1984Echoes

Hell... I'll Vote for, over Trump: - A dead Biden Corpse with a broom handle stuck up his back. - A younger Democrat, ANY Democrat, AT ALL - A Monster pile of Horse ****. - Myself, obviously. - If the Dems put Kanye at the top of their ticket... **** it, I'll vote for Kanye over Trump. - Did I leave anything out? Any other suggestions? The floor is OPEN:

I vote for YOUNGER DEMOCRAT!!!

I think it would be cool if Biden announced: "I am going to step down and hand the reins over to my excellent VP, Kamala Harris. Kamala has already selected her Vice President, Pete Buttigieg. Please all of democracy-loving America get behind this team and choose them and Democracy instead of The Other Guy and his Party of Fascism and Violence." I think that would be a MAJOR **** YOU to the white trash bigots party.

No no no. No Diet anything for me.

I would take this a couple steps further: I would wager that Harris and Hinch are shooting for a playoff run next year, as well as this year. Meaning... I don't think Skubal gets traded... UNLESS: (A) We are just overwhelmed with a package. The Offers-Lite that Greg Pappas wants to get away with (no offense GP) aren't going to do it. At all. It's going to have to be a huge package and (1) Harris is going to have to want it, and love it. And (2) Then he'll have to explain it to everyone. EVEN: (B) I think even if we crap out at 0-11 by the deadline that he STILL won't trade Skubal, unless it's an (A) Overwhelming package. Which goes back to my first statement that NEXT year's attempt at a playoff run is just as important as this year's attempt. And I think that starts with Skubal-Olson-Maeda (if he can fix himself) at the top with fill-in the last two spots. If Skubal is traded, that makes next year that much harder... but not completely out of the picture. But Harris would need to really explain his "big picture". I think I stated this elsewhere: I don't think Skubal gets traded. But... Maybe, if we get a Godfather offer...

I don't think Sale had 2.5 years of cheap control left when the White Sox traded him to Boston. I would say no. I think Skubal will generate a better return package... at least a little bit better...

PS: But I like my Orioles proposal better. They also have a Dodgers trade with Rushing, Freeland, Edgardo Henriquez and Dylan Campbell coming back. I like mine better. And a Cardinals trade that I didn't really check up on...

This link works up a Skubal trade to 3 targets (using their logic): https://tigersmlreport.com/2024/07/08/what-a-tarik-skubal-trade-would-look-like/ To the Orioles for Basallo, Kjerstad, Jackson Baumeister, and Leandro Arias. Your thoughts?

Yeah... This.

Wait! What did I do? It WASN'T MY FAULT! I ran outta gas. I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from outta town. Someone stole my car. There was an EARTHQUAKE, a terrible flood, LOCUSTS! It WASN'T MY FAULT! I SWEAR TO GOD! Actually... I think it was just an accident...

No... I'm just WAG'ing. I wouldn't say bull****. It's just a wild-ass guess... Although I've tried to model any trade proposal on prior big name trades... So I still think I am somewhat "in the ballpark".

PS: One more thing: I think I constructed the Dodgers trade very similarly to the Orioles trade I proposed. Rushing = Mayo. I think each have some position risk, Rushing is a big LH'ed bat in the minors, career minors .917 OPS with good power and excellent OBP history... But I don't know if he's an automatic starter in MLB (based on some defensive weaknesses) so; part-time at Catcher (might be a great 2nd catcher matchup with Righty Dingler), part-time Lefty 1B'man, and part-time Lefty DH and/or PH'er. Mayo is not much different as I don't believe the Orioles think he's defensively good enough to be a lock 3rd baseman and may be more of a 1B'man in MLB. He's RH'ed though... so we do need that more than Lefty Rushing... Vargas = Basallo. These are the key guys. These are their best (willing-to-trade) prospects for each Org (unless you can convince the Orioles to part with Holliday... but I just don't think that's a possibility.) Basallo would be an awesome get. A good match for Dingler. But Vargas? I think he's going to be a monster. Mayo may be > Rushing... But I think Vargas is a HUGE GET and a much better get than Basallo... IMO. But Basallo is 19 and in AA with a .787 OPS, whilst Vargas is 18 and not yet in A-ball. That led me to adding two Dodger pitching prospects versus the Orioles 3. But I can even that out: Add Peter Heubeck as another Dodger pitching prospect. As for the packages: I like both Rushing and Mayo but Mayo a little more. I like both Basallo and Vargas; I like Basallo more for "almost ready" but I like Vargas WAY more for a much higher LT upside. The Orioles pitching prospects are similar to the Dodgers ones except they all have better control.. that seems to be a Dodgers weakness. But I think the packages are similar enough... and I love Vargas overwhelmingly as the "best prospect" that I go with the Dodgers package, IMO. As I've laid it out. Now... If the Orioles were to swap out Mayo for Holliday... NOW we have a serious discussion!!!

