The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

Get busy pitching, or get busy losing.

 

Baltimore and Cleveland really need to talk a Bieber for a controllable bat trade. Fits both sides perfectly.

 

The juxtaposition of the Michigan sign stealing story atop the ESPN website and Astros win right below it is wonderful.

 

Frankly, I hope they can do better than Bieber with the prospects they have to dangle. Bieber didn't miss a whole lot of bats in 2023.

O's can't keep them all. Only untouchables I see are Rutschman, Henderson, Bradish, Rodriguez, Holliday and maybe Westburg.

I could definitely see offering Heston Kjerstad and a second-tier prospect, but only for a No. 2 starter and up.

 

I keep thinking the Tigers match up well with Baltimore, St. Louis or the Dodgers as a Hot Stove partner. Depends on how aggressive Harris thinks he needs to be with his young pitchers, because Detroit needs a right-handed hitting corner outfielder and either a 2B or 3B. And with Miggy and E-Rod coming off the books, the Tigers should be flush with budget room.

I'm not sold on Parker Meadows' bat keeping him in the majors just yet, or Colt Keith/Jace Jung having good enough gloves to stick, either.

Fish or cut bait on Austin Meadows. Vierling, McKinstry and Ibanez are nice utility options. But relying on guys like Justin-Henry Malloy and a cast of Mud Hens to help open the window of contention is a big ask.

Everything will have to click perfectly for the Tigers to find another 10-12 wins in 2024, which includes none of the core kids regressing (and getting some actual value out of Javy Baez). The free agent market is doo-doo so Harris will need to be creative.

 

The tough thing with the Tigers is, who are they going to offer as a front-end starter? Eduardo Rodriguez? Maybe, but I don't know if he would displace Bradish or Grayson Rodriguez. Tarik Skubal had nice '23 numbers, but not much before that.

What the Orioles have to offer is middle-of-the-order bats, maybe two. They should demand a top-of-the-rotation starter for that.

 

Rodriguez will opt out after the Series, so cross him off then. I don't see anyone in Detroit on the 40-man worth a Kjerstad or Cowser.

However, the Tigers have a bunch of arms (none of whom would be a 1 or 2) with low service time available to perhaps break up somebody's positional logjam, like a McKenna, Westburg or Urias. The Cardinals have a bunch of outfielders, too.

That's my train of thought there.

 

The Cardinals aren't looking for prospects, they're looking for sure things (although we all know there are no sure things when it comes to pitching). St. Louis will be trading from its outfield surplus, but I don't know how much those guys would bring.

For the first time in a long time, the Cards will have to jump into the free agent market.

 

Win or lose, Justin Verlander has some nice comfort waiting at home in Kate Upton.

 

Got Texas down 1-0 in the 5th at +145 ML so go Rangers? Also shit just got weird?