Yes, he would be, slightly over Correa, with Sano a distant third after those two.

I wouldn't read into it because, as you just hinted, the club may simply have wanted him to work with a specific coach or get some extra games. But I will say that there's no negative to it. It means something good, I just don't know exactly what.

Except that all available evidence is that he doesn't know the game. That was unconscionable; two AGMs texted me during that first inning to ask what the fuck (their word) Ausmus was doing.

Barring the child of a prominent politican getting killed in such an event, I do not expect to see meaningful gun control laws enacted in my lifetime. Our gun culture is truly the only thing that would cause me to want to leave the U.S. to live in another country.

I don't think he can hit for that kind of power and simultaneously do much else at the plate. His ideal profile is a very low-K, low-power season where he hits in the high .200s just by putting the ball in play all the time.

I'll answer on any award except NL ROY (which I have - and the form explicitly states DO NOT REVEAL YOUR BALLOT). I'd have Kershaw first, but I don't think Greinke or Arrieta are a 'wrong' choice here.

He wasn't a throw-in, not according to either side at the time of the deal, but he was not as highly regarded by scouts I talked to who saw him this year. He's clearly something - maybe a mid-rotation guy if that changeup improves substantially (or he adds a splitter or something along those lines).

It's OK, not great; if I take my all-time list to 100 it's on there. I may not go that deep.

Yes, Hunter has been terrible (and man he needs to stop saying stupid stuff). If he's that great a 'leader' in the clubhouse, which I find hard to believe given what comes out of his mouth, make him the bench coach.

Fulmer yes, McMahon no shot, and I love that book - it's in my top 50.

Fire the manager and probably add one starter while letting the kids play (Turner, Taylor, using their various rookies in the rotation) and firing Papelbon into the heart of the sun.

Barreto is going to be a star (he's already a pro, BTW, if you'll allow me to be pedantic for just a moment ... you're asking about the big leagues), and I hated the deal at the time for Oakland. I didn't like the Shark trade either because Semien is not an everyday player, esp not at SS.

This isn't exactly Deep Throat secrecy here.

(nods while making 'crazy' circular motion around my ear)

Only what you've heard from folks like MLB's Jesse Sanchez.

It's his own fault; I have no sympathy for folks like him and Ausmus who are so obstinate about their way of doing things. You want to succeed in this game, you make adjustments. They haven't.

Above average regular behind the plate.

Grossly unfair and, frankly, kind of dumb.

Absolutely. I hope he fights it; it could help baseball players break the NCAA's three-year BS rule too (which MLB has agreed to, for no good reason at all).

I don't think it's entirely coincidental.

Yes, although Arrieta has had some absolute joke opponents of late too - that Brewers game where they started a AAA lineup comes to mind. Again, I don't think either guy is clearly better.

I don't see it - he's not even as good as the Duffy/Panik group who've been better in the majors than they were in the minors.

I'd be too leery of his injury history to stuff him like that but he's definitely a mid-100 guy.

Not at all.

Bird's the better prospect but Shaw is a legitimate big leaguer with a chance to be a regular at 1b. I don't see him being able to handle another position.

I think he can and probably will, because he's going to be ready to do so by midyear.

For the last two, you're looking at about a month of playing time, which is SSS for anything we might look at. I liked the trade a lot at the time, though.

Probably d.

Worth a try but awfully unlikely to work. Granted, the downside is limited (injury risk?) but the upside is substantial.

I think he's more likely to post a .400 OBP with 20 bombs.

I think he's a reliever. It's all arm, no lower half, and his secondary stuff isn't great.

She's as qualified as someone like David Stearns, certainly; his background is similar to hers, all office-based/administrative, although I can't speak to either of their skills in terms of analytics awareness or people management.

Benintendi's a better runner with more power and a chance to play CF. Conforto has the better eye and simpler swing. Both great players but I think Benintendi may have the higher chance to end up a star.

I agree - it's the rule, and it's a bad one that has only come up because of replay. I don't know a simple fix but I think it's one to address.

No, not for the long term. It's like Severino being a starter - they could hold their present roles for a little while, but when we look back in five or ten years (maybe ten is too long) it's much more likely IMO that Seager will have spent the bulk of the time at third and Severino will have been in relief.

Yes. They should non-tender Gattis and let Reed and White play.

It's one of the most awkward aspects of my job - if I predict a player will get hurt or won't be able to do something, and I'm right, I can't say a word without appearing to gloat over injury or failure.

I didn't see/hear either of those pieces (Spandau Ballet? Really?) but I do make an extra effort to find more obscure artists for my monthly playlists because does the world really need Pitchfork to review the latest Taylor Swift album?

The number would have to be 20-22.

Welcome back now please go away.

I would bet against it and I don't understand the media members who appear to be pushing his candidacy. He got worse at every stop and had enough history of misusing young arms that we shouldn't want to see him manage - and I say that as someone who has tried to help a few candidates of color get more consideration for managerial openings.

I've answered this before and my response is still the same: I don't close any doors, but I will only take a job that makes sense for my family. My daughter is 9 now and I don't regret any of the time I've been able to spend with her rather than sitting in an office or an airport.

He got to the majors awfully fast - we're not even having this conversation with other kids from his draft class. I do think he'll be fine in time, just perhaps not the MVP type that the early hype bestowed upon him.

Either some place warm or some place with great food (Italy, probably, since that's where my people come from too). But any other country will likely have its own problems as a tradeoff.

Barry Svrluga's piece from the other day covered this well, defending Harper in a way without coming off as unfavorable. Harper's makeup is not and has never been a concern, except to idiots.

It was expanded to five after the whole imbroglio in 2009 that some tiny fraction of Cardinals fans still can't get over or get right.

I think there's power to come, but if asked to bet on one or the other I'd bet on his OBP getting to the high .300s than his power getting to 25 HR.

I don't think many teams view him as a shortstop; he just wasn't very good there defensively. But he might have a lot of trade value to a team that needs a second baseman.

Mid-rotation starter good? It's not a huge fastball, but there are a lot of quality mid-rotation starters or better who work with average to slightly above-average fastballs because they have at least two of command, life, or secondary weapons.

I have no doubt they could have. Clippard pitched more than I expected, but still produced just 0.2 rWAR in 31 innings. I don't think that was worth giving up a pitching prospect who is still fairly high-risk but is probably top ~150 or so in MLB.