I'm just as sure the Lords of Baseball will screw up everything as I'm sure Jerry Jones will screw up the Dallas Cowboys until they commit him to a institution or he dies.
There are 30 MLB teams, half are really minor league teams on life-support dependent on revenue sharing, extra draft picks, extra international bonus pool money, ad nauseum.
Excellent article as usual, Lindsay. If I WERE AA, I'm putting 7/$115 in front of Baldwin and making him say no. But that choice, based on how they approached this offseason, is probably not his to declare.
I think Big Time Terry is making those calls to some extent. But the roster situation is surely interesting, and with Murphy's value as low as it is I don't see how you buy out controllable years of Drake unless you plan to trade Murphy, or make him a DH.
I say extend Baldwin now at a pro-team price while you can! It has worked for Atlanta in previous years and the Orioles have started to do it now too. It just make sense.
Good analysis. Real quandary. The upcoming off-season with probable lockout looms large, possibly jeopardizing a meaningful '27 season. That means two more years of age on Riley, Olson, Sale, Lopez, Lee, Murphy and others - necessitating looking to the minor league system to replenish - and the Braves' minor system is really shallow. There will always be FA options but AA clearly does not like big-time FA ventures so why not secure Baldwin for several years as a predictably solid bat?
I'm just as sure the Lords of Baseball will screw up everything as I'm sure Jerry Jones will screw up the Dallas Cowboys until they commit him to a institution or he dies.
There are 30 MLB teams, half are really minor league teams on life-support dependent on revenue sharing, extra draft picks, extra international bonus pool money, ad nauseum.
Excellent article as usual, Lindsay. If I WERE AA, I'm putting 7/$115 in front of Baldwin and making him say no. But that choice, based on how they approached this offseason, is probably not his to declare.
I think Big Time Terry is making those calls to some extent. But the roster situation is surely interesting, and with Murphy's value as low as it is I don't see how you buy out controllable years of Drake unless you plan to trade Murphy, or make him a DH.
I say extend Baldwin now at a pro-team price while you can! It has worked for Atlanta in previous years and the Orioles have started to do it now too. It just make sense.
Good analysis. Real quandary. The upcoming off-season with probable lockout looms large, possibly jeopardizing a meaningful '27 season. That means two more years of age on Riley, Olson, Sale, Lopez, Lee, Murphy and others - necessitating looking to the minor league system to replenish - and the Braves' minor system is really shallow. There will always be FA options but AA clearly does not like big-time FA ventures so why not secure Baldwin for several years as a predictably solid bat?