Before I start tackling the MVPs and LVPs of each postseason series dating back to 1991, I thought it would be good to take a look at the 2021 postseason as a whole and determine the Braves MVPs and LVPs, mostly through the lens of cWPA. Given what a success the 2021 postseason was for Atlanta, I will once again limit the LVPs to five and you will note that even the LVPs generally all contributed something positive to this magical run. It was also hard to narrow down the top 10 MVPs so I added some guys to the honorable mention section. Counting them down from 10 to 1, here are the Braves 2021 postseason MVPs:
Honorable Mentions
Charlie Morton (+4.0% cWPA) – Had some tough luck, between the injury and being asked to do a little too much in the NLDS, but still pitched well, kept the Braves in the games he pitched and deserved a better fate.
Luke Jackson (-4.7% cWPA) – The rough NLCS really dragged his totals down, but Luke had a big impact in the NLDS and the WS.
Kyle Wright (+5.2% cWPA) – Kyle only appeared in the WS, but what a job he did allowing the Braves to steal game 4.
Joc Pederson(-3.5% cWPA) – Not much to write home about after the NLDS other than the homer off Scherzer, but Joc helped carry the offense against Milwaukee and really seemed to loosen up the clubhouse with his antics.
10) A.J. Minter (+2.1% cWPA) – Giving up the lead in Game 5 of the World Series cost Minter a loftier spot on our list, but A.J. had 6 scoreless outings in high leverage situations and 3 of those were more than an inning. The only other time he was scored upon may have been his most valuable moment, when he relieved Morton in Game 1 of the World Series and went 2.2 innings allowing 1 run. He really helped cover the lack of depth in the pen.
9) Dansby Swanson (-0.9% cWPA) – Dansby may have saved the Brewers series with his glove, which doesn’t show up on cWPA. Didn’t have the greatest postseason offensively, but his 2 homers couldn’t have come at a better time. One to tie Game 4 of the World Series and one to put Game 6 out of reach.
8) Max Fried (+6.3% cWPA) – I could see the argument for lower than this, as Max was mostly responsible for 2 of the 5 Atlanta losses this postseason, and I could see the argument that he should be higher as he pretty much dominated the 3 games he won, especially the clincher. I’ll split the difference and put him about where cWPA says he should be.
7) Freddie Freeman (+5.8% cWPA) – Freddie has a career batting line of .295/.384/.509 and he bested everyone of those numbers this postseason batting .303/.432/.625. The only reason he isn’t higher is that most of his damage came either in blowouts or losses and didn’t really have much of an impact with the notable exception of the homer off Hader to send Atlanta to the NLCS.
6) Ian Anderson (+15.0% cWPA) – Honestly the top 6 all have a case for the most valuable player of the postseason. The Braves won all 4 of Anderson’s starts and had he pitched a little deeper in the NLCS, he would probably have a strong claim on number 1. Has now pitched in 6 postseason series and has a positive WPA in each one. Also has never allowed a hit in the World Series, let’s hope he can add to his 5 hitless innings next year.
5) Eddie Rosario (+18.1% cWPA) – Eddie almost single handedly carried the Braves offense to the NLCS win, and I believe that was the hardest of the series to win so he gets a little extra credit from me there. The Dodgers just had no answer for Super Rosario. It’s not like he disappeared for the other two series either, adding a huge 2 run single against Milwaukee and a tremendous catch to rob Altuve in the World Series.
4) Will Smith (+18.8% cWPA) – Hard to ask for much better than pitching a scoreless inning in each of Atlanta’s 11 postseason wins. I wouldn’t call Will’s performance dominating, but he was absolutely rock solid and didn’t make my blood pressure spike once in the playoffs. Only allowed 8 baserunners in 11 innings.
3) Jorge Soler (+22.7% cWPA) – Really only here for his World Series performance, but what a well timed performance it was. Jorge hit go-ahead homers in three of the four World Series wins and none bigger than the 3-run moonshot that cleared the train tracks in Game 6 that is likely to be the most memorable moment from this playoff run.
2) Austin Riley (+21.0% cWPA) – Of all of the differences between this year’s team and last year’s, Riley’s performance stands out. In 2020 Riley hurt the Braves’ chances in each of the 3 playoff series. In 2021, the exact opposite as Riley consistently increased the Braves Championship odds and he had several key hits across all 3 series. Gets the nod from me over Soler and Rosario for consistency.
