Author Topic: 2017-2018 Off-season Discussion Thread  (Read 105626 times)

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Offline CoryTheFormerExposFan

  • Posts: 1923
Re: 2017-2018 Off-season Discussion Thread
« Reply #100: October 17, 2017, 01:55:12 PM »
Catcher - I'd look into the trade market and free agency for an upgrade here, but I don't think that is going to be easy.  Might just be stuck hoping Wieters has a better year at the dish to offset being mediocre defensively.  I suspect Severino if simply promoted to the backup rather than signing a vet to be #2. 

Zimmerman, Murphy, Turner, and Rendon obviously return across the infield. 

Eaton starts in LF, MAT in CF, and Harper in RF.  Goodwin is the 4th OF to start the year.  Robles is certainly potentially a factor at some point.

Bench: Difo as a "super sub," Goodwin as the 4th OF, and Severino as the backup C seem to be the only guys to pencil in right now.  Hopefully Rizzo can find another couple vet bargains on 1-year deals the way he did Drew 2 seasons ago and Lind last season. 

I tend to think Gio is a "sell high" candidate coming off the year he had.  He barely throws 90 now and I think his ability to strand baserunners was as much luck as anything.  He seems so fragile mentally, and I think he rode the good luck of stranding runners all season and would see just the opposite if he got off to a rough start in 2018.  Keeping him in the last year of his deal as a #3/#4 guy isn't horrible, but I would be interested in bringing in another top-line SP and unloading Gio for help elsewhere. 

I think the bullpen could be very solid.  We'll see if Albers returns and stays to his 2017 form, but Doo and Madson in the back-end and hopefully a hopefully healthy Glover, combined with improvemens from talented arms like Romero and Solis could be an excellent start.  I'd love to add another closer-type arm to compliment Doo and Madson at the back-end.