Make A Run
It's never over until it's over! So, with a magic number of 7 it looks bleak. So what? It is going to take us going 11-2 the rest of the way to have an above .500 record. So what? Remember what Blutarsky said in 'Animal House': Bluto's Big Speech - Animal House (9/10) Movie CLIP (1978) HD - YouTube.
We just keep playing hard and maybe something amazing will happen. In the end, when the dust settles on 2023, it would be great to remember a huge sprint to the finish line. Just let's not get anyone else hurt, OK?
Rehab Guys
Speaking of not getting hurt, WTF are we doing with Bieber and McKenzie? I don't think it takes a ML start to determine whether these two need arm surgery in the off-season. That is what MRIs and expert doctors are there for. It is not about 'But, can he pitch with that injury?'. It is about do can he rehab the injury and be as good as he was BEFORE he got hurt by next ST or does he need to have surgery now to get him back ASAP.
It is also not about building trade value for the off-season. Shane Bieber's trade value is cooked. Well, it would be for most of us but for a team that just traded 2+ years of Aaron Civale, when he was hot, in the middle of a pennant race, for Kyle Manzardo, maybe if Bieber is breathing he can bring the pathetic return I think the Guardians will accept for him. I mean, Antonetti should just have this as his answering machine message: "Hi, it's Chris. What did you expect me to get? No one will trade fairly with us. Please leave a message after the tone, especially if you want to rob us in a trade. Beep.'
So, while it may be some symbolic victory for these guys to get into a ML game and have success before the end of the season, remember what happened with McKenzie when he came back from his first injury this year: one great start, one bad (probably injured) start and then back on the IL. If he gets one good start in before the end of the season recent history doesn't support that he isn't injured or won't get injured trying to make it all go away with an end-of-season revival.
So, I vote to shut both of them down...but I don't think my opinion matters.
Callups and DFAs Coming?
OK, let's use reverse psychology. There is no freaking way the Guardians will bring up any rookies or Karinchak before the end of the season. Let's just go with guys who are not likely to be here next year. That makes more sense.
AFL and Instructs
Waiting on the AFL assignments for the Guardians. Hopefully it will be exciting and not something like we are sending Joe Donovan and Josh Wolf to the AFL because we had to provide a catcher and a relief pitcher.
Also waiting on word from the instructs. I want to know if Clemmey and Walters are healthy and how guys like Rivera Jr., DeLucia, Campbell, Zibin, Espino and other injured pitchers are progressing in their rehab.
I mean, would it hurt to throw us prospect geeks a bone with an update from instructs
Free Agent Winter
Looking over the potential free agents this winter, think of what the 2022/2023 free agent market looked like at the beginning of February this year after it had been picked over already. I'll have more on this later but just to get you 'pumped' here are the top FAs available (by MLB Trade Rumors, top options listed first):
CF - Cody Bellinger, Harrison Bader (a Straw clone), Kevin Kiermaier, Michael Taylor
Corner OF - Teoscar Hernandez, Michael Brantley, Adam Duvall, Lourdes Gurriel
SS - Amed Rosario, Gio Urshela, Enrique Hernandez
Catcher: Mitch Garver, Gary Sanchez, Tom Murphy
First Base: Cody Bellinger, Jeimer Candelario, Carlos Santana
Second Base: Amed Rosario, Adam Frazier, Elvis Andrus
I doubt that we have a chance with Teoscar Hernandez or Cody Bellinger who are both, in my mind, question marks for a long-term contract as I am skeptical they can continue production over the next 4 to 5 years. Even if we would buck up for these guys, it is unlikely, unless we way outbid other teams, that we could land them, given our bad season this year, the uncertainty regarding our new manager and how unlikely it would be that we keep spending money after we sign one of them.
Well, that leave trades with our far-less-than-astute FO who gives away prospects like it is candy at a Thanksgiving Day parade.
This is just a bad FA year, folks and there is nothing we can do about that.
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