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  1. kazuneko

    SS possibilities going forward

    The only good thing about last night’s game is that it made clear how inconsistent “giving Hamilton an extended look at SS” is to the team’s larger goal of developing young pitching. Breslow needs to reach out to Andrus’s agent.
  2. kazuneko

    SS possibilities going forward

    I think supporting the team’s young pitching (by providing them an ML quality SS) is more important than giving a chance to a guy that no one sees as significant prospect.
  3. kazuneko

    SS possibilities going forward

    Not sure why they wouldn’t want to give Andrus a call. He was +4 OAA last season and isn’t horrible with the bat. I get it that they want to give young players chances but do they really see Hamilton as a viable major league option at SS? The development of their young pitchers would definitely...
  4. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    He’s an interesting case because the range of outcomes is pretty variable. If he is the type of hitter he was in the second half last year -and he improves his defense- he’s worth a fortune. If instead his full year 23’ numbers are more reflective of his actual talent level than he’s a lead...
  5. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    This is semantics, and I guess the difference between “steal” and “good deal” ( which I’ve previously admitted that a Keirmaier level outcome would amount to) is in the eye of the beholder, but personally I wouldn’t use the word steal to describe something as mundane as “beating inflation”. I...
  6. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    Only if he hits at a reasonable level. If he puts up a low .600 OPS during that stretch, this contract would have the opposite effect - no small market team would be interested in him at that point.
  7. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    Good point. Yeah, I guess my post was more reacting to earlier posters but landed on you for some reason. I would say that you also said this contract would be a "steal" if he ends up with an OPS + of 100, and I don't agree with that. Kevin Keirmaier, for example, is exactly the player you...
  8. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    This is also a guy who has three seasons of putting up an OPS north of .750 - with one of those being as recent as 2021. Injuries derailed him in 2022 and you’d have to think the Mets are hoping that he’s got the upside of returning to his prior offensive levels as long as he maintains his...
  9. kazuneko

    SS possibilities going forward

    My only fear with this is that Cora will align the OF to be Durran in CF, Abreu in RF and O'Neil in LF (which he seems inclined towards). As far as I can tell that puts the best outfielder in the least demanding position and the worst OF in the most demanding position. Not sure why they haven't...
  10. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    I guess we disagree on $10.5 million being a lot of value, or that Bader is "defense only". Yu Chang is defense only. Harrison Bader is a below average hitter with elite defense. I actually think the hope with Rafaela is that he ends up that type of player - a Bader-like, low-700 OPS CF- and...
  11. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    Are you supporting my point or disagreeing with it? Harrison Bader has a career .702 OPS and is 29 years old. I think a lot of people would see that level of offensive production as a good result for Rafaela, as long as he maintains his current, elite defense. But apparently, even if he does hit...
  12. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    I guess I don’t get why people think that major league teams highly value defense - as posts like this imply. I mean, we all know defense is valuable in winning games but, as of yet, it doesn’t seem like teams back that notion through giving defense-only players big contracts. So yeah, the idea...
  13. kazuneko

    Refs gone wild: a place to complain about NBA referees and propose solutions to improving officiating

    Celtics were the first team in NBA history to take zero free throws in a game yesterday. Didn't see the game, but it looks like the refs were probably letting a lot of things go last night.
  14. kazuneko

    SS possibilities going forward

    Without factoring in issues like how a switch to SS might impact Rafaela (shifting him around when he's still trying to adjust to the majors isn't ideal) this seems like the logical choice. From the respective of run prevention, isn’t SS more valuable than CF? If I’m wrong about that I guess it...
  15. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    I just don't think the market values defense as much as you think it does. Yu Chang, for example, has been a great defensive player throughout his "barely getting a chance to play in the majors" career. Despite that, he's made practically no money in the 5 years since he was first called up, and...
  16. kazuneko

    Red Sox, Ceddanne Rafaela agree to contract extension

    This is a bit silly - I mean, they just played opening day. The sample size is ridiculously small. If he doesn't hit well enough to start his arbitration numbers would end up super low- and of course they still could keep him on the team as a backup. So they wouldn't have to sign anyone else to...
  17. kazuneko

    2023-24 Celtics

    One thing lost in these losses (at least by Celtics fans) is that it seems pretty clear that the Hawks are a better team without Trae Young, or at least they are better without both Young and Murray playing together (-3 net rating when they share the court). One of these guys has to go and with...
  18. kazuneko

    2023-24 Celtics

    Well, he did endorse the strategy when asked about it after the game. This also fails to address the second part of my criticism: that Mazz doesn’t even try to set up a play, even when he has a timeout and there are only six seconds left in regulation. Meanwhile, I distinctly remember Brad...
  19. kazuneko

    Refs gone wild: a place to complain about NBA referees and propose solutions to improving officiating

    Interesting. That changes my perspective. I mean, I was someone who thought the take foul was a great idea when they first implemented it, but that might change that perspective. Limiting fouls to prevent transition scoring opportunities is smart. Preventing teams from intentionally fouling to...
  20. kazuneko

    Refs gone wild: a place to complain about NBA referees and propose solutions to improving officiating

    So that was a brutal Ed Malloy special in Atlanta last night. I mean, Jesus. And what the hell was up with the "take" foul that was called against the Cs after White tried to stop the play after Tillman was wacked in the face by Fernando. I thought take fouls were meant to prevent defenders from...