Bowen left off the 40. How do you justify that with Alika Williams still on the 40? I mean he and CSN will not survive the winter.......clear them out, make some room for upgrades.
Recency bias and all but my brain does not remember nearly this drastic of drop-off in system quality after the big post-2014 prospect push in the Huntington Era.
The "10 SPs" is gonna be hard to calculate. They're heavily skewed toward midseason. Brubaker is out until at least then. Burrows probably a little behind him. Jared Jones probably isn't ready yet. Skenes will be struggling with super two discomfort. Chandler and Solometo could pitch their way into the picture, but not before then at best. Ortiz and Priester probably need more AAA time. Roansy, too, but he's out of options.
If they just had one spot open, that'd be easy, but they have four. They can't afford to go out and sign four rehab guys. They need some definite, established starters. Not the sort of guys you just try to make do with until mid-season.
Was it 2016 when many of us thought that we might be okay despite not bringing in any impact pitchers that offseason because once we got past Super Two, we'd get Taillon, Glasnow, and maybe Kingham and be set for a pennant race?
If I'm remembering accurately, I'm worried that 2024 could be a repeat--the FO will convince themselves that we just need a short-fix because by June we can expect some combination of Skenes, Brubaker, Burrows, Ashcraft, Jones, ... then we'll get to June and Skenes will have some unexpected health issue, Bru will have a setback, Burrows will be limited in innings, Ashcraft will be converted to a reliever to avoid a big jump in innings, Jones will also be struggling with command, ...
Nothing new. He appeared to be healthy at the end of the season. Before he got hurt, they seemed to have decided he was better as a reliever. He had huge problems the second time through a lineup. During his rehab, though, they seemed to be stretching him out. He was up to 3-4 innings in his last few starts. Could be they just wanted him throwing more after the layoff. They've never made any definitive pronouncements about him. He's kinda under the radar now, but he should be in the mix in March.
So the Nationals DFA’d Dom Smith. He had an OPS+ of 92 this year and 0.9 WAR per Baseball Reference. I watch a lot of Nats baseball and Smith is a solid defensive first baseman whose ability to drive the ball has vanished. His career is a mystery: 168 OPS+ for the Mets in the COVID season in 2020 at the age of 25, then almost nothing at the plate since.
I doubt there’s a fix at this point to return him to that 2019-2020 player, but I wonder if the Pirates will take a shot.
I hope they aim higher as well, but Smith and Diaz should be a priority on minor league contracts for competition. Get at least one of them in the system, then get a Mountcastle or some other 1st basemen with a track record and some upside.
Worth a minor league contract and an invite to spring training. Hope they can sign Lewin Diaz to minor league deal, he's a little younger and is a very good fielding 1st basemen.
He can, according to mlbtr. Just read the article. I wouldn't mind if the signed Diaz and Smith to MiLB contracts with invites to spring training. I personally like Diaz a little more but Smith has had success in the majors at one point.
Bowen left off the 40. How do you justify that with Alika Williams still on the 40? I mean he and CSN will not survive the winter.......clear them out, make some room for upgrades.
The posterchild of pitchers "cheating" their way to success just won the fucking CY Young award the year after the "crackdown" was strengthened.
The reckoning has yet to even begin over what complete, utter, total bullshit the entire fake "sticky stuff" controversy turned out to be.
Good point - his K% barely changed from 2019 to 2023 😀
Yet his best seasons per fWAR, k/9, fip, xera were all in Houston.
Did he win the CY Young fair and square this season? Absolutely. Did the sticky stuff help him in Houston? Absolutely?
Recency bias and all but my brain does not remember nearly this drastic of drop-off in system quality after the big post-2014 prospect push in the Huntington Era.
TA7 for a pillow contract at 2B?
Fair assessment lol
Oops alright apparently my memory has some rather large gaps, i rescind my statement!
I like that you pointed out that Ashcraft could be in the mix for Pirates this year.
If he had started rehabbing 1-2 months earlier he might have got a cup of coffee in 2023.
