Red Sox: Off Season 2024-2025

[notin]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

I think MIA will hold off trading Alcantara, in hopes he rebounds and builds up his trade value by the deadline or next winter.

The counter argument is they might want to move him ASAP just in case he gets hurt again.  Or sucks.

 

Hes a 29yo Cy Young winner with multiple years of relatively cheap control.  How much more  value can he add?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

23 minutes ago, sk7326 said:

I'll play

C: Wong obviously has played well.  Maybe keep Teel at AAA and add some veteran flotsam.  At the same time, with Teel being a LHB, doing the platoon thing is fine.

1B: Casas is worth extending

2B: Grissom at least looked in September like a big league caliber something.  Campbell is fascinating, but he made such a leap so quickly keeping him at AAA is perfectly okay.

3B: Devers

SS: Story.  Probably can't trade him for a good return. But he had a solid season when he was healthy, and I do admire the leadership he showed actually working to come back this season.

CF: Rafaela.  Maybe he will learn how to take an extra pitch or two, but the defense in CF could be elite.

LF: Duran is a terrific player.  I'd be tempted to sell high though.  

RF: Could be Anthony.  Could be Abreu with a platoon partner.  Abreu is another guy I'd consider in trade.

SP: Honestly, my first call would be to Miami to see what it would take to land Sandy Alcantara.  Yes, he is coming off TJS but might be worth taking the plunge anyway.  His deal is good for a top starter.  The free agent crop for pitching is meh.  They can also look to the White Sox as well for Garret Crochet, but I am not sure there is a price match, unless they are willing to move Mayer. (and to me that is dependent on how the team views his medicals)

All feasible -- good effort. 

I agree if there's a trade, it will include Duran or Abreu. 

I disagree Wong is definitely back. I have nothing against him, but Breslow has no loyalty to Wong, either -- the last vestige of the Mookie deal. Plus, if Brez and Co. really rely as much on analytics as the media says they do, then Wong as Boston's catcher has a looming expiration date. 

[moonslav59]

Wong was the worst defensive catcher in MLB according to some metrics.

He was a plus for batting among catchers, but I think they view him as Teel's eventual back-up who could play 1B or 2B, if needed, and maybe even DH some, if his bat tool improves.

He was 26th in Catcher fWAR at 1.7. Since much of fWAR is based on more playing time, his being 13th in PAs by a catcher and 26th ranked is very concerning, to me.

That being said, I think we may just add a decent defensive catcher on a 1 year deal to "bridge" to Teel in 2026.

 

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I think MIA will hold off trading Alcantara, in hopes he rebounds and builds up his trade value by the deadline or next winter.

That's why you make a generous offer that is above what he may be currently worth coming off injury. 

[moonslav59]

42 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

That's why you make a generous offer that is above what he may be currently worth coming off injury. 

What might that be? Mayer, Abreu and Dobbins?

[mvp 78]

38 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

What might that be? Mayer, Abreu and Dobbins?

IDK. It seems like enough? We talk trades all the time, but none of us are experts. Something like that I guess. 

[Old Red]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

IDK. It seems like enough? We talk trades all the time, but none of us are experts. Something like that I guess. 

I’d be shocked if Mayer gets traded. He’s been pretty much the chosen one since he was drafted. I could see Duran going before Mayer. I don’t put ANYTHING into trade predictions, suggestions, or opinions on here. Last year Masa, Story, Martin, and Jansen were all being traded at one time, but they all stayed. 

[moonslav59]

15 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

IDK. It seems like enough? We talk trades all the time, but none of us are experts. Something like that I guess. 

It's a total guess, and the odds of us ever getting one even close to being accurate are super long.

I do think we will need to part with a top prospect to get an ace, and to me, Mayer seems more likely than Anthony. When it comes to Campbell vs Mayer gets the nod for being able to play SS better, but Campbell is the RHB who appears to stay healthier over a tiny sample size. I'd keep Campbell, between the two. I think we have to keep the catcher: Teel. Wong is not good, defensively, and catchers are so hard to find. We already have Arias, Romero and others in the system that may play SS in the future.

Mayer makes the most sense to me, and his frequent injuries make me suggest he be traded over the other 3.

(That may also hurt the chances another GM takes him over the others, but some GM likely values him more, or they just plain need a SS.)

[mvp 78]

12 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I’d be shocked if Mayer gets traded. He’s been pretty much the chosen one since he was drafted. I could see Duran going before Mayer. I don’t put ANYTHING into trade predictions, suggestions, or opinions on here. Last year Masa, Story, Martin, and Jansen were all being traded at one time, but they all stayed. 

People projected Verdugo getting traded and HE GONE! 🤷‍♀️

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

People projected Verdugo getting traded and HE GONE! 🤷‍♀️

Also, I think many thought it probable and said they felt Mookie would be traded.

 

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Also, I think many thought it probable and said they felt Mookie would be traded.

 

Yup! It was a kick in the groin that we saw coming for a long time. 

[notin]

20 minutes ago, Old Red said:

I’d be shocked if Mayer gets traded. He’s been pretty much the chosen one since he was drafted. I could see Duran going before Mayer. I don’t put ANYTHING into trade predictions, suggestions, or opinions on here. Last year Masa, Story, Martin, and Jansen were all being traded at one time, but they all stayed. 

Mayer lost his Chosen One status to Roman Anthony.  This didn’t mean he’s expendable, however.  I think Story’s questionable attendance makes him more important than many other prospects…

[notin]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Also, I think many thought it probable and said they felt Mookie would be traded.

