Kinda the point of me mentioning Justice and Gant with that list. There are always going to be overachievers that teams find in later rounds (no doubt), but there so few and far between these days, I definitely wouldn't be too concerned about holding onto a pick in the hopes of finding those types of players that late (needle in a haystack) rather than pick up someone like Moose on a much friendlier contract than anyone imagined a couple months ago.
Seems like most everyone's on the same page when it comes to that. I'd certainly have held onto that pick rather than give Cain 5 years/$80 million, but Moustakas could be a special case.
Has there EVER been a statement and question a certain someone should absolutely never have made and asked publicly more than...
Kinda pathetic to see yourself as a message board knight in shining armor. How impotent does someone have to be in real life to resort to playing hero on a message board?
Like some others have said, I think the draft pick issue is more about the lack of quality minor league depth we are likely to experience due to the international sanctions. Things get dicey in the middle rounds, but there's a fair amount of talent available there.
jpx7 (01-26-2018)
MLBTR: "The Dodgers have “three or four” potential trade partners in mind for Matt Kemp, according to a source, though Heyman hears from another source that the Rangers are “probably not” a candidate for the veteran outfielder. It seems like not much has changed since Heyman last checked in on Kemp’s trade market in December, and L.A. may have to attach some minor league talent to get anyone to bite on Kemp’s $43MM in remaining salary owed through the 2019 season."
Indians to stop using Chief Wahoo logo in 2019. I have to admit to wondering how long we’ll get to keep the tomahawk.
jpx7 (02-07-2018)
MLBPA is toying with the idea of setting up a spring training camp for unsigned free agents....thoughts?
Get off my lawn!
This market correction is happening at a good time for us. Prospects and pre-arb players are going to be more valuable than ever.
Team extensions could also become more prevalent at a time when we’ll be looking to lock some players up.
Donaldson could be more affordable that previously thought next year should the Braves entertain that idea. There has been a trend the last few years of the % of MLB salary shifting from the older crowd to the younger guys. So the new market inefficiency may just be aging vets which is crazy to think about as enscheff mentioned previously. Next year will say a lot about the market for certain types of players. Is this just a huge lull due to teams saving their money for next off season or a continued trend that's led to a new market to exploit.
I think the further we have gotten away from the steroid era combined with the added use of advanced stats has maginified the true aging curve of players even for the most old school of GM's.
My guess is we see a somehwat continued trend next year but with a higher AAV and less years.
Let's just wait and see whether Donaldson ever reaches the open market before deeming him "more affordable" - my money's on him signing an extension with Toronto.
With the pieces they have in place - Stroman, Sanchez, Osuna, Smoak, Solarte, Grichuk, Travis, and Pillar, and Vlad Jr., Bichette, and Alford banging on the door plus tons of money coming off the books next winter they're in at least as good a position to contend for awhile as the Braves are.
Has there EVER been a statement and question a certain someone should absolutely never have made and asked publicly more than...
Kinda pathetic to see yourself as a message board knight in shining armor. How impotent does someone have to be in real life to resort to playing hero on a message board?
They have to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox though. The Jays were good a few years back when the Yankees and/or Sox were having down years. That doesn't look to be the case going forward. The NL East after 2018 is going to start being more open as the Nats window continues to close.
And he'd still be going to the team with less talent in that scenario. There's no doubt that we have the edge as far as pitching DEPTH is concerned, but Stroman and sanchez make one *elluva 1-2 punch at the top, they have a shutdown Closer, and more offensive talent overall.
The only reason to hope he'd choose Atlanta if both offered similar money is that he's originally from the area. If he's interested in winning a ring, the Braves would eventually have to beat the Yankees or Sox as well.
Has there EVER been a statement and question a certain someone should absolutely never have made and asked publicly more than...
Kinda pathetic to see yourself as a message board knight in shining armor. How impotent does someone have to be in real life to resort to playing hero on a message board?
Except they are in a division with the Red Sox and the Yankees. And the Yankees have produced a monster. They are going to be really really really good for a really really long time. Maybe the best team in the league already with one of the top 3 farm systems in baseball. The Jays are probably going to have to work within short windows for the foreseeable future. I don't think strapping themselves down with a huge contract on an aging veteran is the best way to meet that end. Especially when its a guy who plays a position that Vlad and/or Bo is probably going to man in the future. Those resources should be spent elsewhere.
Lol its not a guarantee that the Braves would have to beat the Yankees or Sox. And even if they did, beating a team in a seven game series is a whole lot different than beating them over the course of 162 games. If you were to bet money on who has the most playoff appearances over the 5-6 years, I think the Braves would be the far better bet.