BTS

You'd think they could have picked up a couple lotto tickets for these guys if they were willing to east most of the money owed. Even if Ozuna is a pinch hitter and Iglesias is the 4th or 5th option in someone's pen - they're at least rosterable for a contender I think.

I reject the question, on the basis that its stupid. But I'll answer the more pertinent question: how many good orgs make meaningful investments in relievers? And... its basically all of them. Look at the investments some respected teams have made in their current pens: - The Dodgers invested 13M in Yates, 72M in Scott, 22M in Treinen, traded 3 prospects for Kopech - The Orioles spent 8M on Dominguez, 10M on Kittredge, traded prospects for Soto. Two years ago spent 14M on Kimbrel. - Guardians traded Kluber for Clase (controllable!), spent 7M on Sewald. Etc... Good teams invest in the bullpen. They don't just rely on pulling good relievers out of their asses. Even the "pitching factory" teams like Baltimore. Toronto invested in Varland today. They used prospect capital instead of cash. That cash will be spent elsewhere. There's a decent chance Toronto just thinks Roden sucks. They had him slapping the ball around at AAA at almost 26 years old. We'll see how it plays out, but they've not typically been wrong in this kind of evaluation.

Good teams don't really operate this way, mostly because there's an opportunity cost to running through a gaggle of shitbags with good STUFF and letting them get nuked until you maybe find one or two good ones. Even the teams we think of as being able to churn out relievers tend to keep the guys they think are good, and spend meaningful money to add to their pen. How did the Jays do last year "just finding" a stud reliever?

I still can't believe they didn't move anybody today.

I just don't see it with some of these teams. Rays added Jax and Houser. Lose Littell and Caballero. Red Sox added Matz and May Astros added Correa and Urias Phillies added Duran and Bader Dodgers added Call and Stewart. Lost May. I think Naylor and Suarez will be hugely impactful, and the Padres and Mets also added pretty big, but I'd take Bieber, Varland, and Dominguez over what a lot of these teams added.

You're acting like like Atkins paid for Zack Pop or Tommy Nance or something because he was giddy over 5 years of control. Varland's value comes in a few ways: 1) He's really good. This was definitely consideration #1. He's been excellent this year, and the FO definitely likes his pitch shapes and whatever else they're looking at enough to think he's going to continue being good. 2) He'll make the minimum next year. This is less of a consideration than #1. Much less of a consideration. But it's still important. Getting Varland locked in as the 8th inning guy means 10-15M can be spent on something else this offseason. That's enough to sign a Ryan Helsley. 3) He has 4 arb years after 2026. This is worth something to the team. There's value in having that control. But it's not driving the decision. They acquired Varland because they think he's a high end reliever.

Doval was optioned to AAA last year because his mechanics fell apart and he couldn't throw the ball over the plate. He finished the season replacement level with an ERA close to 5.

Haven't you been the guy arguing all afternoon that the years of control don't matter because relievers are fungible? But now Doval, who was terrible last year and has been just OK this year, is better than Varland because he was elite in 2023? Doval's stuff isn't what it was. It's been on the decline since 2022. Varland has one year of track record. The most important year: this year. His first year as a full-time reliever. In which his velo is up two ticks with shorter outings and he's been able to scrap his bad third pitch.

STUFF+ Varland 110 Doval 104 LOCATION+ Varland 104 Doval 99 ERA Varland 2.02 Doval 3.09 xFIP Varland 3.04 Doval 3.68 And Doval has pitched in SF. Can't wait to watch him meltdown and walk 3 guys in a row in classic Doval fashion then give up a 298 foot HR.

Hasn't been the case this year. I'd rather have Varland.

Who's the second reliever the Yankees got that's better than Varland?

How many teams added more talent to their MLB roster than the Jays over the last couple of days? If it wasn't enough, its because the team isn't good enough.

France is probably even odds to even survive on the roster until the playoffs

If you're valuing Alan Roden at 140M I completely understand your criticism of this trade.

Not sure he's a good candidate to go back to starting. He's been more effective this season because his fastball has played up in the pen (96 -> 98) and he's been able to scrap the change and go FB/breaking ball only. I think it's OK to just let him dominate as a late inning reliever.

You’re asking me why it matters that they’ll be paying a guy 800K instead of having to try to backfill the position at 10-15M?

Varland is going to make the minimum next season. An arm that caliber would cost 10+M to sign in FA. This kind of thing absolutely matters.

I think they prioritized getting a reliever who is really good. Varland is really good. And yeah, if th cost seems steep its because he's under control for 5.5 years. Becuase its good to have team control of good players.

We got 5.5 years of Varland. Yanks got 1.5 of Bednar.

wat

Varland is controllable for 5 years after this one.

Wow, Louis Varland is a massive addition

Braves fans are calling for AA to be fired, as it seems he's inexplicably decided not to trade any of the team's pending FAs. I wonder if he's depressed.

The Yankees believing that Spencer Jones is the second most valuable asset in baseball actually explains a lot about the current state of that franchise

Yeah. Their fans seem to be expecting it. Apparently they're looking for an OF or C, so would probably have to be a 3-way, with Suarez flipped for prospects then prospects being sent out for the help they need. Sean Murphy would make a ton of sense for them.