Three cities in five days including two flights and one rental car, two time zones, one concert, a couple of days with family, a couple of days with friends, and it's been an absolutely exhausting week. Thank God it's over. It was great. Hope you had at least a restful Thanksgiving break. Except for Aubrey Huff. I hope Aubrey Huff's anti-gonorrhea medication didn't work this month.
*Would you tender a contract to the following arbitration-eligible players?
Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez threw 131.1IP in 2019 (18.2IP for Houston after getting traded for Derek Fisher (along with Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson), but underwent shoulder surgery that will keep him on the IL into 2020. He's projected to make about $5.6m in 2020.
Obviously no one knows how long Sanchez will be out, but given that the Astros seem to be ready to lose Gerrit Cole and Collin McHugh. Sanchez could be useful at a (baseball-wise, anyway) reasonable rate in 2020.
Chris Devenski. Devenski is more of a known quantity since coming over as the [snicker] PTBNL in the White Sox' 2012 trade for [belly-laugh] Brett Myers. Devenski ERA / FIP / fWAR, 2016-2019:
2016: 2.16 / 2.34 / 2.7
2017: 2.68 / 3.49 / 1.3
2018: 4.18 / 4.49 / 0.1
2019: 4.83 / 4.62 / 0.0
I didn't think I'd say this two years ago, but I might not tender Devenski a contract. He's only projected to make $2m, so maybe there's something fixable in there, but he's been trending downwards - severely - for the last two seasons. He's been almost a perfect Replacement Level reliever for the last 116.1IP.
Also, Devenski, postseason career: 11IP, 12H/11ER, 11K:4BB, 3HR.
*Jim "Ralph" Bowden: The Angels should go spend half a billion dollars on Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg.
*FanGraphs: Which Astros players might have benefited most from sign-stealing? Jake Mailhot:
...When you have an organizational culture that values the cumulative effects of many marginal improvements, implementing a sign-stealing system to help your batters gain an edge, even a small one, might be just what you're looking for.
This article is not fun!
*Mike Piazza will be the manager of the Italian national baseball team.
*Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein: Baseball is the soundtrack to something else. I agree with this whole-heartedly.
*The Ramgers signed Kyle Gibson.
*The Atlantic: The new ticket scalpers are young, unashamed, and very online.
*A Montreal Bagel War unites rival kings.
*How to argue better.
*RIP, Brad Gobright.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith