awmonahan

I'm excited about this defense. Though, I'm curious what the range numbers will look like now that Carlos can't start a play on the grass and leverage his big arm. Hopefully that doesn't hurt him too much. (Thankfully we're out of the dome, where a shortstop, like Gagne, was best setting up behind the infield line in shallow left-center.)

I was about to say this is the deepest rotation since 1991, but you beat me to it, and with stats. I agree, this team looks good, deep and versatile. If guys remain healthy, they have a lot of ways to beat you, which I find pretty exciting. This team looks set to be a pain for the opposition. And aces should not be able to get away with a simple approach against them. They can hit, run and hit for power, or at least they project that way. Spring is nice that way, but I have high hopes.

We like guys named Morris. Let's see what he can do with some time, patience and coaching.

Some pitchers manage to pitch above the numbers - it can be guts, spotting pitches changing speeds , or a number of other variables. But, Joe seems to fit that better than measurable profile. I really like him, and he seems to relish the intellectual side of pitching, which adds to his upside. The approach reminds me of Radke, who was a good pitcher who became a great big game pitcher. I'm excited to see what Joe can do.

I look at his swing, in the minors, and don't understand where we are supposed to find a valuable MLB player. The bat seems slow. Maybe it has power, but slow and power is negligible. And he doesn't have anything else to offer on the bases or on the field. There was a lot going on, and I didn't judge the pick then, but I don't understand how he was projected to be worth a 1 or valuable in MLB now.

Waiting this long into his rehab to make an offer could also make it look like you'd happily gouge him pay he intends to earn with great play. I get the idea, but it would have come off as closer to mutually beneficial at the outset of the injury, rather than now.

I'd love to see what he can do in the majors, but he really needs a position. Please put him in AAA with a ton of time at both 2B and LF.

There's a lot of swing and miss and plodding in this system now. If he can continue to get on base, hit, run and field adequately, there should be room for him (at 2nd, 3rd or OF corners in the coming years). I'm excited to see what he can do.

That's a generous, though, well-reasoned article. If it does come down to a lack of buy-in, there is a component of that that is on the pitching coaches. Obviously, that group was in flux last year. But they need to be able to convince pitchers to make tweaks and in-season adjustments. Our FO does not buy finished products - they go for guys who need to tweak their approach to have success. If the coaching staff continues to struggle to generate that buy-in (especially after bringing in a veteran catcher), a change to staff may be needed.

This article isn't exactly an endorsement of Lopez as a playoff pitcher...here's hoping a tweak or two to his pitching and a better OF defense help him get where we need him to go.

He seems like one of the better options, internally, to begin replacing Arraez's production. Hope he can put together a solid start to the season.

I'm hoping for Jorge, with a transition to Julien, but I doubt Julien would get a shot until next season.

Great article. He belongs, but will likely be forced to wait to prove some point or other. Lots of ifs with Joe, but he is one of the best hitting catchers ever and a HOFer.

I believe the top two assets have no trade clauses. So, while I am feeling better about the state of this team, I'm hoping things go according to the FO's plans!

MAT was a fan favorite in DC. A good guy, capable fill-in at almost starter level in CF. He's defense is great- not as flashy as Buxton but less likely to kill himself too. His hitting is what held him back, but just barely, on some really good teams. He's also got surprising power.