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vs. YANKEES , 4/14


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    • 27k  for a weekday day game in early May is impressive.  Against the Yankees or not.
    • You're new here.  No one has ever won an argument with Sports Guy no matter how much the facts are on his side.
    • Tell you what, if it was McKenna there’d be a ten page thread on it. But since we’re still in Cowser’s honeymoon phase, it’ll slide. 
    • No.  I just like making fun of CoC from time to time. 
    • 27,299 for today’s matinee, so 96,612 for the four game set.  Will do my part by heading to the Yard next Friday for the first time this season - can’t wait! 
    • This was an interesting and in-depth reply from MLBTraderumors.   Q: Mason Miller and Lucas Erceg are amazing, and totally wasted on the A’s right now, despite them playing better than expected. But any trade would best be for solid prospects-SEVERAL solid prospects- who are 2-3 seasons away instead of MLB-ready guys who would also be wasted on the current and near-future teams. Given that, what team has those far away prospects to pay for one of those splendid slingers? A: This brings up a philosophical question: should bad teams have nice things?  Mason Miller provides a reason to watch the A’s, and his season has been insane so far.  And while he’s under team control through the 2029 season, we can’t count on him to hold up or on this franchise to be willing to pay him those last few years if he does. So the cold-hearted logical answer is for the A’s to trade Miller as soon as possible, as he might be at peak value and could be a lot less valuable the next time this organization has a realistic shot at contending.  (I am aware that the A’s are not awful so far this year at 15-17, but I do not think they have a realistic chance at making the playoffs anytime soon). It’s worth considering that Miller was a starter in college and all through the minors.  He came down with a “mild UCL sprain” in mid-May of last year, which involved a four-month recovery period and short appearances when he returned in September. A’s GM David Forst explained to MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos last Decemberthat he’d like to see Miller stay healthy for a year as a reliever before the team considers moving him back into a starting role.  When a pitcher excels as a closer to the degree Miller has thus far, it’s often hard to get him out of that role, but if he can eventually transition back to starting, he could theoretically be even more valuable.  But given last year’s UCL sprain and the attrition rate of the game’s hardest throwers, there’s a pretty good case that Miller is indeed at peak value right now. I don’t know where the hell the A’s are going to be (as an organization) in 2026, when Miller will receive his first arbitration salary. Given the extra uncertainty around the franchise these next few years, Phillip’s case makes some sense: trade Miller (and/or Erceg) now for prospects who are several years away from the Majors. The problem with this idea is that a prospect’s uncertainty is higher the further away he is from the Majors.  Trading Miller this summer might require threading the following needles: The other team is very much in win-now mode The headline prospects you get back should be position players, since this is about mitigating risk The headline prospects you get back should perhaps be in Double-A: close enough to the Majors to have some certainty, but far enough away where you could wait at least a year to promote them So, top-ranked Double-A position player prospects on win-now somewhat likely (40% or better chance) playoff teams: Samuel Basallo, Orioles catcher Chase DeLauter, Guardians outfielder Cole Young, Mariners infielder Harry Ford, Mariners catcher Emmanuel Rodriguez, Twins outfielder Matt Shaw, Cubs infielder Kevin Alcántara, Cubs outfielder James Triantos, Cubs second baseman Dalton Rushing, Dodgers catcher/DH Spencer Jones, Yankees outfielder Jacob Melton, Astros outfielder A lot of these teams are able to assemble good bullpens without giving up top prospects, and therefore might not be in the Miller bidding.  The Cubs, though, are a good example of a team with the type of prospect that it could make sense to flip for Miller.  It all might be too cute, though – maybe just enjoy Miller where he is now.  It’s also worth keeping in mind that the A’s have not exactly hit home runs in trying to convert established good players like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, and Sean Manaea into prospects.  
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