Hawks Nest, v28.2 - Rule 6 pickup Tas look-in

[trmmilwwi]

With the declining abilities of future hall of famer Bo Jordan making the 1B all but unplayable at 1B and only really worthy of a spot start at DH, the Hawks knew they had to fill a void going into the 2028 season. The front office looked at adding an offseason free agent but at the going rate of $5M plus the pricing was not quite what they could afford. Other avenues were researched and the overseas scout team found a 1B putting up some good numbers over in the EBA that would be available via the Rule 6 draft.

1B Albert Tas started out slowly for the Rome Raiders as a 22 year old rookie in 2023. He posted a .260 average with 10 Homers and 44 RBI’s good for a 1.0 WAR. Over the next 4 seasons he put up WAR’s of 2.4, 0.6, 3.2 and 5.4 respectively. His best season was his most recent in 2027 when he had a .310/33/86 line.

The Hawks selected the 1B in the Rule 6 draft and hoped that he would be an economical solution at 1B> They were able to lock him down for a 6 year deal worth a total of $8.3M. At that price they could hope for a 1.0 WAR and be ahead of the game (numbers wise). Tas started off with decent power numbers but a low average (13 homers but a .200 average over the 1st 4 months). He managed to turn things around in August though as he batted .324 with 5 homers and 16 ribbies. He also received the Rookie of the Month Award for August.

On the season Tas is hitting .235 with 18 homers and 73 RBI’s. His OPS is sitting at .717 and he has a WAR of 0.6. If he is able to string together a few months like August Halifax will be feel better about Tas. If he reverts back to his early season form then the Hawks may be looking elsewhere for their starting 1B next season.

[udlb58]

Tas is the definition of AAAA first baseman.

Some guys starting in AAA who were acquired on MiLB deals:
Miguel Carrasco, Michael Wilcox, Roberto Delgado, Giampietro Cappelletti, and there are others who weren't available for free that are similar to Tas and could have been had for a song.

[RonCo]

For his price and for where Halifax sits, Tas is fine. If nothing else, he's tradeable in the right deal. I would expect he'll post a decent season or three, but yeah, there are probably simpler alternatives.

[udlb58]

For his price and for where Halifax sits, Tas is fine. If nothing else, he's tradeable in the right deal. I would expect he'll post a decent season or three, but yeah, there are probably simpler alternatives.

It's not so much the yearly price, but the $8.3 million total committed to him (and the 10 PP). Of course, what the hell do I know? I'll probably end up paying Aquino close to $3,000,000 next year to be a platoon 1B and emergency 3B.

[RonCo]

Since it's a six year deal, the baseline is $3M...so the gap is less than $1M per season. Still overpaid, but not atrociously. And there are options in the flow, so you never know.

I've done way dumber things. (how's that for an endorsement?)

[Ted]

I'm not sure where there is anything but negative value in Tas. He'll have to be a lot better than his 2028 version to be worth playing. .725 OPS player who can only play 1B/DH? That's no good. He might be more successful in a part time role, but do you want to use a bench spot on a 1B/DH?

[udlb58]

I'm not sure where there is anything but negative value in Tas. He'll have to be a lot better than his 2028 version to be worth playing. .725 OPS player who can only play 1B/DH? That's no good. He might be more successful in a part time role, but do you want to use a bench spot on a 1B/DH?

He isn't a bad righty bench bat.