Red Sox Sign Pablo Sandoval

[Gringo]

Let's hope they put him on a diet

[Palodios]

Not official yet. Word is that Pablo is making his decision today.

[Gringo]

If this doesn't happen, I won't be upset. $100m to a fat, injury prone player is too much, IMO. And when he's healthy, he's like a .275/20HR hitter. Hardly a world beater.

[jad]

OK. so they now signed two phenomenally expensive .270-.280 hitters. But given that they already have two phenomenally cheap .270-.280 hitters at these positions in Holt and Nava, I don't see that this is going to turn things around.

[User Name]

Holt is not a full time player. Nava either.

[d-money]

Sandoval can hit.He just gotta be in shape.This team needed a lefty bat in the worse way

[jad]

Holt is not a full time player. Nava either.

 

Well, true. Ramirez played 15 or so more games than Holt or Nava (which may be worth 1mil. or so per game; not sure). Sandoval was pretty durable (except for that two year stretch around 2011). So yes, as long as they play more games than Holt or Nava, then indeed they play more games. (Doesn't really matter if you miss them due to injury, as did both Ramirez and HOlt, or because you define a player as 'not full time', whatever that means).

[SoxFanForsyth]

Hanley can pop 30. He's been a solid power hitter in pitcher friendly parks his whole career

[User Name]

Well, true. Ramirez played 15 or so more games than Holt or Nava (which may be worth 1mil. or so per game; not sure). Sandoval was pretty durable (except for that two year stretch around 2011). So yes, as long as they play more games than Holt or Nava, then indeed they play more games. (Doesn't really matter if you miss them due to injury, as did both Ramirez and HOlt, or because you define a player as 'not full time', whatever that means).

 

Your sarcasm is both misapplied and misplaced. What i'm saying, in layman's terms, is that neither Holt nor Nava are good enough to be everyday players. Holt got exposed as the season wore on, and Nava is completely and utterly unable to hit left-handed pitching.

 

While i'm not big on the Panda signing, even making the slightest implication that Holt is anywhere near as good a hitter/defender is ridiculous. And of course, health issues aside, Ramirez owns an impact bat that Nava could never, ever replicate.

 

But what you do have after signing Ramirez/Panda is extremely good offensive depth, since Holt/Betts are now super-subs capable of playing virtually everywhere, and Nava as an excellent backup OF. Also, batting average means almost nothing in the grand scheme of things.

[jad]

I'm really not being sarcastic. I just think upgrades in these areas are very expensive for what could be minimal gains. Also, do you think Ch has a plan? (as in "let's go with the kids and if that doesn't work, we'll deal all our pitching and spend big for bats.") It seems as if he is just making it up as he goes along. Which, given the unpredictability of baseball, may be the best policy.

[Jasonbay44]

Hopefully this means I never have to witnesses another WMB AB in my life.. at least on the Sox.

[Spudboy]

Hopefully this means I never have to witnesses another WMB AB in my life.. at least on the Sox.

 

And you can still see Jenny Dell and her floatation devises on the CBS NFL telecasts.

 

Win / Win.

[User Name]

I'm really not being sarcastic. I just think upgrades in these areas are very expensive for what could be minimal gains. Also, do you think Ch has a plan? (as in "let's go with the kids and if that doesn't work, we'll deal all our pitching and spend big for bats.") It seems as if he is just making it up as he goes along. Which, given the unpredictability of baseball, may be the best policy.

 

I think the plan is to create enough depth to both upgrade the offense and deal for pitching. And i don't think many of the kids are going to be dealt, hence the veteran signings.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Oh. I see the Sox have been busy.

[St. Louis Carter]

If I was asked which two players I could send to the AL, HanRam and Panda would be the ones. In terms of the future, I think Sandoval's physique is a double edged sword: a few years back he came to ST slim and trim, and he could not hit worth s***! He was like a different player. He's a Tony Gwynn clone with power and a fantastic glove.

 

The other side of the sword is, of course, that as he ages his fat ass will do a job on his joints and his value will plummet, but for a few years he's worth whatever he's paid, ESPECIALLY in the post season. Good luck landing him.

[Dojji]

Holt is not a full time player. Nava either.

 

Agreed. Nava is very dangerous unless pitchers get too many looks at him. He's a big leaguer, but we've seen that he can be one of either really solid bench COF/1B, or a rather crappy starter. He's a good injury insurance policy and I'd expect him to thrive if he's deployed mostly against RHP's, which can't happen if he's the duty starter.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Dojji

[Bellhorn04]

Agreed. Nava is very dangerous unless pitchers get too many looks at him. He's a big leaguer, but we've seen that he can be one of either really solid bench COF/1B, or a rather crappy starter. He's a good injury insurance policy and I'd expect him to thrive if he's deployed mostly against RHP's, which can't happen if he's the duty starter.