Yeah... This is why I felt I was "in the ballpark"; moreso than anything else they could add into the package. As for Vargas AND Rainer... Both of those guys look like they could fit at EITHER SS or 3B... So I wouldn't worry about having two high-level SS prospects as much as "Hmmm... Who plays 3rd and who plays SS...? Hmmm..." Bottom line being I think we would be pleased with the left side of our IF for years and years to come...

"The Moon Landing was FAKED!!!" "The MOON is fake!!! What's up with this IMAGINATION of yours?" "That's the moon RIGHT THERE!!!" (pointing...) "THAT's a hunk of GREEN CHEESE!!! Dude, get with the times!"

That's a good one... "I can PROVE that the Earth is FLAT!!!" "What are you talking about? Everyone KNOWS that the Earth is a PRETZEL!!!"

Plus, several of those SS prospects have strong enough arms that if they moved to a different position, they could easily move to 3B and be plus defenders there. I would love to have a capable left-side of the IF, and IMO, drafting a plethora of SS's is in that/ the right direction...

So the quick question is: If you were structuring a "Want List" of Dodgers prospects to receive in a trade for Skubal: What would that realistically be (meaning, the Dodgers might agree to that package... such as: if you "want" their Top 7 prospects in that trade and list them as your "reasonable" or "likely" return... they most likely would not agree with you so... no trade)? I think I structured my trade proposal correctly, and found the guys I wanted... and the flexibility from my angle would be to add maybe another prospect that fills out the package. IE: "Adding one other guy" I think is in the ballpark. Asking for their top 7 (obviously I'm just making that up...) is not, IMO.

PS: I think the Dodgers have enough high-end prospects to complete a satisfactory package for Skubal. Without getting into any shenanigans. I would ask for Dalton Rushing, Jackson Ferris, Joendry Vargas and of course Maddux Bruns (power-armed lefty with almost no control...). Gotta have a "DD" prospect to clinch it. That's Bruns...

If one of the two "high-end" prospects is Joendry Vargas I say "DO IT!!!" Dodgers say no, however...

Disgusting thing. Ever.

They're going HS upside again, at the end... but how many of these will be signable...?

Last 5 (Dawson Price looks like a 2-way player...): 476 16 Anson Seibert RHP Blue Valley Southwest (KS) 18 6' 8" / 235 lbs L R 506 17 Gabriel Rosado C Beltran BB Academy (PR) 18 6' 1" / 180 lbs L R 536 18 Bryce Alewine RHP Southern Union JC (AL) 19 6' 4" / 215 lbs R R 566 19 Chase Davis LHP Leon HS (FL) 17 6' 2" / 210 lbs L L 596 20 Dawson Price OF/3B/RHP Eastern Oklahoma JC 19 6' 5" / 215 lbs R R

TOP FOUR...? No, there's no team that would ever do that. Unless their top 4 wasn't that good. To get Miggy, we traded our top 2 (at the time, Andrew Miller and Cam Maybin) plus other pieces. And that's what we're asking (as a ridiculous huge ask but we won't settle for anything less...) of the Orioles with TWO of their top 6-ish I think. And plus some lesser pieces. So if WE were in that spot... I'd probably call Clark & Jobe untouchable (as the Orioles are probably doing with Holliday and probably Basallo) but everyone else available. So that would mean starting with Jung & McGonigle and adding as few more, lower, pieces. If we had the Orioles team and could add a Skubal today, right now (2 1/2 years under control)... ? I'd say yes to a Jung + McGonigle + other pieces package.

Struggles with secondary pitches, and stamina in-game (loses velocity throughout...). If they were going to try and pop a difficult sign... I would've preferred Dax Whitney. Much better stuff, repeatability and projectability. But probably interested only in college at this point and not enough bonus available to change his mind... Just talking out loud...

Here's for hoping Zach MacDonald turns into a RH'ed Kerry Carpenter... ... ... 😉