2023 MLB Thread

[PGsHeroes32]

It's pretty bad when you trade for a first baseman who has an OPS of .732 and it's a major upgrade.

Hes 10th/36 qualified 1B defensively too.

As you said, its kinda sad that this marks a big upgrade. But it does at least.

[Plaque Lives Matter!]

On one hand I respect teams playing to win. And its nice to not just see teams selling off talent.

But idk about this one Angels. The odds of them making the playoffs is still very slim. They have to catch most of Houston/Texas, Toronto, New York, Boston. And stay ahead of Seattle.

They already have a bad farm system. So now they will lose a generational talent for nothing. Still have a bad farm.

For the White Sox, pretty meh return for Giolito AND Lopez. Bush is starting to project as a potential reliever himself. And the Angels already have a top catcher close to the bigs and the guy they gave up while he has great potential is flat lining a bit too and his big season may be a product of hitter friendly minors league. So Sox coulda tried for a little more since Angels were not even trading from a need.

Super young top-100 prospect (Top in Angels Org) and a lefty who could start as soon as next season for two expiring contracts in a year that is all but over? not sure what is meh about that. Unless you mean they could have gotten more?

[cheebs09]

I don’t know about that. I feel like they’ve done pretty well not giving up prospects that end up hitting.

One of the few I remember was Michael Taylor for the Sabathia trade. Also, Lorenzo Cain in the Greinke trade.

[PGsHeroes32]

Super young top-100 prospect (Top in Angels Org) and a lefty who could start as soon as next season for two expiring contracts in a year that is all but over? not sure what is meh about that. Unless you mean they could have gotten more?

Bush is fading, a lot of projections have him as potentially more of a long term reliever with backend rotation potential at best.

Quero definitely has promise, as mentioned by Pakuni the K/BB rate is very nice and hes young. But his stock has dropped a bit this year and he hit in a very hitter friendly league last year. Also im always warying of catchers panning out. There are the freaks Mauer/Posey/Rutschman that you know will but a lot of ? at that position.

I just am not super enamored by the return, but again Angels farm isnt exactly loaded. Sox do need a catcher though so there isnt denying that.

[DegenerateDish]

A top 100 prospect at a premium position, who is one of the youngest players in AA, and a 6’6” lefty (who was recently in the Futures Game) for an alright SP and a mediocre RP, both of whom are going to walk in 2 months?

Sign me up. Nothing meh about that return. And I don’t give the Sox front office much credit for anything these days otherwise.

[CreightonWarrior]

Cardinals fans at peak cardinals fans last night

[Uncle Rico]

Cardinals fans at peak cardinals fans last night

Chip Caray is an absolute moron.  Imagine believing that situation needed “policing”.  And good on the umps.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Chip Caray is an absolute moron.  Imagine believing that situation needed “policing”.  And good on the umps.

Especially since Happ was obviously apologetic for hitting Contreras on the back swing. Easy call to toss him.

[MU82]

Yesterday's performance by Ohtani might have been the best single-day, regular-season outing by a player in MLB history.

In 1968, Catfish Hunter pitched a perfect game against a Twins team that included 3 Hall of Famers (Carew, Killebrew, Oliva), and he also drove in 3 of Oakland's 4 runs. That's gotta be up there.

I'm sure there might have been a few other candidates, but a very few.

[tower912]

His breaking pitches were moving like whiffle balls.  They put up a graphic about his strikeouts that looked a connect-the-dots around the rectangular lines of the strike zone.   Nothing in the middle.

[MuggsyB]

He sounds like a video game player creation.  It's insane. 

[Jockey]

One of the few I remember was Michael Taylor for the Sabathia trade. Also, Lorenzo Cain in the Greinke trade.

Nelson Cruz to the Rangers in the Francisco Cordero trade.

[MUBurrow]

One of the few I remember was Michael Taylor for the Sabathia trade. Also, Lorenzo Cain in the Greinke trade.

Not to nitpick, but I think it was Michael Brantley in the CC trade.  Agreed that LoCain was probably the most impactful player traded away by the Brewers in recent memory, though we knew that getting two years of Greinke was going to be expensive.  Every player in that deal ended up being a meaningful big league piece - Greinke and Yuni B for LoCain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. 

[wadesworld]

Yeah, I more meant in the smaller moves the Brewers have made.  Guys like Santana, Schoop, Mouse, etc.  They did give up some pieces that hit in the CC and Greinke trades, but those deals were always going to be worth it.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Agreed that LoCain was probably the most impactful player traded away by the Brewers in recent memory,

Nelson Cruz is right up there with Cain.

[jficke13]

Nelson Cruz is right up there with Cain.

Nelson Cruz turning into an absolute monster was not something many people saw coming.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Nelson Cruz turning into an absolute monster was not something many people saw coming.

That whole deal, Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz, for Layne Nix, Kevin Mensch (and his enormous head), and Francisco Cordero was a bit of a fleecing by the Rangers.

[cheebs09]

Nelson Cruz turning into an absolute monster was not something many people saw coming.

I believe after the trade, the Rangers DFA’s him, so he was available to all. But definitely still someone who had a great career after the trade.

Thanks for the Brantley correction!

[wadesworld]

That whole deal, Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz, for Layne Nix, Kevin Mensch (and his enormous head), and Francisco Cordero was a bit of a fleecing by the Rangers.

That's a good call.  That was not a good deal by the Brewers.

[MUBurrow]

Nelson Cruz is right up there with Cain.

More than fair.  He has mashed a lot of taters for a long time.  I also tend to underrate/overlook that other than the year LoCain finished 3rd in the MVP voting, Cruz's peak was right there with Cain. I didn't realize Cruz finished T-10 in MVP voting five times.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I believe after the trade, the Rangers DFA’s him, so he was available to all. But definitely still someone who had a great career after the trade.

Thanks for the Brantley correction!

Ahhh...forgot about the DFA.

And the funny thing about Brantley was he was a bit of a throw in on the CC trade.  Matt LaPorta, who ended up as a big nothing, was the big name in that trade.

[cheebs09]

Ahhh...forgot about the DFA.

And the funny thing about Brantley was he was a bit of a throw in on the CC trade.  Matt LaPorta, who ended up as a big nothing, was the big name in that trade.

I also remember everyone was hoping Taylor Green wouldn’t be the PTBNL. Who turned out to not be the star people hoped.

[#UnleashSean]

Are the cubs becoming buyers here in the last days of July? 6 straight wins and 9-4 since all star break. Or is it the more likely case of another hot streak followed by a very cold streak?

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Are the cubs becoming buyers here in the last days of July? 6 straight wins and 9-4 since all star break. Or is it the more likely case of another hot streak followed by a very cold streak?

Amazing play to seal the win tonight.

If they buy I think it’s just at the margins - they’re not going to trade away any significant talent.

I don’t think they can sell at this point, however.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Cubs are in a bit of a pickle. They should probably sell but they’re hot and in a weak division.

Would offload Bellinger no matter what, maybe keep Stroman at this point.