Pickles

You know, if the move really was as indefensibly moronic as some have claimed, you wouldn't need to descend into armchair psychology to criticize it.

So it's either Elias isn't exactly an idiot, but the people he hires and allows to influence his decisions are idiots, and not just idiots but they don't even watch baseball, OR Elias is being driven by pathological urges to make bad moves so he can will them into good moves and thus prove to his absentee father that he really is a big-brained genius. Could be. Could be.

Exactly. We've done two things more exciting than anything they've done. If it had been a long-term deal I would say differently. They traded Johan Santana one year. So maybe they're about on our level.

Twins?

Who says they won't? What kind of return are you expecting for Vavra?

No, not all talent acquisition strategies are created equal.

Almost like signing FAs can't be a major plank of your team building strategy.

Don't let facts get in way of the narrative.

Well, seems you and Elias have a different opinion on that. I'm not going to get too worked up until the offseason is over. I really think this is a move to make a trade more tolerable.

I mean, Gibson got 10 and we all hated it and it turned out the Jays were offering the same. I wouldn't be surprised if there were one or more teams offering him similar value to what he got in Bal.

To continue devil's advocacy: What if it leads to a trade you like?

You wanted to give Bassitt that kind of contract?

Bassitt 3/63 to Blue Jays.

Personally, I wouldn't do that. At least at this moment. But, I find it hard to believe there's too many teams that could top that. Even without one of our big 3.

Hall, Cowser, Ortiz, Westburg, and Basallo wouldn't be acceptable?

To me selling the farm is like 5 top 10 prospects. Cowser, Hall, Westburg, Ortiz, Basallo

To me that isn't selling the farm.

First, define the farm. Second, no.

Well upside is a relative term.

I think you might be on to something here. That got Gibson for the stability and innings. And they needed that. Now perhaps they target upside. Of course, any target would have significant warts, most likely an injury history/lack of dependability. I could see a move like that making a lot of sense.

The window is open now. Exactly. It's open whether you sign Bassit or not. Ultimately, the franchise will not be successful because of the FAs it does or does not sign. And, again, that doesn't mean do nothing and sit on your hands. But the thing about FAs is that it isn't only a matter of when, but it's a matter of who. I don't see a lot that makes sense on the FA market this year; if it made sense to sign a middle infielder then it would be very different.

You're right there are no guarantees, but as is too often you engage in gross hyperbole. They didn't "throw away" a potential playoff spot last year. They traded away two guys at high value, who both immediately cratered, and actually played better after the deadline deals. Now, I'm not saying sit on your hands and do nothing. But I am saying they should not be maximizing wins this year to the detriment of wins in future years, and many of these FA contracts recently handed out are going to do exactly that.

That's not always possible. Even for the Yankees. Part of what made the O's last playoff runs possible was the fact that the Yankees never won 90 games from 2013-16. And that was partly due to contracts to aging guys like Tex, Jeter, Sabathia, etc.

Gunnar's 21. Grayson is going to be on a pitch limit. Hall hasn't established role yet. Three top 5 picks figure to debut in the next 2 years or so. This team's going to continue to improve internally for several years now.

Excellent. That means in 3-4 years, just as the Adley teams are peaking, the Yankees will owe about 75 million annually to a couple of useless pieces.