I really don't get the moves today. I do like Clase but not as the headliner of this trade. DeShields for Freeman didn't make much sense until you look at 26 man roster. Yet you are betting that 2 of Chang/Arroyo/Vasquez can fill 2nd and utility role (Freeman was a safer bet to help with Utility than what 5th OF in Deshields will give but Indians saw it differently - DeShields ain't playing 2nd sorry as Reyes ain't playing LF) ....
And, we didn't get back a close to ready 6th starter (yet). Clase didn't really fill a hole now (maybe when Hand leaves) but I think the only way to go to playoffs/WS in 2020 was to keep Lindor and have Cookie and Kluber to get back to close to original form (be 3rd and 4th starters). However, we got rid of 2020 upside in Kluber for 2021 and beyond upside in Clase. Reason, I believe Lindor is still on the block no matter what Chris says is you don't give up a high upside lottery pick for 2020 (Kluber) if you didn't think the team is viable to compete. And, yes we can sign FA with $14 million extra to plan 2nd and OF (to get us some additional upside in hitting) ... but why not hold onto Kluber till you know that you can sign that player you are looking for?
So, let's look at opening day roster
Starters for now (5)
Clevinger
Beibers
Carrasco (but will he have the same stamina that he use to?)
Pleasac (140 innings last two years)
Civale (130 innings last year, 106 innings year before)
What is missing??? A third "inning eater" .... Even if Kluber didn't get you 2.5-3.0 ERA .. I would have taken 3.5 ERA that can eat innings at this point as Carrasco is not a sure thing. At least with Kluber/Carrasco, odds are that one of them will fill in as a #3 inning eater role even with aging, injury (disease) concerns...
Relievers (8)
Plutko -- If we option him, we lose him. We need another starter in the pen (he or Rodriquez) that maybe able to piggy-back on Carrasco/Pleasac/Civale starts as the year wears on to limit their overall innings .... especially if we hope for playoffs (but that seems slimmer with recent trade actions/discussions )
Hand
Whitgren
Perez
Karinchak
Clase
Wood (no options remaining)
Cimber
Sent down
Starters -- Allen, Rodriquez, Moss (and injury prone McK) -- we are okay but don't have the depth too lose too much more of the starters with potential issues with Cookie and other back-end starters needing to be streched longer
Relievers -- Hoyt, Maton (Sandlin, Robinson, Hill, Broom may get a call up -- with dropping Goody we needed another reliever as I don't have faith in Hoyt or Maton - but upgrade is smaller this year with Hand/Whitgren/Karinchak ahead of him than a good #3/4 starter if we kept Kluber)
Catchers (2) - not much debate
Perez(r) /Leon (s)
Infield/DH (6)
Reyes (R) (trade says bet is he can't play OF or he would have been LF vs DeShields when Luplow is RF)
Santana (S)
Lindor (S)
Ramirez (S)
2nd base -- Arroyo (R)? (Solak - R would have looked good instead of DeShields even if DH)
Utility - Valezquez (S)
Outfield
Mercado (R)
Bauers (L)
Luplow (R)
Allen (S but better L)
DeShields(R)
Naquin (L DL -- will replace Allen when ready to go)
Sent down (Zimmer, Johnson, Tom -- all lefties)
I get why they wanted DeShields for another R handed OF bat .... yet there was no urgency to fill out the roster now if you were really going to use that $14 million to find someone to fill holes at 2nd and OF (right handed bat instead of DeShields) or DH (if you believe Reyes can play OF thus no need for DeShields). Better to hold onto Kluber and figure out the next move and then fill in around your holes now as $14 million freed up is a bigger chip to fill holes than DeShields was. And, I would argue Freeman would have been like Valezquez and being able to fill many different roles (infield and LF) that DeShields wasn't really that necessary to get. Thus, they pounced on a 6th/7th inning guy for 2020 (potential backend in 2021) and gave up a potential lottery IF Kluber got healthy again (know it may not happen but Ranger fans are excited on the possibility). In the end, we traded for safer cards instead of risking for potential upside in 2020.... Also, we took money off the table in 2020, not believing we really have a shot on winning the jackpot (do you believe they will use that $14 million? -- even Cole Hammels is getting paid $18 million for this year at age 36 -- don't tell me Kluber isn't worth that money -- not as good as he use to be but that is a different arguement).
