Trade Deadline Silver Linings

[Jason]

Watching Toronto and the Mets makes me a ljte jealous. Toronto went nuts at the deadline and injected life into that team. I haven't heard that stadium like that since Joe Carter walked off the World Series. Nothing pumps up a team like getting 2 of the best players in all of baseball.

The Mets are very similar except theirs was due to Flores NOT getting traded. Dude cries and the city loves the passion then comes back and walks it off the next night. And then they go and get Cespedes. Once again I haven't heard that stadium like that in a decade.

Hard to get excited about Murphy, Victorino and Dejesus. I know those guys are going to come through soon but it does nothing for me in the meantime

They'll ride the pine once Joyce comes back

[jsnpritchett]

They'll ride the pine once Joyce comes back

And Cowgill, who sounds like he's finally getting close.

I still don't understand the need for getting all 3...

[floplag]

We didnt need to go "Toronto" on this but we needed to do more than "Oakland". 

The move were nice is everything else was ok, but its not. 

Problem is the franchise is at a crossroads so to speak, we finally got some assets on the farm that are worth potentially more than a bucket of balls and dont want to lose them, but we are also wasting quality seasons from a lot of guys that we may, in the case of Pujols, never see again.  

Are we playing for now, or 2016/17?   We cant answer that question with both, we dont have those kinds of assets.  

The moves we made feel like a "lets just get this season over" kind of move.. not the kind of moves a team that is serious about a post season run makes.  

So i guess the answer is that we are more concerned about the future and changing the franchise model than we are about winning now. 

It could be overreaction on my part but i just cant get over why we were in such a hurry to get guys that we could have had anytime. Thats not against them, they are not bad players, we are probably a little better than we were before the trades.. but, are we good enough that it matters? 

[tomsred]

We didnt need to go "Toronto" on this but we needed to do more than "Oakland". 

The move were nice is everything else was ok, but its not. 

Problem is the franchise is at a crossroads so to speak, we finally got some assets on the farm that are worth potentially more than a bucket of balls and dont want to lose them, but we are also wasting quality seasons from a lot of guys that we may, in the case of Pujols, never see again.  

Are we playing for now, or 2016/17?   We cant answer that question with both, we dont have those kinds of assets.  

The moves we made feel like a "lets just get this season over" kind of move.. not the kind of moves a team that is serious about a post season run makes.  

So i guess the answer is that we are more concerned about the future and changing the franchise model than we are about winning now. 

It could be overreaction on my part but i just cant get over why we were in such a hurry to get guys that we could have had anytime. Thats not against them, they are not bad players, we are probably a little better than we were before the trades.. but, are we good enough that it matters? 

 

I think we are playing for 2016/17.  No one in the organization is going to say that, but their are too many issues this year to make a serious run at the World Series.  Reload with a new GM next year, and go hard at it then.  In the meantime, nothing would be more fun than to go further than anyone expects, whether that's just a pain in the Astros express, a token playoff appearance, or just spoil the fun for a few teams.  Next year you can thank Stoneman for being a realist, thinking long term, and not trying to do something stupid this year.

Edited August 3, 2015 by tomsred

[jsnpritchett]

I think we are playing for 2016/17.  No one in the organization is going to say that, but their are too many issues this year to make a serious run at the World Series.  Reload with a new GM next year, and go hard at it then.  In the meantime, nothing would be more fun than to go further than anyone expects, whether that's just a pain in the Astros express, a token playoff appearance, or just spoil the fun for a few teams.  Next year you can thank Stoneman for being a realist, thinking long term, and not trying to do something stupid this year.

 

I agree--though upgrading in the offseason might have to be done more through trades than through free agency.  It's pretty bleak in terms of impact free agents this year:

 

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/league-info/potential-2016-free-agents/

 

For OFers, Cespedes, maybe Heyward, and then a huge dropoff to the level of the 3 has-beens we just traded for.  Maybe Justin Upton, but who knows what's up with him?

 

No 3B of note.  Maybe Kendrick at 2B, or Zobrist. 

[DMVol]

 

And Cowgill, who sounds like he's finally getting close.

I still don't understand the need for getting all 3...

 

Hard to get excited about Murphy, Victorino and Dejesus. I know those guys are going to come through soon but it does nothing for me in the meantime

 

They'll ride the pine once Joyce comes back

I would be surprised if you see Cowgill beofre Sept 1st when rosters expand....same thing with Joyce...if they don't release or move Joyce, they'll stretch it out with a rehab assignment (like Weaver) until Sept 1st....

[mrwicked]

Bench depth wins championships!

[ten ocho recon scout]

And Cowgill, who sounds like he's finally getting close.

I still don't understand the need for getting all 3...

same here. Murphy alone i would have understood, murphy and victorino? Ok, sure.

Dejesus? Really dont understand the point.

[Tank]

Exactly, until the farm is replenished and fixed, there will likely never be a satisfactory trade deadline.  I guess we could give up competing, and finish last for a few years, that would fix it if we drafted well.  

 

after i get the GM job, i will do my best to fix the farm. i hope a few last place finishes won't be necessary.

[nando714]

If 3b is thin

Does Freese get a QO? I say yes

[Stradling]

I would not give Freese a qualifying offer. I might offer him a contract of two years and $16-18 million, but I wouldn't give him $14 or $15 million for one year.

[m0nkey]

I wouldn't even do that. Pray to whatever upper power you believe in and hope that kubitza and/or cowart figure it out up here

[nando714]

I would not give Freese a qualifying offer. I might offer him a contract of two years and $16-18 million, but I wouldn't give him $14 or $15 million for one year.

You really think he'd sign it? You don't think he is chasing a long term deal?

[Stradling]

You really think he'd sign it? You don't think he is chasing a long term deal?

If you offered him a one year $15 million qualifying offer there is a decent chance he signs it in hopes of having a good season and becoming a free agent.

[jsnpritchett]

You really think he'd sign it? You don't think he is chasing a long term deal?

 

He might be chasing it, but I can't imagine that anyone in their right mind would give him anything approaching $15M/yr.  If I was him and someone made a qualifying offer, I'd jump at it, and then try to leverage a good year next year for a 3-4 year deal.

[Chris]

I think you give Kubitza/Cowart a chance at 3B and invest $ to upgrade either LF, 2B, or DH.

[Stradling]

My off season plan would be to sign Howie to come play 2nd, Cespedes to play LF and grab the best set up guy available. The one other idea I have had would be to go after Wieters if he rebounds from his surgery he had. I would then start Kubitza or Cowart at third.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Still crossing my fingers on kubitza at 3B

[jsnpritchett]

Still crossing my fingers on kubitza at 3B

 

I'm a little concerned that his BB rate is down and his K rate is up in AAA this year.

[Angel Oracle]

Prefer to hope for Cowart to have finally discovered it.

[Tank]

$15 mil for freese? no, not gonna do that.

 

i don't know what he makes now, but i'm thinking he's more like a 7-10 mil kind of guy.