And Thames!!
there's actually kind of a pattern from 2021 on. I think in 2021 there was still a thought that lightning could strike and the remainder of the 2019 core could make a run, but they were positioning themselves for a rebuild centered on spinning off the 2019 players as they retired or were near the end of control and acquiring vets on pillow contracts to flip if they hit. The moves are so similar, just the $ committed keeps declining as the prospect depth gets better (to put a nice spin on it). Think Schwarber, the Bell trade for a 2 year guy, Harrison, and Lester in 2021, in 2022 there was the 2d year of Bell, Nelson Cruz, Maikel Franco, and nothing of note SP wise (geez, what an awful rotation at the start of the year- Corbin, Gray, a broken Fedde, an Adon fail, and a cluster of mix and match hoping Stras would return for one slot - Espino, Aaron and Anibal Sanchez, Abbott). For 2023, Williams was an absolute stud in comparison to the #4 and #5 from 2022, and we had Dom, Dickerson, Edwards, and Candelario. The money commitment in 2024 and the positions are almost the same as 2023 (actually slightly less $$). Maybe it is a sign of turning the corner as now we have internal options for the back end of the rotation and a pretty clear set of close to the majors 3rd basemen and OFs?
