Chicago White Sox

I totally get it. It’s a huge risk vs. reward situation, but getting someone like him (if he’s still strong) or Skubal could make a major difference come October for you guys over the next three seasons.

If you use him as an opener, it’s not really “relieving”. I guess I don’t get the issue. If a pitcher gets hurt and misses a period of time, are you saying it’s risky to ramp him back up to a normal innings load?

You could definitely do that. However, I’d use Crochet as an opener until the playoffs (keep him on a regular regimen) and then unleash him in October. Two NL GMs with interest in him seemed to imply they’d do the same thing.

Not sure what you’re arguing here. That dude just said you’ll have $50M to spend in free agency on pitching and seemed to imply there was no need to trade for a high end starter like Skubal when you can sign one in free agency. Obviously I don’t there is any chance in hell you sign a pitcher of that caliber, hence the purpose of my post.

You are going to outbid the competition for a Skubal caliber SP with money? You think that is easier than signing a 1B who can replace Mountcastle and an average backup catcher?

And that’s totally fair. Skubal is a much safer pitcher and he’s a guy I’d make a big offer for. He potentially gets you three bites at the apple, which is the window you guys should be focused on.

Your points are mostly fair, but I’m not proposing you trade six years of Mayo or Basallo for an expensive old vet. You should be offering one of them up for someone like Skubal. And yes, Basallo & Mayo have elite offensive profiles, but both could end up at 1B / DH so let’s not compare them to Gunnar. It’s not like I’m here telling you to trade Holliday. If you don’t go that route, your options are either less impactful SP additions or using Kjerstad in a similar manner as Ortiz and buying a high end guy with limited control. Personally, I thing you’re better off cashing in on Basallo or Mayo and better balancing your major league roster for the next handful of years than the other options. I mean, it seems like you are gong to need to add multiple arms for 2025 and burning through a lot of prospect capital on rentals is going to make that even harder to pull off.

I knew the Mets were paying a lot, but didn’t realize he was that cheap. He could be an interesting pickup for the right price if the Rangers decide to sell.

Yes, that’s correct.

How much money is Scherzer owed this year? And who will be in your rotation next year with Burnes likely gone and Bradish likely out? Or are you focused solely on 2024 right now.

What rationale?

I’m sorry, where did you say you studied prospect valuation? If you’re going to say I lack “education” on this subject, I’d love to know how you become an expert. I think it’s very fair to call certain GMs prospect huggers. I fully understand the parameters in which Elias has to work with. But at some point you got to push some chips in before the window comes to a close. Burnes was a good first step, but you still lack the pitching needed to optimize your chance of winning a World Series with this core. Refusing to trade Basallo under any circumstance let’s say, because you’re worried about who will eventually replace Rutschman is silly to me. Doesn’t mean you do something dumb, but you can’t be afraid to take a big swing when you have all the other pieces in place. And if I were Elias, I’d be looking to spin Basallo or Mayo for a controllable TOR starter to help anchor my rotation for the next couple of years and maximize my chances for a World Series. We’ll see if he takes that shot or goes in a more passive direction.

Was I? Obviously I liked him, can’t deny that, but pretty sure that I liked your potential headliners better. That being said, it’s still a bit premature to write him off even if he’s lost a lot of the helium surrounding him.

I mean, this is called negotiations. They aren’t going to come out saying they were wrong on Spencer being an untouchable and he’s now very much available. But yeah, if this were for real, then I’d call Cashman a prospect hugger as well.

Oh my board certainly bashed him, some of which I’d agree was poor knowledge of the players and some of which was simply them trolling Sports Guy, but I always liked Ortiz and stated that from day 1 here (just discounted his value to us some due to his age).