Fixing the team for 2021 and 2022

[totdprods]

It’ll get posted once again when the offseason starts, but I’ve tweaked my plan to this...

• Sign Bauer or Stroman. If Bauer, try to re-sign La Stella. If Stroman, re-sign Simmons. I don’t think we can afford both Bauer and Simmons. 
• Sign a vet catcher to a one-year deal. Molina, Castro, or McCann.
• Sign a defense-first, pref. left-handed hitting 4th OF. JBJ, Joc, Souza, Markakis, and Pillar are my faves.
• Offer up a trade package of Canning, Marsh/Adams, and Rengifo/Jones for the best MLB-ready, upside SP you can get...Lamet, Gray, Marquez, Lynn, Castillo, Flaherty, Plesac, Hudson, Alcantara, Turnbull, Manaea, Duffy, Civale, Urias, Keller, Glasnow...or not, and keep those guys. 
• Non-tender/trade a couple, or all; of Andriese, Barnes, Bedrosian, Robles, Noe to save money.
• Slot Yan, Sandoval, and Chris Rodriguez for ‘21 pen work, joining Pena, Buttrey, Mayers, Middleton
• Barria and Detmers fight for #5, behind Bauer/Stroman, Bundy, Heaney, and your trade return/Canning

Edited September 7, 2020 by totdprods

[Angel Oracle]

I’d prefer to keep Marsh’s elite defense and LH bat.   Ohtani is the only other LH bat that they have in the regular lineup, assuming they re-sign Simba.

Canning/Adams/Rengifo, would that get a good enough ready pitching prospect back?  Then of course hope that Barreto can become a productive enough utility guy.

I’d probably prefer Gausman.   His control is solid, good stuff, still only 30 next season.   ICWT could make him into a really solid guy like with fellow former Oriole, Dylan Bundy.   Gausman has been durable, rarely on the DL.

Bundy, Heaney, Gausman, Barria, and acquired prospect; with Detmers, Sandoval and C-Rod waiting in the wings for solid depth.

C-Rod may need a full 2021 at least though in the minors, as he’s rarely if ever pitched above A ball.

Bundy and Heaney are both FAs after 2021.   Of course, Pujols is off the books by then.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Angel Oracle

[Warfarin]

4 hours ago, totdprods said:

It’ll get posted once again when the offseason starts, but I’ve tweaked my plan to this...

• Sign Bauer or Stroman. If Bauer, try to re-sign La Stella. If Stroman, re-sign Simmons. I don’t think we can afford both Bauer and Simmons. 
• Sign a vet catcher to a one-year deal. Molina, Castro, or McCann.
• Sign a defense-first, pref. left-handed hitting 4th OF. JBJ, Joc, Souza, Markakis, and Pillar are my faves.
• Offer up a trade package of Canning, Marsh/Adams, and Rengifo/Jones for the best MLB-ready, upside SP you can get...Lamet, Gray, Marquez, Lynn, Castillo, Flaherty, Plesac, Hudson, Alcantara, Turnbull, Manaea, Duffy, Civale, Urias, Keller, Glasnow...or not, and keep those guys. 
• Non-tender/trade a couple, or all; of Andriese, Barnes, Bedrosian, Robles, Noe to save money.
• Slot Yan, Sandoval, and Chris Rodriguez for ‘21 pen work, joining Pena, Buttrey, Mayers, Middleton
• Barria and Detmers fight for #5, behind Bauer/Stroman, Bundy, Heaney, and your trade return/Canning

I like your thoughts but I don't think we can afford to do all that.  Even if we non-tender the guys you listed, I suspect we'll have ~20-25mil to spend at most.

If that's the case, then if we signed Bauer, that'd probably be it for the offseason, with the exception of possibly signing a veteran catcher to a modest one year deal.

That said, I do like the ideas you floated about the pen and I do think there is a pathway to build a decent pen.

I'd probably DFA Robles and Bedrosian to save money, as they are expected to cost the most.  For now, I'd probably keep the others you mentioned (Barnes and Noe, with Andriese likely as I don't think he'll cost much at all).

