My bad...didn't you originally say Frazier?
It's a tradeoff. Opening up 1B gives more options.
My bad...didn't you originally say Frazier?
I've heard/read a few comments here and there speculating that without the shift, teams will start moving towards more defensively strong second basemen, as opposed to offensive second basemen. I assume they're talking about players like Jorge Polanco, but I would take Polanco in a heartbeat, shift-ban be damned. And it isn't clear to me that Ty France would be any worse there.
What's worse... a missed base hit to right field because of a lack of range or 0-2 with bases loaded on a popout to the short stop and an inning ending double play?GL_Storm wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:03 amI've heard/read a few comments here and there speculating that without the shift, teams will start moving towards more defensively strong second basemen, as opposed to offensive second basemen. I assume they're talking about players like Jorge Polanco, but I would take Polanco in a heartbeat, shift-ban be damned. And it isn't clear to me that Ty France would be any worse there.
Exactly.Seattle or Bust wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:38 amWhat's worse... a missed base hit to right field because of a lack of range or 0-2 with bases loaded on a popout to the short stop and an inning ending double play?GL_Storm wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:03 amI've heard/read a few comments here and there speculating that without the shift, teams will start moving towards more defensively strong second basemen, as opposed to offensive second basemen. I assume they're talking about players like Jorge Polanco, but I would take Polanco in a heartbeat, shift-ban be damned. And it isn't clear to me that Ty France would be any worse there.
It might not be France but it certainly can't be someone like Frazier.
Yep, I wanted France moved off of first base.bpj wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 4:09 amExactly.
France has a .776 OPS
Frazier has a .608 OPS
That's a difference of .168
That would be like choosing Winker over Julio if Winker happened to be better at defense than Julio.
Julio at .844, Winker at .679 is a difference of .165.
Makes no sense. Just stuff the lineup with bats and you won't have to worry about defense with this pitching staff.
They let Cano walk after his age 30 season after putting up 44 WAR. Judge is 30 and has put up 36 WAR so far.Big_Maple wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 4:57 amI have been dreaming of the M’s making a run at Judge for a while now. But there is no way the Yankees are letting him walk. Management would be tarred and feathered if they didn’t back a truck of money up to resign him. That said, the M’s can likely afford one splashy FA signing, but Judge ain’t it. Nor is Ohtani whose skills are fungible. Whoever signs him to 10+ year contract will regret it when his hips give out or he pulls an oblique or throw out his shoulder and he begins his rapid decline.
So what can the M’s do? I think we can actually do more with FAs now than ever before. We are clearly a team on the rise, and we are legit contenders in the AL west. Extending Castillo, together with possessing one of the best pitching rotations in baseball and a fantastic core of young players galvanizes this. I think more players would consider Seattle as destinations than at any time in recent history.
I think we need at least 1 OF. Kelenic has been impressive the last few games, but I’m not confident it’s not a hiccup. I love Mitch, but he’s struggling, he’s on the IL more than he’s in the lineup and he’s on the wrong side of 30. Kyle has shitty knees and hasn’t done much since his 2020 season. Winker is…well, sucking. So, let Mitch walk and see what we can get in trade for some combination of Winker/Kelenic/Lewis. I think Bryan Reynolds or Kyle Schwarber are doable. Schwarber can DH and play 1B too.
Our biggest IF need is 2B. If Dipoto can get over his bromance with JP and force him to 2B our options open up. We can get spendy if we do that, and we could lock in a top tier SS. My guess is Correa opts out, and he’s my first choice. If we want to get really stupid spendy, Trea Turner. Dansby Swanson might be an affordable FA option on a short contract.
If Dipoto could pull off some of his magic, a trade for switch hitting Tommy Edman would be a dream, but there’s no way that’s happening. Nice to dream.
Not sure Bell is the answer. His stint in San Diego has been unspectacular, and we have France doing good stuff at 1B and White on a contract that will have the M’s wondering what to do when he finally gets healthy. If we need a DH, maybe sign JD Martinez to a 1 year deal, or…..and here’s something totally out there…bring Daniel Vogelbach back as a left hitting DH. Dude has some pop but can’t hit lefties. He has a 1.2 WAR and a .430 SLG this year. Platoon him with Ty.
Anyhoo, just some thoughts.