2023 Free Agents

[notin]

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

 

Basically gives Reese McGuire two months maximum to secure a starting role…

[moonslav59]

Basically gives Reese McGuire two months maximum to secure a starting role…

 

Or Wong 2 months to prove he deserves the 2 slot.

[moonslav59]

$2M is more than McGuire makes.

[mvp 78]

$2M is more than McGuire makes.

 

It’s competition for Wong. My guess is he goes to WOO and opts out June 1.

 

34% career k rate goes against how Bloom has stated he’s building the roster.

[mvp 78]

Or Wong 2 months to prove he deserves the 2 slot.

 

Basically

[Old Red]

It’s competition for Wong. My guess is he goes to WOO and opts out June 1.

 

34% career k rate goes against how Bloom has stated he’s building the roster.

 

Sounds like good arm, but not that good a C, and does K a lot.

[Bellhorn04]

So we'll be having tryouts at catcher, to go with all the various question marks about middle infield and outfield positions.

 

Chaim really likes to have fun with it.

[notin]

It’s competition for Wong. My guess is he goes to WOO and opts out June 1.

 

34% career k rate goes against how Bloom has stated he’s building the roster.

 

Maybe.

 

Of course a couple days ago, I said the Sox are probably looking to bring in a player on a minor league deal that they intend to promote once they can put Story on the 60 day IL.

 

I wasn’t thinking Catcher, but why not?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Sounds like good arm, but not that good a C, and does K a lot.

 

Ok with Alfaro as a platoon guy with McGuire, settling for half of his 162-game averages of 16 HRs, 62 RBI, with a .246/.701.

 

Alfaro is 29, and on bb-ref his most Similar Batter through 29 is... Christian Vazquez.

 

Bloom just re-signed Vaz for $2 million!

[mvp 78]

Sounds like good arm, but not that good a C, and does K a lot.

 

Bad framer, hasn't been a consistent hitter. It's not surprising he only got an MiLB contract.

[mvp 78]

So we'll be having tryouts at catcher, to go with all the various question marks about middle infield and outfield positions.

 

Chaim really likes to have fun with it.

 

I'm fine going with Wong and McGuire, so whatever else they want to bring in at C is ok by me.

[mvp 78]

Maybe.

 

Of course a couple days ago, I said the Sox are probably looking to bring in a player on a minor league deal that they intend to promote once they can put Story on the 60 day IL.

 

I wasn’t thinking Catcher, but why not?

 

When can you put someone on the 60 day IL? I thought it wasn't until April?

[Bellhorn04]

Maybe.

 

Of course a couple days ago, I said the Sox are probably looking to bring in a player on a minor league deal that they intend to promote once they can put Story on the 60 day IL.

 

I wasn’t thinking Catcher, but why not?

 

Why not, exactly? That's the way Chaim sees it too. The more uncertainty and surprises the better. It's a Fun House approach.

[mvp 78]

Ok with Alfaro as a platoon guy with McGuire, settling for half of his 162-game averages of 16 HRs, 62 RBI, with a .246/.701.

 

Alfaro is 29, and on bb-ref his most Similar Batter through 29 is... Christian Vazquez.

 

Bloom just re-signed Vaz for $2 million!

 

120 wRC+ against LHP last year. Maybe it's a platoon? IDK. Just as likely that he's in WOO and then opts out in June.

[notin]

120 wRC+ against LHP last year. Maybe it's a platoon? IDK. Just as likely that he's in WOO and then opts out in June.

 

Catcher platoons are rare. It’s more common to start them based on stating pitchers on their own team rather than the opposing one…

[moonslav59]

When can you put someone on the 60 day IL? I thought it wasn't until April?

 

Yes, and Alfaro doesn't need to be added to the 40 before April.

[moonslav59]

Catcher platoons are rare. It’s more common to start them based on stating pitchers on their own team rather than the opposing one…

 

That does seem to be the norm, but maybe since no Sox catcher really had built up a relationship with any of our SP'ers, it might be helpful to let pitchers work with both, for a while. Maybe, it becomes apparent a pitcher prefers one over the other and you move that way, but we could start with some mixing and matching.

 

The platoon splits on offense could be a significant boost to the offense. The samples are small but...

 

McGuire:

114 OPS+ v R

46 OPS+ v L

 

Wong AAA

.967 OPS v L

.798 OPS v R

 

[moonslav59]

BorA$$ opens up a bit on Correa negotiations...

