2023 Free Agents

[moonslav59]

We'll take a guy who earns 35 career WAR, wins an LCS MVP, and bats .294 over 15 MLB seasons.

 

The funny thing is that teenager Cespedes is a shortstop, and Kendrick played the following positions in the majors: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, LF, CF, DH.

 

If he can hit, he can play somewhere...

 

Yup.

 

I hope this kid works out. I hope we can sign one or two more noteworthy IFAs.

 

We lost $500K in IFA bonus pool money by signing Story.

[Bellhorn04]

So, we'll get #25 and no other top 50's.

 

Hmmm...

 

Mets get 3 of the top 50. That don't seem right!

 

Anyway, I'm sure the Red Sox have their own ratings.

[moonslav59]

Mets get 3 of the top 50. That don't seem right!

 

Anyway, I'm sure the Red Sox have their own ratings.

 

The Sox seem to be doing okay with IFAs after a little down stretch. I'm not worried.

[moonslav59]

Soxprospects.com has us signing:

 

Tony Ruiz OF $1M+

Yoelin Cespedes SS $1M+

Luis Arredondo IF ~$200K

Argeny Sanchez RHP Dominican N/A Jan-2023

Moises Semerite OF/SS Dominican N/A Jan-2023

Nathanael German IF Dominican N/A Jan-2023

Starlin Nunez IF Dominican N/A Jan-2023

Yoiber Ruiz SS Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Franklin Arias SS Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Jhoan Solarte OF Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Andruw Musett C Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Jesus Garcia RHP Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Kleyver Salazar C Venezuela N/A Jan-2023

Chad Delancey IF Bahamas N/A Jan-2023

 

[harmony]

Perhaps the Red Sox can reprise the Texas middle infield from this 2013 game between the Rangers and the Sox:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS201306050.shtml

 

Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar are remaining free agents but Profar's defensive metrics at second base are not encouraging:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jurickson-profar/10815/stats?position=2B/OF#inside-edge-fielding

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/red-sox-interested-in-jurickson-profar-elvis-andrus.html

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/red-sox-interested-in-jurickson-profar-elvis-andrus.html

 

I know Profar is versatile but he was the regular leftfielder last year for the Padres. He's played 21 games in centerfield in his nine-year career. The last time he played second base full-time was four years ago in Oakland. The last time he played shortstop was 2018 in Texas.

 

At least Andrus is a shortstop.

 

As for offense, Andrus hit 17 homers last year, while Profar hit 15, the same as Bogaerts.

[moonslav59]

I know Profar is versatile but he was the regular leftfielder last year for the Padres. He's played 21 games in centerfield in his nine-year career. The last time he played second base full-time was four years ago in Oakland. The last time he played shortstop was 2018 in Texas.

 

At least Andrus is a shortstop.

 

As for offense, Andrus hit 17 homers last year, while Profar hit 15, the same as Bogaerts.

 

Profar seems like he's best suited for LF. I don't get our attraction to LF'ers.

[mvp 78]

Mets get 3 of the top 50. That don't seem right!

 

Anyway, I'm sure the Red Sox have their own ratings.

 

I think the Red Sox try to spread their money out rather than just get a couple of prospects. Cast a wide net so to speak.

[notin]

Profar seems like he's best suited for LF. I don't get our attraction to LF'ers.

 

It’s like how San Diego keeps hoarding shortstops, the Sox are hoarding left fielders…

[mvp 78]

It’s like how San Diego keeps hoarding shortstops, the Sox are hoarding left fielders…

 

And not the big bopper types of yore.

[notin]

And not the big bopper types of yore.

 

Hey, this ain’t 1982…

[moonslav59]

It’s like how San Diego keeps hoarding shortstops, the Sox are hoarding left fielders…

 

I said this, last year, before we added Pham.

 

I said that, this winter, before we added Yoshida.

 

Right now, Yoshida, Dugo and Duran are all best suited for LF (or the bench in Duran's case.)

 

Refsnyder is okay in RF, but he's probably best utilized as a LF'er, too.

 

Kike is the only OF'er we have that looks best in CF, and now we are talking about playing him at middle IF'er, and you guessed it, adding another LF'er!

 

WTF!

[moonslav59]

I think the Red Sox try to spread their money out rather than just get a couple of prospects. Cast a wide net so to speak.

 

We also lost $500K in IFA bonus pool money by signing Story, last spring.

[mvp 78]

Hey, this ain’t 1982…

 

It should be.

[mvp 78]

We also lost $500K in IFA bonus pool money by signing Story, last spring.

 

How?

[moonslav59]

How?

 

The Red Sox, who have a base signing pool of $4,644,000, have not confirmed the agreement. The deal is pending a physical. It’s worth noting that the Red Sox forfeited $500,000 from their pools for signing Trevor Story, who rejected a qualifying offer during the 2021-22 offseason.

