At least he's a true innings eater beside the sht pitcher we just got. Fck Kikuchi better win us the WS this year or Brown should be fired.
Seems even weird. Saw a note that Toronto wanted to get rid of Kikuchi in order to try to possibly avoid the luxury tax? Makes even less sense with the reported trade.
I just don't trust this front office anymore. Too many bad moves and non moves the last couple of years. Golden Age is over.
Not sure about untouchables… but certainly for a better return. would have taken an above average bullpen guy.
His interviews are cringe. Talks like a fan…I know they sometimes put on a persona but his deals have proven he’s in over his head or he’s simply doing what crane says.
I tend to be pretty optimistic when it comes to trades/FA additions/draft picks, so some of yall might disagree with this and that’s fine. But I think there’s a fairly decent chance this turns out to be an ok deal for us. Our pitching department is widely regarded as being one of the best in baseball. Especially when it comes to identifying veterans who we can bring in and fix and turn into quality pitchers. So if it’s true that the pitching brain trust loves Kikuchi then I’m going to choose to believe he can come in here and be a really solid pitcher for us the rest of the season. And if you look at all Kikuchi’s underlying numbers (FIP, xFIP, Sierra) on top of some surface numbers like K/9 he’s been really really good this season. He has an abnormally high BABIP which has caused his ERA to balloon. Moving onto the guys we gave up. I like Bloss, Loperfido and Wagner a lot. But taking a step back, looking at them realistically, odds are none of them will become guys we regret giving up. There’s a very good chance that none of them turn out to be what we hoped they could be. Loperfido has very clear K issues and has really only flashed for a couple of months. Wagner’s upside is probably a super utility player, but clearly the Astros don’t see him as a huge part of the future otherwise he would’ve been in Houston already. And Bloss probably profiles as a #3 starter long term if he reaches his absolute ceiling. Which is probably pretty unlikely. Put all of that together… if Kikuchi really is a guy they can quickly “fix” and if the prospects we gave up don’t amount to much (which it is statistically very likely that they won’t), then this is a fine trade. I also have to think there will be a strong desire to workout an extension with him if he comes in and shows that ability to adapt to what they want him to change, and they see his performance improve. So if you wind up with a legit #2-3 option for the next 2-3 years after this season, that becomes an even better trade. Like I said, this is me trying to look through an optimistic lense. It could turn out to be an awful deal. But I think there’s a fairly realistic path to it being a totally fine trade.
I don't get the move. He's averaged 5 1/3 IP per start during his career. You needed someone that is gonna give you length to help stabilize your rotation. This ain't it.
Haven't felt this way about a trade since that day in 2020 that has been referenced a couple of times.
I was hugely disappointed when we thought the deal was Bloss for Kikuchi. To now learn that we threw in Loperfido and Wagner? Stupid is a generous description of this trade. I'm texting Crane. I AM PISSED. Dana Brown should be fired for this. Seriously. FAIL HIM ON THE PHYSICAL AND GET OUT OF THIS HORRIBLE DEAL.
