1st the trader Jerry delux
Trade for Ketel. I think they want to trade him and we want to add a “difference maker” Ketel has been the best 2B is baseball the last 2 years. MLB .com had him as #1 at 2B. Ketel has been a 150 OPS+ guy the last 2 years. That gets you MVP votes. Look what this move alone does to your lineup:
1. Julio CF
2. Ketel # 2B
3. Cal #. C
4. Nails* 1B
5. Randy LF
6. Nuke Raley* DH
7. Robles/Canzone RF
8. 1 of (Ben, Rivas, Bliss, Colt, Young, etc) 3B
9. JP* SS
With the switch hitters and platoons you are looking at being able to start either 7 LH Bats or 7 RH bats balanced and productive! The top 3 COuld be the best at their positions in baseball. That is a hell of a statement. If your #9 hitter is a 111 OPS+ hitter that is a strong lineup. And I love JP hitting 9 because he is a second lead off hitter getting on for the top 3 of Julio, Ketel, and Cal
2. Trade for Skubal and trade away Luis. It just works better this way. I know you might have to make it separate trades in RL I and many of others have made trades based on MLBTC values so no need to double tap.
SP
1. Skubal*
2. Gilbert
3. Kirby
4. Woo
5. Miller
Briefly on the compensation for the trades: Say the Tigers want us to send 25M with Luis’s because they want him but want him as a #3 and want the $ to go out and sign 1 of the #1s available ( Valdez, Imai, Ranger,etc). So when we send 25M to them it goes from 2 or 3 top 100s to 1 or 2.
Same with Ketel
After 2020 Nolan Arenado had won 8 Gold Gloves in 8 years, Top 6 in MVP votes X 5, and Silver Slugger X4. FFS that is a hell of a resume. But the Cards sent a package that was not impressive at all to get Nolan along with 51M of the remaining 199M they owed and to make the trade Nolan had a 15M option added .
What if the DBs send 25–30M to get another top 100 type? I say fk yes. Depending on money going back and forth we have a range of say 3 top 100 types to something like 8 top 100 types.