For now, we project to have Pena, Buttrey, Mayers, Middleton, Quijada, Barnes, Ramirez, and Andriese as part of the pen.

Beyond them, Reyes (who we just acquired) has a lot of potential and is someone who I think could play a significant role.  Naughton is probably a solid lefty reliever (don't think he will be a SP) who could fill a role as well too.

If we can get Buttrey "fixed" (his stuff still looks rather good), then we have the potential for 3 solid high-leverage relievers in Butrey, Pena, and Mayers.

Chris Rodriguez and Yan both seem like they could be high leverage relievers if they fail as SPs, so they could be on the horizon soon, too.

[Warfarin]

While this won't be popular, something to consider in terms of trying to utilize our strength to ameliorate our weakness would be to consider trading Adell (FV60 position player) for an FV60 pitching prospect, a la Manning or Mize from Detroit.

That would sting a lot, but it'd be something worth considering.  If we felt Marsh could play RF, and if we also felt we could have Ohtani learn to play LF, we could have the OF covered with Trout, Marsh, Ohtani, and Upton (with Adams in the near future).  And, of course, we'd have a pitching prospect who could be an SP2 with possible SP1 upside.

These kind of deals just virtually never happen, but just in the fantasy offseason world, it would be an interesting thought to consider.

[Stradling]

15 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

While this won't be popular, something to consider in terms of trying to utilize our strength to ameliorate our weakness would be to consider trading Adell (FV60 position player) for an FV60 pitching prospect, a la Manning or Mize from Detroit.

That would sting a lot, but it'd be something worth considering.  If we felt Marsh could play RF, and if we also felt we could have Ohtani learn to play LF, we could have the OF covered with Trout, Marsh, Ohtani, and Upton (with Adams in the near future).  And, of course, we'd have a pitching prospect who could be an SP2 with possible SP1 upside.

These kind of deals just virtually never happen, but just in the fantasy offseason world, it would be an interesting thought to consider.

I would consider it for a guy like Mize or May.  But I am in the minority.  

[stormngt]

8 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Simba, Gausman, late innings guy (if not Hendricks), and Castro sounds fine to me.

Gamble that this poor season cuts back Robles’ arb figure, and that in a full season with fans, he regains just enough of his swagger from 2018-19.

ICWT

Is Stassi and Bemboom really that bad?

[Warfarin]

8 hours ago, stormngt said:

Is Stassi and Bemboom really that bad?

Stassi has made some really nice progress this year.  If we had to start with Stassi / Bemboom, I'd be okay with it.  I still would rather have Castro/Stassi, with Bemboom as AAA depth, but if that's not the case, I think a Stassi/Bemboom combo is okay.

[totdprods]

8 hours ago, stormngt said:

Is Stassi and Bemboom really that bad?

Bemboom is a little interesting to me because he’s seemingly starting to get a bit of an eye and working some walks, while also showing some pop. Jeremy Reed has done some good work with left-handed hitters and increasing their power. He has a heck of an arm too. It would be an okay combo for ‘21, but I do like the idea of having a vet catcher on board too.

The other thing with vet catchers is they’re tradeable. Sandoval and Reyes. Easy to move them midseason.

[wopphil]

They gotta sign a big arm, like Bauer, and then a good secondary arm like Richards or Gausman. 

After that, there probably is money only for role players. I’d fully support bringing back La Stella and/or Castro. I can’t imagine we can afford Simmons, but it seems Fletcher might be able to play a decent shortstop. 

[totdprods]

15 hours ago, Warfarin said:

While this won't be popular, something to consider in terms of trying to utilize our strength to ameliorate our weakness would be to consider trading Adell (FV60 position player) for an FV60 pitching prospect, a la Manning or Mize from Detroit.

That would sting a lot, but it'd be something worth considering.  If we felt Marsh could play RF, and if we also felt we could have Ohtani learn to play LF, we could have the OF covered with Trout, Marsh, Ohtani, and Upton (with Adams in the near future).  And, of course, we'd have a pitching prospect who could be an SP2 with possible SP1 upside.

These kind of deals just virtually never happen, but just in the fantasy offseason world, it would be an interesting thought to consider.