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/scott-boras-discusses-carlos-correas-free-agency-saga.html

 

Note related to Story:

 

Officials with both clubs have noted that HIPAA privacy protections prevent them from revealing many specifics about player health.

[mvp 78]

That does seem to be the norm, but maybe since no Sox catcher really had built up a relationship with any of our SP'ers, it might be helpful to let pitchers work with both, for a while. Maybe, it becomes apparent a pitcher prefers one over the other and you move that way, but we could start with some mixing and matching.

 

The platoon splits on offense could be a significant boost to the offense. The samples are small but...

 

McGuire:

114 OPS+ v R

46 OPS+ v L

 

Wong AAA

.967 OPS v L

.798 OPS v R

 

 

It'd be different for sure. Wonder what Sale would think of it?

[notin]

It'd be different for sure. Wonder what Sale would think of it?

 

He’ll wonder how it injures him?

[moonslav59]

It'd be different for sure. Wonder what Sale would think of it?

 

Unless a pitcher has a strong preference for a certain catcher, and it seems hard to think they would, as of right now, since they hardly know either one of them, maybe starting the season on a L-R platoon could work for a while.

 

If a certain pitchers voices a preference, then we start moving away from the L-R thing.

[Bellhorn04]

Unless a pitcher has a strong preference for a certain catcher, and it seems hard to think they would, as of right now, since they hardly know either one of them, maybe starting the season on a L-R platoon could work for a while.

 

If a certain pitchers voices a preference, then we start moving away from the L-R thing.

 

Do you think they ask pitchers for their preference?

 

Seems to me defensive considerations should outweigh offensive considerations...

[mvp 78]

He’ll wonder how it injures him?

 

I don't know. He seems to get upset by all sort of things.

[notin]

I don't know. He seems to get upset by all sort of things.

 

Hide the scissors!!

[moonslav59]

Do you think they ask pitchers for their preference?

 

Seems to me defensive considerations should outweigh offensive considerations...

 

Yes, I think they know which catchers handle pitchers better, and which pitchers it doesn't seem to matter as much who catches them.

 

My guess is, some pitchers do voice a preference, especially if they keep getting paired with a catcher they don't seem to be in sinc with as easily as they feel they do with the second catcher.

 

It's obvious some pitchers are given just one catcher almost exclusively, and it's almost always the one known for defense or CERA-related intangibles.

 

I'm guessing one reason we traded for McGuire, is that they think he's good with the staff. I'm not sure how they view Wong. There was a lot of talk, when we got him, that he may not stick at the catcher position. Soxprospects.com writes this about him, "Moves well behind the plate, and has improved his receiving and framing skills to the point where he is considered solid with both... Has been able to develop a good rapport with pitchers and become someone they like throwing to and have confidence in. Potential solid-average defender."

 

If they view both catchers somewhat equally on defense, then maybe they can start the season with a platoon, and see if certain pitchers and catchers work better together. They did not have much time with the staff, last season, and most of our starters are gone or were on the IL to end last season, anyway.

 

Here are some tiny sample sizes- hardly worth mentioning at all:

 

CERA

Bello

8.82 w Vaz (16.1 IP)

3.20 w Wong (25.1)

2.87 w McGuire (15.2)

 

Whitlock '22

7.20 McGuire (5 IP)

3.42 Vaz (52.2)

2.89 Plawecki (18.2)

0.00 Wong (2.0)

 

Pivetta

 

OPS Against

 

Bello

.592 w McGuire (67)

.775 w Wong (118)

1.027 w Vaz (83)

n/a w Plawecki

 

Whitlock

1.000 w McGuire (21)

.670 w Vaz (215)

.473 w Plawecki (68)

.143 2 Wong (7)

 

Pivetta

.907 Plawecki (73)

.840 w McQuire (186)

.754 w Wong (58)

.692 w Vaz (456)

[Hugh2]

Quantity over quality the Red Sox way

 

They needed a catcher in AAA, they still have to field the Minor league teams.

[mvp 78]

They needed a catcher in AAA, they still have to field the Minor league teams.

 

They already had 2 that can't opt out. Alfaro can opt out. This doesn't solve that issue.

[mvp 78]

Hide the scissors!!

 

I like that he's feisty. They just need to harness it in the right manner.

[notin]

They already had 2 that can't opt out. Alfaro can opt out. This doesn't solve that issue.

 

Sure it does of Alfaro makes the MLB team and they send Wong to WOO…

[notin]

I like that he's feisty. They just need to harness it in the right manner.

 

Is “feisty” the right word here? Some folks might leap directly for “immature”…