Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen have been worth 22bWAR (cost-controlled, mind you) since the Cardinals traded them for Ozuna. Ozuna gave them 4.5bWAR and has been worth 6.2 total in the five years since.

That is so goddamned bad it's impressive.
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Agreed.

But, as far as I know the deals for Goldy and Arenado hasn't bite us in the ass yet. No way Dewitt is getting rid of Mo when he is hitting 2/3 on big major trades for established players. No matter how many suck ass trades and FA signings he has in his past.
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SEATTLE -- The buzz surrounding Frankie Montas as one of baseball’s most sought-after pitchers ahead of the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline has only heightened with each start. However, an early exit on Sunday now leaves his immediate future in question.

On a cold Seattle afternoon with heavy rainfall in the surrounding area at the first pitch, gloom came over T-Mobile Park’s visiting dugout as the A’s saw their ace depart Sunday’s 2-1 loss against the Mariners after just one inning with tightness in the back of his right shoulder.

There was an immediate cause for concern with how Montas’ stuff looked in the first. Surrendering a leadoff homer to Julio Rodríguez as part of a 13-pitch frame, Montas maxed out at just 94.5 mph with his fastball, a pitch that had reached as high as 99.1 mph over his previous two outings. Overall, Montas’ velocity on his four-seamer was 2.4 mph slower than his season average, while the velocity on his sinker was 2.7 mph lower.

After an evaluation of Montas’ shoulder by team doctors revealed some inflammation, he is expected to undergo an MRI when the A’s return to Oakland on Monday to determine the severity of the issue.
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He’s going to get so much money thrown at him. No way Mo will rework his contract to give him that level of money.

John Denton MLB article:
https://view.mail.mlblists.com/messa...1b7bb2cd35/raw


PHILADELPHIA -- Undoubtedly, there is tremendous beauty and flair in Nolan Arenado’s game, what with the way he plays third base like some combination of a graceful ballerina, a sure-handed wide receiver and a brazen cat burglar.

Meanwhile, at the plate, Arenado is a fidgety bundle of nerves and someone eager to pounce on a pitcher’s next mistake. Admittedly, there is rarely a time when he’s not thinking about hitting, so when he’s in the batter’s box, he’s anxious to use the intel he picked up from tirelessly watching film or pounding baseballs in the batting cage to do damage.

But the true beauty of Arenado’s game lies within the fire that burns deep inside of him and occasionally splashes and spills during games. Challenge Arenado and you might get burned -- such as when he angrily barked at Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and basically challenged the whole Phillies dugout on Saturday. Arenado’s white-hot fire operates as the fuel that drives him to be great at everything he does, and it pushes him to not take anything for granted. Also, it is the furnace that propels him toward burning as hot in the first inning as the ninth and as intensely scorching in a June regular-season game as an October playoff game.

Arenado is a modern-day superstar in every sense of the word, a nine-time Gold Glover and a future Hall of Famer. But he’s also a relentless grinder who scratches and claws like a no-name Minor Leaguer. What those around him love most is how he motivates with his infectious energy and his refusal to yield in any way.

The rest at the link
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Arenado is the exact type of player you unload the Brinx truck for.
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If you aren’t going to sign him to a long term contract, then absolutely. You could probably get a top 10 prospect for him.


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i agree but there is no way that happens. Mo trading Arenado at the deadline? That goes against everything Moe says he’s all about. Compete for a championship every year.

We have talented 3B’s in the pipeline but you don’t let talent like Arenado go easily into the LA night.

Arenado tells them he’s keeping his options open or decide after the season, you have to consider the trade for a top 10 prospect.
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They got $50 million of Colorados money before anything comes out of Dewitt’s tightwad wallet. If that doesn’t motivate them to open the checkbook, they never will.
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It kind of feels like the wheels are coming off the wagon here.
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Not at all. They’re playing good teams and losing. This is just a very average Cardinals team, as it has been for the last 8 seasons.
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We will still make the playoffs but it doesn’t matter, nobody is beating Houston this year.
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Sure it’s a high bar. We suck more than play great.

But, just like we did in 2006/11, Sox in 2004 etc. getting hot at the right time sometimes overrules a more talented team. Especially in a short series. Goldy and Ozuna come to mind of recent series. They cooled off and we lost. But we overachieved.

We have 4-6 players that if two get hot, like Freese hot, we can win a series against the big dogs.
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They don't have the pitching to compete. It's as simple as that. They traded it away for two average years of Marcell Ozuna, and what they acquired for Arozarena will never be more than a #4 starter.
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I have to hand it to you man. You are without a doubt the most optimistic guy who posts in this thread. Even if the Cardinals get hot at the right time they're the baseball version of the 2018 Chiefs. The pitchers are going to give up a boatload of runs so they will have to stay super hot to win anything meaningful.
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After seeing Carlson play CF fantastically the last two nights…….

What kind of ready for MLB pitching will Bader/O’Neill bring in a trade?
#4 starter, #5? , middle relief, didly squat for this year but maybe a high ceiling prospect 2-3 years away?
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