AccidentProne said:

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If y'all don't mind me jumping in on the thread... what's your thoughts on a Darvish/Claudio package? Claudio has been an exceptional piece out of the pen, and y'all probably need another LH RP, right? That'd give a legit TORP and a solid bullpen piece for a WS run.

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Claudio doesn't really move the needle for me. He's having a good season but he's far from the Hands, Brittons, Wilsons that we've been talking about.

Anyone else following the beltre thread just to see how crazy DallasAg's posts get?

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he also might know something we do not

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Do you even TexAgs bro?

But he has been better than Sipp . I wouldn't make a big jump in prospects offered if he was part of a deal for Darvish.

3B Paul 97 said:

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But he has been better than Sipp . I wouldn't make a big jump in prospects offered if he was part of a deal for Darvish.

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Yeah sorry, I didn't make my point clear enough. I absolutely agree with you, he'd be an upgrade over Sipp and I wouldn't dislike getting him. I just don't think a Darvish/Claudio deal looks all that different than a Darvish deal in terms of prospects returned.

I know Addison Reed is a rental, but the Mets got 1 top 30 Red Sox prospect and 2 lottery ticket type guys.

MAROON said:

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Hollabeck said:

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I think this is the important piece that many are ignoring. If Luhnow fails to make a trade for a starting pitcher today, it's probably because he thinks the same prospects could net him DeGrom, Archer or Stroman this winter.

He's very likely to do what's best for the three-year window and not just for this year.

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he also might know something we do not, like Correa is not coming back this year, or Keuchal is still having issues, or Springer is worse off than we know, or someone else has an undisclosed nagging injury that is not going away.

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You don't want to mentally go there but I feel like we are currently in an odd spot. Best team in the AL currently 15+ up in division, lock for the playoffs, been unbeatable 75% of the season...yet still a lot of uncertainity imo.

Correra is on the shelf for another 6+ weeks, and will he be 100% and back in normal form for playoffs?

Will DK stay healthy and also get back to first half form?

Will McCullers mentally figure it out and return to his first half self?

Those are 3 very big ifs. In my personal opinion if even one of those things doesn't happen (especially #1 and #2) the way we all hope I think it will be difficult to get back to the World Series. So you have to weigh as a GM, do you ship some big pieces out of the system for another arm if you know something the fans don't...or think there is a high probability of reaggrevating injury with DK etc?

Just a strange deal with such a big lead...but huge question marks with 3 of the players that got you here

nailed it.

not being a smartass, just saying, I said the same thing a couple pages back.

this situation is ****ty. This team is not anywhere close to the team it was a month ago.

Anyone else have a gut feeling that the Astros might swoop in at the last second and make a trade for a guy like Gray

NotGibbs said:

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Anyone else have a gut feeling that the Astros might swoop in at the last second and make a trade for a guy like Gray

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no.

Look, if neither Dallas nor Lance get back to who they were to start the year, we aren't winning the World Series anyway. I don't think you make a lot of long-term decisions based on those hypotheticals.

I don't think you try to scheme for a World Series by factoring in that two of your franchise players aren't going to be themselves. I think you have to scheme by assuming at least one of them will be.

NotGibbs said:

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I think it's more likely that Keuchel and McCullers return to playing well than them continuing to struggle

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Dallas, yes...Lance, not so sure

you know looking back at the franchise's best run from 1997 to 2005...the pitchers came and went during that 9-year stretch. It was the Hall of Fame position players that were the constant in those years

3 hours left...

I agree that Dallas will return to form. Having Bucknor behind the plate his first start back didn't help. I just worry about him staying healthy the rest of the year.

Why would you think that? This has never been the norm for lance, over his entire career. I'd be pretty surprised if he doesn't bounce back, assuming he's not hurting or something is wrong with him that we don't know about

also...on the ESPN broadcast last night...they talked about how other teams wanted Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager back at the trade deadlines in 2014 & 2015, but the Dodgers wouldn't budge. Turned out to be the right call

Is this the latest in the season Lance has thrown?

I see he's 25 innings short of his career high (2015) but I don't recall him ever going this deep into the season.

Think that's one thing many of us forget and it's an issue. He is still pretty green.

Agreed. xFIP and FIP suggest he should be pitching better than this. When you factor in the fact that this rough patch is after a DL stint, the fact that he's posted two very solid seasons the past two years, and the fact that he was stellar to start the year, I think it's much more likely this current version isn't likely to stay the norm.

The only thing I can think on Darvish is they want an inside track to get Ohtani, which having Aoki and Darvish on hand would help.

If Otani gets posted in this next cycle, I don't think we have nearly enough international FA budget to even compete for him.

Not fast enough

gigemJTH12 said:

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this is ridiculous

What the inaction or the hangover effect claim?

Worst case scenario with Darvish...you send the Rangers a decent prospect or two for him, don't win the WS, and he re-signs with the Rangers in the offseason. I'm not sure I want to help their franchise out in any shape or form.

On the plus side, he has enjoyed success pitching in Minute Maid. I'm just not a fan of rentals, though, unless you were already targeting the player as someone to pursue in the offseason and want an inside track.

One evaluator?

just the whole thing. I get it...but what does that tweet do? and what does it really even mean? our players are going to stop trying?

unnamed sources have hit a new low when we have an anonymous "evaluator." So dumb.

NotGibbs said:

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Why would you think that? This has never been the norm for lance, over his entire career. I'd be pretty surprised if he doesn't bounce back, assuming he's not hurting or something is wrong with him that we don't know about

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Basically what Ag_07 said...worried about IP and how he never seems to be healthy near the end of a season

My understanding of "one evaluator": some random dude saying "ya someone might be pissed off"

Seems to me Lunhow has his hands in too many options to not make a deal.

Something will get done by 3pm CST.