By Miller Lepree
Last year, it was all but a certainty that Sandy Alcantara would be packing a bag and kissing the cavernous reverb of a daytime start at Loan Depot Park goodbye. Surely, fans had screamed their last echoes of support toward their longtime ace after he turned his season around and salvaged some trade value. Whispers of yet another deadline as sellers turned into proclamations. Eddy Cabrera was as good as gone, too. But then they stood pat, and nobody moved, aside from longtime underachiever Jesus Sanchez. They were trying to win. Or they didn’t get any offer they agreed with. Fine! So, they missed the playoffs but remained interesting. Perhaps this was an indication that they viewed their resurgent squad as “knocking on the door” or insert platitude about young team close to competing.
The offseason presented a different outlook: Cabrera was famously dealt for Owen Caissie and two other prospects. Caissie being viewed as big league ready did little to dampen fans’ expectations that this team would be expected to win, and soon, if not now. But then Ryan Weathers was traded for lower minors’ prospects. Ok. So, a win-now-ish move combined with a win-later move. That’s fine, that’s how this whole analytical approach works. Keep the farm stocked. Minor leaguers are dirt cheap. The team must capitalize on player value to ride the razor thin edge of winning and losing in this league. Weathers had value, but the team didn’t trust him. So, he’s gone for guys who can help way later.
The team famously did not sign any major league free agents until bringing in Christopher Morel, followed by marquee addition Chris Paddack on the heels of spring training. Money, meet mouth. They didn’t want to rush any prospects into starting roles, and Paddack was an indication that they were at least trying to put a serviceable big-league product out there for the first few months of the season. As of this writing on May 13th, he and his fellow major league free agent addition, Austin Slater, are no longer with the team.
They both hurt the team, and so the team ate the dead money and moved on. Some view this as “urgency” or a signal that perhaps Peter Bendix is feeling the pressure to win and will not waste time on players who are blocking someone younger, cheaper, more interesting. But the money is already spent on those guys.
In my opinion, it’s more a reflection of the paralysis this team faces within their current model: there has been no significant financial investment in any proven big-league talent since Peter Bendix took over. No extension, no real signings. Bruce Sherman's instructions are clear: win cheap. Paddack and Slater join the storied ranks of Tim Anderson, Christian Bethancourt, and Vidal Brujan. Dead weight signings only made to fill out the roster while they continue to audition young players.
Another bit of contradictory logic emerged recently with the mishandling of Augustin Ramirez resulting in his demotion to AAA in favor of the sure-handed Joe Mack.
Fans and analysts agree that Ramirez has no hope as a catcher. But the team insists he is one, and that he is going back to AAA to get better at catching and rediscover his power stroke. All while calling pitches from the dugout. It’s a frustrating ordeal to watch but perhaps will sort itself out. Maybe they'll deal him for a second baseman to replace Xavier Edwards, who is becoming expensive. Better options have emerged at both the first base and catching front, with the breakout of Liam Hicks. So, is Ramirez now expendable?
Something to keep in mind is that under the current model, any one player matters little. Every deadline, there will likely be some form of subtraction, perhaps coupled with a needed addition during the fatter years. Bendix will continue churning the roster, seeking bargain bin finds, and promoting from within. There will be no Albert Pujols. And that is likely for the best.
Nonetheless, the margin for error is credit-card thin when you consistently rely on hitting where the other 29 teams have missed. For every Otto Lopez, there is a Christopher Morel.
Is this team ready to compete? Short answer, maybe. Long answer? Check the receipts.
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