A Realistic Pitching Ace And What It Will Take to Acquire Him

[Frobby]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:20 PM, HakunaSakata said:

On a  related note, I'm batting .600 on my beer league softball team. Cc: Mike Elias. 

I had a guy apply for a lawyer job at my firm one time whose résumé included his softball league batting average.  My thoughts were:

1.  Why does this guy think his softball abilities are relevant?

2.  Who is keeping track of batting averages in a softball league?  And who is judging hits and errors?

3.  Doesn’t this guy know that OPS or wRC+ is far more indicative of his hitting prowess?

I’m kidding about no. 3, but I definitely had the other two thoughts.  He did not get offered a job.

[baltfan]

33 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I had a guy apply for a lawyer job at my firm one time whose résumé included his softball league batting average.  My thoughts were:

1.  Why does this guy think his softball abilities are relevant?

2.  Who is keeping track of batting averages in a softball league?  And who is judging hits and errors?

3.  Doesn’t this guy know that OPS or wRC+ is far more indicative of his hitting prowess?

I’m kidding about no. 3, but I definitely had the other two thoughts.  He did not get offered a job.

Some law firms in DC are really serious about their softball. That average could help put someone over some places. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by baltfan

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, baltfan said:

Some law firms in DC are really serious about their softball. That average could help put someone over some places. 

That’s what legal assistants are for!

[Just Regular]

Not that Cowser is near Wander level, but it did come up on today's Athletic baseball podcast this is just about the time of season the Willy Adames for Drew Rasmussen trade occurred between two strong teams and involving high value players.

If you are a Raysian team with an excess of starting caliber position players, lightning has struck once this decade.

It was also mentioned Marlins weakest positions by rest of season projections are 1B-LF-RF.

[EddeeEddee]

6 hours ago, vab said:

The Tigers are closer to 1st place than the Orioles are right now so I wouldn't think he's available. 

Good point but they're a lot further from the Wild Card.  

[AnythingO's]

The Tigers are 17-19, but are 2-14 against the East. They are 15-5 against everyone else. Also, they don't play the East again until just before ASB. 

[NCRaven]

6 hours ago, Frobby said:

That’s what legal assistants are for!

That Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team was awesome!

[Billy F-Face3]

I was just reading some MLB articles where they speculate what players might be traded this year at the trade deadline, and they're going heavy on the Chicago Whitesox. They think a couple of their pitchers, including Dylan Cease (who has gotten off to a slow start), will be trade bait. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/potential-sellers-at-2023-mlb-trade-deadline

 

[The Goob]

In his last 35+ innings the only run Erod has given up was a solo HR to McCann in Camden.  That is who I would target.  He would cost less in prospects because he is a rental.  I love the idea of a former top prospect coming back home.  I love the lefty in Camden.  I love that his last 5 starts has been 8, 7, 5.2, 8 & 7 innings.

I would be willing to trade one of Westburg, Norby or Ortiz plus another 20-30 prospect from our system.  I just don't know if that would be enough.

A rotation of Erod, Grayson, Wells, Means and Gibson in the second half would be really intriguing and has a lot of upside.  

[vab]

It's really going to be tough to get a difference making pitcher in a trade at the deadline because so few teams will really be out of it by then with the current playoff set up. That's also going to make it a big-time seller's market with so many teams going after the few difference-making guys who will be available. Not impossible but any talk of getting someone without giving up a top-five prospect and then some is unrealistic. 

[AnythingO's]

DET is 15-5 when not playing the East, they play in a weak division, they aren't trading ERod unless they fall apart. ERod has 3/$49M remaining and is certain to opt out. Even if DET stumbles, you only get a rental. You basically have to buy the value of the QO and 3 months of service.

[HakunaSakata]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:02 PM, sportsfan8703 said:

Trevor Bauer looks good in Japan. 
 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bauer-000tre

Yeah, he look great (hard eye roll).  And this is in the Japanese minor leagues! Maybe we can finally put a dagger in the heart of this "sign Bauer" sentiment that seems to pop up every month. 

https://twitter.com/GonsolinRBW/status/1660146906511597568?s=20

[Tryptamine]

I wouldn't call him a traditional ace, but my Cubs suck so Marcus Stroman will almost definitely be available.  Since the start of the 2020 season(373.2 IP) he has posted a 3.20 ERA. He's a free agent in 2024 so the cost wouldn't be nuts, maybe a top 100ish guy and another interesting piece.

[Bemorewins]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

I wouldn't call him a traditional ace, but my Cubs suck so Marcus Stroman will almost definitely be available.  Since the start of the 2020 season(373.2 IP) he has posted a 3.20 ERA. He's a free agent in 2024 so the cost wouldn't be nuts, maybe a top 100ish guy and another interesting piece.

Nobody’s giving that for Marcus Stroman. The Orioles can and will do much better.

[Billy F-Face3]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:15 PM, The Goob said:

 

A rotation of Erod, Grayson, Wells, Means and Gibson in the second half would be really intriguing and has a lot of upside.  

The problem with this entire topic of conversation is it means you would have to bunp some good players out of thr rotation. I mean who are you going to cut? Are you going to really get rid of Bradish who has flashed the potential to be a topnof the rotation pitcher at time? Are you really going to cut Dean Kremer who's been steady and reliable providing depth into the 6th inning and beyond? Gibson? Wells who has a sub 3 ERA? Grayson who has the potential to develop into a top of the rotation pitcher or maybe even an Ace? 

We all seem to want some magic bullet when what we've already got is getting the job done, and some of the pitchers suggested to acquire in this thread have had their own fair shair of struggles in their careers. 

 

Meanwhile we have Drew Rom still doing very good in Norfolk, and DL Hall is on an upward trajectory with the probability that he should earn a spot in the starting rotation this summer himself.

If I'm building a rotation for the long term, I would like to see DL Hall make the cut. 

But for the sake of conversation let's suppose by some miracle we are able to get an unquestioned superstar pitcher like Max Fried, Shohei Ohtani, Sandy Alcantara, or Corbin Burnes.... then what would the rotation look like and what would happen to all of our pretty good options in the system? You can only start 5 starting pitchers in a 5 man rotation. (Though if they got Ohtani that would become a 6 man rotation.) I'm certainly not moving another starting prospect (IE DL Hall) into the bullpen after all the investment and development that went into them, same for the fact of the scarcity of such quality prospects in the organization.