Dear Arte

[eligrba]

It is time for you to return to the free agent dating world.  You have had enough time to recover from believing that a stripper was the "one" for you (aka Hamilton).  We all go through that phase and no one will judge you for it.

Please don't be the reason why Mike Trout may never have the opportunity to play in meaningful games during his prime.

Sincerely,

Eligrba

[wopphil]

I agree. Sign Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen, and make this team competitive again.

[Stradling]

6 minutes ago, wopphil said:

I agree. Sign Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen, and make this team competitive again.

I agree.  Trump would.  

[Stradling]

27 minutes ago, eligrba said:

It is time for you to return to the free agent dating world.  You have had enough time to recover from believing that a stripper was the "one" for you (aka Hamilton).  We all go through that phase and no one will judge you for it.

Please don't be the reason why Mike Trout may never have the opportunity to play in meaningful games during his prime.

Sincerely,

Eligrba

I'm confused eligrba, did you have a change of heart?  I got the impression from your posts that you were a patience guy and not a guy that wants Arte spending a bunch of money.  

[eligrba]

10 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I'm confused eligrba, did you have a change of heart?  I got the impression from your posts that you were a patience guy and not a guy that wants Arte spending a bunch of money.  

Yep....

Patience with draft picks and international signings for the farm for sustaining long term competitiveness with increased free agent spending for short term solutions.  In my mind, having Mike Trout changed my perspective.  I didn't realize it until watching this last season unfold. 

I am a slow thinker.

[ELEVEN]

We haven't had a Vernon Wells type of deal in a while...

[Stradling]

39 minutes ago, eligrba said:

Yep....

Patience with draft picks and international signings for the farm for sustaining long term competitiveness with increased free agent spending for short term solutions.  In my mind, having Mike Trout changed my perspective.  I didn't realize it until watching this last season unfold. 

I am a slow thinker.

I agree with you on this.  I want an owner that puts a competitive team on the field while letting our minor league develop.  Once the farm is strong then use it as you see fit.  If that means to promote them to the big club to control costs, then fine.  If it means using some as Rondons to obtain more help for the big club, fantastic.  I want a strong farm that has enough talent to do both.  You can only do that with smart drafting, fantastic scouting, and international signings.  

[stormngt]

1 hour ago, eligrba said:

It is time for you to return to the free agent dating world.  You have had enough time to recover from believing that a stripper was the "one" for you (aka Hamilton).  We all go through that phase and no one will judge you for it.

Please don't be the reason why Mike Trout may never have the opportunity to play in meaningful games during his prime.

Sincerely,

Eligrba

Can he return to FA world when there are actual FA worth a damn.  this class is not very good.

[Stradling]

Justin Turner is the guy I want.  That being said, I wouldn't turn down Cespedes, although that will not happen.  I would also love to have any of the 3 big closers.  

[Blarg]

The farm requires draft picks. 10th pick in the second round is important to that growth so giving it up better be for a guaranteed quality player .

Recently free agency has been a crap shoot where guys you expected to do well flopped the last couple years. We all know the Hamilton fiasco but other teams are getting whacked with over commitments and getting marginal returns. 

Thin free agent market means Turner and Jansen are getting over paid so I would be damn skeptical of either being worth the payroll tie up for actually 2nd tier players at superstar money.

I'd rather keep the draft pick even if it is the second round.

[Ohtaniland]

Dear Arte, 

Don't do it again. Please stay away from high cost aging players that are headed straight for decline once the ink dries. Stay with the youth movement.

signed,

Mike Trout

 

[Ohtaniland]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

I agree with you on this.  I want an owner that puts a competitive team on the field while letting our minor league develop.  Once the farm is strong then use it as you see fit.  If that means to promote them to the big club to control costs, then fine.  If it means using some as Rondons to obtain more help for the big club, fantastic.  I want a strong farm that has enough talent to do both.  You can only do that with smart drafting, fantastic scouting, and international signings.  

 

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

Justin Turner is the guy I want.  That being said, I wouldn't turn down Cespedes, although that will not happen.  I would also love to have any of the 3 big closers.  

Geez Stradling.....like this is going to change your life. 

 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

3 hours ago, stormngt said:

Can he return to FA world when there are actual FA worth a damn.  this class is not very good.

The time to do this was last year. This year's class is full of declining players and underachievers.

[AngelsLakersFan]

If we are playing the waiting game, waiting on the farm to produce the talent needed to make this a legitimate contender then we will be waiting until after Trout leaves.

[Stradling]

15 minutes ago, CALZONE said:

 

Geez Stradling.....like this is going to change your life. 

 

Oh I know, it's crazy for a fan to want his team to improve.  My apologies to you, the settler.

[TroutField]

I was looking for some out of the box ways to get a young, but good second baseman and saw the Diamondbacks wanted to get out of that Zack Greinke deal. So, I got to thinking what if we took on Zack Greinke's entire deal and got back Brandon Drury. Drury was playing some second last year for Arizona and he has a legit bat, best of all he's 24. 

 

Would never happen, but eating bad contracts is the quickest way to get competetive while the farm develops. 

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, TroutField said:

I was looking for some out of the box ways to get a young, but good second baseman and saw the Diamondbacks wanted to get out of that Zack Greinke deal. So, I got to thinking what if we took on Zack Greinke's entire deal and got back Brandon Drury. Drury was playing some second last year for Arizona and he has a legit bat, best of all he's 24. 

 

Would never happen, but eating bad contracts is the quickest way to get competetive while the farm develops. 

Claude would literally kill himself.

[Troll Daddy]

Calzone has turned into a whiny crying B ... who cares. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

11 minutes ago, TroutField said:

I was looking for some out of the box ways to get a young, but good second baseman and saw the Diamondbacks wanted to get out of that Zack Greinke deal. So, I got to thinking what if we took on Zack Greinke's entire deal and got back Brandon Drury. Drury was playing some second last year for Arizona and he has a legit bat, best of all he's 24. 

 

Would never happen, but eating bad contracts is the quickest way to get competitive while the farm develops. 

While we already have Albert Pujols' millstone contract and another year of paying Josh Hamilton to snort coke on his living room couch. No thanks. Greinke is 33, and there is a chance that his decline is permanent.

[AngelsLakersFan]

8 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Claude would literally kill himself.

Ha! If big FA contracts are all future albatrosses then I can only imagine how he feels about current albatross contracts!

[CaliAngel]

I'm sick of Arte paying players way too much money to under-perform. He's still paying for Hamilton. 

I say stay away from the big stupid free agent deals and make some smarter, lower caliber moves. I can't think of one big free agent deal Arte has made that has panned out, instead they've crippled us from making better, cheaper decisions down the line. Besides filling some obvious holes, let's let the group of guys we have play together for a couple seasons and see where that gets us. I'd rather Trout get to the playoffs, compete for a ring in 3 or 4 years when his contract comes up then gamble for right now.

It'd give him an incentive to stay.  

[Stradling]

The only thing preventing both is Arte.  You can sign guys and build a farm @CaliAngel.  

[Troll Daddy]

Cubs spent over $400MM in free agents and won a championship. 

[Ohtaniland]

28 minutes ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

While we already have Albert Pujols' millstone contract and another year of paying Josh Hamilton to snort coke on his living room couch. No thanks. Greinke is 33, and there is a chance that his decline is permanent.

Yet there are still people who expect Arte to spend stupid money like a drunken sailor on players like Greinke. 

[Ohtaniland]

33 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Ha! If big FA contracts are all future albatrosses then I can only imagine how he feels about current albatross contracts!

We signed Albert Freakin Pujols....had a huge pressor.....still no parade. Those are the facts.