2020-2021 Offseason Thread

[moonslav59]

I was not referring to those names in any trades. Arenando would be a huge play at 3rd.... however we can not afford that contract. I was only trying to move the needle on the possibility of acquiring young arms to build for the future. And the bigger question in the future will be the contract demands of Devers. If we could not sign Mook to a career contract how can we attempt this with RD in the next couple years.

 

We apparently couldn't afford Mookie due to the need to reset and several underwater contracts at the same time.

 

By the time Devers reaches free agency, some deadwood will be gone.

 

Remember, even in our reset year, we still outspent the vast majority of teams. I seriously doubt we ever fall out of the top 4-6 spending teams.

 

That doesn't mean we can afford everyone, like proposed here by the soon to be O's fan, but it also does not mean we can't afford a few big ticket players.

[moonslav59]

Arenado would be an incredibly bad idea.

 

His career OPS at Coors is .985 while his career road OPS is .793. Now, plenty of players have home/road splits that favor their home park even when they don't play in a notorious lauching pad. But 200 points? Take him our of Coors and that home OPS in Fenway probably drops closer to (let's assume) .850, which would make him a roughly .825 OPS player. This makes his offensive output roughly equal to Devers (.830 OPS since 2016).

 

Granted, Arenado has 8 Gold Gloves in 8 seasons. But is the defensive upgrade really worth $200 million over the next 6 seasons? Devers himself might not be looking at a contract that expensive.

 

Avoid Arenado like the plague....

 

I totally agree.

 

The Devers part of the idea was one of the least worrisome.

[moonslav59]

E-Rod signs for 1 year and $8.3 million, avoiding arbitration.

 

Finally, some Sox news!

 

(Not that most teams have big news stories, already.)

[moonslav59]

Yeah, I'd rather have Devers. We know he can hit here and is a lot younger.

 

At worst, Devers becomes a beastly DH as he gets older.

 

I think he could be a plus 1Bman within one year of learning. DH may be further down the road.

[notin]

Finally, some Sox news!

 

(Not that most teams have big news stories, already.)

 

Joel Payamps doesn't get your engine revving?

[moonslav59]

Joel Payamps doesn't get your engine revving?

 

I hope he didn't get yours revving!

[oldtimer]

I think he could be a plus 1Bman within one year of learning. DH may be further down the road.

 

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

[moonslav59]

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

 

I'd give him at least another full season at 3B. If he looks sketchy, this year, on defense, he can start taking some reps at 1B, work out at 1B over next winter and maybe give 1B a try in 2022. He could always get some game in at 3B, too.

 

He's actually looked better at 3B than I first expected, but he seems very streaky.

 

He makes some plays very few third basemen make, but then he'll throw a ball away on an easy out.

[mvp 78]

The thing with Devers is not should we sign him to an extended contract but how should we use him going forward.

 

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

 

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

[Donnie Sadler was short]

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

 

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

 

I dont want to see a chubby Devers in left...ever!

[mvp 78]

I dont want to see a chubby Devers in left...ever!

 

Why? He has the same sprint speed as Beni. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/sprint_speed?year=2020&position=&team=BOS&min=10

 

He's also got a much stronger arm than Beni.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

At 3b and then transition to DH. My assumption is that Casas will be at 1b and we should probably leave him there.

 

Honestly, I want to see Devers defense with one more year under Cora. If he flops in 2021 at 3b, then move him off position. LF?

 

Your first sentence made me nod (though not too early; young athletes need to stay in the game so they can stay in the game). But the last sentence made me cringe -- I just can't see his body type chasing down long drives over his head as he ages.

 

I agree Cora is the key -- to Devers more than any other player. And by the time Casas is an everyday MLBer, JD will probably be gone. Then Rafie and Tris can share 1B/DH if need be.

[notin]

Your first sentence made me nod (though not too early; young athletes need to stay in the game so they can stay in the game). But the last sentence made me cringe -- I just can't see his body type chasing down long drives over his head as he ages.

 

I agree Cora is the key -- to Devers more than any other player. And by the time Casas is an everyday MLBer, JD will probably be gone. Then Rafie and Tris can share 1B/DH if need be.

 

You can't envison Devers with his body type chasing down fly balls as he ages?

 

What about this body type?

 

[moonslav59]

Casas may be 3 years away and is far from a sure bet.

 

I expect Devers to stay at 3B- this is something I did not expect early in his career or after his first ML season.

 

I also think he will likely have at least one season much better than 2019- YES, MUCH better.

[Kimmi]

The one great season he had was the last full season he was able to play. He was turning it around last year. The second half of the season he OPS'd 897. That's only 19 points less than "his one great season."

 

Plus, don't count out the Cora factor.

[Kimmi]

E-Rod signs for 1 year and $8.3 million, avoiding arbitration.

 

ERod is the man.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

You can't envison Devers with his body type chasing down fly balls as he ages?

 

What about this body type?

 

 

That guy was clearly playing with PEHs (Performance Enhancing Hands). I had those once when I was a bachelor, before arthwrongis set in.

 

I think the MLB named its first steroids report after him, too.

[jacksonianmarch]

Sox looking at Kluber

[notin]

Sox looking at Kluber

 

And per Morosi, Kluber lives in the Greater Boston area.

 

 

No idea why he lives there, but it can only help the Sox. But apparently he lives in Winchester, MA...

Edited December 2, 2020 by notin

[moonslav59]

I think Kluber is worth a shot, but we also need to get a durable innings-eater, too.

[jacksonianmarch]

This is a no-brainer. One year deal, if he sucks, no commitment. If he’s awesome, great.

[harmony]

You can't envison Devers with his body type chasing down fly balls as he ages?

 

What about this body type?

