MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

Absolutely.

The final lines for Kremer, Wells and Irvin look better than they really were. All three came close to turning out "quality starts." But all three put Baltimore in an early hole, and opponents were barreling up on them.

 

Do they even have room to get all those prospects in the lineup this year? With so much talent ready for the majors, are they really going to hide behind the notion of not wanting to trade any of the young studs away?

 

It's certainly a good question.

A lot of people are clamoring for Urias, Mateo and/or Kemp to get bounced so Holliday gets up there.

Quite a few fans forget that Hays and Mullins are pretty good lineup pieces. Santander is a middle-of-the-lineup staple. Kjerstad/Cowser for the fourth OF? Flip a coin, but that does make one of them expendable.

And I don't even know what they can do with Kyle Stowers and Coby Mayo. I really wouldn't mind them dangling one of those guys to land a No. 3 starter at the trade deadline, hopefully someone who can be locked up beyond 2024.

 

The biggest one is bringing up Holliday and benching the Urias/Mateo/Kemp group. No reason not to. He's a huge upgrade.

At some point, you need veterans in the room, and Mullins is really good at that role, even if he's not hitting. Big intangibles guy. I'd hate to bring up some of the hot minor-league bats just to sit behind Mullins or Hays. As shotty noted, Santander is an essential piece, you don't bench him for a rookie.

 

I like Mullins a lot, I hope he doesn't become an odd man out.

 

One of my main concerns is that Grayson Rodriguez has to be more consistent than last year. If his consistency matches his repertoire, he's an AL All-Star.

 

Orioles fans worrying about how the team is going to handle having too much talent on its hands reminds me of Chris Rock's rap about the pusher saying, "how am I gonna sell all this crack?" Enjoy your first world problems, gang.

 

You really don't have a great frame of reference on this, because it's hard to recall when an organization had this many guys pushing up from below.

 

I can't think of a comp. Not this volume of talent. They're winning with guys they don't even need.

 

It strikes me that what worries most Orioles fans is that someone like Mayo or Norby might go to another organization and wind up as an all-star.

That's more the concern than it is of those guys wasting good at-bats in AAA.

 

West Sacramento!

 

What are the odds that Steve Sax is the first manager of the West Sacramento A's?