2014 Roster Projections

[mvp 78]

For the people that want Drew back, what size contract would you give him to be the backup?

[User Name]

1/10 max. If he can't be had for that, he can go somewhere else. And the truth is, i don't think he'd be a backup.

[mvp 78]

1/10 max. If he can't be had for that, he can go somewhere else. And the truth is, i don't think he'd be a backup.

 

You think XB at 3b? No WMB at all?

[Palodios]

Anyone know if WMB has options left?

[mvp 78]

Anyone know if WMB has options left?

 

1 left

[User Name]

You think XB at 3b? No WMB at all?

 

I think WMB will struggle a bit while they rework his approach/swing, so he'll spend time in the Minors and end up in a part-time role in a preparation for a full-time role in 2015.

[mvp 78]

@nickcafardo: Turns out the Red Sox did watch Chone Figgins' workout in Tampa last week.

 

!!!

[redsoxrules]

If Drew is re-signed he would play full time, would sit out games vs lefties.

I'm quite shocked no one pick him up. He must be wanting a ransom.

[seabeachfred]

More versatile? Check. Younger? Check. Cheaper? Check?

 

Better? By no means whatsoever. Herrera doesn't hold a candle to Drew, and by not bringing Drew back if he's out there for a decent price, you're gambling on Middlebrooks and bogaerts, two unproven unknowns, to a level that I do not believe a perennial championship contender should be doing.

 

It's worth the gamble imho. We're coming off a World Series Title that was totally unexpected and Red Sox fans right now are totally in tune to Cherington doing what he thinks is best for the team, and what is best is to start getting those young players in the lineup. Odds are we don't repeat this year anyway but building up a solid nucleus of good young players we could come back from 2015-2020 and maybe get into two or three WS. This year is the time to do it. It seems we're like that motel chain that says "we'll leave the light on for you" because that's what we might be doing with Drew. He is out trying to gain a contract and couldn't give two shits about the Red Sox UNTIL everything dries up and then he wants back?????????? /as Sox Sport said, we don't owe Boras a damn thing and it would be good to give him a black eye while doing what's best for the Red Sox at the same time. We don't need Drew----and we can still win the division without him, and once we get that we have a decent chance of doing what you seem to think we need to have Drew for. We don"t!!!!

[seabeachfred]

'Play the kids' sounds great right now. If we're a few weeks into the season and the tandem of Bogaerts and Middlebrooks is looking shaky, we'll see how long that 'play the kids' attitude holds up. In my experience, not very long.

 

I guess you take it that both those guys are going to struggle and we'll need Drew to bail us out. Let me point out for you that offensively Drew was almost a sunk cost most of last season. Yes, he had a few hot streaks but got off to a miserable start (the concussion was certainly a factor but he still performed way below par) and in the playoffs was an automatic out, more likely a strikeout. We have good young players ready to play and unless the front office is bullshitting us and t hey're really not that good, then we should let them play and see them develop. Drew is never going to hit 20 homers and drive in 75 runs. Middlebrooks and Bogaerts are both capable of hitting 30 homers and driving in 90 runs. Drew was also supposed to be a stop gap last season. Well that season is over....Time to move on and time for Drew to do the same. Besides, the Yankees said pointedly they don't want Drew which to me means they will probably offer him some kind of contract since they are above all a rotten bunch of lying bastards.

[Palodios]

I guess you take it that both those guys are going to struggle and we'll need Drew to bail us out. Let me point out for you that offensively Drew was almost a sunk cost most of last season. Yes, he had a few hot streaks but got off to a miserable start (the concussion was certainly a factor but he still performed way below par) and in the playoffs was an automatic out, more likely a strikeout. We have good young players ready to play and unless the front office is bullshitting us and t hey're really not that good, then we should let them play and see them develop. Drew is never going to hit 20 homers and drive in 75 runs. Middlebrooks and Bogaerts are both capable of hitting 30 homers and driving in 90 runs. Drew was also supposed to be a stop gap last season. Well that season is over....Time to move on and time for Drew to do the same. Besides, the Yankees said pointedly they don't want Drew which to me means they will probably offer him some kind of contract since they are above all a rotten bunch of lying bastards.

 

Stephen Drew was a .800 OPS hitter once he was post-concussion.

 

Fred, I don't know how you can't see what a minefield that infield is. WMB could fizzle, Xander might need more time, Pedroia might hurt himself during the baseball's first unassisted quadruple-play. Napoli's hips are still lingering. Ortiz is almost 40. No team gets through a full season without losing plenty of games at certain positions so there will be opportunities if Drew is willing to move around a bit.

[Spitball]

You think Boras isn't proactive enough, or just knows he'll get signed later anyway?

 

 

Boras's clients typically wait until the market clears out. The Ellsbury signing was unusually early because the Yankees seriously over-paid.

[seabeachfred]

Stephen Drew was a .800 OPS hitter once he was post-concussion.

