W said:

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I'm with you.

putting Abreu down for 2 homers tonight

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Lonestar_Ag09 said:

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Wabs said:

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As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

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I'm not targeting anyone for some time. If Abreu wakes up.. honestly probably nothing major but maybe try and move some youth off the 40man.

If Jose hasn't woken up then I would target an alternative for 1B, not a "corner INF" but cause Bregman isnt going anywhere. We have tons of OF options I'm not trading for more.

I foresee Urkeeding and Lance back before the break so I'm not wasting prospects there for a trade either

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

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As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

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1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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Lonestar_Ag09 said:

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Obviously.

And I didn't say anything about Brantley. I think if he doesn't come back his spot on the 40 man is filled by a pint size eye black wearing baller…

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AustinCountyAg said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

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As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

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1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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While I agree Gallo could be a good piece to add, the Twins will be buyers come trade deadline time.

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

---

As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

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1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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Marvin said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

---

As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

---

1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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Bielak, and now Gallo? I feel like you are going all Ashton Kutcher punk'd on us lately...

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Mathguy64 said:

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I wish I had confidence he will turn it around but I don't. Maybe he's playing hurt and won't admit it. Maybe he's just in the funk of his life and trying too hard. But I'm afraid what you see is what you are going to get.

Nothing in his metric set says it's bad luck and teams know it. They are throwing a higher % of FB at him than ever before in his career. His EV is down 5 mph from last year. His LA is almost flat at 6.2 degrees and on FB it's down to 4 degrees. His barrel% is less than half of last year. He's become a RF slap hitter.

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cc10106 said:

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I gotta give Bielak credit for eating innings which is about all I expect out of him at this point.

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Mathguy64 said:

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I wish I had confidence he will turn it around but I don't. Maybe he's playing hurt and won't admit it. Maybe he's just in the funk of his life and trying too hard. But I'm afraid what you see is what you are going to get.

Nothing in his metric set says it's bad luck and teams know it. They are throwing a higher % of FB at him than ever before in his career. His EV is down 5 mph from last year. His LA is almost flat at 6.2 degrees and on FB it's down to 4 degrees. His barrel% is less than half of last year. He's become a RF slap hitter.

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

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Beat40 said:

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cc10106 said:

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I gotta give Bielak credit for eating innings which is about all I expect out of him at this point.

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Astros fans are spoiled though. That's all every team in MLB expects out of the SP in the 5th spot.

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Marvin said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

---

As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

---

1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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Bielak, and now Gallo? I feel like you are going all Ashton Kutcher punk'd on us lately...

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Beat40 said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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I wish I had confidence he will turn it around but I don't. Maybe he's playing hurt and won't admit it. Maybe he's just in the funk of his life and trying too hard. But I'm afraid what you see is what you are going to get.

Nothing in his metric set says it's bad luck and teams know it. They are throwing a higher % of FB at him than ever before in his career. His EV is down 5 mph from last year. His LA is almost flat at 6.2 degrees and on FB it's down to 4 degrees. His barrel% is less than half of last year. He's become a RF slap hitter.

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Why do we deal in complete absolutes? Yuli was just as bad last year and has had a resurgence of sorts this year.

I'm confident he's going to figure something out. I'm with Farmer - it's rare to see a guy go from elite hitter, who is considered to be a pure hitter, to the worst hitter in the league in one season.

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Beat40 said:

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

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You guys are focusing on Bielak. He's not in the starting rotation when LMJ or Urquidy comes back. He's not pitching from the 5th spot all season.

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Farmer1906 said:

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Marvin said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

---

As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

---

1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

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Bielak, and now Gallo? I feel like you are going all Ashton Kutcher punk'd on us lately...

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I understand some people have weird fascinations with Gallo. He's always been a candidate to turn it around or buy low on because he smashes the baseball.

From '17-'19 he had a 120 wRC+ with a season of 144. That's 1400 PA of consistency with a fairly high ceiling. '20 was rough, but that was a weird one-off for a lot of guys (see Altuve). He was back in '21 until he got traded to NY. Wasn't great in '22, but looks fantastic so far in '23. Guys who hit the ball hard 50% of the time don't grow on trees. He has a career barrel rate of almost 20%. This massive power overrides the K flaw.

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redline248 said:

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Beat40 said:

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

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You guys are focusing on Bielak. He's not in the starting rotation when LMJ or Urquidy comes back. He's not pitching from the 5th spot all season.

