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The way the moves the Ms made make sense is:
1) You believe James Paxton is going to be on the same plane as those other two very, very soon (and based on his MLB starts, he may very well be now except in experience)
2) You believe Zunino is going to get better at the plate by reducing his K's and taking some walks as pitchers start being more careful
3) You think Ackley is doing an Alex Gordon and getting it together. (watching the Indians' pitchers bust him inside and pay for it was a nice sign)
4) You think the Ms will find a SS that will either OBP >.400 -OR- SLG >.400 - even though those are not one guy.
5) You think Erasmo Ramirez has figured some things out and is a decent #6 starter (again).
6) You think Taijuan Walker lost his mechanics on his layoff and just needs to recover that perfect stride to get back to being the best RH starting prospect in baseball and a potential 5 game winner for August/September once he gets the call.
7) You think Saunders can get back within the next two weeks and then hit a .760+ OPS for the remainder of the season.
8) You think Chris Young, with adequate rest, will keep the Ms in any game he pitches.
9) You think that Roenis Elias will be a warrior for every remaining inning they let him pitch, and will be better next year.
10) You BELIEVE that Felix will continue pitching like he has, and with 4+ runs/game rather than 1+, will reel off 6-8 more wins this season.
11) You believe that Danny Hultzen will pitch in the AFL and show why he was a top draft pick and come into 2015 ready to do HIS Lester imitation.
12) You think that Austin Jackson will "do a Cammy" and make us forget all the CF issues the Ms have had (and this from a JJ fan). And his .826 OPS vL will immediately rebalance the Ms lineup.
13) You think Seager has become one of the premier 3B in the majors, and is going to get better.
14) You think the Ms bullpen is more than smoke and mirrors, and, with Colvin, Brazis, Smith, et al coming it will continue to be an Ms strength, and - as the starters go 7 innings more consistently at all positions in the rotation - that it might even get better.
15) You think that *somehow* the Ms will find a decently-fielding 1B who can be a league average hitter (I'm about ready to see Smoak again)
16) You believe that Cano IS the leader and hitter he has shown himself to be, AND that Lloyd McClendon will prove to be the leader of men he has appeared to be.
IF you can buy into these things, the Ms are not that far from being a strong contender. Maybe they don't get the WC. Or maybe they do and get smacked down in the division series by Oakland or Detroit. Nonetheless, they are moving in the right direction. Not as fast as some of us might like, but the direction is positive.