is that analytics claim their values are similar, thusly all other MLB teams should view them this way as well.. I don’t know, that feels like ‘vibes’ to me without showing instances. I believe history has shown time and again that bats command more cash and prospects to acquire than gloves. You believe that all fWARs are created somewhat equally? Man, that’s fine. You’re obviously more read up on suchness. But I don’t believe they are, nor do I think front offices do across the league have acted in such a way. An example! Dansby, the best defensive SS in the game got 7/177, which, consequently, was the least of the deals signed by the four Short Stops in his class. I think that says something pretty clearly. (It’s the largest contract for the Cubs, yeah, they value defense. I doubt Nico is traded, I bet Jed agrees with you, and history shows us he does. That’s never been my argument.) I’d love for Nico to net us 3 years of a first tier, starting 3b, a top 50 ish prospect and a song. I’d love to be proven wrong. We’ll see.

I’m not arguing how fWAR values them. My argument is how the trade market values them, which I think is much further away than you make it seem. As you said, team's value what Tucker does more in free agency, I believe this extends to trade value as well. Why shouldn't it? A career wRC+ of 138 vs 103 is bit of an offensive difference, and I don’t know that Nico’s glove is making that up. (I’d be tempted to bet the under for Nico’s next contract total eclipsing Tucker’s single year, but I digress.) I’d be outright flabbergasted were Jed to finagle a top 10 positional starting player with 3 years of service time, a team’s last year’s 1st round pick (#58 overall prospect) and a reclamation relief project with a wicked slider for a single year of Nico. Should they ask for that? Sure! Why not? But, if this is the bar for a single year of Nico, I fear plenty will be disappointed in the return, but how I’d love to be proved wrong. Horwitz? The guy who was rated as the 22nd best prospect in the Blue Jay's system in ’24, the #9 1b prospect in MLB? I’ll disagree he's the same as Busch who was a top-50 prospect in baseball (#44) when traded. And I believe the original argument was about Nico being equal to Tucker in trade value, which I still believe is crazy, and you’ve kinda made my point. With some loose math on your player evaluations, and with some doubts benefitted, I belive you’re saying Michael Busch, 26 when traded, would be worth Cam Smith, 3 years of a top 10 MLB 3b in Pareides and the dream of Wesneski’s slider? I don’t agree with that math. Further, Swanson’s 7/177 doesn’t touch a single contract I mentioned, and is nearly less than half of some. Schwarber 5/162 is making more per season and doesn’t not even take the field. Didn’t Dansby also sign the least significant deal in his FA class? Of the 4 SS available that offseason, Dansby, the defensive guy, signed for significantly less than his peers: Turner, Boegarts and Correa? (I’m not arguing how they turned out so far, nor anything else, just stating how they were valued on the open market, all together.) My argument isn’t that defense isn’t valuable, nor that I don’t value the D. Nor that players aren’t paid for their defense, base running, leadership etc. I just believe the market has, and will continue to value bats more than gloves, not that gloves are worthless. How many defensive players have signed a contract for more than $200? Aside from Dansby, how many over 150? (Maybe Heyward fits this, but nevermind him.) Now, tell me how many bats have signed contracts for more than $200? $300? and more? (How many by AJ Preller alone?) I just don’t see how Nico commands near the same return as Tucker, but I’ve been wrong before.

Yeah? Show me those defensive wizards making cash who can’t hit? Alonso, Vladdy Jr, hell, even Tucker this season, you think are paid for their gloves? Schwarber? Castellanos? Harper? Kris Bryant? Chris Davis? Devers? Cabrera? Prince Fielder? Pujols? Josh Hamilton? This is laughable.

Oh, no. I don't think Jed is even going to engage, but we'll hear they 'checked in' next off season

Sure, but one is a top ten bat in the league, and plays fine defense in RF. One is a slappy hitting, defense first 2b who should be batting 9th on the team. Isn’t offense worth significantly more than defense? (Seems like a disingenuous argument to compare their fWars in such a way to make your point.) Is there a comp I don’t know about a powerless, fast, impatient defense wiz that is worth what you claim? Was that the asking price for a Jackie Bradley Junior?