2023 Game Thread

[lou]

I did get it, you’re doing that thing where if someone thinks what you’re a saying is nonsense that they can’t possibly get your intellectual saavy or don’t get what you’re saying. Yes, they will have money to spend obviously. No shit. It is a dog shit free agent class for hitters and hitters flat out do not want to sign here for a multitude of reasons. Justin turner didn’t want to sign here literally last offseason and took less money to go to boston. That wasn’t even 7 months ago. All of the guys you named are hugely flawed, and you would be competing with 29 other teams to sign them.

you do this every offseason. We aren’t a free agent destination, especially for hitters. Losing bell on top of us likely losing soler is an enormous blow to this lineup next year.


do you think Kim has been terrible at signing free agents for the most part because she is just incompetent or because she is dealing with a much more limited group of potential free agents that would even sign here because of ownership and this ballpark?


just look at the names we actually have been able to sign. Garcia coming off a career year. Segura coming off a bad year. Soler coming off a great stretch run but a terrible beginning of his year in Kansas City. John buck. Salty. Michael Morse. No. Top. Hitters. Want. To. Sign. Here. It’s been 12 years of this in this ballpark. Take the hint. Losing bell would be a massive blow because replacing him in free agency is not nearly as easy as you make it out to be

The first bold also describes Josh Bell (and Jorge Soler) which you don't seem to be grasping here. Neither of those guys have perfect track records. Bell has had an incredible 2 weeks and his previous 150 games were really shitty. Yes, the analytics are amazing but he is volatile. Let's not jump to SSS conclusions like Lee here. Soler was hurt and pretty whatever last year. He also has had a big slump this year so who knows. Teams aren't going to be jumping over each other to get these over 30 guys versus potential guys who can play in the field. If they opt-in great, if they opt-out, they get a lot of money to spend elsewhere which is also great.

Free agent destinations are also typically two things - money and contending - unless some family dynamic (see Longoria wanting to be closer to home) kicks in. The contending part is looking pretty good IMO. They have a foundation of a longterm winner to me. Your second bold is of course the real problem here longterm. But for this instance, is already explained as Bell opting out creates $16.5m they can spend on 1-2 players to make it up. Soler would take $16.5m (or less) from them in a second BTW for a 2 year deal and do we care if Bell opts out and just retain Soler for similar money (even if 2 years) as I don't. Bringing up John Buck and Michael Morse from 8-10 years ago is LOL in trying to make a point when the team *right now* is in a radically different position for the first time in years including from just last offseason. So I do think this is nonsense and I do think you don't get it because you aren't looking at the market and team conditions right now.

Maybe you are just a battered Marlins fan always expecting bad news. I can sympathize with that mindset, but guys want to get paid and win. They will easily be able to get a fairly notable DH or SP equivalent if one must be traded if Bell goes. That is a lot of money to work with and fits into an under $100m team budget. It is dramatic to suggest otherwise. This is going to be fine. Whatever happens is a win getting that Segura money off the books + somehow turning Cooper into Weathers. Kim did good here. We can pray Bruce makes good next.

[lou]

I didn’t realize how low his BABIP was this season in the majors but have we forgotten just how bad this guy is at catching baseballs or will the improved bat overshadow this?

I think all ideas are good ideas in seeing if they can get anything out of catcher.

It's a 0.0 WAR on the season and that's only propped up because Fortes can frame pitches a bit. For free, why not!

[fish16]

The first bold also describes Josh Bell (and Jorge Soler) which you don't seem to be grasping here. Neither of those guys have perfect track records. Bell has had an incredible 2 weeks and his previous 150 games were really shitty. Yes, the analytics are amazing but he is volatile. Let's not jump to SSS conclusions like Lee here. Soler was hurt and pretty whatever last year. He also has had a big slump this year so who knows. Teams aren't going to be jumping over each other to get these over 30 guys versus potential guys who can play in the field. If they opt-in great, if they opt-out, they get a lot of money to spend elsewhere which is also great.

