Mookie Betts: Trade or Extend

[dgalehouse]

The first four hitters in the batting order are the strength of this team . If at all possible , you want to keep them . Losing any of them would be a detriment to winning .

[moonslav59]

Yeah but what is her CERA?

 

She's very good at getting the most out of her guests. I'd say 2.91.

[Larry Cook]

Rule number 1 - never trade away homegrown players.

 

Betts is going to have a monster year next year as he enters a contract year. Plus after a down year, he usually has a good year.

 

Signing Betts to a 10 year deal is Pedroia part 2. The little guy breaks down in year five or six and we choke on the rest of the contract. Let someone visit the rabbit hole besides us.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

After the 7 year contract with Price, the long contract with Pedey, and the extension on Sale, John Henry may be a little gun shy on a long-term contract with Betts. Edited September 14, 2019 by SPLENDIDSPLINTER

[jacksonianmarch]

Rule number 1 - never trade away homegrown players.

 

Betts is going to have a monster year next year as he enters a contract year. Plus after a down year, he usually has a good year.

 

Signing Betts to a 10 year deal is Pedroia part 2. The little guy breaks down in year five or six and we choke on the rest of the contract. Let someone visit the rabbit hole besides us.

 

Betts is having a great year. He’s got an outside chance of reaching 7 WAR. It’ll be his third best season. I said before and I’ll say again, he won’t have another 2018. Could he have another 2016, maybe.

[OH FOY]

Everywhere I read including MLBTraderumors has Betts making 30 Million in arbitration, at least he'll be asking for it.. If that's the case get ready to blow big big bucks to sign him. Steve Adams on his chat said this yesterday, and he's another one of those that's pretty accurate.

Can you imagine About 105 million for 4 players. Price, Sale, Betts, JD. About half your pay-roll before they hit the Luxury Tax threshold, just for 4 guys.

Edited September 14, 2019 by OH FOY!

[notin]

Betts is having a great year. He’s got an outside chance of reaching 7 WAR. It’ll be his third best season. I said before and I’ll say again, he won’t have another 2018. Could he have another 2016, maybe.

 

Why not? He's only 26.

 

But we all know Aaron Judge will never have another 2017...

[jad]

Trying to improve your team? Well obviously the first thing you should do is get rid of your best players (at least, in the bizarro world of sports boards).

[Bellhorn04]

Trying to improve your team? Well obviously the first thing you should do is get rid of your best players (at least, in the bizarro world of sports boards).

 

It does seem counter-intuitive. But the economics of major league baseball dictate some strange realities.

 

Say Mookie comes to the Sox this offseason and says he'll agree to a 10 year contract (including 2020) for 350 million. Otherwise it's free agency.

 

What would you do?

[oldtimer]

Everywhere I read including MLBTraderumors has Betts making 30 Million in arbitration, at least he'll be asking for it.. If that's the case get ready to blow big big bucks to sign him. Steve Adams on his chat said this yesterday, and he's another one of those that's pretty accurate.

Can you imagine About 105 million for 4 players. Price, Sale, Betts, JD. About half your pay-roll before they hit the Luxury Tax threshold, just for 4 guys.

 

Maybe we trade JDM if that is possible and replace him with someone for less $$. No matter how you slice it, we will have a few players taking the bulk of the payroll. You didn't include Bogie or Eovaldi at $20 mil and $17 mil respectively. By your math, that would make $142 Mil on 6 players or close to $60 mil over the Oakland total payroll. That's the hot potato the new GM inherits. That and the desire to come in under $208 Mil total including $15 mil in benefits and a little for wiggle room.

 

Since JDM is 32 and has opt outs anyway and is probably sought after by other contenders, I would assume we could trade him. JBJ is another obvious target and I would think even Eovaldi would be tradeable if we ate some money. I'm advocating keeping our young core, if at all possible, while riding out our bloated underperforming contracts (if they all prove to be), while backfilling with young hopefuls from our farm or through lower cost pickups.

