Potential SP Trade Targets

[Enscheff]

MLBTR just did a good breakdown of most of the SPs likely to be available at the deadline: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/05/18-potential-starting-pitcher-trade-targets-this-summer.html

I spent the entire off season hoping AA would get another legit SP option. He did not, and instead elected to throw the proven Fried/Morton/Anderson trio and a collection of misfit toys out there. So far, here are how the 5 main guys have performed (by xwOBA):

Wright .277
Fried .299
Anderson .315
Morton .376
Elder .410

As of right now, the MLB average xwOBA is .329. That's the highest in the Statcast era, but not egregiously so (it has fluctuated between .310-.324 since 2015).

So the Braves have Wright and Fried performing like TOR guys (especially lately for Fried), Anderson performing like the #3 he is, Morton struggling with his breaking ball command, and Elder being not good...at all. Had the names Morton and Wright been flipped on this list it would be very close to what I would have predicted from these guys coming into the season. Either way, the Braves have 3 guys performing well as expected, even if it isn't necessarily the 3 guys we all expected.

While expect Wright will not continue to pitch like an Ace, and Morton won't continue to pitch like a AAAA guy, the Braves need to get another SP. If the Mets add deGrom and the Braves keep letting Elder pitch...well...that's not a winning strategy.

Who on that list makes sense? I suspect AA has more cash than prospect capital to spend (there is very little prospect capital left to spend), so I expect him to get a decent SP serving as a bit of a salary dump.

[Hudson2]

Snell and Darvish would be the 2 I’d be most interested in bc they’d be more of a salary dump. Snell has 1 more year after this one and hasn’t been that great since being traded away from TB but I’d take a shot on him.

[NYCBrave]

It's actually interesting. Over the past few years, I felt we had a team that was more built for the regular season than the playoffs. This season, it feels like the opposite. Our big 4 (barring injuries) and bullpen plays perfect for the playoffs. I expect AA to have that in mind when deciding who to acquire.

[thewupk]

So what SP on teams we know won’t be playoff contenders have a SP that is legit that can had?

There is literally a link to a MLBTR article that lists such pitchers

[thewupk]

It's actually interesting. Over the past few years, I felt we had a team that was more built for the regular season than the playoffs. This season, it feels like the opposite. Our big 4 (barring injuries) and bullpen plays perfect for the playoffs. I expect AA to have that in mind when deciding who to acquire.

What's funny is one of the interviews AA gave at the end of ST/start of the season said that last year his goal was to make a team that would perform well in the playoffs and got hurt with the lack of depth needed in the regular season. And that his goal was to not have that happen again this year....Whooops.

[Hudson2]

There is literally a link to a MLBTR article that lists such pitchers

Oops lol. Didn’t even notice the link.

[NYCBrave]

What's funny is one of the interviews AA gave at the end of ST/start of the season said that last year his goal was to make a team that would perform well in the playoffs and got hurt with the lack of depth needed in the regular season. And that his goal was to not have that happen again this year....Whooops.

But on this note. You see we were one of the few teams who stuck with a 6 man rotation through all of April. I'll be curious to see how injuries begin mounting for SPs over the course of the year. Especially since their was a shortened Spring Training

[thewupk]

But on this note. You see we were one of the few teams who stuck with a 6 man rotation through all of April. I'll be curious to see how injuries begin mounting for SPs over the course of the year. Especially since their was a shortened Spring Training

That's a fair point. If it leads to the rotation being healthy and pitching well late into the season then so be it. But damn has it been hard watching the likes of Elder/Muller/Ynoa back to back.

[msstate7]

What's best case for soroka?

[Hudson2]

What's best case for soroka?

I don’t see him starting this year. If he’s throwing and throwing well in rehab stints then maybe he could be an opener come the playoffs.

[Robyn1967]

I don’t see him starting this year. If he’s throwing and throwing well in rehab stints then maybe he could be an opener come the playoffs.

Have there been any updates on Soroka? I haven't seen anything

[Hudson2]

Have there been any updates on Soroka? I haven't seen anything

He’s been playing long toss I know. Not sure what else besides physical therapy.

[clvclv]

I still think the most likely scenario is that Alex stands pat - while I would agree that Wright's not going to remain THIS good, we're talking about finding a guy for the 5th slot in the rotation. Unless someone decides to just "give someone away", not only does he not have the pieces to get into a bidding war for an arm with limited control - he probably doesn't have the stomach for it either. If you can get Strider stretched out enough to give you 4 or more innings each time through - and none of the guys in Gwinnett (or Shuster) take a step forward to be someone you can count on for that - use Chavez as an Opener and follow him with Strider.