 

I provided the link in my post:

 

Red Sox 2023 international prospects signings

WWW.MLB.COM

---

The Red Sox are in the process of adding an international prospect that has been compared to a young Howie Kendrick. According to industry sources, the club has agreed to a deal with Dominican shortstop Yoeilin Cespedes, who is the No. 25-ranked prospect on the Top 50 International Prospects list.

[Bobe2]

I think the Red Sox try to spread their money out rather than just get a couple of prospects. Cast a wide net so to speak.

 

Quantity over quality the Red Sox way

[moonslav59]

Quantity over quality the Red Sox way

 

There was a good reason to be in that mode starting in 2019, but I had hopes we'd be moving more towards "quality" by now.

 

On the FA front, there is a moving trends towards quality, if size of contracts are a sign. FA signings:

 

2019:

68/4 Nate

6.25 Pearce

 

2020: (2 contracts at $10M or more, but none from Bloom.)

145/5 Sale (signed in 2019- preBloom)

60/3 Bogey (signed in 2019- preBloom)

6.5 Perez

4.2 Pillar

2.9 Peraza

1.5 Lucroy

850K Osich

 

2021 (2 contracts at barely $10M)

14/2 Kike

10 Richards

(9 Ottavino via trade)

5.0 Perez

3.1 Renfroe

3.0 Marwin

3/2 Sawamura

2.1 Andreise

1.0 Santana

870K Brice

 

2022 (2 contracts at more than $10M)

140/6 Story

19/2 Barnes (extended)

8/2 Diekman (traded away)

7.0 Wacha

6.0 Paxton

5.0 Hill

3.0 Strahm

2.3 Robles

 

2023 (6 contracts at more than $10M)

90/5 Yoshida (+15 posting fee)

32/2 Jansen

22/2 Turner

18/2 Martin

10.0 Kike (signed in 2021)

10.0 Kluber (w 11 option for '24)

2.0 J Rodriguez

 

[Bellhorn04]

So, we'll get #25 and no other top 50's.

 

Hmmm...

 

Tony Ruiz was #30, so we actually got 2 in the top 50.

[mvp 78]

The Red Sox, who have a base signing pool of $4,644,000, have not confirmed the agreement. The deal is pending a physical. It’s worth noting that the Red Sox forfeited $500,000 from their pools for signing Trevor Story, who rejected a qualifying offer during the 2021-22 offseason.

 

I provided the link in my post:

 

Red Sox 2023 international prospects signings

WWW.MLB.COM

---

The Red Sox are in the process of adding an international prospect that has been compared to a young Howie Kendrick. According to industry sources, the club has agreed to a deal with Dominican shortstop Yoeilin Cespedes, who is the No. 25-ranked prospect on the Top 50 International Prospects list.

 

Ah, I didn't remember Story being a QO guy.

[mvp 78]

Quantity over quality the Red Sox way

 

Unfortunately, at that age, they are all long shots, even the expensive ones.

[mvp 78]

Tony Ruiz was #30, so we actually got 2 in the top 50.

 

Was that one confirmed?

[mvp 78]

@SPChrisHatfield

Social media posts seem to confirm the following will sign today:

 

IF Starlin Nunez, DR

OF/SS Moises Semerite, DR

C Kleyver Salazar, VZ

 

Also, got asked about MLB Pipeline removing the Red Sox from OF Tony Ruiz's report. He posted a video with A Sox cap yesterday, FWIW.

[Hugh2]

I feel the further away a prospect is the wider range of possible outcomes. You will the guy who signed for 7K become a star and the 1.5 million dollar bonus baby never play in the majors. But some figures worth noting.

 

Bogaerts 410K (we gave Jose Vinicio $1.95 million that year)

Devers $1.5 million

Miguel Bleis $1.5 Million (soxprospects #3)

 

Luis Perales $7.5K (sox prospects #10)

Bryan Bello $28K (ranked as high as #24 on BAs top 100 mid 2022 before graduating)

Caddanee Rafaella $10K

 

There's been some duds, and then of couse the sad story of Daniel Flores who got $3.1 million in 2018 and was considered one of the best all around talent that year. Kid got cancer and passed away.

 

Then there's prospects like Christopher Acosta who got $1.5 million from the Sox until he was suspended by the team and never played again for 4 years. The details have never been known, and it's a big mystery. But it most of been something really bad for the team to place a guy on their suspended list 4 straight seasons.

[mvp 78]

The guys at SoxProspects know what happened with Acosta, but they have said that won’t speak about it openly.

[Jasonbay44]

Sox just signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal.

[Hugh2]

The guys at SoxProspects know what happened with Acosta, but they have said that won’t speak about it openly.

 

I heard that, I wonder if we will ever find out.

[Old Red]

Sox just signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal.

 

$2M if makes Red Sox roster. Can opt out June 1, and Jul 1 if not on roster, and return to FA.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Old Red

[notin]

Sox just signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal.

 

Eh. Not a needle mover as a transaction, but a no risk moderate reward move…

[moonslav59]

So this was the type of catcher they had in mind, when they said they wanted to add a catcher?