Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRedChief
With Manny, Harper and Kershaw set to hit FA, we shall see if $300 million is a bridge too far.
I hope that your info is true. If so, I love Manny way better, he is the best player in baseball not named Trout. He would be a great fit with us. In another era, it would be a slam dunk. We should offer Manny $300+ million or thrown in another $20-$25 million more than whatever another team is offering up to $350 million to get Manny.
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I like Manny a lot. There's no way he's the best player in baseball who isn't Trout. Betts is better and that's not even arguable. Jose Ramirez at this point has to be in that conversation. Lindor's all-around ability and unexpected power puts him in that conversation and I love Bregman's future.
Machado being a shitty shortstop changes that entire conversation as well. I mean if he's just a 3b (and really, he's probably just a 3b) why is he any better than Arenado? If he's a 3b, Arenado is a better ballplayer. Hell, if he's a 3b is Machado obviously better than Eugenio Suarez? Now granted, that's an extreme example to make a point - even I don't believe he's not better than Suarez, but it's a lot closer than you think.
Now comes the dirty little secret - Machado MAY have been a product of Camden Yards to boot. He's always had severe home/rd splits and he's been a punch and judy hitter since he got to LA. Manny's offensive game is predicated on power and if leaving Camden makes him a 25 HR guy as opposed to a 35 HR guy and his glove keeps him at 3b - he ISN'T better than Suarez at that point.
Now I'll say this - the season I thought was going to be his leap forward into perennial MVP status was 2016 and he didn't demonstrate a massive power split that season. So there's a talent level he has that he's occasionally demonstrated an ability to tap on the road as well. But for the major ity of his career he's shown some pretty significant and alarming power splits that make sense given Camden's status as a frequent launching pad.
Maybe if he just gets to a neutral stadium things will sort themselves out but I think he knows better. I think he'll go to Philly where he can take aim at a plus HR park and get those numbers back up for a HoF surge. Dodgers Stadium is going to get in his head if it hasn't already.