 

There was Mookie trade speculation in the press back as far as mid-2019…

[moonslav59]

Just now, notin said:

Mayer lost his Chosen One status to Roman Anthony.  This didn’t mean he’s expendable, however.  I think Story’s questionable attendance makes him more important than many other prospects…

He's been injured almost as much as Story.

If Campbell could play SS, well, they'd keep him over Mayer for sure.

The timetable on Arias and Romero might play a role in the choice, too.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, notin said:

There was Mookie trade speculation in the press back as far as mid-2019…

True. I will say, I don't remember hearing about DD almost trading Betts, until much later.

[notin]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

He's been injured almost as much as Story.

If Campbell could play SS, well, they'd keep him over Mayer for sure.

The timetable on Arias and Romero might play a role in the choice, too.

If Mayer’s issues are injuries, Romero is hardly the alternative.  And Arias is 18 and in A ball…

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

Mayer lost his Chosen One status to Roman Anthony.  This didn’t mean he’s expendable, however.  I think Story’s questionable attendance makes him more important than many other prospects…

I know Anthony has over taken Mayer now, but Mayer was bigger when he was drafted even though 3 teams passed on him, and Mayer fell in to Bloom’s lap. He has lost valuable developmental time the last two years though. Either way I’d still be shocked if he gets traded.

[notin]

12 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

He's been injured almost as much as Story.

If Campbell could play SS, well, they'd keep him over Mayer for sure.

The timetable on Arias and Romero might play a role in the choice, too.

Story has played in roughly 33% of the Sox games over the past 3 years.  Mayer has played in about 60%.

 

Mayer gets injured too much, but he’s no Story…

[Old Red]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

Story has played in roughly 33% of the Sox games over the past 3 years.  Mayer has played in about 60%.

 

Mayer gets injured too much, but he’s no Story…

Story needs a change of scenery too just like Sale to get away from that bad Boston Ju Ju.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, notin said:

If Mayer’s issues are injuries, Romero is hardly the alternative.  And Arias is 18 and in A ball…

Good points.

Meidroth will not be our FT SS.

Cespedes probably won't be, either, and certainly not in the next 2-3 years.

Counting on Story is getting frustrating. Knowing our luck, Story and mayer will always beinjured at the same exact times.

[moonslav59]

27 minutes ago, notin said:

Story has played in roughly 33% of the Sox games over the past 3 years.  Mayer has played in about 60%.

 

Mayer gets injured too much, but he’s no Story…

They both seem just as scary, to me.

[Duran Is The Man]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

What might that be? Mayer, Abreu and Dobbins?

we need to include Yoshida in this deal for Alcantara somehow.

[sk7326]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

I think they'll continue to discuss an extension this offseason with Casas. We'll see if they get very far.

Nothing else to say about Devers? Must not be a very interesting player!

Rafaela will not learn to take an extra pitch or two anytime soon. He is what he is. He'll peak at 750 OPS IMO. We saw the good and the bad with him this year. He'll be better if just left in CF.

Alcantara is a good flier for potential ace. Crochet is probably too expensive still IMO. I'd be willing to move Mayer in a Crochet deal. Would Chicago rather Duran (you mentioned his potential trade availability)? 

I have zero illusions about Rafaela turning into Yook ... but I do think there is at least some upside in swinging at more strikes.  He is fun - and doesn't need to be amazeballs with the CF defense as you note. 

[sk7326]

7 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

we need to include Yoshida in this deal for Alcantara somehow.

Yoshida is going to be hard to move.  That said, he is useful for what he is ... you just sort of have to overlook the contract and live with the player.  

[notin]

1 minute ago, sk7326 said:

Yoshida is going to be hard to move.  That said, he is useful for what he is ... you just sort of have to overlook the contract and live with the player.  

Yoshida is having shoulder surgery this off-season.  He will be extremely difficult to move.  Most likely scenario is he is DHing in Boston for a another season…

[Duran Is The Man]

Just now, notin said:

Yoshida is having shoulder surgery this off-season.  He will be extremely difficult to move.  Most likely scenario is he is DHing in Boston for a another season…

i like the idea that someone else posted earlier about trading him to St. Louis.

[moonslav59]

Trading Yoshida, this winter, would probably cost us $10-13M out of the $18M salary, every year. That's $30-4oM out of the $54M still owed him.

It could still be worth it, if JH doesn't just pocket the savings, since I think we can match or beat Yoshida's projected numbers (.740-.780) with some sort of mix of our bench and platoon players, like Refsnyder, Abreu (if Anthony makes the 26,) E Valdez, DHam or maybe Campbell or Meidroth.

Waiting until Yoshida is healthy might increase the return, but I'm not sure waiting makes more sense. He'll take up a roster slot and keep a possible better hitter on the farm.

With the $5-7M "saved," we could sign another RP'er or add it to an offer for a SP'er and get a better one.

 

[Larry Cook]

We ended the year second in blown saves in 2024! There are a couple of free agents that can help us because relying on Hendricks is very scary now 

[mvp 78]

16 hours ago, notin said:

If Mayer’s issues are injuries, Romero is hardly the alternative.  And Arias is 18 and in A ball…

It's not the reason you're trading him, it's the reason he's not untouchable. 

[mvp 78]

9 hours ago, Larry Cook said:

We ended the year second in blown saves in 2024! There are a couple of free agents that can help us because relying on Hendricks is very scary now 

Blown saves aren't always on the closer. The Sox had 31 BS, but only 4 were from Kenley. Martin, Slaten and Weissert also had 4. If we go by BS/G, the leaders were Sims, Campbell and Horn.