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If Pollock can stay healthy he could be a big difference maker for the White Sox. Big upgrade over Adam Engel or whatever other fringe piece they would have started in RF.

It was an awful take at any point in time.

It is pretty funny how their best writers/analysts keep getting picked up by team front offices so they get left with the scraps. Szymborski is the only one I consistently enjoy these days.

Haven't you heard? One specific play in a spring training game completely changes a player's outlook.

This trade is just kind of...whatever? I'm mostly curious about how much of Grichuk's salary is getting dumped.

That was a really good throw by Jansen.

ITT: Deadpool tries to put out a fire with a water pistol while Laika pours gasoline on it.

At least until he demands a trade after getting frustrated with Rockies management.

I think this is the likely scenario. The Guardians are cheap but they seem to still have ideas about contending this year because the Central is always winnable. If they're out of it at the deadline then trading Ramirez becomes much more likely.

Volume and also MLB ready pieces (for the most part). Even the A's are well known for trading their stars once they get expensive, I respect that they never do a complete teardown followed by several years of tanking. Most likely the A's are going to be mediocre but not horrible for the next couple years and then they'll be back in the contending picture once some prospects emerge and they find some of their usual diamond in the rough players like Laureano or Donaldson.

I don't see it. Ramirez is an elite player and would cost elite prospects, likely Moreno + Pearson and some lesser pieces. I think Shatkins will be reluctant to give up that kind of value after the Chapman and Berrios trades already took some bites out the system's depth.

They'll arrive when the Blue Jays take their first loss of the season.

Haven't been on this board much lately but did people have their hearts set on Jose Ramirez or something? This is an awesome trade. The return is very reasonable and Chapman could be another potential star in the lineup. If not, his defense still makes him an above average regular. Very excited about that; it's been a long time since the Jays have had an elite infield defender and this should take some pressure off of Bichette on the left side.

Kikuchi would be fine on a one year deal. I'm guessing Shatkins is looking for their next Matz type in a low risk deal to fill out the 5th spot.

I like how this thread quickly devolved into a BJMB public masturbation confessional.

I've always felt like he was going to be the type they use for 3-4 innings after Font opens, but hopefully he can hold his own as a starter seeing as most of our pitchers are either made of glass or have a decent chance of being terrible.

I'd be down for a return of the powder blue alternates.

I'm fine with this punishment. I've seen a lot of complaints that it isn't harsh enough but Luhnow and Hinch's careers in baseball are effectively over(probably Cora's as well), even without an official ban. I would speculate that Jim Crane agreed to take his own action in firing them in cooperation with Manfred's investigation. Any team that hires them in the future is in for a major PR hit. The $5M fine is nothing, but losing your two top draft picks for the next years should hurt. Plus, in the court of public opinion, the 2017 title is going to be forever tainted. I was never expecting or hoping for individual players to receive punishment, but I am surprised that Carlos Beltran is specifically mentioned as an orchestrator of the scheme but isn't likely to be punished.

Seeing as it's the new year we're getting close to scrap heap reliever signing season! I'm sure in the mood for some cheap one year signings, hope you are too. Some guys I wouldn't mind taking a look at: Dominic Leone, RHP - The former Blue Jay has ranged from mediocre to terrible in the past two seasons with the Cardinals. His walks and home runs spiked last season which led to him getting released in November, but his K/9, SwStr%, and fastball velocity have remained consistent. I bet he could he easily had on a minor league deal. David Phelps, RHP - Another former Jay I wouldn't mind bringing back. Had some shaky peripherals last year but also a fairly small sample of innings. Has a pretty consistent track record overall for his career. I can't see him topping the $2.5M guarantee he got last offseason, and I think he could still return some value at that price. Dan Otero, RHP - He's been roughed up by a sky high HR/FB% the last couple years after being very good in the two seasons before that with the Indians. At 35, maybe he's cooked, but his K/BB numbers have remained excellent and he shouldn't command anything more than a minor league deal with performance incentives. Luis Avilan, LHP - 5.06 ERA in 32.0 IP with the Mets, but has a pretty solid track record as a LOOGY since 2012. Another guy who is likely looking at a small guarantee w/ incentives. Robbie Erlin, LHP - Was outrighted by the Padres and elected free agency. Has posted strong K/BB numbers in his career, including 2019, but got hit with a .373 BABIP which inflated his ERA to 5.37. Was almost exclusively a reliever last year but has started in the past. These are just a few guys I thought of who might be interesting on one year deals. I also wouldn't mind pursuing Collin McHugh and/or Craig Stammen, who I think will get two year guarantees. Edit: Pretty much as I posted this Stammen went off the board. Re-signed with the Padres for 3/12.

I'd like to see one of Wood or McHugh signed. Could be solid swingman types with decent upside.

Vizquel shouldn't be getting as many votes as he is. He's the type of player that should drop off the ballot after his first year of eligibility.

Nicolino is a good cautionary example of how mediocre stuff "pitchability" type prospects tend to peak in the low minors. He put up great numbers in low-A, striking out around a batter per inning, yet those numbers steadily declined as he faced more advanced competition, culminating in a career 3.84 K/9 in the majors. Seems like more and more front offices and prospect analysts focus on raw stuff and talent in the low minors, letting the refinement and "pitchability" come with experience. I doubt Nicolino would be ranked as high on prospect lists today as he was in 2012.

Johnson definitely ranks up there as one of the most disappointing acquisitions in team history.

Always amazes how much everyone seems to want Jeff Mathis. The guy must have superhuman intangibles. Also interesting to note that Samson seems to imply that his FO purposefully leaked details of the trade before it was done in order to generate hype. Not surprising given how notoriously tight-lipped AA and his front offices tend to be.

I'd like to see a better backup shortstop in case Bichette gets injured. Iglesias or old friend Hech could be okay targets.