Pre-arb Excellence

It used to be that, on or shortly after September 1st, MLB teams would promote a handful of players as the 25 man roster was bumped to 40. It's a popular article around that date. And the 14th man is a fallacy. Executives will micromanage, just like they do the rest of the season.

It would be so refreshing to have adult baseball discussion regarding what an "acceptable" return on a draft pick would be.

While Kade Snell has struggled a bit with a high pro placement, don't sweat it, he'll be fine.

The days of using the same lineup day after day went out with Leo Durocher. A team without depth isn't going to win. That 13th hitter on the roster had better be useful, or it really doesn't much matter. If you're a content creator, don't waste time complaining about the lineup. There are far more useful topics to discuss.

Kane Kepley has done nothing but hit since joining the Myrtle Beach roster. When players run wild on the bases when having a pro on-base of over .500 (Yes, really.), people notice.

While the criticism for Jed Hoyer's deadline activity was rather loud, it has quieted. After all, the cost of acquiring an SP with 0 innings this season was a second rounder in the 2024 draft. (Shane Bieber to Toronto.) It's almost like seeing Owen Caissie in a Cubs uniform stifled the dissent.

The 40 man roster and the freebies given to smaller market teams are a large part of why Milwaukee is crushing in MLB nowadays.

By retaining Reese McGuire and giving Jonathan Berti the DFA treatment, the Cubs better set themselves on a path for success than if they had done the reverse.

Why does it seem like big market MLB development systems are struggling more than before COVID hit? Maybe because a small-market team with a good batch of strategies _should_ clock a similar organization in development.

MLB-only fans are people who largely follow their team, have no particular wisdom regarding other teams (as opposed to players), and lack the respect players should receive for being in MLB. Their major drawback is discussed here.

It's certainly easy to explain why the Cubs put Miguel Amaya on the 60 Day Injured List. He'd already been injured for 100 days, and putting him one the 60 Day saved a 40 man roster spot for an indefinite period of time.

Aside from the excessive cost of veterans this deadline, there's another reason Jaxon Wiggins didn't get traded last week. It can be summed up in one word. Sustainability.

Normally, back-up catchers are negligent on offense or defense. Or, maybe both. Reese McGuire, despite being a third-string catcher, has been better than break-even in both categories. If he sticks around _through_ until the off-season, I think he has, so far, justified an off-season spot.

Why is it that the Brewers are doing so well? Part of it is baked into the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Part of it is the Brewers seem to do the small things better than the Cubs.