2016 Red Sox Hot Stove Discussion Thread

[SoxFanForsyth]

Crikey, Cherington dug us a f*cking hole

 

Huh? This team is an ace and 2-3 pen arms from being a 90+ win team.

 

C: Swihart: had an adjustment period, but from 6/19 to the end of season, he hit .311/.354/.458.

1B: Shaw: I think they dump Hanley, Shaw gets the start here. Sam Travis is a really promising prospect in AA, should start in AAA next year and be ready to contribute by mid season. I would sign a vet as a backup (Uribe?)

2B: Pedroia

SS: Bogaerta

3B: Sandoval (firmly believe he bounces back next year)

LF: Castillo

CF: Bradley

RF: Betts

DH: Ortiz

 

Hanigan/Vazquez

Holt

Rutledge

OF4 (FA)

 

Ace - Price preferably, but wouldn't be surprised if they go trade route here and get someone like Carrasco, or a bigger deal for Tyson Ross and Kimbrell

ERod

Buchholz

Miley

Porcello

 

Owens and Johnson as depth. Kelly to pen.

 

That team right there is literally 1-2 moves and is an easy WC contender. Dom can get bold and sign 1 and trade for 1 SP and turn this into a WS favorite, too.

 

But even if he doesn't, the Sox will be battling the Jays for the East next year with just an ace.

 

I expect big, bold moves this offseason. Like, 2-4 of them. But BC left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success. To say otherwise is absurd

[mvp 78]

Oh god no. An ace and bullpen arms?

 

I wish...

 

This ain't no 90 win team.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Oh god no. An ace and bullpen arms?

 

I wish...

 

This ain't no 90 win team.

 

They played to a 91 win pace from 7/30 on, and a 91 win pace without Hanley....so....yeah an ace and a pen could make this a 90+ win team easily

[Station 13]

They played to a 91 win pace from 7/30 on, and a 91 win pace without Hanley....so....yeah an ace and a pen could make this a 90+ win team easily

 

The young players were incredible in the 2nd half. Hopefully they start 2016 with a bang.

[mvp 78]

Shaw most likely can't hit like that over 162.

 

Kelly won 8 starts in a row... Seriously, that happened.

 

At one point, JBJ had an OPS above 1.000.

 

And with that, they still didn't get to .500. I'm not buying it. You can't extrapolate a portion of one season and say that is how they'll play over 162 for the next.

 

It's easy to make posts in the offseason and claim how great this team will be. Harder to stick around and post once the s*** hits the fan though, as can be noted in the meager late season game threads.

[Dojji]

Greinke opts out

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/report--zack-greinke-to-opt-out-of-contract-with-dodgers-201620443.html

 

So there's one more option there for teams looking for a high quality starting pitcher. What's more if I'm looking to unload a truckload of money on a starting pitcher to lead our rotation, Greinke is suddenly my #1 choice. If I once had any concerns about Greinke they were answered weith how well he performed in the big market in LA. The only thing holding me back from just flat out saying that if they want to win the Red Sox need this guy, is the fact that 29 other teams will have people in their FO saying the same thing so this man is going to make himself a LOT of money.

 

Pick up Greinke, add a good #3 like Wei-Yin Chen and do what you have to do to keep Eddie in the rotation. Move Buchholz down to the 4 spot and skip his spot in the rotation whenever you can, as if he was a #5, see if that allows him to maintain his health and pitch effectively. Keep Kelly and Miley in the bullpen as long relief in case you need them.

 

Greinke

Rodriguez

Porcello

Buchholz

Chen

 

That almost looks like a winnable rotation. It's also a very expensive rotation, but is this or is it not a major market?

Edited October 18, 2015 by Dojji

[cp176]

Greinke opts out

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/report--zack-greinke-to-opt-out-of-contract-with-dodgers-201620443.html

 

So there's one more option there for teams looking for a high quality starting pitcher. What's more if I'm looking to unload a truckload of money on a starting pitcher to lead our rotation, Greinke is suddenly my #1 choice. If I once had any concerns about Greinke they were answered weith how well he performed in the big market in LA. The only thing holding me back from just flat out saying that if they want to win the Red Sox need this guy, is the fact that 29 other teams will have people in their FO saying the same thing so this man is going to make himself a LOT of money.

