Harmonious offseason plan

[harmony]

Why sign Okamoto if FanGraphs projects that he's going to be trash?

I don't really see why the Rays would trade Pepiot... certainly not at that "value." He's cheap, got a couple years of control, and good.

Diaz and Lowe make a lot of sense... they have for a number of seasons now... but I don't see the Rays trading all of the veterans in one swoop.

Appreciate the effort.

Valid point about Ryan Pepiot.

Would 30-year-old Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen be a more appropriate target?

While Pepiot has a projected 2026 salary of $3.75 million in the first of three arbitration seasons, Rasmussen is under contract for $5.75 million in 2026 with an $8 million club option, or $500,000 buyout, for 2027. Is the Puyallup native and Oregon State product getting too expensive for the Rays?

Baseball Trade Values assigns Rasmussen $11.2 million in surplus value and Pepiot $15 million in surplus value. FanGraphs projects Rasmussen with 31 GS, 171 IP, 3.93 ERA and 2.8 WAR in 2026 and Pepiot with 31 GS, 175 IP, 4.27 ERA and 2.1 WAR.

Thoughts?

FWIW on Sunday Baseball Trade Values upped Ryan Pepiot's surplus value from $15 million to $25.1 million:

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/tra ... 1&q=pepiot

Drew Rasmussen might be the better target.

[D-train]

I like Okamoto more than Murakami. I like the high level defense at third base and the low strikeout rate/high batting average.

So do I. That is why he is included in my plan.

[D-train]

Why sign Okamoto if FanGraphs projects that he's going to be trash?

I don't really see why the Rays would trade Pepiot... certainly not at that "value." He's cheap, got a couple years of control, and good.

Diaz and Lowe make a lot of sense... they have for a number of seasons now... but I don't see the Rays trading all of the veterans in one swoop.

Appreciate the effort.

Valid point about Ryan Pepiot.

Would 30-year-old Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen be a more appropriate target?

While Pepiot has a projected 2026 salary of $3.75 million in the first of three arbitration seasons, Rasmussen is under contract for $5.75 million in 2026 with an $8 million club option, or $500,000 buyout, for 2027. Is the Puyallup native and Oregon State product getting too expensive for the Rays?

Baseball Trade Values assigns Rasmussen $11.2 million in surplus value and Pepiot $15 million in surplus value. FanGraphs projects Rasmussen with 31 GS, 171 IP, 3.93 ERA and 2.8 WAR in 2026 and Pepiot with 31 GS, 175 IP, 4.27 ERA and 2.1 WAR.

Thoughts?

FWIW on Sunday Baseball Trade Values upped Ryan Pepiot's surplus value from $15 million to $25.1 million:

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/tra ... 1&q=pepiot

Drew Rasmussen might be the better target.

Do you really think we will need him/Trade Castillo?

[harmony]

Valid point about Ryan Pepiot.

Would 30-year-old Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen be a more appropriate target?

While Pepiot has a projected 2026 salary of $3.75 million in the first of three arbitration seasons, Rasmussen is under contract for $5.75 million in 2026 with an $8 million club option, or $500,000 buyout, for 2027. Is the Puyallup native and Oregon State product getting too expensive for the Rays?

Baseball Trade Values assigns Rasmussen $11.2 million in surplus value and Pepiot $15 million in surplus value. FanGraphs projects Rasmussen with 31 GS, 171 IP, 3.93 ERA and 2.8 WAR in 2026 and Pepiot with 31 GS, 175 IP, 4.27 ERA and 2.1 WAR.

Thoughts?

FWIW on Sunday Baseball Trade Values upped Ryan Pepiot's surplus value from $15 million to $25.1 million:

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/tra ... 1&q=pepiot

Drew Rasmussen might be the better target.

Do you really think we will need him/Trade Castillo?

Chances are slim that the Mariners will significantly increase payroll. Therefore, the M's may shed the salary of Luis Castillo, who has been a valuable contributor.

The Tampa Bay Rays, however, are unlikely to trade Drew Rasmussen or Ryan Pepiot.

[Donn Beach]

Castillo is an interesting piece. I think he was signed originally as a leadership glue guy, and it was probably successful. Have they moved past the need for that with the rotation more experienced

"Rumors swirled about Castillo on the trade block last offseason, and that could be the case again this winter," Jude wrote. "This wouldn’t be an easy move to orchestrate on multiple fronts. Castillo, first off, is an enormously popular figure in the Mariners clubhouse. He’s also been enormously productive and durable, posting a 3.46 ERA across 106 starts over the past three and a half seasons in Seattle.

"He’s also the Mariners’ highest-paid player, scheduled to earn $24 million in each of the next two seasons, with a $25 million vesting option for 2028. The Mariners have given no indication they would want to trade Castillo or that they need to offload his contract, and it would be challenging to get equal value in return for him."

[D-train]

Have fun on your search for him being signed because he was a leadership glue guy. LOL

Maybe he was saying because he's a good pitcher

[Donn Beach]

Have fun on your search for him being signed because he was a leadership glue guy. LOL

Maybe he was saying because he's a good pitcher

That's just my opinion which I get to have. Yeah he was a good pitcher but I think it went beyond that. The mariners aren't the biggest spenders around, so why give him that contract when they had young pitching talent? Believe the Astros first FA signing coming out of their rebuild was a veteran starter. Can't remember the name but it was characterized as a move to bring in some veteran leadership to a young staff. It wasn't as big a signing but my feeling is Castillo was viewed as hopefully filling that type of role for the mariners rebuild.

okay there lol

“By all accounts, he is a big-time leader, and you don’t often say that about pitchers because it’s hard for pitchers to lead,” Salk said. “… I have heard that he actually works really, really hard, and that’s been a big part of who he is. But more so the leadership especially among the younger Latino players on the team: (Carlos) Vargas, (Eduard) Bazardo and others that you’ve seen take a jump – yesterday notwithstanding.

“Those guys have had big steps forward this year, and my understanding is that Luis has played a role in that

.

Yeah they signed him for his production but I think it could have also been about helping to develop their rebuild. You wonder why some rebuilds are more successful than others. I think the right mix of veteran can have something to do with it

[D-train]

When we signed and we only had Gilbert and Kirby. We needed him in the rotation to Anchor it

[D-train]

I wonder if he speaks English to the guys. Maybe he does but he is never done it publicly. I'm not one to talk cuz I took 2 years of Spanish and can barely order a taco in Spanish but it always seems interesting to me when you have a guy like Julio who was fluent in the English as a teenager yet he's in his thirties and still speaks exclusively Spanish

[Donn Beach]

He's been in the states for 14.years, he's probably picked up a little English