Mookie Betts and David Price have been traded to Dodgers

[moonslav59]

You didn't hire Bloom to sign mega-deals. My bet is the dominos are going to fall this year.

 

If the sox stink as expected or fall out of the race, there will be a bevy of deals:

 

If Sale stays healthy and pitches to his capability, then you are stuck in a catch 22. My guess is Bloom will try to offload him, but it wouldn't hurt to hold onto him

 

If Eovaldi produces and stays healthy, he will 100% be dealt

 

Martinez will be dealt. My bet is the Guardians will be very interested, especially if they know they have 2 yrs of contention left and likely only one year of Lindor left before dealing him off. JD is likely opting out if he has a good season and clearly, he would only be moved if he had a good season, so a few dominos would need to fall. But the Guardians are going to still be good and will need clout. JDM fits

 

JBJ will be dealt. Maybe Bloom believes the metrics for JBJ were skewed by some uncharacteristic errors in 2019. If JBJ comes out and hits his customary .740OPS but displays a return of his GG defense, then the market will return. A team that would absolutely take a player like that is Philadelphia. Their OF defense is bad and a post ACL tear McCutchen isn't going to be patrolling CF. If Odubel struggles in the minors, then a GG defender could cover a lot of mistakes with Harper and Bruce in the OF mix.

 

ERod will be dangled. This one is harder to read since ERod has 2021 for the sox, but it could maximize return, especially if he shows 2020 wasn't a fluke healthwise or by production. A LOT of teams could use ERod. The one team who might be willing to give up the most is SD. SD needs an ace. If SD gets off to a hot start, they will need someone to lead the rotation and they have the prospects to get it done.

 

As much as Jeter Downs was acquired to maximize value, he could theoretically be a Bogaerts replacement. This one is far less likely, but something to consider. Downs is said to be best served as a 2b or 3b. They said the same thing about Bogey. Bogaerts production and contract make him Very valuable, which also means more in return.

 

Those are the moves and the places that could use them. Maybe Bloom comes in, keeps Beni-Verdugo-Devers as his core going forward and rebuilds the farm for the next 2 seasons, then spends the cash he has available and the farm talents acquired to create another window.

 

Well said.

 

I think we try to extend ERod after we reset.

 

I think Sale stays, if he looks healthy. (I don't think the rebuild will take longer than his remaining years.)

 

I do think we trade Eovaldi, if his stock goes up. JBJ and Workman will likely be deadline deals.

 

We may trade Barnes & Hembree, too.

[Bellhorn04]

Why trade Eovaldi if he's pitching well?

[mvp 78]

There is a reason why the best player in the game hasn't won s***.

 

MVP and WS Champ:

Mookie - 2018

Altuve - 2017

Bryant - 2016

[mvp 78]

Why trade Eovaldi if he's pitching well?

 

Sell high?

[moonslav59]

Nice phrase. You (and Kimmie) have chanced my thinking on this. It reminds me of what the great philosopher Jagger said, "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes.... you get what you need.'

 

We'd all like to see Mookie around for his entire career, but at what price? Do you want to see him here forever if it means we never win a WSC again because JH can't/won't spend enough additional money to put quality players around him?

 

We may not like this but it may be what we need.

 

Sell high?

 

Exactly, and we know it will be just a matter of days or weeks before his next injury. (So will the other GM.)

[mvp 78]

Moon...

[jung]

MVP and WS Champ:

Mookie - 2018

Altuve - 2017

Bryant - 2016

 

When any one of those three win 3 MPV's let us know.

[S5Dewey]

Why trade Eovaldi if he's pitching well?

 

All of these moves are being done so we can promote the entire Pawsox club to Boston with the exception of the RF'er. Then we can afford Mookie!

[jung]

All of these moves are being done so we can promote the entire Pawsox club to Boston with the exception of the RF'er. Then we can afford Mookie!

 

Sure.... lets promote the International League North last place finishers to the big league club. That should work out great.

Edited February 10, 2020 by jung

[mvp 78]

Any of the below could be in BOS at some point aside from OF. (Bandy as injury insurance, Ockimey if Mitch gets hurt) That OF stinks.

