Chat: 11/18/15 6:21pm
Chat: 11/18/15 6:21pm
Shouts
<p>Pass on Ozuna...not an on base threat, not a good defensive CF, not a good attitude to have in the clubhouse...when you want to create a culture of winning, you don't bring in players who whine when they lose playing time due to poor performance.</p>
<p>Lowe, Sipp, and Aardsma certainly resemble that remark. In particular, if Aardsma would come in on a MiLB contract with an opt-out and a chance to close early in the season at Tacoma to prove himself healthy and effective, you could "Guti" him up when things shake out. Meanwhile, he, Zych, Riefenhauser, Rollins, Martin, Olson, and Nuno can go to Tacoma, since those others have options, while Oh, Benoit, Smith, Bass, Sipp, Furbush, and Lowe start things off.</p>
<p>I believe when #Miami sees what they can get for Ozuna with the Boras issues and the reported attitude problems, that if Dipoto offers Elias and Flores and one of the relievers the Ms will have to cut anyway, they will take it. And I think Dipoto will handle Boras and Servais/Bogar/Acta/Cruz/Cano will have Ozuna smiling and slugging again. And he has the perfect skill set to be a "swing" RF/CF to cover both for Martin's problems VL and Cruz's problems with large RFs.</p>
<p>"Been there, done that types" behind Oh, Benoit, and Smith. Compelling visual.</p>
<p>Yet another intriguing statement. You're guessing Ozuna will be an M next year? 'would certainly "cover the ground out there" as DiPoto says. Wouldn't bet against it.</p>
<p>Hmmm... would I swap out Seth Smith for LH Tony Sipp, pocket the trade booty, and install Boog Powell? When you put it that way ... Sipp for the delta between an aging Smith and Powell? Hard to turn down.</p>
<p>Well, I'm only 65/35 that Smith is an M on Opening Day. Here we are agreeing on 95% of everything but spending our time talking as though we were miles apart. Ever run into that in #Politics? ... :- )</p>
<p>My guess on Dipoto's OF hit list: 1) Son at a reasonable contract (<$5M/per); 2) Gerardo Parra; 3) trade for Marcell Ozuna; 4) something I would never have thought of. If the guy is LH, Smith is very available. I still think Ozuna, because he can move to CF when desirable but is a RH bat, is my preferrred alternative, which would mean: vL - LF - Guti; CF - Ozuna; RF- Cruz; DH - Montero and vR - LF -Smith; CF - Martin; RF - Ozuna; DH - Cruz.<br />
I agree that DJ and, say, Olmos and Guaipe would be a pretty price unless #Leon for Romero was also part of it, and even then a bit of an overpay. BUT - we're going to lose Ramirez, Olmos, and several others in the roster trim, and DJ is worth more to #Boston (because he can back up Sandoval, too) than he is to us backing up Trumbo and Montero. And Travis appears to be right in the right time-frame and hitting #Style to step into a future "longer" M's lineup.</p>
<p>Travis is an interesting bat. Deej and two MLB BP arms is a considerable payday. For the right arms, #Boston would take the offer and run, which is why I would approach that with care. There's no guarantee, yet, that he's a better MLB bat than Deej. Doc, I would bet that Smith is the #6 hitter on opening day, but not by very much. If you could get a $6M 1-year bullpen arm for him, would you take the deal? Knowing, of course, that you had Flores and Powell, LHB's with nice gloves, to man LF? It isn't a gimme that DiPoto doesn't go with his heart of hearts and get the good eye guys with a glove. No better than 60/40 he's an M on Opening Day. If we bid bid on Son, you're getting your DiPoto read on his real intentions.</p>
<p>And if the Ms can sign Seung-Hwan Oh to be the closer, having a couple of "been-there, done-that" types around doing 7th inning work would be to Oh's and Servais/Stottlemyre's advantage. Aardsma, in particular, is still K'ing >9 per 9IP and may have useful life remaining for the 6th-7th. But his experience might do wonders for Smith, Zych, et al, as well as Oh.</p>
<p>I think signing Lowe, Aardsma, and/or Sipp makes a lot more sense than seeing if Jose Ramirez can find the strike zone.</p>
<div class="indented">Reply - Browns8625 - 11/20/15 9:28am<br><p>Agreed, and I'd put my money on Lowe. We are young in pen mostly.. get a player coach type w lowe</p>
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<p>Anyway, after that Romero and #Leon might be pretty even-stefan. And #Boston wants some hot BP prospect arms - we've got a few that need a bit of help finding the strike zone, but can put some giddyup on the ball - sure wish that trade could be made.</p>
<p>Was hitting .330/.388/.489/.872 before going 2 for 2 with a double and 2 RBI against Paxton tonight. Wrecked Paxton's last start.</p>
<p>No, but he certainly is hitting FAR better in the AFL. Check his stats!</p>
