A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[cp176]

As for the debate about the best outfields that we have seen in Boston, from an all around baseball perspective there is no question in my mind - Rice - Lynn - Evans. From simply a defensive perspective, which I find extremely limiting and an unrealistic way to look at outfields in general, I'd go with the group we have out there right now.

[Bellhorn04]

One of the best defensive outfields the Red Sox ever deployed was one we didn't see much of, because it was only used in the 2007 playoffs at the end of games, I think:

 

CF Crisp

LF Ellsbury

RF Drew

[moonslav59]

One of the best defensive outfields the Red Sox ever deployed was one we didn't see much of, because it was only used in the 2007 playoffs at the end of games, I think:

 

CF Crisp

LF Ellsbury

RF Drew

 

IMO and UZR's, Ellsbury was not a plus on defense until 2008.

 

Beni > Ells

 

JBJ > Crisp

 

Betts > JDrew

[notin]

Here's the problem with that. We give up a great-glove, pretty good (or better) hit CF- a net loss - and keep JD mostly at DH, which makes him unhappy. We'd be trying to fix something that's not broken.

 

If this team is desperate to save money they could trade a mediocre glove good hit shortstop for a great glove light hitting SS. I'm hearing the minors are full of guys like that although I don't follow other team's MiL systems enough to know for sure.

 

IIRC the team gets out from under Hanley's contract after this year and The Fat Man's contract after 2019. I'd rather see this team 'bite the bullet' in 2019 & 2020 than break up this outfield prematurely.

 

And while a plan I'm on board with, the question is - is Dombrowski on board?

 

He has turned down requests for JBJ in the past, as we know Encarnacion and Puig were both offered for him. But on the other hand, he is rapidly running out of tradable commodities, and that we know of at least two (and there were probably more) offers for JBJ does certainly show other teams also want him.

 

The Sandoval and Hanley money is a good start to being able to keep Bradley, but even then, myself and several others have openly stated we would not re-sign Kimbrel, but let's get real here. DD is going to make a significant and likely successful effort to bring back Kimbrel. I just don't see DD letting his first significant acquisition in turning this last lace team into a 3-time AL East champion walk away for a mere $100mill.

 

So, if DD does re-sign Kimbrel and spend most if not all of his allowance to do so, any other improvements will have to be made via trade. With two years left, JBJ does become his best trading chip without doing anything stupid (like trading Betts). And as we have all seen, this is a man not afraid to make trades...

[moonslav59]

Here's the problem with that. We give up a great-glove, pretty good (or better) hit CF- a net loss - and keep JD mostly at DH, which makes him unhappy. We'd be trying to fix something that's not broken.

 

Dewey, you know JBJ is almost the last guy I wanna trade. That being said, trading JBJ and adding a great glove CF'er with a .680 OPS should not make JD any more upset than he already might be.

 

While we would see a loss in CF offense, the player we get back for JBJ would, in theory, add as much or more value to another position-- like SP'ing. For example, let's say we trade JBJ, Johnson & Velazquez for Carrasco (not saying CLE would do this).

 

The net gain at SP'er might offset the loss of offense in CF, assuming CF defense remains even.

[mvp 78]

If they trade JBJ, why not just bring up Castillo?

[S5Dewey]

And while a plan I'm on board with, the question is - is Dombrowski on board?

 

He has turned down requests for JBJ in the past, as we know Encarnacion and Puig were both offered for him. But on the other hand, he is rapidly running out of tradable commodities, and that we know of at least two (and there were probably more) offers for JBJ does certainly show other teams also want him.

 

The Sandoval and Hanley money is a good start to being able to keep Bradley, but even then, myself and several others have openly stated we would not re-sign Kimbrel, but let's get real here. DD is going to make a significant and likely successful effort to bring back Kimbrel. I just don't see DD letting his first significant acquisition in turning this last lace team into a 3-time AL East champion walk away for a mere $100mill.

 

So, if DD does re-sign Kimbrel and spend most if not all of his allowance to do so, any other improvements will have to be made via trade. With two years left, JBJ does become his best trading chip without doing anything stupid (like trading Betts). And as we have all seen, this is a man not afraid to make trades...