I could see this being something that's happening after 2021 or mid-2022, after each prospect has had some MLB exposure with mixed results, and both teams see it as a fair change-of-scenery thing. Which could happen if Marsh, Adams, Knowles, etc. and the Tigers' numerous SP prospects progress on their own in that time. 

But I don't think either team would pull that trigger this winter.

+1 use for ameliorate.

Edited September 8, 2020 by totdprods

[totdprods]

16 hours ago, Warfarin said:

I like your thoughts but I don't think we can afford to do all that.  Even if we non-tender the guys you listed, I suspect we'll have ~20-25mil to spend at most.

If that's the case, then if we signed Bauer, that'd probably be it for the offseason, with the exception of possibly signing a veteran catcher to a modest one year deal.

That said, I do like the ideas you floated about the pen and I do think there is a pathway to build a decent pen.

I'd probably DFA Robles and Bedrosian to save money, as they are expected to cost the most.  For now, I'd probably keep the others you mentioned (Barnes and Noe, with Andriese likely as I don't think he'll cost much at all).

For now, we project to have Pena, Buttrey, Mayers, Middleton, Quijada, Barnes, Ramirez, and Andriese as part of the pen.

Beyond them, Reyes (who we just acquired) has a lot of potential and is someone who I think could play a significant role.  Naughton is probably a solid lefty reliever (don't think he will be a SP) who could fill a role as well too.

If we can get Buttrey "fixed" (his stuff still looks rather good), then we have the potential for 3 solid high-leverage relievers in Butrey, Pena, and Mayers.

Chris Rodriguez and Yan both seem like they could be high leverage relievers if they fail as SPs, so they could be on the horizon soon, too.

Working with $170m being the approximate benchmark for the payroll...it could vary greatly...Arte's perceived penny-pinching and lack of fan revenue is something that could alter this greatly, and so could the big savings on the land deal he wound up getting, despite him stating the team and the land development are in two separate buckets. 

• Trout, Rendon, Pujols, and Upton eat up $118m of that in '21. 
• I'm roughly guessing Bundy and Heaney rack up another $18m or so between them. Up to $136m. Of note - it will be interesting to see if they try to extend either. It could let them back-load to free up '21 payroll, and they have quite a bit of room with the luxury tax payroll. 
• Again, my arb. figure guesses are really approximate, but non-tendering/dealing Robles ($5m?), Bedrosian ($3.5m?), Andriese ($2m?) opens up $10m or so. Back down to $126m. Barnes, Noe could go either way. They're no more than $1m a piece so not much bearing. I could see them staying or going as likely as the other. 
• The rest of the guys are pre-arb, I'll just spitball the over, like $10m there, putting them right back up at $136m. So maybe around $35m in '21 payroll to spend, which has been pretty consistent with spending in recent offseasons. 

Bauer's a real wildcard depending on how he closes the year and if he sticks to this one-year thing. Plus he's just a bit of a wildcard in general. If there was ever a free agent who decided to take the craziest amount of money thrown at him for a one-year deal, it would be him. If there was ever a free agent who took a surprisingly low deal to play somewhere he really wanted to be, it would be him. I don't think he's all about the money, per se, but he's certainly aware enough of his earning potential. I'll guess he gets around $25m AAV, but it's a real mystery here. Could just as easily be $35m on one-year.

Stroman I think could fall anywhere from a Lance Lynn/Kyle Gibson 3/$30m (he is an under-sized arm with mixed results turning 30 after missing an entire season) to the 5/$80m type deal, being he could be the second-best arm on the market. I'll just guess he gets around $15m-$18m AAV. 

I'm really only interested in re-signing Simmons if its around $10m-$12m AAV. Cozart's 3/$39m is a fair comp.

Vet catchers on one-year deals are going around $5m-8m. The 4th OF types mentioned could be $3m-$9m, looking at Pillar's recent deal up to Calhoun's recent deal. 

Stroman $15m, Simmons $12m, both back-loaded a bit, to get them closer to $12m and $10m in '21, Molina $8m, JBJ $7m puts you at $37m added for '21 payroll, around $172m.

