Why now? Why not just let Zimmermann play out his contract and re-evaluate next year. You can always chase Price/Kuma/Cueto/Zimmermann/Samardzija/Greinke a year from now if you're inclined. A $200 M commitment to a pitcher just so you can move Zimmermann before he walk is pretty reckless IMO.
There really isn't much to suggest that Shields has started to decline. He's entering his age-33 season, so there's always that concern, but through 2014 his performance has held steady.
Four playoff berths in six years and an AL pennant. But my post was made to draw attention to the incredibly stupid idea that A) they were carried by their pitching, and even if this were true it would invalidate their success.
Obviously we're a long way from making that decision, but if everyone performs as we reasonably expect them too going forward, I hope Donaldson is made into a long-term priority even if it means walking away from Bautista or Edwin. Four years of control taking him to his age-33 season. There's potential there to have a franchise type of talent for 7-8 years without ever really breaking the bank the way you typically would have to for a player of his calibre. Donaldson not hitting free agency until 33 gives the team a lot of flexibility. There will be no $100+ million guaranteed mega-deal for him.
I was about to make a joke about how he'd enjoy playing with Perry, Getzlaf, Nash, Richards, and Stamkos in a couple of years. Then I stumbled on this:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/the_spin/2014/01/stamkos_figures_to_be_leiweke_s_long_term_target_for_leafs.html
The Leafs media is shamelessly pathetic.
V-Mart got 4/17 entering his age-36 season. Edwin (34) and Bautista (36) should be able to get at least that if their performance holds up over the next two years.
It doesn't really get more 'all in' than they were going into 2013. The farm system was depleted and payroll was taken to top-10 in the league with a roster of expensive veterans.
I dunno, take any team's projected rotation entering 2013 and see how many of the protected 5 are legitimately solid starters now. For veteran proven rotations you might have 2. If two of Norris/Stroman/Hutchison/Hoffman/Osuna look like valuable rotation members (or like they will soon be in the case of the last two) the team has done well.
More likely is that by 2017 Hoffman and Osuna have both turned into pumkins, one of the Norris/Hutch/Stroman trio sucks, another went down to TJS, and the third is awesome. I really wish the team's best prospects were hitters.