Quote from BoosterSD on January 20, 2023, 12:18 pm

Quote from Henry Silvestre on January 20, 2023, 12:12 pm

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1616527127104598016?t=k-ziTSY3BIrsVPydyiSsXg&s=19

Salas bro is closer to SD now

Twins also get OF Byron Chourio

Quote from Henry Silvestre on January 20, 2023, 12:29 pm

AL East is going to be a dog fight... I mean Marlins just needed a little offense to back up their Deep SP staff and got Arraez + Segura 2 very good hitters.. and they get Jazz back... if both of their COFs bounce back to career norms and Cooper stays healthy as the main DH.. this team will be a problem for the 3 GIANTS in the East..

C, SS and CF still a huge??.. so the "strong up the middle" blue print is a work in progress but a 78-84 or 84-78 type range season is within grasp as the team sits now

Quote from Randy Manese on January 20, 2023, 12:54 pm

Let's talk about Campusano.  He was called up in late August and started 9 games at c from 8/28 to 10/5.  3 of 5 were against SF, where he paired with Musgrove for 2 wins; the other was the last game of the season in which Stammen pitched poorly and lost.  2 were against LA with Manaea the SP and both games were losses - Manaea was in his downward spin at that time.  He caught wins against Arizona (Musgrove pitching) and Colorado (Clevinger the SP).  The other 2 games were losses against KC (Manaea the SP) and St Louis in which Musgrove started but the bullpen lost the game late.

Campusano's slash line in August was 375/375/375, in August it was 381/409/571 and in 2 games in Oct was 000/000/000.  By the way in 7 games in the Dominican Winter League his slash line is 33/367/556.

These are small samples but I don't see a cause to be overly concerned about Campusano being at least the #2 catcher.  He is potentially a better hitter than Nola.  He's good at moving behind the plate and blocking balls in the dirt while his arm is going to throw out more runners than Nola or Alfaro did last year over the course of the season even though he didn't show that in the 9 games he started.

His alleged weakness of calling a game can be mitigated by other older staff members working with him (like Musgrove did) pre-game, making adjustments during the game plus help from the dugout.  This also applies to "handling" a pitching staff; this has to be a two way street; you can't handle a pitching staff if you aren't open to be handled.  Lastly, the lack of concentration I have seen in the many minor league games I've watched him play are mainly his running out balls that looked like outs - I didn't see where he wasn't alert to what was going on in the game that baserunners took an extra base on him.  I'm not saying he doesn't need to improve in these areas just that these weaknesses may have been overstated.

I think you give him a chance without pre-judging him.  Defensively, he is not Hedges or even Seagle, but much better than Sanchez and other offensive first catchers available as free agents with little defensive prowess.  Until Salas comes up, think he'll be an acceptable bridge between Nola and Salas.   Let's see what he does in spring training and in the early part of the 2023 season before becoming overly concerned that he won't at least be an average #2 catcher, starting several times a week.

Quote from Henry Silvestre on January 20, 2023, 1:31 pm

Minn has traded the batting champ 2x (out of 5 times in history) the next season.. last time was Rod Carew to Angels... this time Arraez to Miami...

Quote from Randy Manese on January 20, 2023, 1:32 pm

Looks like the Marlins gave up quite a lot for Arraez, so doubt that a secondary trade involving Kim is going to happen unless Arraez moves over to 1b.  Didn't really want Lopez anyway - preferred Cabrera or Luzardo.  Let's see what happens next.

Quote from fenn68 on January 20, 2023, 1:33 pm

I still have faith in Campusano’s bat upside and if the catching does not work out (or limits him to #2) I think he can be a factor as DH/1B going forward.

Can he improve his catching profile … sure/maybe … but the worry is RELYING on that improvement as the #1 C in 2023 if Nola goes down. Of course always a question how much is plus defense needed and/or offset from plus offense.

Just using this as a variation on the theme of NEEDING to add another mid-rotation quality SP in case one of the top 3 go down or none of the long list of #4/5 options pan out.

Can go through a similar discussion IF a lot of other players go down … the backfill is really weak. Those injury concerns can happen all over the field and will need to be addressed but not a lot of trade chips so might need to keep the powder dry for now.

Back to my theme of holding pat with the current roster (baring something really good dropping into Preller’s lap) and make the upgrade move when the real need becomes apparent (if ever)/

Quote from MrPadre19 on January 20, 2023, 1:37 pm

It sounds like the Marlins didn't want to give up anyone other than Lopez and got the best deal they could for him.

My guess is AJ wouldn't trade Kim or Grisham in a deal with Lopez as the main return....wanted Luzardo or Cabrera.

So no deal.

 

As far as the NL East...the Marlins are still a distant 4th.

 

Quote from Jeremy Hill on January 20, 2023, 1:47 pm

The Padres just announced that Poppen has cleared waivers and was outrighted to El Paso. The Cruz signing should be made official soon.

Quote from Henry Silvestre on January 20, 2023, 1:47 pm

https://twitter.com/Padres/status/1616551786378330115?t=7N8CfXmdXgvy8UB8lIIGCw&s=19

There is our Nelson Cruz answer.... Poppen was DFAd and cleared... we keep him

Wasn't even reported.. lol