2020-2021 Offseason Thread

[moonslav59]

Eaton would have been a nice target for the Red Sox. Surprised he got virtually no mention as one...

 

Eaton $8M vs Beni $6.6M (not that we had a choice, this year)

[notin]

Eaton $8M vs Beni $6.6M (not that we had a choice, this year)

 

A Benintedi-Verdugo-Eaton OF does not look bad on paper at all. It also allows Eaton to replace Benintendi in the 1-2 spots in the lineup...

[kenmeister]

A Benintedi-Verdugo-Eaton OF does not look bad on paper at all. It also allows Eaton to replace Benintendi in the 1-2 spots in the lineup...

 

Is there hope that Benitendi is going to bounce back and contribute in 2021?

[notin]

Is there hope that Benitendi is going to bounce back and contribute in 2021?

 

Absolutely there is hope. No guarantee, but there is hope...

[mvp 78]

Absolutely there is hope. No guarantee, but there is hope...

 

Agree. And selling him now is getting absolute bottom dollar for him. Don't see how another bad season would tank his value any further.

[notin]

Agree. And selling him now is getting absolute bottom dollar for him. Don't see how another bad season would tank his value any further.

 

Well it could, since he would be one season closer to free agency. But he is closer to being rock bottom than he has ever been before and substantially further away from his peak value/performance...

[mvp 78]

Well it could, since he would be one season closer to free agency. But he is closer to being rock bottom than he has ever been before and substantially further away from his peak value/performance...

 

It's more likely that you get a decent performance in 2021 out of him than you get a decent trade for him today.

[notin]

It's more likely that you get a decent performance in 2021 out of him than you get a decent trade for him today.

 

Absoluetly.

 

But if he stinks this year, any potential trade gets even weaker. And if it gets to that point, best to just bench him as an expensive 4th outfielder and let him coast until free agency...

[moonslav59]

Is there hope that Benitendi is going to bounce back and contribute in 2021?

 

I think it is close to 50-50. Many players have bad stretches, and the shortened season was shorter than some of JBJ's epic slumps.

[mvp 78]

Absoluetly.

 

But if he stinks this year, any potential trade gets even weaker. And if it gets to that point, best to just bench him as an expensive 4th outfielder and let him coast until free agency...

 

If they are making him a backup, I'd rather just waive him.

[moonslav59]

Well it could, since he would be one season closer to free agency. But he is closer to being rock bottom than he has ever been before and substantially further away from his peak value/performance...

 

Beni is still young enough to have a career year in the next few seasons.

[notin]

If they are making him a backup, I'd rather just waive him.

 

After 2021? Yes, that would be when you waive/non-tender him, as he has no guaranteed deal in place for his final arb year...

[mvp 78]

These winter meetings have been quite the humdinger!

[notin]

These winter meetings have been quite the humdinger!

 

Well if the Pirates are willing to trade Taillon and Bell to the Yankees, hopefully Bloom is ready to step in.

 

Per BTV, the Red Sox could offer up a package of Dalbec and Potts. But I theorize not including Casas might be a deal breaker for Cherington...

[mvp 78]

It's Rule V day.

 

Here's a list of our recent Rule V guys:

 

Arauz

Rutlege

Jandel Gustave

Jeff Kobernus

Marwin Gonzalez (then traded to Astros for Marco Duarte)

Miguel Gonzalez

Nick Debarr

James Vermilyea

Adam Stern

Colter Bean

Javier Lopez

Joel Adamson

[mvp 78]

Baseball America has noted a few top targets:

 

Akil Baddoo Twins

Brett De Geus Dodgers

Kyle HOlder Yankees

Marshall Kasowski Dodgers

Kade McClure ChiSox

Jose Miranda Twins

Trevor Stephan Yankees

Garrett Whitlock Yankees

[Bellhorn04]

These winter meetings have been quite the humdinger!

 

Just need that one big domino to fall and the rest will start falling!

[mvp 78]

Akil Baddoo:

 

CF

 

"Baddoo has some promising physical ingredients — speed, raw power — seasoned by high walk rates. He missed most of 2019 because he needed Tommy John in mid-May. He lacks deft barrel accuracy, but Baddoo has run well above-average walk rates to this point and he may be able to get to most of his power by hunting the right pitches, even if his swing’s a little grooved. He’s tracking like a power/OBP fourth outfielder or platoon guy."

[mvp 78]

Jose Miranda:

 

3B

 

"He didn’t post a strong 2019 statline (about .250/.300/.360 in the Florida State League) but we’re still on Miranda because of his ability to move the barrel all over the zone, and because he generates consistent doubles power despite being very short to the ball. It makes Miranda tough to beat within the strike zone. Instead, the way to deal with him is to hope he chases stuff out of the zone (and even then he often finds ways to make contact). There are some holes in the swing in the sense that Miranda can’t do damage with pitches all over the zone, but he rarely swings and misses. We’ve shaded his FV down from last year’s 45 because we now think he ends up playing more third base than second in the long run, but we still really like Miranda’s bat control and quality of contact."

