biggentleben

Braves stole away Touki Toussaint for being willing to take on Bronson Arroyo's salary. That's a baseball business notable trade, but not really notable for this year's playoffs, true.

Except that it is the Brewers who would hang up in that deal.

No, there would be no interest in Plouffe. The Braves have a wealth of guys who can field tremendously at the position and hit enough. They would not give anything of real value for Plouffe. I cover the team and had an interview recently with Coppy, and I can tell you that they're not looking at all for a 3B now or coming soon.

No, the Braves do not need a 3B badly. Uribe has been very solid for them since the trade, especially on defense, which is a huge determining factor for the Braves, otherwise Peraza would have been the opening day 2B.

It's based on fWAR. Paige did not accumulate enough fWAR in the major leagues to appear on that list. Not a personal perspective, but just relaying the overall numbers.

It was fWAR, not bWAR, and I wasn't putting any argument forward. I was simply stating the numbers.

By Fangraphs WAR: RHP: Roger Clemens LHP: Randy Johnson C: Johnny Bench 1B: Stan Musial 2B: Rogers Hornsby 3B: Alex Rodriguez SS: Honus Wagner LF: Barry Bonds CF: Willie Mays RF: Babe Ruth OF (regardless of specific position): Ruth, Bonds, Mays (in that order) Top 20 position players ever per fWAR: Ruth Bonds Mays Ty Cobb Wagner Hank Aaron Tris Speaker Ted Williams Hornsby Musial Eddie Collins Lou Gehrig Alex Rodriguez Mickey Mantle Mel Ott Mike schmidt Rickey Henderson Frank Robinson Nap Lajoie Jimmie Foxx Top 10 pitchers, regardless of handedness: Clemens Cy Young Greg Maddux Walter Johnson Big Unit Nolan Ryan Bert Blyleven Gaylord Perry Pete Alexander Steve Carlton

Like 24 other teams. Instead they got Kyle Gibson.

Aaron played RF, though.

Without that drainage hole in right field, Mantle might make this discussion simply asinine, but that happened, and it did take away some from his overall game in comparison to Mays and Aaron in the same era.

I think they can be compared, but positional adjustments will always favor a center fielder. Aaron covered an extremely spacious outfield and was even an elite middle infielder before he got slid into hard and injured a knee his rookie year, prompting the team to move him to ensure his bat stayed in the lineup. As far as base running, stolen bases do not a base runner make. Don Drysdale thought Hank was better than Mays and even cited his base running, stating that Hank took 1st to 3rd or 2nd to home better than anyone he'd ever seen in the game.

I was thinking of this and then the Braves did exactly what has made this great Royals bullpen happen - using their excellent major-league ready pitching in the major league bullpen rather than have them rot in a AAA rotation. Mike Foltynewicz has been called up to move into the Braves bullpen, and right now, I could make the argument that about 1/3 of the AA/AAA rotation members would be better options than are currently in the Braves bullpen. We'll see 3 years down the road if this truly costs the Royals in a quality rotation due to rushing guys to the majors in the bullpen who are never able to transition back to the rotation. That said, it's not hurt David Price at all.

The Reds will sell once the All-Star game has passed. There are some who think the Reds could see Chapman, Cueto, Votto, Bruce, and Frazier all moved between the All-Star game and July 31.

FIFY

Bonds was an exceptional defender when he came up until about the mid-90s. His arm was never strong, but he had a good enough arm with a great range. Greg Maddux once was asked to put together a "best defender by position" team that he would have liked to have behind him, and without a hesitation when they came to left field, he stated "Pirates-era Barry Bonds".

With various programs, this already exists, but it is poorly executed. Social Security Disability offers a gradual decline in benefits as you increase your work income, but there's still a cliff in the system where you work too much to get any more benefits, yet you're actually losing money from earning $1 less. The exact numbers have changed some, but it's usually right around $1200. If you were earning $1150, you'd still get a total of ~$1315. Once you earn $1200, you lose all benefits and all you make is the $1200, so it actually works against someone working to earn $1200. It's called the "disability work cliff". You need to somehow earn another $125+ per month, or another ~15 hours per month at an $8/hour job, or another 5 hours per week, not exactly the easiest thing. I have told many people that I've seen it enough to know that having work gives someone purpose. Those I've worked with who have developmental disabilities or SPMI that prevents them from working find tremendous joy, purpose, and meaning from simply showing up to work, but so many of them are scared of losing money if they start working due to the terribly slow reactions of the government costing them money down the road in spite of how frequently and accurately they provide the government with updated income information.

I don't want to label anyone under one "party" platform. I'd personally consider myself fiscally conservative and socially liberal, but I'm constantly told by hard-liner friends on either side that I cannot be both. I currently vote Democrat most often, not because I agree with the entirety of the platform, but as much as anything, because the candidates they put forth, especially on a national level are more moderate in their views from a strict liberal vs. conservative side. Right now, the crux of the problem that Republicans have at a national level is that they have backed their party to the extremist ends of their party's base, which doesn't appeal to those in the middle at all. The US is still looked upon for political leadership around the globe, but in a more flat world, ideas come from anywhere, but our political system is still based on a pre-Internet funding and candidate selection process. Special interests grabbed foot hold with Reagan and have only increased their hold on the political system since. Those interests are often at the extremes of political ideologies, and when someone who isn't on the extremes is shouted down so frequently by those extreme ends, the center of those ideologies becomes silent, a silent majority, in reality. Now our political system is so bogged down with satisfying political interests that rarely is something truly beneficial to the entire country actually accomplished in Washington. For someone who loves my country as much as I do, it is difficult for me to be as pessimistic as I am at the political direction of the country, from DC to my small home state, due to the lack of impact of the voice of the people. We should be living in an era where the voice of the people is as accessible and easily heard as possible, yet it seems the "information age" has only given even MORE voice to the extremes in our political process.

That'd be it. Ear flap is on the wrong side.

I think this is in the wrong forum, but if Tulo moves, I'd put odds at less than 10% that he goes to a non-New York team.

...and whether it should be or not, abortion has become a significant piece in the election decisions of many Americans. More than that, it's become a key point on any national (and nearly all state-level) candidate platforms, so I think discussion and debate on a key issue for elections is more than appropriate in an election thread.

A solid outside shooter with defense in this offseason would be getting paid more than the GDP of half the world's countries. What a ridiculous offseason so far!

Depends on where you are. My wife is a middle school teacher...

Seriously, I think my wife works harder on a day when she's staying home sick than on the days when she just goes into the school. She will call for a sub at 6am, go to the school and put together the entire day for the sub before the kids show up at 8ish, and then she often gets a call or two (usually waking her up from needed recovery/healing sleep) from her sub for the day asking for clarification on her instructions. Not exactly how you rest and recover from whatever is ailing you.

I cannot find the quote now, but I've read elsewhere that Garnett talked about how he sees a lot of his game in Towns. That would be huge for the team. Garnett with a Wiggins just once in his career would have possibly had an NBA title.

Anyone see the issue?