[jad]

It does seem counter-intuitive. But the economics of major league baseball dictate some strange realities.

 

Say Mookie comes to the Sox this offseason and says he'll agree to a 10 year contract (including 2020) for 350 million. Otherwise it's free agency.

 

What would you do?

 

Obviously I let him walk and see if I can find a used-up middle reliever at 20 mil/yr. (OK. I'll stay with guiding principle #1: I keep my best players.)

[notin]

Obviously I let him walk and see if I can find a used-up middle reliever at 20 mil/yr. (OK. I'll stay with guiding principle #1: I keep my best players.)

 

And trade Bogaerts to keep under any self-imposed payroll limits?

[Bellhorn04]

Obviously I let him walk and see if I can find a used-up middle reliever at 20 mil/yr. (OK. I'll stay with guiding principle #1: I keep my best players.)

 

Mookie is certainly our best player right now.

 

But in 5 years he might be a fading player still pulling down 35 million a year for 5 more years.

 

These decisions aren't that simple.

[OH FOY]

Offense without Pitching is useless. Its nice, its like Driving a Golf Ball, but in the long run you'll lose.

The great Golfers can do all 3, Drive, Approach, and Putt.

Pitching, Defense, Offense.

Seen too many teams that weren't the best Offensive teams, but had great Pitching and Defense, and they were always contenders.

Edited September 14, 2019 by OH FOY!

[moonslav59]

Why not? He's only 26.

 

But we all know Aaron Judge will never have another 2017...

 

I went back and did a study of every player that had a 7+ WAR year, and most had another one or one very close to it.

[notin]

I went back and did a study of every player that had a 7+ WAR year, and most had another one or one very close to it.

 

But if Betts has already peaked per Jacko, shouldn’t the older Judge have already peaked as well?

[moonslav59]

But if Betts has already peaked per Jacko, shouldn’t the older Judge have already peaked as well?

 

Exactly, and many of the players in my study had another 7 WAR season at a much older age than Betts will be in the next 2-3 years.

[Swiharts Ghost]

One thing we found out this year is EROD can be an ACE not an ass .

[moonslav59]

One thing we found out this year is EROD can be an ACE not an ass .

 

Yes! Some clowns (or was it just one) wanted to trade him earlier this year!

 

Our lowest paid starter. The team wins and wins and wins when he starts.

 

[Swiharts Ghost]

Yes! Some clowns (or was it just one) wanted to trade him earlier this year!

 

Our lowest paid starter. The team wins and wins and wins when he starts.

 

 

Moon what route are we going this offseason ? Jettison JBJ and Sandy right ? Up grade those two shouldn't be hard with the bat but JBJ may never be replaced out there in CF the way he covered it .Do we jettison David Price ? And what are we looking for in return ? Workman has been pretty damn good along with DHern do we add a reliever finally ? Is Barnes really worth bring back with 2 pitches ? I don't think we need a ton but finding the right players ? I don't know where to start ? I would love the addition of Di Di at second base ,Maybe bring in a vet backstop like Lucroy ? CF may have to be Benny right ? Keep Mookie where he is .Who can we get to man that Monster and bring some thump ? I have to admit I'm excited to see who we go after to replace Dave .Any guess on who maybe gets promoted ? Can we finally see Bobby D ?Been a really hard year to follow this team but I feel relief and excited now that it's at a close .

Edited September 15, 2019 by Swiharts Ghost

[moonslav59]

Moon what route are we going this offseason ? Jettison JBJ and Sandy right ? Up grade those two shouldn't be hard with the bat but JBJ may never be replaced out there in CF the way he covered it .Do we jettison David Price ? And what are we looking for in return ? Workman has been pretty damn good along with DHern do we add a reliever finally ? Is Barnes really worth bring back with 2 pitches ? I don't think we need a ton but finding the right players ? I don't know where to start ? I would love the addition of Di Di at second base ,Maybe bring in a vet backstop like Lucroy ? CF may have to be Benny right ? Keep Mookie where he is .Who can we get to man that Monster and bring some thump ? I have to admit I'm excited to see who we go after to replace Dave .Any guess on who maybe gets promoted ? Can we finally see Bobby D ?Been a really hard year to follow this team but I feel relief and excited now that it's at a close .

