A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[illinoisredsox]

No idea.

 

With Grissom coming back and Valdez having an option left, I will be surprised if Enmanuel is not demoted to Worcester.

 

But the Sox could have simply demoted Hamilton and kept Reyes around as the utility infielder. He doesn't excel in any aspect of the game, but he is better at Hamilton than everything except baserunning.

 

Maybe Cora wants Hamilton around to be the occasional ghost runner?

 

It will come down to which of Hamilton or Valdez might possibly improve playing in AAA. Hamilton is a couple years older, so it’s less likely he would, so I’m guessing Valdez will go down when Grissom is activated tomorrow.

 

I frankly thought both would go; a bit surprised at Reyes since he can also serve as the 14th pitcher LOL.

[mvp 78]

I doubt December's Rule 5 eligibility will come into play, if we choose to add a player or two to our 40 man roster from within our system, but here are some ML ready or near MLB-ready players on our farm, who are Rule 5 eligible, this December:

 

Jordan & Kavadas (DFA Dalbec?)

Yorke and Paulino

Fitts & Gambrell

 

Can't add them to the 40 man this year as it would reduce the amount of CONTROL the team has over them!

 

I don't think anyone would take Paulino or Gambrell in the Rule 5 draft. Probably not Jordan either.

[mvp 78]

It will come down to which of Hamilton or Valdez might possibly improve playing in AAA. Hamilton is a couple years older, so it’s less likely he would, so I’m guessing Valdez will go down when Grissom is activated tomorrow.

 

I frankly thought both would go; a bit surprised at Reyes since he can also serve as the 14th pitcher LOL.

 

Not sure either is going to improve much with another stint in AAA. Valdez is a lost cause in the field. Hamilton is just a lost cause.

[moonslav59]

Can't add them to the 40 man this year as it would reduce the amount of CONTROL the team has over them!

 

I don't think anyone would take Paulino or Gambrell in the Rule 5 draft. Probably not Jordan either.

 

I did not realize a year was lost, but doesn't it for any farm hand we add?

[moonslav59]

It will come down to which of Hamilton or Valdez might possibly improve playing in AAA. Hamilton is a couple years older, so it’s less likely he would, so I’m guessing Valdez will go down when Grissom is activated tomorrow.

 

I frankly thought both would go; a bit surprised at Reyes since he can also serve as the 14th pitcher LOL.

 

It seems like DHam's only skill is baserunning. To me, he should be the first infielder to DFA after Reyes.

 

I've not given up an Valdez's bat, but since his D sucks so badly, I doubt he can ever hit well enough to DH, and who wants a platoon DH?

 

Romy might be the best one to keep for 2024, assuming he gets healthy, soon.

 

I'd still like to see us add a SS to the 40- from outside the system.

[mvp 78]

I did not realize a year was lost, but doesn't it for any farm hand we add?

 

Yes! They shouldn't add anyone to the 40 man. That way it won't reduce anyone's CONTROL.

[mvp 78]

It seems like DHam's only skill is baserunning. To me, he should be the first infielder to DFA after Reyes.

 

I've not given up an Valdez's bat, but since his D sucks so badly, I doubt he can ever hit well enough to DH, and who wants a platoon DH?

 

Romy might be the best one to keep for 2024, assuming he gets healthy, soon.

 

I'd still like to see us add a SS to the 40- from outside the system.

 

DFA List (in order):

 

Hamilton

Dalbec

Guttierez

Mata

Valdez

Uwasawa

Walter

Anderson

[moonslav59]

DFA List (in order):

 

Hamilton

Dalbec

Guttierez

Mata

Valdez

Uwasawa

Walter

Anderson

 

Not a bad order.

 

We might be able to move mata to the 60 day and keep him in the mix a while longer.... not that we are at some major 40 man roster crunch period, right now.

 

For argument's sake, let's assume we DFA the top 5 guys (except add Mata to 60 day IL) and replace them with only in-system players, as well as add two more to make 40.

 

Here is my call:

39th slot: Eddy Alvarez

40th slot: Luis Guerrero

Hamilton> Westbrook

Dalbec > Kavadas

Guttierez > Fitts

Mata > to 60 day IL

Valdez> Benitez

[Bellhorn04]

I thought I was a baseball nut until I ran into you guys.

[notin]

DFA List (in order):

 

Hamilton

Dalbec

Guttierez

Mata

Valdez

Uwasawa

Walter

Anderson

 

I think Gutierrez is being underestimated. He’s not much of an SP, but he’s being used as an RP in Worcester. It’s a change that might agree with him…

[notin]

I thought I was a baseball nut until I ran into you guys.

 

I’m more of an addict than a nut…

[moonslav59]

I’m more of an addict than a nut…

 

Baseball is part of my OCD.

