Thanks, Jeff. That is really helpful. Very helpful.
Questions:
1. On the bottom, you have $181,757,143 (sum of the lux tax fixures), plus also $197,000,000 and $15,242,857 listed. The latter two are cut-and-paste leftovers not meant to be there, correct?
2. I wonder whether, instead of two relief spots to fill, whether they won't want to add at least 3 more? (Whether that means bumping the budget, or splitting an allotment into two smaller ones...)
3. Is Grimm's contract such that if you cut him in camp, you don't have to actually pay the full $2.4, and how much you do pay depends on how early you cut him? (I know reb has a good memory for those details, so I hope you either come back, reb, or else that somebody else remembers!) Or are they really effectively committed to $2.4 for Grimm?
4. Does Dario Alvarez have options? Maybe they're going to figure they're OK with leaving one bullpen open spot, with Grimm as $2.4 place-holder, but then with Maples, maybe a Rule 5, and whatever non-roster guys or Alvarez types they've got competing?
5. Maybe Hickey or Benedict think they see something fixable, so they want to at least give Grimm a camp shot? Without assuming that he'll make it, particularly if camp injuries don't open up spot(s)?
6. Overall I'm just thinking that it might be good to pick up another one or two comeback guys on $2M-ish deals, or somebodies like Duensing last year. To compete with Grimm for last spot. I don't want to assume Grimm on the staff, and then be an injury or two (starter or reliever) from having 3 pen guys comparable or worse than Grimm?
7. Or else just get a pretty solid/decent 13th guy at a contract that pays accordingly (≥$3.5), with Grimm outside the bubble barring injuries.
8. I also wonder if they might not want a failed rotation guy for relief, an option to Montgomery as long-man/swing-man insurance? A fill-in starter, or if you wanted to do some 6-man rotation for a while; or a guy who wasn't that good in rotation but might emerge as quite effective when used in relief? Not sure how bad a guy would need to be to settle for a role like that at a price that's cheap enough, though. (For example, I kinda doubt a guy like Smyly would need to settle for a $7.5/2 relief/swing contract.)