 

Pick up Greinke, add a good #3 like Wei-Yin Chen and do what you have to do to keep Eddie in the rotation. Move Buchholz down to the 4 spot and skip his spot in the rotation whenever you can, as if he was a #5, see if that allows him to maintain his health and pitch effectively. Keep Kelly and Miley in the bullpen as long relief in case you need them.

 

Greinke

Rodriguez

Porcello

Buchholz

Chen

 

That almost looks like a winnable rotation. It's also a very expensive rotation, but is this or is it not a major market?

 

How old is Greinke? I like him too for about a 3 year contract. Don't see that happening.

[Bellhorn04]

I expect big, bold moves this offseason. Like, 2-4 of them. But BC left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success. To say otherwise is absurd

 

That's an overstatement IMO. He did not leave many pitchers that could be considered golden.

[Kimmi]

I expect big, bold moves this offseason. Like, 2-4 of them. But BC left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success. To say otherwise is absurd

 

Good post. Glad to see somebody who appreciates what Cherington did for the long term outlook of this team.

[Kimmi]

Shaw most likely can't hit like that over 162.

 

Kelly won 8 starts in a row... Seriously, that happened.

 

At one point, JBJ had an OPS above 1.000.

 

And with that, they still didn't get to .500. I'm not buying it. You can't extrapolate a portion of one season and say that is how they'll play over 162 for the next.

 

It's easy to make posts in the offseason and claim how great this team will be. Harder to stick around and post once the s*** hits the fan though, as can be noted in the meager late season game threads.

 

But we also will not be going into next season with the exact same team that we ended this season with. Adding at least one top starting pitcher and revamping the BP will only make the team better. How many games did the BP blow during the 2nd half?

 

I agree with SFF. I'd prefer to add 2 starting pitchers, but adding a #1 and fixing the BP should make this a competitive team.

[Bellhorn04]

So how do we revamp the bullpen?

[cp176]

Huh? This team is an ace and 2-3 pen arms from being a 90+ win team.

 

C: Swihart: had an adjustment period, but from 6/19 to the end of season, he hit .311/.354/.458.

1B: Shaw: I think they dump Hanley, Shaw gets the start here. Sam Travis is a really promising prospect in AA, should start in AAA next year and be ready to contribute by mid season. I would sign a vet as a backup (Uribe?)

2B: Pedroia

SS: Bogaerta

3B: Sandoval (firmly believe he bounces back next year)

LF: Castillo

CF: Bradley

RF: Betts

DH: Ortiz

 

Hanigan/Vazquez

Holt

Rutledge

OF4 (FA)

 

Ace - Price preferably, but wouldn't be surprised if they go trade route here and get someone like Carrasco, or a bigger deal for Tyson Ross and Kimbrell

ERod

Buchholz

Miley

Porcello

 

Owens and Johnson as depth. Kelly to pen.

 

That team right there is literally 1-2 moves and is an easy WC contender. Dom can get bold and sign 1 and trade for 1 SP and turn this into a WS favorite, too.

 

But even if he doesn't, the Sox will be battling the Jays for the East next year with just an ace.

 

I expect big, bold moves this offseason. Like, 2-4 of them. But BC left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success. To say otherwise is absurd

 

We do have some good players in the organization and everyone seems to be giving Ben credit for this. He was allowed to walk because of what he did not do. I think we all give him some credit. To say that he left us with a "golden" team set up for sustained success is going just a bit over the top. To get to 85 wins they still have work to do.

[Kimmi]

That's an overstatement IMO. He did not leave many pitchers that could be considered golden.

 

We may not have many golden pitchers, but the point still stands. The team is set up for sustained success. There are enough pieces and/or money to fix what needs to be fixed, and what needs to be fixed is certainly doable with a few key moves this offseason.

[Bellhorn04]

Ben can be given credit for not trading away the kids like Betts and Bogaerts that he inherited from Theo. That and the E-Rod trade were his biggest contributions to the team's future.

[Kimmi]

So how do we revamp the bullpen?

 

We have Koji and Tazawa at the back end, both of whom I think will be okay next year after resting this offseason. Put Kelly in the pen. I think Robbie Ross is worth another look. I would add another closer type for insurance, then pick up 3 or 4 other relievers inexpensively and see what sticks. We would also have Barnes and Wright who might be able to contribute.

[SoxnCycles]

Shaw most likely can't hit like that over 162.

 

Kelly won 8 starts in a row... Seriously, that happened.

 

At one point, JBJ had an OPS above 1.000.

