1984Echoes

Stevie keeps saying he wants Gost back. Maybe he means it?

Water under the bridge. Or spilt milk. Choose your metaphor.

Two Thumbs UP.

You forgot Jobe.

Greene and Keith and possibly Skubal look like they'll be here for the long haul. Carpenter (and Olson, I forgot Olson) too. Those are some pretty big Avila thumbprints. Without even getting to Faedo, Brieske, Meadows, Jobe, Dingler, others... which we don't know about yet...

I'm fully on board the Matt Roy bandwagon...

They need to find one. That would be my first priority in trading Flaherty. I mean, best player package we could get for him... But I would be hoping a blocked SS with some ability would be a part of that package, or the headliner...

Well that sucks... At the surface level at least... I can't believe trading Walman would actually be a COST to us. I mean, what the hey...? so... what are those future considerations anyways...?

I liked what Gibson was showing so far also... This is my first thought. Two prospects for the price of one. And Kisskinen looks like a serious 2-way player which I've been screaming about for awhile now... But this is really where my head is at right now. Just a WAG... Could Yzerman be looking for a 1st round trade up for Sennecke or one of the Defenseman mocked at going ahead of the Wings' pick? I would love to add Sennecke. Or do they sit and grab Brandsegg-Nygard (if he makes it to 15) and make a move up with the two 2nds to grab someone that is falling...?

I wouldn't trade Tork until at least the end of next year's spring training. Simply put: to see if the light bulb can turn on in Tork's head, or not.

I LOVE it when TRUTH COMES OUT!!!

We'll see about that pretty soon I'm thinking... For better or for worse...

PS: And I don't think that is unreasonable.

But as for Dingler: 2021: High A .287 BA, .925 OPS. 2022: second time through AA (his first pass in 2021 he struggled badly): .238 BA, .752 OPS. 2023: 3rd time in AA: .253 BA, .833 OPS 2024: second time through AAA (his first pass in 2023 he struggled badly): .287 BA, .858 OPS. My hope is that if he got called up this year (either/or after trade deadline if Kelly is traded; if not: September) he might struggle initially, but by next year he would start showing flashes that would boost him as better than Rogers 2.0. You offered .210/ .300/ .400. I'll offer .240 to .260 (range over the years 2025 to 2030), .330/.450 average OPS of .780.

I will do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to avoid becoming a bitter old man. I hate even thinking of that. I've seen it in grocery stores where two 80 years olds (Boca Raton, FL, a long time ago) are screaming at each other at the top of their lungs: "You weren't in the meat department. You were SUPPOSED to meet me in the MEAT department!!!" Etc. Yeesh. No, I prefer my mostly upbeat optimistic basic core personality. I'm good with that.

I would think it would send the EXACT OPPOSITE message. "If you don't take this job/ sport 100% seriously with 100% dedication, you might fail just as easily as 1-1 Tork did. Please give it your all." I don't think most of these kids even need this message because I am guessing MOST of them will do absolutely anything/ everything to make it to The Show. Some guys... no message will sink in. Sort of like Tork: it seems like he's been too close-minded to let any kind of messaging sink in. Well... Toledo is the message. But for 1 or 2 guys... maybe it would sink in. "Give it your all, no matter the talent level, it's the only way to succeed." That seems like the correct message to me. IMO. I don't see how any prospect would ever say "Oh, they traded Tork, I don't care anymore." I mean, seriously, who would think/ act like that? That seems just way too far in outer space to have any kind of validity. IMO.

100% Need to wait him out at least through mid-way next year to see if the light bulb can go on with him. After that... I'm more open to considering a struggling player for struggling player swap...

He might not be Freehan or Parrish... But I think he'll be better than Rogers 2.0. Just a WAG.

I think those guys are two different animals and therefore not tradeable together... Flaherty is hot, and contenders will be hot for him. Contenders will have no interest in Tork whatsoever (IMO). If you want to goose a Flaherty trade that means Flaherty + Canha, or Kelly, or some other useful piece that a contender would want. That's not Tork. Maybe, + a reliever? Tork is for a rebuilding team that wants to take a chance on getting something more out of him than we have. A team that has a blocked guy or struggling prospects of their own. "Start-over" guys, or "second chance guys" if you will. That means Tork, and/or Baddoo/(Malloy?), and/or one of many of our pitchers... For guys that are struggling in their system. (Whoever that team may be...). Just my 2 cents...

I had this weird fantasy once-upon-a-time that Manning could turn into another JV. Long and lanky, uber-athletic, fires missiles at home plate. But there's nothing Manning has that's like JV, not the stamina, not the repeatability, not the secondary pitches, not the control, certainly not any consistency. That little fever dream is evaporating. Errr, evaporated.

I would rather Baddoo go down than Malloy. I know Malloy is not much in the field... But I'd rather give him more run. I feel like there's nothing else to learn about Baddoo.

Yes, he does. I don't know what kind of "stuff" these under-the-radar guys have though. For any of these guys, I'd say they need to have a good FB and at least 1 good secondary pitch, for starters. I would look at Jake Miller and Zach Lee (23) and Hamm (21), maybe even Rayner Castillo (20) too. All at Lakeland except Hamm at A+. That I don't know. They're dominating lowers, keeping walks and WHIP down. I have no idea what kind of upside though...

I think he's been streaky. And that's probably the result of adjustments going back and forth between him and the pitchers trying to shut him down. He hit .342 with a .881 OPS in May... that seems positive. Followed by a .536 OPS in June. But .306 and a .787 OPS in the last 15 days...

That depth is still ripening on the vine...

Everybody else is looking middle-reliever-ish, at best...