Well I hate to end on a hypothetical that I don't like, but ... no way. I'm not in love with either of those Rockies players, but they both look like better assets to me than any of the pitchers you are talking about.

Let me just say this on these two teams to wrap things up:

1) If the Angels want a quality OF that isn't going to bust their budget, they will have to part with Heaney or Skaggs;

2) the Rockies have some real flexibility here and are right to take their time finding the right match ... I wonder if just one arm is going to do enough to move the needle this year, though, so I still think I'd be in favor of trying for a return on CarGo that has a few good, less advanced arms

Realistically? No. And I'm no hater of the sport -- I love international games.

This all makes me think of that clip from a few years back when softball pitching legend Jenny Finch just dominated MLB hittes. So much of the art of hitting is related to the deeply embedded, instant reactions that players have from seeing so many danged baseball pitches.

Cricket bowls and softball pitches move differently. So, there's a lot more than just the physical elements (assuming he has top-notch abilities in that regard).

Seems less and less likely. Real question is whether there are any teams that are aching to take on that salary and plug him in right now. Not really looking like it to me.

Could be a situation where their best bet is to hope he has a big first half and then flip him. All the more appealing given the restricted supply we've seen at the deadline in the two-WC era.

You know the biggest issue with prospect-for-prospect trades? (Or, in this case, a guy who is delayed from the big leagues and has similar uncertainties.) It's that there's no urgency to do them. You don't need to fit player X in at the major league level right now, because neither of them would be playing in the bigs right now.

In the rare circumstances they do go down, it tends to be near-term needs. Like, you could say the Souza for Ross/Turner element of last year's Myers+++ trade was a prospect swap. But they were all stepping right into MLB jobs or going to next-in-line type of spots.

Really like Span. I'm sure they felt good about the scouting that went into Samardzija. Cueto is just such a wild card ... that could be a stroke of genius, or it could hurt in the long run. But look, that group has a lot of upside for what they paid. You could argue all were buy low type players, even at the big guarantees they landed. It wasn't inconceivably entering 2015 that it would have cost 60+ for Span, 130+ for Shark, and 150+ for Cueto.

No idea. My answer was:

No, I don't think he'll be traded. And I don't think he'll be extended, either.

Don't see why it has to be. Again, dollars aren't reported yet, but I can't imagine he's going to cost so much that their hands will be tied to pick up another piece or two.

Hey - are you me from three years ago? You can see how I answered the question!

You probably assume he steps back a bit but is still productive, right?

Not more common. But this is all a product of the loosening of constraints on how deals are structure. Increased creativity. It's the money flowing in, but teams looking for ways other than *more guaranteed money* to entice players to sign.

I talked about this a bit way back when on the podcast. Other indications are things like the Hector Olivera deal, the Dodgers' manic international spending, the Nationals' repeated contract deferrals. It's the wild west, and it's awesome.

They did not say that. Bridich reportedly told CarGo not to worry about the rumors. From everything Bridich has shown us, he's not going to just rule out a move like that.

Trout. The answer is always Trout.

Of course, Kershaw could also end up being one of the very best pitchers ever. Love them both.

In my mind, yeah.

A fair bit, I think. Obviously he's got the questions we've always heard about, but he's been fine and pretty effective. A lot of teams would love to have a cheap and productive arm like that in their rotation.

Just did much of our podcast on the Marlins, but yes, I should do that.

Um, yes. Is it that hard to believe?!

Has any team really ever started the year with a 6-man rotation, let alone run with that all year long? Something is going to give - ST injury, someone struggles, a need opens in the pen and it makes more sense to use player X there, etc.

Indians?

One of the teams I've thought of, yes. Travis Wood makes that nice swingman to pair with Lee. But there are lots of others, too.

Carrasco. I want him to go somewhere, anywhere. Because that would mean someone is really betting on him with a legit young OF, probably, and it would be a fun deal to track.

Harper is the RF. Werth/Revere/Taylor will mix around for the rest of the ABs. They tendered Tyler Moore. Just no fit at all.

There's been a lot of chatter about that. But they did already get Miller and LoMo, if you are buying into their stock. Still seems like they will pull something off eventually -- they have so many different kinds of pitching assets that it just stands to reason something will line up.

Challenge trade!

Crickets. He'll have his moment, though.

