A Realistic View at 2017 Part II

[Hugh2]

This team is only getting started. We're still missing a few guys who could have a big impact on the pitching. Price, and Thornburg should make this team better, and I'm intrigued to see what Carson Smith will look like when he comes back.

 

Also, the top of the order hasn't even started to hit yet. Pedey, Betts, Bogaerts and Benintendi are all struggling to some degree. (.603 .470 .697 .665)

[Hugh2]

^^^^ You know those guys are going to hit.

[Fisk]

Agreed. One reason that I was not as concerned about the BP as some were is the ability of our starters to pitch deep into games, even more so once Price returns. Of course, we can have those outings like Wright had last night.

 

Yes that's going to help the pen quite a bit.

[Fisk]

The lack of a true "long man" was apparent last night. Once Price comes back, and Pom or Wright go to the pen, that problem will be solved.

 

Taylor did a great job giving us over 3 innings of good pitching. I hope he keeps producing like this.

 

Am disappointed we sent Taylor down, do not need 3 lefties, especially when 2 are specialists.

[moonslav59]

Am disappointed we sent Taylor down, do not need 3 lefties, especially when 2 are specialists.

 

To me, it's the whole Abad is out of options thing. I still wish we'd have just cut him loose or traded him.

 

Maybe when Thornburg comes back...

[Fisk]

To me, it's the whole Abad is out of options thing. I still wish we'd have just cut him loose or traded him.

 

Maybe when Thornburg comes back...

 

He's pitched once in a blowout game, if we are not going to use him no use keeping him.

[Benintendi]

Taylor goes to Pawsox. Our bullpen goes from Abad to Aworse.

[moonslav59]

He's pitched once in a blowout game, if we are not going to use him no use keeping him.

 

Preaching to the choir.

[Bellhorn04]

Taylor might be back up in a hurry. He pitched a long stint so he needs rest anyway.

[Bellhorn04]

Taylor goes to Pawsox. Our bullpen goes from Abad to Aworse.

 

I like your signature...good lines from the Eagles.

[Benintendi]

I like your signature...good lines from the Eagles.

 

Thanks. It's an amazing, brilliant song. Great writing.

[oldtimer]

^^^^ You know those guys are going to hit.

 

Doubles Moreland is hitting. We are getting more from him than we might have expected. Hope he can keep it up. Not long before JBJ is back and that should help the offense as well.

[Nick]

Doubles Moreland is hitting. We are getting more from him than we might have expected. Hope he can keep it up. Not long before JBJ is back and that should help the offense as well.

 

And he really got robbed on that cold, miserable day.....should have been a homer.

[Benintendi]

Doubles Moreland is hitting. We are getting more from him than we might have expected. Hope he can keep it up. Not long before JBJ is back and that should help the offense as well.

 

Moreland so far has been a very pleasant surprise. Especially with the shoes that he has been asked to fill. An impossible task. But so far he has responded better than anyone could have possibly hoped for.

[Nick]

I'm more than happy to pick up Clay B when he becomes FA on the cheap. Maybe as a long reliever. No way I give him Masterson money, $9M plus incentives.

 

He may want to come back to Boston. He may not be ready until 2019.

[FredLynn]

Yes that's going to help the pen quite a bit.

 

The pen is doing fine. The currently rank 4th in ERA in the AL at just under 2.50. I am not worried about the pen. I am still worried about Price; and about Wright.

[moonslav59]

The pen is doing fine. The currently rank 4th in ERA in the AL at just under 2.50. I am not worried about the pen. I am still worried about Price; and about Wright.

 

The pen has been great so far, but I still think the pen will prove to be not weak but our weakest link.

[Nick]

Is it way too early to talk about replacing Panda at 3B with Hernandez? Or will resting Panda vs lefties when Rutledge returns help his average? I think he's something like 0-9 batting right handed.

 

We have six years of team control on Marco. He just looks very solid to me. Someone that can hit .280 as the floor.

[moonslav59]

Is it way too early to talk about replacing Panda at 3B with Hernandez? Or will resting Panda vs lefties when Rutledge returns help his average? I think he's something like 0-9 batting right handed.

 

We have six years of team control on Marco. He just looks very solid to me. Someone that can hit .280 as the floor.

 

The guy should never start vs a lefty again at all cost.

 

With Moreland only on a one year deal, why not think about moving Panda to 1B/DH, especially if Hernandez or Devers prove they are deserving a FT job?

 

I know we have Travis for 1B, but what if Devers or Hernandez look much better?

 

We have to find ways to fill departing players' roles within the system.

[Nick]

Question

 

If a player misses say 60+ days during arbitration years, is that a consideration for an arbitrator determining player's salary?

 

I'm assuming someone like Carson Smith is considered to be on the active list and therefore accumulating major league service time while recovering from his surgery.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Nick

[Nick]

The guy should never start vs a lefty again at all cost.

 

With Moreland only on a one year deal, why not think about moving Panda to 1B/DH, especially if Hernandez or Devers prove they are deserving a FT job?

 

I know we have Travis for 1B, but what if Devers or Hernandez look much better?

 

We have to find ways to fill departing players' roles within the system.

 

I'm also becoming less and less enamored with Brock Holt. There's a big difference between being able to fill in at multiple positions versus playing it well. I just don't like him as a baseball player.