[mvp 78]

Brett De Geus:

 

RHP

 

"I like-a de Geus, whose name is sadly not pronounced like “juice” but with a hard “g” and vowel sound like in “geist.” He moved to the bullpen last year and his velo spiked considerably, which, when paired with the work the Dodgers have done on his secondary stuff (cutter/slider and changeup to curveball and slider), now has de Geus profiling as an up/down reliever, one who might be ready for the big leagues in the next year."

[mvp 78]

Marshall Kaswoski:

 

RHP

 

"Kasowski’s delivery, which resembles that of former big leaguer and current Auckland Tuatara righty Josh Collementer, is arguably the most deceptive in the minor leagues. The ball just suddenly appears from behind his head, Kasowski’s arm slot almost perfectly vertical, creating bat-missing fastball carry at the top of the zone and making it hard to identify his curveball out of the hand. Kasowski has had injury and strike-throwing issues amid a very strong 107 career innings (177 strikeouts, just 59 hits), otherwise he’d be in the 40 FV tier."

[mvp 78]

Kade McClure:

 

RHP

 

Productive starter who has never pitched above A ball due to a dislocated kneecap injury from a line drive. Pitched well in 2019 after the injury. Would have been in AA last year.

[mvp 78]

Kyle Holder:

 

SS

 

Defensive first guy with a little bat.

[mvp 78]

Trevor Stephan

 

RHP

 

"Stephan’s cross-bodied delivery compares closely to that of Brewers righty Freddy Peralta, as both get way down the mound (Stephan gets nearly seven feet of extension on his fastballs) and have lower arm slots that make right-handed hitters very uncomfortable. He makes heavy use of a hard slider that at times looks like a cutter. It has enough movement to miss bats if Stephan leaves it in the zone, and he’s been able to back foot it to lefties. I have him in as a middle relief piece but changeup development is arguably still important here because of three-batter minimums taking effect."

[mvp 78]

Garrett Whitlock

 

RHP

 

"The Yankees moved Whitlock up the ladder very quickly in 2018, and he looked like a soon-to-be backend starter or swingman sort based on his ability to locate an average sinker/slider/changeup mix. Then he blew out his UCL in the middle of last summer and had surgery. Whitlock began throwing in January but will miss most (if not all) of 2020 and is likely on track to compete for a spot on the staff in 2021, when he’ll be nearly 25."

Edited December 10, 2020 by mvp 78

[mvp 78]

Just need that one big domino to fall and the rest will start falling!

 

Who is the big domino?

[mvp 78]

Potential Sox players that could be taken:

 

Stephen Gonsalves (LHP) and Hunter Haworth (RHP).

 

Gonsalves' velo jumped form 89-90 in 2019 to 94-96 this year.

 

@IanCundall

The Minor League Rule 5 draft is later today and one Red Sox player who I suspect will get drafted is RHP Hunter Haworth. Something clicked w/Haworth in June 2019 in Greenville. From June 16 on, he had 68 K’s in 55 IP and opposing hitters only hit .189/.261/.279 against him. Haworth primarily relies on three pitches: FB, Split, SL. His FB will top out at 96 and while both his splitter and slider are inconsistent, they have missed bats at a solid level. He does have rough platoon splits and is already 24, but there’s definite MLB bullpen potential.

[notin]

Baseball America has noted a few top targets:

 

Akil Baddoo Twins

Brett De Geus Dodgers

Kyle HOlder Yankees

Marshall Kasowski Dodgers

Kade McClure ChiSox

Jose Miranda Twins

Trevor Stephan Yankees

Garrett Whitlock Yankees

 

Other names that could be on the move include

 

Riley Pint (Rockies) LHP - Former 4th overall pick with high 90's fastball. Limited by control issues some team might view as fixable.

Omar Estevez (Dodgers) 2b - Buried in the middle infield depth of the Dodgers org, Estevez posted a respectable .784 OPS in AA at age 21 in 2019

Lake Bachar (Padres) RHP and Jordan Guerrero (Padres) RHP - The Padres once again struggle to protect their abundance of minor league talent. Two MLB-ready arms that can fit into nearly every MLB bullpen for a year.

Paul Campbell (Rays) RHP. Very possible Sox target, as Bloom drafted him out of Clemson despite his unimpressive college career. Campbell has posted better numbers at AA than he did in college, and is projected to be a backend MLB starter.

[a700hitter]

Just need that one big domino to fall and the rest will start falling!

I think that the possibility of another abbreviated season and possibly another season without fans in the stands has chilled the FA market and the trade market. The economics of the game was in flux before the pandemic, which has thrown the economics into confusion. I don’t think a big name like Springer or Bauer will come off the board before the middle of January. I don’t think there will be many 3 year contracts signed before January.

[Bellhorn04]

Who is the big domino?

 

I was joking.