Red Sox: Off Season '23-'24

[notin]

It's not, but normally, that happens when the team looks like it improved on paper- not always, but usually.

 

Yes, the winter moves are not over. I'm not broken up over losing Sale, Dugo and Urias. (I expected the last two might happen.)

 

Losing JT and Duvall is pretty significant, and maybe O'Neill and Grissom can make up for that (or upticks from more players than not.)

 

Losing Sale and Paxton may seem like a plus, but their GS'd ranked 4th and 5th and 39 GS is almost 1/4th the total. Giolito is known for starting 30+ games a year, so that comes close to matching the 39 GS lost and 199 IP, too.

 

The rest of the players lost look to be addition by subtraction, and our depth looks good enough, so we can expect improving on their numbers.

 

About 200 PAs by Urias and Tapia at .700.

About 650+ PAs of sub .640 OPS by the others lost, combined.

Kluber, Bleier, Llovera, Ort, Brasier and others combined for a putrid 150+ IP.

Hopefully, we see just 0-5 IP from the likes of Jacques, but there is no guarantee Campbell, Criswell, Mata, Slaten, and others do better. How well will Schreiber and Bernardino do? Were they just "flashes?" Hell, soxprospects has Wink starting in AAA, so that is a sign our pitching depth is pretty good, but again, to me it looks a lot like we are repeating the quantity over quality plan, over and over, with the same results.

 

Maybe as spring approaches my optimism will return, but I think I'll need a big boost or two with some significant additions by then.

 

 

The notion that “we lost X and Y and didn’t replace them” feels disingenuine, especially when for other teams, you highlighted unknown rookies and counted players returning from injury. Is the Sox team better or worse than last year?

 

C, 1b and 3b maintain status quo. Casas and/or Wong might improve, but we can ignore that for now.

 

2b and SS. Are Story/Grissom better or worse than the Kike/Arroyo/Reyes/Chang/Urias/Turner/other squad that attempted to defend the middle of the diamond last year?

 

OF - is the Duran/Rafaela/O’Neil outfield (or O’Neil/Duran/Abreu) better or worse than the Yoshida/Duvall(Duran)/Verdugo outfield from last year? Certainly better defensively. Offensively?

 

DH - Yoshida is a likely step down from Turner. But I certainly hope he can improve markedly.

 

Bullpen - hopefully the same.

 

Rotation - is this rotation better or worse than last year? I think it’s already deeper. But as of today, Houck is a likely starter. If Houck can get pushed back to the bullpen, this whole staff might be noticeably better…

Edited January 6, 2024 by notin

[Larry Cook]

Are the dodgers really interested in trading for yoshida????

[moonslav59]

The notion that “we lost X and Y and didn’t replace them” feels disingenuine, especially when for other teams, you highlighted unknown rookies and counted players returning from injury. Is the Sox team better or worse than last year?

 

C, 1b and 3b maintain status quo. Casas and/or Wong might improve, but we can ignore that for now.

 

2b and SS. Are Story/Grissom better or worse than the Kike/Arroyo/Reyes/Chang/Urias/Turner/other squad that attempted to defend the middle of the diamond last year?

 

OF - is the Duran/Rafaela/O’Neil outfield better or worse than the Anastasia/Duvall(Duran)/Verdugo outfield from last year? Certainly better defensively. Offensively?

 

DH - Yoshida is a likely step down from Turner. But I certainly hope he can improve markedly.

 

Bullpen - hopefully the same.

 

Rotation - is this rotation better or worse than last year? I think it’s already deeper. But as of today, Houck is a likely starter. If Houck can get pushed back to the bullpen, this whole staff might be noticeably better…

 

Good points, and I did say Giolito probably equals Paxton + Sale, but the rotation was our big weakness, and looks no better, on paper, IMO.

 

I do think it is natural to compare last year's team to what we think this year's team looks like to see if we can expect better, about the same, or worse. Of course, nothing is for certain.

 

I think I have reason to not be optimistic, right now. I do realize the winter is not over.

[moonslav59]

Are the dodgers really interested in trading for yoshida????

 

Hard to know. They did lose JD. It might depend on what we pay and or expect back.

 

I'm not sure who wants him, assuming at a discount rate, at some degree.

[jad]

LAD will never trade with Boston, knowing how they got fleeced the last time.

[moonslav59]

lad will never trade with boston, knowing how they got fleeced the last time.

 

lol!

.

[notin]

LAD will never trade with Boston, knowing how they got fleeced the last time.

 

Last time?

 

When we stuck them with Kike Hernandez for two non-descript minor league pitchers?

 

Yeah they’re fuming about that deal…

[jad]

How did RS PR employees get on this site?

[moonslav59]

How did RS PR employees get on this site?

 

Who are you talking about?

 

Don't be shy: name names.

[Old Red]

Who are you talking about?