Not all that highly, really. I mean, look, this is a world where Kyle Kendrick gets over 5 million dollars (last year). So, he's got excess value, even if you don't believe he'll come anything close to repeating his results. But I don't see him drawing a really top young OF or anything.

Good reminder ... whoever it was that asked about that specific scenario last week, my hat is off to you!

Yes.

Cards could be a nice fit for one of these 3/80 + one-year opt-out scenarios, if it comes to that. Not sure I see them going up into the 6/130 type of range though.

Well, I don't know, but I do have one firm prediction: they'll sign lots of young Cubans before next July.

Yeah you have to wonder if the metrics will catch up. It's hard to love that staff. Maybe Gausman breaks out, though?

Not shaving.

Neither seems too exciting to me -- famous last words, right? -- but I'm also not sure either really moves the needle the way the opposing team would want/need.

Seems smart, without knowing the $$$. I love Ian Desmond, but I'm not sure he made the most sense for that organization. (Though I did think SDP was the likeliest team to sign him.) Every possibility that Alexei bounces back and has a solid year -- at least, it's a reasonable risk to take.

I'll keep beating the Cliff Lee drum. Desperately want to watch him pitch. But who? No idea. Seems he might want a greater promise ($/rotation opportunity) than most contenders can give.

But if you are sitting there with a few 5th starter candidates who could also go to the pen or to Triple-A, why not promise him some cash and a rotation spot to open the year and see what happens? Then you just hope for the best and fill in with in-house options or via trade as needed.

I don't really see why the Astros would do this. I'd rather take Springer's upside, and Teheran is a risk of his own but at a higher cost.

When the Inciarte rumor came up -- which, let's remember, is really a light connection -- my thought went to whether Springer could be dangled for a premium starter. (As in, part of a deal for Carrasco.) I don't see why they'd part with him in this kind of scenario.

We really haven't heard much chatter on him at all. I think a lot of clubs would commit good money on a one-year deal, just because it's a limited risk and you know where your budget stands late in the winter.

I'm not sure how to make a prediction, really. Could be there are several teams poking around with two or three year interest and he ends up nearer where we might've expected. Or maybe everyone agrees he has too much mileage and it caught up last year.

If Stearns could get what they think is a legitimate return for him now, without taking the risk of running him out there for the first half, I think he would. I just don't think any teams are willing to roll a big enough wager on his health right now, so Milwaukee is doing the gambling that he'll return to form (and that needs will open up somewhere over the season).

My son loves you! Thanks for writing in.

Let him play and see what happens. Prospects in the holster for deadline moves as necessary.

I already answered a Braves question. Stop repeating this poor question, please.

If a couple of these young pitchers make it, they could have something brewing. If there is excess, can always trade them.

Plus, it's fun to see what Hamilton and Mesoraco will be able to do. Even Homer Bailey! And you still have old favs Votto and Phillips.

I think their more recent moves have steered them clear of the real disaster potential.

No, not crazy, but you have to find someone who believes his 2015 is his mean going forward. I've not seen any indication that other teams do. Barring some kind of ridiculous return, I think they are better off seeing for themselves if he's a guy who could be a legit first division regular, freeing them to ramp up spending in other areas in the near future.

I really never saw the merit to that, myself, at least once they sort of committed to the Hernandez/Utley platoon at second.

His market is kind of hard to figure right now.

Well, our old friend Ben Nicholson-Smith just reported on continuing interest in Gallardo. Not sure I see the need, myself, but I'd be all for it if a good opportunity arises.

Nats are in a good position to wait at this point, I think. Not sure if they'll hold back salary or not, though ... I do think they kind of set the budget each year, and last season may have been a high water mark they won't go near in 2016.

Not as much as Brewers fans would hope. My sense is just that nobody really sees him as a consistent, everyday 120 OPS bat type of guy. That could change if he does it this year, but not sure it makes sense for the Brewers to just get what they can for him now.

If he was more highly sought after, I think you'd see more interest happening earlier in the offseason.

Red Sox are an easy choice, in large part b/c they just performed so poorly. Similarly, A's, M's, Marlins could see big jumps in the W-L department, partially from their moves but also just how "bad" they were in 2015.

Long term, I like what the Braves have done on the whole. Hard to argue (for me) with the way the Cubs have gone about things.