Arte: "We need to win" for Eppler to get a new deal

[Inside Pitch]

Just now, mymerlincat said:

Kenta Maeda, David Price, and Corey Kluber, though I really don't see why it matters if other teams trade for starters or not.

Don't look now but two of your examples didn't happen until the same trade you just faulted Eppler for waiting until.    LOL...

The point is - those sorts of trades are few and far between and Price/Kluber were salary dumps.

[tdawg87]

2 minutes ago, mymerlincat said:

David Price

[T.G.]

10 minutes ago, GregAlso said:

edit: also I don’t want Arte to stop writing checks just stop meddling in the decisions. Rendon is a challenge, but Rendon also gets us Hamilton, and Pujols, and Wells. Tough trade off. 

Maybe you missed the part where I said it goes both ways.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

36 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Uh, no. He approves the money. That isn’t what we’re complaining about. What he absolutely shouldn’t be doing is overruling Eppler on baseball decisions. 

Arte pulling the Stripling deal because he’s a ‘4-5 type’ not a frontline pitcher shows Arte has zero business making those decisions. How many times does it have to backfire on him before he stays the hell in his own effing lane?

This reminds me of the Braves in the early years of Ted Turner's ownership. Turner (who also served one game as manager until the Commissioner told him that he couldn't do it) was constantly meddling in the baseball end of things. He would give large (for the time) contracts to free agents who had one good year 4-5 years earlier, hoping that the money would motivate them to repeat it. He also gave ill-advised contract extensions with escalating salaries to players who he personally liked. He nixed a trade toward the end of Dale Murphy's career that would have stocked the team with some solid talent. Instead, a year later the team dealt Murphy for an outfielder who was quickly traded and spent most of his time in AAA, and a journeyman reliever.

When he brought in solid baseball people and stayed out of the way of their decisions, 14 straight division titles eventually followed.

[floplag]

i wonder if thats even fair after the damage he did in killing a deal that would have helped a lot. 

[Rally Gorilla]

4 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

He said today he did. He also said he didn’t want a 4-5 type (which Stripling isn’t) - only a frontline pitcher. 

Geez....so, he won't overpay for front-of-the-rotation guys  (which I agree with)....but he also won't allow his GM to bring in a solid mid-level guy like Stripling?    That doesn't pass the smell test.     And he also chooses the same time to talk about firing his GM if he doesn't win in 2020?      

[mmc]

5 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Don't look now but two of your examples didn't happen until the same trade you just faulted Eppler for waiting until.    LOL...

The point is - those sorts of trades are few and far between and Price/Kluber were salary dumps.

We're also much more desperate for starting pitching than every other team that's trying to make the playoffs next season.  We don't have to wait for other teams to make trades for pitchers for us to do the same.  

[tdawg87]

6 minutes ago, True Grich said:

Maybe you missed the part where I said it goes both ways.

Gross.

[Rally Gorilla]

Man, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Arte actually did nix the Pederson/Stripling deal......unbelievable.    That deal would have put us in a very realistic position to earn a WC spot, and maybe even the division with a lot of luck.    Just unbelievable.

[Inside Pitch]

Just now, mymerlincat said:

We're also much more desperate for starting pitching than every other team that's trying to make the playoffs next season.  We don't have to wait for other teams to make trades for pitchers for us to do the same.  

Clearly they didn't feel as desperate as you are, or they understand that trades made out of desperation are a fools play.  

And no, we don't have to wait for other teams to make trades, but we need other teams to want to make them.  By your own count there aren't many teams willing to move "Good" pitching.

Hopefully they are in contention at the break and someone has pitching available.

[mmc]

Just now, Inside Pitch said:

Clearly they didn't feel as desperate as you are, or they understand that trades made out of desperation are a fools play.  

And no, we don't have to wait for other teams to make trades, but we need other teams to want to make them.  By your own count there aren't many teams willing to move "Good" pitching.

Hopefully they are in contention at the break and someone has pitching available.

They can have fun not making the playoffs then if it's not important to them.

[Inside Pitch]

Just now, mymerlincat said:

They can have fun not making the playoffs then if it's not important to them.

Guess they'll find a new GM if that happens, one that is willing to make desperate trades.    

[mmc]

The Twins needed pitching, despite already having an ace in Berrios, got Maeda.

