2024 Game Thread

[fish16]

Your skull. It's so thick. It's like the 8th wonder of the world.

My skull is thick as you’re still defending sixto in 2024 when he’s fucking awful because you don’t want to admit you sounded like a moron taking a victory lap over 9 spring innings. Everything I said was accurate. He was coming off an elbow injury literally when we traded for him and he’s been fat his entire career. He had potential. We traded the best catcher in baseball.

[Namaste]

The whole Sixto is fat thing doesn't resonate with me

The list of pitchers in peak physical shape who have had Tommy John in the last 10 years is THE LONGEST LIST EVER. And at the top of that very long list is Sandy and Max.

Bartolo Colon had 8 seasons with a 3+ WAR

[lou]

Starting to think Rogers and Cabrera would be better used as max effort 1/2 IP guys out of the pen.

That first start back for Cabrera against SF was great. His ERA in the other 4 starts is over 9 and he's went over 4 IP just once.

Small sample size for sure but it is worrisome.

In Cabrera's defense on this one in particular too, he was hurt. But I actually had the same thought but with Cabrera and Max (not Rogers, although that does make sense too). Maybe they are 90+ IP relievers where they can just let it rip and Max doesn't need to worry about a third pitch. Oakland made a tough call moving Miller to the bullpen and look what is happening there. Remember when they refused to make Brad Hand a reliever also and then was instantly amazing for 5 years elsewhere?

But I'd revert back to, making them SP combos and have them be 3-4 inning guys. Which I still think accomplishes the same max effort mentality as they'd likely max out around 60-70 pitches. Call it 110 inning pitchers for Rogers, Cabrera, Max, and Weathers/Puk (whoever is better). And then it's an easy trickle down of Hoeing back to AAA and the two worst of those 4 moved to the bullpen for Eury. As Eury gets his own day obviously once back. They could do a larger SP organization in 2026 after seeing what happens as the only post-2025 FA below is Go.

Payroll wise, they could do this staff for $70m next year (with Luzardo being the big keep here obviously).

SP1 Sandy
SP2 Luzardo
SP3 Garrett
SP4 Rogers+Cabrera
SP5 Max+Weathers/Puk (Eury TBD)
RHP Go, Bender, Faucher, Hoeing
LHP Nardi, Puk/Weathers

They'd need at least 5 bats (3+ starters (C, SS, 3B) and at least 1 heavy platoon side guy but probably 2 (LF/RF, 2B/opposite Edwards) on the flip side, with Scott the only real trade option of value not dipping into the minors. So it rolls back to, try and win with the keep everyone staff (which is a staff you can win with with Eury for sure) and can they actually sign suitable guys to plug those spots.

Tough decisions ahead for Peter.

[rmc523]

How soon we forget how high Sixto's ceiling was in 2020 (when he was 21 years old) winning a road playoff game.

That is true, but doesn’t negate the fact there were definitely red flags beforehand with Sixto

[lou]

Mesa Jr. .310/.369/.520 (.329 BABIP) in AAA 9% BB / 15.3% K. Still becoming one of the bigger breakouts in all of the minor leagues and we're so focused on all the shitty things, this might be the hitting breakout we have all been begging for for years. I'd like to see this for 2 more months at least, but he may be setting himself up for 10-12 weeks of being a starter at the MLB level and see what happens. Would be such a great development if he works out as a solid starting player.

[sports24/7]

In Cabrera's defense on this one in particular too, he was hurt. But I actually had the same thought but with Cabrera and Max (not Rogers, although that does make sense too). Maybe they are 90+ IP relievers where they can just let it rip and Max doesn't need to worry about a third pitch. Oakland made a tough call moving Miller to the bullpen and look what is happening there. Remember when they refused to make Brad Hand a reliever also and then was instantly amazing for 5 years elsewhere?

But I'd revert back to, making them SP combos and have them be 3-4 inning guys. Which I still think accomplishes the same max effort mentality as they'd likely max out around 60-70 pitches. Call it 110 inning pitchers for Rogers, Cabrera, Max, and Weathers/Puk (whoever is better). And then it's an easy trickle down of Hoeing back to AAA and the two worst of those 4 moved to the bullpen for Eury. As Eury gets his own day obviously once back. They could do a larger SP organization in 2026 after seeing what happens as the only post-2025 FA below is Go.

Payroll wise, they could do this staff for $70m next year (with Luzardo being the big keep here obviously).

SP1 Sandy
SP2 Luzardo
SP3 Garrett
SP4 Rogers+Cabrera
SP5 Max+Weathers/Puk (Eury TBD)
RHP Go, Bender, Faucher, Hoeing
LHP Nardi, Puk/Weathers

They'd need at least 5 bats (3+ starters (C, SS, 3B) and at least 1 heavy platoon side guy but probably 2 (LF/RF, 2B/opposite Edwards) on the flip side, with Scott the only real trade option of value not dipping into the minors. So it rolls back to, try and win with the keep everyone staff (which is a staff you can win with with Eury for sure) and can they actually sign suitable guys to plug those spots.

Tough decisions ahead for Peter.

I’m not there yet with Max. I think he could be a dominant RP, but I’m not close to giving up on him as a SP yet. Cabrera I could be talked into it, but the control issues might prevent that. It’s tough to count on a RP that can’t throw strikes.

