True.
But some poor teams probably can't even gamble the QO for fear it might get accepted. I guess it usually works though, like with BJ Upton leaving Tampa.
Yep. Owner has all but said as much
Price and his 10+ Mil will be gone and they'll spend less than that on other needs.
Longoria's contract then really sticks out like a sore thumb on the team, but he's actually worth every penny
Oakland and Tampa have shown that a smart frugal front office can assemble a good team that can win 90 games. But to ask those teams to win three post season series against teams with $$$ is too much to ask. One of them will get lucky every once and a while and stay healthy and have a good run and beat some of the giants, but the odds are stacked heavily against them every year.
Yep. If they keep doing what they're doing they will always be good but probably never good enough to get through 3 post season series.
That's what I wanted the Jays to become under AA. "The Rays with money". A good cheap young starting rotation mostly developed through the draft, a solid core of talent, but with the money to keep guys like Lawrie beyond their arbitration years, and the money to sign a key free agent when you really need to plug a hole.
Obviously it's not happening.
True. But if they trade Price they're an injury away from having a bad starting rotation. If they trade Price then lose Moore or Archer they're f***ed. They've been lucky (and smart with development maybe is a big part of it) with their starters. Only one major injury to a starter in the last 5 years? You don't see that very often.
Verlander 8 IP, 2H, 1 BB, 10K, 0ER, after the other gem he threw in game 2?
f*** me...
If they make it to the WS no one will even remember what a sub par (for him) regular season he had. He's still such a beast.
When they trade Price they will be a worse team in 2014 too, no matter how good the prospects they get back are
They're just never QUITE good enough. And you're right, extra $ (even 30-40 M) could fix that.
Yeah I like Leyland and many of their players
I just want to see Oakland make it to the WS, I feel bad for these repeated first round losses
They just keep getting Verlandered
Good point. Sometimes the best teachers aren't always the ones who actually do it best. But they have to understand what they're teaching well and be good at evaluating and advising. Maybe Carter would work, maybe he wouldn't.