Ags #1 said:

---

7-9 tonight

---

I'd like to point out how excellent of a prediction this was for last night. I know most thought he was predicting Springer's AB's for the game but was actually predicting the amount of runs we would score. Good job!!!

They tried in the offseason.

Varsho
Belt
Kiermaier

Good timing for an off day. The guys get a day to reset coming off a series win. Tough stretch coming up against Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Let's keep it rolling and get hot just in time to welcome Uncle Mike back.

Has any other mlb franchise operated in four different cities as it appears will happen with the A's? I can't think of any.

O's & Braves each moved a few times but I don't think it was 4.

Farmer1906 said:

---

Back-to-back good articles from Chandler.

https://theathletic.com/4431488/2023/04/20/luis-garcia-aggressiveness-bounce-back/

Heavy Cutter usage and it played. Look at those whiffs. Garcia froze guys with the 4 seamer (see Springer in the first AB). Then added the change-up to keep lefties off balance.


The cutter has been Garcia's most valuable pitch. It was a -10 run value in 2021, -9 in 2022. His usage was only 22.4% & 29.5% in those years. This year it has jumped up to 41.9%. Not shockingly his best two starts are when he used the cutter more than 50% of the time.

I say keep throwing it until it doesn't work. As I said last night, let the cutter eat.

---

I wonder why he didn't favor it in the other 2 starts and who gets credit for encouraging more usage overall, this year?

redline248 said:

---

Farmer1906 said:

---

Back-to-back good articles from Chandler.

https://theathletic.com/4431488/2023/04/20/luis-garcia-aggressiveness-bounce-back/

Heavy Cutter usage and it played. Look at those whiffs. Garcia froze guys with the 4 seamer (see Springer in the first AB). Then added the change-up to keep lefties off balance.


The cutter has been Garcia's most valuable pitch. It was a -10 run value in 2021, -9 in 2022. His usage was only 22.4% & 29.5% in those years. This year it has jumped up to 41.9%. Not shockingly his best two starts are when he used the cutter more than 50% of the time.

I say keep throwing it until it doesn't work. As I said last night, let the cutter eat.

---

I wonder why he didn't favor it in the other 2 starts and who gets credit for encouraging more usage overall, this year?

---

Without digging too much, I would guess it was a little bit of game planning and a little bit of control issues. Get behind, throw the 4 seam over.

Farmer1906 said:

---

O's & Braves each moved a few times but I don't think it was 4.

---

I think you are right.

Brewers became the St. Louis Browns which became the Baltimore O's. The strange part is before the Brewers, Baltimore had the defunct O's in 1899.

Braves were Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta.

This seems like a fun off day activity!

Who here wants to still use Forrest as a random late add toss in on a trade? Who would be off limits? Gilbert to me is a non-trade and maybe Tamarez they seem very high on his arm

Meyers, Hensley, Julks, Salazar, Martinez- Probably wouldn't get much in return, but I would trade any of these if the deal was right, an upgrade and filled a need for us.

I'd consider a trade for LMJ or Whitley. LMJ is just too injury prone and even when he's healthy he often doesn't make it through 4-5 innings. Love the guy, but it is what it is.

I'd want much more for Whitley, and I wouldn't trade him for a rental. Would need to be a solid player under control at least through 2025. Don't know if another team would take it, but that's what I'd want for him.

Gilbert untouchable for me, as I see him as a replacement for Tuck if he leaves.

I'd be looking for three things in a trade. Catcher, outfielder, and a solid lefty bullpen arm.

Flame away.

Agree that it's a fun off-day topic but I can't really wrap my head around the Astros being serious players for Ohtani at the deadline.

1) He'd be purely a rental for us. Other teams might value the idea of bringing him in at the deadline with side benefit of starting their recruiting pitch early.

2) He's obviously a great hitter, but his inclusion in the lineup means one of Brantley, Yordan or Abreu is not. There's marginal incremental value there but not a ton. Other teams will be willing to provide more compensation for the value he adds as a hitter.

3) I'd love to add him as a pitcher and would be willing to give up value commiserate with acquiring a rental ace at the deadline.

I'd probably do something like two mid-top 30 pitching prospects (ie Andrew Taylor, Solis, Melendez, Dubin) and maybe a young upside guy like Kenni Gomez or Luis Baez for Ohtani. The Angels get much better offers than that though.

It's not a marginal improvement

But yeah...No thanks because I'm not selling the farm for a rental.

Deluxe said:

---

Ag_07 said:

---

I know it's 4/20 so I'm just gonna assume so of you are high AF.

Ohtani would be a HUGE upgrade over Brantley. Even a healthy 100% Brantley much less this unknown version of Brantley.

If the biggest hurdle was 'But how can he fit if we have MB?' then it's see ya Uncle Mike.

---

Not the point. The question isn't whether he's a better hitter than Uncle Mike. Of course he is.

But is he enough better to justify trading multiple top five prospects to capture that marginal improvement for three months? Because that's what it's going to take to be the winning bidder for Ohtani.

I don't think so, but agree to disagree.

---

In my opinion, he's worth giving up prospects for...IF you think he's the piece that you're missing to run at a championship. We aren't really in that position, AND we aren't the organization that is gonna pay him to keep him around. That makes it not worth it.

...but there is no doubt IF a team wanted him he's absolutely worth whatever it takes.

Lonestar_Ag09 said:

---

Ohtani hasnt gotten the Angels with the other best player in the league so it might just be marginal...

---

Stupid argument

By this logic any good player on a bad team isn't much of an upgrade.

Ag_07 said:

---

It's not a marginal improvement

But yeah...No thanks because I'm not selling the farm for a rental.

---

I probably should have used the word "incremental" as opposed to "marginal". But yea, this is a dumb thing to argue about. Of course Ohtani is a better hitter than Uncle Mike. That doesn't mean the INCREMENTAL value of Ohtani's bat relative to Brantley's is worth giving up our best prospects to rent.

Ag_07 said:

---

It's not a marginal improvement

But yeah...No thanks because I'm not selling the farm for a rental.

---

Madison Bumgarner has been designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks, who will eat more than $34M remaining on his contract, sources told @JeffPassan.

Once he clears waivers, he'll be available for every team at the major league minimum of $720K. https://t.co/PReZPrrMYX

— ESPN (@espn) April 20, 2023

Lonestar_Ag09 said:

---

Ohtani hasnt gotten the Angels with the other best player in the league so it might just be marginal...

---

This isn't basketball where you only need 1 or 2 players to make the playoffs

Lonestar_Ag09 said:

---

This seems like a fun off day activity!

Who here wants to still use Forrest as a random late add toss in on a trade? Who would be off limits? Gilbert to me is a non-trade and maybe Tamarez they seem very high on his arm

---

No one is really engaging in the actual topic posed. Does everyone still consider Forrest just a throw in...Who do we now consider untouchable...

And nothing was asked about other trades or other players.

So what is a package that maybe actually gets him and had a slightest chance of being done

I would imagine we'll see two groups of teams try and make a trade for him at the deadline

• Teams who have a legit shot at signing him so they can start pitching and have exclusive negotiating time (Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Giants)
• Teams who wanna make a splash pushing their chips all in chasing one title (Seattle, Milwaukee, Cincy, Pit or Texas if they're looking playoff teams)

Smart teams like us, Tampa, Atlanta, etc want no piece of that.