2016 Red Sox Hot Stove Discussion Thread

[Kimmi]

Kimmi, I know all that. You always keep it classy.

 

Thank you. I don't know about always classy, but I do try to be fair.

[Kimmi]

You forgot to say "ironically".

 

Indeed.

[a700hitter]

The signing of free agents to huge contracts is no great accomplishment by any GM. How many times have people said that the Yankees buy their World Series? Theo's and Ben's great accomplishment comes in the form of building a franchise that will compete for the long haul.

You can't compete for the long haul or the short haul if you can't put together a good pitching staff.

[Palodios]

It is official. Kenta Maeda is being posted. I wonder if the Red Sox might be involved.

 

They have invested heavily in their international scouting team, and are usually in on big free agents. They probably could use another RHP. He won't cost a draft pick. The 20M posting fee won't go towards the luxury tax. He's also only 28 years old.

[a700hitter]

It is official. Kenta Maeda is being posted. I wonder if the Red Sox might be involved.

 

They have invested heavily in their international scouting team, and are usually in on big free agents. They probably could use another RHP. He won't cost a draft pick. The 20M posting fee won't go towards the luxury tax. He's also only 28 years old.

I would like to see this happen.

[BSN07]

Maeda is interesting for a mid rotation option. I've seen reports saying his expected contract(posting fee not included) is in the 5/80m area.

 

I wonder how hard the Sox will be shopping Miley at the WM? IMO he is the one getting traded if the Sox are still looking to add a SP.

 

Idk what they should do with Kelly. He seems to have shown enough at the end of the season to warrant another look as a SP. I've seen people want him in the BP as a power arm and on the surface that seems like a good idea but Kelly struggles when he is out there letting it rip and thats kinda what you would want him doing if he is a RP.

 

Buchholz I have no faith in. Hopefully he pitches well before he lands on the shelf.

[mvp 78]

I think the best trade chip in the rotation is Buchholz. The return on Miley or Kelly would be underwhelming.

[Dojji]

Do you really think other teams are any less aware of the unreliability of Buchholz than we are? How good do you think Buchholz' trade value is to other teams when half the reason you want him traded is you want more surety in the rotation spot he occupies? Edited December 4, 2015 by Dojji

[mvp 78]

How does that make Miley a better trade chip? Buchholz is flawed, but has a higher upside than Miley or Kelly.

 

Buchholz has a reasonable contract and can pitch like an ace for a stretch. Miley and Kelly are back end of the roation guys at best.

[BSN07]

Miley is a cost controlled innings eater the pitched ok in his first season in the AL East. He has decent value to any number of clubs, especially NL teams.

[mvp 78]

Miley is a cost controlled innings eater the pitched ok in his first season in the AL East. He has decent value to any number of clubs, especially NL teams.

 

That doesn't make him more valuable than Buchholz.

[Palodios]

Do you really think other teams are any less aware of the unreliability of Buchholz than we are? How good do you think Buchholz' trade value is to other teams when half the reason you want him traded is you want more surety in the rotation spot he occupies?

 

Finding another cost controlled pitcher with Buchholz's ceiling is nearly impossible. Our last two GMs scoured the low hanging teams, and guys like Gray, Carrasco, and Sale just weren't available.

 

The best bet is to find a low salary team who need a few extra wins to push them over the top. Maybe the Pirates? I just don't see the Red Sox getting enough value to make the trade.

[mvp 78]

Any interest in Cliff Lee?

 

Some here want to have Rodriguez start in AAA and it would open up a rotation spot. If Lee finds his old self, he's a lock at #2.

[Palodios]

Cliff Lee is probably done. I'd be fine with giving him a 3 million dollar contract with 20 million worth of vesting options, but he's going to get more guaranteed.

[Meh]

Finding another cost controlled pitcher with Buchholz's ceiling is nearly impossible. Our last two GMs scoured the low hanging teams, and guys like Gray, Carrasco, and Sale just weren't available.

 

The best bet is to find a low salary team who need a few extra wins to push them over the top. Maybe the Pirates? I just don't see the Red Sox getting enough value to make the trade.

One Gray who you might not think of is Jon Gray of the Rockies. I think it'd be smart if you guys partnered up with the Rockies and made a trade. They aren't going anywhere and the Rockies could sell high on Gray before Coors really sours his value.