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and you are assuming LMJ comes back. Also, it was just a discussion on him as a viable option or not...and I said "if"

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Beat40 said:

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

---

You guys are focusing on Bielak. He's not in the starting rotation when LMJ or Urquidy comes back. He's not pitching from the 5th spot all season.

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redline248 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Marvin said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

---

As of today, what is everyone's thoughts on what we need to target at (or before) the trade deadline (if anything). Here's mine:

1. Starting pitcher: doesn't need to be a "big splash", but a veteran preferably with some post season experience. This guy could also be used in long relief if necessary.

2. RH hitter with power - either a corner infielder or outfielder

---

1. We don't need a starter. Between France, Bielak, Blanco, & Whitley we have enough serviceable options to get us through the season with McCullers back in June & Urquidy back in July. We have a deep enough bullpen to not need another long relief guy either. I would sit pat on pitching unless there is another injury.

2. We actually hit worse against righties. McCormick, Pena, Meyers, Julks, and Yordan all can handle LHP. Tucker ain't bad either. On the flip side only Yordan, Tucker, and the new reverse split Breggy (b2b season being reverse split) hit RHP. We should look to add a veteran OF who bats from the left side. Michael Brantley is ideal, but if he's not back by the deadline then we should see if the Twins or Cards could be sellers. Kepler, Gallo, Nootbar come to mind.

Edit: not Nootbar, he's under control or too long. I am thinking rental since we have Gilbert, Melton, Barber, & Clifford as left handed hitting outfielders.

---

Bielak, and now Gallo? I feel like you are going all Ashton Kutcher punk'd on us lately...

---

I understand some people have weird fascinations with Gallo. He's always been a candidate to turn it around or buy low on because he smashes the baseball.

From '17-'19 he had a 120 wRC+ with a season of 144. That's 1400 PA of consistency with a fairly high ceiling. '20 was rough, but that was a weird one-off for a lot of guys (see Altuve). He was back in '21 until he got traded to NY. Wasn't great in '22, but looks fantastic so far in '23. Guys who hit the ball hard 50% of the time don't grow on trees. He has a career barrel rate of almost 20%. This massive power overrides the K flaw.

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I honestly can't believe I'm about to type this...but here goes:

He also isn't striking out at near the rate he did the last two years. So far. It's been kind of disappointing for that other thread

I still don't trust him to not become a massive black hole, but at least he seems like an ok guy, unlike some of the d-bags that have been floated to add to the roster.

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Farmer1906 said:

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Beat40 said:

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

---

You guys are focusing on Bielak. He's not in the starting rotation when LMJ or Urquidy comes back. He's not pitching from the 5th spot all season.

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Bingo... unless he keeps pitching well. Then why would you go away from him? If I could lock in 4.2 IP and 2 runs a game from my #5 spot (ERA 3.86) I would do it. Urquidy has a 4.13 ERA and about 5-2/3 IP per start from '22-'23.

Regardless, we arguing about #5 in the rotation and likely someone who isn't on the playoff roster. What we really NEED is McCullers back to be the depth in the playoff rotation that gives us the edge in game 3/4. '21-'22 He averaged just under 6 IP per start with a sub-3 ERA. That's impactful.

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Wabs said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Beat40 said:

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redline248 said:

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The expected stats are not kind to Bielak. It looks to me like he throws his 4 seam too much, and it's not very good. Should stick to sinker and slider

Anyway, how does he compare to the "average" #5 starter? If we have to use him most of the year, we're talking about only needing him to avoid giving up 4+ in 5 innings, right?

---

You guys are focusing on Bielak. He's not in the starting rotation when LMJ or Urquidy comes back. He's not pitching from the 5th spot all season.

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Bingo... unless he keeps pitching well. Then why would you go away from him? If I could lock in 4.2 IP and 2 runs a game from my #5 spot (ERA 3.86) I would do it. Urquidy has a 4.13 ERA and about 5-2/3 IP per start from '22-'23.

Regardless, we arguing about #5 in the rotation and likely someone who isn't on the playoff roster. What we really NEED is McCullers back to be the depth in the playoff rotation that gives us the edge in game 3/4. '21-'22 He averaged just under 6 IP per start with a sub-3 ERA. That's impactful.

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Absolutely. And that's the rub of this discussion. If you're optimistic that LMJ will come back, stay healthy and be a successful contributor in August through the postseason - then no, we don't need to consider a trade for a SP. But if you're pessimistic about this (I'm in this camp), then I think we need to at least consider adding another SP that can be that 3rd/4th.

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