dsid74

An easier addition to the CBA would be to provide small markets with additional draft picks/spending pools both domestic and international. Give the small markets the advantage in developing home grown talent. This is cheaper for small markets and reduces the need for large increases in revenue sharing, which the big market teams will support. It provides them with more players to develop and control (cheaper) which offsets their inability to spend and compete with the big FA spenders. Should there be more revenue distributed to the small market teams? Yes, but this is almost a no brainer. When given the choice between giving up revenue or allowing small market teams more draft picks/spending pool, there shouldn't be a lot of teams balking at this.

How many days did Turang have? 2.1xx?

They can also pass Peralta (Sammy) thru waivers and probably resign him to a minor league deal. Unlikely anyone would give him a ML deal and he would be crazy not to get into this organization and work with our lab, coaches and player development staff.

It's hard to watch him pitch. He consistently gets ahead and then throws 2 or 3 uncompetitive pitches, that no one is tempted to chase, for a full count. After a foul ball or 2 (sometimes 4) he either walks the guy or strikes him out. He can not sustain quality starts pitching like this. Whenever he gives up a homer he will most likely walk the next batter or 2. It's infuriating. He needs a reboot. Hook needs to get him to buy into attacking the zone on a consistent basis. The article certainly points out there is a lack deception out of his hand. Whether he needs to tunnel better or just believe in his stuff I don't know. Probably both. The belief comes with success. Hopefully they can help him with release angle and sequencing. Like it or not, he will be the number 1 guy to start playoff series (if available). Having a guy who can barely get thru 5 is not what we need. They need to fix him fast. Time is running out.

If the team were struggling I could understand why people wouldn't want to "waste" AB's on guys who are still developing until the team was out of it. But the team is winning and they have the luxury to give Seigler valuable playing time/experience. It appears they believe in him and this FO has demonstrated over and over again they know what they are doing. What if Turang or Durbin got hurt? I like Monasterio but think Seigler has more upside. As pointed out by others, almost every rookie struggles in the beginning. As long as the team is winning I have absolutely no problem getting him reps in the field and at the plate. It's a long season and getting Durbin off his feet a couple of games per week can only help him too.

Love this column...pls keep it coming!

Great Stuff...thx Spencer.

He's not getting traded. We need him more now than ever. As stated, the FO learned their lesson with Hader. Just as important...I think they recognize the impact he has had on Chourio and now is not the time to mess with his development.

That is some funky delivery by Maldonado. It appears he tunnels his pitches well and batters don't see that delivery from many (if any) other pitchers. Those batters looked totally over matched. Will be interesting to see if that deception plays at higher levels. And if after seeing him a number of times if batters will successfully adjust. This kid is worth keeping tabs on.

This is not the time to trade him. He is only 23 and already shown some success (and immaturity) at the major league level. Hopefully he is willing to learn and grow from his experience. As pointed out, he is at a low value point right now. Get his head right, get his mechanics straightened out and add him and Williams to the pen for the 2nd half of the season. We will need a dominant pen if we hope to successfully compete. Our rotation can barely be counted on for 5IP per game. Having a deep and dominant pen is going to be necessary. Injuries happen, you can never have too many arms. He has options and provides MA flexibility moving forward. It would be a mistake to trade him unless they got a "stupid" offer for him. No one is untouchable, but it should take an extraordinary offer from someone to pry him away.

Interesting article, but we do need the automated strike zone. In an unintended way this article proves it. It's simple, players fake out the umpires to make the wrong call. It cuts both ways, it shouldn't be a ball because the catcher had to reach across the strike zone to catch it thereby making it appear to be a bad pitch. It shouldn't be a strike because the catcher framed it in a way to deceive the umpire into thinking it caught an edge. The game shouldn't be decided thru deception. If a batter has a good enough eye to lay off pitches an inch off the plate he should be rewarded, not the pitcher because the catcher deceived the ump. We have replay to decide if a runner beat the throw or if the ball landed in fair or foul territory. While not perfect, it results in a fairer result that most fans can live with 99% of the time. The automated strike zone will do the same. The umpire has dozens of opportunities every nite to change the complexion of an at bat and ultimately the game. The difference between 2 and 1 verses 1 and 2 changes the AB tremendously, not to mention completely missing ball 4 or strike 3 completely. The sheer number of missed balls and strikes outweigh every other missed call combined by a magnitude of at least 10. Once the technology is reliable, moving to the automated strike zone should be adopted. Let the game be decided on the talents of the hitter and pitcher, not the likes of Angel Hernandez.

The single biggest issue in my opinion...it's hard to see how they can cover a seasons worth of innings with this group. Most can't be expected to deliver more than 120-140 innings. They need another starter who can deliver at least 150-180 quality innings. I think Rea gets the 3 hole and the guys without options get a roster spot (Junis, Wilson, Ross) to start the season. Ross and Junis can piggyback to hold down another slot. Wilson reprises his 2023 role. That leaves Hall, Ashby and Gasser for the 5th spot. Ashby could probably use an extra month in low stress mode (AAA) to work his way back and they will want to delay Gasser's arbitration clock. I know they are hoping Hall jumps up and grabs the last spot. But even if he does, it would be best case if he delivered 150-160 innings. By all accounts this would be a stretch. Additionally, Miley, who already is iffy, shouldn't be counted on for more than 160 innings himself. So if you squint real hard, you can see a path. But everyone needs to stay healthy and everyone needs to play up to expectations. Gasser and Misiorowski would be the depth pieces in case of injury, but probably best served if they follow the pattern of Burnes, Woody, Peralta and Hall and are initially used out bullpen. Signing another starter who can fill 150-180 innings would provide a degree of wiggle room that is sorely lacking now. It would also allow them to deploy a 6 man rotation, thereby reducing the workload and stretching the contributions of guys like Miley, Hall, Junis, Ross and Ashby, who can't be expected to make 30 starts this year.