1984Echoes

Montero wasn't good enough to force his way into Detroit (permanently) or to avoid the dreaded "opener". Hinch was doing whatever he could to give Montero an edge... and to win games. I don't think it was "stupid"... I think instead it was VERY telling of where Montero is at... Toledo. I think SGL is much better than that... but, we'll see. Jobe was the only starter less effective than Montero (mostly due to walks, but Jobe had a higher K/9, upside, and HR's only 1 every 7 innings versus Montero's 1 every 5 innings...); but you can easily see the higher potential. I still think Montero ends up in the bullpen and will be more effective there than as a starter. He's missing too much to make it as a starter... unless he finds a "huge leap" somewhere up his sleeve. Given our current lack of health with our starters however...

Excluding Cris Rodriguez (because I think Scott Harris would do so...); I would not trade our top 5 prospects or CR... but EVERYONE else 6-30 (and lower) is tradable to me. I'm not trying to trade the whole farm system either. 2 or 3 key pickups should be enough of a pick-me-up for the team... Eugenio Suarez to cover 3B? Would he cost #6 and #23? Right now that is Hao Yu Lee and Zach Swanson. Or do we just call up Lee and give him a shot? Maybe he becomes the new (and younger) Ibanez? We can mix and match 2B-SS-3B between Torres-Keith-Baez-Sweeney-Lee. Would Aroldis Chapman cost #6 and 23? More than that? An arm and a leg? Isn't that Madden and Franyerber? (An arm and a leg... get it?) A decent reliever or two (not at Chapman's level)? Jaden Hamm (7), Owen Hall (9), Troy Melton (11), Franyerber (12), Ty Madden (13), Schiefelbaum (14) should all be in consideration. Obviously not all of them, but 1 of them for each reliever (whether that is one or two) plus other lower prospects to complete the package.

Brieske's line was looking Grosske... But Olson's line looked quite nice. And I prefer Olson over Brieske because Olson would be a HUGE boost to our rotation. IMO, Brieske is a replaceable arm, Olson much less so.

He's got two really nice-looking nasty pitches... but if one of them isn't working then... It just seems like he needs more. Another effective pitch (or two), better control, etc... IMO, he'll end up in the bullpen before long and "might" be really effective with just two pitches... But I'm just guessing...

A changeup. Hopefully not a Jeremy Bonderman changeup.

PS: That also means I'm not counting us as a Stanley Cup contender this year or the next. But I'm working on a different timeline... I'm considering where I would like this team to be AFTER the next two years. IE: Let's say we chose Eklund over Carbonneau. Who is Ekland? I know a fantastic play-making Center... What can he become? What is his upside? Again... just some thinking "outside the box"...

We'd have to take a contract or two and waive them... per the Dumba idea above... Just trying to think outside the box. I don't think Yzerman would do it because he is demanding (Larkin) step it up to an even higher level (especially on the leadership side) and he'll want to see how that plays out. I think we have a couple of #2/3 Centers next year+ (Copp/ Kasper/ Danielson) if we didn't have Larkin... definitely leaving a huge hole... unless Kasper rises to the occasion... I don't know if he has that level in him... Just thinking outside the box. Robertson is definitely a skillset that we don't have in the Org... And I would definitely be interested in seeing a Robertson-Kasper-Raymond line...

Heresy: Trade Larkin for Robertson?

I am 99.999% certain Harris is not trading Cris Rodriguez for David Bednar.

That would be a heavy mix of Tork, Torres, and Dingler, amongst others...

So the easy remedy... Is for Trump and all his Republican cohorts to send their children and grandchildren out to the fields to pick all the avocados. But that's just me. I know Trump's remedy will be different: He'll offer free labor to all the farmers: Prison inmates. $0 cost to farmers. $0 salaries paid. And who could Trump possibly want to incarcerate at sky-high rates...? Hmmm... let me think on that one...

If Israel took out the Ayatollah that would definitely merit a National Security team meeting.

I think it is much, much, much worse than that. I believe that Trump/the GOP have SPECIFICALLY made the decision that American life expectancies are too long. And living too long costs too much money in Social Security/ Medicaid/Medicare, etc. The Oligarch Party wants workers filling in 14-hour days with untaxed OT. Child Labor. Stripped health coverages, stripped health insurance, stripped disease prevention, etc. The harder and faster workers work, and then die, the less costly in taxes to the GOP. To the billionaires. To the Oligarchs. And the more they can cut taxes for billionaires... the happier they are. So... Work your ASSES off Americans!!! And as SOON as you can die, the bigger the smiles on our Oligarchic faces!!! DON'T cost us Social Security and taxes! just DIE before turning 62!!! Please. Signed Donald J. Trump and his Billionaire/Oligarchic buddies. Oh... and Elon Musk too.

I am hoping for an earlier move rather than a "wait till the trade deadline" move. I know they've occurred in prior seasons. But I don't know if that means it's a more expensive prospect cost (because of jumping ahead of the line...) or what the impact is of those earlier type trades. I would only say that... I don't want to endanger/derail our momentum this season with potential struggles due to pitching issues. There might be zero potential of that... Hinch may be able to manage through whatever pitching issues we have... Or the struggles are minor, and the team plays right through them, staying on top in the division... I'd just rather be eager (yes, I am...) to add a couple arms as soon as possible to keep this winning pace going at the same rate... rather than wait till the last second... Just my 2 cents.

ONE CAVEAT: I would agree as long as this does NOT involve nerve damage. If it's tendonitis or some such in his pinky I am certain rest will do the job... But...

I believe those four rings have a lifetime shelf life and will taste pretty good until... Forever. The current iteration of their team... However...

Lot of good points/ posts in Politics this morning... I especially like, and am aggravated (constantly), by the Republican Guilty Party bolded part. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.

I don't think I'm going to doubt it. I think I will choose to be inspired about it. Thank you U.S. soldiers!!!

WenCEEL!!!

Happy Father's Day to all the Motown Morons where that shoe fits...!

I'm on board. Have at it Harris. Do your best.

PS: There are other players on other NON-Central teams that I like more... I just wanted to ask the question...

Interesting players on the rosters of our fellow Central Division competitors: Cleveland: Bo Naylor, LH Catcher; Cade Smith, RH Reliever at 2.05/ 0.96/ 12.65 (career ERA/ WHIP/ K's/9). Minnesota: Brooks Lee, switch-hit 3B'man; Griffin Jax, RH Reliever at 4.04/ 1.14/ 10.0 (career ERA/ WHIP/ K's/9). KC: Jonathan India, RH'd 3B'man; Steven Cruz, RH'd reliever. CWS: Ed Quero, switch-hitting Catcher, Tyler Gilbert, LH'd reliever. Question: Should we consider a trade with one of our competitors if it's a trade Harris & Hinch like?

No. "Struggling" means losing games. Think 4-6 or 3-7 in the last ten games. That's struggling. "Scuffling" means playing .500 ball. Not surging ahead... but not "struggling" either. It's less bad. More akin to "treading water". In my grammatical opinion.

Also... Roberto Campos or Trei Cruz if someone wants to take that swing, pitching like Melton/ Hamm/ Madden/ etc. so I think an arm or two could be in play. If it's a reliever like Hoffman or Miller or Finnegan as suggested above... I don't think the price is exorbitant but I don't know what other teams' priorities are. A couple of lower-level swings, or one higher level prospect? So... Just guessing...