 

Lineup

C Jett Bandy NRI

1B Josh Ockimey NRI

2B Marco Hernandez NRI

3B Bobby Dalbec 40

SS CJ Chatham 40

LF Nick Longhi NRI

CF Rusney Castillo NRI

RF John Andreoli NRI

DH Tommy Joseph NRI

[mvp 78]

Sure.... lets promote the International League North last place finishers to the big league club. That should would out great.

 

Would compete with the 2020 Orioles.

[Elktonnick]

Would compete with the 2020 Orioles.

 

Come 2021 the Worcester Red Sox will be the hot ticket.

[mvp 78]

Come 2021 the Worcester Red Sox will be the hot ticket.

 

No. Luxury tax will have been reset. Mookie will be in RF winning MVP. Downs at 2B winning ROY.

[Bellhorn04]

Exactly, and we know it will be just a matter of days or weeks before his next injury. (So will the other GM.)

 

Sure, just get rid of all pitchers with potential injury issues and replace them with cyborgs.

[sk7326]

I wanted some pitching prospects, but their catcher and 2b depth chart was horribly bad. Those two positions are probably their worst.

 

I did too - but the money saved ought to go into closing the gap (at least at the major league level).

[sk7326]

The sox did not get hosed.

 

Everyone needs to understand the realities of cost for these owners. No, Henry isn't getting in the food stamp line, but the escalating penalties for crossing the lux tax are real and are limiting. No team wants to be a 3 time offender. The Yankees and Dodgers have reset and seem intent on "going for it" for 2 years then resetting thereafter. Until the CBA is changed, this isn't changing.

 

They offloaded a dead contract on a pitcher who's health is in question and he's at an age where decline is expected. Yes, they're paying $16 mil per season for 3 years, but it's better than paying $96 mil for a guy who has a real chance to not be healthy or good enough to be in the rotation. They cut their losses with him.

 

They dealt off a bona fide star, one who would not sign an extension and is adamant about testing the market. Why hold onto him when the team looks like it isn't making the POs? Also, Bloom is in town and he maximizes value. There is negative value in megadeals. 2020 would have been the last year of Betts regardless. Why have a swan song for him without getting anything? If the sox FO thought this squad was a title contender, then you keep him. Clearly, that wasn't their internal evaluation, which tells you a lot.

 

Verdugo replaces Betts. Is he the same, hell no. But does he have MLB production and a projection to being an All Star maybe more than once in his career? Yes, he does. You've got him for 5 seasons and the first two will be on the minimum, which helps the sox reset.

 

Jeter Downs can play. He's a 5 tool guy who likely ends up as a 2B or OFer (sound familiar) who is a probable 25-25 guy going forward. He's immediately your #1 prospect.

 

Connor Wong has power and has some versatility, even capable of playing catcher in a pinch. Sounds like a pretty good 26th man candidate right there and a guy you could use to PH or start vs tough lefties

 

Listen, is it the best return for prime Mookie Betts? No. Is it the best return for one season of prime Mookie Betts? Yeah, it probably is.

 

Right - the Sox got hosed the first time. This deal is better, in that the Red Sox got some real ceiling which did not exist in the first version of this trade. Considering the discount you expect from dumping Price's deal - this deal is at least commesurate with a move being done for baseball reasons.

[jung]

I did too - but the money saved ought to go into closing the gap (at least at the major league level).

 

I actually think that what happened to Gatorade was that Verdugo is in some ways a risk though with a heck of an upside and Gatorade is just all risk again with the upside of having a Tripps arm in the pen. I think the Sox got cold feet because that was just too much risk to get in return for sure thing top 3 player in baseball Mookie.

 

So now they have Verdugo and a couple of decent prospects which they actually do need. As for Gatorade, one risky Tripps arm does not solve our pitching issues.

[sk7326]

I actually think that what happened to Gatorade was that Verdugo is in some ways a risk though with a heck of an upside and Gatorade is just all risk again with the upside of having a Tripps arm in the pen. I think the Sox got cold feet because that was just too much risk to get in return for sure thing top 3 player in baseball Mookie.

 

So now they have Verdugo and a couple of decent prospects which they actually do need. As for Gatorade, one risky Tripps arm does not solve our pitching issues.