He's really under the radar, but the potential rental in that article that interests me most is probably Eovaldi - he has enough stuff and experience to allow Wright to become a number 5 if he regresses substantially. The problem with him is I don't think Chaim Bloom would take a AAAA arm and a lottery ticket for him. If Alex actually does go after another SP, I hope I'm wrong about that.

[Hudson2]

I still think the most likely scenario is that Alex stands pat - while I would agree that Wright's not going to remain THIS good, we're talking about finding a guy for the 5th slot in the rotation. Unless someone decides to just "give someone away", not only does he not have the pieces to get into a bidding war for an arm with limited control - he probably doesn't have the stomach for it either. If you can get Strider stretched out enough to give you 4 or more innings each time through - and none of the guys in Gwinnett (or Shuster) take a step forward to be someone you can count on for that - use Chavez as an Opener and follow him with Strider.

He's really under the radar, but the potential rental in that article that interests me most is probably Eovaldi - he has enough stuff and experience to allow Wright to become a number 5 if he regresses substantially. The problem with him is I don't think Chaim Bloom would take a AAAA arm and a lottery ticket for him. If Alex actually does go after another SP, I hope I'm wrong about that.

Like the article says, SD will have to may SP in a month and somebody will have to go. Darvish has 2 years and 40 million left so it probably wouldn’t take much to get him. Him or Snell would be my pick. I’d rather have Castillo but we don’t have the pieces to get him.

[Enscheff]

“Will have too many SPs” almost never actually happens.

[Hulavol]

Victor Vodnik is your man…. Just saying

[zbhargrove]

Are we still trying to develop Vodnik as a starter? He's only been a reliever this year.

[zbhargrove]

Give me Stroman, Darvish (maybe Snell), or Mahle (needs to get his slider back working again)... I'd love Montas or Castillo but we don't have the prospects to comfortably trade for those guys.

[Hulavol]

Fair question. We certainly better be- unless they think he is next kimbrel

[Buzzworm]

I still like Touki over Elder and Ynoa.
I’m sure he will end up being a BP arm but I still don’t understand why Elder got the first crack over him considering his stuff is so mediocre

[Carp]

I thought thethe said SP was a waste of money?

Greinke was a 2.57 ERA at the moment btw. Chris Archer with a 2.93 ERA.

[jgriff3029]

Not to say those two wouldn't be better than what our fifth starters have produced but Greinke has a FIP over 4 and Archer a FIP over 5.

[Carp]

DBacks seem fairly likely to sell. Gallen or Kelly would be nice targets .

Former Brave farmhand Bruce Zimmerman is perhaps having a breakout season for Baltimore.

[msstate7]

Victor Vodnik is your man…. Just saying

Isn't he relieving?

[Tapate50]

I thought thethe said SP was a waste of money?

Greinke was a 2.57 ERA at the moment btw. Chris Archer with a 2.93 ERA.

You holding your breath on Archer keeping that up? I am not.

[Russ2dollas]

I disagree on needing a starting pitcher.

We don't have a lot of assets left and I don't want to use them on a SP. If someone is a throw away, ok.

We have expanded playoffs. A fifth starter is unlikely to be on the roster in the playoffs.

We need performance to get us to the playoffs out of the fifth spot. I still think Elder can be a solid 5th guy, he's got to stop walking people. That has not been an issue before. We have Elder, Strider, Touki, Davidson and Muller. We should be able to get a 5th starter out of that.

IMO we are not winning b/c the OF has been horrible on offense and defense. We need to score more runs. Anyone we get to add to the rotation you'd need to score 5+ runs that day to feel good about winning. Might as well be a guy that is making the minimum and does not cost prospects.

If Morton comes up to Anderson's level and Wright comes down to Anderson's level we have a good rotation. We have the 3-4 guys we'd actually use in the playoffs.

I would stretch Strider out. Assume he's going to give you 4-5 innings. And put Elder, Touki or Muller in the current Strider role. Ask that guy to get you two innings on the days Strider starts.

[zbhargrove]

Strider is who we need to take over the 5th spot. Our depth is super thin though. If the usual injuries occur, we will be in trouble with that depth.

[mfree80]

I agree that pitching has not found its true level yet, but the lack of hitting for long stretches is the bigger problem. I suspect there have been more games lost by not scoring many runs than by giving up a boatload.

