Red Sox: Off Season '23-'24

[moonslav59]

Garrit Cole to get MRI.

 

We are not alone.

[mvp 78]

Garrit Cole to get MRI.

 

We are not alone.

 

Garrit?

[mvp 78]

@NoahBergerMedia

#Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera is getting an MRI on his shoulder today after getting scratched from yesterday's start with right shoulder tightness.

 

Per Skip Schumaker

[moonslav59]

Garrit?

 

I’m typing from my phone.

[notin]

I don't think they'll extend Pivetta, but if he really shows off his sweeper again, he could make a good payday in FA.

 

Whitlock just has not be impressive at all since his injury in '22. Sox need to figure him out. I don't know why they are screwing around with him.

 

Fitts isn't slotted as the #7 right now. I was just bringing him up as a guy that could be something eventually. I agree with the guys you have ahead of him, but don't think Wikelman or Gambrel pitching this year means disaster. They're already slotted for last place. I'm not sure giving other guys emergency starts or Wikelman advancing to MLB earlier than expected is a bad thing.

 

If the Sox think Pivetta is going to pitch himself out of their price range, maybe he should be dealt before the season starts. He certainly ended last year on a high note. And once they start playing real games, trading Pivetta takes away the receiving club’s option to offer him a QO…

[Hugh2]

If the Sox think Pivetta is going to pitch himself out of their price range, maybe he should be dealt before the season starts. He certainly ended last year on a high note. And once they start playing real games, trading Pivetta takes away the receiving club’s option to offer him a QO…

 

Bad ideal for two reasons.

 

First one is more conjecture on my part but I think contrary to the norm, Pivetta may hold more value at the deadline. If his uptick is real, then he’ll have 2/3 of a season like that under his belt. Up until now he’s never been terribly good, just consistent.

 

Secondly, even if you don’t plan on competing this year you need innings. The rotation is thin, if you trade Pivetta you have

 

Bello

Crawford

Houck

Whitlock

Winck

 

You know there’s at least two guy on the depth chart getting a decent amount of starts, so that means Criswell, Murphy, and Johnson are starting games.

 

The rotation could easily be horrible.

[notin]

Bad ideal for two reasons.

 

First one is more conjecture on my part but I think contrary to the norm, Pivetta may hold more value at the deadline. If his uptick is real, then he’ll have 2/3 of a season like that under his belt. Up until now he’s never been terribly good, just consistent.

 

Secondly, even if you don’t plan on competing this year you need innings. The rotation is thin, if you trade Pivetta you have

 

Bello

Crawford

Houck

Whitlock

Winck

 

You know there’s at least two guy on the depth chart getting a decent amount of starts, so that means Criswell, Murphy, and Johnson are starting games.

 

The rotation could easily be horrible.

 

For his value at the deadline, it depends. Is he late 2023 Pivetta? Or 2020-late 2023 Pivetta? The former might be worth more at the deadline. The latter? Not so much. Especially with trans racing that point in spring training where pitchers start getting hurt.

 

The notion of teams being more desperate at the deadline isn’t so ironclad and therefore will unload better/more prosyto acquire talent isn’t so ironclad. There are also more teams selling at that time, which can certainly impact the return. Last deadline, teams were acquiring some good talent for very little. Unless you like that pile of mediocrity the Cardinals got for Montgomery.

 

So unless we know how many teams are selling and buying and whose going to be available and whether or not Pivetta is even worth acquiring, the basis of you argument is 2 months of Pivetta > 6 months of Pivetta plus the option to get a draft pick.

 

However, the Sox still really shouldn’t deal Pivetta ASAP. They really should see how this season starts to play out and see where they do stand at the deadline. Pivetta might be worthy of and amenable to an extension by then. Or he might prefer not being on the market with Burnes, Fried, etc. as Plan C…

[mvp 78]

Will Flemming on WEEI, during Alex Verdugo’s AB, said that Alex is already running into the same issues (i.e. showing up late to meetings, games, etc) on the Yankees as he was on the Red Sox in past years.

[Larry Cook]

 

Bello

Crawford

Houck

Whitlock

Winck

 

The rotation could easily be horrible.

 

If this were high school football, we would be everybody’s home coming opponent!!!!!!

[mvp 78]

@bradfo

Whit Merrifield said he never heard from the Red Sox this offseason

 

Initially, Sox were thought to be a team in on Merrifield.

[mvp 78]

If the Sox think Pivetta is going to pitch himself out of their price range, maybe he should be dealt before the season starts. He certainly ended last year on a high note. And once they start playing real games, trading Pivetta takes away the receiving club’s option to offer him a QO…

 

Keeping him for a QO or a trade at the deadline seems fine to me. There's a chance that one of the young arms is able to be brought up by then anyway.

[mvp 78]

Bad ideal for two reasons.

 

First one is more conjecture on my part but I think contrary to the norm, Pivetta may hold more value at the deadline. If his uptick is real, then he’ll have 2/3 of a season like that under his belt. Up until now he’s never been terribly good, just consistent.

 

Secondly, even if you don’t plan on competing this year you need innings. The rotation is thin, if you trade Pivetta you have

 

Bello

Crawford

Houck

Whitlock

Winck

 

You know there’s at least two guy on the depth chart getting a decent amount of starts, so that means Criswell, Murphy, and Johnson are starting games.

 

The rotation could easily be horrible.

 

It's a less than 50% chance that Whitlock can go the whole year in the rotation and that's being generous. Professionally, Houck's max starts in a year is 24 which happened last year.

