November Coming Fire: Questions and Questions, maybe some answers

Jerry Dipoto seen reading the HVH Offseason Plan. 

 By Tommy Gunner, Samhain, 2026.

This offseason is going to feature a cold stove if there's a lockout and all signs are pointing to one. I slyly picked the brains of Steve and our loyal local gang for a makeshift post, fulfilling my contractual obligations to this blog for this year (I promised one more actual post back in August). 

Anyway, here's what I uncovered through WhatsApp with translations made (poorly).

Q: How are they going to convince fans to watch and support the team next season?

A (Stevil): Win games early. 

A (Group): Get a star outfielder; Get Brazilian cheerleaders; Get leverage arms; Get a motivating manager; Make moves that shake the organization.

Q: What if they were to run with Emerson, Montes, Arroyo, Rodden, and Sloan for the first two or three months, reassess in late June, and then trade veterans to address the most apparent needs? No trades involving veterans--in or out--before then.

A (Stevil): That's kind of what they did in the second half last season, but with Anderson, isn't it? I mean, they leaned heavily on internal options. Are you suggesting they should extend that experiment? It would be hard to take them seriously as contenders if they were to go that route.

A (Group): No; No!; Yikes (no); Thank you (no); Maybe that will be the only option. 

Q: Would this offseason be a failure if they don't build a legitimate World Series contender? I mean, if they don't make a real effort. 

A (Stevil): It will be a failure if they don't get value from Donovan and Gilbert, whether that means surrounding them with players to potentially win it all with next year, or make trades that strengthen their future. Or extensions. A half-rebuild, for lack of a better term, might be the best thing they can do. Does that make sense? This offseason will be a failure if they generally keep doing what they've been doing since the last rebuild.

A (Group): Yes; No, because there's too much work; Yes; No, because they should be preparing for 2028-2029 due to the short offseason and bad free agent class; Yes, because they have less control of core players and this might be their last chance to win with this core.

Q: If Seattle models their bullpen after one team, who should it be?

A (Stevil): I think there's an argument for Milwaukee, Tampa, and even Arizona, though they lacked depth. San Diego is, or was, something special. I envied their lefties. I love that Milwaukee is loaded with lefties as well and arms that can give them multiple innings. Gun to my head, Milwaukee. That would be a little easier than trying to build what San Diego had, anyway. 

A (Group): LA (Dodgers); Milwaukee; San Diego; LA; LA.

Q: Should we be talking about the possible impact of a lengthy lockout?

A (Stevil): I suppose we should at some point, but maybe it's better to wait until we see what happens before there's a lockout or until there actually is a lockout. 

A: (Group): Yes, especially after the effect of the WBC on Raleigh, Naylor, and Rodríguez (two others concurred); Yes, we need something to talk about!; Not yet, we can watch the Seahawks for now.