RatkoVarda

I assume the Tigers will go after FAs they want to go after, regardless of who their agent is

the Brewers are probably moving on from Corbin Burnes instead, but trading for Adames this winter and extending him is another way to go. player price would be high but he is coming off a bit of a down year. defensively that would work, with Rogers-Adames-Baez-Meadows up the middle most days, then you can tolerate some lesser gloves on the corners.

tale of 2 teams. Os traded 3 top 25 guys from a loaded system for garbage pitcher they hope would turn around. Flaherty was bad for STL and the Os had him in the BP in September. With their system, they could have made a huge swing for literally any pitcher. The Rangers told their players, coaches and fans, they were going for it and got Max. Maybe he comes back from IL by WS, but he made sure they got a WC spot. Edit: I'll add the Rangers made the first deadline trade, getting Chapman early. That worked out OK for regular season, not so much in playoffs. They called up Carter early, which "unnecessarily" started his clock. And of course they actually spend real money on free agents. That's how it's done.

Skubal, Mize, Rogers only locks. No on Meadows, Wingenter. ? on Alexander. Baddoo and Turnbull traded IMO.

Cronenworth could be had for very little player capital as Padres need to move salary. Could easily do worse. Might be able to do better.

Trump's limitless stupidity may save us all yet; as Chutkan considers the "gag order" in DC, a lowly NY judge issues his own after Trump attacks his clerk. Obviously need to eventually issue one in every case, though Loose Cannon will let him rant freely.

when you have good TV and radio guys, they become part of the fabric of the team's identity - Harwell, Dickerson, Kell, Kaline. the Bally broadcast is just awful - seems aimed at casual fans with lots of things to distract from the actual game at least they tried a lot of guys this year, so that's good

LAD payroll is pretty clean (even if they do sign Ohtani) but Muncy and Michael Busch look to be the exact same player, so maybe they do move on from the older guy with a lot more injury risk

one big picture thing to keep in mind is what's happening in SF with Harris's old friends. Zaidi fired Kapler and admitted he is next if he cannot figure out how to improve the team. does this sound familiar? constant platooning by Kapler met with jeers when it does not work; frequent dumpster diving on the waiver wire with constant churn at the end of the roster; making a few attempts to land a big fish FA but always falling short; no impactful trades. Ilitch will, I assume, have a lot of patience, more than SF (or Boston where Bloom got axed in part because he did not want to make a mistake and trade the wrong prospects), but next year's free agents will only be more expensive than last year's free agents.

that dude needs a 3rd plane real bad

best buddy with HS Kim so assumption is he's joining SD, who need CFer, not sure how they fit him in budget though

Pederson is a horrible fit because he's primarily a DH; excellent strawman to use to explain why they should not spend.

Lorenzen did not make WC round roster for Philly

sweet 6 innings from Jobe then Flores, but 2 BBs? Unacceptable!

no one wants to sign a FA who doesn't work out. but how about Cory Seager, Marcus Simien, Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray? if the Rangers don't sign those guys, they are finishing in 3rd place, dreaming about one day being relevant

3 of those are coming off injury, 1 has 100 solid innings, and 1 will be in bullpen

Harris came out and said he is not negotiating with ERod pre-opt out. He's gone; and they won't lift a finger to dissuade him.

Bader, JH Lee, Bellinger, Hader, Montgomery, Snell, Yamamoto, Nola, Merrifield, Ursula - all could help in various degrees

same. he's gone. Harris is not going to show him love or money. Tigers, perhaps correctly, think they can attract similar talents for less $$$ based on what Fetter and CO have been able to do. with ERod gone, they almost certainly will have a payroll well under 100M so Ilitch will be happy

and did they ask him about his non-existent opt-out clause?

it is a close call, but I'll guess yes; he will mostly play CF I think

it would be shocking if the Tigers are able to finish at .500 - let alone contend for the playoffs - while starting 3, and later 4, rookies. I am looking forward to seeing what Meadows, Keith and Malloy can do, but I also know that it is entirely possible, if not likely, that they all see some time in Toledo next year, as well. I think people should be more realistic about Jung for 2024; he has only 200 PA above A ball; if he gets a September 2024 call-up, that would aggressive considering Harris' usual approach.

you're gonna want to plug "Urias" into your google machine