 

Fred, I don't know how you can't see what a minefield that infield is. WMB could fizzle, Xander might need more time, Pedroia might hurt himself during the baseball's first unassisted quadruple-play. Napoli's hips are still lingering. Ortiz is almost 40. No team gets through a full season without losing plenty of games at certain positions so there will be opportunities if Drew is willing to move around a bit.

 

Drew would not accept being a reserve and Farrell said earlier in the hot stove season that if he got Drew again he would play him at short and would NOT platoon him. I know there are problems that could erupt in the infield but it seems to be that most of my colleagues are looking at the worst of things that could happen. If things get bad, we can make a trade or bring a stopgap up to fill in and I still think Herrera can be a solid reserve if things go haywire. Drew blocks two of our best young players potentially and that is a risk I don't want. I would risk what you're worried about. Besides, Drew will never sign for peanuts and I don't want to give him a two or three year contract for big money, and IF we did sign him, much to my chagrin, it should be for one year with NO option and make it clear to him that he is now a reserve. He has no market, no one wants to sign him so why should we as World Champions take on a player no one else wants?

[SoxSport]

More versatile? Check. Younger? Check. Cheaper? Check?

 

Better? By no means whatsoever. Herrera doesn't hold a candle to Drew, and by not bringing Drew back if he's out there for a decent price, you're gambling on Middlebrooks and bogaerts, two unproven unknowns, to a level that I do not believe a perennial championship contender should be doing.

 

Oh hell, they already won the championship they were supposed to be rebuilding for. So what do they do for an encore? Give their prospects a chance, and let the other losers fight it out. Repeating doesn't depend on Drew, X or Middlebrooks. It's about luck, pitching and injuries.

[Bellhorn04]

Oh hell, they already won the championship they were supposed to be rebuilding for. So what do they do for an encore? Give their prospects a chance, and let the other losers fight it out.

 

You might be surprised how many Sox fans start talking about another championship once the season starts.

[reYoukilis]

Oh hell, they already won the championship they were supposed to be rebuilding for. So what do they do for an encore? Give their prospects a chance, and let the other losers fight it out. Repeating doesn't depend on Drew, X or Middlebrooks. It's about luck, pitching and injuries.

But theres also a chance of losing momentum. Sure winning a championship was probably a surprise to everybody and was supposed to be the beginning of a building phase but since we got there, I think it would be a mistake to take too big a chance on these rookies. I think Bradley, X and WMB, and a few pitchers is plenty a load to carry for a youth movement. Also a good SS goes along way towards making for good pitching. Keep the band together I say.

[Dojji]

For the people that want Drew back, what size contract would you give him to be the backup?

 

I would give Drew 2/25 for Bogaerts to be the backup and then work bogaerts into the lineup heavily against LHP and in multiple positions, which he's good for.

[seabeachfred]

I would give Drew 2/25 for Bogaerts to be the backup and then work bogaerts into the lineup heavily against LHP and in multiple positions, which he's good for.

 

See Doj, that's my whole argument for letting Drew walk and walk and walk. You give him a two year contract and there is no telling how long he stays in that lineup, and, meanwhile our best young player is gasping for playing time. NO in my opinion!!!!!! If I could be certain that Bogey and WMB would be starters and Drew would fill in enough to stay sharp and maybe even play a few games at second to give Pedey a breather (which he wouldn't want) and maybe even learn to play a little first, I could see that. That no way we give him $25 million for two years because for that money he is in the lineup to stay and we have good young players stacked up t his year and maybe next when Cecchini might be ready. Though I reluctantly say it because as everyone knows I don't want Drew signed for those reasons I droned on about for over a month, I would offer him a one year contract at $7 million to be a general utility player and NOT a regular. If he refuses that he should try the Mets or the Pirates or whoever team wants to take a chance on him. So far no one does.

[User Name]

Drew should be a one-year guy who would serve to ease WMB back into a full time role or insurance should he fail. He should not be a limiting factor to XB's at-bats, who is clearly the guy with the highest upside of the three. That's a terrible idea Dojji.

 

As for Fred, as usual, the other extreme, getting Drew on a 1/10 deal is simply not a bad idea. With the health/age question marks of this infield, an extra competent guy on a one-year deal is simply not a bad strategy no matter how you spin it.

[Spudboy]

Unless the Sox just do not want Drew back, there is absolutely no logical reason not to offer him another 1/10 contract. Even Borras would go for this, I believe. It would serve both parties well. As I said up thread quite a while back, the Sox are a better team with Drew. How this concept escapes anyone on this board is baffling.

[User Name]

Unless the Sox just do not want Drew back, there is absolutely no logical reason not to offer him another 1/10 contract. Even Borras would go for this, I believe. It would serve both parties well. As I said up thread quite a while back, the Sox are a better team with Drew. How this concept escapes anyone on this board is baffling.

 

Nothing on this board is baffling

[SoxSport]

The arguments for signing Drew keep getting nuttier. Not for the money Boras wants. The guy no longer fits on this team.

They have too many cheaper and even better options. You don't block your best prospects--guys who have proven themselves in playoffs and world series games. They don't even have a roster spot for him, after signing Herrera.

