jaysblue

There is more room for growth as well. Masai and the Raptors definitely gotta be happy! This is just the beginning. Dick is coming around big this season which is great to see!

Bautista also stated that he felt like he should be paid for giving the organization a discount when he signed his first extension. So he even knew he wasn't likely worth the money he was asking, but felt like the organization owed him one. Glad AA and even Shapiro/Atkins never caved in giving into his demands.

Yeah defensively he was great last season as well. Would definitely sign him in a heartbeat if he signed for under $5M.

He's not a bad option as well. 1.8 WAR last season and has some pop.

Defensively, he's still very solid and posted a 1.4 fWAR in 72 games last season. As a backup who plays 30-40% in a timeshare with Kirk, wouldn't complain. If you could sign him for something under $5M on a one-year deal, worth looking into and a cheap way at adding extra WAR.

Yasmani Grandal please!

Dick with 32 points last night! Definitely has been worth the reach so far. He's taken advantage of the starting minutes given to him.

Yeah Raps went winless on their big road trip. Was going to be a tough schedule, but you figured they would at least pull out a win in one of those games. 2-10 to start the season and now Immanuel Quickley is out with a partial tear to the ulnar collateral ligament of his left elbow. Too many injuries to key players to start the season between Barnes, Quickley and Barrett. Makes it tough to really settle in and get going. I'm with you. Play some entertaining basketball and tank for a top pick. Trade Poeltl as well to a team like OKC who needs a C. Dick has been a real good story thus far! In 12 games played, has averaged 20.1 PPG, 2.6 REB, 2.3 AST and 1.1 STL. If he can improve on the defensive end and maybe add a couple of more REB per game, that would be really sweet. Nice to have a scorer and 3-pt threat like him. If he can come close to what Klay Thompson was in his prime, that would be awesome! Definitely has made the 2024/2025 season fun to watch and hoping he can continue to build off his excellent start.

I know this is CFL related, but the Argos beat Montreal yesterday 30-28 and are heading to the Grey Cup in Vancouver next week. What an awesome game! Sucks that Chad Kelly suffered a broken ankle yesterday at the end of the 3rd quarter. He was coming into form right before halftime and in the 3rd. Looked unstoppable out there. Tough heading into the Grey Cup without Kelly.

Raps lost a close one to the Clippers: 105 to 103. Now fall to 2-8 on the season. They have been in a lot of close games this season, and definitely feels like they could at least be 4-6 or 5-5. Immanuel Quickley is back which is great. Hopefully Barnes is ready soon and the team can trot out a full healthy rotation.

Watch him make an MLB comeback in the next couple of years. Kinda like how Fedde, Kelly, and Mikolas did after pitching in Asia.

Was going to say the same thing after seeing his video from the other day haha. Ross has looked like he's aged. Doesn't have the Clark Kent appeal like he did before.

So Mets moving Vientos to first base I assume with Alonso leaving as a FA?

Nootbaar would be a nice pickup!

Still a ballpark I need to check off my list. Might look into going next summer since now they suck. Tickets are probably a lot cheaper than they were 5 to 6 years ago.

Weren't a bunch of you all Cards fanboys at one point in time? Haha. Yeah their organization has looked awful recently. You would think they trade Willson Contreras instead of playing at 1B.

Awesome write-up! Thank you! Definitely need to address 2B and have been trying to acquire one early in the offseason. I'm confident with Bart behind the plate. His OBP skills play well in these scoring settings and should be the Pirates No. 1 catcher heading into 2025. Will utilize Jazz in CF with Vientos at 3B. Hope Yelich comes back healthy and like his old self. Hoping I could play Smith or Noel in the other OF spot. Both showed some promise in 2024. Smith kinda reminds me of Adam Lind haha. Casty is just there for HR's and RBI's and was an emergency trade last season when most of my OF was on the IL, but yeah hopefully I don't have to start him. If my pitching can stay healthy, I think I built up a solid rotation. Bibee and Woo are nice young arms to have. Francis will be fun to watch in 2025. Hoping to get a full season of deGrom. Fedde and Morton might be boring, but they can provide innings and solid ratios. Hicks pitched well earlier in the season, so hopefully he can handle the workload of a starter in 2025. If Ray is healthy and returns to top form, hope he can be a solid contributor in K's. Matthew Liberatore could be a lottery arm. Looked good at times in 2024 and willing to roll the dice on him again. Bullpen wise, I agree that adding another top closer would be icing on the cake. Was looking at Devin Williams from TCA at the trade deadline back in August but wasn't able to put anything together. Looking forward to seeing what Troy Taylor and Edwin Uceta can do over a full season. My farm system and draft picks are awful haha. Really happy about Bubba Chandler's resurgence though.

Haha. His age though and a career bouncing back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation. He's never been a full time starter before.

Raps have played well and have been entertaining to watch despite their injuries. They lost some close games this season. They probably could be .500 instead of 2-6 right now. I said at the beginning of the season, they're good enough to be a play-in team. But we'll see. Not sure I would tank completely, but if Barnes misses more time and IQ is out longer, than definitely have to think about getting a Top 5 pick next year.

Yeah defensively, they've been awful. They can score but geez they allow other teams to score at an alarming rate. If some of their top guys don't commit to defense, you might have to move one or two of them to shake things up.

I think so. Looks like he's also adding rebounds, assists and steals to his game, and isn't just a one-dimensional offensive player. Looks like he can be a key piece in their starting lineup. I bought two Dick jersey's last year and very proud of the investment thus far!

Haha why was Nick Martinez offered a QO?

Yeah don't forget about Jazz. They have him under control until 2027 as well. Torres started hitting better in the second half. Stanton always is a power threat and we saw him get hot in the Postseason. Yankees offense wasn't that bad, but yeah 1 through 9 their lineup wasn't as scary as in years past.

Blue Jays should trade for him!

Most rational posters on this board weren't s***ing on Atkins for trying to change the makeup of the team to address the s***** defense. After witnessing that mess in Game 2 against the Mariners in person, I wanted the Jays to make upgrades defensively. I think some, including myself, criticized him for not taking a balanced enough approach when it came to the lineup. Like yes improve the defense, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice offense completely. And to further that point, a lot of criticism on Atkins was for failing to address the lack of offense in 2023, when it was clear that it was an issue. Yes the offensive collapse of Vladdy, Kirk and Springer didn't help, along with Varsho disappointing with the bat in 2023. They still had an entire offseason to add bats with extra pop in left field or DH, but they failed to do so. Hopefully Atkins and the FO have learned from their mistakes. Hopefully we can see a more balanced team in 2025.