Pick 5 to lock up

[MarCakes21]

Let's assume the payroll was unlimited and you were GM for a day.  Your goal is to optimize the competitive window for the team and you can lock up any FIVE players on 5-8 year contracts (including minor leaguers).  Which ones are you taking? Think the Braves approach where they know they have an elite team and want to keep the majority of it together to maximize their chances.

- Adley (25yo, all star catcher)

- Gunnar (22yo, ROY SS/3B)

- Grayson (24yo, TOR pitcher)

- Bradish (27yo, #4 Cy Young in 2023)

- Holliday (19yo, in AAA, likely to arrive this year)

- Basallo (19yo in AA, likely to arrive in 2025)

- Kjerstad (24yo ROY candidate)

- Mayo (21yo In AAA)

- Westburg (24yo versitile and in the bigs)

- Bautista (29yo elite closer out in 24)

- Cano (28yo all star reliever)

- Santander (29yo 1st division RF)

- Hays (28yo 1st division LF)

- Mullins (29yo 1st division CF)

- Other???

 

[wildcard]

I don't think any on them belong in lock up.

[RZNJ]

Gunnar 

Holliday

Basallo

GRod

Mayo

[TommyPickles]

Adley, Gunnar, Holiday, Grayson, Bradish

[RVAOsFan]

Elias

[Aristotelian]

Gunnar, Holliday, Basallo, Bradish, Grayson. Realistically I expect maybe one of these guys. 

[MarCakes21]

27 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I don't think any on them belong in lock up.

Why’s that? Think you can just replace them after they reach FA?

[Sports Guy]

Gunnar, Basallo, Mayo and Holliday are the easy 4 for me.

The only other maybes are GRod and Adley…Tough call for me to even extend them at all. Probably go Adley since he hits FA sooner but I wouldn’t go beyond 6 years.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, MarCakes21 said:

Why’s that? Think you can just replace them after they reach FA?

Because lock up is prison.  It was an attempt at humor.  

[Orioles0615]

The only 2 I would lock up right now today would be Gunnar and Adley. I would rather see more of Bradish and Grayson, and Holliday while will probably be good has played 18 games at AAA and could become Brandon Wood for all we know. 

[MarCakes21]

47 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Gunnar, Basallo, Mayo and Holliday are the easy 4 for me.

The only other maybes are GRod and Adley…Tough call for me to even extend them at all. Probably go Adley since he hits FA sooner but I wouldn’t go beyond 6 years.

I'm surprised by the youth movement here.  Is it because they'll be cheaper?  If you lock them up for 8, you'll only be getting ~2 extra years of each of them.

With Adley/Grayson/Bradish, and even some of the older guys, you can buy out a lot more, plus still have all the youth.  They're more known commodities at this point and will obviously cost more, but you can ensure you know what you have in the way of talent.

[emmett16]

4 minutes ago, MarCakes21 said:

I'm surprised by the youth movement here.  Is it because they'll be cheaper?  If you lock them up for 8, you'll only be getting ~2 extra years of each of them.

With Adley/Grayson/Bradish, and even some of the older guys, you can buy out a lot more, plus still have all the youth.  They're more known commodities at this point and will obviously cost more, but you can ensure you know what you have in the way of talent.

Gunnar, Basallo, Holliday, & Mayo are the 4 biggest talents in the org.  Pitchers break.  Catching doesn't age well.  

 

[Sports Guy]

7 minutes ago, MarCakes21 said:

I'm surprised by the youth movement here.  Is it because they'll be cheaper?  If you lock them up for 8, you'll only be getting ~2 extra years of each of them.

With Adley/Grayson/Bradish, and even some of the older guys, you can buy out a lot more, plus still have all the youth.  They're more known commodities at this point and will obviously cost more, but you can ensure you know what you have in the way of talent.

I want to sign the better long term bets and the best talent.

I have zero desire to give long term deals to pitchers. 

[Just Regular]

We've had some conversations about how all prospects are suspects, and placing Adley on this question I think is part of that game.

As high as hopes for Mayo-Basallo are (I put Holliday in a different category), I think its perhaps still too early to prefer Age-29 Mayo to Age-32 Adley, etc.

I could understand regarding Adley-Gunnar-Grayson-Holliday on Tier 1, and still having some hope Kjerstad-Cowser might be competitive with Mayo-Basallo as longer range guys.

Results aside, one of the basic Grayson Rodriguez facts for me is he's a "touched by the gods" kid who has made it to his 24th birthday (happy belated birthday Grayson!) with all his arm talent intact.      Occasionally one of the ~6-5, 230 homo sapiens like Justin Verlander or Gerrit Cole survives without sacrificing to the surgeon, at least not for a long time.

[Moose Milligan]

3 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Gunnar 

Holliday

Basallo

GRod

Mayo

That's my list, too.  Hesitate on G-Rod but he looks like he could be really special.