Thoughts for A Monday - Suspension, Acquisitions, Expectations

 Suspensions from Saturday's brawl

• Ratio of games about right for Anderson/Ramirez.  This will especially piss off Anderson and his huge ego as he got knocked down AND got the bigger suspension.  Hope it costs him his option year being exercised and that he has to play for a $6 million one-year prove it deal next year, costing him about $5 million in salary.
• Francona/Grifol correct, as I didn't see either of them helping the situation with Grifol inflaming it and Francona making light of it in his post-game interview.  Francona may still be fined/suspended for his last two ejections.  Don't know it that will happen.
• Clase about right looking at how incensed he was, but I really want to know who made him that way.  It is clear he had some interaction with a taller WS player before he went ballistic (could see it on the video but couldn't identify the player.  I want to know who that was and what he did to make Clase lose it.
• Kopech getting fined is VERY appropriate, given him holding Ramirez so Anderson could get in another shot and putting Ramirez in a choke hold.  Hope it was a stiff fine
• Don't know how much or why Arias got a fine.  Would like to know that answer.
• MLB should have levied more fines, especially on players who didn't stop the initial Ramirez/Anderson fight.  There were WS players, especially Andrus, who didn't appear to make an attempt to wrestle Anderson away from Ramrez until after Ramirez decked him.

Ramon Laureano

Great as a 5th outfielder but no team carries 5 guys who exclusively play the OF.  Instead, we should have just called up Noel and DFA'd Calhoun.  Given Laureano's salary one of the few rays of sunshine from that deal is we saved a little salary from Civale.  Given Laureano's salary and that we inherited it by claiming him on waivers, the Civale savings and the Laureano spending essentially equals out.

Expectations

People are starting to realize that this team might not win 70 games this season.  Pretty pathetic considering they were 53-53 at one point.  Means, from that point, they would have to go 16-40 in the last 1/3 of the season.  Very Oakland-like.  Maybe that is why Laureano is here, to help teach the younger guys how to lose.