Quietly, BRob is putting up impressive numbers

[Mashed Potatoes]

Who said I was banking on it? Not me. I just said it was possible. But everyone that thinks the only choice is to blow the team up needs to realize that there could be as much risk in blowing the team apart (because there's no guarantee the guys we trade for are all going to pan out or stay healthy either). There's also no guarantee we'd get worthwhile offers from other teams for the guys we WANT to trade to make it worth trading them. There are a LOT of "ifs" in that scenario too.

The point is the option you're talking about (if not advocating) requires luck and competent FO moves just so we can compete in the short term.

"Blowing it up" is obviously no guarantee of success but at least you begin to sure up the long term health of the franchise rather than ensure a bleak future for the sake of maybe competing for 1-2 years.

[El Gordo]

I personally think people are dreaming if they think we are only 1-2 players away from contention.

Depends on the two players. Even you might have to give us a slight chance if those two were J.Santana and Pujols. Well, suppose they were Dunn and Lackey or A.Jones and Buehrle?

[Mark J]

The point is the option you're talking about (if not advocating) requires luck and competent FO moves just so we can compete in the short term.

"Blowing it up" is obviously no guarantee of success but at least you begin to sure up the long term health of the franchise rather than ensure a bleak future for the sake of maybe competing for 1-2 years.

I don't think it's automatic that we'd only be potentially able to compete in the short-term though. 4/5ths of our rotation would be home-grown & cheap & while it would require a great deal of comptency by our front office, it's easier to upgrade an offense than pitching through trades / free-agency. And also as each year goes by after next year, we could (and I stress could) be able to trade either our developing young arms like Erbe / Beato / Liz / etc. (or the older guys they might replace like Bedard) to help replace / upgrade our offense. What are the chances our front offices would be able to effectively do it? Well, I'm not betting my house on it, but it's possible. And... if we're doubting our front offices ability to do what I said, why should we trust them to blow the team up?

[Sports Guy]

Depends on the two players. Even you might have to give us a slight chance if those two were J.Santana and Pujols. Well, suppose they were Dunn and Lackey or A.Jones and Buehrle?

Lackey isn't available and Adam Dunn is not nearly as good as you think he is.

Buerhle is a poor investment and i think Jones is as well.

To answer your question, no, that isn't enough.

[Frobby]

So how 'bout that Brian Roberts and all the bases he's stealing? How does every thread turn into a blow up the team thread? (I know I participated in the hijacking:( .)

Yeah, it's pretty irritating.

Go Brian Go!

[El Gordo]

Lackey isn't available and Adam Dunn is not nearly as good as you think he is.

Buerhle is a poor investment and i think Jones is as well.

To answer your question, no, that isn't enough.

Well you're just wrong. What can I say. Assuming we had healthy SP this is an 85 win team. Add Dunn at DH and replace Wright with a SP of Buehrles' competence and we would be a 90-93 win team. The question was are we two players away, not can we get two players who will put us into contention.

[Mark J]

Yeah, it's pretty irritating.

Go Brian Go!

It is good to see BRob improving & Ramon Hernandez doing well. As much as the stolen bases, it's encouraging to see that maybe Brian's getting a little more power back too.

[Sports Guy]

Well you're just wrong. What can I say. Assuming we had healthy SP this is an 85 win team. Add Dunn at DH and replace Wright with a SP of Buehrles' competence and we would be a 90-93 win team. The question was are we two players away, not can we get two players who will put us into contention.

Says who? The stats don't back up your claim.

I agree that it would have a chance at that with platooning and things like that but to say it was a certain is a joke.

This was a team that almost everyone agreed fell in the 75-85 win range.

[Spoonless]

Well you're just wrong. What can I say. Assuming we had healthy SP this is an 85 win team. Add Dunn at DH and replace Wright with a SP of Buehrles' competence and we would be a 90-93 win team. The question was are we two players away, not can we get two players who will put us into contention.

Great, that's just what this team needs. The guy who has 130 more strikeouts than the second guy on the list from 2004-2006. I agree that we need a power hitter, but we need one who doesn't strike out as much as Dunn. We have enough guys who K on the regular.

[Sports Guy]

Dunn is also not available and if he is, he becomes a FA after this year.

El Gordo still doesn't understand that.

[Fairfax Bird]

Great, that's just what this team needs. The guy who has 130 more strikeouts than the second guy on the list from 2004-2006. I agree that we need a power hitter, but we need one who doesn't strike out as much as Dunn. We have enough guys who K on the regular.

He has also hit more than 40 homers for several straight years and knows how to take a walk. I would take him on my team, sign him as a free agent. Unfortunately, think he is headed back to Texas.

[Mackus]

Great, that's just what this team needs. The guy who has 130 more strikeouts than the second guy on the list from 2004-2006. I agree that we need a power hitter, but we need one who doesn't strike out as much as Dunn. We have enough guys who K on the regular.

Strikeouts don't really matter. If all other things are equal, i'll take the guy that strikes out less, but i'll take the 40 HR .900 OPS 200 K guy over the 35 HR .850 OPS 100 K guy.

[Sports Guy]

He has also hit more than 40 homers for several straight years and knows how to take a walk. I would take him on my team, sign him as a free agent. Unfortunately, think he is headed back to Texas.

Dunn has gone from a guy i always wanted to get to a guy i wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole(based on the contract he will get)

[Mark J]

Great, that's just what this team needs. The guy who has 130 more strikeouts than the second guy on the list from 2004-2006. I agree that we need a power hitter, but we need one who doesn't strike out as much as Dunn. We have enough guys who K on the regular.

At least he wouldn't hit into as many double plays if he's striking out.

[Leitch]

Great, that's just what this team needs. The guy who has 130 more strikeouts than the second guy on the list from 2004-2006. I agree that we need a power hitter, but we need one who doesn't strike out as much as Dunn. We have enough guys who K on the regular.

Actually, with Roberts, Tejada, Payton, Gibbons, Huff, Millar, Gomez, Hernandez, and Markakis, we've got one of the hardest teams in the majors to strike out.

Dunn's willingness to take a walk would be a good thing for this offense, not to mention his awesome power, but he's definitely not a long-term option in that his contract will be as massive as his home run totals and that guys with Dunn's skill set don't tend to age well(his comparables are full of guys like Sam Horn and Kevin Maas and Boog Powell).