2023 Game Thread

[Namaste]

Let’s see what else happens. We just acquired the Mets closer (who has a 2.05 ERA). Maybe it will be great. Maybe it will be Fernando Rodney 2.0.

If this is the only deadline splash we are still finishing close but no cigar.

[lou]

We have a lot of young, cost controlled talent, so i dont think this is similar to the loria era where we had the 4 studs and nothing else. We have Eury, Sandy, Luzardo, Jazz, Arraez, Sanchez, DLC is decent, Garrett, Cabrera, Puk, and then guys like Meyer, Eder, and Fulton. They need bats, but i think guys 5 years away who likely become nothing have 0 impact on our future ability to develop a team that gets to the post season.

I mean I'm the guy who maps out a payroll and player strategy through 2025 - I get it. I've been saying for 2 years this team is extremely well positioned and modeled how getting Correa/Nimmo doesn't really impact things financially until 2027 or whatever it was. And that was being conservative as I am fairly risk-averse.

I am fully into the idea of blowing out the farm to acquire a contending 2023-2025 core, and then betting they can develop more guys (2023 draft does seem promising to replace arms, etc.) for 2026 and beyond and entrusting ownership to sign stopgaps to fill holes. That's fine. This trade was fine - but we can still mention it appears to be a slight overpay, especially if Vargas is teetering on something special like BP mentioned, and Bruce will likely need to step up at some point financially to plug holes moving a slew of young guys will create in a few years. That's it here. Do we trust Bruce? I don't today, but the first step in addressing a problem is acknowledging it, and this trade is adding money and sending out some half decent guys so maybe this is an acknowledgement the "BUILD" phase is finally over.

[Erick]

I really don’t care who we gave up here, it is what it is.

If Robertson pitches as he’s done most of his career and helps us win, I’m all for it.

We once traded Adrian Gonzalez for Urbina, which was terrible, yet I don’t think we, as fans, regret it much today.

These prospects we’re giving up also aren’t Adrian Gonzalez type guys imo.

At the end of the day, this ownership has to show that they care about winning. It’s nice to see that maybe, just maybe, they do.

[TheMendozaLine]

Thank you, Sherman and Ng!

Keep adding!

Let’s make the playoffs!

[Lee Stone]

The two players sent to the Mets were far from "middling" prospects. As far as position players go, they were probably the team's best. I would have much preferred to trade Amaya, Cappe, Mack, Devers, etc.

I would endorse this trade had it been made at the break, when the Marlins were 14 games over .500.

[lou]

I really don’t care who we gave up here, it is what it is.

If Robertson pitches as he’s done most of his career and helps us win, I’m all for it.

We once traded Adrian Gonzalez for Urbina, which was terrible, yet I don’t think we, as fans, regret it much today.

These prospects we’re giving up also aren’t Adrian Gonzalez type guys imo.

At the end of the day, this ownership has to show that they care about winning. It’s nice to see that maybe, just maybe, they do.

Yes if they win the world series all is forgiven for the past few years. lol. Not Yelich though. That being said, they should have trades Stokes.

I agree with the bold, but basically, I feel this is a set up to that commitment. Maybe, just maybe, this is the end of them being cheap and it's a bonkers deadline and regardless of what happens with the playoffs, its a bonkers offseason. Because bonkers is the only way you're going to beat the Braves, Papa Steve's wallet which won't have many down years, and the Phillies aren't incompetent even if they have major payroll issues coming. Is this where we say, why the fuck is Correa/Swanson/Xander and Nimmo not on this team as that is 18th/19th in overall payroll if they went to $135-140m. Compare this to the Rangers getting Seager and Semien a year early, etc. Hopefully those days are ending.

[lou]

The two players sent to the Mets were far from "middling" prospects. As far as position players go, they were probably the team's best. I would have much preferred to trade Amaya, Cappe, Mack, Devers, etc.

I tried to give you an elbow bump here that you aren't wrong about this being a good deal for the Mets, but this is too far. Devers sure, but those other three have a lot more pedigree for upside. You're not trading them for rentals.

[Erick]

The two players sent to the Mets were far from "middling" prospects. As far as position players go, they were probably the team's best. I would have much preferred to trade Amaya, Cappe, Mack, Devers, etc.

I would endorse this trade had it been made at the break, when the Marlins were 14 games over .500.

We had a need for right-handed relief pitching and just got the best one on the market.

