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Tacoma Rain:

How about McCutchen? He can't cost that much more than Upton...

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Now Andrew McCutchen is available?  Of whom Bill James said, he's got more bat speed than any player he has ever seen.

On any given day, the News Tribune reports the M's are going after superstars, while the Times reports that the M's will give up no prospects that they care about, Period.  The next day, the two newspapers will trade seats on that.

Again:  somebody explain to me how you fit 37 players onto a 25-man roster.  Two years on.  This is currently Dr. D's greatest annoyance with Zduriencik, his dour refusal to give up something good when he wants something good.  Especially given the 2015 context.

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OKDan:

I'm just happy that it's not Viciedo.

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I hadn't thought a' that.  Right:  we can now cross all fears and worries off our list.  It would logically be only a Stars & Scrubs trade from here.  Justin Ruggiano:  the Zoloft for winter trade hand wringing.

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G-Money:

IMO, Matt Brazis was the best reliever we had left in our minors, and I had him ranked over Yarbrough. He was the next Dominic Leone and I expected him to "surprise" and make the pen in Spring Training (or at least be the first guy up). Cubs got a good one, IMO, in the vein of stealing Lord Farquhar. Hope Ruggiano can hit better than Denorfia.

That said, if we'd traded Brazis for Souza I would have thought that was okay, so Ruggiano just needs to hit like his 2012 campaign and I'll be happy. ;-)

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It's things like this that make G-Money the best bet to have an MLB/CIA "man in black" show up at his door one day, the way it happened with Inside Pitch.  

Strictly in terms of 2015 results, against LHP's specifically, Dr. D also would compare Ruggiano's outlook to those of Gattis, Souza, and their ilk.  Which, of course, means he'll be DFA'ed by May.

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Mojician:

I'm hearing rumblings that #mariners tweets not tweeted by Drayer, Dutton, Divish or Johns need to be regarded with deepest suspicion. #falsereport, #boywhocriedwolf, #fail.

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That settles it.  Benihana will unfurl his rollup keyboard and design a blog on which Dr. D can highlight Shouts, "retweet" them to a front page, and rake in the chips from Tahiti.

King Corran:

I like that this doesn't block us from the 2014 OF FA market. If this is a chess match and we're thinking 4 moves ahead, there's a lot to be said for preserving flexibility for a no-prospect-cost move next offseason.

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Indeed.

And in chess, you often play moves that require not 1 single move of tactical calculation.  You play it because it sets up flexibility and agility.  The Ruggiano move isn't a Star move, but it sure as shootin' is a Scrubs move.

Light me up,

Dr D