Article: Free Agents the Red Sox Should Reunite with...and Some They Shouldn’t

[mvp 78]

2 hours ago, notin said:

So… last year’s lineup vs LHP but without O’Neill’s 1.200 OPS? Not sure why Rafaela’s .610 OPS vs LHP is considered part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Also, Cora won’t re-arrange the OF vs LHP just to get Ref out of RF.  Just like he didn’t last year. 

He rearranged the OF all the time last year. Duran had 800 innings in CF and 600 in LF. O'Neill had 500 in LF and 300 in RF. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

12 minutes ago, notin said:

Hamilton, if he isn’t traded, is probably limited to a bench role and his speed will come in handy as a pinch runner for ghosts…

... such a translucent role.

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Agree on the line-up, if they all just deliver at competent levels (not necessarily superstar expectations).

We may like Campbell at clean-up to protect Devers, and maybe Casas can wear out pitchers with obstinate selectivity so they make more mistakes when they get to Raffy (thinking Soto-Judge last year)... 

I'd also bat Yoshida in front of Abreu, since Masa makes more consistent contact to keep the line moving.

As for that "extra year" of service time -- I've said this before -- I wonder how many players nowadays are even still on the same team that originally promoted them to the majors, five years later? An even better point: how much more money are we even talking about -- if a player is that good, on a MAJOR MARKET CLUB THAT CAN AFFORD HIM, wouldn't he 1. be well worth the extra year's salary, or hopefully 2. be already extended as a keeper, well beyond that pivotal year?

I think more players on on their same team, until their control runs out than not. Maybe they are traded with 1 year left, and imagine what we could get for an all star, if one does well.

Look, I'm all for starting Anthony and Campbell, opening day. Spend the money on Scott- not Bregman or Arenado. Keep Casas.

I'm only presenting how I think JH, Brez & Co are approaching the situation.

I also think the secondary motivation is to see what we have with DHam, Grissom, Romy, Abreu, Rafaela and even Yoshida (healthwise,) before squeezing them into lower value trade chips. The main reason is to save money.

We may go cheap: trade Abreu for a catcher and or RP'er. Sign Grichuk and Finnegan, if Abreu is dealt for a catcher, and wait for the day they can call the kids up. This is who they are.

On the line-up: I like the Yoshida flip, but the 4 slot is for Devers, unless he is batting second.