1984Echoes

I would wait one year on position guys. Sift through all these kids to see who sticks. Starting at the trade deadline next year... We should have a better picture of: Can anyone stick at 3B (not just hitting-wise; but with fielding and throwing across the diamond included too)? My money is on Keith being able to stick there. But we'll see. Can anyone take and hold the 2B spot? We have LOTS of candidates, let's see who can stick. Keith, Jung, Maton, did they try Malloy there? And everyone is discounting Wenceel it seems. I believe he has a REAL chance to steal the starting spot there. Is Carpenter real, or not? There may be some doubt after his finish this year. If he's real, he's good enough to stick. And be the LH'ed side of a DH platoon, if not the RF starter. If not, it may be smarter to move him sooner (if he still has value) rather than later (when he proves he either DOES have value, or does NOT have any value...). I would NOT bet against Harris trading him this offseason. I like Ratko's idea of trading him for Peraza. I don't know if the Yanks would even consider that... but that would be a nice calculated risk/ trade for Harris if he could swing that, IMO. If Malloy pushes into a LF/DH spot and Carpenter is still here (and real) and can hold the RF/DH spot... then I'm comfortable with Parker in Center (I'm on board with fielding-first at Catcher, SS, and CF... so I don't mind lower batting averages there especially since Rogers has good enough power and a great glove, Parker also has some power but less than Rogers but great speed, CF instincts, and glove... and Baez... well... anyways); then Riley can play wherever is least damaging to his health, even if that means a lot of DH'ing in 2024... And Baddoo may even be able to squeeze in there somewhere, even if he spends half his time in Toledo... I don't see any other pressing concerns in 2024 with position players. Let the kids hash themselves out. Starting at the trade deadline next year, if the team needs to make a move, then it can do so, THEN, or in the 2024-25 offseason. By trade, or FA, or whatever. Again, I think the team needs to settle the pitching staff first and foremost. Who can remain healthy. Who is better in AAA or the BP. Who fronts the rotation (top 1-2 starters; everyone else fills in at the back-end). Who is suited best to close games? And who else fills in, in the BP. That says to me I start with Yamamoto and Hader. And don't worry about position guys, at all, until later next year. And if Manning is trade-worthy for 3 superior position player prospects in AA or single A this offseason (or at least 1 tp position guy and a couple pitchers added in...), then OK, fine... go for it. But that's minor leaguers, not MLB position guys. Just my 2 cents.

Skubal is not the guy to trade. It's Yamamoto and Josh Hader that we should sign. What that does is make everyone else potential trade bait. If you have Skubal and Yamamoto fronting the rotation, and Hader at the back-end of the BP as "Closer"... that makes everyone else in-between expendable. Not "every one"... but Harris then gets to choose who he wants to keep versus sell off. Who does he keep in the rotation after Yamamoto & Skubal? There's Mize, Manning, Gipson-Long, Olson, Wentz, Turnbull, Faedo. Who stays, who gets pushed into long relief, who gets traded? Consider also AA (Jobe) starters and AAA starters next year (Madden, Hurter, Flores), same questions. Turnbull is easily on a hit list at this point. Not that he would get anything back in return... I'm just saying, for obvious reasons, the Org most likely is willing to trade him first and foremost. But he's a starter so there has to be some kind of market for him...? Manning might be the most tradeable based on a team willing to take a chance on upside, and with still controllable years... Mize is an unknown, Faedo is easily Bullpen, Wentz either looks like toast, or a AAAA starter at best, at least at this point. So I start with Turnbull and maybe Manning I think. Unless some team would want an Olson or Gipson-Long even more than Manning? That would be interesting. But I sorta doubt that. The last piece of the puzzle is Harris's willingness to trade Manning. Would he be? I doubt that too. That means TURNBULL is your one and only trade option from the rotation. When Jobe makes the rotation in 2025, maybe you can look at moving an actual significant starter. Or Mize makes a superb comeback in 2024... Otherwise, I don't see Harris trading significant starters when he'll view them as a major need for our current team. Anyone dreaming up trading Skubal is pipe-dreaming. Unless of course, we get absolutely blown away by a trade offer, that is.... Similarly, Hader makes anyone else in the BP tradeable. But in particular it should push at least one of Lange or Foley out the door. Again, controllable and at least shows "poor-man's closer" ability so some team will want one of them. I like Holton-Faedo-maybe Brieske too as 2-3-inning guys in the bullpen. The only one in the minors I look at as any possibility is Mattison, probably also in 2025, like Jobe. Not before then. So until then, what we've got is what we've got. Either for the BP or for trade. So we end up with Turnbull and maybe 1 of Lange of Foley for trade. Make of that what you will.

This is the correct answer.

3 scores needed, including recovering two onside kicks. Cannot afford a loss on downs so take the 3 points and hunt the 1st onside. No other choice but to take the FG.

The Gutless Media (as described by... the media (one particular dude with a brilliant take)): https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trumps-thrill-ride-nearly-131938239.html

BOOM CHAKA-LAKA!!!

And Roberto Campos... although he's even further away... But Cruz and Workman seemed to make some minor improvements this year...

The current Mexican government is tending towards Fascist and would sooner allow the Chinese or Russian military into their country and ZERO chance of letting in any USA troops, anti-drug Special Forces or otherwise. Chance of joint Mexican-USA forces missions: NONE.

Excellent article... Thank you!

And I think G2 is being a mite ambitious with his math...

At the US Embassy in London? Kiev? Paris? Istanbul? Try again.

"Cut taxes on the rich and shift the burden onto the middle and lower classes and we'll ALL benefit from the trickle down economics..." Wink, wink.

Or the military. Or raising taxes on the "Cut taxes so we can line our pockets more" top 1% (including Senators and Representatives).

Which doesn't say ANYTHING if those are mostly Tourist Visas. Which can be processed at any Embassy around the world. Need more info before making any call on the 7.3 million. Otherwise, that number is useless...

Independents & Democrats are perfectly fine with strengthening immigration laws... But Republicans block them because that want Absolute Zero immigration (Trumpublicans), want to screw Dreamers and such, want to "build a wall" and machine gun nests at the southern border instead of doing anything ****ING REASONABLE... (comments not aimed at you pfife, but at the Republican BS'ers who are no longer F'ing REASONABLE on anything). Trumpublican Republicans can Go **** Themselves. And their hypocrisy.

How many of those are visitor passes versus immigration or work visas? 7.3MM is not a lot if those are mostly tourists...

WUT?!!! I don't understand what that means... Could someone explain that to me...?

Yes... If we are trying to build a Playoff-worthy plus team... And the opportunity for a game-changer is available (Yamamoto, not Lorenzen or Boyd)... Take it. I want playoffs/ championships; not .500 teams...

I think this is the likeliest possibility if we are bringing in a new position player from outside the Org this offseason...

None of these guys will be jettisoned IMO. At least not before the end of Spring Training. I'll take that back if a 40-spot is needed... But aside from that... This is one of the reasons there will be no position players FA's this offseason. That, and they (FA's) are almost all crappy options. A trade, maybe... but I see no FA's for position players this offseason. And Harris is going to sift through Malloy, Jung, Keith, Wenceel, etc... before looking at signing a position FA. Book it.

So damn cool...!

Yeah... I'm thinking this is a discussion for next year... Not this year.

I want Yamamoto this off-season. Top shelf please.

Yamamoto or bust.

And he walks the first batter at the bottom of the 2nd. A clean 1st inning, but... Against an A's 6' 7" rookie: 2 innings, 2 hits, 2 K's against the Tigs... nothing else on O so far...