If any GM offers a contract like this to a pitcher, they should fired on the spot. And if any GM who had stated they wouldn't be outbid saw someone else offer this contract they should pick up the phone and laugh in his face for being the biggest idiot GM in baseball history.
For me, it's not so much hate for Happ, but I hate what he represents; AA falling in love with a player who he couldn't get in trade the first time he tried, continuing to have a hard-on for him a few years later even though it was obvious that he wasn't the quality SP AA thought could be, but not altering his opinion of the player and give up assets for him in trade when he could have signed a similar or better pitcher in free agency for similar dollars without giving up the assets.
They're rolling out now, fangraphs is posting them for each team as they come out. The Reds came out today and Arizona / Atlanta / Baltimore / Boston / Cleveland / Detroit / Los Angeles NL / Miami / Minnesota / New York AL / Philadelphia / San Diego / Seattle / St. Louis / Tampa Bay are already out.
40 really isn't a big enough sample size, and the fact that there's a 10 player limit is a big part of the problem, so even if it was duplicated here, it would basically just prove that it's still a broken process in dire need of being fixed.
No dice for Shaw Direct customers yet - My response from Shaw:
"We do have some space open on our 3rd satellite in order to add on new channels. We have been getting a lot of requests about the MLB channel lately, so hopefully we will be adding this channel in the future."
Of course not, my quote didn't specifically say only trading those two, just using 1 or both as part of the deal. They'd obviously have to give up something with value as well.
I get trading Lowry, but that wouldn't be improving the team for a playoff run. I think that's where the Raps are going this year since tank Nation is obviously dead.
That's not exactly impressive when all the premier power forwards are in the west. Again, I don't profess to be an expert on the NBA but what other position would they target an upgrade? JV, Lowry and DeRozan aren't going anywhere, that leaves Ross and Amir.
I don't follow the NBA close enough to know, is there a team out there they can trade with too make an addition for a playoff run? I'm not thinking these Raps are suddenly elite by any stretch, but really, a Legit PF that could push Amir to the bench whilst trading Landry Fields or Steve Novak or both would seem to be a good idea.