20 game report (since I play every single game)
Rays: 1-2 L
Cubs: 0-3 L
Reds: 3-0 W
Cubs: 2-2
Orioles: 0-3 L (don’t ask)
Diamondbacks: 2-1 W
Dodgers: 1-0 W (so far)
Noticeable changes: Heredia got injured for six weeks, so we claimed Mikie Mahtook off waivers. Backup LF/CF, good defense, and some power that we are desperate for, but I'm not sure he will be here for more than a few weeks/months. Kyle Lewis is back att AAA because he didn't perform (in a small-ish sample size).
Positives: A lot of very good pitching. Stratton is the only starter
not performing very well, and we have at least four players in the bullpen that looks great so far (Wingenter, Devin Williams, Feliz, Brennan).
We look like a true .500 team, although I’m not putting any money on that sticking around.
No player is perfect so far, but Kevin Newman (.328/.382) and Adam Frazier (.320/.378/2 HR) have awesome bats. A minus on Frazier for making too many errors. Mallex Smith might get the stealing record if he continues like this (23 SB/3 CS). Niko Goodrum has performed very well as utility guy (but in a small-ish sample size).
Negatives: A couple of disaster bullpen performances, otherwise we would’ve been .500+. We were for example up 7-0 vs Cubs, but Nick Burdi and Edgar Santana blew that. Both of them have also made one or two other terrible performances in games that we lost because of them.
Dyson started the season hitting 2 out of 25 AB, but he has turned it around and is now .212/.281, so he will continue to play due to his defense. Hedges is the biggest problem: .149/.245. He can't continue like this.
In general, the players from the bench (Kyle Lewis, Tony Walters, Danny Mendick) have been bad (except Goodrum). So most of the new guys that I traded for looks bad, but it's still early and some of them are young-ish (and most of them not relevant for the future).
Questions: Josh Bell and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Bell will probably be traded this year, but he’s not the dominant beast I want him to be. He’s slightly worse than last season, especially when it comes to home runs. He’s also made a few errors.
Hayes is great in defense, but he’s hitting .196 despite a good start to the season.
Biggest thing for the future: Trades
I won’t do it yet, but I have at least three players that a lot of teams would love to have: Frazier, Bell, and Burdi. I can get great return by trading them. The question is: who should I prioritize to get?
I’m thinking Kirilloff (I have zero big outfield prospects - and it's a bonus that he’s from Pittsburgh), Keibert Ruiz (pretty much zero good catcher prospects), Jasson Dominguez, or something like that. I might even get two great talents. I would love to get a great pitcher prospect, someone like Graterol or maybe someone a little less hyped, but everyone is asking for too much for them right now.