[User Name]

I'd love to add Lee for depth, so he could be ready to step in when Buchholz inevitably goes on the DL for half the season.

[Palodios]

One Gray who you might not think of is Jon Gray of the Rockies. I think it'd be smart if you guys partnered up with the Rockies and made a trade. They aren't going anywhere and the Rockies could sell high on Gray before Coors really sours his value.

 

The scouting report says he had two plus-plus pitches among minor leaguers. He's an interesting target -- any idea why he hasn't succeeded in the majors?

[jacksonianmarch]

He hasn't succeeded in the majors because he was drafted in 2013 and basically was rushed up to a pitching starved Colorado team. When we drafted him in the 10th round, the buzz around him was a jump in velocity and how he was going to be a sleeper. Sadly, he didn't sign. The thing I see with him is that he misses too much in the zone and he is a sinkerballer, so being in Colorado probably isn't going to be good for him ever. If they left him in AAA and let him work his way up instead of being rushed, he probably would be ready

[mvp 78]

Cecchini DFA'd

[a700hitter]

Cecchini DFA'd

His prospect value was wasted.

[Elktonnick]

His prospect value was wasted.

 

He never reached his potential. He never impressed me during the 5 or 6 times I saw him play.

[a700hitter]

He never reached his potential. He never impressed me during the 5 or 6 times I saw him play.

He was just a low level trade chip. He never progressed. He never impressed me either.

[mvp 78]

Need to learn when to sell high.

[User Name]

Now he never impressed anyone! Hindsight!

 

But seriously, Cecchini is another example of this organization's poor use of its assets. That's why BC is sitting at home and DD is now the big boss around here. You can't "hoard" prospects. You need to cash in on some of them.

[Orange Juiced]

Now he never impressed anyone! Hindsight!

 

But seriously, Cecchini is another example of this organization's poor use of its assets. That's why BC is sitting at home and DD is now the big boss around here. You can't "hoard" prospects. You need to cash in on some of them.

 

The trick is cashing in on the right ones. Cecchini was not expendable when Middlebrooks started struggling. They needed to keep him around because there was no discernible plan for 3b. Sadly, Cecchini never panned out. It happens.

 

Your point is correct, but it's not easy knowing which guys to sell off and which guys to keep.

[Spudboy]

Now he never impressed anyone! Hindsight!

 

But seriously, Cecchini is another example of this organization's poor use of its assets. That's why BC is sitting at home and DD is now the big boss around here. You can't "hoard" prospects. You need to cash in on some of them.

 

Amen.

[a700hitter]

I agree with U.N. Hoarding prospects is not a good use of assets. Good management knows which to keep and which to trade. Cechinni is a wasted asset. At one time, he had decent value as a trade chip. Now, he is a Buffalo chip.

[Elktonnick]

I agree with U.N. Hoarding prospects is not a good use of assets. Good management knows which to keep and which to trade. Cechinni is a wasted asset. At one time, he had decent value as a trade chip. Now, he is a Buffalo chip.

 

This is the reason why trading prospects for Kimbrel was a good idea.

[Dojji]

Finding another cost controlled pitcher with Buchholz's ceiling is nearly impossible.

 

Meaningless when Buchholz rarely hits that ceiling and can't sustain that performance level over a full season. I'll take 200 innings of a tier 3 pitcher ofver 12o innings of a potential tier 1 that frequently doesn't live up to the billing. Buchholz is on his way to being a scrapheap guy when his contract plays out IMHO. The world has seen guys like this before, Rich Harden springs to mind, and guess what happened to him.

 

I'd love to see them try Buchholz out of the pen at some point, just to see if reducing his innings load might help improve his outlook for finishing the season healthy and being able to end a season on a high note for once.

[Orange Juiced]

This is the reason why trading prospects for Kimbrel was a good idea.

 

Thank you. People can't whine about losing value from lost prospects and at the same time whine about trading prospects for elite MLB talent. If you have to trade some of them so their value doesn't go to waste, you can't complain when they do, in fact, trade them for established studs.

 

The trick, as I said a few posts ago, is trading away the right guys. It's ok if some of them pan out elsewhere, but generally you want the ones you keep to emerge as really good MLB players.

 

Bummer about Cecchini, but oh well. A team as flush with minor league talent as the Red Sox are going to see some of them flame out and lose their value. It's just how it goes.