Can_of_corn

Nope. Just giving smart ass right back at you. I wasn't making an actual argument that adding any one player would put this team in the WS. Baseball playoffs don't work like that as both of us know. I've most certainly never made an argument that either of those two in particular would do it. Brooks doesn't want to give up a young HoF caliber player. The team had one a decade ago with Manny and what did it get them? As much as I enjoyed watching Manny I would have preferred a timeline in which the 2014 O's traded him for a ToR pitcher with five years of control (and then won a ring because 1983 was so long ago).

What other way does this team have to acquire high caliber starting pitching in this current competitive window? Also, just to fact check you, Kirby put up a 4.4 fWAR season in 2023, while Strider put up a fWAR of 4.9 in 2022 and 5.5 in 2023. (Gunnar's fWAR was 4.6 btw) Now you can, and I'm sure will, discount the flavor of WAR that doesn't support your argument, but you might not want to ignore its existence.

Who said big boost? They won 99 games last year.

In general.

Tampa should get better just by being healthier.

I know right? It was even cooler when Gunnar faced Kirby in the ALCS.

Starter prices are almost always very high. Elias and Co knew this going in.

Back end Starters start to become real accommodating when it gets into February and they are still looking for a job.

Don't the Braves have an option for 29?

Not saying I'd make the deal but this is a bizarre argument. The goal is to win the World Series not collect guys that played here for six seasons of a HoF career. Edit-In hindsight I would have traded Manny in 2014 for a ring and a TOR pitcher.

I think he's decided that he isn't willing to pay the prospect price for an upgrade and that he's going to pick up a one year stopgap free agent pitcher.

You are the one that wanted to use pitching wins.

There is a significant difference. I specifically said one thing and your statement implied that I said something else. I also disagree with your interpretation, both of his statement and what "I clearly think".

Once all the actual upgrades are off the market he can get to work.

Oh cool, here come the personal attacks again. It's simple, and I already pointed it out to you but you do tend to get myopic where I am concerned. You said that after I clearly said "essentially". I purposefully added the word essentially because I knew you would try and take my comment, which i thought was clearly already not meant to be an exact quote, and spin it that way. You, of course did it anyway. Then you neglected to acknowledge your "mistake". All straight out of your playbook, as is you attack on me when called out on it.

So you aren't going to say you misrepresented what I said eh? Typical, but have your fun.

I can see where you would think that but I don't follow a bunch of threads to post about them later. Just more effort than I'm willing to expend. It's get me called out on occasion when I can't find stuff I "remember" seeing.

Have to be careful kicking the tires on a jalopy, you break it, you buy it.

Mike doesn't have the same boss as Dan and Andy.

The difference is, I think Wildcard actually believes it.

Cool, now we got the guy in charge essentially saying well we won 101 so we don't actually need to do something significant to improve the team.

You don't think there is a chance that doing nothing ends up being stupid?

Dude won 11 in Japan last year.

*snort* Passive aggressive maybe. The actually aggressive teams made deals for more than the likes of Nevin.