2020 of course, which happens to be the year no one in their right mind gave a shit about baseball.Which year since 2019 is the outlier?
Look, I’ve been annoyed that the rebuild has taken longer than I’ve liked, too. I’ve wanted them, at various times, to sign Springer, Semien, Ozuna, Stroman, Correa and Schwarber. In each case, it was probably smarter not to have done so, and 2024 looks brighter with them not on the books.
In a different world, Dalbec would have settled in as a 2.5 to 3-win 1B a year or two before Casas did. Seabold or Darwinzon or Cordero or Chavis or Peraza or Mondesi or Springs would have stuck with the team as productive contributor. Maybe everything breaks right and Bloom signs Ha-Seong Kim and Kevin Gausman, the two gold star free agents amid a sea of whammies, and we sneak into the postseason last year. None of that happened. But a lot of promising stuff has.
We’ve also been looking at a much tougher division, even than usual. The Orioles have not fucked up their rebuild, and will be tough going forward. On the other hand, the Jays went all in on their Guerrero/Bichette core and their window is beginning to close a bit. The Yankees are in disaster mode, and the Rays just lost a franchise superstar and an ace to TJS. I think we’re in a good spot.