Elias answers some questions.

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Not signing Aiken didn't hurt them at all.

Helped them.   

[Sports Guy]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Mark Appel and Brady Aiken say hi.  

Which, of course, is actually ammo for why rebuilding to the level the Os are doing it is a dumb way of doing things.  

However, I get the point you are trying to make but they essentially got to trade Aiken for Bregman.  That was luck, not skill.  If Kjerstad sucks, we don’t get another pick for him.

[LookinUp]

10 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Which, of course, is actually ammo for why rebuilding to the level the Os are doing it is a dumb way of doing things.  

However, I get the point you are trying to make but they essentially got to trade Aiken for Bregman.  That was luck, not skill.  If Kjerstad sucks, we don’t get another pick for him.

Tell the White Sox, Astros, Padres, Rays, etc., that it's a dumb way of doing things.

You honestly sound like you want the 2003-7 approach where we spend a bunch for mediocrity while just hoping that Elias can fix the minors and international side of things. 

IDK, maybe that's reasonable, but I feel like there is value in larger draft pools beyond the first pick and I don't believe that all of the profits are pocketed never to be reinvested into the team at a later date. 

[Sports Guy]

6 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Tell the White Sox, Astros, Padres, Rays, etc., that it's a dumb way of doing things.

You honestly sound like you want the 2003-7 approach where we spend a bunch for mediocrity while just hoping that Elias can fix the minors and international side of things. 

IDK, maybe that's reasonable, but I feel like there is value in larger draft pools beyond the first pick and I don't believe that all of the profits are pocketed never to be reinvested into the team at a later date. 

Look, I harped for over a decade for the team to properly rebuild.  No one on this site yelled for it more than I did back in the 2000s.  People would argue that they were rebuilding but they weren’t and most people couldn’t figure that out/recognize it at the time.

That being said, a tank/rebuild doesn’t have to last for several years.  The biggest issue is that they should have hit the reset button after 2016.  They stupidly held onto some dream that a team that had no business being in the playoffs in 2016 could somehow find magic again.  They were way off.  
 

They should have traded Mancini in the offseason last year.  They didn’t.  So no, you’re wrong in your assessment of what I want. In fact, you couldn’t possibly be more off.
 

They have torn the organization down.  They are/have been increasing the talent.  There is nothing else to do in the rebuild.  The only left now is to start winning.  
 

Again, there is NOTHING this team is doing right now that they can’t do any other time outside of getting one high pick.  That’s it.  There is nothing else.

There is zero reason we should have to be subjected to watching a team where Valaika actually has a chance to start.  Or where Lopez could get 20+ starts.  These guys aren’t good and they have no long term upside.  
 

We need to start seeing a representative ML team while also go continuing to acquire talent and not get into any poor long term deals.