Certainly neither have been optimal yet.

[Enscheff]

I think folks may want to look at the actual numbers for the different units on this team...

SPs are #23 in WAR.

BP is #4 in WAR.

OF is #30 (holy hell) in WAR.

While the OF is bad, the rotation has also been bad. Fixing these units are not mutually exclusive. The difference between those 2 units is the Braves have a Top 5 player they just plugged back into the OF, and a prospect who is probably capable of producing soon. The SP options are...let's call them underwhelming.

Assuming this team makes the playoffs, and therefor doesn't need another SP option, is a great way to miss the playoffs entirely.

[Hudson2]

I think folks may want to look at the actual numbers for the different units on this team...

SPs are #23 in WAR.

BP is #4 in WAR.

OF is #30 (holy hell) in WAR.

While the OF is bad, the rotation has also been bad. Fixing these units are not mutually exclusive. The difference between those 2 units is the Braves have a Top 5 player they just plugged back into the OF, and a prospect who is probably capable of producing soon. The SP options are...let's call them underwhelming.

Assuming this team makes the playoffs, and therefor doesn't need another SP option, is a great way to miss the playoffs entirely.

I agree. We have enough in house options to fix the OF but none that are an upgrade in the rotation.

[Russ2dollas]

I think folks may want to look at the actual numbers for the different units on this team...

SPs are #23 in WAR.

BP is #4 in WAR.

OF is #30 (holy hell) in WAR.

While the OF is bad, the rotation has also been bad. Fixing these units are not mutually exclusive. The difference between those 2 units is the Braves have a Top 5 player they just plugged back into the OF, and a prospect who is probably capable of producing soon. The SP options are...let's call them underwhelming.

Assuming this team makes the playoffs, and therefor doesn't need another SP option, is a great way to miss the playoffs entirely.

I expect the starters to do better. Anderson started out horribly. Morton has been bad. I expect regression from Wright. I don't think our 5th starter will be this bad.

I do not think we need to expend the precious few resources we have for a guy who won't make our post season roster. Why not just start Strider? I get that Strider is likely on a 150 innings limit for the year and that is probably the answer to my own question. I don't see a guy that we could get that would make much of an impact. I do think the guys we have have upside.

We also have been making our rotation worse by going with a 6 man rotation, essentially using two of the 5th starter options and using the good guys less.

[bravesfanMatt]

I expect the starters to do better. Anderson started out horribly. Morton has been bad. I expect regression from Wright. I don't think our 5th starter will be this bad.

I do not think we need to expend the precious few resources we have for a guy who won't make our post season roster. Why not just start Strider? I get that Strider is likely on a 150 innings limit for the year and that is probably the answer to my own question. I don't see a guy that we could get that would make much of an impact. I do think the guys we have have upside.

We also have been making our rotation worse by going with a 6 man rotation, essentially using two of the 5th starter options and using the good guys less.


I don’t mind the 6 man rotation. I am not worried about the marathon but more being ready for sprint in October.

[MadduxFanII]

Morton being terrible is one of those variables that really changes the equation if it sticks. A lot of our rotation planning was built around the assumption of Morton and Fried as TOR stalwarts, and if Morton is genuinely bad, that's not something you can easily adjust for in-season. If Morton can turn it around and pitch to his projections, and Wright retains his gains, then things look OK -- filling a fifth starter spot with a competent arm is much easier and cheaper than finding someone in-season to try and match what we expected from Morton.

Which is maybe a good argument against placing so much on a 38-year-old pitcher.

[Slippyjms]

What's best case for soroka?

Basically you have to operate under the assumption that anything Soroka gives us going forward is a pleasant surprise. Even if he returns to the MLB mound the assumption always has to be that the next pitch could well be his last. He can’t be built around he can only be used as a booster for pieces we already have.

[Slippyjms]

Morton being terrible is one of those variables that really changes the equation if it sticks. A lot of our rotation planning was built around the assumption of Morton and Fried as TOR stalwarts, and if Morton is genuinely bad, that's not something you can easily adjust for in-season. If Morton can turn it around and pitch to his projections, and Wright retains his gains, then things look OK -- filling a fifth starter spot with a competent arm is much easier and cheaper than finding someone in-season to try and match what we expected from Morton.

Which is maybe a good argument against placing so much on a 38-year-old pitcher.

Yeah if our #2 starter sucks now we’ve got problems that I don’t know how we would have fixed without signing Verlander which we tried to do.

