Pulk_Pull

Twitter: The cause of, and solution to, the MLB offseason blues

Hague would of been nice to bring into ST to see what he could do, but the likelihood he contributes at a ML level without a significant injury causing a call-up is minimal in my mind. Would prefer to use roster spaces on more utility based position players and lotto ticket pitchers can can be used in the pen; but hey, that's just me.

lol at outrage over losing a career MiLB first baseman with 91 MLB PA. Much better uses of roster spaces around.

I fully expect our spring training to be jam packed with invites / minor league deals for a ton of starters. Given our prospect pipeline won't be filling the AAA roster, we should have 3-4 #6 options down there just in case.

It's funny. As I was reading that quote, I took it as a bit of a condemnation on AA's ability to trade all the potential future AAA pitching depth.

Price playing the "I think I'll go to another country" game to get the big boys to back up the Brinks trucks. I'd be 'ok' with a front loaded deal that contains a mutual opt out in 2-3 years to mitigate the long-term risk, but that's unreasonable to expect given Price will be able to get a guaranteed 7 years and close to $200m with his eyes closed. And for that kind of cost, I'm WAY out...

Maybe not overnight but he does have an entire offseason... We don't need to have all-star backups for each position. But finding a Cola or developing a Pillar is necessary for this team and we probably won't know what we have until someone goes down in 2016.

Are we just happy that Shapiro recited something that sounds like it could of come straight from this board? Nothing groundbreaking but I'm glad he is looking to find all the weaknesses, and not focusing on the strengths. That being said, damn it sounds like he's sandbagging already!

Barry Davis ‏@SNBarryDavis 4m4 minutes ago Florida, USA Not only will @DShulman_ESPN join Buck and Pat for 30 games, he'll be heard on @FAN590 & still call Sunday night baseball and NCAAB on ESPN

Augusto Cárdenas @ACardenas13 Francisco Rodríguez was traded to Detroit Tigers. IF Javier Betancourt is headed to Milwaukee Brewers in this transaction

I bet he's hoping to cash in on a bigger deal next year. I think he would of gotten an ok deal, but as a C he wants to cash in on a McCann/Martin level deal.

Gotta have a higher cost to trade in the division, only explanation why it was Harvey and deGrom for the Mets and... this..... for the Angels.

Only matters if they spend the money wisely. I'm hoping they don't spend just for the sake of it and use it in shrewd moves to put this team into contention next year, but with an eye for the long-term stability of this team. Rogers is a business and if the they giveth, they can definitely taketh if the team isn't performing up to snuff.

I'll take a consistent payroll over one that fluctuates with the popularity of the team any day.

Good news but I'm interested to see how we spend it and if we stick with what's currently on the field or trade for future flexibility. Really not expecting many win-now moves aside from a couple short term or one year contracts.

AA really only had two options; to take the five year deal and work until he got fired, or choose not to take the deal at all. Taking the deal with the idea that you can opt-out is a nightmare scenario. Two possible outcomes: 1) You have a great to decent season and you Opt out. Makes you look greedy and disloyal. 2) You have a crap season. Your stock as GM is a ton of notches below where it is now. If AA didn't like Shapiro, then what he did was the only choice. Whether that choice is selfish, smart, dumb, disloyal, egotistical, forward thinking, etc. is subjective, and really only AA's inner circle knows the truth. Upon reflection, he was an alright GM. I think he did more good than bad, but it's pretty 50/50. His run the last year was remarkable albeit short-sighted. I get that sometimes you gotta go for it, and for a city that's staved of that type of excitement I was game. I'll miss the 'wtf' moments from AA, but I do look forward to Shapiro's philosophy, even if it will take some pain for gain.

I see a Shapiro Cleveland philosophy on steroids in our future. Similar philosophy, but with a wider margin of error (i.e., a little bit more willing to waste some dollars on a semi-risky deal).

If you think the AA story has some sour grapes, you should really look up how Grantland went from one of the most respected long form po culture / sports entertainment websites to deceased in the matter of months.

Couple observations... 1) Anyone blaming a single party on this outcome is being naive. Everyone had a hand in this. Whether it was Rogers clearly not caring about their current GM in place while searching and hiring a new Team Pres, or AA not putting the team before his personal motivations, this is the result of a year long clusterf*** at the management level. Frankly, we should all saw this coming... 2) Whether you view this outcome as good or bad is completely related to how you feel a successful on the field product is developed. AA's methodology of drafting and developing to use prospects as assets in trades to bring players who would not sign in Toronto is a polarizing one. On the other hand, developing a strong farm system does not guarantee success either. Bottom line, it's a very interesting move, but one we should of predicted. I can understand the people who are upset, and the people who are happy. Side Note: For those that want to say this is all on AA for his decision. How would you feel if you came into your job today, a job you have had for half a decade, and a new boss shows up. His first mandate is to change how you work and measure success, and that he would like to micromanage every task you perform. I doubt blame AA one bit for wanting to leave. While the new contract didn't change his title, it sure was a demotion from a responsibility and power perspective.

Davis cooling off could be a benefit for us...

The radio broadcast is usually a little behind, but given the simulcast issues with FOX, I'm wondering if I can get away with the radio broadcast while watching the game. It really is painful to listen to the FOX guys. Let's go Price! Need to bats to show up today. So far they haven't in KC.

No doubt in my mind Toronto fans were competing with Mets fans for these.

Fair enough, in that without the bandwagon, the secondary market falls apart. I would happily paid face value for every ticket to every home game.

The price drop has nothing to do with bandwagon fans and everything to do with people buying tickets in droves for the purpose of reselling with no intention of actually going.