The warning signs are there for the reading

[Redskins Rick]

10 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Drama queen is the first thing that came to my mind.  They broke .500 last year.  They have some great young players beginning their careers and a bunch more on the way.  Get a grip.

Get a grip?

They broke .500, in spite of their GM refusing to admit they were making a try for the WC and the deals he did at the deadline that weakened the team and didnt really do anything to help the help even long term.

Yes, lots of solid young pieces, this is the time to add to those young pieces. 
Playing money ball, is hard to justified, especially with the extra disney money every MLB got this year.

[Tony-OH]

15 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Drama queen is the first thing that came to my mind.  They broke .500 last year.  They have some great young players beginning their careers and a bunch more on the way.  Get a grip.

Not a cool response. Feel free to disagree, telling a lifelong fan of over 50 years that they are a drama queen and need get a grip is not a response I expect from a one of our senior posters. 

 

[Tony-OH]

1 minute ago, Redskins Rick said:

Yes, lots of solid young pieces, this is the time to add to those young pieces. 
Playing money ball, is hard to justified, especially with the extra disney money every MLB got this year.

Every other team seems to spending that Disney money too.

[Sports Guy]

13 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Rodriguez and Hall.  Traded for Pinto, Bradish, Povich, and McDermott.   Wells in the rule 5.   Doesn’t matter if you draft them or another team does.  They haven’t ignored pitching.  

They haven’t ignored it but they have made positional talent a higher priority.

And they are 100% correct in doing that.

But if you are going to do that, you have to be willing to spend on pitching, whether it’s money, players or both.

[RZNJ]

9 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

Get a grip?

They broke .500, in spite of their GM refusing to admit they were making a try for the WC and the deals he did at the deadline that weakened the team and didnt really do anything to help the help even long term.

Yes, lots of solid young pieces, this is the time to add to those young pieces. 
Playing money ball, is hard to justified, especially with the extra disney money every MLB got this year.

Cry me a river.   How do you know the deadline trades didn’t help us long term?    Do you really have any idea?    As for this off-season.  It’s hardly over.  Even without adding significant pieces it should be fun to watch.  
 

It hardly seems that this is a team on its way to a 14 year period of suctitude.   But don’t let me stop you.

[RZNJ]

14 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

They haven’t ignored it but they have made positional talent a higher priority.

And they are 100% correct in doing that.

But if you are going to do that, you have to be willing to spend on pitching, whether it’s money, players or both.

Correct me if I’m wrong.  We have 4 potential starters under 30 in Rodriguez, Bradish, Kremer, and Wells, an veteran #4 type in Gibson, and a yet unknown pitcher who Elias says he will get through FA or trade.  Correct?

[Yardball85]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Let’s face it, getting beyond GRod and hopefully Hall, there really isn’t anyone in the system that you can, as of today, you feel has a chance to be an impact starter. They absolutely need to add starting pitching.

Can't disagree with anything here.  These are the facts, unfortunately.  Bradish looked great in spurts, and he's the closest thing besides GROD and Hall to an impact pitcher, but the team has no one else they can count on as an impact starter.  Kremer may be fine as an average to slightly above average starter, but that's it

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Cry me a river.   How do you know the deadline trades didn’t help us long term?    Do you really have any idea?    As for this off-season.  It’s hardly over.  Even without adding significant pieces it should be fun to watch.  
 

It hardly seems that this is a team on its way to a 14 year period of suctitude.   But don’t let me stop you.

In regards to FA, it's pretty much over.  There aren't many names left out there, especially from a rotation perspective (which was widely viewed as the biggest place this team needed to upgrade) that make sense for us.  You can say "It's only December 13th!" all you want, but 7 days ago "It was only December 6th!" and yet we're still here with Kyle Gibson.

Trades can still be made but I'm not getting my hopes up, I don't think Elias is ready to deal from his farm system yet.

I agree that this team isn't on it's way to a 14 period of "sucktitude" but this should have been a significant FA signing period for this team, especially in regards to the rotation and it's been a complete flop.  

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Correct me if I’m wrong.  We have 4 potential starters under 30 in Rodriguez, Bradish, Kremer, and Wells, an veteran #4 type in Gibson, and a yet unknown pitcher who Elias says he will get through FA or trade.  Correct?

Hey guys, look!  We've got an unknown pitcher who Elias says he will get through FA or trade!  That's correct!

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Correct me if I’m wrong.  We have 4 potential starters under 30 in Rodriguez, Bradish, Kremer, and Wells, an veteran #4 type in Gibson, and a yet unknown pitcher who Elias says he will get through FA or trade.  Correct?

Yes we have those players. I’m glad to see you are knowledgeable enough to name our current rotation.

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

In regards to FA, it's pretty much over.  There aren't many names left out there, especially from a rotation perspective (which was widely viewed as the biggest place this team needed to upgrade) that make sense for us.  You can say "It's only December 13th!" all you want, but 7 days ago "It was only December 6th!" and yet we're still here with Kyle Gibson.

Trades can still be made but I'm not getting my hopes up, I don't think Elias is ready to deal from his farm system yet.

I agree that this team isn't on it's way to a 14 period of "sucktitude" but this should have been a significant FA signing period for this team, especially in regards to the rotation and it's been a complete flop.  

Eovaldi is the guy.  

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Hey guys, look!  We've got an unknown pitcher who Elias says he will get through FA or trade!  That's correct!

Glad to see you are excited.   Did you used to cry on December 20th when there were no presents under the tree?

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

Eovaldi is the guy.  

I can see that.  Although he wasn't someone I was interested in before the offseason, he could be a good get for us.  

Maybe he can have a career year or two here, although I think his career year could have been 2021.  And not that I don't believe you, but I haven't seen any reported rumor of us being interested in him.  If you're saying he's the last seat in a game of free agent musical chairs, sure, I believe that.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-rumors-al-east-team-214203368.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI3St151HeF083VYxLLPlhLRZpYceIoDHJhc08ThjBk2YRtRtIowYT-Xs3s7xHt8j7k8g9AxVEYr5xtelqSOuDWZi99LHMneujqjt876CNyRRa_IxCt77Pzj_YqNurn0bj6dlTaoUpX8botMp59KIcihEjEsQpfe9xP-_FU0JR15

 

This article says the Jays are interested in him.  If the rumors of the Yankees getting Rodon are true, I can easily see the Jays moving quickly and signing Eovaldi.  

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Glad to see you are excited.   Did you used to cry on December 20th when there were no presents under the tree?

Hey, I'm not the one who's penciling in rotation pieces that haven't been signed yet just because Mike Elias said so.  

[DrinkinWithFermi]

I saw the warning sign when they rushed out to make a completely lateral move by replacing Lyles with Gibson instead of filling that spot with someone better, and everything since then has supported that worried feeling- the intensity with which Elias walked back his "liftoff" comment, him saying that Nomar Mazara is a platoon option for next year, him complaining that the market is moving very fast, his unsupported remark about the first year of a multiyear pitching deal almost always being the best year, and so on.

Of course, there is still time left on the clock and I may yet be proven wrong, and I am very much hoping that I will be, but the options for improvement in free agency (now down to like Eovaldi, Stripling, Wacha, and Syndergaard, and even that brief list might be kind of generous) are rapidly dwindling and the realistic trade options (Flexen, Plesac, Civale, etc.) aren't exactly rockstars either.