weitz41’s 2025 Payroll Blueprint:

[weitz41]

I'm trying a few trades to make things work. Likely they won't all happen. But it's worth a shot.

I'm Trading Willi Castro and C.J Culpepper to the Braves for Drake Baldwin and Dylan Lee. Lee is my target. But Baldwin helps me move on from Christain Vasquez and his salary. 

Once that goes through, I can go after my second target. Yandy Diaz from the Rays.  This trade is a little light on the Rays side, so I do include 6.0 mil to make it an almost 0 cost for the Rays. Yandy Diaz for Chris Paddack, Christain Vasquez and Jose Miranda. Plus, Yandy has a 12M option for next season

Now IMO I'm down to needing someone who crushes lefties and plays in the OF...Hmmm...Austin Martin just doesn't quit do it for me. So, I'm digging deep and looking where hopefully someone no one else is. This is a flyer more than anything. Stone Garrett from the nationals. Yeah, I know WHO?  The Best I can come up with in trade value from BTV is 7.7...That seems a bit high for a guy with 315 total AB in MLB. Sexy numbers though...Good against righties. 783 OPS and really good against lefties. .874 OPS.  This is in ONLY 315 ABs...It's a flyer. Now I need to find a trade target I can part with that resembles the lack of track record..I'm giving up Cole Sand for a long shot that i feel good about in Stone Garrett. 

I do need a 5% increase in payroll to make this work. I cannot see a possible playoff team without it. Loosing Castro is going to hurt. Paddack hurt depth and trading Miranda feel like it's too soon. But I have to part with talent to get it. Lots of maybe to no way trades but I think it's a reasonable to do list

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($4.70M)
• 1B: Yandy Diaz ($10.00M)
• 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.80M)
• 3B: Royce Lewis ($2.30M)
• SS: Carlos Correa ($36.00M)
• LF: Trevor Larnach ($2.10M)
• CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M)
• DH: Edouard Julien ($0.80M)
• 4th OF: Stone Garrett ($.80M)
• Utility: Austin Martin ($.80M)
• Utility: DaShawn Keirsey ($0.80M)
• Backup C: Drake Baldwin ($.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($3.80M)
• SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.30M)
• SP4: David Festa ($0.80M)
• SP5: Simeon Woods Richardson ($.80M)
• RP: Jhoan Duran ($3.70M)
• RP: Griffin Jax ($2.60M)
• RP: Brock Stewart ($0.80M)
• RP: Dylan Lee ($1.90M)
• RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.50M)
• RP: Louie Varland ($0.80M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M)
• RP: Micheal Tonkin (1.5M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($6.0M)

Payroll is 3.13% over budget

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Other than your utility infielder doesn’t play SS, I really like this fairly plausible plan. It’s a lot of trades to bank on, but what fun is this if you can’t do anything?

[weitz41]

12 hours ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Other than your utility infielder doesn’t play SS, I really like this fairly plausible plan. It’s a lot of trades to bank on, but what fun is this if you can’t do anything?

I had to make some edits. IDK how but I had SWR at 8 mil rather then .8 Was still a bit out of line with the hopeful + 5mil to payroll so ditched Boyd and added Tonkin to the BP. Hopefully the depth holds up in AAA

To Richie: I'm looking a Lee as my back up SS. We have few players that can shift to 2nd base if needed. Martin, Eeles, Helman and Julian,