Quote:
Originally Posted by Mecca
They were failed by a mixture of injuries, poor player development, bad decisions and some bad luck.
Since then they have an entirely new front office and a top 5 system again.
But lets be really honest here, Tim Anderson went from an exciting player to a giant pile of shit in the snap of a finger. Eloy Jimenez can't stop getting hurt, Dylan Cease really didn't take off till he got to San Diego this year.
They also screwed the pooch by paying Yasmani Grandal and it just didn't work on top of choosing not to pay Rodon.
Of all of their top prospects Luis Robert is about the only one that has been an actual hit.
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Their farm system, that was built for the 2020-21 playoff teams, was largely built off trades, not development either. They got Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Danning from Washington for Adam Eaton. Giolito competed for a Cy Young in 2019.
They got Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease from the Cubs in a trade for Jose Quinanta and landed Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada from the Red Sox in a deal for Chris Sale.
Their downfall was lack of depth around their top pieces, which sunk their teams in 2022 and 2023. I never believed they could develop players even during the height of the 2020-21 cycle. The way they handled Andrew Vaughn was criminal, starting him in the majors when he had minimal minor league experience. His lack of development is a reason where they are right now.
I don't agree they have a top five system right now. They have some promising arms, but their position player group is questionnable. Colson Montgomery, who is their best bet at a franchise position player, has an 83 wRC+ in Triple-A right now.