[a700hitter]

I'm also becoming less and less enamored with Brock Holt. There's a big difference between being able to fill in at multiple positions versus playing it well. I just don't like him as a baseball player.

No Pet Brock for you.

[Nick]

No Pet Brock for you.

 

Very good....giving you a tennis clap...

[S5Dewey]

The guy should never start vs a lefty again at all cost.

 

With Moreland only on a one year deal, why not think about moving Panda to 1B/DH, especially if Hernandez or Devers prove they are deserving a FT job?

 

I know we have Travis for 1B, but what if Devers or Hernandez look much better?

 

We have to find ways to fill departing players' roles within the system.

 

First, Sandoval shouldn't even be allowed in the dugout when a lefty is pitching. If he's there Farrell might be tempted to do something stupid (again) like... use him.

 

Moving Sandoval to 1B doesn't really solve any problem. It just means that we're going to need two players to fill his spot in the order - a lefty and a righty. He's still going to suck against left handed pitching.

 

I'm now in favor of leaving Sandoval at 3B, giving himself a chance to build his trade/sale value. That'll give us a chance to evaluate Devers & Hernandez at 3B. If one of those guys pans out as a 3B then we look for buyers for Sandoval. If neither of them pan out then at least we've still got Sandoval. He's overpaid but at least he's now serviceable.

[Kimmi]

We'll have to take similar approach we did with Encarnacion/Moreland. We did not want to block Travis with a long term commit to Encarnacion (not to mention luxury tax implication). But one year, $5.5M to a gold glover seemed very reasonable to me.

 

Moreland was a good get, and yes I realize he's not going to continue hitting at his current pace. I said at the time that he was a good fit for the team. This is the kind of Theo move I'm talking about. Good job Dombrowski.

[Kimmi]

My real point was DD saw an opportunity to acquire Sale to enhance our ability to go for it the next 3 years. I just thought that was a bold move and I'm glad he did it.

 

"To enhance our ability to go for it the next three years."

 

The problem for me is that there has really been little consideration to the long term outlook. I know many of you don't care what happens when the cliff arrives, but I do.

[Kimmi]

Kimmi thinks we didn't really need Sale. I think that remains to be seen.

 

It does remain to be seen. And with Price being injured, Sale might be a necessity.

[Kimmi]

Is it way too early to talk about replacing Panda at 3B with Hernandez? Or will resting Panda vs lefties when Rutledge returns help his average? I think he's something like 0-9 batting right handed.

 

We have six years of team control on Marco. He just looks very solid to me. Someone that can hit .280 as the floor.

 

Yes, it is.

 

Whether Marco or someone else eventually takes over the 3B job or not, Pablo needs to be given his fair chance. If he's not in the team's long term plans, then he needs to build his trade value.

[Kimmi]

It's like this dude was channeling his inner Kimmi when he wrote this:

 

Is Dave Dombrowski Overrated in Boston?

 

Evan Marinofsky Apr 12, 2017 Boston Red Sox

 

To call Dave Dombrowski, one of baseball’s top and most successful executives, overrated is rare in the baseball world. He has spent years in Major League Baseball and is one of the top minds in the game.

 

As President of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, Dombrowski has executed his fair share of explosive moves and signings and guided the team to the playoffs in the year-plus since he took the reigns of the Red Sox from former general manager Ben Cherington. Dombrowski has made lots of flashy transactions, but the success rate has not been high.

 

The real point to ponder comes down to how much of last year’s success can be accredited to Dombrowski and what kind of team he has made them into for the future.

 

When Dombrowski arrived in Boston back in the late days of August 2015, it was a real change in mindset inside the Red Sox front office. Within a matter of days, the team went from being sabermetric heavy and hesitant to pay a pitcher who was over 30 years old (Jon Lester) to being almost all-in on every flashy free agent and every attractive guy on the trading block.

 

...

 

The Sale trade was a good one for the Red Sox, but one has to wonder how much the Red Sox have left in their farm system. Dombrowski inherited the number-one farm system in baseball back in 2015. Bleacher Report’s pre-2017 season farm system rankings had the Red Sox at number 18. In less than two years, Dombrowski has skinned the farm system.

 

It’s clear that the Red Sox are trying to win now, but every team wants to have it be sustained. Dombrowski has a history of depleting farm systems because that’s exactly what he did in Detroit with the Tigers.

 

The problem with Dombrowski’s job thus far is that he’s made a lot of trades and had some major signings, but none are smart. For two relievers, Dombrowski traded seven players away (an everyday third baseman, a top outfield prospect, and five other minor leaguers). He’s currently paying $31 million per year for a so-far underachieving and injured starting pitcher. He also traded away one of the leagues top prospects (Espinoza) for a number-four starter (Pomeranz).

 

 

These are deals and signings that seem thoughtless; throwing $217 million at a pitcher or top prospects at a team will definitely bring the desired commodity in return. But why not try to be crafty and not give up as much?

 

The Red Sox are set to win for the next few years, but the most telling time will be after those few years are up and holes begin to emerge within the team.

[FredLynn]

The pen has been great so far, but I still think the pen will prove to be not weak but our weakest link.

 

Thats possible. But if Price cannot make it back and pitch effectively I think our SPing will be the weakest link.