 

Don't be shy: name names.

 

🙈🤭🤮!

[jad]

My contract with John Henry has a non-disclosure clause.

[moonslav59]

My contract with John Henry has a non-disclosure clause.

 

So, you are the Sox PR employee!

 

Classic!

[moonslav59]

My contract with John Henry has a non-disclosure clause.

 

To me, there seems to be 3-4 higher level posters who seem more optimistic than the rest of us, and I don't see any of them defending JH & Co., especially on budget issues. notin has spoken of the high risk of spending on big FA pitchers, and what he said is 100% true, but he's not defending JH on spending. He wanted him to sign Gray.

 

That hardly looks like an apologist.

[jacksonianmarch]

Honestly, Tony Mazz posted an op piece about Henry selling and he made a ton of good points. I would not be surprised if Henry moves on

[jad]

Honestly, Tony Mazz posted an op piece about Henry selling and he made a ton of good points. I would not be surprised if Henry moves on

 

Here's something on which we can all agree!

[moonslav59]

Yanks are looking into a trade for Beiber or Luzardo.

 

How does Miami do it, with these SP'ers?

 

They traded Pablo Lopez and still have...

 

Alcantara

Eury Perez

Luzardo

Garrett

Rogers

E Cabrera

 

We need to try and get the guys running the Miami farm system machine.

[notin]

Yanks are looking into a trade for Beiber or Luzardo.

 

How does Miami do it, with these SP'ers?

 

They traded Pablo Lopez and still have...

 

Alcantara

Eury Perez

Luzardo

Garrett

Rogers

E Cabrera

 

We need to try and get the guys running the Miami farm system machine.

 

They did well drafting Garrett and Rogers (both high schoolers taken in the first round), and signing Cabrera and Perez. But Luzardo was acquired in a trade for Starling Marte, and Alcantara was acquired in a trade of JT Realmuto (a deal that also netted Miami the mega-talented but oft-injured Sixto Sanchez)…

[moonslav59]

They did well drafting Garrett and Rogers (both high schoolers taken in the first round), and signing Cabrera and Perez. But Luzardo was acquired in a trade for Starling Marte, and Alcantara was acquired in a trade of JT Realmuto (a deal that also netted Miami the mega-talented but oft-injured Sixto Sanchez)…

 

A nice mix of how they acquired all 7.

 

Lopez was acquired in a trade for David Phelps.

 

3 by trade

2 by draft

2 by IFA

[Old Red]

Teoscar to the Dodgers. Another one got away. 1yr $23.5M.

[Hugh2]

Teoscar to the Dodgers. Another one got away. 1yr $23.5M.

 

Did we really need another left fielder with a declining bat?

[Hugh2]

Teoscar to the Dodgers. Another one got away. 1yr $23.5M.

 

Looks like we are going Soler anyways. Who knows where he plays

[Randy Red Sox]

Looks like we are going Soler anyways. Who knows where he plays

 

yeah sure we are just like all the others

[Dipre]

I don't get the fuss about Teoscar. Good riddance.

[Hugh2]

yeah sure we are just like all the others

 

I’m just not sure Fenway gets enough sunlight to go Solar.

[notin]

Looks like we are going Soler anyways. Who knows where he plays

 

Much rather bring back Duvall…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Probably not a ton of Red Sox fans today broken up that Teoscar chose LA over Boston. There's still a major void in the batting order for right-handed power in Fenway, but few on the forum will miss seeing another mediocre fielder with a 35% K-rate.

 

What should be of concern are reports that THern took a one-year deal for almost as much as the Sox offered him for two years. The Dodgers are clearly the definition of "all-in" this winter; Tom and Sam take note. Playing in better weather for a winner may not matter to players as much as some posters would like, but those factors can't hurt, either.

[Hugh2]

Much rather bring back Duvall…

 

I can't blame you, but Solers highs and have been higher, and he bounced back really good last year when he started DHing more. I wonder if the Sox view Jorge more as a DH now.

[Hugh2]

Probably not a ton of Red Sox fans today broken up that Teoscar chose LA over Boston. There's still a major void in the batting order for right-handed power in Fenway, but few on the forum will miss seeing another mediocre fielder with a 35% K-rate.

 

What should be of concern are reports that THern took a one-year deal for almost as much as the Sox offered him for two years. The Dodgers are clearly the definition of "all-in" this winter; Tom and Sam take note. Playing in better weather for a winner may not matter to players as much as some posters would like, but those factors can't hurt, either.

 

What about what other teams were offering him?

[mvp 78]

Looks like we are going Soler anyways. Who knows where he plays

 

Yuck.

[mvp 78]

I don't get the fuss about Teoscar. Good riddance.

 

Sox offered 2/28M. That would have been fine. I get the Sox not matching the Dodgers offer if Henry has a budget well under the CBT.