I think they'll be 5-6 wins better than last year with even "average" injury luck. They have redundancy in the rotation and middle infield that eliminates the Kyle Barracloughs and Enmanuel Valdezes who got so much playing time the last few years. I hope/expect they'll be an exciting team to watch, and as presently constituted will blow some winnable games due to bad C/IF defense and a thin bullpen.
Last offseason, Houck/Crawford were ?s and the rotation included Giolito AND Sale. Abreu was an unknown; we debated whether Duran's excellent 2023 was BABIP-driven, or if he could play decent defense. They're in so much better shape now.
The optimistic/pessimistic debate, to me, is driven by distrust of the ownership.
Last offseason, Houck/Crawford were ?s and the rotation included Giolito AND Sale. Abreu was an unknown; we debated whether Duran's excellent 2023 was BABIP-driven, or if he could play decent defense. They're in so much better shape now.
The optimistic/pessimistic debate, to me, is driven by distrust of the ownership.