gehringer_2

If they get Baez for less than 200M I don't think Lynn has any crow to eat.....this time. 😋

Funk can start off a few BP days if his walk rate doesn't rear its ugly head and get him DFA.

Need to flip Baez and Cabrera, but that's another thread...

Saban has to retire someday...... (Alabama must have a baseball field with a third base bag, right?.....)

true. As it stands right now the teams around them don't appear to be putting much pressure on them. Toronto and Boston have lost pitching, The Rays have signed Kluber - meh.

Bottom line though, even if in hindsight all these deals turn out to be terrible for the teams that made them, they are on the books and make it all that much less likely to land one of the others without going to a similar level. Tx really screwed the works here by taking two guys because it leaves the Yankees still out there to bid against, otherwise there was at least a chance someone wasn't going to find any more bidders at the 300M level.

I hate ie ei names. I do remember the 'l' but never the vowel order.....

LOL - didn't see this here - posted same link in the general College thread with the coaches discussion there.

I don't think if they fail to sign Baez or Story they are just going to anoint Kriedler. If there isn't a trade and If he holds his own in ST they probably start the season with SS by committee of Harold Castro, Zach Short and Kriedler with W. Castro at Toledo still trying to become a passable SS. After that there is nothing in the system all the way back to Workman and then the international youngsters. If they don't come up with one this week they'll likely also take the best SS left in the rule 5.

speaking of coaches remuneration: Jim Harbaugh proves again that while he may be weird, he is not a jerk. Well at least he's a jerk with some redeeming qualities..... https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32749232/jim-harbaugh-give-all-bonus-money-michigan-wolverines-athletic-department-staffers-had-pay-cut-due-covid-19

there is some disagreement between fangraphs and BIS on Simmons '21 D, but no question at all his bat appears to have gotten worse than Zach Short's. There was always the possibility they were going to get shut out on the fab five, the question is whether they can at least still make a good 2nd pitching signing if they can't close on Story or Baez.

Because he stands as a contradiction to their narrative of received truth, which means he is a treat to the value system - that is the deepest kind of threat so he is the worst kind of enemy. Look at it in religious terms and it's clear Fauci is the most dangerous kind of heretic. You have to hammer hardest the preachers of the truths you demand be denied.

And even though Cabrera is our example, he's not even the worst case because he is at least suitable as DH and can still give you stretches of 900 OPS even if he can't sustain it any more. We are talking Middle Infielders here, and none name ARod. Even the best hitters in this SS group would be marginal DHs when their fielding skills are gone even assuming most of their hitting doesn't go with them.

it's not even the money to me, it's the contract terms these teams are giving away. I don't care if they pay a SS $50M/yr as long as he is on the field producing. It's the fact the even if they can afford it, teams remain very reluctant to just cut guys making >30M/yr even when they reach mere replacement level. So they clog up the lineup. That's the killer. Well maybe you hope he has a good year - after all he did two years ago for the half season before the nagging injury, or There's a lot PR value in his chase for 'X' (like maybe 3K hits?), or Man we are going to look dumb if we cut him and the knee/back/ankle improves and he puts up 5WAR for some other team on our money. There is always a reason to hope against hope and give the guy one more year. Iin the end, the opportunity cost is not in the dollars, it's in the roster spots.

Hmmm.... Did Al give Lynn a call and lobby for a little covering fire?

It will be interesting to see if FLA and USC are really just a coach away from regaining glory or if there are more complex factors that have changed the situation at those particular schools.

Does Notre Dame still have the resources to lure a gold digger like Meyer? I would have guessed absolutely but sometimes things change......They weren't paying Kelly all that much.

yeah - to think the ND FB coach used to be maybe the most celebrated gig in US sports. And Baton Rouge is not much of a town!

if it were summer I'd say the Rangers ownership was suffering from too much sun. The thing I find funny is that in that supposed age of analytics, if there is one thing the numbers tell you loud and clear it's that the best players are not worth their differential cost - maybe with the exception of a pitcher like Max who is going to out there and win games all by himself. You spend your dollars just as effectively and much more efficiently shoring up weakness at the bottom of your line-up as as shelling out 300M for 2 or 3 extra WAR from guy like Semien who probably carries a 3 or 4 yr expiration date.

so much for Jon Heyman.

TBH, this is starting to feel like Juan Gonzales. The best deal may be the one you don't make.

Heyman twitted that the Rockies have reconsidered and are going to make an offer to Story.

LOL - it better not be much more than that because the odds that you get lucky with 2 middle IF both playing well into their 30s is not good.

True. This Yankee ownership is more measured than they were back in the George S days.

Rangers are trying to recreate another team like 1999. 940 run team.