Quote:
Originally Posted by OKchiefs
Tanking on purpose? I wish they were tanking on purpose and go the route that Houston and Chicago Cubs went, but this isn't that. You don't sign losers like Hamilton, Duda, and Owings if you're tanking on purpose. You trade away Merrifield if you're truly buying into a tank and rebuild.
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You absolutely do add some veterans if you’re in tank/rebuild mode, with an eye on flipping them at the deadline.
The key is not blocking any young players who are MLB ready. Duda does that, Owings does that, if they’re taking ABs away from O’Hearn or Dozier.
They would trade Merrifield if someone pushed forward the right offer, but I don’t believe it came. With the way teams now hoard prospects, it is going to get harder for teams to justify trading players with lots of control just because the window is still several years off.
The lack of success of recent tankers like the White Sox also offers a cautionary tale. What they got for a player very similar to Merrifield has not really impressed.