I agree. IMO, making everyone available is how you become the Pirates/Royals. The constant shipping off of anyone with even a modicum of talent has to stop at some point in order to improve. The goal this season shouldn't be the same as the last 2. It should be in improvement and seeing what you have. I think we're seeing that we have some players to start building with. To me, if you're going to make players like Lyles, Castro, and Altuve available, you might as well make Singleton, Cosart, and any other high level prospect available. How about Appel? He and Lyles are nearly the same age. I bet he'd be worth something. If you trade the young major league talent we have now, you'll be doing it every season for the next 20. At some point, you have to stop the bleeding. Not losing 100 games for the 3rd consecutive season would do a lot for the psyche of the organization and the fans.
McLane was always willing to spend money on the big league team, which is kind of funny because that is the one thing he was usually criticized about. I don't think he ever truly understood how it really works though, or he wouldn't have ignored the farm.
All I can say is I sure hope you are right about Crane. I agree 100% about Luhnow. I would guess that if farm system rankings came out new today, we would certainly be in the top 5 overall. We seem to have a large number of legitimate major league capable prospects, and for the first time in a long time we have some highly thought of upside types. Singleton, Correa and Deshields are all typically ranked in the top 10 prospects at their position. McCullers and Appel seem to be top of the rotation potential guys. I just hope they see it through and keep them together long term. And I hope that at some point, we all get to watch them on tv
That isn't what the Pirates/Royals did. They traded guys close to FA. Entirely different situation, and actually much closer to what we did in trading Oswalt/Berkman/Bourn. They never maximized the value of stars because guys were going to be leaving for FA anyway, so teams weren't as willing to give up as much. See how much we got from Pence 2.5 years from FA. Lets say Baltimore offers you Gausman + change for Altuve. Do you reject a deal like that? I don't.
Ignoring the farm is an understatement. Even if the current slot structure enforcement been in place when McLane was around, he would have still found a way to try and low-ball every pick. In the end, you're presuming Jim Crane will do something that no owner in the history of baseball has done... somebody who has a decent market that supports a winner along with a cash-cow revenue generating stadium/tv deal... and yet he'll leave payroll at the same level even if the team is winning. Again, if Springer, Appel, Singleton, Correa all come up to the team... play 4-5 years together... and the team is still pretty crappy around the time some of their big contracts are due, I have no problem with ownership wanting to get younger/cheaper alternatives.
Yep..I'm not one of those who will tell you McLane was a bad owner. There was a time he owned the best overall organization in baseball...and it wasn't anywhere close to that at the time he bought it. But ultimately he gave up entirely on the minor league system, as you said.
They don't have a lot of top prospects, but they do have a number of high ceiling guys I'd be interested in. Any deal with them is going to have to net 3-4 prospects in return for Bud.
In hindsight, I think his minor league luck just ran out. One could argue that the back-to-back years of picking Berkman and then Lidge is one of the best two first-round pick combos of the modern era. Hell, those guys did more at the MLB level than Strasburg/Harper have (that will likely change... but you can't predict what injuries will do). Add the fact that they picked Oswalt the year before in 1996 as a flyer in the late rounds, and you have the three players who (in my opinion) were most responsible for the 2000's playoff teams (Oswalt-Berkman-Lidge) being picked three years in a row, all of them reaching their prime with the big league team at the same time. Signing only players who would take a slot discount eventually caught up to him... along with a virtual zero presence in the international market after Venezuela went away... is what ultimately doomed things, but if this current team comes close to the 1996-1998 draft run that the Astros accomplished, they'll be just fine.
So you are saying you are open to trading him. The stupidity of GMs surprises me regularly. I've said multiple times a deal for a guy like Altuve isn't likely, because there will be a huge premium on a proven commodity under control for the next 5 years.
This is so true, and probably relates to Daryl Morey's quote recently when someone asked him if other GMs don't want to do trades with him. His response was something like, "All GMs have huge egos - they win one championship and are convinced their way is the right way." So, in the baseball context, I think that means we should DEFINITELY look to trade with Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies.
When I see Lyles perform like he has lately, I can't help but think that because of his age so many kind of gave up on him because he wasn't performing well on the major league level before. Maybe part of him not performing well was because he just wasn't ready, mentally, developmentally or physically. He is still at an age where most people would still be in the minors... Then I see Altuve in the same situation, age and developmentally. But he IS having good success at the major league level already, and I can't help but think the chances for him to take another step forward, one that many don't think he has the ability to, as he matures. That is the reason i'm so high on him
when I see Lyles perform so well and have a sudden increase in velocity - I can't help but think he knew he was on his last chance and went the PED route. Right or wrong - that is what baseball has come to.
It's not very sudden. His velocity was nearly the same last season. His improvement has come from better fastball command and a much more consistent breaking pitch.
Yeah you're right, he must be juicing. No way somebody is still maturing mentally and physically at age 22.
reading is fundamental was pretty much written off with this latest trip up being considered one of his last ditch efforts (even considering age). Performed miserably in spring training and didn't even make team. Didn't perform well in AAA while down. Comes up and looks more confident - hit's 95 way more regularly - and doesn't get flustered as easily. Again - this is a pretty drastic change - and with the history of the last 10 years, it is easy to think there is a reason behind the change.
