Garcia can go play a full season in Double A. He isn't ready. Everyone keeps talking him up, but he was a below average bat at second base. He needs at least a season, if not two, to develop. Frankly, I think of him as Turner's replacement.
The Lerners aren't going to let Rizzo spend like previous season. He isn't getting a 200 million payroll. Or 190. He'll be lucky to get 180. Its plainlyobvious the owners intend to suppress spending in the offseason and plead poverty when there are limited fans next season.
Third base isn't a hole. You cant spend prospects and money trying to plug a gap that isn't there. Not when you have so many holes on a team that is supposedly a competitor. That money needs to be alotted to RF, first base, a number 4 starter who can fill in as a number 2 or 3, and a closer. They need Kieboom to click and they have to give him time to do it.
I'm not saying he was good enough to be handed a starting role on a supposed contender and would not object to him starting the year all the way back in Harrisburg, but I would not be shocked if he was an average 2d basemen next year and him playing well enough in camp to steal the starting role. That said, I think he's good enough and young enough that burning an option so that you get more years of him when he's a plus 2d baseman rather than average makes some sense. No need to accrue service time giving him his training wheels in the majors when you want him to be a racing bike when he comes up. you still have coverage with Harrison and Castro and Kieboom on your MLB roster, but I'd expect another utility signing if we went that way.
I don't really like the idea of spending big on a first baseman. I think there are plenty of bats there. While we were burned a bit last year by Thames, the track record for finding one or two years of a bat at 1st has been pretty good. I'd see what we can get for$10MM, unless we were to make a commitment to LeMahieu.
edit - a cheap signing I'd kick the tires on is Renato Nunez. I think you could sign him and Moreland for under $10MM, if not Moreland, then maybe Jedd Gyorko or Tommy La Stella as CIsI think we need to come out of the offseason with a reliable righty bat who can hit #2-4 in the order. Whether that's a corner OF (I'm not convinced Soto can't play RF with Robles in CF), an IF, or a C, that's the big acquisition. I'm skeptical about Bryant, so I would not pay a lot for 1 year of him and I would not want to make a multi-year commitment to him now. I see him as ending up in Philly next year with Bryce.