 

Yep. I understand the problem perfectly, but when I look at DD I see a guy who likes his 'up the middle' defense. This is a guy who's traded for Iggy - certainly not because of his offense! - and has already turned down potential trades for for JBJ.

 

IMO if he's going to trade away one of our outfielders for pitching it might be Benintendi The upside of a trade like that is that it would improve our pitching staff and, let's face it, LF in Fenway doesn't require good speed or a good arm, just familiarity with the wall. We could improve the pitching staff without badly damaging our OF defense. The downside is that it wouldn't relieve the money crunch.

 

One of the things that would make Beni marketable is the same reason that the Sox might be reluctant to do it - Beni's contract and team control. But as they say, you have to give to get.

[Slasher9]

someone show me the article/quote where JDM states he is upset with lack of OF playing time....

WitchHunt!

[Bellhorn04]

If they trade JBJ, why not just bring up Castillo?

 

Sounds simple enough. But if Castillo doesn't cut it, it would be a costly mess because of the tax.

[Bellhorn04]

someone show me the article/quote where JDM states he is upset with lack of OF playing time....

WitchHunt!

 

Gotta watch out for them Straw Men.

[mvp 78]

Sounds simple enough. But if Castillo doesn't cut it, it would be a costly mess because of the tax.

 

I'm not worried about Vlad Dracul's bank account.

[notin]

Sounds simple enough. But if Castillo doesn't cut it, it would be a costly mess because of the tax.

 

They could bring him up, and maybe another GM would. but not Dombrowski, who was not impressed with Castillo 4 years ago, and probably isn't going to re-think his position now that Castillo is almost 31...

[moonslav59]

If they trade JBJ, why not just bring up Castillo?

 

STOP!

 

This has been discussed and shot down too many times to keep brining it up.

[notin]

STOP!

 

This has been discussed and shot down too many times to keep brining it up.

 

The only reason he keeps re-surfacing is, if the Sox do need an outfielder from the farm system he is the only viable candidate.

 

The complete dearth of MLB-ready outfielders in the Sox system is certainly a reason to keep the present outfield intact. We'll see how this plays out after the post-season..

[mvp 78]

STOP!

 

This has been discussed and shot down too many times to keep brining it up.

 

NEVER!

 

This has been discussed over and over again and we'll keep doing it. We do the same with everything else.

 

Maybe you just don't want to discuss it anymore because you realize that this is a pathway to getting rid of your binky?

[mvp 78]

Rusney has hit over 300 the past two years in AAA.

 

Bring him up! Bring him up!

[notin]

Rusney has hit over 300 the past two years in AAA.

 

Bring him up! Bring him up!

 

I like Castillo, but it might be cheaper and better to simply keep Bradley. But if Bradley can be traded for a very useful piece, the advantages to Castillo become very situational depending on the other trade piece...

[mvp 78]

I like Castillo, but it might be cheaper and better to simply keep Bradley. But if Bradley can be traded for a very useful piece, the advantages to Castillo become very situational depending on the other trade piece...

 

I'd rather have Bradley too, but if he helps bring in another player, Castillo isn't the worst option in the world.

[Slasher9]

NEVER!

 

This has been discussed over and over again and we'll keep doing it. We do the same with everything else.

 

robot umps now!

[moonslav59]

The only reason he keeps re-surfacing is, if the Sox do need an outfielder from the farm system he is the only viable candidate.

 

The complete dearth of MLB-ready outfielders in the Sox system is certainly a reason to keep the present outfield intact. We'll see how this plays out after the post-season..

 

Picking up OF depth is not a hard thing to do- off season or in-season.

 

We've had pretty good luck with in-season pick-ups from DMac to Podsednik, although Raj Davis was a bit of a bust.

[moonslav59]

robot umps now!

 

100%!

[BillyWilliams]

I'd rather have Bradley too, but if he helps bring in another player, Castillo isn't the worst option in the world.

 

Wouldn't castillo have a significant impact on the payroll?

[moonslav59]

I'd rather have Bradley too, but if he helps bring in another player, Castillo isn't the worst option in the world.

 

Actually, he right near the bottom.

 

Would you want us to sign him for $35.5M/3 this winter?

 

That's what he'll cost on the luxury budget, and there's no going back, once we put him back on the 40 man roster.

