Yesterday I wore a shirt that said : Brennan/dale 2024 My wife wore her shirt that said Catalina f’ing wine mixer over a picture of a helicopter. That’s how we do it Sunday after church.
How the **** do the dodgers always have prospects to trade for blockbuster trades? they’ve been good for a decade plus.
It's truly amazing that they only have that shitty 60 game Covid title to show for how awesome they've been for over a decade.
How many of the top prospects they trade away end up as stars? Alex Verduggo? Keibert Ruiz? Josiah Gray? They have a smart front office that they invest heavily in and much like the Astros did under Luhnow, identify over rated prospects and trade them rather than the ones they like. Also, whether it's because of reputation or big city bias, Dodgers prospects are always ranked higher and coveted more than they are worth, allowing the Dodgers to trade for star level players.
This x100. They are the antithesis of the Astros system. They get so much credit for their farm system being top of league but produce nothing. We get no credit but keep producing prospects. Has Gavin Lux done anything in his career yet? They have 7 players currently on their active roster that they originally drafted/signed (Knack, Miller, Stone, Smith, Lux, Pages, and Vargas). Their prospects are so over hyped that it creates a false level of value. So teams think they are getting a great player in a trade but are probably better off getting a lower rated prospect from another organization. Makes the Yordan trade even that more satisfying!
Astros are 6-0 since I posted this. They now just need to go 10-7 between now and the all-star break to be pretty firm buyers going into the deadline, with series against the Mets, Blue Jays, Twins, Marlins, and Rangers after today’s game with the Rockies; the Twins are the only one of those teams likely to make the playoffs. Assuming Verlander and Garcia are both expected to be back the end of July, my current top 5 Astros trade targets: 1. Jeimer Candelario, Reds 2. Vlad Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays 3. Yandy Diaz, Rays 4. Lamont Wade Jr., Giants 5. Pete Alonso, Mets
I like the Pete Alonso trade idea -- a change of scenery could reinvigorate him. His numbers are down a little this year, but still quality and the power remains. Still only 29 y/o.
I’m not all that excited about Houston giving up real prospects for a rental. I think the market would really have to turn against Houston for that to be their best move. Ideally, they’d get a multiyear 1B like Candelario or Diaz who could also be a potential option at 3B next season. That would take a lot of pressure off of them this offseason.
Trade deadline is still five weeks away so only time will tell what teams are still in the playoff hunt and thus who will be buyers and sellers. The Mets have been really hot lately as they've won 14 out of their last 18 games. So who knows if Alonso will be traded.
Yep, the extra playoff spots make the deadline more exciting but also very difficult for 60% of the teams to plan moves more than 1-2 weeks ahead of the deadline. Right now there are 8 surefire buyers and 5 surefire sellers, and we are only 5 weeks from the deadline. 17 teams still have their seasons hinging on the next 10-20 games.
I think the Astros are limited to a rental. Rebuilding the farm system with high end talent has been Brown's expressed priority. Trading for a guy w/ control will require giving those types of guys up, just like the Verlander trade last season. I think a rental makes more sense, and Christian Walker is the guy I would target. I also think Arizona would prefer young MLB talent, rather than prospects for him. Plus they have Strom. Maybe Whitley and Dubin? 2 guys he knows and thinks can be MLB contributors right away and also have 5+ years of control. Maybe they want more than bullpen pieces, but he is a rental after all.
I don’t think any of the 5 guys I listed should be prohibitively expensive. Diaz, Candelario, and Wade are 2nd tier players, not stars, and they all only have 1 year of control after 2024, plus they are all making arbitration salaries; the market may go crazy if the buyers let it, but for now I wouldn’t think any of those 3 guys would require any of Houston’s top 5 prospects. Alonso is a rental on a sizable salary, so even though he’s a star player, he’s unlikely to be super expensive unless the Mets cover most of the money he is still owed this season. I doubt any of Houston’s top 2-3 prospects would be in play there. Guerrero is a star and has another year of control, so his price might be high if another team is willing to overpay. But between the $20M he’s earning this year and the likely $30M he’ll make in his final arb year next season, his surplus value isn’t that high. Like I said, the market might go crazy but for now I think Houston should be able to get a non-rental for a reasonable price. 1B is not a high-value/high-demand position.
I am content to avoid the trade market and go with the best available in house options. Leon, Whitcomb, and Wagner are all ready to contribute now. Putting Leon in the outfield mix along with Tucker's return gives us 6 bats in the out field with a couple that are capable first basemen. Whitcomb can be a bench infielder or a first baseman and Wagner could too. We have plenty of pitching to get to the break and more than we will have room for returning. The 40 man roster will be overflowing in a few weeks and we will be selling or releasing out of necessity at the deadline to accommodate returning players. I think we will be trading an outfielder for prospects. Releasing Montero to free up roster and bullpen space. and selling on Singleton and/'or Cabbage.
The price would be Melton, Luperfido and Spaghetti if I'm taking Houston's call. Otherwise, It would be nice to have him at 1B.
Vlad is making $19.9M ( he won that amount in arbitration after a season with a good, not great .788 OPS) and that sets him up to make over $25M, maybe $30M in his final arb season next year. Toronto will want prospect value like he is making under $10M per season. He would be great, but at what cost?
That’s way too high imho unless Toronto is covering all his salary and adding a throw-in complex prospect.
