Post by wilkyisdashiznit on Sept 19, 2024 11:48:35 GMT -8
If you don't want to win, and can't afford to play the game, don't buy a pro franchise.
Trades are nothing even remotely close to free-agent signings. The Marlins got players in return for Stanton, as did the Padres for Soto.
And if the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees were buying wins, you'd think they'd have won at least one full-season, legit World Series since 2009. But they haven't.
I'm not even a Yankees fan. But I can recognize a competent front office that can evaluate talent and then pay for it to win games, something the Mariners can't figure out.
The Marlins got discount returns for Stanton because the Yankees were taking the huge salary off their hands: A washed up Starlin Castro, Jose Devers, and Jorge Guzman. Great return there on that trade, and it's not because the players didn't work out, it's because they were trading the contract as much as the player for discount pieces.
And sure, the Padres got a few guys for Soto, but don't you think they would have rather just paid Soto to keep him? The Padres can't afford to carry a $300 million payroll. That's the only reason they traded one of the best players in MLB in his prime for some relatively underwhelming prospects.
Cost of living? Seriously?
Cease is the Padres' ace and King is the Padres' second-best pitcher. Higashioka has been starting at catcher. Brito got hurt. Vásquez logged 19 starts before getting sent down to El Paso. The wheels seem to have completely fallen off from there. At this point, Vásquez is only sitting around to serve as an insurance policy in case one of the regular starters gets hurt. But the Padres solidified three different spots at the exchange of an outfielder that was not worth his Padres salary.
I wouldn't say that the trade did not work out for San Diego. Fourth-place in the NL is nothing to sneeze at.
