I'm not all that big on this aspect of team building, but I do think it makes a difference, most of the time.
Price was not a plus in this area.
I was glad we were able to dump half his salary- almost as happy as when we dumped most CC's salary in the first Dodger dump trade.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
A bargain is in the eye of the beholder.
A $10 million annual salary might not be a bargain on Jake Odorizzi, whom ZiPS projects with a 2021 WAR of 1.8 in 24 starts. As a point of reference, ZiPS projects a 2021 WAR of 2.7 in 23 starts from James Paxton, who signed a one-year contract for $8.5 million plus incentives.
FanGraphs Depth Charts and Steamer narrow the gap in projected WAR but still give Paxton the edge.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
James Paxton will earn a $750,000 bonus for reaching 10 games and another $750,000 at 20 games (for a maximum of $10 million). The ZiPS projection is based on 23 starts.
Paxton joins a Seattle rotation headed by fellow lefthanders Marco Gonzales, Justus Sheffield and Yusei Kikuchi, who last year combined for 4.7 fWAR in 30 starts. The projected fifth slot goes to 26-year-old righthander Chris Flexen, a refugee from the Korean Baseball Organization. Vying for the final slot in the six-man rotation will be 25-year-old righthander Justin Dunn and 24-year-old lefthander Nick Margevicius, who last year combined for a 4.39 ERA in 17 starts (although Dunn had concerning peripherals and Margevicius was less impressive in three relief appearances). The Mariners have three starters among the Top 70 prospects at Baseball Prospectus and, if disgraced former president Kevin Mather is to be believed, righthander Logan Gilbert will be called up in April.
Which is more than anyone wanted to know.
Seattle Mariner fan since 1995.
Studies the Red Sox the way a native speaker studies a second language.
The Red Sox had not been in the postseason in 11 seasons the year I turned 3 and soon thereafter suffered seven straight losing seasons (a dubious feat the Mariners have not accomplished in the past 30 years). Last season notwithstanding, the Red Sox have compiled better records and captured more titles than the M's over that period.
Ya, my step-father grew up playing on a team with Whitey Ford, and good character was all they ever talked about. I didn't get it, because I grew up in a decade when the A's and Yankees kept fighting themselves and winning pennants almost every single year.
Nowadays, with guaranteed kajillion-dollar contracts, player attitudes may mean more than ever (see Betts, Mookie). Every contender would do well to also ensure it has some young, hungry and not-yet-rich stars in the mix...