Of the “10 starting pitchers” BC said he wants on opening day I’m sure Ashcraft is one (probably will be in AAA though)
The "10 SPs" is gonna be hard to calculate. They're heavily skewed toward midseason. Brubaker is out until at least then. Burrows probably a little behind him. Jared Jones probably isn't ready yet. Skenes will be struggling with super two discomfort. Chandler and Solometo could pitch their way into the picture, but not before then at best. Ortiz and Priester probably need more AAA time. Roansy, too, but he's out of options.
If they just had one spot open, that'd be easy, but they have four. They can't afford to go out and sign four rehab guys. They need some definite, established starters. Not the sort of guys you just try to make do with until mid-season.
Is super two discomfort another name for a big 💩?
Was it 2016 when many of us thought that we might be okay despite not bringing in any impact pitchers that offseason because once we got past Super Two, we'd get Taillon, Glasnow, and maybe Kingham and be set for a pennant race?
If I'm remembering accurately, I'm worried that 2024 could be a repeat--the FO will convince themselves that we just need a short-fix because by June we can expect some combination of Skenes, Brubaker, Burrows, Ashcraft, Jones, ... then we'll get to June and Skenes will have some unexpected health issue, Bru will have a setback, Burrows will be limited in innings, Ashcraft will be converted to a reliever to avoid a big jump in innings, Jones will also be struggling with command, ...
The Vogelsong and Niese debacle.
Exactly. Unless they’re counting Ortiz, Contreras and Jackson. And hopefully not falter.
Yinz heard anything on Kranick?
Nothing new. He appeared to be healthy at the end of the season. Before he got hurt, they seemed to have decided he was better as a reliever. He had huge problems the second time through a lineup. During his rehab, though, they seemed to be stretching him out. He was up to 3-4 innings in his last few starts. Could be they just wanted him throwing more after the layoff. They've never made any definitive pronouncements about him. He's kinda under the radar now, but he should be in the mix in March.
My only real thought was that we should protect ashcraft and then we did so cool
So the Nationals DFA’d Dom Smith. He had an OPS+ of 92 this year and 0.9 WAR per Baseball Reference. I watch a lot of Nats baseball and Smith is a solid defensive first baseman whose ability to drive the ball has vanished. His career is a mystery: 168 OPS+ for the Mets in the COVID season in 2020 at the age of 25, then almost nothing at the plate since.
I doubt there’s a fix at this point to return him to that 2019-2020 player, but I wonder if the Pirates will take a shot.
I’d rather they shoot higher at 1B than Dom Smith. How about swing a trade for Mountcastle? MLBTR speculates he’s a trade candidate this winter.
He’d be a significant upgrade to anyone who’s manned 1B for Bucs in a long time.
I hope they aim higher as well, but Smith and Diaz should be a priority on minor league contracts for competition. Get at least one of them in the system, then get a Mountcastle or some other 1st basemen with a track record and some upside.
Mountcastle is solid, but I don’t think he has much upside.
I agree with that, I do think getting out of Camden will increase his homerun production. PNC probably isn't much better though.
Is he the player who hit 33 HR’s a couple years ago, or the one who hit 17 last year?
If it’s the former, than he has a ton of upside.
Only problem, according to statscast PNC is one of the home parks that would hurt his power numbers just as bad as the remodel of Camden.
Hope he doesn't end up in Cincinnati, that's one of the parks he'd do well in.
Worth a minor league contract and an invite to spring training. Hope they can sign Lewin Diaz to minor league deal, he's a little younger and is a very good fielding 1st basemen.
Wasn’t Diaz claim by everyone last offseason?
Yep, I think Baltimore claimed him twice lol
Went from Miami to the Bucs to Baltimore, to Atlanta, back to Baltimore to FA now.
Seems like somebody would probably claim him. If not, they should have a good chance of signing him to a MiL deal because they can offer opportunity.
Does Smith have the ability to decline the assignment?
I think he can.
Probably not, so they’d have to claim him.
He can, according to mlbtr. Just read the article. I wouldn't mind if the signed Diaz and Smith to MiLB contracts with invites to spring training. I personally like Diaz a little more but Smith has had success in the majors at one point.