December 12, 20196 yr Yeah, I think at minimum Dobnak is being universally endorsed as Pineda's replacement for the first month and a half, even among those who still want 2 more starters acquired. (And from there, he could easily earn a more permanent spot through performance or injuries.) As far as being the 5th starter outright, even with Pineda, I'm open to that possibility too. Although I think Pineda's absence might be a good opportunity to let Dobnak compete with a quality buy-low guy like Alex Wood as well, and let the winner keep the 5th spot when Pineda comes back. Yes, and I prefer your first option. I can't imagine there are many teams who make it eight times through the rotation without at least one injury. Planning with Dobnak as the guy who gets those starts in Pineda's place makes a ton of sense. I'd rather not assume Dobnak the long-term No. 5 AND have to use Smeltzer or Thorpe as the Pineda fill-in. If we should be so fortunate as to make it through the rotation eight times, healthy and effective, it wouldn't hurt to have some combination of a brief DL stint for anyone who's even slightly knicked up, a few times through a six-man rotation, or even a demotion for a couple weeks of short starts from Dobnak to make sure he's well-rested for getting through a season that goes well into October. If we aren't, Pineda is our mid-May trade acquisition.
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