1) Tyler Matzek (+23.8% cWPA) – One of the most clutch performances of all time and you could’ve made an argument for Tyler as the MVP of each series. In his 6 postseason series in his career Matzek has added positive cWPA in each of them. Also his total WPA for these past 2 years is 1.73, which is about half of John Smoltz career total of 3.6. Smoltz ranks 3rd all-time in MLB. If Soler’s homer isn’t the moment of the postseason, Matzek striking out the side with 2nd and 3rd and no one out against the Dodgers is the other main contender for me.
LVPs
5) Adam Duvall (-2.2% cWPA) – Adam seemed to be finding his groove against Houston but oftentimes looked lost at the plate and on the basepaths in the playoffs. Adam did have a nice catch to potentially rob the Dodgers of the homer in the NLCS and his grand slam would’ve looked bigger had the lead held up.
4) Travis d’Arnaud (-7.7% cWPA) – Second worst by cWPA and that doesn’t even account for his complete inability to slow down the running game. Travis really should get a ton of credit for the success of the pitching staff though as he caught every inning and called some great games.
3) Braves Spot Starters (-10.1% cWPA) – I’m lumping Huascar Ynoa in here with Tucker Davidson and Dylan Lee. Combined this trio gave Atlanta 4 innings and allowed 7 runs. I still like the future for each of these guys, but they did not shine when given the chance this year.
2) Braves Bench other than Joc (-9.9% cWPA) – Johan Camargo, Ehire Adrianza, Orlando Arcia, William Contreras and Guillermo Heredia combined to go 1-23 in the postseason. The one hit was a big one in Game 6 of the NLCS by Adrianza ahead of Rosario’s 3 run homer.
1) Ozzie Albies (-8.8% cWPA) – Seems a bit harsh for the guy who led the team in runs scored with 12, but Ozzie reduced the Braves Championship odds in each round. He did respond when finally moved down in the order, but Ozzie had a rough postseason at the plate.
Just read that the difference between AA and Freddie is in the # of years in the contract. AA is willing to go 5/150 but Freddie wants 8 years even if the yearly salary is lower. I’m with AA on this one. They cannot go 8 years. 5/150 is VERY reasonable…..or 6/165.
I mean, I would go 8/160. Maybe even 8/176. But I’d we are talking 8/200 that’s a harder pill to swallow.
I do think Freddie would be the type to retire rather than be ineffective so that’s a small consideration in favor of a longer deal.
I think 7 years with a mutual option for the 8th. 180 million. 7 million buyout. Done and done.
You could do six years with two team options for seven and eight.
6/$160MM, front-loaded
30,30,30,25,25,20
7-$15MM or $7MM buyout (age 38)
8-$15MM or $3MM buyout (age 39)
$167MM guarantee potentially $190MM total
@72 from previous thread, Rafael Belliard contributed to the 1995 WS title even without getting a hit or a walk the whole series. If I remember correctly, he laid down a successful suicide squeeze (maybe Justice scored?) in one of the close games, and he made a nice running catch behind 3rd in foul(?) territory that I doubt Blauser would’ve made for the first out of the 9th inning of the clinching game.
Then write the years in as player options if you trust Freddie. If not, write the extra years as club options. Or you could write it up as a sliding scale instead of a flat annual rate. Escalate the first few years and declining rates in the out years. Or make the rate incentive laden. Any of these ideas could contribute to making the contract longer and more logical based upon expected performance.
#5
Yup, that was Game 1.
Belliard squeezed in Justice for run #3 in a game they won 3-2.
@4,6: Yeah, this doesn’t really seem like a difficult problem at all, which makes me think it has to be more than just a reduced AAV for a few more years.
The author name was me for a bit. Apologies to dusty.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/how-will-the-braves-build-off-their-world-series-title-this-offseason.html
Dusty, nice work. I wouldn’t have thought Ozzie was that bad, but it makes sense. He was certainly the worst position player, which gets you to the top of this list. It also highlights how well Snit managed the pitching staff that no one was able to put up enough stinkers to get to the top of that list.
Matzek is definitely at the top.
Well done, Dusty, and very happy to see Matzek on the top spot. What a postseason. Without him, we may not win the whole thing. He should never have to pay for food or dinks anywhere in and around Atlanta anymore.
I’d give Freddie 8 years, especially with the DH.
With a core of Freeman, Acuna, Riley and Albies-you have a shot at 2-4 more titles in the window. Let’s say we win one more, would you be okay with a Puljos like Freeman taking a victory lap in year 8 on a 4th place team? I would.
