Any Way You Slice It: 2 ROTATIONS = Twice as Nice!
First Things First:
- Thank you NICO for the 6 SP Rotation thoughts & "Any Way You Slice It" in the Title.
- Going deeper into the playoffs with rested, healthy Starters is the goal.
- With the 2019 Rotation looking like 2018's, is that so bad? (97 wins)
- Making it to the 2018 Wild Card Game was fun, ...but over way too abruptly. ...better to just win the division & home field advantage here on out.
- Out of the Box thinking counts, ...World Series is the only rightful goal for any season.
2018 Strengths
- OFFENSE: 5+ runs of offense per game. The 2019 offense will be close to that with or without Lowrie. given Piscotty's arrival, ...So Check!
- DEFENSE: Most improved defense in MLB. The defense is set up for more of the same and looks like it should improve for 2019! ...So again, ....Check!
- BULLPEN: Unbelievable year that will be hard to repeat but we will give it best effort including RP trades/pick ups in July/August, ...So Check!
- ROTATION: Total disaster in 2018! ...a total disaster again in 2019! ...So Check!
- The big difference in 2018 was ACQUIRING 3 PITCHERS MID-SEASON!
- ...without the mid-season acquisitions of Cahill, Jackson & Anderson the A's drop in the standings like a rock in water.
- So just line up our mid-season Rotation now! ...looking at the season as 2 Halves with 2 Rotations, Hockey Squad style, ...and penciled in now gets us where we want to be later. The Playoffs.
- Free Agents Edwin Jackson & Cahill (or similar) should be signed now and held back from starting until the second half is near.
- Trade? ...if the prospects price is reasonable Sonny Gray (23 gs) would be a nice addition also.
THE FIRST HALF PLAN: 16 Starts each
A's 5 Starters out of Spring Training per ROSTERRESOURCE.com
(2018 Starts) *MLB & MiLB starts.
- Fiers (30 GS)
- Mengden (*25)
- Montas (*28)
- Bassitt (*21)
- Triggs (9) ...........................wouldn't Sonny Gray (23 gs) look good up here?
First Half Reserves: Edwin Jackson? (*30), T Cahill? (*24), Jesus Luzardo (*20/*110 innings), Graveman (*11), Cotton (0), Blackburn (7),
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THE SECOND HALF PLAN: 16 Starts with breaking in Luzardo for the Post Season a priority.
- Fiers (30) ...............Fiers, Graveman & Bassitt could be trade-able surplus by mid-season.
- Mengden (*25)
- Jesus Luzardo (*20/*110 innings)
- ? (T Cahill *24)
- ? (Sonny 23)
Second Half Reserves: E Jackson (*30), Montas (*28), Bassitt (*21), Triggs (9), Cotton ( 0 ), Graveman (*11), Blackburn (*7), Naile (*26), Howard (*12), Dunshee (*12), Ruiz (*21), Kaprielian (0), Sawyer (0), Holmes (0)
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THE PLAYOFFS: Wild Card, ALDS, ALCS & World Seriews: 6-7 Starts
Go with the hottest SPs:
- Luzardo ?
- Sonny ?
- E Jax ?
Playoffs SP Reserves: Luzardo (20), Fiers (30), Mengden (*25), Montas (*28), Sonny? (23), E Jax? (*30), Cahill? (*24), Bassitt (*21), Triggs (9), Cotton ( 0 ), Graveman (*11), Blackburn (*7), Naile (*26), Howard (*12), Dunshee (*12), Ruiz (*21), Kaprielian (0), Sawyer (0), Holmes (0)