The Rangers needed pitching despite having 2 of last season's best starters in Lynn and Minor, got Kluber and Gibson

The Phillies needed pitching despite already having an ace in Nola, got Wheeler

The White Sox needed pitching despite already having an ace in Giolito and several of the most talented pitching prospects, got Keuchel.

The A's needed pitching and are bringing up two of the most talented pitching prospects in the league in Luzardo and Puk.

The Angels need pitching, and have no ace or anything above a #4 starter sans what will end up being 15 Ohtani starts, and got... Teheran and Bundy.

[Stradling]

So Maeda for a top 100 prospect is better than Teheran on a one year deal?

[Lou]

32 minutes ago, GregAlso said:

It seems Trout really liked Eppler’s plan and the rapport with Eppler is at least partially responsible for Trout wanting to stay. 
 

edit: also I don’t want Arte to stop writing checks just stop meddling in the decisions. Rendon is a challenge, but Rendon also gets us Hamilton, and Pujols, and Wells. Tough trade off. 

and extends Trout.

That was kind of a big deal. 

[mmc]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

So Maeda for a top 100 prospect is better than Teheran on a one year deal?

He's a better player with 4 years of control, so yeah.

[failos]

Good.

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, mymerlincat said:

The Twins needed pitching, despite already having an ace in Berrios, got Maeda.

The Rangers needed pitching despite having 2 of last season's best starters in Lynn and Minor, got Kluber and Gibson

The Phillies needed pitching despite already having an ace in Nola, got Wheeler

The White Sox needed pitching despite already having an ace in Giolito and several of the most talented pitching prospects, got Keuchel.

The A's needed pitching and are bringing up two of the most talented pitching prospects in the league in Luzardo and Puk.

The Angels need pitching, and have no ace or anything above a #4 starter sans what will end up being 15 Ohtani starts, and got... Teheran and Bundy.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

Looks like the Phillies, Rangers and White Sox may have acted out of desperation and may end up having thrown money away.

Props to the A's -- they continue to draft and develop well.  

 

[Inside Pitch]

6 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So Maeda for a top 100 prospect is better than Teheran on a one year deal?

Maeda was a good get -- the only way he gets expensive is if he pitches well.    His track record in interleague is pretty mediocre but -- he's got less question marks than Teheran IMO who has an ugly track record in Interleague and a fading FB..

[Stradling]

So his higher ERA last year was just a bad year?  I’d rather spend money than prospects. 

[mmc]

5 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

Looks like the Phillies, Rangers and White Sox may have acted out of desperation and may end up having thrown money away.

Props to the A's -- they continue to draft and develop well.  

 

Something tells me the Mets won't be winning the NL East, the Cardinals won't finish 3rd and under .500, the A's won't lose 13 more games than they did last season, the Rays won't lose 9 more games than they did last season, the Braves won't be only a game over .500 losing 14 more games than they did last season, and the Diamondbacks won't be below .500.

[mmc]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

So his higher ERA last year was just a bad year?  I’d rather spend money than prospects. 

Lol @ ERA

[Inside Pitch]

12 minutes ago, Stradling said:

So his higher ERA last year was just a bad year?  I’d rather spend money than prospects. 

ERA isn't the best measure of what to expect moving forward.  I'd argue it's the worst.

Had the Angels had a top 100 RP the Twins wanted, I'd have given it to them.   

[Inside Pitch]

3 minutes ago, mymerlincat said:

Something tells me the Mets won't be winning the NL East, the Cardinals won't finish 3rd and under .500, the A's won't lose 13 more games than they did last season, the Rays won't lose 9 more games than they did last season, the Braves won't be only a game over .500 losing 14 more games than they did last season, and the Diamondbacks won't be below .500.

Meh -- projections are educated guesses but they are based on something more than whims.   They caught all kinds of shit last year for picking the Cubs to win XX many games and finish third then it happened.   There will always be teams that surprise and those that fall of.   Young teams, old teams - always the places for the biggest amount of variance.  That Cinci projection seems pretty stout to me, but that entire division seems like it could go in in a ton of different directions.

 

[UndertheHalo]

I think Eppler will get a new deal.  I’m not concerned about it.  And if he doesn’t.  I mean fine.  I think Eppler has done a decent enough job.  But he’s not bullet proof and he’s definitely not completely free of blame for some of the issues that the team has.  Again, if it was up to me I would re up him.  Regardless of how this season goes.  But I don’t think the idea that you consider other guys for the job is crazy. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by UndertheHalo