1984Echoes

Which makes Mayo expendable... right?

We already have Dylan Beavers on our team, his name is Parker Meadows. Skubal is a Cy Young candidate this year, the most dominant pitcher in the Majors the past year, and you'd have him for 2 1/2 more years. We're just not going to (our GM won't) let him go for a light package, and he'll look at what you're offering and say "not enough". If our ask is too much, and your GM says no, then we just won't get a deal done. We're not two FA's away... we're a bunch of kids who are learning curves and graduation struggles from AAA to MLB away. We don't know where we actually are. But.. if they catch on quick enough, yes, we're a competitive team, soon. It's just too gray area (too many kids) for anything to be predictable. We've been discussing, on this site, whether Harris would offer extensions to Flaherty and Kelly and NOT make any major trades at the deadline. And we feel that is just as likely, if not moreso than trading Skubal. He won't be easily pried away I'm saying. Flaherty might be available at the deadline, if we don't get any extension done... but at this point, I find it highly doubtful Skubal is available. Unless we're blown away with an offer. I believe that's where our Team/ and GM are, at this point.

That was my starting point a week ago on a trade I proposed. I assume Holliday is off-limits though. Unless you say otherwise Greg... that the Orioles are perfectly willing to include Holliday in a package for Skubal. But on the basis that he is off-limits: Mayo, Basallo, and 3 lower level pitchers for Skubal. We'll add spare parts (relievers like Faedo or Foley if you wanted one? Need a catcher? Carson Kelly would be available to round out a package. And/or an OF'er or IF'er...?) Negotiate.

Do you know this from the Org perspective? What they think? Or is this just your best guess? Just asking...

I'm hoping Jobe is here sometime during 2025... if not on the opening day roster (which I don't think he will be... just sayin'... I don't want to rule anything out on him... I have no idea where the Org thinks he is developmentally or what else/ how much else he needs to work on...). But I'd like to see him on a "significant" basis in 2025... not just as a September call up.

Hmmm.... For Gleyber Torres. I think I've heard of him...

To add further context to that... Does anyone think that Harris has reviewed what he has, enough to make some decisions? IE: If he's looking at Tork, Malloy, and/or Jung... is he willing to make an offseason decision on one or two of them? What about Mize, Manning, Madden, etc...? Anyone else Harris should think about trading? I'm not going to speculate on return. Just on whether Harris would/should be ready to makes some moves...

I don't think they'd be trading for what will mostly be available at the deadline: pending FA's. I think if Harris decides to do some kind of strategic trade it'll be over the offseason. And add someone with a few years of control remaining at least...

Didn't the Yankees trade Andrew Miller and/or Aroldis Chapman and then re-signed one of them as a FA over that winter...?

I think the top 4 should be Keith (LH), Perez (SH), Greene (LH), Canha (RH). After that, Hinch will just have to mix and match as best he can... Just a WAG...

I would view Flaherty and Kelly on the same basis: My first preference would be an extension prior to the trade deadline. Flaherty 2-3 years... if he's agreeable and the two sides can come to an agreement. Same with Kelly. I wasn't thinking about him so much because we have Rogers and Dingler-on-the-cusp.... But to G2's point: He's definitely better than Rogers. So... if we did sign him to, say a 2-year extension, then I would let Spring Training decide things. Meaning... an injury decides things for the team (who makes the opening roster). No injury, and let's say Dingler proves, at least in spring training, that he's ready for MLB... then maybe the team makes a spring training trade of Rogers, or even if Dingler starts in AAA again but shows that he's ready for the jump, an early-season trade of Rogers... to open the door up for Dingler. I think Rogers will have trade value. But my straight-up preference for 2025 catchers would be Kelly and Dingler. So if that happens next year... then whatever Harris gets for Rogers next year is fine by me. And if Rogers is able to hold off Dingler all of next year, sobeit. But it will take all of the above to actually happen (not the Flaherty part...). Nothing has to be decided, today. Let that hash out next year. EXCEPT... Whoever has NOT signed an extension by the trade deadline, is an exposure to being lost at the end of the season for nothing. And is probably - actually, most definitely - worth much more at the trade deadline. So those two are going to be traded at the deadline, IMO... UNLESS they are signed to an extension prior to. I would not be opposed to extending either one, or both of them.

They're looking at his stint at Western Kentucky in 2023, with: 12.2K's/ 9, 2.3BB's/ 9, and 5.2H's/ 9 for a 0.84 WHIP, and trying to figure out if they can squeeze that kind of performance out of him through the A-ball and higher levels... Wingenter was worthless so if Weins just craps out then nothing was lost anyways... I would call it a calculated risk. A good one to take.

And I can hear Eddie Murphy's voice with that...

Hinch is working with what he's got. Who is it that you would have pitch the 9th?

The problem is that he is not signed. So you're losing him.

I would use Vest...

Also: TWO innings still left...

But what about Carpenter? 😉

Move him.

I've heard nothing on moving on from Compher. Where are you hearing that?

I'll go along with this. But I'm going to need to apply my, ummmm.... UNIQUE!!! Perspective: Let's stretch out Wentz. Make him a starter. In... TOLEDO!!! In fact, let's do that now, or as soon as Lael Lockhart can be called up. Wentz can be stretched out in Toledo... and stay there. He can be the "break glass in case of emergency" Detroit starter... meaning there would have to be 6 starting pitcher injuries before we needed to turn to him for an "emergency" start. And even that would be debatable as Hinch can always go to a bullpen day instead... As for Lockhart: he's struggling right now in Toledo (first time in AAA) with a 1.58 WHIP as a starter. But last year, and this year in AA, he had a 1.167 and 1.036 WHIP as a starter, respectively. My theory, and this is only a theory... Is that if Lockhart can be switched to the lefty multi-inning (2-3) middle reliever in Detroit, and ALSO be able to work with Fetters, he can: (A) "Cut loose", or "let 'er rip", whichever is the preference, for those 2-ish innings, and (B)e better than Wentz has been this year. Not a highly impossible task, IMO. And (C) Work with Fetters. I don't know what Fetters can do with him, but I'm interested in finding out. I actually have no idea what kind of "stuff" Lockhart has... But I do know that he struck out 11 per 9 in Erie last year, albeit with 4 BB's per 9; THIS year in Erie he was at 11.6 K's/9, and 2.9 BB's/9. His struggles in Toledo have him at 12.2 K's/9 and 5 BB's/9. If switching him to middle reliever, even though it's in Detroit (per my theory), he could: Pound the strike zone. Cut loose. And Fetters work with him on anything that helps at all. I see upside, IMO... But that's just a theory.

That would be my plan too. Let Kasper and Danielson hit the roster and float around until they settle on positions... Still have Compher, Copp & Veleno too. If one of them makes it to 2C (Danielson would be my guess), there's still 3C (Compher or Kasper on a guess) and 4C (Copp on a guess, pushing Veleno to wing or elsewhere...). Even if that takes more than just 1 year... Let these guys settle in and then figure out afterwards what else needs to be plugged in or improved... IMO.

Well... It's not so much overrating at this point, It's throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks.

That... And maybe they also woke up and said: "WAIT! The "other" guy in this debate, Trump, is running again? HOLY ****!!! I better wake the **** up!!!"

Let me rephrase that: Do you want to know who I REALLY think will be 1st and 2nd pair LHD? Edvinsson and Johansson. Chiarot 3rd pair. Gustaf as PP specialist and mixed in judiciously. But I don't think the team breaks camp like that. I think Johansson will have to earn it. Like Walman did in 2022-23. Slowly, once he acclimates to the NHL and shows the team what he can do. Just a guess.