Dale's Future Tied to Guerrero - 2034

[JohnC]

Montreal

Benjamin Dale can hit. I don't think anyone would deny that. The problem is he can really only play 1B. The Blazers of course are loaded at the 1B/DH positions with superstar Ettienne LaFitte and Cisco Guerrero. The failed experiment in the outfield has kind of left Dale in limbo as the season draws to an end. There may be light at the end of the tunnel for Dale in 2035. Guerrero has a player option in 2035. That combined with the upcoming expansion draft could see Dale with an opportunity for some regular playing time next season. There has been some talk internally that even if Guerrero picks up his player option that he may be left unprotected in the expansion draft. He would certainly be one of the top bats available in the draft if that were to happen. That would setup to be a win/win situation for the Blazers. If Guerrero is picked then the Blazers shed $14m in payroll and transition to the younger Dale. If he is not picked then the Blazers would gladly keep Guerrero and his bat in the lineup. The only real loser in the second scenario would of course be Dale who may end up stuck in limbo for another season...

For his part, Dale is saying all of the right things. "I am just coming to the part everyday prepared to help the team win in any way I can", said Dale. "I am not really looking beyond today", he added. One thing is for certain, the Blazers need to get to work soon and figure out how to deal with the pending roster situations that expansion drafts create.

[RonCo]

Dale can definitely hit.

[ae37jr]

I feel like this is going to be a problem for a lot of teams in the near future. From like 2031 on the drafts have been full of really good hitters who can't field and vice versa. Solid all around players were hard to come by. I drafted for the best all around players at the expense of elite hitting cause I felt guys like nightmare could be had at a great value when guys like Dale would come up for minimum wage. So far this strategy hasn't gotten me very far. Maybe this is a sign of the market shifting where I had hoped.

[RonCo]

If defensive ratings really fall off a cliff, Dale could be a Zimmer candidate at first.

[ae37jr]

But a team like Montreal has nightmare, gunho, and Dale
One of the would have to play cof. This isn't just the blazers either. Many teams are going to have to deal with this dilemma. Shoot, look at Madison with Raider and Havana when they had Cortez in right. For some it's already sinking in.

It's not a problem in a sense that there is a fault in the system. It's just some tough decisions that a fair amount of teams will have to make.