Turning2

I guess I should have included to ask - of the bigger bats in our typical lineup, who would you replace to shake up what ever chemistry this group has that can’t get it done in October? Bauers will be gone, so that’s one difference we’re going to see next season. But who else? Who else could you see replacing out of - Contreras, Mitchell, Vaughn, Turang, Yeli, Chourio? Might as well whittle that down to just Wild Bill, Mitchell and Vaughn because the other 3 certainly aren’t going anywhere. I can’t see replacing any of them except Mitchell and possibly Vaughn.

When the lineup comes out every day, we see the names, and I think .... that's a solid bunch of hitters. As I scan it, my mind leaps to evaluating them one by one. Chourio - yep, very good . Turang - yep, very good. Contreras - yep, very good. Continue with Yeli, Bauers, Vaughn, Mitchell, and I see that's some pretty solid power and contact overall. Seven core guys plus a surprisingly good bat in Pratt. Then add in what offense you get from the rest of the guys. They look like they can compete with anybody at any time. But.... they just don't. Yes, they've scored a lot of runs, and won a lot of games, and that is part of the mystery behind it. I can't believe anybody feels confident in this offense as being able to go toe to toe when it matters most in the playoffs. Collectively there is something that isn't working. And it feels like somebody needs to go come the offseason. And that brings me back to looking at the lineup... and it's hard to pinpoint who that player or two should be. They just can't seem to ever fire on all cylinders, either due to injury or a guy or two having a down year. Every fan of every team probably feels this way at some point. It's just weird. I like all our guys, but it isn't working with this group as a collective. The W-L record looks great, but there is trouble below the veneer.

He was pulled from a game which led to speculation that he was getting called up. But reports are that Luke Adams injured himself while warming up during a game yesterday or possibly the day before. Heard this on the Micro Brew podcast with JR Radcliffe

Agreed. Murphy has adamantly stood by Yeli as I would expect him to do. He has tried everything to nurse him along in hopes he will literally get back in the swing of things. BUT it’s getting down to where the rubber is about to meet the road. Murphy can’t risk continuing to hope.

Sure, Pena might be a valuable asset in 2-3 years. Maybe even a starter. He could wash out too. I still would have preferred a trade of some kind to snag a bat. That could have been done long before the deadline when the bat shelf was empty. The front office is deluding itself if they believe they can build a championship team by draft and develop alone plus a few serviceable (but unspectacular) acquisitions. "Win Tonight" must also include making trades for needle moving veterans when the situation calls for it. Otherwise, that's just a motivational speaker catchphrase and I'd like to believe that Murph doesn't live in a van down by the (Milwaukee) river.

I had already forgotten about this thread. Here we are again, 2 weeks later with another blowout that could have spawned the very same topic. Injuries are part of their offensive woes no doubt. But everybody knows the elephant in the room - too many of our key bats are struggling simultaneously. Thankfully Jackson at least is beginning to pull out of it.

Burke 1B, Fischer DH would seem likely. Made at 3B. Maybe Adams slips in there somewhere too. EDITED TO ADD: guess I should have read the other responses first... LOL. However it fills out, the lineup could be, SHOULD be stacked in a couple of years with power and solid contact hitters

The banter- counter banter is a regular pollutant on all social media discussion platforms unfortunately. I tire of both too. Not sure how that relates to posting tendencies and the numbers though. Regardless, I agree with what I think you're saying. Clinging primarily to spreadsheet data often doesn't tell the whole or real story in athletics. But some fans slavishly operate by them. I'm not sure, but I suspect it may be a byproduct of participation in data driven fantasy baseball leagues and / or video games. Other fans seem to be driven by a "Moneyball" corporate mindset where you just let the numbers on various graphs and charts tell you how to think. Maybe some come from business degree backgrounds and that "by the numbers" employment dependence carries over to their fandom. I never had much interest in fantasy leagues, or video games of the past 30 years, and I don't have a business degree. I just can't relate to the over-the-top metrics and charts that urge a story different than what my own eyes can plainly see. That's not to say data measurement is something I wholly reject. You need "something" to evaluate with of course.

The extremely emotional, ignorant, irrational posts just get scrolled by when I’m reading. Not worth my time. But it’s a pressure release valve for the poster who needs one.

Apt description!

Assuming most of us posting here have played ball at some level. When you're on a roster, you know who the weak links are. The guys might be friends, it's not personal, and certainly nobody would call out a teammate publicly if asked like "who needs to be replaced, who isn't pulling their weight". But privately, they know it. And when they feel like "we're close, just need to get better at ______" , it seems natural that they would get excited or disappointed from an upgrade or standing pat.

After setting the franchise record for W's last season, they did almost nothing to upgrade an offense that went limp in the NLCS. That was the indicator to me that the front office's approach for 2026 was to stay the course, wait and see how the new CBA turns out before making any bold moves. Just easier to wait until after the lockout and let it roll until all the prospects are up. I was truly surprised they were so bold in pursuing Skubal, although I don't think we truly know what the full / specific offer was.

And it supports my contention that while still trying to put a competitive team out there, 2026 is mostly for positioning themselves for post lockout.

Ooof. Contreras trying to give a thrill

I keep thinking that it’s a fad of the era we’re in and will run its course