[Russ2dollas]

I don’t mind the 6 man rotation. I am not worried about the marathon but more being ready for sprint in October.

I agree in principle. The question is do we get to the playoffs. The expanded playoffs obviously help here. But if you don't win the division you are more subject to random chance.

Fried has demonstrated he is much better on extended rest. The rotation is still mostly very young or very old. The 6 man makes sense.

My point is that the 6 man means that instead of you getting 20% of your starts by Fried you are getting 17%. And you are getting two starts from the guys the original poster wants upgraded instead of 1. WAR is the stat referenced and the strategy we are using is artificially lowering the WAR because it is lowering the innings. That's not to say we should be in the 20s, but it is part of the story. I don't want Grienke.

[zbhargrove]

Morton being terrible is one of those variables that really changes the equation if it sticks. A lot of our rotation planning was built around the assumption of Morton and Fried as TOR stalwarts, and if Morton is genuinely bad, that's not something you can easily adjust for in-season. If Morton can turn it around and pitch to his projections, and Wright retains his gains, then things look OK -- filling a fifth starter spot with a competent arm is much easier and cheaper than finding someone in-season to try and match what we expected from Morton.

Which is maybe a good argument against placing so much on a 38-year-old pitcher.

No one is more worried that Morton is toast than me... but I keep thinking back to last year when he was really bad at the start... and he seemed to bear down and find some success in the second half of his last outing. I'm hoping that was him finding the feel again.

[Carp]

You holding your breath on Archer keeping that up? I am not.

I do not. I also don't expect the HR rate to stay above 2. I suspect his actual value is somewhere between his ERA and his FIP. He would need only provide an ERA South of 4.5 to be a useful 5th starter which was the point I was making at the time.

[Enscheff]

The point is not that Morton is bad, and nobody could have predicted it, which is only partially true (he's 38 and coming off a broken leg for crying out loud).

The point is the team went into the season with 3 legit SP options.

Guys get hurt all the time. Guys become ineffective all the time. It is a given in baseball, especially with pitchers.

The fact AA thought he could go into a title defense season with 3 real SPs and a bunch of crap to throw at the wall, knowing they would use a 6 man rotation, was a roster building mistake. He is lucky Wright seems to have figured it out and helped fill the massive gap in the rotation.

So instead he added to an already strong BP, and left huge gaping holes in the OF and rotation.

[clvclv]

No one is more worried that Morton is toast than me... but I keep thinking back to last year when he was really bad at the start... and he seemed to bear down and find some success in the second half of his last outing. I'm hoping that was him finding the feel again.

After the early inning blow up the other day, he/d'Arnaud/Kranitz found something - he looked like himself in the 3rd-5th innings. Far too early to be overly concerned yet IMO when you consider he was behind to begin with coming off of the broken leg WITH a shortened spring training. It's fair to wonder if Father Time is gaining on him, but after watching him perform once he got into his groove last season it's pretty unfair to think the sky is falling just yet.

[Russ2dollas]

The point is not that Morton is bad, and nobody could have predicted it, which is only partially true (he's 38 and coming off a broken leg for crying out loud).

The point is the team went into the season with 3 legit SP options.

Guys get hurt all the time. Guys become ineffective all the time. It is a given in baseball, especially with pitchers.

The fact AA thought he could go into a title defense season with 3 real SPs and a bunch of crap to throw at the wall, knowing they would use a 6 man rotation, was a roster building mistake. He is lucky Wright seems to have figured it out and helped fill the massive gap in the rotation.

So instead he added to an already strong BP, and left huge gaping holes in the OF and rotation.

I thought he addressed this in interview. They wanted a sp. there was not one available on the market (post lock out). No trades they liked. So they added to the pen instead.

Who did you want them to add?

[NYCBrave]

The point is not that Morton is bad, and nobody could have predicted it, which is only partially true (he's 38 and coming off a broken leg for crying out loud).

The point is the team went into the season with 3 legit SP options.

Guys get hurt all the time. Guys become ineffective all the time. It is a given in baseball, especially with pitchers.

The fact AA thought he could go into a title defense season with 3 real SPs and a bunch of crap to throw at the wall, knowing they would use a 6 man rotation, was a roster building mistake. He is lucky Wright seems to have figured it out and helped fill the massive gap in the rotation.

So instead he added to an already strong BP, and left huge gaping holes in the OF and rotation.