 

Now, this does not mean I like the trade per se. It's the Red Sox, and it's Mookie effin Betts. A lot of folks on forums like this talk about the either:or nature of Henry's spending decisions (as he has outlined them) without questioning the premise sufficiently. But that is the nature of sportsball fandom and sports talk radio, so it's not surprising.

 

That said - the first version of this trade was a disgrace, this version of the trade is a disgrace with an asterisk. Given the priorities of ownership, the baseball trade is fine. Let's hope it works out.

[Hitch]

The Sox do have to replace Price somehow...

 

Very happy with the trade. Far better deal than the original one.

 

I now wonder if we can flip Wong and Chavis for a pitcher.

[Donnie Sadler was short]

Very happy with the trade. Far better deal than the original one.

 

I now wonder if we can flip Wong and Chavis for a pitcher.

 

Yes. Exactly. Also because when I read the write up on Wong...size, only been catching for a couple years, needs to work on defense/etc...It screamed out Blake Swihart!

[jung]

Very happy with the trade. Far better deal than the original one.

 

I now wonder if we can flip Wong and Chavis for a pitcher.

 

I hope to God they are working on that as we speak. That would be the benefit from not being pigeonholed into Gatorade by the Mookie to the Dodgers deal. I really do not want to see Chavis in 2020 in a Red Sox uni. Sell SELL, S-E-L-L

Edited February 10, 2020 by jung

[moonslav59]

Nice phrase. You (and Kimmie) have chanced my thinking on this. It reminds me of what the great philosopher Jagger said, "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes.... you get what you need.'

 

We'd all like to see Mookie around for his entire career, but at what price? Do you want to see him here forever if it means we never win a WSC again because JH can't/won't spend enough additional money to put quality players around him?

 

We may not like this but it may be what we need.

 

Yes. Exactly. Also because when I read the write up on Wong...size, only been catching for a couple years, needs to work on defense/etc...It screamed out Blake Swihart!

 

Not every promising hitter bombs like Swi.

[cp176]

That last line is just brutal.

 

And so very accurate. It is about the $ almost entirely and that sucks for us. Now I realize the common retort - a billionaire didn't get his money by throwing it away - uhuh. I can afford to visit Fenway too when I wish but I will not.

[Jasonbay44]

Not every promising hitter bombs like Swi.

 

They do have a lot of similarities in their games. I don’t think/know if he’ll bust like Swihart but the scouting reports are eerily similar

[sk7326]

Yes. Exactly. Also because when I read the write up on Wong...size, only been catching for a couple years, needs to work on defense/etc...It screamed out Blake Swihart!

 

Prospects don't always work out - Swihart was a good prospect. Oh well.

[Kimmi]

well there you go. Rickey says: "Rickey thinks a woman should spend her waking hours pampering Rickey not discussing sport"

 

i would prefer she just cooked some supper. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Boo, Slasher. Big time boo.

[cp176]

you keep calling the budget "imaginary". its obviously real. JH has proven it to be real 2x in the past 6 years. how many more times does he need to proved to you that the Red Sox have a real budget?

i just dont get how people still dont realize the Red Sox have a budget. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

So if you understand a billionaire and his budget then you must be one. I'm not and I don't pretend to have a clue about a multi billionaire and his budget but I'm guessing that to a very large majority of the population John Henry's budget is meaningless. I truly do not think that he has any concern other than making more money. I don't consider that a bad thing necessarily although today most billionaires are vilified and have to take a ration of s***. You think JH gets a free pass because we have won some titles?

[jacksonianmarch]

When the entire league treats crossing the tax 3 times in a row an abhorrence, then you just gotta understand that it what it is

[Kimmi]

She'll never notice. :-)

 

Oh, I've noticed. I'm not on here to be the grammar or spelling police though.

[sk7326]

They do have a lot of similarities in their games. I don’t think/know if he’ll bust like Swihart but the scouting reports are eerily similar

 

Here is the thing - the defensive value he offers (that he can catch a little and play the other positions decently) only really matters if the hit tool is there. For Swihart, that never materialized. Also I think the team never had a very stable action plan - do you convert him, or do you let him play through the rough patches. At the same time, Swihart didn't hit - and it's the ability to hit that would have really forced the Red Sox one way or another.