[Duran Is The Man]

I thought I was a baseball nut until I ran into you guys.

 

arguing over the 40th man. that's nuts with sprinkles on top.

[Larry Cook]

arguing over the 40th man. that's nuts with sprinkles on top.

 

At the rate our guys are dropping, I think the 40th man is very relevant

[Hugh2]

Weird, I think Hamilton might be a DFA candidate over Valdez, but I think Valdez would be sent down before Hamilton. Hamilton doesn't have as high of a ceiling but he adds more value to this roster with Grissom back than Valdez does. Valdez is pretty much a bat first platoon player. Hamilton can play all over the diamond, not particular well put you can plug up a hole when you really need someone. He also has 80 elite speed. With Grissom/Rafaela up the middle what is valdez? a bench/utility guy who can't field and can't hit lefties?

[Hugh2]

At the rate our guys are dropping, I think the 40th man is very relevant

 

Not really, because eventually guys come back from injury then you run the risk of having to dfa guys and losing them. If anything the 40 man becomes much more relevant. You have to make a decision of adding a guy like Tyler Heinamen over Kavadas so you don't DFA someone. It also puts pressure on teams moving guys from the 15 day to the 60 day prematurely to prevent losses

[moonslav59]

At the rate our guys are dropping, I think the 40th man is very relevant

 

I think we are already at #44 or #45, with more sure to come.

Edited April 30, 2024 by moonslav59

[moonslav59]

Weird, I think Hamilton might be a DFA candidate over Valdez, but I think Valdez would be sent down before Hamilton. Hamilton doesn't have as high of a ceiling but he adds more value to this roster with Grissom back than Valdez does. Valdez is pretty much a bat first platoon player. Hamilton can play all over the diamond, not particular well put you can plug up a hole when you really need someone. He also has 80 elite speed. With Grissom/Rafaela up the middle what is valdez? a bench/utility guy who can't field and can't hit lefties?

 

Agreed, DHam does fit our immediate needs more than Valdez. (If Valdez was hitting .775, we might think otherwise.

 

When Romy gets back, a choice will be made, again.

[moonslav59]

We've added players to the 40, already and all played in the bigs or will soon.

 

Uwasawa

Gutierrez

Booser

Cooper

 

The "40th" guy will play more than guys like Wikelman, Perales and probably Mata.

[Hugh2]

What is absolutely EFFING insane is how much the narrative this offseason was about fixing the pitching. That was the one thing we all agreed about and both sides around these parts agreed the Sox had done little to nothing to address it.

 

Yet here we are, with a rotation that's effectively at the momement our 5th starter through 9th starter option coming into opening day and are pitching is shutting down teams and keeping us in games.

 

I don't think they're going to hold up quite this well all year round but it's certianly a testament to the growth these young guys have made and to the coaching staff this year.

 

Now bring in the Breslow/Bailey equivalent for a strength and conditioning coach.

[Hugh2]

I'm not saying any of these guys can help us now, I'm not saying they can't nor am I saying they may or may not be useful later in the season but here is a list of some interesting names that will need to be added to the 40 man this december.

 

Often times, when these guys are knocking on the door they get brought up late in the season for a look, which makes sense when trying to decide if a guy is worth protecting. Some of these guys could play there way up to Boston this year, fall off a cliff (figuratively) or be traded.

 

Dick Fitts

Nick Yorke

Blaze Jordan

Nathan Hickey

Christopher Troye

Nick Sogard

Grant Gambrell

Luis Guerrero

Eddison Paulino

[moonslav59]

What is absolutely EFFING insane is how much the narrative this offseason was about fixing the pitching. That was the one thing we all agreed about and both sides around these parts agreed the Sox had done little to nothing to address it.

 

Yet here we are, with a rotation that's effectively at the momement our 5th starter through 9th starter option coming into opening day and are pitching is shutting down teams and keeping us in games.

 

I don't think they're going to hold up quite this well all year round but it's certianly a testament to the growth these young guys have made and to the coaching staff this year.

 

Now bring in the Breslow/Bailey equivalent for a strength and conditioning coach.

 

Well said, and I will take it one step further: since 2020, we've complained about our pitching, and for maybe a decade we have complained about how bad our farm system is at producing quality pitchers, especially SP'ers. While guys like Pivetta, Slaten, Whitlock and Winckowski saw all or much of their minor league development in other farm systems, we got 3 (Slaten, Whit & Wink) as prospects and Pivetta, who was still pre-arb. I think Bernardino was still technically a prospect, when we got him, too.

 

These came from our system:

Bello

Houck

Crawford

 

Kelly

Murphy

Walter

Wikelman

Perales

 

Acquired as prospects:

Whitlock

Slaten

Wink

Bernardino

 

I said this, a while ago, this may not be great in house production, but it's better than we've seen in a decade.