I mean, with our limited budget, what was the alternative to fixing the OF and the rotation? There were no obvious upgrades out there for prices we could afford. If we didn't pay Duvall, who was going to play CF? If we didn't sign Rosario, who was a viable alternative that would have been better? The rotation options were discussed but none ever seemed realistic or like an upgrade, again based on our budget and resources.

[Hudson2]

I mean, with our limited budget, what was the alternative to fixing the OF and the rotation? There were no obvious upgrades out there for prices we could afford. If we didn't pay Duvall, who was going to play CF? If we didn't sign Rosario, who was a viable alternative that would have been better? The rotation options were discussed but none ever seemed realistic or like an upgrade, again based on our budget and resources.

We offered Correa and Verlander a contract so the budget wasn’t much of a thing. Outside of those 2 there wasn’t a clear upgrade to sign.

[NYCBrave]

We offered Correa and Verlander a contract so the budget wasn’t much of a thing. Outside of those 2 there wasn’t a clear upgrade to sign.

Did AA actually say he offered those 2 a contract or was that writer speculation or was it floated by those players agents to run up the price?

[Hudson2]

Did AA actually say he offered those 2 a contract or was that writer speculation or was it floated by those players agents to run up the price?

I don’t think AA would ever come out and say he offered somebody something like that. FF doesn’t count bc of all the drama and ties to the team.

[PawPawMaxwell]

I do not understand lots of the stats that have become so prominent so help me out here. Just how bad is Wil Myers in comparison to our other sub standard OFers? Padres are loaded with excess SPs as has been mentioned so what kind of deal (if acceptable) would it take to get say Snell and not give up any of the few prospects on board? How much money would Padres be expected to eat?

[zbhargrove]

Myers is pretty bad

[Southcack77]

I think the GM is pretty good at what he does, as is the manager.

If two of your top 3 struggle your rotation is going to struggle.

[Enscheff]

I think the GM is pretty good at what he does, as is the manager.

If two of your top 3 struggle your rotation is going to struggle.

Right, but when 1 of your top 3 is 38 and coming off a broken leg, you might want to protect against him struggling a bit more than usual.

When you know you are going to use a 6 man rotation, suddenly your top 3 only represents half the starts.

AA is not above criticism.

[CJC]

The OF is 14th in fWAR. Duvall's defense and the recent contributions of Acuna have helped the struggling of the SSS.


I think folks may want to look at the actual numbers for the different units on this team...

SPs are #23 in WAR.

BP is #4 in WAR.

OF is #30 (holy hell) in WAR.

While the OF is bad, the rotation has also been bad. Fixing these units are not mutually exclusive. The difference between those 2 units is the Braves have a Top 5 player they just plugged back into the OF, and a prospect who is probably capable of producing soon. The SP options are...let's call them underwhelming.

Assuming this team makes the playoffs, and therefor doesn't need another SP option, is a great way to miss the playoffs entirely.

[thewupk]

I do not understand lots of the stats that have become so prominent so help me out here. Just how bad is Wil Myers in comparison to our other sub standard OFers? Padres are loaded with excess SPs as has been mentioned so what kind of deal (if acceptable) would it take to get say Snell and not give up any of the few prospects on board? How much money would Padres be expected to eat?

Myers has only had 59 plate appearances this year but his production has basically been what you've seen Duvall do so far this year. So not good...lol

[thewupk]

The OF is 14th in fWAR. Duvall's defense and the recent contributions of Acuna have helped the struggling of the SSS.

OF is still very much last in fWAR at -1 fWAR overall. SP has bumped up to 20th with the recent good starts from Fried and Morton. BP has bumped up to a tie for 2nd thanks to Strider kicking some ass among most everyone else there dominating.

[CJC]

Link for me if you have time?

I obviously went to the wrong part of fangraphs



OF is still very much last in fWAR at -1 fWAR overall. SP has bumped up to 20th with the recent good starts from Fried and Morton. BP has bumped up to a tie for 2nd thanks to Strider kicking some ass among most everyone else there dominating.

[Nerfherders]

The team is 13-9 when one of our four main starters pitch. The team is 1-7 when one of the 5th/6th starters pitch. This is telling me those four guys need to pitch more, and need to skip the 5th man on off days, the 6th man should never return.

[msstate7]

The team is 13-9 when one of our four main starters pitch. The team is 1-7 when one of the 5th/6th starters pitch. This is telling me those four guys need to pitch more, and need to skip the 5th man on off days, the 6th man should never return.

We have a nice pen... use 5th day as a pen game

[thewupk]

Link for me if you have time?