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by totdprods

[Warfarin]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Working with $170m being the approximate benchmark for the payroll...it could vary greatly...Arte's perceived penny-pinching and lack of fan revenue is something that could alter this greatly, and so could the big savings on the land deal he wound up getting, despite him stating the team and the land development are in two separate buckets. 

• Trout, Rendon, Pujols, and Upton eat up $118m of that in '21. 
• I'm roughly guessing Bundy and Heaney rack up another $18m or so between them. Up to $136m. Of note - it will be interesting to see if they try to extend either. It could let them back-load to free up '21 payroll, and they have quite a bit of room with the luxury tax payroll. 
• Again, my arb. figure guesses are really approximate, but non-tendering/dealing Robles ($5m?), Bedrosian ($3.5m?), Andriese ($2m?) opens up $10m or so. Back down to $126m. Barnes, Noe could go either way. They're no more than $1m a piece so not much bearing. I could see them staying or going as likely as the other. 
• The rest of the guys are pre-arb, I'll just spitball the over, like $10m there, putting them right back up at $136m. So maybe around $35m in '21 payroll to spend, which has been pretty consistent with spending in recent offseasons. 

Bauer's a real wildcard depending on how he closes the year and if he sticks to this one-year thing. Plus he's just a bit of a wildcard in general. If there was ever a free agent who decided to take the craziest amount of money thrown at him for a one-year deal, it would be him. If there was ever a free agent who took a surprisingly low deal to play somewhere he really wanted to be, it would be him. I don't think he's all about the money, per se, but he's certainly aware enough of his earning potential. I'll guess he gets around $25m AAV, but it's a real mystery here. Could just as easily be $35m on one-year.

Stroman I think could fall anywhere from a Lance Lynn/Kyle Gibson 3/$30m (he is an under-sized arm with mixed results turning 30 after missing an entire season) to the 5/$80m type deal, being he could be the second-best arm on the market. I'll just guess he gets around $15m-$18m AAV. 

I'm really only interested in re-signing Simmons if its around $10m-$12m AAV. Cozart's 3/$39m is a fair comp.

Vet catchers on one-year deals are going around $5m-8m. The 4th OF types mentioned could be $3m-$9m, looking at Pillar's recent deal up to Calhoun's recent deal. 

Stroman $15m, Simmons $12m, both back-loaded a bit, to get them closer to $12m and $10m in '21, Molina $8m, JBJ $7m puts you at $37m added for '21 payroll, around $172m.

 

Wait - if Trout/Rendon/Pujols/Upton eat up 118mil, and Bundy + Heaney = 136mil.. then subtracting out those arbitration cases doesn't reduce it to 126 - it keeps it at 136mil.  You subtracted 10mil for that, but you shouldn't have.

Also - Ohtani is due for arbitration.  He won't earn as much as we would have originally thought, but I imagine it'd be around 3-5mil or so.

So - 136mil + 4mil = 140mil, plus using the 10mil you mentioned, is around 150mil.  I think the projection of ~20mil to spend is probably a reasonable amount to assuming.  Which could land us a pretty good SP + veteran catcher, or Bauer by himself maybe, or backend SP + Simba, but .. probably not good SP + Simba + others.

[Hubs]

19 hours ago, Warfarin said:

I like your thoughts but I don't think we can afford to do all that.  Even if we non-tender the guys you listed, I suspect we'll have ~20-25mil to spend at most.

If that's the case, then if we signed Bauer, that'd probably be it for the offseason, with the exception of possibly signing a veteran catcher to a modest one year deal.

That said, I do like the ideas you floated about the pen and I do think there is a pathway to build a decent pen.

I'd probably DFA Robles and Bedrosian to save money, as they are expected to cost the most.  For now, I'd probably keep the others you mentioned (Barnes and Noe, with Andriese likely as I don't think he'll cost much at all).

For now, we project to have Pena, Buttrey, Mayers, Middleton, Quijada, Barnes, Ramirez, and Andriese as part of the pen.

Beyond them, Reyes (who we just acquired) has a lot of potential and is someone who I think could play a significant role.  Naughton is probably a solid lefty reliever (don't think he will be a SP) who could fill a role as well too.

