Grant77

I can envision a scenario where we let Semien go for a comp pick, plug in one of those guys, and add a big free agent pitcher without even adding much payroll.

There's the last piece they needed to get Trout to the playoffs.

Since he didn't explain, I'd like to hear your reasoning. I can only think of a few ways to explain it. 1. He doesn't think that Pearson and Martin are actually high end prospects, despite giving them FV's that match that description. 2. He doesn't agree with the industry consensus that we have 5-8 top 100 prospects, despite ranking about 6 of our prospects in that range. 3. He thinks that the rest of the system is so incredibly thin that it negates a top 10 prospects list that is clearly one of the best in the league based on the above 2 points

I think by agreeing to it for a second consecutive season, the players would lose almost all of their leverage.

Eric Longenhagen was on the Fan590 and had a bit of a hot take, saying that we have a bottom half farm system because of a lack of high end prospects. Their own rankings have Pearson and Martin as probable top 25 prospects, as well as likely another 4 in the top 100, so his comments are puzzling but it was an interesting conversation.

The league is pretty much offering 8 paid days off in exchange for expanded playoffs. It's clear that the owners are extremely desperate for the latter and players shouldn't concede until CBA negotiations if they are smart.

He also called next year one of the best free agent classes in history, so I would think that they expect to make more additions.

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that he was not willing to waive his NTC to come here.

That's certainly going to be the case. The Rockies are just hedging their bets so they don't get left with nothing after 2021 and/or get stuck with an albatross contract if he has a bad year.

Maybe he's right on the mark and you just can't catch it because you are Canadian.

On Writer's Bloc today, Mark Shapiro was on and spoke about the Matz trade. He said that the free agent market for starting pitchers is 'very tough' this year and Ross had to find other ways to address our pitching needs. I found that interesting.

Statistically, Steven Matz was at his worst in a lot of ways last year. In a pandemic-abridged season, Matz posted a 9.68 ERA (44 ERA+), 7.76 FIP and 1.696 WHIP. He also finished in the bottom six percentile in exit velocity allowed, hard-hit percentage and expected batting average. So for those seeking positives in the aftermath of Matz joining the Toronto Blue Jays from the New York Mets via trade, they'll have to look a bit closer. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins certainly has, and he explained his excitement for adding Matz during Thursday morning's Lead Off show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “We’re excited about his ability to get swing-and-miss, we’re excited about the power to his stuff," Atkins said. "Incredibly hard working, incredible teammate." We can't quantify Matz's work ethic or value as a teammate just yet, but Atkins makes a point about the on-the-mound qualities. Matz's average fastball velocity was 94.5 m.p.h. last season, which was his highest since his debut season in 2015 and nearly two ticks higher than league average. From a swing-and-miss standpoint, his 23.4 whiff rate lagged behind league average (26.8), but he sported a 32.6 whiff rate on change-ups. Some combination of above-average fastball velocity and a missable change-up could be a recipe for a rebound. There's also this: in 2020, every offering from Matz’s four-pitch mix had a higher weighted on base average (wOBA) than expected — which isn’t a good thing for pitchers. That’s been the case for most of his career, as his total wOBA has exceed his xwOBA in five of six seasons. Clearly the Blue Jays see some things they like, and Atkins believes there's room for Matz to succeed on this roster. "I’m excited to have (our personnel) try to put this guy in a position to have success," Atkins said. "Guys who can get major league hitters to swing and miss at a good clip and don’t walk a lot of guys, there’s a place for them on every team. On every team. And hopefully we can be a part of his continued growth and development and continuing to get better."

Some of them will certainly be in the minors unless we have a 10 man bullpen.

They may be willing to trade prospects, but I don't think that this trade is an indication that they are. We saw more valuable prospects move at the trade deadline last year. I think that SRF and Diaz had lost their place on the 40 man roster and Atkins put them out there to see what he could get. They found Matz interesting and struck a deal.

It sure looks like last year's SP usage will be the normal for us going forward and not just a one-off strategy for the shortened season.

This is one of those trades where you just have to wait and see. SRF and Diaz had to go one way or another, so it's not like we gave up a ton. If Matz pitches well then the trade is a big success. If he doesn't then it's not. Clearly they like his arm and have a plan for him, so we just have to trust that it will work out.

To be clear, I'm advocating for bench players on minor league deals, which wouldn't take a roster spot.

What do you guys think the Semien and Springer signings do for our bench? I think we all agree that one spot is Grichuk/Tellez and the other is a catcher. As for the other two (or three) spots, we have a lot of flexibility with a competent SS in Semien and a competent CF in Grichuk playing other positions. I like Espinal and Davis as options, but perhaps now we can look at veteran players with a little more bat, while preserving those two as minor league depth. Looking through the free agent list, I see names like Jedd Gyorko, Daniel Murphy, Marwin Gonzalez, Todd Frazier, Matt Joyce, Josh Reddick. Maybe some could be had on minor league deals and maybe not, but I would be interested in that type of player for our bench.

It was just part of his answer, not forced or anything. They are allowed to mention other players.

Sportsnet channels play replays of Ken Reid talking about baseball from last night, while not showing the press conference for the biggest signing in franchise history. Brilliant decision.

I probably would have handed this 18 million to Tanaka, but I think you are right that he will go home. I don't have a huge preference between Paxton or Odorizzi. It's just that we must add a starting pitcher or two. I still expect that we will.

It makes a difference if we aren't able to afford the pitcher we want. I don't exactly expect that to be the case, but I can't make a full evaluation of the Semien signing until I see if we come out of it with a good starting pitcher. As of right now, I am quite happy.

I love the term, I like the player, and I am undecided on the dollar amount until we see what they spend on pitching.

Houston should have offered him the QO if they were willing to pay 2/32.

I am not disputing your reasoning. You are mostly right from a financial perspective. That being said, it creates a far worse viewing experience for in person fans as well as television viewers and I want to bitch about it so that's what I'm going to do. The league should care about what fans think, at least to a certain extent.