[duncan_idaho]

My stance on trading Merrifield remains the same as it was at the deadline: if a team is willing to plop down a top 50 prospect as a centerpiece and add a few pieces on to that, OK.

If the best you’re looking at is a guy at the fringe of the top 100, that’s not incredibly enticing. From what I heard/read last season, the offers they got looked like this.

Until you start getting offers in the territory of what would make you pull the trigger, saying “he isn’t on the table” makes the most sense.

It’s easy to say “flip him for prospects” but if the trade return was Something like Khalil Lee and Jonathan Bowlen (for Royals system equivalents), I’m pretty sure reaction here would be they got ripped off.

^ not a defense of Moore. I’m down with those. Just general trade negotiation stuff.

Re: not spending a lot on free agents, again, best thing to say for negotiation purposes. And honestly, I like the switch in approach. It’s the team realizing what they are for 2020 and being realistic about it.

They’ve been marginally successful flipping rentals for prospects - a hard thing to do these days - so not a huge loss there.

I expect them to bring back Gordon on a 1-year deal and re-sign Jake Diekman. Beyond that, IDK. Maybe a flyer on a Homer Bailey-ish starter works.