If we lose Freeman, we are taking a step back.
I’d agree there. If the worst thing we have to deal with in eight years is an old Freddie Freeman getting paid a lot, I’m fine with that.
Do you think we were one of the 15-20 teams watching Justin Verlander’s workout? Can’t imagine we would have a need for him.
@14 Yeah, and just frontload the deal if you feel like he’ll then into a pumpkin at age 36. The idea of paying Freddie $20-25M at age 37 in 2028 as salaries continue to explode just shouldn’t bother Atlanta at all. He’ll be a 2-3 WAR player, and that’s probably what that’s worth in 2028.
@15, hell, I would. Pretty sure we’ve learned the truth of the adage you can’t have enough pitching.
I also disagree with the above comment on Greinke, because I’m interested in him too. He’s not Smyly, and what he showed me in the World Series was extremely impressive. I don’t think I’d want to pay the Morton price for either, but I think either would be a great candidate for one of AA’s patented one-year show me deals.
@15
I would be in on Verlander. A rotation of Fried, Morton, Anderson, Verlander and Soroka would be lights out. Plus, Soroka is a question mark. You can use Wright in the pen if need be.
Let’s not forget having Kate around the park would be cool
Sadly, anything out of Soroka in 2022 is bonus. Given the nature of the injury, I think you have to plan with the assumption that you’re not going to get anything out of him.
Bowman lists Soroka as a non tender candidate. I mean, come on…
I think we tender Soroka.
I absolutely would not give Freddie 8 years. He is an aging 1B whose best year was 2016. The Braves have already gotten the best of Freddie. Let another team pay 200M for his decline years. 6 years is the absolute max I would go. The Cardinals did fine without Pujols, the Nats did fine without Harper, and the Yankees did fine without Cano. Sometimes it’s best to walk away. This is business. 5/150 was a perfectly reasonable offer for him. There are some other great free agents out there. AA can’t tank the future for one player. I want a dynasty …….no time for sentiment
I wouldn’t be too keen on giving up a draft pick for any pitcher unless it is a REALLY good one. I think Greinke could be another Hamels so he is out. Current starters next year: Fried, Morton, Anderson, Strider/Davidson/Wright/Muller.
I don’t expect Soroka to be non-tendered but there is a part of it that makes sense. The dude has now torn his achilles twice and has had 2 bouts with shoulder tendinitis. If the Braves have Soroka take a physical and ailments don’t seem to be getting better, a non-tender could be considered.
You gotta give Soroka a shot to get back, even if it takes another year. FF5 – count me in on six years plus two option years with front-loaded contract.
The A’s are having a fire sale. My barber says AA and Twins are kicking the tires on this:
ATL gets- Bassitt, Buxton and Donaldson to DH
OAK gets- Ozuna, Ynoa, Pache and some cash
MIN gets- Matt Olson, Soroka, Elvis Andrus and Chapman
I think we need to know (and don’t) what Freddie wants. It isn’t lifetime security. Every contract under consideration gives him that. Is it top dollar imaginable from any club? He implies not. Is it bragging rights vis-a-vis somebody? If so, who? He can roughly match or exceed, say, Goldschmidt, but Mookie Betts is out of the question, as is Pujols. Is it a guarantee of a job eight years from now? Is it a win against Liberty Media? Judged how? Until you know what he really wants, I don’t know how you can judge any of this.
I suspect he wants this to be his last contract, which is why the number of years is so important. But he can’t have the security of age 40 Freddie without assuming most of the risk of age 40 Freddie. There are plenty of ways of getting that done, but it has to be finely crafted against what he really wants.
I’d sure hate to see Soroka nontendered. I’m aware that he may never pitch again; both the shoulder and the Achilles are big question marks.
But I would think it’s worth 2.8 million this year (that’s the arb estimate at mlb trade rumors–although that seems high to me) to see how he recovers. In 2019 he showed that he can be at least as good as Fried and Anderson at their best. And that is a rare commodity! Besides, he is my favorite player to come out of the rebuild. His understanding of pitching, especially at such a young age, is preternatural. I’m holding out hope that he recovers.
In any event, I find it hard to believe they would nontender him. But Bowman didn’t make this up–someone whispered that in his ear.
If we paid $2.8M or whatever it was to stash Adam Duvall in AAA for as long as we did 2 years ago, they’ll definitely tender Soroka unless they’re absolutely convinced he’s done.
