Needs: 1. Ace pitcher 2. Capable bat who can preferably play CF and lead off (does not have to be a star) 3. Veteran late inning reliever Wants: 1. Upgrade at catcher or backup catcher 2. Versatile veteran bat who can play the outfield I’m totally cool with leaving LF open for competition between McCormick, Straw, Toro, Jones, and Diaz. Maybe add a veteran NRI as insurance. But that spot can be easily cheaply addressed at the deadline if nobody pans out. Im even ok with not adding an ace in the offseason and addressing the rotation at the deadline. Greinke, Valdez, McCullers, Urquidy, and Javier is a fine quintet, with Pruitt, Whitley, Bielak, Garcia, and others as insurance. With the bullpen getting Smith back along with guys who should be locked in (Pressly, Taylor, Paredes, James, Pruitt), they really only need 1 good reliever, especially considering they will be able to use starters out of the pen in the playoffs. Projected 2021 OD roster: CF Springer (I think they get it done) 3B Bregman RF Tucker 2B Altuve DH Alvarez SS Correa 1B Gurriel LF Diaz C Maldonado Bench: Straw, Stubbs, Toro, McCormick Rotation: Greinke, McCullers, Valdez, Urquidy, Boyd (trade from Detroit) Bullpen: Javier, Pruitt, James, Paredes, Taylor, Smith, Pressly, Yates (free agent)
Want, from me: 1B (preferably lefty/switch hitter) who can spend next year in AAA and take over starting 2022. Maybe we can get Gavin Sheets from CHW, good prospect but very blocked in their system.
This isn't about short term. Would be nice to have someone for most of the decade. Father time is undefeated, and Gurriel showed some signs of regression down the stretch, though it could have just been a slump. I like the new deal because it gives us time to evaluate next year and see how things really stand. But nobody can play forever.
two extra years is a lot of time. First base isn’t a priority for us. We should be targeting pitching.
The young pitching is looking like it will keep the window open. If you can project 8 cumulative WAR per season from Valdez, Urquidy, and Javier, you’re 40% of the way to a World Series caliber pitching staff. Regarding 1B, I am not ready to write off Toro or Jones yet. I’d like to see them leave LF open for competition between young guys (Toro, Jones, McCormick, Straw, etc.) to see if they can unearth an everyday player. Will also be keeping an eye on Matijevic next season; his timeline would seem to coincide with Gurriel’s new contract.
I wouldn't. Not only is there a big financial risk, he isn't exactly a fan favorite. I'll leave it at that.
LF should be a position where it’s possible to find a guy on the scrap heap and get some production. This is where you trust Click to come up with an economical answer, and spend your budget elsewhere. Maybe it’s one of the guys you mentioned, maybe it’s another AAAA player blocked in another system that comes cheap (e.g., Domingo Santana, Teoscar Hernandez, Ramon Laureano, etc.)
