Mine, in no order
a) I LOVE Dusty, have since was kid following those early 70’s Braves with Hank, Dusty, Knucksie, Evans etc…BUT…there comes a time…move him into Advisory role if he chooses to step away
b) Offer Maldy a player/coach position if he wants to stay. It’s not common these days but was bitd. He could be a heck of a teacher but Diaz has got to be the everyday C
c) Know this shows my NL upbringing but I need some speed on this club…slogging around waiting on the 3 run bomb can’t work all the time… situational baseball baby…speed kills
d) I know won’t be a popular opinion, but I am moving King Tuck before have to pay the big long term big $$$…love him but he’s not a crunch time $ player…his playoff numbers are abysmal. Should be able to get some very good talent for him
e) Any chance of getting Strom back with Dusty gone ?
f) Since I am dreaming, I’d LOVE a stud CF and more arms
Pollard, what we got on the Farm as I haven’t really kept up much this season
I DO NOT keep up much with baseball til the season ends and playoffs begin so keep the bashing to a minimum please what about a Hinch reunion or did he piggyback more off of Luhnow?
I’ll give a more comprehensive post when I have time but your take on Tucker has been shared by several of us last week I think.
I don’t remember what “baseball” guy it was but they were saying Tucker was going to ask for 10 and 350!
No freaking way.
And we know even if he is incredible the next two years that JC is not paying that….trade value at an all-time high now….just make sure that one of the players coming back is a top 100 outfielder since we lost our top two in the JV trade.
Melton is probably the top outfielder right now….he will spend the year at AA and hopefully finish at AAA if everything goes well.
Dusty is retiring so new manager coming….based on the psychology of this team, losing at home disappearing offense at times….i’m thinking hire ted lasso
I keep maldy but make diaz no 1 , i put maldy on a diet too, his numbers might improve if he could actually run
hire new hitting coach keep pitching coach
have to unload some pitchers with garcia and mcuellers coming back off injury
keep brantley, trade tuck
If I’m Crane, I’m hoping Dusty makes the decision to step away so I don’t have to make it for him. I would only bring Maldy back in a coach’s role. He just doesn’t bring enough to the table but his big belly. Brantley should not be resigned. Trading Tucker makes a lot of sense too. Starting pitching is also a concern. Valdez became a head case so not sure what they have with him now. He is not an ace. I also think Joe Espada has the inside track to be the next manager.
Your “ big belly “ comment was funny……this guy gained weight during the actual season….when Maldy retires he is going to swell up quick when he retires.
Maldonado does not need to be here next year, not even on a minimum contract, which he wouldn’t do anyway.
If he’s here, the pitchers who “have” to have him behind the plate might ask for him- that can’t even be an option. As I’ve mentioned before (not sure if it was on this board), these pitchers make millions of dollars- they can learn to pitch with Diaz behind the plate.
This is why Crane needs to be the one that cuts Maldonado. I know it’s a rarity but that’s the only way everyone gets the message. The pitchers, the coaches, assistant GM, GM, fans, media, etc.
If you let Maldonado stick around he could turn toxic.
Crane needs to let everyone know from Brown down to the Cheeto-eating bat boy in Farmington, NM that we won’t finish another season hamstrung by our own decisions.
Heard some rumblings about Stros making run at Gurriel, he’d be a nice addition in LF. Just turned 30 and coming off a $5.8M contract year…interesting. He’ll get a 3-5 yr deal in $12-15M per range. He’s heck of a OF, bit of a streaky hitter
That’s true, but you can do a lot better than him as a leader and franchise cornerstone.
I’ll give him a break if there was something going on besides just moping around for whatever reason. Otherwise, his whole postseason act is a detriment to this team - you just can’t have that on a winning team.
Mid-season he was my franchise candidate. But look at where we are in the pen, starters, and age. I prefer not lose Bregman, especially when his replacement is a couple of years off. Brown may not have a tradable star with power for a long time. Alvarez will die an Astro. Ditto Altuve. And maybe Bregman.
I’m going to stir the pot here. Is it possible Crane could bring AJ back? After all, he does have unfinished business. That would really throw MLB for a loop!