I obviously went to the wrong part of fangraphs

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=of&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=2022&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2022-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31

[Enscheff]

The team is 13-9 when one of our four main starters pitch. The team is 1-7 when one of the 5th/6th starters pitch. This is telling me those four guys need to pitch more, and need to skip the 5th man on off days, the 6th man should never return.

Perhaps. Or perhaps the 4 SPs wouldn't perform as well without that extra rest.

The point of contention isn't whether the Braves should use 4, 5 or 6 SPs (load management is something I think AA stole directly from LA, and the Braves have been doing an excellent job with it...for pitchers at least). The point of contention is that AA knew the Braves would be using 6, and he still didn't get another legit SP, thus allowing 8 starts to be taken by horrible options...leading to that 1-7 mark in those games.

[Southcack77]

Right, but when 1 of your top 3 is 38 and coming off a broken leg, you might want to protect against him struggling a bit more than usual.

When you know you are going to use a 6 man rotation, suddenly your top 3 only represents half the starts.

AA is not above criticism.


Other than not signing a scrap heap veteran, I'm not sure I would have done much differently as far as SP.

I was not too crazy about the OF - probably should have remembered that those guys were available for nothing at the deadline.

I'm afraid Freddy probably froze them and then they had to do some things for fans that maybe they wouldn't have otherwise done. But all in all not a great market for what the Braves are weak in.

[Russ2dollas]

Reds are willing to move Castillo and Mahle now.

Question is how much do you value them and what will they cost? We don't have much to trade. Mahle may have just been a flash in the pan last year. Castillo has had some big swings in value and some injuries IIRC.

Getting out of Reds park is a bonus for any pitcher. Harris I would not move for either guy.

[Hulavol]

Harris is untouchable in any of this. At least to me.

[clvclv]

Harris is untouchable in any of this. At least to me.

Harris is likely as "untouchable" a prospect as the Braves have had since Acuna.

That doesn't mean they're comparable as players, but the level of willingness to move either of them at similar points of their development is probably similar.

[Hudson2]

Yeah no way Harris will be dealt. With OF depth so bad he’s untouchable

[Enscheff]

Harris becoming an above average everyday player will be almost required if the Braves are going to extend the window of contention, so I agree he is pretty much untouchable for all but the most lopsided deals.

If AA gets a SP, I expect the target to be almost free in terms of prospects, and be something resembling a salary dump. As such, I wouldn’t expect that pitcher to do much more than stabilize the back end of the rotation and help the Braves get into the playoffs.

[Hudson2]

Harris becoming an above average everyday player will be almost required if the Braves are going to extend the window of contention, so I agree he is pretty much untouchable for all but the most lopsided deals.

If AA gets a SP, I expect the target to be almost free in terms of prospects, and be something resembling a salary dump. As such, I wouldn’t expect that pitcher to do much more than stabilize the back end of the rotation and help the Braves get into the playoffs.

Agreed. I could see Darvish as a salary dump by the Pads with Snell coming back.

[Hulavol]

I think that a lot of this is needless worry. They are trying several different AAAA arms and surely one will pan out to some degree. If not, the Strider piggy back idea should work fine.
This assumes that Anderson can remain in a top form, and that Charlie continues to get back to very above average. That formula gives you a good enough rotation to win this division.
And hopefully Ynoa or Schu. Become studly.
All that typed, if they need a SP by the deadline, there will be plenty of salary dumps available - and hopefully we could grab one earlier so we don’t get into any kind of serious prospect bidding war - meaning a team wanting to dump may be willing to dump early - get that money off the books as soon as possible..

[McCann'sCans]

I think that a lot of this is needless worry. They are trying several different AAAA arms and surely one will pan out to some degree. If not, the Strider piggy back idea should work fine.
This assumes that Anderson can remain in a top form, and that Charlie continues to get back to very above average. That formula gives you a good enough rotation to win this division.
And hopefully Ynoa or Schu. Become studly.
All that typed, if they need a SP by the deadline, there will be plenty of salary dumps available - and hopefully we could grab one earlier so we don’t get into any kind of serious prospect bidding war - meaning a team wanting to dump may be willing to dump early - get that money off the books as soon as possible..

It also assumes that Wright continues to perform and that none of them (Fried-Morton-Anderson-Wright) get hurt for an extended period. Just a lot of 'ifs'.

I tend to understand the reason for the concern, but I also understand the rationale that after we made an offer for Verlander, there wasn't a whole lot out there that was a surefire upgrade.

[Hulavol]

And Soroka might show up in a Superman cape too….