Sonny went on the record saying he likes it here and wants to see what can get done.
I don’t have a lot of faith that Polonco can play 100 games next year with injuries. I don’t mind Kepler, but the twins have a plethora of left handed outfielders. If I could get Grey for 3 and $65 I think I would take that and pair him with Lopez. Let Larnach, Wallner, Gordon, Castro, and whoever else you want battle it out for the corner outfield positions.
But just think if your rotation is Lopez, Grey, and a good Paddock. I think you could find someone to replace Kepler as I don’t think his defense is above average anymore and his bat is just ok. Wallner would probably better out in right field vs left field as people would be reluctant to run on his arm in right.
No. He'll be 34 and will never repeat 2023. I am fine if he just accepts the QO but no multi-year deal longer than two years. I don't view it as a choice between him and Polanco. I'd rather let someone like Taylor walk and use Martin in CF. If you have to trade Kepler I'm on board with that.
That last start against the Astros left a bad taste in my mouth. The Astros, an excellent hitting team, looked very, very comfortable against Gray. On that night Gray looked like a #4 starter. I'm not sure it makes sense to invest $75M in a 34 year old starting pitcher who can only hit 94mph, regardless of how many different pitches he throws.
My guess is Sonny will want 4 years instead of 3.
Baltimore was near the bottom in payroll and needs proven/veteran starters. That's a team that would really make sense to me for Gray.
Plus he’d be a great mentor for their young guns
The Twins are reasonably well set in 4 starting spots: Lopez, Ryan, Ober and Paddock. I'd much prefer to leave Varland in the bullpen and there's no one else at AAA that does much for me. Woods-Richardson and Dobnak are OK for an emergency spot start, but I don't want them in the Opening Day rotation. So they would need to sign someone or make a trade. I would target a whose in 2nd/3rd year arbitration if they trade Kepler. Perhaps something like Kepler and Woods-Richardson as a package.
Agreed. Maybe you over pay for 3 years vs giving that 4th year. All it takes is some drunk billionaire on Maui to F up the whole thing though.
What about Ohtani? I know he’s not pitching in 2024, but he could insight his pitching wisdom.
And leave the west coast?
A really baffling trend. Unfortunately for the Astros, they would have Home Field again in the World Series should they be able to close out the ALCS.
I don't think Ryan and Ober are particularly dependable. They are both 91-93mph guys in a 97mph league. I'm not buying the Ryan arm angle stuff. I love Paddock and Varland's velocity. I think they will end up leaving Varland in the pen because he's capable of dominating. Not really sure how they will fill out the rotation.
Depends on what you mean by dependable. He's made 56 starts over the last two years and pitched to a 4.00 ERA even with the horrible stretch after his injury. I'm fairly comfortable with him as the 3rd or 4th starter. I'm not sure what arm angle stuff you're referring to?
Probably not. Seattle and LA make the most sense, but money is money.
I wouldn't rule out San Fran either.
This is one of many articles that talks about Ryan's arm angle:
www.mlb.com
Agree. Maybe that’s why they bailed on Correa.
Love to see him in Seattle.
They could lose around $10 million in TV $$ but they should also sell more tickets and corporate sponsorships after this season's success. I can see them cutting from $153 million down to $140-145. There's no excuse to go much lower than that during a win now window.
Short term, I think it's going to be way more than a $10million hit next year.