If we can get Buttrey "fixed" (his stuff still looks rather good), then we have the potential for 3 solid high-leverage relievers in Butrey, Pena, and Mayers.

Chris Rodriguez and Yan both seem like they could be high leverage relievers if they fail as SPs, so they could be on the horizon soon, too.

I think they have 120 or so committed and will be in the high 160’s, low 170’s after arbitration.

Spending is the only way to fix the team for 2021. They need to buy a proven successful closer And hope he doesn’t suck. They need a frontline starter to go with Heaney and Bundy. They probably need to bring back Simmons or LaStella not both.

They need catching depth.

$40 M is enough if they backload the deals here.

[totdprods]

8 minutes ago, Hubs said:

I think they have 120 or so committed and will be in the high 160’s, low 170’s after arbitration.

Spending is the only way to fix the team for 2021. They need to buy a proven successful closer And hope he doesn’t suck. They need a frontline starter to go with Heaney and Bundy. They probably need to bring back Simmons or LaStella not both.

They need catching depth.

$40 M is enough if they backload the deals here.

The problem is, when does that ever work? I was looking back at old posts the other day of everyone, including myself, clamoring for David Robertson (vs. Adam Ottavino) and Robertson's barely pitched (if at all) and Ottavino, while good last year (peripherals argued otherwise) has been awful this year.

They're just as likely, if not more likely, to find their next closer off waivers (i.e., Robles, Frieri) or in a minor trade (Buttrey, Pena) as they are via free agency, with the big difference being free agency costs a lot more and takes away ability to spend elsewhere. I'm not saying they need to ignore the pen - but plunking down millions on someone to throw 60 innings is increasingly awful strategy. The Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson trades worked out alright and they were essentially throw-ins/change of scenery. Chacin pitched very well in relief. David Hernandez was one of the best relievers acquired and he was in AAA. Mike Mayers and Jacob Barnes were waiver claims/minor-league FAs. 

Several guys Eppler liked enough to claim went on and pitched really well after passing through the Halos as well. Kirby Yates most famously, but Austin Brice, John Curtiss, and Oliver Drake have all pitched really, really well afterwards. Eppler's FO is pretty good at finding these guys.

In my scenario above, I laid out an idea of packaging up Canning, Marsh/Adams, and Rengifo/Jones for a SP. That's a pretty formidable offer. Marsh and, at least last winter, Rengifo hold a lot of value on their own. While you could certainly break that offer up in separate deals, I'd see some possibility of killing two birds with one stone, landing a SP and a RP in a deal. 

Very hypothetically, that trio could maybe net you:

• Jon Gray/German Marquez and Carlos Estevez/Jairo Diaz/Yency Almonte
• Civale/Plesac and maybe a Nick Wittgren
• Sandy Alcantara and a Marlins RP
• Tyler Glasnow and a Rays RP (there are many)
• Sean Manaea and an Athletics RP
• Michael Fulmer/Spencer Turnbull and a Tigers RP
• Tony Gonsolin/Josiah Gray and Caleb Ferguson
• A Padres SP and RP (they have plenty of each)

While I think they do need to try and add a steady vet RP, I think we're better off letting Eppler (if he's here) keep working on that the way he has.

I also think our SP depth is starting to accumulate to the point where we can start moving guys into the pen. Like I mentioned above, Hector Yan, Chris Rodriguez, and Patrick Sandoval all seem like they have the stuff that they could do well out of the pen right out of the gate in '21.

[Hubs]

4 hours ago, totdprods said:

The problem is, when does that ever work? I was looking back at old posts the other day of everyone, including myself, clamoring for David Robertson (vs. Adam Ottavino) and Robertson's barely pitched (if at all) and Ottavino, while good last year (peripherals argued otherwise) has been awful this year.

They're just as likely, if not more likely, to find their next closer off waivers (i.e., Robles, Frieri) or in a minor trade (Buttrey, Pena) as they are via free agency, with the big difference being free agency costs a lot more and takes away ability to spend elsewhere. I'm not saying they need to ignore the pen - but plunking down millions on someone to throw 60 innings is increasingly awful strategy. The Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson trades worked out alright and they were essentially throw-ins/change of scenery. Chacin pitched very well in relief. David Hernandez was one of the best relievers acquired and he was in AAA. Mike Mayers and Jacob Barnes were waiver claims/minor-league FAs. 