 

Nava is not a 'rather crappy starter' at all. In 113 games last year he had a 3.3 WAR per B-R and 2.6 per FanGraphs. Well above average.

[Dojji]

THanks, I was actually convinced he'd done worse than that. The decline in offense leaguewide is throwing my judgment of the base numbers off.

 

Although let me take a second to lament the fact that a corner outfielder can put up a .706 OPS and a 100 OPS+ in the same season. Pitching is firmly in the lead in the proverbial arms race these days.

[Bellhorn04]

THanks, I was actually convinced he'd done worse than that. The decline in offense leaguewide is throwing my judgment of the base numbers off.

 

Although let me take a second to lament the fact that a corner outfielder can put up a .706 OPS and a 100 OPS+ in the same season. Pitching is firmly in the lead in the proverbial arms race these days.

 

Nava's defence also had a big improvement according to the metrics.

[Spudboy]

Nava's platoon splits are probably seen as a legit reason not to view him as a everyday starter.

 

His defense is adequate and even good in some cases like LF in Fenway. He plays that wall very well.

 

I'm a Nava fan.

[BSN07]

I like Nava as a bench player/short term injury replacement. And I think Holt's value is highest as a super sub.

[Dojji]

Two very good aditions to any team's bench, will now be on the bench where they can put up their best contributions.

[a700hitter]

Agreed. Nava is very dangerous unless pitchers get too many looks at him. He's a big leaguer, but we've seen that he can be one of either really solid bench COF/1B, or a rather crappy starter. He's a good injury insurance policy and I'd expect him to thrive if he's deployed mostly against RHP's, which can't happen if he's the duty starter.

i can't see that the Sox will have a spot for Nava in 2015.

[Spudboy]

i can't see that the Sox will have a spot for Nava in 2015.

 

The outfield is very crowded and with several players that are question marks.

 

Nava is close to being a constant in that other than his early season slump in 2014, the Sox know exactly what they will get. And he is cheap.

 

If after all the big moves to acquire starting pitching are done and Nava is still around, he will be very good reserve depth.

[Dojji]

I can't see why they wouldn't. With offense around the league as bad as it is, a good lefthanded bat off the bench that can play three positions and get on base at a good clip isn't a bad asset.

It comes down to whether they can trade Cespedes. If they can, I fully expect Nava to be on the bench next year. If not, you've got your 5 outfielders in Cespedes, Betts, Castillo, Victorino, and Hanley and there's no room for Nava except as your putative backup 1B.

 

There is another option though -- we could trade Mike Napoli. He's a good righthanded power hitter and I'd hate to lose him, but if trading him allows us to put Sandoval at 1B where his limited range hurts us less and his great hands help us more, and Hanley at third, then spaces open up in the outfield for both Cespedes and Nava.

[seabeachfred]

I can't see why they wouldn't. With offense around the league as bad as it is, a good lefthanded bat off the bench that can play three positions and get on base at a good clip isn't a bad asset.

It comes down to whether they can trade Cespedes. If they can, I fully expect Nava to be on the bench next year. If not, you've got your 5 outfielders in Cespedes, Betts, Castillo, Victorino, and Hanley and there's no room for Nava except as your putative backup 1B.

 

There is another option though -- we could trade Mike Napoli. He's a good righthanded power hitter and I'd hate to lose him, but if trading him allows us to put Sandoval at 1B where his limited range hurts us less and his great hands help us more, and Hanley at third, then spaces open up in the outfield for both Cespedes and Nava.

 

Trade Napoli, a good power hitter and very good defensive first baseman to put Sandoval, who has never played first base, on that bag and a total sieve defensively on third? You usually come up with some very good ideas Dojii but that was not one of them.

[a700hitter]

Trade Napoli, a good power hitter and very good defensive first baseman to put Sandoval, who has never played first base, on that bag and a total sieve defensively on third? You usually come up with some very good ideas Dojii but that was not one of them.

apparently we paid $200 million to acquire 2 players to change their positions.

[sk7326]

Nava is not a 'rather crappy starter' at all. In 113 games last year he had a 3.3 WAR per B-R and 2.6 per FanGraphs. Well above average.

 

Nava is good for what he is. He and Holt could be dealt not because they are bad but because they can free up a logjam and get something of value coming back. But if Nava is our fourth OF, that is not bad.

[a700hitter]

Nava is good for what he is. He and Holt could be dealt not because they are bad but because they can free up a logjam and get something of value coming back. But if Nava is our fourth OF, that is not bad.

it's not good either.

[Bellhorn04]

Nava is good for what he is. He and Holt could be dealt not because they are bad but because they can free up a logjam and get something of value coming back. But if Nava is our fourth OF, that is not bad.

 

Nava has a career OPS of .760. That would probably put him in the upper 30-40% among starting outfielders, and I would guess in the top 10% among 4th outfielders. And his defence improved considerably in 2014 according to the ratings.