2023 Free Agents

[Bellhorn04]

judge to san fran

 

Apparently Heyman jumped the gun on this.

[Hugh2]

Apparently Heyman jumped the gun on this.

 

Yup. Wonder if it’s just bs, or they’re hammering out a deal and don’t want to make it official yet.

[Bellhorn04]

So the Red Sox reportedly made an offer to Heaney. That makes 4 players they've made unsuccessful offers to so far. Abreu, Eflin, Kahnle and Heaney.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

So the Red Sox reportedly made an offer to Heaney. That makes 4 players they've made unsuccessful offers to so far. Abreu, Eflin, Kahnle and Heaney.

 

Maybe it was just an offer for Heaney's upside, while the Rangers agreed to also pay for his downside and inbetweenside.

 

Or maybe the Red Sox offer was only for a bus ticket to Texas. Heans took offense, expecting to fly first class... which didn't make sense to Bloom, but Chris Young's analytics project a lot of highside.

[redsoxrules]

Cody Bellinger signs with Cubs. 17.5M

[harmony]

So the Red Sox reportedly made an offer to Heaney. That makes 4 players they've made unsuccessful offers to so far. Abreu, Eflin, Kahnle and Heaney.

The Red Sox reportedly talked with the Brewers about second baseman Kolten Wong, whom Milwaukee instead traded to Seattle (which had a more obvious need at second base):

 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/06/sports/red-sox-kicked-tires-kolten-wong-trade-not-necessarily-xander-bogaerts-succession-plan/

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-sox-notes-bogaerts-wong-vazquez-contreras-heaney.html

[Oscars]

Bloom continues to go cheap and swing and miss so far this off season …..

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Bloom continues to go cheap and swing and miss so far this off season …..

 

And yet, we're told, more offers are imminent.

 

Wait, check with the first base ump... did he offer? He went --

[moonslav59]

The Red Sox reportedly talked with the Brewers about second baseman Kolten Wong, whom Milwaukee instead traded to Seattle (which had a more obvious need at second base):

 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/06/sports/red-sox-kicked-tires-kolten-wong-trade-not-necessarily-xander-bogaerts-succession-plan/

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/red-sox-notes-bogaerts-wong-vazquez-contreras-heaney.html

 

If the Sox move Story to 2B, they'd have had an equal or greater need.

[moonslav59]

Cody Bellinger signs with Cubs. 17.5M

 

Scary sick.

[notin]

Bloom continues to go cheap and swing and miss so far this off season …..

 

Who did he miss out on that you wish he signed?

[notin]

Cody Bellinger signs with Cubs. 17.5M

 

Pay cut!

[Oscars]

Who did he miss out on that you wish he signed?

 

Abreu and Kahnle would have pleased me

[notin]

 

This is what Verdugo defense in RF gets you.

 

 

Hop on board!!

 

[notin]

Abreu and Kahnle would have pleased me

 

Abreu would have been a good add, but I do understand not getting into a bidding war with so many holes to fill.

 

Kahnle? I think I’d rather find a healthier pitcher before gambling, given how many injury issues the Sox could already have…

[Oscars]

Abreu would have been a good add, but I do understand not getting into a bidding war with so many holes to fill.

 

Kahnle? I think I’d rather find a healthier pitcher before gambling, given how many injury issues the Sox could already have…

 

The Sox need some big bats and Abreu would have been 1 of them

[notin]

The Sox need some big bats and Abreu would have been 1 of them

 

They need to extend Devers.

 

Abreu is normally a big bat, but took a weird trend last year.

 

Abreu does have a 135 OPS+ the past 3 seasons. Brandon Belt has a 140 over the same stretch. Of course, Abreu has a massive advantage in games played in that timeframe. But maybe bring a DH can keep Belt in one piece for a while…

[a700hitter]

Haniger is off the board.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/giants-mitch-haniger-agree-to-three-year-deal.html

[notin]

Giants signed Haniger

 

3 years $43.5 mill.

 

Haniger was a guy I couldn’t recommend but I would have been excited to see him come to Fenway…

[Hugh2]

Damn. Haniger was a FA I wanted them to get.

[Oscars]

They need to extend Devers.

 

Abreu is normally a big bat, but took a weird trend last year.