 

Winckowski is just a much better pen arm. I don't know why they are even moving him to the rotation.

[Bellhorn04]

@bradfo

Whit Merrifield said he never heard from the Red Sox this offseason

 

Initially, Sox were thought to be a team in on Merrifield.

 

Join the club, Whit.

[Bellhorn04]

Winckowski is just a much better pen arm. I don't know why they are even moving him to the rotation.

 

We know why they're trying: a) A cheaper rotation; Pinning hopes on Andrew the Alchemist.

[mvp 78]

We know why they're trying: a) A cheaper rotation; Pinning hopes on Andrew the Alchemist.

 

I think he could be an elite bullpen guy if they tweaked his stuff there instead.

[Bellhorn04]

I think he could be an elite bullpen guy if they tweaked his stuff there instead.

 

No disagreement from me.

[mvp 78]

No disagreement from me.

 

His velo ticked back up his last time out and he was still able to throw 96-97 throughout his 3 innings. He only threw like 33 pitches, so I don't know how long he could realistically keep that up. Once his velo goes back down to 93-94, I think his stuff becomes much more hittable to MLB guys. He gets more value out of the cutter that is thrown slower, but the difference in velo between those pitches is what keeps hitters off balance IMO.

[notin]

Keeping him for a QO or a trade at the deadline seems fine to me. There's a chance that one of the young arms is able to be brought up by then anyway.

 

I'd say a very good chance, given their limited SP depth.

 

I don't see them making it to July 31st with only 6 or 7 different pitchers drawing starting assignments...

[mvp 78]

I'd say a very good chance, given their limited SP depth.

 

I don't see them making it to July 31st with only 6 or 7 different pitchers drawing starting assignments...

 

I wasn't meaning out of necessity, but out of player development (i.e. Fitts moving up the ranks or Wikelman making large strides this year).

[notin]

I wasn't meaning out of necessity, but out of player development (i.e. Fitts moving up the ranks or Wikelman making large strides this year).

 

But necessity is a reality.

 

If the Sox do get that far into the season using only 6 or 7 starters, they could be in for a surprisingly good season. But it's not very likely.

 

So when 2 or 3 starters face some inevitable short IL stints, do you think the Sox bring up Gonzalez and/or Perales?

[mvp 78]

But necessity is a reality.

 

If the Sox do get that far into the season using only 6 or 7 starters, they could be in for a surprisingly good season. But it's not very likely.

 

So when 2 or 3 starters face some inevitable short IL stints, do you think the Sox bring up Gonzalez and/or Perales?

 

Out of immediate need it would be:

Criswell

Murphy

Walter

Gambrell

 

I don't think there's any chance Perales is in Boston this year even in the bullpen. Probably not next season either. Wikelman is much closer to MLB ready, but I don't think they'd rush him.

[Randy Red Sox]

i guess the Sox couldn't even afford to bring back Duvall on a 1 yr-3 million deal especially with RR on the DL now?

[Hugh2]

For his value at the deadline, it depends. Is he late 2023 Pivetta? Or 2020-late 2023 Pivetta? The former might be worth more at the deadline. The latter? Not so much. Especially with trans racing that point in spring training where pitchers start getting hurt.

 

The notion of teams being more desperate at the deadline isn’t so ironclad and therefore will unload better/more prosyto acquire talent isn’t so ironclad. There are also more teams selling at that time, which can certainly impact the return. Last deadline, teams were acquiring some good talent for very little. Unless you like that pile of mediocrity the Cardinals got for Montgomery.

 

So unless we know how many teams are selling and buying and whose going to be available and whether or not Pivetta is even worth acquiring, the basis of you argument is 2 months of Pivetta > 6 months of Pivetta plus the option to get a draft pick.

 

However, the Sox still really shouldn’t deal Pivetta ASAP. They really should see how this season starts to play out and see where they do stand at the deadline. Pivetta might be worthy of and amenable to an extension by then. Or he might prefer not being on the market with Burnes, Fried, etc. as Plan C…

 

 

That was exactly my point, they should have some conviction in their evaluations of pitchers. I still think we shouldn't underestimate the hardship of literally having to reach far back into your AAA depth and what it can do to the team/bullpen

[mvp 78]

i guess the Sox couldn't even afford to bring back Duvall on a 1 yr-3 million deal especially with RR on the DL now?

 

756 split vs LHP. "If Refsnyder is coming back sooner than later, why bring anyone in" is probably their thought process.

[Randy Red Sox]

756 split vs LHP. "If Refsnyder is coming back sooner than later, why bring anyone in" is probably their thought process.

 

probably right after the thought of not spending the 3 million

[Bellhorn04]

probably right after the thought of not spending the 3 million

 

"A penny pinched is a penny earned" - John Henry

[mvp 78]

"A penny pinched is a penny earned" - John Henry

 

They had to cover the cost of switching back to Heinz ketchup somehow.

[notin]

They had to cover the cost of switching back to Heinz ketchup somehow.

 

They’re bringing back Heinz ketchup!???????

 

 

It all makes sense now!! I’m on board!!

 

Hopefully the next step is to trade Jansen and get rid of that off-brand Dijon…

[mvp 78]

Now to replace Fenway Franks with Dodger Dogs and they will finally have some good food options!

[notin]

Now to replace Fenway Franks with Dodger Dogs and they will finally have some good food options!

 

I always like the cheese wurst at Comiskey/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate Field. As semi-edible space age polymers go, it’s among the top ten…