Several guys Eppler liked enough to claim went on and pitched really well after passing through the Halos as well. Kirby Yates most famously, but Austin Brice, John Curtiss, and Oliver Drake have all pitched really, really well afterwards. Eppler's FO is pretty good at finding these guys.

In my scenario above, I laid out an idea of packaging up Canning, Marsh/Adams, and Rengifo/Jones for a SP. That's a pretty formidable offer. Marsh and, at least last winter, Rengifo hold a lot of value on their own. While you could certainly break that offer up in separate deals, I'd see some possibility of killing two birds with one stone, landing a SP and a RP in a deal. 

Very hypothetically, that trio could maybe net you:

• Jon Gray/German Marquez and Carlos Estevez/Jairo Diaz/Yency Almonte
• Civale/Plesac and maybe a Nick Wittgren
• Sandy Alcantara and a Marlins RP
• Tyler Glasnow and a Rays RP (there are many)
• Sean Manaea and an Athletics RP
• Michael Fulmer/Spencer Turnbull and a Tigers RP
• Tony Gonsolin/Josiah Gray and Caleb Ferguson
• A Padres SP and RP (they have plenty of each)

While I think they do need to try and add a steady vet RP, I think we're better off letting Eppler (if he's here) keep working on that the way he has.

I also think our SP depth is starting to accumulate to the point where we can start moving guys into the pen. Like I mentioned above, Hector Yan, Chris Rodriguez, and Patrick Sandoval all seem like they have the stuff that they could do well out of the pen right out of the gate in '21.

The last time the Angels have had a successful team, they’ve had a successful closer. We had Huston Street in 14 and he was great for us, they hd Frankie and Percy on playoff teams before that.

Angels Closer by Year: 

1996-2004 Percival two playoffs, one World Series

2005-2008 Rodriguez, three playoff appearances 

2009-10 Brian Fuentes, one Playoff appearance 

2011 Jordan Walden missed playoffs

2012-13 Ernesto Friero missed playoffs 

2014-16 Huston Street, one playoff 

2017 Bud Norris missed playoffs

2018 Blake Parker missed playoffs

2019 Hansel Robles missed playoffs

 

[Jay]

On 9/5/2020 at 2:41 PM, Game 6 said:

It will be interesting to see if he sticks with his commitment to one year deals.

https://www.redlegnation.com/2020/04/08/reds-pitcher-trevor-bauer-on-why-hes-only-signing-1-year-deals/

Bauer likes the attention, he'll stick to one-year deals.

 

[totdprods]

On 9/8/2020 at 6:56 PM, Hubs said:

The last time the Angels have had a successful team, they’ve had a successful closer. We had Huston Street in 14 and he was great for us, they hd Frankie and Percy on playoff teams before that.

Angels Closer by Year: 

1996-2004 Percival two playoffs, one World Series

2005-2008 Rodriguez, three playoff appearances 

2009-10 Brian Fuentes, one Playoff appearance 

2011 Jordan Walden missed playoffs

2012-13 Ernesto Friero missed playoffs 

2014-16 Huston Street, one playoff 

2017 Bud Norris missed playoffs

2018 Blake Parker missed playoffs

2019 Hansel Robles missed playoffs

 

I'm not saying having a successful closer isn't important. All I'm saying is how we acquire one isn't. 

Who can they buy for that role? Kirby Yates? The guy we already claimed on waivers? Ken '10.80 ERA' Giles who lost the gig in Houston? Shane Greene isn't really a closer. Liam Hendriks is great but he was also DFA'ed a couple seasons back and came to them in a trade for Jesse Chavez. Basically the same way we got Buttrey.

Robles was pretty much as good as any of these guys last year. I don't think he'll return to form (personally, I think he and Callaway don't jive) but he's proof enough to me that a great reliever can be found simply enough through trades or waivers. Doesn't have to be $8m+ annually like most of these guys could command. That's the price of a vet SP.