Free agent destinations are also typically two things - money and contending - unless some family dynamic (see Longoria wanting to be closer to home) kicks in. The contending part is looking pretty good IMO. They have a foundation of a longterm winner to me. Your second bold is of course the real problem here longterm. But for this instance, is already explained as Bell opting out creates $16.5m they can spend on 1-2 players to make it up. Soler would take $16.5m (or less) from them in a second BTW for a 2 year deal and do we care if Bell opts out and just retain Soler for similar money (even if 2 years) as I don't. Bringing up John Buck and Michael Morse from 8-10 years ago is LOL in trying to make a point when the team *right now* is in a radically different position for the first time in years including from just last offseason. So I do think this is nonsense and I do think you don't get it because you aren't looking at the market and team conditions right now.

Maybe you are just a battered Marlins fan always expecting bad news. I can sympathize with that mindset, but guys want to get paid and win. They will easily be able to get a fairly notable DH or SP equivalent if one must be traded if Bell goes. That is a lot of money to work with and fits into an under $100m team budget. It is dramatic to suggest otherwise. This is going to be fine. Whatever happens is a win getting that Segura money off the books + somehow turning Cooper into Weathers. Kim did good here. We can pray Bruce makes good next.

Again, look at the free agent class, who are we getting with that 16.5 million and who is deciding to come here amongst similar offers? You want to laugh at Michael Morse and John Buck and Salty from years ago, look at Garcia and Segura from the last 2 years. We get free agent scraps because hitters dont want to come here. Again, it's not necessarily about money, as justin turner literally turned down more money to be able to go to boston. Guys dont want to come here, that's what you dont seem to understand. Even if they were to be in on a guy who is a top 5 hitter in this class, we arent outbidding the big market teams for these guys. That's why bell opting out and moving on would absolutely be a huge hit to next year's team. Because you dont seem to understand that it's not as simple as saying "oh, we will have 16.5 million to spend to replace him, so it will be fine." NO MAJOR FREE AGENT WANTS TO SIGN HERE.

Us having money to spend, if we even spend it, is the equivalent of the Minnesota Timberwolves or Detroit pistons having a shit ton of salary cap space in the nba. They dont get the top free agents for a reason. If you think having 1 year of not being a complete trainwreck is enough to convince top tier hitting free agents to come here, you are kidding yourself.

The free agent hitting crop is also terrible. there are no good catchers. the best first baseman is a guy coming off a torn ACL that will likely be re-signed by a phillies team that actually spends money. there are no impact 2b, best SS is Amed rosario coming off a super mediocre year. 3b you have max muncy. The dodgers arent turning down his 10 million club option. Justin turner has a 13.4 million player option, if he opts out, which he wont, he is getting the vast majority if not more than the 16.5 million attributed to bell. LF you have Canha, Pham, Duvall, Pederson. CF is Bellinger who we wont spend for and will get paid a ton. RF Confoto isnt opting out of 18 million next year, Grichuk is mediocre and doesnt move a needle, and Teoscar hernandez is having a down year.

And none of those guys would choose to come here anyways. That's the big thing that you dont want to acknowledge. Kim isnt a fucking idiot when it comes to free agents. she doesnt want to be shopping for the Garcia's and Segura's of the world. The reason we have gotten them is because that is the level of free agent hitter that actually wants to come here at this point. Not acknowledging that is just living in a different reality that will lead you to be disappointed yet again come this winter.

The upgrades to the lineup will come via trades because they will have to. Losing Bell would be a significant blow.

[Nick]

Berti should be playing over Wendle pretty much every day.

[fish16]

Berti should be playing over Wendle pretty much every day.

dont be silly, when there is a righty on the mound, we need to play the matchups with Wendle crushing righties to the tune of a .586 OPS in 207 at bats.

[Nick]

Yay Jazz! But learn how to slide please.

[fish16]

try to get cueto through 5 and get him the fuck out of the game. He leaves absolute meatballs

[fish16]

jazz is a good athletic CF who is also a fucking idiot throwing from the outfield. Just completely unnecessary.

[fish16]

get cueto out of there.

[Namaste]

There goes the lead Jazz wtf man

[fish16]

jazz is a fucking idiot. He's such a selfish player so often.

[Namaste]

Skip getting greedy keeping Cueto out there. 3 run HR incoming

[el nino]

We've seen Jazz at his best and worst today. Real Russell Westbrook energy, he wants to be the reason that the team wins. I don't think it's selfish, just a firm belief that he has to do it all for the good of the team.

[Namaste]

At least they fixed who got the error on that play in the outfield

[fish16]

how do we get fucked by the home plate ump every god damn night?