 

Abreu does have a 135 OPS+ the past 3 seasons. Brandon Belt has a 140 over the same stretch. Of course, Abreu has a massive advantage in games played in that timeframe. But maybe bring a DH can keep Belt in one piece for a while…

 

My frustration with Bloom is that he always seems to want to “win” the deal, as opposed to making sure he gets his man.

This leads to a lot of swing and miss in his style.

By comparison DD often over paid but got his man .

[harmony]

Damn. Haniger was a FA I wanted them to get.

Will Aaron Judge join Mitch Haniger and Joc Pederson for a San Francisco Giant outfield of Northern California products?

 

... although none of those three should be an everyday center fielder.

[iortiz]

Haniger is off the board.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/giants-mitch-haniger-agree-to-three-year-deal.html

 

Other than the booms Bloom has signed, wonder what else is in his radar.

[notin]

My frustration with Bloom is that he always seems to want to “win” the deal, as opposed to making sure he gets his man.

This leads to a lot of swing and miss in his style.

By comparison DD often over paid but got his man .

 

The Sox aren’t in a position to overpay to make sure they get their man, unless Henry has upped the budget (which is possible)…

[notin]

Will Aaron Judge join Mitch Haniger and Joc Pederson for a San Francisco Giant outfield of Northern California products?

 

... although none of those three should be an everyday center fielder.

 

Neither should Mike Yastrzemski, but that never stopped the Giants…

[moonslav59]

Taijuan Walker to Phillies: $72M/4.

 

Should be about what Taillon gets. Do we offer Taillon that contract?

[harmony]

Taijuan Walker to Phillies: $72M/4.

 

Should be about what Taillon gets. Do we offer Taillon that contract?

MLB Trade Rumors projected Taijuan Walker with a four-year, $52 million contract and Jameson Taillon with a four-year, $56 million contract:

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/mlb-trade-rumors-top-50-free-agents-predictions-2022-23.html

 

One year of Seattle righthander Chris Flexen, who is at least two years younger than Walker and Taillon, at $8 million become a more attractive trade target.

 

Or not.

[moonslav59]

MLB Trade Rumors projected Taijuan Walker with a four-year, $52 million contract and Jameson Taillon with a four-year, $56 million contract:

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/mlb-trade-rumors-top-50-free-agents-predictions-2022-23.html

 

One year of Seattle righthander Chris Flexen, who is at least two years younger than Walker and Taillon, at $8 million become a more attractive trade target.

 

Or not.

 

Except he's not as good, but hey, we were "in on" Heaney and now on Seth Lugo, so WTF, why not?

 

Turns out, we'd have been better off just sticking with Martin Perez, Ottavino and Jeffrey Springs.

[Larry Cook]

Does anybody have a clue what hang’em Chaim’s strategy is this offseason?

[harmony]

Except he's not as good, but hey, we were "in on" Heaney and now on Seth Lugo, so WTF, why not?

 

Turns out, we'd have been better off just sticking with Martin Perez, Ottavino and Jeffrey Springs.

Compare the stats over the past two seasons for righthanders Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker and Chris Flexen:

 

JT 321.2 IP, 4.08 ERA, 100 ERA+, 4.2 fWAR, 3.5 bWAR

TW 316.2 IP, 3.98 ERA, 99 ERA+, 3.9 fWAR, 3.1 bWAR

CF 317.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 108 ERA+, 3.7 fWAR, 4.7 bWAR

 

The Seattle Mariners reportedly are shopping Flexen, who is two years younger than Walker and two-and-a-half years younger than Taillon. Flexen lost some luster in August when Luis Castillo bumped Flexen from the Seattle rotation. Despite the demotion Flexen matched Taillon’s 2022 bWAR of 1.3.

 

Many will point to Flexen’s drop in fWAR from 3.0 in 2021 to 0.7 in 2022. However, Walker has never posted an fWAR above 2.5 and Taillon has not exceeded 2.3 fWAR since 2018.

 

MLB Trade Rumors projected Taillon and Walker with four-year contracts in free agency, Taillon at $56 million and Walker at $52 million.

 

Flexen is guaranteed a 2023 salary of $8 million in what MLB Trade Rumors reports is his final year of team control (despite Flexen currently sitting on two years and 107 days of MLB service).