[rmc523]

Cabrera to the IL with a shoulder impingement, Braxton comes off the IL

[lou]

I’m not there yet with Max. I think he could be a dominant RP, but I’m not close to giving up on him as a SP yet. Cabrera I could be talked into it, but the control issues might prevent that. It’s tough to count on a RP that can’t throw strikes.

But then some of them stop walking guys like 2023 Scott and are literally the best reliever in the league. You never know.


Big picture level though, if we are to assume Sandy/Luzardo/Garrett/Eury (i.e. the starters) back from injury would throw 600 innings which is very reasonable over 100-110 starts, we're looking for 840 more innings. If five RP spots at minimum are another 300 (Go, Bender, Faucher, Nardi, and Puk/Weathers (probably Puk)....

540 innings can go to roughly 4.5 roster spots (with the half spot being the half a year Eury is injured) - Rogers, Cabrera, Max, Weathers/Puk, and optionable/replacement arms lead by presumably Hoeing/Cronin/Soriano/Maldonado. They could let those innings fall as they may, and those guys can handle that load for sure over 2-4+ inning spurts.

Overall everyone has more innings capacity here from Sandy to Hoeing, so important injuries would mostly be internally absorbed from top 13 arms throwing more (extremely important here!) and Hoeing/Cronin/Soriano/Maldonado are effectively throwing garbage innings. Maybe Monteverde or Fulton is too as they will be on the 40 man more than likely. They simply have the pitchers if all of these guys are healthy and the roles will just work themselves out which is the point here for don't need to think about this probably too hard. Rogers, Cabrera, Max, Weathers/Puk, Hoeing/Option guys will just do their thing and the cream can rise to a larger innings share for this 540 or so batch.

Or Luzardo is cashed in, and you replace him with a # 4 FA SP who is penciled in for 150+ innings and that's fine (that's probably the best idea as they will be able to get that arm in FA versus ascending bats as Luzardo will get a whale of a bat prospect they need). Could move Rogers also here and then it's just signing a # 5 FA SP on top of that for 110+ innings or whatever. All of that would be fine, so it moves quickly to where are these 5+ bats they need coming from and how much is shithead spending to help.

It's truly infuriating he won't spend bottom 18 money ($135m) as imagine just keeping Luzardo and having $65m or so to spend on 5-6 bats outright. They could sign Adames, H. Kim, and Jansen (close to a 9 WAR spread with those 3 on projections) and probably have $10-15m leftover for the Rosario/Pham/Duvall/Davis types for last 2-3 spots. Plus they'd get at least 1 guy for Scott. Pathetic shit right here.

[Namaste]

Weathers has a balk and a wild pitch in the first inning.
#fundamentals

[Namaste]

The Punching Bag just hit another HR (110 exit velo)

[Namaste]

I didn't know that Michael Jordan owns 1% of the Marlins. It's a shame he came to Jeter's rescue. No Jordan and maybe Mas owns the team.


https://www.essentiallysports.com/ml...us-mlb-dream/#

[Namaste]

The Punching Bag just hit another HR (110 exit velo)

.790 OPS

[lou]

The Punching Bag just hit another HR (110 exit velo)

Expected slash .289/.335/.542 (actual .789 so it is an under performance) and launch angle is leveling out at highest of career (12.8%). 86th percentile xwOBA,which is 29th overall (171) out of qualified batters. I would take a .789 OPS to the bank for him if that is who he is turning into, but if he can swing at less garbage pitches and get that angle up another 2%+ he's going to be in serious business. Tim Anderson is dead last in xwOBA as the worst qualified hitter in baseball to note.

Big picture though, a healthy normal Jazz and Burger, current 2024 DLC, and chipping in whatever from Brujan and Edwards (i.e. who they at minimum should be keeping for 2025), could collectively hit 90-110 HR depending on if a peak year, with 8 bats to go including starters at 3B, LF, and RF for some power oomph (and maybe you know, some obvious FA options at C and SS if Bruce will lift a finger).

On that note, Mesa Jr. hit his 6th HR last night in AAA. 1/4, HR, BB, no whiffs. Really hopeful some new scouting report comes out soon because he's playing like one of the best players in the minors right now.

[Nick]

I don't want to get too excited about Mesa Jr., but if he's still OPS'ing .900+ come June, I could definitely get behind dealing Jazz and letting VMjr. have the reins in CF.

Post-Deadline Lineup:

C - Fortes/Banfield
1B - Burger/Johnton
2B - X. Edwards
3B - Bride/Burger
SS - Brujan/O. Lopez
OF - Sanchez, VM Jr., Dane Myers, Conine
DH - DLC

Maybe you get 4 starters, 4 Bench players from that group?

I'll prognosticate:

Starters - Burger, DLC, Edwards, VM Jr.
Bench - Banfield, Brujan, Lopez, Myers

Then you have to fill 5 starting spots, 2 of which being Catcher and Shortstop, which will be almost impossible. Gotta find a way to get a future starting catcher and future shortstop in these Luzardo, Jazz and Scott trades.

[Nick]

Names I like at the 16th pick in the Draft. James Tibbs OF - FSU, Kaelen Culpepper SS - Kansas State, Malcolm Moore C - Stanford