1984Echoes

And he is NOT playing at his 2022 level, he's playing at his 2020-21 level... Which was the point you and I were making all winter long. Expecting ONLY a 2022 repeat performance was NOT a reasonable expectation. I think Lee wanted him back too, although I don't remember any specific performance expectations or what his reasoning was.... But you and I both expected a 1.5-ish WAR performance (you), or better (me: a I expected a recovery to near 2020-21 levels), and... LOOK!!! He has a 3.2 WAR this year!!! It simply was a better offseason decision (not counting money) to jettison Schoop (sunk cost) and free up 2B (easier position to fill than 3B) to be filled with youngsters trying to grab a starting position spot and to invest arbitration money ($7 mill or so...) in a competent 3B'man, who, if PUSHED out of his job by a youngster then fine, trade him at the deadline, even if the return isn't all that much. Which meant hold onto Candy and dump Schoop. Easy position swap. If not trade deadline, then hold onto him until FA and let him walk for a draft pick (would he have gotten us a draft pick? dunno...). But then again... you know... spilt milk... So c'est la vie...

I would say this: If Harris's development team can coax out major steps forward for Roberto Campos & Christian Santana and Josue Briceno (I'll add Dingler in here too, and maybe even Trei Cruz)... Then I am giving MAJOR props to both Avila for selecting those guys and Harris for developing those guys... IMO.

He also went for power a lot... With zero hit tool attached or MAJOR swing holes attached... Far too often.

He also picked Parker Meadows, Colt Keith, Bigbie, Wenceel Perez, etc... Those guys have had some ups and downs... But Avila picked them. I like a LOT of players that Avila picked. But I feel more comfortable with Harris's development team with those and any of our minor league guys (picked by Avila OR Harris). Hands down.

My incomplete assessment on that trade is that Harris holds responsibility because he's the "man in charge"; but Eduardo was the one holding the bloody dagger in his hand. ER killed the deal, unexpectedly to both Harris & Friedman. Based on what came out subsequent to the deadline, I am comfortable absolving Harris of blame for the failed trade, except for the "man in charge" responsibility portion of it... On Candelario: I think that was a bad decision; I was adamant it should have been Schoop dumped and Candy held onto (which would have cost an additional $7 mill or so...); but if it was based on salary control and out of Harris's control because of that, what chas is alluding to I believe, then what amount of blame goes to Harris if it's out of his control? Zero? I love that he cleaned up the PD team and it's showing early results. That's a major key for me. We've GOTTA be a draft & development organization... IMO. I give him a solid B++ And needing more time to really establish his bona fides. If he gets us to a perennial playoff team, that bumps to an easy A for me, maybe even an A+ but we'll see how that goes in the next couple of years...

Ukraine will win. One man's opinion: (From the Telegraph): https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-war-turning-ukraine-favour-050000203.html

😉

Don't bash me for saying this, but... Pounding a team in the first inning like this (can't we do this every game please?)... Brings back echoes of 1984...

That's the insanity... He's demolishing AAA, And flopping completely and totally in MLB. He's gotta figure this out somehow.

Dude, this is the internets... we can go in any direction we wanna... And that's exactly what I expect... So have at it!!!

This would be my choice, bat him 9th. He stays the starter at SS... and methinks he isn't opting out... until someone, ACTUALLY, pushes him out of his starting SS gig. If no one can push him out, then he stays there.

Skenes is in AA already...? Damn!

I didn't see Fox News on that list: "Fox News Fascist Zero Factuality"

Gotcha. Thanks!

And Jung right behind them. I would think concentrating on pitchers for the next year + is the priority... While all of these kids in the field sort themselves out, one way or the other...

I would wait until the 2024 offseason, not this offseason, to look for a middle infielder if it's still a need. You have Keith, Wenceel, and Eddys Leonard all coming up next year. They could all flop. Or they could stick. But I'd want to know that before committing any dollars (FA) or trade capital there.

And... Probably next is Jeimer Candelario.

The addition of competitive balance by using a draft, specifically for, and as demanded by, small market teams, had the additional benefit of suppression of payments (bonuses). Win-win for owners.

Mattison's a guy I've been keeping an eye on this year... He looks really, really good... I was thinking from a closer perspective... but maybe as a starter? What does he throw? Slider? Curveball? Change? Speed and movement and control of his FB?

The demographic change over the next 15 years will make them irrelevant.

Well... Hopefully... It won't matter to us in 2025. Just gotta start making some improvements in our record...

I believe he did get pushed out the door. Not in the Vladimir Putin sense... that is. But rather, in the Murdoch/ Fox sense... "You didn't MAGA so **** you and here's the door..."

Can they have two QB's on the practice squad? Because I'm fine with Blough as an emergency QB. Martinez is nowhere near being that. But I'd still like him on the PS to develop him, and to show as the running QB in practices, that we could use... IMO.

Julian Okwara to IR and re-signed Craig Reynolds. Expected. Also resigned David Blough to the practice squad and to be the #3 QB.

I'll throw another oddball chance in here: Harris tried to trade Jake Rogers to the Dodgers at the deadline. I know Eduardo was the headliner... but if the rumors were correct, he was a part of the trade. IMO: (A) Harris may be willing to move Rogers this offseason. Maybe he's looking to the future? (B) The other part of the Dodgers rumor was we were getting a catching prospect back. I'll take Dalton Rushing please, even though he's a few years away... The Dodgers have lots of decent catching prospects... maybe they think Rushing is expendable? He's a LH'ed catcher with power... That would make Kelly the vet starter as they bring up Sands and/or Dingler next year to be shepherded by Kelly. Maybe Harris thinks Kelly is a better shepherd than Haase?