[Claude]

On 9/8/2020 at 12:33 PM, Randy Gradishar said:

I would think Simmons at 31 with his track record is worth more than Cozart at 32 after one potentially fluke season. Ignoring deflation.

Simmons plays two positions now so he’s going to be very expensive. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Can this team really be fixed?

for the past decade, it's be one thing, to another, back to that one thing??

Last year it was the Starting rotation, and now this year its the Bullpen and the inconsitence Offense. 

What is it going to be next year .

[Vlad27Trout27]

On 9/8/2020 at 4:56 PM, Hubs said:

The last time the Angels have had a successful team, they’ve had a successful closer. We had Huston Street in 14 and he was great for us, they hd Frankie and Percy on playoff teams before that.

Angels Closer by Year: 

1996-2004 Percival two playoffs, one World Series

2005-2008 Rodriguez, three playoff appearances 

2009-10 Brian Fuentes, one Playoff appearance 

2011 Jordan Walden missed playoffs

2012-13 Ernesto Friero missed playoffs 

2014-16 Huston Street, one playoff 

2017 Bud Norris missed playoffs

2018 Blake Parker missed playoffs

2019 Hansel Robles missed playoffs

 

Building a Bp is one of the most incinstince thing to build. 

Free agents releivers, have been terrible last few years. (Kimbel, Davis....Etc)

Only way to build a Bullpen, is internally in this era. 

[Claude]

16 minutes ago, Randy Gradishar said:

SS and FS? 

Yes exactly lol

[Warfarin]

Fixing the team aside, I think one of the offseason priorities should be to extend Bundy.  What a revelation he has been.  

[Vlad27Trout27]

I have been debating on whether i should create another post  to ask this question or just post it here, but decided too post it here. 

My question.

Would you rather spend 20-25 mil on one player or spend that 20-25 million on multiple players to fill in the needs. Instead of going after one really good player, we go after multiple above-average (Not dumpster picks). The past decade, we gone after that one really good player (Pujols, Hamilton, upton...etc)  and than with dumpster picks ( Harvey..etc), we have also lost draft picks and depth. 

This brings me to this upcoming free agency. Bauer is the top arm, he is having an amazing year. He is also likely going to get overpayed, and personally i don't think he'll be worth it.  Instead of paying Bauer 20-25 mil, and limiting our spending why not spread it?

For example

Sign Richards to a 2 yrs 20 mil, or 3 years 30 mil. Before people calling be an idiot, let me explain why. 

So first off all, I know that Richards isn't an ace, but he still a solid pitcher that can eat innings, and pitch like a solid 3. He is also coming back from Tj, and the stuff still looks good.

The positives of this signing, Richards can be projected to be around 2.5-3.5 war in a given season. I know this isn't anywhere near  5-6 war that we would like, but its a short turn deal, 2/3 yrs compared to a 5/6 yrs and it will also provide less burden on the payroll. and the main idea is to make up the war by signing the other players. 

So now we spend 10 mil out of the 20-25 mil, on a guys that can be a 2.5-3 war guy.Now we have the options to either go  after some one like Ray who will mostly likely will be looking for a 1 year deal to built up value. Ray is not that bad of a pitcher, he's had had his issue with the BB rate. But he's show the ability to be a solid 2-3 war guy, one that can also eat innings. Offer him a 1 years deal between 8-12 mil.    

With that said, we spend on average 20-22 mil on two guys. At worst they have 3-3.5 war combined, and at Best they average close to 5 war combined. Plus we also don't loose a drat pick and add more depth. 

Now with the left over 3mil, we can either use that to resign Simmons. 

I know everyone wants an ace or another top rotation arm. I just don't see that happening unless we develop internally. Look, Bauer is having an amazing year, but he's only had one other ace like year, he mostly been a 4 era guy in his career.

Sign Richards and Ray (or someone similar), allow the guys in the system develop, don't loose picks and see how everything goes.

 

If someone wants to create another post about this idea, feel free to create it.  

[Revad]

How many games left now?  Draft choice?

[Revad]

Fletch playing today?