agrushcow

I agree with you. I think the guy really needs to get some playing time so we can see what we have in him. He's got some raw power, the thing that I know isn't correctable is he really just ain't very smart... you can look at him and the look on is face an he consistently looks lost. But I think he's a good fit off the bench, wouldn't wanna move him. You know another guy who looks a little stunned and had raw power and then got traded? Our very own Edwin.

Honestly I would hate that. That's way too much for a mid rotation starter in my book. Maybe just 1 OF would make me more comfortable, I think Sierra getting traded could burn us, gotta weird feeling.

What kind of a deal do you think he's looking at? North of a 5 year 80??

That's not a bad option either. Amazing that guy still does it, as porky as he is...my stance is I think we need to go to FA for 1 pitcher and the trade route for another. The only way we could get away with adding only one pitcher is if we trade JBau as far as I'm concerned, and I haven't found that many fits. If we don't get a true #1, I want guys with MLB track records rounding out our 5 slots, lord knows Morrow will be out for a bit anyway.

You're right, that's what I meant about catcher. I agree Hannigan makes the most sense. AJ was also considered, but I went with Navorro cause he's cheaper and could be serviceable past year 1. And ya that's just where we differ on Ubaldo. With his track record, albeit with some shady seasons mixed in the middle, I think he's found his stuff again. So for that reason I see a guy who's gonna be well above average year 1 (like mid 3 era and high K rate) and then solid for another year, which is what we need with they way this team is built now. I don't trust Nolasco or Garza as much as I'd trust Ubaldo because I think his talent level is significantly higher. Just my opinion.

Why don't you like Jimenez? In this market I feel like he has the highest upside and is the only guy who could potentially give us top of rotation value. He fixed his delivery and apparently it's helped him a fair bit. I'm also not crazy about Navarro, but what other options are there? We absolutely need a replacement level guy there and it's not JPA.

I mean I was born with a set of eyes. We absolutely cannot enter the season with him starting...he should be sent to AAA or traded, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he had some value to another team. But he's god awful, one of the worst I've seen.

Thanks for the warm reception...what's wrong with discussing potential avenues to make this team better?

Hey guys, I'm new to the board. Since my Miami Dolphins continue to depress me I'm moving over to baseball to consumer my mind for a bit...the idea of this thread is to see what everyone would like to do realistically to make this team a contender this season. I have a couple scenarios here and my final result will be based on what I think is believable and what I think works best for this team with a slight bump in salary. I'll start with what my approach would be: Needs SP: Need a front of rotation guy, or two middle rotation guys. C: JPA, all that needs to be said. Upgrade on Thole would make sense too... 2B: I like Goins, but an upgrade would certainly be a smart route Trades Deal a package of relievers and another piece for SP Rick Porcello. Tigers need relievers and I think they're a good trade partner. A deal for Shark also makes sense depending on the package (no Sanchez). DET receives: Delabar, Cecil and Esmil Rogers. TOR receives: Rick Porcello Dealing Bautista, Lind or even Rasmus makes sense. I'd air on the side of dealing Lind mostly to save us some money to make moves. Ideally we'd get a good defensive catcher back. A guy I would target is Ryan Hannigan from the Reds, just not sure of the package needed so I'll leave it out. Maybe JPA, Izturis for him. Need upgrades in utility infielders and would give them some depth if they move Phillips. Sign SP Ubaldo Jimenez for 4 years at 64 million. He's my favorite pitcher on the market and has the highest upside. Could slot him right into the middle of the rotation. C Dioner Navarro for 2 years a 10 million Had a nice year with the Cubs. All we need is a replacement level guy. C George Kottaras Was DFA'd and at the very least could replace Thole. A good canadian kid who gets on base at a very nice clip and caught Wakefield early in his career. Other options SP Plan B: SP Ricky Nolasco for 4 years at 50 million. A safe addition who will give us innings and can be slotted into the middle of the rotation. I'd be fine with either him or Ubaldo on the Jays come spring training. 2B Omar Infante for 3 years at 25 million. I don't think this is as realistic. I'm fine with a platoon of Goins and Maicer, but if we have the money why not add a .300 hitter. I'm going to leave this out tho, because I don't see it happening. Would also like to add an end of bench bat, a veteran guy who's been around but is a hair above what Derosa was (Betemit, Bloomquist?) Lets assume those contracts in are fine, and we keep Lind. 2014 Projected Lineup 1. Jose Reyes, SS 2. Colby Rasmus, CF 3. Jose Bautista, RF 4. Edwin Encarnacion, 1B 5. Adam Lind, DH 6. Brett Lawrie, 3B 7. Melky Cabrera, LF 8. Dioner Navarro, C 9. Maicer Izturis 2B Bench C George Kottaras INF Ryan Goins OF Anthony Gose OF Moises Sierra Starting Rotation 1. R.A. Dickey 2. Ubaldo Jimenez 3. Mark Beurhle 4. Brandon Morrow 5. Rick Porcello Relievers LR: J.A. Happ MR: Aaron Loup MR: Jeremy Jeffress MR: Luis Perez SU: Dustin McGowan SU: Sergio Santos CP: Casey Janssen So what would everyone think of that team going into spring training? Do you think it's realistic? Can you do better and keep it plausible? Discuss!