 

What do I think vs what do I want are 2 different things.

 

I want to reset. I think we will.

 

Assuming that, JBJ goes. Leon may be back, if he takes $1M.

 

We bring up Dalbec and maybe let Travis and Ockimey fight for a platoon role. Chatham fights for utility with Lin and Marco. Chavis is in the mix at 2B and 1B, but I'm not expecting him to get much better. (I hope I am surprised.)

 

I like DHern's chances at improving. Maybe Houck or some other pitcher steps up, but I'm not optimistic on that front.

 

I think we hold onto Price & Sale, at least in hopes that they raise their trade stock- at most to still be here when the rebuild is complete, if short enough.

 

To me, the most likely big trade name is not Betts or Price, but JD.

 

We can get more for him than Price, and he is not part of the plan for 2022-2023, maybe not even 2021, if he opts out.

 

Keep Devers, Bogey and Betts.

 

If the rebuild looks longer than one year, we need to consider trading Workman and players who will be FAs after 2021 (ERod- ouch =, that hurts me to say! and Barnes)

 

[jad]

Offense without Pitching is useless. Its nice, its like Driving a Golf Ball, but in the long run you'll lose.

The great Golfers can do all 3, Drive, Approach, and Putt.

Pitching, Defense, Offense.

Seen too many teams that weren't the best Offensive teams, but had great Pitching and Defense, and they were always contenders.

 

Well yes. But having thought about golf, now to baseball. Since pitching and defense are so important, do the RS need to get rid of, say, JDM, and maybe toss in Betts and Boggaerts and Devers (even though all are good to excellent defenders) to try to find another Bradley Jr., and David Price? The RS problem this year was not lack of defense. It was, as everyone knows, starting pitching. You already have, what, close to 100million invested in that? Are you proposing to increase that figure? eat much of that money, likely for years (via trade)? or do what you can (including hope) that your SP perform as they are paid to perform? Because those seem to me the real-world choices.

[Bellhorn04]

Yes! Some clowns (or was it just one) wanted to trade him earlier this year!

 

Our lowest paid starter. The team wins and wins and wins when he starts.

 

 

MADCOW has wanted to trade him since whenever he arrived on the board here.

[moonslav59]

MADCOW has wanted to trade him since whenever he arrived on the board here.

 

I seem to remember 1 or 2 agreeing with that position.

[Bellhorn04]

I seem to remember 1 or 2 agreeing with that position.

 

I think you're right.

[moonslav59]

I think you're right.

 

Where are they now?

[Bellhorn04]

Trout needs foot surgery and is done for the year.

 

I certainly hope it's nothing that hampers him in the future.

 

But it's another quick reminder of the massive risk in long term big money deals.

[Larry Cook]

Trout needs foot surgery and is done for the year.

 

I certainly hope it's nothing that hampers him in the future.

 

But it's another quick reminder of the massive risk in long term big money deals.

 

Amen brother!

 

5 years max on Betts or let someone else choke on the end years of a longer contract after Betts breaks down aka pedrioa.

[jacksonianmarch]

Why not? He's only 26.

 

But we all know Aaron Judge will never have another 2017...

 

You guys don't read well. 10 WAR seasons don't happen regularly. There have been 60 10WAR seasons all time. 60. And that's for players dating back to 1905, ie 114 years. That means a 10 WAR season happens once every other year. Not for a single player, but for the entire f***ing league. Saying Betts won't reach a 10WAR season again isn't a knock on Betts. It's acquiescing to reality. But I did say he could have another 2016, you know, when he had a ho-hum 8WAR season

[jacksonianmarch]

I went back and did a study of every player that had a 7+ WAR year, and most had another one or one very close to it.

 

apples and oranges