 

Their dumbest move last year was signing 36 yo Dempster for 2/$26M --a guy who proved he wasn't worth it in Texas. Now they are stuck with him. They don't want to get stuck with another big ticket.

[User Name]

^ What a load of nonsense. Dempster was essentially market value, and the arguments for Drew clearly state that they hinge on him getting a one-year deal since Boras clearly hasn't been able to sell him to another team given his draft-pick attachment. And Herrera being the reason they don't sign a 3+ win player in Drew? You need to be banned not from this site, but from the internet.

[rjortiz]

Unless the Sox just do not want Drew back, there is absolutely no logical reason not to offer him another 1/10 contract. Even Borras would go for this, I believe. It would serve both parties well. As I said up thread quite a while back, the Sox are a better team with Drew. How this concept escapes anyone on this board is baffling.

 

I agree with you, because I'm not high on WMB, but I can see the argument for why the Sox could be worse. WMB could emerge as a 30 HR .320 OBP player. I think that if he played up to that level he'd be more valuable than Drew. In this scenario, Bogaerts would be primarily at SS, which maximizes his value. Also, the possibility of a regression from Drew is always possible. He had a 6.7 UZR/150 last year, which could regress to average as he gets older. Steamer and Oliver both are projecting a decline in his defense in 2014. They also project him to be much worse offensively, as they forecast over a .60 point decline in slugging. He ultimately is projected to a 1.4 WAR by Oliver, and a 2.0 WAR by Steamer. Middlebrooks is projected to exceed that total, although not by much. I think they are too pessimistic for Drew, but the possibility that Drew is the worst of the three players does exist. He'd also kick Bogaerts to 3B, which would reduce his value.

 

Personally, I think they should have the 1/10 on the table, and never play him against LHP. He could also be used as trade bait if Middlebrooks shows potential. However, I don't think 1/10 for a player like Drew would get it done. I have to think the Mets, or Blue Jays would make him a better offer.

[User Name]

If they never played him against lefties, and limited WMB against tough righties, that would enhance both of their offensive values, wouldn't you agree? Also, you need to take into account that at this point in the offseason Drew's already stated he's willing to "help out" at other positions in order to increase his own value, meaning he'd be willing to play 2B/3B.

[rjortiz]

I would give Drew 2/25 for Bogaerts to be the backup and then work bogaerts into the lineup heavily against LHP and in multiple positions, which he's good for.

 

I think Bogaerts is already the best player of all three, so I'm not sold on making him the backup. I think that would permanently make him a 3B, which would be a horrible long-term move.

[rjortiz]

The arguments for signing Drew keep getting nuttier. Not for the money Boras wants. The guy no longer fits on this team.

They have too many cheaper and even better options. You don't block your best prospects--guys who have proven themselves in playoffs and world series games. They don't even have a roster spot for him, after signing Herrera.

 

Other than Dojji, no one has advocated this. Everyone is advocating a lowball offer, which the Red Sox would be stupid not to offer. If they landed him for 1/10, he'd be a pretty nice trade chip for someone when he's able to be moved.

 

Their dumbest move last year was signing 36 yo Dempster for 2/$26M --a guy who proved he wasn't worth it in Texas. Now they are stuck with him. They don't want to get stuck with another big ticket.

 

It's really hard to call 2/26 a dumb move, because it doesn't and didn't hinder the Red Sox payroll flexibility. He's not good, but he's not useless. He did eat innings, and wasn't completely awful. There's some value in his performance. I also disagree when you say they are stuck with him. He's got 1/13 left, and seeing how the price for free agents are exploding, there would be some interested teams. Especially NL teams. The Red Sox wouldn't get anything that useful in return, but they would be able to move that contract.

 

Personally, I would keep him, and pitch him out of the bullpen as a swingman to start the season. He's a great 6th option for the rotation.

[User Name]

The problem is, Workman may be a better option right now as a swingman.

[reYoukilis]

I dont think they should give Drew more than one year. Just enough to see where we are with the rookies. I may advocate a good chunk of change for that one year to not be disrespectful but I only see Drew as someone to help ease us into the youth movement, and insurance in case it doesnt work out. Ive got to find out if WMB is good enough before I give him the reins. Sometimes I wonder if WMB fits into our system of working the count and getting on base. It seems as if hes always swinging for the fences.

[User Name]

I dont think they should give Drew more than one year. Just enough to see where we are with the rookies. I may advocate a good chunk of change for that one year to not be disrespectful but I only see Drew as someone to help ease us into the youth movement, and insurance in case it doesnt work out. Ive got to find out if WMB is good enough before I give him the reins. Sometimes I wonder if WMB fits into our system of working the count and getting on base. It seems as if hes always swinging for the fences.

 

So are Napoli and Pedey, so that's not the problem. His problem is his weakness to a specific type of pitch (low-outside slider) and to a lesser extent, pitch selection. He's not a wild free-swinger like Alfonso Soriano