 

[moonslav59]

I'm not saying any of these guys can help us now, I'm not saying they can't nor am I saying they may or may not be useful later in the season but here is a list of some interesting names that will need to be added to the 40 man this december.

 

Often times, when these guys are knocking on the door they get brought up late in the season for a look, which makes sense when trying to decide if a guy is worth protecting. Some of these guys could play there way up to Boston this year, fall off a cliff (figuratively) or be traded.

 

Dick Fitts

Nick Yorke

Blaze Jordan

Nathan Hickey

Christopher Troye

Nick Sogard

Grant Gambrell

Luis Guerrero

Eddison Paulino

 

I'd add Benitez, Meidroth, Kavadas and maybe a non prospect like Luetge.

[Bellhorn04]

Well said, and I will take it one step further: since 2020, we've complained about our pitching, and for maybe a decade we have complained about how bad our farm system is at producing quality pitchers, especially SP'ers. While guys like Pivetta, Slaten, Whitlock and Winckowski saw all or much of their minor league development in other farm systems, we got 3 (Slaten, Whit & Wink) as prospects and Pivetta, who was still pre-arb. I think Bernardino was still technically a prospect, when we got him, too.

 

You will go to your grave insisting Bernardino was a prospect when we got him.

[mvp 78]

I think Gutierrez is being underestimated. He’s not much of an SP, but he’s being used as an RP in Worcester. It’s a change that might agree with him…

 

High walk rate, stuff is whatever. I don't think there's a high ceiling for him. He's already 29.

[mvp 78]

At the rate our guys are dropping, I think the 40th man is very relevant

 

We're using every man available this year.

[mvp 78]

Weird, I think Hamilton might be a DFA candidate over Valdez, but I think Valdez would be sent down before Hamilton. Hamilton doesn't have as high of a ceiling but he adds more value to this roster with Grissom back than Valdez does. Valdez is pretty much a bat first platoon player. Hamilton can play all over the diamond, not particular well put you can plug up a hole when you really need someone. He also has 80 elite speed. With Grissom/Rafaela up the middle what is valdez? a bench/utility guy who can't field and can't hit lefties?

 

I have Hamilton as my first guy to be DFA'd. He has value to a contending team that can stash him on the bench. That's not what the Sox need right now. He's a wasted roster spot for them because he just can't play defense. They need guys with more than just speed as a tool.

[Hugh2]

Well said, and I will take it one step further: since 2020, we've complained about our pitching, and for maybe a decade we have complained about how bad our farm system is at producing quality pitchers, especially SP'ers. While guys like Pivetta, Slaten, Whitlock and Winckowski saw all or much of their minor league development in other farm systems, we got 3 (Slaten, Whit & Wink) as prospects and Pivetta, who was still pre-arb. I think Bernardino was still technically a prospect, when we got him, too.

 

These came from our system:

Bello

Houck

Crawford

 

Kelly

Murphy

Walter

Wikelman

Perales

 

Acquired as prospects:

Whitlock

Slaten

Wink

Bernardino

 

I said this, a while ago, this may not be great in house production, but it's better than we've seen in a decade.

 

 

The Soxprospects podcast talked about this on their latest episode. Given the new Bailey/Breslow battery at the top of the organization and the good amount of depth they have on the position side in the farm system it makes sense that we may actually see a very pitch heavy draft this year.

 

That's quite the prediction given the recent trend.

[notin]

We're using every man available this year.

 

Tyler Heineman got called up because among position players, he was the last man standing.

 

Then he got hurt…

[mvp 78]

I'm not saying any of these guys can help us now, I'm not saying they can't nor am I saying they may or may not be useful later in the season but here is a list of some interesting names that will need to be added to the 40 man this december.

 

Often times, when these guys are knocking on the door they get brought up late in the season for a look, which makes sense when trying to decide if a guy is worth protecting. Some of these guys could play there way up to Boston this year, fall off a cliff (figuratively) or be traded.

 

Dick Fitts

Nick Yorke

Blaze Jordan

Nathan Hickey

Christopher Troye

Nick Sogard

Grant Gambrell

Luis Guerrero

Eddison Paulino

 

Fitts - maybe

Gambrell - maybe

Guerrero - maybe

 

All the other guys are either further away or are too one dimensional to add to the 40 man roster this year. They made a mistake in adding Hamilton to the 40 man last year and now they are stuck with using him. They shouldn't do the same thing with Hickey, Jordan or Yorke until they are forced to add them due to Rule 5 restrictions.

 

Sogard is really just an org guy. He's this year's Fitzy. Not sure if he get added.