 

And with that, they still didn't get to .500. I'm not buying it. You can't extrapolate a portion of one season and say that is how they'll play over 162 for the next.

 

It's easy to make posts in the offseason and claim how great this team will be. Harder to stick around and post once the s*** hits the fan though, as can be noted in the meager late season game threads.

 

Yup, daily "this team sucks" posts display true courage.

 

[Kimmi]

Ben can be given credit for not trading away the kids like Betts and Bogaerts that he inherited from Theo. That and the E-Rod trade were his biggest contributions to the team's future.

 

He did inherit some guys from Theo, but over the last 4 years, he was pretty adamant about building that core of young players. Every GM inherits some good (and some bad) from the previous GM, but it's sticking to that philosophy that has put the team in good shape for the foreseeable future.

[Bellhorn04]

I liked Ben and I hope he gets another job. And he definitely did some good things. But he can't be given a pass for back-to-back losing seasons on a huge payroll, or Hanley and Panda, or the terrible 2015 pitching staff.

[SoxnCycles]

I liked Ben and I hope he gets another job. And he definitely did some good things. But he can't be given a pass for back-to-back losing seasons on a huge payroll, or Hanley and Panda, or the terrible 2015 pitching staff.

 

Who's giving him a pass?

The guy got fired!

[Kimmi]

Yup, daily "this team sucks" posts display true courage.

 

 

I honestly think it's these types of posts that discourage a lot of posters from posting when things are going bad. I live and die with this team. When things are bad and I am already bummed, the last thing I need is to read a bunch of posts ripping my team.

[SoxnCycles]

I honestly think it's these types of posts that discourage a lot of posters from posting when things are going bad. I live and die with this team. When things are bad and I am already bummed, the last thing I need is to read a bunch of posts ripping my team.

 

Yup, if it was accompanied with some actual analysis, the game threads might not be so damned boring.

 

Easily half the posts are " (fill in the blank) sucks".

Riveting stuff....

[SeanJohn93]

Hey guys, hope everyone is well and enjoying the fall weather. I value all of your opinions as dedicated and informed Red Sox fans. I posted an article that has 8 possible free agent targets for the Red Sox. Let me know what you think, I'm open to debate.

[SeanJohn93]

sorry about that it is http://bostonredsox.about.com/od/2016-Boston-Red-Sox/ss/8-Possible-Red-Sox-Free-Agent-Targets.htm

[Kimmi]

I liked Ben and I hope he gets another job. And he definitely did some good things. But he can't be given a pass for back-to-back losing seasons on a huge payroll, or Hanley and Panda, or the terrible 2015 pitching staff.

 

Ultimately, the GM will take the blame for the team that is assembled. He lost his job because of it. However, as I've said many times, I felt that there were sound reasons behind his moves last offseason. There is no conceivable way anyone could have predicted either Hanley, Panda, or the pitching staff to be as bad as they were, much less all 3 of them being horrible at the same time.

 

Last year there were a lot of underperformances too, especially offensively. This year, Ben tried to fix the offense. Makes sense, doesn't it? Even if you knew Hanley would stink in LF, did anyone imagine his offense would be so horrendous?

 

I understand why Ben was fired. Personally, I think it was a little unfair and a little premature.

[Bellhorn04]

Who's giving him a pass?

The guy got fired!

 

I realize he got fired, this is about what other posters here have said. Such as that he left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success.

[a700hitter]

I love the team and the players, but the GM did a terrible job and suffered the consequences. Good luck to him getting a GM job in the future. He didn't exactly cover himself in glory. It is very unusual for the Red Sox to fire its GM. Duke got fired as part of a regime change. Other than ownership changes, I can't remember when the Red Sox fired its GM. Criticism of the GM is not criticism of the team in my view.

[a700hitter]

I realize he got fired, this is about what other posters here have said. Such as that he left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success.

Three last place finishes in four years is a golden shower.

[SoxnCycles]

I realize he got fired, this is about what other posters here have said. Such as that he left an absolutely golden team set up for sustained success.

 

You said it yourself. He made some good moves and some really lousy ones.

He got canned for the really lousy ones.

 

Do you think he screwed up the team for years to come or do they still have a good foundation of young players to build on?

 

I'm really not interested in quibbling over specific wording of one post.

[Spudboy]

Three last place finishes in four years is a golden shower.

 

Hahahahahahahaha!11!!!

[a700hitter]

Hahahahahahahaha!11!!!

i knew you would appreciate the humor.