10 Comments

Mr. L, Congratulations and good luck with your first-born. I'm curious about your remark that "the clock is ticking" on BWJ. Could you please elaborate?

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Thanks so much!

What I meant was that he’s already got one year of service time and if they punt on 2023, they’ll be down to four years of team control and only one before arbitration before they even truly attempt to win with him.

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You could say the same for Singer. I am with you, I would think they would want to push the envelope and sign a couple of difference makers. It just seems crazy that want to waste these years and not try to win.

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That’s true. I guess I just have it in my head that they’ll get a deal done with him, so I didn’t really consider it but you’re absolutely right.

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I like Pierce Johnson, Matt Strahm, and Vince Velasquez as swingmen, guys that could fill in the rotation or bullpen, that should probably be the main target. They'll need innings, and they need guys versatile enough to fill either role.

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One year I did the math on finding 1450 innings. Maybe I’ll do that again because you’re absolutely right. It’d be great to add Walker or Taillon or whatever but I’m curious how many innings they actually need.

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Cueto seems like a guy who can pitch at an advanced age.

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He did seem to figure it out in 2022. I’m curious what his appetite for a reunion would be.

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I found myself quite impressed Angel Zerpa as a starter, so I was surprised to see him in your list of bullpen guys. The way you see it, is there any chance at all that he ends up in the starting rotation?

I'm aware that his repertoire could probably use some improvement. But he strikes me as an absolutely fearless bulldog on the mound and this team could probably use a whole lot more of that.

I'm also aware of his inexperience. But the only way you gain experience at the MLB level is by pitching at the MLB level.

Do you see him as more of a bullpen guy "for now" or permanently?

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He definitely showed more than I expected him to, so he has a shot to start for sure. I think his ultimate home is the bullpen but I wouldn’t say there’s no shot he can start long-term.

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