RatkoVarda

could be AJ is putting him into best spots as reliever, where as Opener, opposing team gets to plan for him?

Javy on bereavement list

Skubal and 4 random fans will be the rotation for the rest of the year

correct. I actually think Harris would be happy with the pick and the money that comes with it. they could have 4 of the top 50 picks in 2025.

need innings at Det and Tol Fastball Curveball Command Sits/Tops 60/60 45/60 35/40 89-93 / 98 Vanasco has had injuries and velocity fluctuations several times since his 2019 breakout. At times he was working with three plus pitches, while at others he was laboring in the low-90s, and this track record, plus Vanasco’s violent mechanics, prompted relief projection. The Rangers never really gave him a shot to perform in that role under their org umbrella, and after two rough starts in 2023, he was DFA’d and traded to the Dodgers for young lefty Luis Valdez. The Dodgers essentially shut Vanasco down to rework his mechanics on the complex. He re-emerged as a single-inning reliever during the second half of 2023 and seemingly scrapped his changeup. He sat 94-96 with a more consistent breaking ball. He utilizes a vertically oriented attack with gut-high fastballs and downer breaking balls. Vanasco can dump a curveball-shaped pitch into the zone for strikes or elicit chase with something more slider-y, but both pitches are in the 83-86 mph range and have mostly vertical movement. Vanasco came out in the spring of 2024 once again sitting in that range during Cactus League action, again seemingly without a changeup. He has the stuff of a solid middle reliever.

2 month rentals rarely - if ever - net a franchise altering return they do often net a quality player/prospect that can contribute to the major league team eventually Lee was a solid get, and he looks even more solid as the season progresses looking for the same but hopefully a bit more for Flaherty

but in a good way

a powerless 5-9 C/1B/DH? I guess a power arm always has a chance to contribute. ehh, would think Kelly as a sweetener would offer more than this. but something is better than nothing.

if you add up the current reported unofficial bonuses, the Tigers come in $7,110 over 105% which would mean they lose their 1st round pick next year; obviously, 3 of the reported bonuses (probably Rainer, Hall and Randall?) need to be reduced by the standard $2,500 contingency bonus which does not count against the pool. that must to be true otherwise a whole lot of people are losing their jobs for not being able to add. assuming that is correct, they have $390 left, I think they spent 104.99673% of pool

Paredes has a significant home/road split since going to Tampa. He is the perfect fit for that stadium, which ironically Willy Adames hated (could not see the ball)

Rays sign a released 30 year old relief pitcher half way through spring training and turn him into a BP asset, and then flip him for 3 prospects when they think the time is right. damn they are so good at what they do

I don't think they are rushing Carpenter back, maybe out all year; Riley on IL; Tork at Toledo; these 3 were supposed to anchor a blah line up - now all out

that leaves about 825K for 9th round pitcher

from free Baseball America article: Detroit Tigers Josh Randall, RHP, 3rd Round I only have a three-pitch sample for Randall’s four-seamer, but it’s a fantastic cut fastball that grades out extremely well and show plus velo at 95-96 mph. He throws basically fully sidearm, so the 15 inches of IVB he gets on the pitch is well above average (about +4 inches with the college baseball). The slider is a high-rpm monster with incredibly low spin efficiency. He mostly threw the sinker in the data I have, but I’m more excited by the fastball/slider pair. He’s a very intriguing arm that also had a decent 2024 season in college. Michael Massey, RHP, 4th Round Another Wake Forest alum with great fastball shape, Massey (not to be confused with the Royals second baseman) throws his fastball 94-95 mph with almost 20 inches of IVB/flight from a high three-quarters slot. From a pure shape standpoint, it looks a lot like Chase Burns, except 3-4 mph slower. It’s a potentially plus or better pitch from a pitch quality perspective. His slider has great shape with extremely low spin efficiency, but he doesn’t throw it hard enough yet, nor does he have the ability to spin it. Nevertheless, this is already a good pitch shape-wise and is a couple of development tweaks away from being an excellent pitch. This is a fantastic get in the fourth round, as the high-vert/plus-velo fastball and high-gyro slider pair is a tremendous foundation on which to build a repertoire, all packaged in a starter’s 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. I love this pick for the Tigers. Ethan Sloan, LHP, 8th Round Sloan throws both a sinker and a fastball from an extreme angle. He somehow gets 15 inches of IVB/flight on both pitch shapes, with the sinker getting about 6 inches more run than the fastball. Both pitches will likely play given the extreme release point, which is almost 4.4 feet away from the center of the rubber. His slider had one of the lowest estimated spin efficiencies in the data set and excellent spin rates. This looks like the type of arm that will work very well as a lefty-one-inning guy in the bullpen, with a slight chance he can make it work as a funky lefty starter. Micah Ashman, 11th Round Ashman stands 6-foot-7 and only 195 pounds and had decent success as a reliever in 2024, throwing mostly just a fastball and sinker. He’s able to command the pitches well, so this is likely a development bet hoping he can add velocity once he fills out his frame with the help of pro-level athletic training. The fastball shape is close enough that this profile could become viable if his fastball suddenly jumps into the 94-95 range. None of his secondary pitches are interesting at the moment. Preston Howey, 14th Round We go from a 6-foot-7 pitcher to a 5-foot-10 pitcher with a 95 mph fastball that might work as a cut-fastball if he lowers the spin efficiency on the pitch. He pairs that with a low-spin efficiency cutter at 88 that should play well off the fastball. It’s a pretty nice find for the 14th round. Anson Seibert, 16th Round A 6-foot-8, 235-pound pitcher with a 92-93 mph, 2500 rpm fastball with almost 19 inches of IVB in the 16th round? This is a nice get by the Tigers here. He’s old for a high school pitcher at 19, but if I’m the Tigers, I’m ecstatic to get a 19-year-old that already shows near-average velo, has ability to spin, can get ride on the fastball and has a massive frame to dream on for velocity projection. I loved this pick by the Tigers, however, it looks like he won’t sign

from Trade Rumors article (I assume it is correct) Pending the revelation of the PTBNL (who cannot be on Seattle’s 40-man roster or one of this year’s draftees), it’s a future-oriented package for Tampa Bay.

does it really matter if Lucas pitches the 8th or the 3rd? they lacked depth, and now injuries and ineffectiveness have laid that bare.

its a small sample size, but over his last 4 at bats, Javy is batting .250!

makes sense to convert Holton to an actual starter

Holliday-Basallo-Mayo for Skubal-Flaherty

because no one else will and we don't want him homeless. I used to find him annoying, but if you don't take him seriously, I think his schtick is sometimes entertaining

assuming nothing odd about last few unsigned guys taken 11-20, they have about 2.6M left to spend on 3 HS pitchers from CBP, 9th and 16th rounds. If CBP get 1M and 9th rounder get 600K, you can offer 1M to 16th round pitcher who said he did not even watch draft because he's going to Tenn. Does not sound like that will change his mind but you never know.