If someone picked him up for a few million and he came back healthy and pitched well, AA should be fired. He’d go from Executive Of The Year to McDonald’s Shift Leader Of The Year.
@22: There is no dynasty without Freeman. He is the most important piece of this team. Letting him go and replacing his WAR to the decimal point will make us noticeably worse IMO.
Letting Soroka go over $3 million would be mind-numbingly stupid unless you’re 90 percent sure he’s completely finished. And maybe they are, but if they’re not… . I’ve promised myself that I’m not gonna pop a neck vein over how cheap the front office seems to be during the offseason like I do in normal years, so I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t read it at this point.
This is such an odd year to have won the whole thing yet have only two Gold Gloves to show for it…so far.
I’m not really concerned about re-signing Freddie. When both sides want to get something done, it gets done. It wouldn’t surprise me if Freddie agreed to defer some chunk of the salary to leave room to re-sign some of the others.
Re: Soroka, if there is even a remote possibility he pitches again you roll the dice. The amount you’d save in salary is not worth the hit you take if he makes it back with another club.
@31: After seeing Bonilla, Sutter, et al., I’m not sure why all these guys don’t do deferrals, especially knowing that they won’t even start drawing their MLB pension until age 60, on average. Freddie could defer some millions with a guaranteed interest rate and keep getting a yearly paycheck until Charlie retires from MLB.
@29. LOL. Ronnie is the most important piece to this team BY FAR. Going forward Austin is probably 2nd most important. Freddie’s best days are in the past. Stop being sentimental. This is business. I want to have the money to re-sign Max, Ian, Austin, etc without $$$$$ being tied up on an aged out 1B. It is business.
I don’t have a problem non tendering Soroka either. Again. Business. It’s fine if he stays though. 2.8M won’t kill the team.
@25 I can’t imagine ANYONE taking Ozuna off our hands. The point of the A’s fire sale is to reduce payroll. Taking on Ozuna has no potential for doing that unless someone else like the Braves pays his whole salary which would eliminate the Braves’ motive to dump him.
That looks like about the worst deal OAK could come up with for Chapman, Olsen, Andrus, and Bassitt.
@32 teams won’t do deferrals for obvious reasons.
@34. Yep. We are stuck with sunk cost of Ozuna. The best we can hope for is a long term suspension/jail term.
@33
I don’t think keeping Freeman is sentimental. He’s the best first baseman in baseball. He’s a top 10-15 player easy. He’s the team leader. He is going to sign below market value to stay.
Why wouldn’t we sign him? It would be foolish not to.
@32 These boys should take the money, give it to a financial advisor, and they’ll get a lot more in the long run than these Bobby Bonilla deals.
What do you think JonathanF?
Bobby Bonilla’s deal was only possible because the Wilpon relied on Bernie Madoff’s track record. Don’t ask me about the Braves’ Sutter deal. It’s insane. In short, though, baseball executives have no easier way of moving money through time (forward or backward) than anyone else. And by that, I mean anyone else, including you and me. There are plenty of restructuring services that will take one stream of money and turn it into another stream of money at the market rate plus a spread. Front-loading and back-loading are illusions, except insofar as contracts can be cancelled for moral turpitude and the like. Then you want all the money up front (or in the back, depending on which side you’re on.)
Companies like JG Wentworth turn future payments into current streams. Every insurance company sells annuities, which turn current money into future streams. And if the pot is big enough (as these contracts are) they’ll take out a spreadsheet and move it around any way you like, and hedge it against the S&P 500 if you want.
Thanks JonathanF. I was more thinking about Sutter, really. The Braves didn’t have (well, the Mets didn’t either ::snicker::) access to investment vehicles above the market average. If Sutter took all the money up front like in a normal contract, if he earned 8% over this stretch, I wonder if he would have ended up ahead at the end of the deferment term. I’m sure someone has already done the math on this and I just need to Google it.
Some athletes may prefer deferrals because they think deferrals give them security that they won’t be able to blow all their money and be broke at age 50, which has happened in lots of cases. Of course if they have guaranteed money coming in after age 50, they can always borrow against it and blow all of it anyway, but that may be harder from a behavioral point of view – less tempting if it feels like you’re breaking a budget than if you have all the cash in the bank already.
