Mike Elias talks about this season and beyond today

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, btdart20 said:

Excellent post.  To continue the Joker theme:  "As you know, madness is like gravity... all it takes is a little push."  I trust Elias too.  Sure, he's playing coy but that's part of the role too.

 

Would we be happy if the big spending was "only" buying out Gunnar and/or Adley's arbitration years plus 1-2 more?

 

If my sketchy memory serves, Elias talking about trading prospects is new.  Not unexpected, but a new talking point.  Should be interesting to see how this plays out!

Yep.  It sounded like it's something he doesn't quite want to do yet but something that might be necessary this winter.

He basically said you can spend money or use prospects as currency.   Made me think of that Alcantara deal on here.   I doubt Elias is going to send 3-4 A prospects in one deal but you never know.

Edited October 6, 2022 by RZNJ

[wildcard]

40 minutes ago, Big Mac said:

Whether he trades him or not, he has all the incentive in the world to provide a ringing endorsement.  What is he going to say? "We don't think the defensive metrics are sustainable and would like to sell high via a trade this offseason, especially given the INF depth we have in the system."

He doesn't have to say anything.

[RZNJ]

13 minutes ago, wildcard said:

He doesn't have to say anything.

Saying good things about Mateo is good whether he stays or whether he trades him.   

[Natty]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

1). They aren’t going to spend big money.

2) The real acquisitions will come via trades.

But the acquisitions we get in trades are mostly always  years away from playing in the majors. 

It's cheaper that way. 

[Frobby]

Elias has put himself in a good position: a pretty good young team, a very good farm system, a surplus of talent at certain positions, and a good bit of money available to spend.   

I expect him to be fairly cautious and methodical in determining where to upgrade the team and what resources to expend (money, current players, prospects).   We might see a bunch of small upgrades rather than 1-2 big splashy moves.  But we’ll see.  
 

[deward]

2 hours ago, Bemorewins said:

IMO this is the off-season when we find out what we have in Elias being able to shape us into actual contenders.

He’s done an incredible job developing our system and amassing assets! Now that the foundation is firm and the framing is done, we need to go out and add the pieces to be fully furnished (i.e. better starting pichting than we have preferably an arm to go atop the rotation AND/OR an impact bat).

Agreed, this off-season is arguably the most critical point of the rebuild, and the biggest test that Elias still needs to pass. I think we knew going in that he would do a good job (if allowed) building the farm, setting up an international program, etc, as these things were right in the wheelhouse of his previous experience. This will be his first opportunity to demonstrate if he can make the right moves at the big league level to shape a championship contender. It'll be very interesting to watch.