I would imagine guys like Cappe also have more trade value than the guys we dealt to the Mets (not sure why you think otherwise), so maybe the players you like less (for some reason) can be used in trades to acquire the hitters we need.

[Nick]

The two players sent to the Mets were far from "middling" prospects. As far as position players go, they were probably the team's best. I would have much preferred to trade Amaya, Cappe, Mack, Devers, etc.

Other than Cappe I would agree, but they probably wouldn't want Amaya cuz he'd have to be on the 40-man, Devers could've been had by any team for free when we DFA'd him but he passed through waivers. I would've liked to have kept Hernandez over Mack, but maybe the Mets liked Hernandez more too.

[rmc523]

Let’s see what else happens. We just acquired the Mets closer (who has a 2.05 ERA). Maybe it will be great. Maybe it will be Fernando Rodney 2.0.

If this is the only deadline splash we are still finishing close but no cigar.

I think Robertson has been pretty good for years now. Rodney had like a 0.35 ERA or something ridiculous when we acquired him. I don’t see this move going similarly to that.

[rmc523]

I say forget the farm. Think harder about and/or get better returns for some of the top pitchers should you trade them. As has been discussed above, there’s no Stanton, Yelich, etc coming up that you’d be like no way, we’re keeping him.

This is the first time we’re relevant in forever, continue to make moves to improve. What’s the worst that’ll happen? We’ll just be irrelevant longer? There’s no major piece we’re waiting on to come up and be like THAT’S the guy we’re building around. It’d be the same thing we’ve had forever anyway, enjoy the fun now for a change

[Nick]

Something needs to be done with Edwards, either trade him for a piece or call him up and play him. He's done all he can do in AAA. 3-4 with a HR and a BB last night. Dude has a .425 OBP, 16 Ks total in 310 PAs, 28 for 29 in steals, like what the fuck more do you want? Guy should be at the top of our lineup with Arraez right now.

[fish16]

ya this is not fernando rodney. it was obvious at the time he was way outperforming his peripherals. he had also been super volatile year to year even with that hot start. He had a .31 ERA and a 2 something FIP, which is still good, but it was obvious he was not that pitcher. Robertson had 1 bad year in 2019 right before he got injured and missed 2020 and outside of that he's been one of the best most consistent relievers in baseball going back a decade.

The interesting thing with Robertson is it looks like he switched from a fastball dominant guy to a cutter guy starting in 2021. He doesnt even register an average fastball velocity on fangraphs because he has only thrown it .1% of the time. he used to use his fastball as much as 80% of the time in previous years. So it looks like once he returned from his injury he switched from fastball to cutter.

[Nick]

Oh and btw was for 8-21 in his short cup of coffee on the big league team.

[fish16]

Something needs to be done with Edwards, either trade him for a piece or call him up and play him. He's done all he can do in AAA. 3-4 with a HR and a BB last night. Dude has a .425 OBP, 16 Ks total in 310 PAs, 28 for 29 in steals, like what the fuck more do you want? Guy should be at the top of our lineup with Arraez right now.

completely agree. I'd love to see us get bring him up, get gleyber and candelario, dump cooper, and roll out an infield of Arraez at 1b, Edwards at 2b, Gleyber at SS (we can put up with mediocre or below average defense if it improves the offense, and Candelario at 3b. Get gomes too for cheap.

Can roll out the following lineup:

Edwards
Arraez
Soler
Jazz
Gleyber
Candelario
Sanchez
DLC
Gomes

With Berti, Stallings/Fortes, Gurriel, Segura off the bench.

That's a damn good lineup.

I have to think they think edwards is not a legit mlb starter and they are going to trade him in the next few days. I just dont see what more he can do in AAA to prove he should be up here when we are rolling out Hampson and Myers a lot. He doesnt hit the ball hard but neither does Arraez. Some guys are just pure hitters and he appears to be one combined with clearly elite plate discipline. He was a top 100 guy, had 1 bad year, came right back this year and has been phenomenal, and just cant get called up again. I dont see how these system rankings dont have him as a top 100 guy again. I have to think the front office are either idiots or know something we dont about how he would perform up here. He looked decent to me in his brief time up here. It doesnt help with the slugging obviously but as a guy who can get on base, make contact, steal bases, and just wreck havoc with Arraez at the top of the order to set the table for the sluggers, i dont see how he has not yet gotten another opporunity.