 

His $10.2M lux tax number would prevent us from getting someone else or keeping someone we want to keep. I know you poo-poo the idea that Henry has a spending limit, but he does.

 

Now, one can argue that the difference is just the tax, since Henry's paying him anyways, but by your reasoning, we'll be over the $40M max line every year of Castillo's contract, so we'd be paying an additional tax of 45%. That means instead of paying $12M a year for Castillo's last 3 years, we'd pay him $17.5 x 3.

 

$5.5M more in tax for 3 years.

 

Would I sign Castillo to $16.5M/3?

 

NO!

 

No matter how you slice and dice, the answer is always NO!

[Bellhorn04]

Wouldn't castillo have a significant impact on the payroll?

 

Yes, the payroll for luxury tax purposes.

[moonslav59]

Yes, the payroll for luxury tax purposes.

 

$5.5M more a year just in new taxes, plus he may cause a drop in our draft slot number.

[mvp 78]

robot umps now!

 

Baseball is LOL random!

[moonslav59]

Vegas speaks...

 

The Red Sox are favorites to advance against the Yankees in the ALDS, coming in at -145. While that’s not a big surprise, considering the Sox won 108 games this season, it speaks to the pressure they’re up against this month. Failing to advance to the ALCS for the third straight year would be a colossal underachievement, and likely lead to pressure being applied to Dave Dombrowski.

 

This season is the apex for the Red Sox, as crucial members of their core will become free agents for the next four years, beginning with Craig Kimbrel this winter. Their roster likely won’t be this good again for a long time.

 

In terms of World Series odds, the Red Sox are second, at 15/4. The defending World Series champion Astros are first at 7/2, and the Yankees check in at 6/1.

[moonslav59]

A quick look at 2019 before the big game tomorrow.

 

37 Players (listed by seniority on 40 man roster)

Red- perhaps on roster bubble

Pedroia

Wright

Vazquez

Holt

Bradley

Workman

Bogaerts

Betts

Hembree

Barnes

Swihart

Rodriguez

Porcello

Johnson

Hernandez

Price

Smith

Leon

Benintendi

Scott

Thornburg

Sale (option)

Moreland

Velazquez

Travis

Maddox

Lin

Devers

Nunez (option)

Shepherd

Martinez

Poyner

Walden

Haley

Cuevas

Brasier

Renda

 

Rule 5:

Victor Acosta

Christopher Acosta

Yoan Aybar

Roldani Baldwin

Trey Ball

Juan Barriento

Edilson Batista

Eduard Bazardo

Jordan Betts

Marino Campana

Rusney Castillo

Michael Chavis

Luis Colmenares

Eduard Conde

Harrison Cooney

Jake Cosart

Ricardo Cubillan

Enmanuel De Jesus

Chad De La Guerra

Jhonathan Diaz

Jerry Downs

Nick Duron

Junior Espinoza

Willis Figueroa

Devon Fisher

Austin Glorius

Daniel Gonzalez

Juan Hernandez

Darwinzon Hernandez

Oscar Hernandez

Tyler Hill

Dedgar Jimenez

Trevor Kelley

Trenton Kemp

Matt Kent

Travis Lakins

Marcos Lantigua

Adam Lau

Deiner Lopez

Isaias Lucena

Chris Madera

Danny Mars

Algenis Martinez

Tate Matheny

Kevin McAvoy

Daniel McGrath

Samuel Miranda

Joseph Monge

Mark Montgomery

Jhon Nunez

Josh Ockimey

Angel Padron

Yorvin Pantoja

Yankory Pimentel

Roniel Raudes

Austin Rei

Hildemaro Requena

Denyi Reyes

Eddy Reynoso

Jeremy Rivera

Jake Romanski

Teddy Stankiewicz

Kevin Steen

Cole Sturgeon

Josh Taylor

Luke Tendler

Josh Tobias

Carlos Tovar

Kyri Washington

Jantzen Witte

Kyle Wren

[dgalehouse]

I wonder what would happen if a robot umpire took a foul tip to it's brain chip.

[moonslav59]

I wonder what would happen if a robot umpire took a foul tip to it's brain chip.

 

Chip Haywire