<p>Wow, D.J. Peterson. Is Travis in the MLB top 100? Now you've got me wondering just how hard he'd be to get.</p>
<p>But 12 miles to the nearest town, RA, and it snowed yesterday -- So, it kinda fits.</p>
<p>Sam Travis has hit everywhere and has a 2015 AA BB:K of 33:34 in 281 PAs. His depth chart situation is eerily like that of another hitter we know and love who is now a hitting coach. If the Sawx would consider Deej and two of the BP arms we have no place for for him it would be celebration time. Put him at Tacoma and see what happens. My guess is the Ms will not need to extend Trumbo and will have a .300/.400/.450 hitter come into his own as Cano starts to fade.</p>
<div class="indented">Reply - Browns8625 - 11/20/15 9:30am<br><p>Hoping Cano gets back on track. Injury must have done much all last yr. Hopefully can get back to his prime..but that's a task</p>
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<p>Sounds like a Konspiracy Korner is in order, if only to get a comments thread open on Hillary v Trump. As usual, The Donald has been made into a caricature, a candidate no intelligent person would supposedly take seriously; media outlets one-up themselves to see who can be more sensational in their criticism of him. But in my view there are two things about Trump's appeal (especially to Christians, since Trump is so unlikely from their POV) that NOBODY seems to understand :- )</p>
<div class="indented">Reply - MtGrizzly - 11/18/15 8:35pm<br><p>Scott Adams of Dilbert fame has some pretty interesting things to say about Trump and NLP. Definitely made me view his seemingly outrageous, off-the-cuff remarks in a different light.</p>
</div><div class="indented">Reply - mojician - 11/19/15 11:21am<br><p>Scott Adams has some serious thought provoking shtick! Read on Dilbert: "Male horniness can cause violent religious belief" . Its like SSI without the Mariners.</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.dilbert.com/post/133468720601/which-interpretation-of-daesh-... target="_parent">http://blog.dilbert....</a></p>
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<p>Moe - interesting that you keep insisting that Smith is "in play" as JeDi would put it. Am sure he is, but he seems like the definition of "quality AB" as they see themselves as teaching it. I'll bet the other way here, that Smith is the #6 hitter on Opening Day, but the crowd is rubbernecking your poker bets...</p>
<p>BaseballHQ on Sam Travis, pre-2015: "Natural hitter who goes gap to gap with polished approach. Hit over .400 against LHP and contact-making comes easy to him. Mostly pull power at present and could grow into more. Lacks foot speed to steal bases and is relegated to 1B with limited hands. Bat will have to carry him." Then Travis moved from A+ to AA last year, at 21, and repeated his class-A slash line in his first attempt.</p>
<p>Sam Travis = an intriguing suggestion. What's the deal Bat - are you camping in a log cabin up North with nothing to do but scour pro #Baseball for these kind of names? :- )</p>
<p>Stefen Romero cut loose? Good bet for a player who will produce for somebody else. But then again, that's a desirable indicator, that other teams are sprinkled with your castoffs...</p>
<p>Bat - clearing 40-man space by shipping quantity for quality - that's a Dr. D axiom! but unfortunately DiPoto has stated the reverse, that you "build depth" by adding quantity in trades. Yuk. But maybe he means you ship #35, #36, #39 for #22 and #23 ... he hasn't traded 1 Fister for 4 role players yet, has he?</p>
<p>Well, if Flores isn't on the 25 he will get picked up. His fate rests with any potential Smith trade. If you know he's going, then you protect Robertson right now.</p>
<p>OBF - I cut and pasted that into my SSI ideas tank. Thanky kindly. ... you might be aware that Nate Silver used to be a Baseball Prospectus guy; now he's got a top political blog, Five Thirty Eight. He is -98 on a -100 to +100 left-right scale, and he tries fervently to avoid disclosing this when he can. So there's a bias to his commentary that is quite *insidious.* But! 538 just had a pretty fun discussion about the politics you mentioned: <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-will-u-s-voters-react-to-the-par... target="_parent">http://fivethirtyeig...</a></p>
<p>Drop Robertson right after claiming him? Sounds very Roto-y, with guys flying in and out off the waiver wire weekly ... also sounds like Pete Carroll his first two years here. I hope they have 10 guys like that this offseason.</p>
<p>If Flores isn't on the 25 man next year, he's gone at the end of ST. Unless they trade Smith, there's virtually no chance he makes it with Martin (also LH) on board. He's trade bait, big time, for someone who needs a young LF option.</p>