P.S. Athletes aren’t the only ones that misunderstand finances, though I expect management & owners are more savvy than they used to be. As I remember it, George Steinbrenner’s unhappiness with Dave Winfield started when Steinbrenner was surprised at the headline total for the free agent contract he had agreed to sign Winfield to, because it had inflation adjustments and he didn’t realize (or calculate correctly) how much they compounded.
I think you tender Soroka even if symbolic. The kid deserves one more chance to get back on track. I think you tender him, offer $2MM, and dare him to go to arbitration.
From the trade deadline to the end of the WS, the Braves were 48-24, which extrapolates to 108 wins over 162. (h/t Jayson Stark)
🙂
@36 No, he’s not a top 10 – 15 player. He’s not a superstar like Ronald. He’s a top 30 player who plays a non-value position who has just started his decline phase. I didn’t say just signing him was “sentimental”. I meant signing him regardless of the cost because he is lifelong Brave, a nice guy and a team leader is being sentimental. The reason we shouldn’t sign him is if another team goes nuts and offers him a 200M contract. Optimum is a 5 year deal but going to 6 years would be tolerable ……..no options.
@41 He made 2.8M this year. I don’t think you can tender a contract for less money. Maybe Bowman thinks he gets dfa’d and re-signed for less money.
I find it crazy the idea that we would non-tender Soroka. His talent alone is worth betting on, even if he can’t come back in 2022.
I feel confident Freddie will sign. If he wants 8 years, I’m sure the Braves can come up with a number he can live with. 5/150 + 25, 20 then 15 in years 6-8 gets you to 8/210. Maybe he would accept 8/200 or 7/190. I’m sure they’ll get it done.
I’m watching Alabama basketball’s season opener against Louisiana Tech. For those of you who remember Kenny Lofton, he had a pretty good year for Atlanta in 1997 and a solid 17 year career – mostly with Cleveland. His son, Kenny Lofton, Jr., plays for La Tech and is a slightly bigger version of Charles Barkley at 6-7, 275. He averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds last year, so he’s pretty decent. Kenny Sr had a lot of speed, that’s definitely not Kenny Jr’s forte.
@45 That would be a HORRIBLE deal. You might get Corey Seager for that kind of money. No way AA offers that much.
Your undervaluing of Freddie is pretty hilarious, honestly. He’s easily a top 10-15 player…like, it’s not even close. He won the MVP last year, not five years ago. And I understand thinking Ronald is more important in the abstract, but this year kind of proved that he’s not.
There really isn’t that much difference between our positions. @22 you suggest you’d be ok with 6 years, so 6/170 I’d guess. That isn’t so different from 7/190 or 8/200, given wage inflation in 7-8 yrs from now. If 20 million 7 yrs from now hampers the team then we’ve got bigger problems.
The bigger risk from the team perspective with the longer deal in years is if he gets injured early on (after years 2 or 3). Then it becomes problematic. But that’s what insurance is for.
Speaking of sons of big leaguers, I was just reading up on Druw Jones (I’ll give you one guess who his Dad is) who plays excellent outfield defense and has a verbal agreement to attend Vanderbilt. I hope the Braves can draft him in four years.
Fwiw, Kiley McDaniel at ESPN predicts Freeman at 6/156, which I would do in a heartbeat.
As a Braves fan and a Vanderbilt fan whose favorite player growing up was Andruw Jones, I’m REALLY hoping Druw makes it to campus. I didn’t bother Al Leiter or Scottie Pippen but you can be dang sure I’d be introducing myself to Andruw – autograph, selfie, and all.
(He would also surpass Nate Bargatze – sorry Nate! – as the most famous person I’ve met in the stands at a Vandy baseball game. BTW, Nate Bargatze super nice guy. We talked for a little while about Nashville, football, and other random stuff. Check out his comedy specials on Netflix if you’re unfamiliar with him. Very funny dude.)
You know the Giants had a truly wonderful season—they really did. Their GM, Farhan Zaidi, surely did a fine job, but … But, when it comes to the exec of the year award. HE IS THE RUNNER UP. Right?
And I see as well that (from the KBNR website):
“The Tampa Bay Rays’ Erik Neander placed second and Milwaukee’s David Stearns placed third.”
Ok, then.
Yeah, Freeman is a top 10-15 player. If we don’t sign him, there is little chance we could replicate his production. We have no one in the system to play first.
I guess we could sign Correa and trade Swanson for Matt Olson. But it would be cheaper to sign Freeman.