And, we didn't get back a close to ready 6th starter (yet). Clase didn't really fill a hole now (maybe when Hand leaves) but I think the only way to go to playoffs/WS in 2020 was to keep Lindor and have Cookie and Kluber to get back to close to original form (be 3rd and 4th starters). However, we got rid of 2020 upside in Kluber for 2021 and beyond upside in Clase. Reason, I believe Lindor is still on the block no matter what Chris says is you don't give up a high upside lottery pick for 2020 (Kluber) if you didn't think the team is viable to compete. And, yes we can sign FA with $14 million extra to plan 2nd and OF (to get us some additional upside in hitting) ... but why not hold onto Kluber till you know that you can sign that player you are looking for?
So, let's look at opening day roster
Starters for now (5)
Clevinger
Beibers
Carrasco (but will he have the same stamina that he use to?)
Pleasac (140 innings last two years)
Civale (130 innings last year, 106 innings year before)
What is missing??? A third "inning eater" .... Even if Kluber didn't get you 2.5-3.0 ERA .. I would have taken 3.5 ERA that can eat innings at this point as Carrasco is not a sure thing. At least with Kluber/Carrasco, odds are that one of them will fill in as a #3 inning eater role even with aging, injury (disease) concerns...
Relievers (8)
Plutko -- If we option him, we lose him. We need another starter in the pen (he or Rodriquez) that maybe able to piggy-back on Carrasco/Pleasac/Civale starts as the year wears on to limit their overall innings .... especially if we hope for playoffs (but that seems slimmer with recent trade actions/discussions )
Hand
Whitgren
Perez
Karinchak
Clase
Wood (no options remaining)
Cimber
Sent down
Starters -- Allen, Rodriquez, Moss (and injury prone McK) -- we are okay but don't have the depth too lose too much more of the starters with potential issues with Cookie and other back-end starters needing to be streched longer
Relievers -- Hoyt, Maton (Sandlin, Robinson, Hill, Broom may get a call up -- with dropping Goody we needed another reliever as I don't have faith in Hoyt or Maton - but upgrade is smaller this year with Hand/Whitgren/Karinchak ahead of him than a good #3/4 starter if we kept Kluber)
Catchers (2) - not much debate
Perez(r) /Leon (s)
Infield/DH (6)
Reyes (R) (trade says bet is he can't play OF or he would have been LF vs DeShields when Luplow is RF)
Santana (S)
Lindor (S)
Ramirez (S)
2nd base -- Arroyo (R)? (Solak - R would have looked good instead of DeShields even if DH)
Utility - Valezquez (S)
Outfield
Mercado (R)
Bauers (L)
Luplow (R)
Allen (S but better L)
DeShields(R)
Naquin (L DL -- will replace Allen when ready to go)
Sent down (Zimmer, Johnson, Tom -- all lefties)
I get why they wanted DeShields for another R handed OF bat .... yet there was no urgency to fill out the roster now if you were really going to use that $14 million to find someone to fill holes at 2nd and OF (right handed bat instead of DeShields) or DH (if you believe Reyes can play OF thus no need for DeShields). Better to hold onto Kluber and figure out the next move and then fill in around your holes now as $14 million freed up is a bigger chip to fill holes than DeShields was. And, I would argue Freeman would have been like Valezquez and being able to fill many different roles (infield and LF) that DeShields wasn't really that necessary to get. Thus, they pounced on a 6th/7th inning guy for 2020 (potential backend in 2021) and gave up a potential lottery IF Kluber got healthy again (know it may not happen but Ranger fans are excited on the possibility). In the end, we traded for safer cards instead of risking for potential upside in 2020.... Also, we took money off the table in 2020, not believing we really have a shot on winning the jackpot (do you believe they will use that $14 million? -- even Cole Hammels is getting paid $18 million for this year at age 36 -- don't tell me Kluber isn't worth that money -- not as good as he use to be but that is a different arguement).
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