 

My wife went to high school with that guy, Kevin Mitchell. Not a sports fan, she has no memory of Mitchell but remembers the classmate upon whom the Jeff Spicoli character was based in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Cameron Crowe wrote the book and screenplay after going undercover at the high school.

 

Trivia: Through their age 23 seasons, Rafael Devers has posted a negative 35 Defensive Runs Saved in 3,352.1 innings at third base while Pablo Sandoval had posted a negative 9 DRS in 2,337.2 innings at third base.

[a700hitter]

Red Sox Interested In Corey Kluber

 

By Connor Byrne | December 1, 2020 at 5:50pm CDT

The starter-needy Red Sox are showing interest in free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Kluber, who’s coming off an injury-wrecked season, could start throwing bullpen sessions this month after suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain, Morosi adds.

As a two-time Cy Young winner who fell on difficult times during the previous two seasons, the soon-to-be 35-year-old Kluber looks like an intriguing buy-low candidate. The former Indian missed almost all of 2019 after suffering a fractured forearm, and this past season’s shoulder problems with the Rangers limited him to one appearance and one inning. The Rangers then declined Kluber’s $18MM option for 2021 in favor of a $1MM buyout.

Despite Kluber’s recent hardships, it isn’t hard to see the appeal. The last time he was healthy, in 2018, Kluber fired 215 innings of 2.89 ERA/3.12 FIP ball with 9.29 K/9 and 1.42 BB/9. His 92 mph-plus fastball velocity hasn’t abandoned him since then, so it would be easy for any team to dream on Kluber returning to form on an affordable, short-term contract.

The Red Sox need all the help they can get in their rotation, as ace Chris Sale is still working back from Tommy John surgery and No. 2 Eduardo Rodriguez missed all of 2020 because of issues stemming from COVID-19 and myocarditis. Without those two around, Boston’s rotation sputtered to a 5.34 ERA/5.50 FIP. The team’s top healthy candidates slated to return include Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta, but no member of that trio has a track record that’s nearly as impressive as Kluber’s.

Take a shot!

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/12/red-sox-interested-in-corey-kluber.html

 

[moonslav59]

My wife went to high school with that guy, Kevin Mitchell. Not a sports fan, she has no memory of Mitchell but remembers the classmate upon whom the Jeff Spicoli character was based in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Cameron Crowe wrote the book and screenplay after going undercover at the high school.

 

Trivia: Through their age 23 seasons, Rafael Devers has posted a negative 35 Defensive Runs Saved in 3,352.1 innings at third base while Pablo Sandoval had posted a negative 9 DRS in 2,337.2 innings at third base.

 

Devers seems to be improving, despite the bad stretches. Pablito got worse and worse.

 

Devers came up to the bigs a year earlier than Sandoval, too.

 

UZR/150 first 3 years over 800 innings:

 

Pablo (age 22-24)

-5.7

-0.5

19.3

(then, all negatives, except for one year)

Career -1.2

 

Devers

-5.2

2.4

n/a in 2020 (-10.6 in 475 innings)

Career -3.6

 

I'm hopeful Devers can be more like 2019 and even improve on it.

 

[Hugh2]

Pull the trigger!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Kluber alone isn't enough, but with a little bit of luck, some health, a mid-season return of Chris Sale and this team might compete in 2021.

[notin]

Trivia: Through their age 23 seasons, Rafael Devers has posted a negative 35 Defensive Runs Saved in 3,352.1 innings at third base while Pablo Sandoval had posted a negative 9 DRS in 2,337.2 innings at third base.

 

 

Not sure you’re grasping the concept of “trivia” here.

 

And everyone knew Sandoval started out his career as a surprisingly agile third baseman...

[moonslav59]

Pull the trigger!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Kluber alone isn't enough, but with a little bit of luck, some health, a mid-season return of Chris Sale and this team might compete in 2021.

 

I can't see us signing him, unless we think he's healthy.

 

I like the idea, but his health concerns make it very risky. We already have 3 questionable SP'ers: Sale, ERod & Eovaldi.

 

If we only have $20-25M to spend, this summer, is spending half on Kluber the best we can do?

 

I'm not saying "no," but this idea scares me.

[notin]

I can't see us signing him, unless we think he's healthy.

 

I like the idea, but his health concerns make it very risky. We already have 3 questionable SP'ers: Sale, ERod & Eovaldi.

 

If we only have $20-25M to spend, this summer, is spending half on Kluber the best we can do?

 

I'm not saying "no," but this idea scares me.

 

He's not getting signd without some sort of assurance on his health. And if it is a low base/heavy incentive contract, it's probably a better investment than guaranteeing a deal for a lot of the fungible dreck currently available, including what's already on the Sox roster. Half of a season of Kluber might actually have a greater positive impact than a full season of Chris Mazza.

 

And the $30mill limit right now is really just a guess. We really don't know the budget...

[moonslav59]

He's not getting signd without some sort of assurance on his health. And if it is a low base/heavy incentive contract, it's probably a better investment than guaranteeing a deal for a lot of the fungible dreck currently available, including what's already on the Sox roster. Half of a season of Kluber might actually have a greater positive impact than a full season of Chris Mazza.

 

And the $30mill limit right now is really just a guess. We really don't know the budget...

 

Yes, that's why I said "if" our budget is $20-25M.

 

I would not compare spending $12M on Kluber to $1M on Mazza.

 

The comp should be Kluber vs Quintana, Tanaka and a few others.

 

We might also get a couple guys like Porcello for what Kluber costs. Maybe...

[jacksonianmarch]

I don't think the sox have a budget right now. They reset last year, so they can go over without the 50% penalty or the drop in draft pick. The main thing with the sox is going to be value.