@50 – He’s been committed to Vandy since ~15u, I think. I’d be pretty surprised if Jones goes to college, though. Maybe he wants to, but PG has him ranked as the #4 2022 in the country (which translates to #3 in the Atlanta area, btw) – looking at last year’s rankings, only two of PG’s top ten lasted until the second round of the draft.
Yes, you tender Soroka. I’m not even sure why this is a question. It’s not like he’s going to cost Mike Hampton money (or even Cole Hamels money) to not pitch. You take that shot for all of his upside.
And indeed, Freeman as player and cornerstone of this franchise is not sentimentality but mere facts. As mentioned above, even if Acuna is the overall better talent, we proved we could win without him. Freddie brings more to the MVP argument by his long standing solid presence. As leader in the club house, as all around good guy in and for baseball and indeed by being one of the top 10-15 players in the league (certainly first basemen.) He is worth any amount of money we end up signing him for. Personally, I think he is irreplaceable. Maybe in 8 years, but not right now. As stated last year after his MVP season, as stated when he hit the HR to get us the win over Milwaukee and after he hit an add on HR in the clincher…Pay the man his money! He has more than earned it.
I do find it really interesting that so many consider Freeman the more important player even if Acuna is more talented and provides more production on paper. It’s highly subjective, and you definitely get into some muddy waters with Acuna’s personality and even his language abilities that may not be worth discussing, but I’m inclined to agree. I think Freddie has an importance to him that makes him irreplaceable.
Still no joy in Metsville…
http://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/sports/baseball/sandy-alderson-mets-gm.html
It’s unfathomable why Sandy Alderson still has a job. He has to fall on his sword.
I agree with 57 and 58. Freddie is worth more to the team than just the numbers on the back of his baseball card (which are really good). And a team is more than just the sum of the WAR of all its players.
Not expecting Druw to make it to campus, sadly. I don’t think anyone inside the program is, either.
The Athletic today has more re: Alderson https://theathletic.com/2945847/2021/11/09/what-happened-between-the-mets-and-zack-scott/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983 The Mets are just nonstop Christmas. Alderson apparently wanted to rehire Scott, but Scott had a fight with Steve Cohen’s lawyers in the rehire process.
But the best quote is from Alderson himself: “I have no idea how my body would react to a couple of beers. I don’t want to know.” I have no problem with teetotalers… I have problems with people who are pompous prigs about it.
New thread.
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2021/11/10/where-do-we-go-from-here/
On Freeman,
I too am skeptical of too many years. I do believe he is valuable, but to me you have to back that with the numbers. The numbers say he is a below average fielder (I agree despite his seemingly magic scoops) and a 135 OPS plus hitter. The package now is a 4.5 WAR or so player. At age 32, that should be slightly in decline (2020 to 2021 shows this) and the decline should get more noticeable by the time he is 36 or more.
So, I put on the table to him, now (if I am AA) something like this.
10 million bonus now. shows good faith and is paid despite the coming lockdown.
26 a year for 5 years (equals Goldschmidt a similar hitter, better fielder, and better baserunner).
opt out to him.
2 years 15 million.
opt out to him.
10 years, 2 million.
I find it comical that anyone could think that the best player in baseball is less valuable to a team than a 32 year old 1B. It took adding how many players to replace his production? He carried the team the first half of the season when Freddie was hitting like a backup shortstop. Anyone can play 1B. It is not a valuable position. Freddie wasn’t even that valuable in the playoffs. He had good numbers but only one HR was meaningful.
@55 you do realize that Correa is a much better player. Why in creation would the A’s trade Olson for Swanson?
@57. You talk about how it’s not sentimental and then give sentimental reasons why they should sign him at any cost.
@58. What’s wrong with Ronnie’s personality? I love how he plays with pure joy of the game.
I am NOT saying I would not sign Freddie. I am saying that you all are acting like he is irreplaceable. He isn’t. Too many mid market teams have gone down the rabbit hole of over paying their aging players. My preference is not to go over 5 years. I would be super hesitant to go 6. Maybe make it an option. You guys talking 200M contract is crazy talk.
THE TWO NEW CONTRACTS THAT REALLY MATTER
Freddie for six?
now that seems likely his place in the mix
all attention now please
on two outside contracts we’ve just found out are a tease
twenty we thought, hardly, they’re both THIRTY
AA, did he know, and why never shirty?
nonetheless, grasp the nettle
each guaranteed 10 up front, 5 years/50, to settle.
Done. They’ve just called.
Their agent? Why not? Some quietly appalled.