Laika

Not as bad as you'd think. Polanco = +$9.4M Topa = +$7M Gonzalez = +11M DeSclafani = -$1.1M +$7.5M for the Twinkies Similar value from Toronto would be something like Swanson + Barger or Leo Jimenez

Damn. Ms got hosed.

Ah yes. I remember being mad about this. Playoff PAs: Biggio, 8 Merrifield, 2 Espinal, 2 Varsho, 5 KK, 6 Davis Schneider.... ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah it was the most frustrating Blue Jays team I have ever seen, for various reasons. Not sure any of the bats that moved at the deadline would have made a difference though. I guess someone like Tommy Pham might have gotten a couple of playoff PAs over Merrifield? Something like that. I dunno.

I think 3B is IKF's on the strength of his defense unless and until a kid steals playing time from him. Those possible kids are Barger, Palmegiani, and Orelvis Martinez. Biggio is the wrinkle on the roster who could also take some time there and he will probably get first crack. But, Biggio has major flaws and was a fringe 3B defensively. And prospects are prospects. I am mentally prepared for 500 IKF PA and 1.6 WAR.

obviously not that hard, haha

I don't think plenty of DH days for Springer is a necessity, nor a great idea necessarily. Full season last year, 130+ games in the OF, he held up and had a positive UZR and OAA. Actually stole the most bases of his career. This is an everyday position player who just had a solid defensive year but with weirdly low power output. I wouldn't want him to all of a sudden have the DH "mental penalty" as a recurring part of the equation. KK as a fourth OF would then be an awkward fit since he's be LHB along with Bellinger and Varsho. Lot of money for a defensive sub or pure backup. meh. Soler as the DH is a better roster construction. Maybe David Schneider as the 2B/LF wheel-man against LHP when KK takes a seat on the bench.

Chapman is a better fit for the Cubs anyway. I feel like between Happ, Suzuki, PCA, and Tauchman, they already have 2-3 WAR at the three OF positions. I am not a Madrigal or Patrick Wisdom believer so I don't see the same quality at 3B for them. Not sure if they think about Morel or Michael Busch as 3B or OF options, though. Chapman is also, of course, a better fit for Toronto than Bellinger, too. Bellinger really not an amazing fit anywhere. Maybe the Rockies, hahaha.

This is so not true about last year. Everyone thought pitching depth and RP quality was the weakness before the season. The offense being limp only emerged as an issue as the season rolled along and Vlad/Kirk/Springer never got hot. You can argue that they should have traded for a big hitter but... easier said than done, and most still expected the incumbents to hit better in the second half, reasonably.

Pretty cruel game. Dude gets hired February 2022, they immediately go to Conference Finals and lose. Next year they go 50-23-9 and lose in round 2. Then is canned after a 3-9-1 start in his second full season. You can't really tell me that 13 games tells you much of anything about a coach. Obviously we don't know the additional info, maybe he sucked or didn't have player respect, who knows

Hard to change prevailing FB shape. That's kind of just a function of arm slot and genetics (finger size, grip, etc.) But coaching and tweaks definitely can help him find the ideal shape given his tendencies, and the ideal mix of FB varieties

Grichuk suxxxx Probably not even an upgrade over current situation vs LHP which would be Varsho CF Schneider LF Espinal 2B

Yeah you're right that's almost certainly not happening If they add two legit bats it's probably because someone like Soler has an AAV slightly lower than projected and then one decent vet like Tommy Pham can't find a job for some random reason and signs for $5M kind of desperately. Maybe Pham is a bad example but you know. I do think the plan is to just raise the floor at 3B with Falaffle and then kind of hope some upside emerges from the glut of fringe infield incumbents. maybe a platoon, maybe a guy like Barger or Orelvis taking the job in the summer.

Spanky Martinez?

Nobody really thought you were "wrong". Your guess was reasonable - perfectly fair to think the budget will probably be the same as last year. People were mostly taking issue with the definitive nature of your statements. "They only have this much to spend" "They won't spend last X dollars" etc.

If there is one thing everyone can agree on it's that we have the best mods and nearly perfect moderation

Pretty nuts 91 mph FB and 81 knuckleball Think Dickey was like 83 and 76

He doesn't say Toronto is signing him, just that he expects him to sign soon I dunno

"Sir, that offer is pretty light for our opening day starter."

I basically do not even care who they sign at this point as long as they spend some more money and avoid any albatross deals, haha. Chapman and done? awesome. Bellinger and done? sweet. Soler and some 3B bum like Brian Anderson? sure... JDM and nothing else? I guess I'll take it. Turner + Pham? cool. Belt + Urshela? I hate you, Ross.

don't do this

It's like the Edwin Encarnacion offseason, except this time Toronto didn't immediately pivot to a Kendry Morales (because there was no Kendry Morales)

Every day that goes by with Bellinger and Chapman unsigned makes me think it is more likely they end up signing something like that. 3/$60M with an opt out after year 1 so he can have another shot at a big deal if he wants.

You mean crowd source or the ones the writers do? This year was Ben Clemens.

Joc's projected contracts were: ESPN - 1/$16M MLBTR - not on top 50 but implied 1/$12M Fangraphs Crowd Source - 2/$24M Fangraphs - 1/$12M His guarantee is 1/$12.5M so this isn't really evidence that the supply glut has led to price dips, yet. BUT Brandon Belt should be really cheap. Joey Votto should be free. So for Toronto... if they have an opportunity to get Bellinger or Chapman on a random pillow contract, they can probably squeeze Votto or Belt into the budget. So many ways Toronto could fill out the roster. OF options: Bellinger, Pham, Taylor, Hicks, Kemp, Meadows (DH), Soler (DH), Merrifield, Kike, Peralta, Grichuk, Duvall, Grossman, Pollock 1B/DH options: Soler, Turner, Belt, JDM, Votto, Santana, Winker, Choi, Cron, Smith, Cooper, Gurriel 3B options: Chapman, Urshela, Segura, Turner (DH), Kike, Longoria, Solano, Donaldson, Anderson, Mondesi (SS), Escobar Nearly infinite combinations! Many of these guys will be almost free, so they can make one solid investment then one free depth addition. Otto Lopez was horrible, has no options, so unfortunately he seems like a dead man walking on the 25man/40man so one addition is easy. For the second addition, I guess they would just option Horwitz and jetison someone like Brendon Little or Nathan Lukes from the 40man? Also probably not a big deal even though those guys look useful.