First step first.
We have to have a 40 man for the R5. I dont see why a team would make a major trade with us (Reynolds, Bart, etc) before then, because lots of teams are in the same situation as us.
20 position players.
Hedges
Franmil
Bradley
Naylor
Jose
Amed
Gimenez
Straw
Zimmer
Arias
Jones
Miller
Mercado
Freeman
Rocchio
Valera
Lavastida
Palacios
Tena
Noel
19 pitchers.
Biebs
Civale
Plesac
Quantrill
TMac
Morgan
Allen
Karinchak
Clase
Sandlin
Wittgren
Hentges
Mejia
Stephan
Moss
Vargas
Morris
Pilkington
Cantillo
The last spot goes to one of Chang, Scott, Kwan, Gonzalez.
Kwan is LH. Gonzalez is one tool. Scott is overload. Chang is one of dozens of DFAs who will be floating around after all the cuts are made.
I will pick Scott.
This leaves us without a second catcher and a legit OF bat, but it buys time to make a 3/4 for one trade.
I also think that there will be so many DFAs that a lot of fringe players will end up being outrighted to their same orgs.
This leaves us with a base payroll of about $38 mil...including all raises due to arby.
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Second step...
One major 3/4 for one trade for a corner bat to open at least two roster spots...hopefully three.
Targets would be...but not limited to...bats like Reynolds, Kyle Lewis, Haniger, Dominic Smith, Mullins, Teoscar Hernandez, and Laureano.
Big names, but we have what everybody wants...young front line pitching.
That will raise the payroll between $4-7 mil...lets go with $6 mil to put us at $44 mil.
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Third step.
Resign Berto for $5 mil. To this org, he is worth it.
$49 mil.
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Step Four.
Now, we are in luxury territory. We have a legitimate contender, but with money to spend to make it even better.
Offer Canha, or a similar 1B/OF bat, $8-10 mil.
We are at about $58 mil.
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Step Five
We have about $10 mil left to use to up 2022 salaries in extensions for Jose, Biebs, etc....and $2 mil for vet middle relievers on make good contracts.
And we have retained all of our top level prospects to develop or use in the above mentioned trade....maintained most of our pitching depth...and have a lineup that could look like...
C) Hentges/Berto
DH) Franmil
1B) Bobby, with Canha as a RH option, or Naylor.
2B) Gimenez/whoever out of Arias/Miller/ Rocchio/Freeman is left.
SS) Amed
3B) Jose
CF) Straw
COF) Canha, Major bat
4th OF) Zimmer, Mercado, Naylor
Util inf) Whoever is left out of the 2Bs
The pen looks like...
Clase
Sandlin
Karinchak
Hentges
Mejia
Wittgren
Two old vets to choose from.
A bunch of young SPs who could be moved to relief.
$70 mil can buy a lot, if we are willing to use prospects to upgrade....and we have prospects.