Sox trade Mayer to Giants for Erik Miller

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, Hugh2 said:

Maybe he was traded for to strike Ohtani out during the world series. 

Dude!  You nailed it!

[JoeBrady]

23 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Are you saying that rankings aren’t all their cracked up to be?

Rankings and ratings are two different things.  If you have a bad draft class, you could be ranked #1, but rated #100 in the minors.

[mvp 78]

56 minutes ago, Old Red said:

like I said earlier I think he had just worn out his welcome finally as he had with Cora earlier.

There is nothing that changed with his attitude or on the field output from '25 to '26. He's the same guy. It just seems like they were willing to ignore everything in the offseason when a very good player could have been had. IDK. Seems like a missed opportunity.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Seems like a missed opportunity.

All failed prospects are a missed opportunity.  That's the cost of doing business.  But there was nothing in his resume that suggested we should trade him at the end of 2025.  A .674 OPS for a 22 year old rookie, with a good glove and SS skills, is fine.  Good bat speed and EV.

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, JoeBrady said:

All failed prospects are a missed opportunity.  That's the cost of doing business.  But there was nothing in his resume that suggested we should trade him at the end of 2025.  A .674 OPS for a 22 year old rookie, with a good glove and SS skills, is fine.  Good bat speed and EV.

If their valuation changed that much after half a season, they are made a mistake one way or the other. They either overvalued him before or are undervaluing him now. He cut his k rate down by 10%. 

What is in Eyanson's resume that suggests they should trade him? Witherspoon? Azocar? 

[sk7326]

This was a pretty indefensible trade.  If you were going to just get a rando reliever who likely was not going to help this 2026 team - just keep him and see if you can extract some improvement or whatever.  

The Giants are getting basically a free look at a 23 year old.  Someone might have to teach him how to hande offspeed stuff or not shatter into a thousand pieces ... but even a 10% chance of him hitting was more than sufficient for the Giants to do this for that price. 

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, sk7326 said:

This was a pretty indefensible trade.  If you were going to just get a rando reliever who likely was not going to help this 2026 team - just keep him and see if you can extract some improvement or whatever.  

The Giants are getting basically a free look at a 23 year old.  Someone might have to teach him how to hande offspeed stuff or not shatter into a thousand pieces ... but even a 10% chance of him hitting was more than sufficient for the Giants to do this for that price. 

Why won't Miller help this team? I think he could be pretty great TBH. 

[sk7326]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

If their valuation changed that much after half a season, they are made a mistake one way or the other. They either overvalued him before or are undervaluing him now. He cut his k rate down by 10%. 

What is in Eyanson's resume that suggests they should trade him? Witherspoon? Azocar? 

The only thing with Eyanson was that the velocity uptick he showed has receded ... and that could change the outcome from  like a 4th starter sort to a #2.  That said, he looks like a big leaguer and minor leaguers aren't hitting his slider at all.  

But yeah - this was a definite overpay, especially with Rutschman's recent medical history.  

That said, Rutschman - despite only playing 67 games, is 5th in WAR among all catchers.  When healthy (big if), he's very good.

[sk7326]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Why won't Miller help this team? I think he could be pretty great TBH. 

 He could help them - but I don't know if it will be over this stretch run considering his inability to throw strikes. 

[mvp 78]

Sox have been able to work on guys strike throwing. They can get their with Miller. No matter what, he's been a valuable arm. I'd rather have him out there than Weissert or the guys they've brought up from AAA. Is he in the Chappy/Whitlock/Slaten tier? Not yet. 

[mvp 78]

8 minutes ago, sk7326 said:

The only thing with Eyanson was that the velocity uptick he showed has receded ... and that could change the outcome from  like a 4th starter sort to a #2.  That said, he looks like a big leaguer and minor leaguers aren't hitting his slider at all.  

But yeah - this was a definite overpay, especially with Rutschman's recent medical history.  

That said, Rutschman - despite only playing 67 games, is 5th in WAR among all catchers.  When healthy (big if), he's very good.

I like Rutschman, I just wish he was healthy and had a longer contract. Sox gave up the 3rd, 10th and 12th best prospects dealt at the deadline for him. It was a substantial haul. He needs to make it worth their while. 

[Nick]

14 hours ago, vegasbob said:

Pure speculation but that what this site often contains:   Breslow traded Mayer for three primary reasons and a couple secondary thoughts.

1. Logjam in the infield , where Mayer would likely have to have been sent back to Worcester when IKF returns

   The 26 and 40 is crowded with infielders

2. The analysts decided that Mayer had shown enough that he does not have enough upside potential to warrant keeping .   His durability factor has always been a question.  He did not show a power bat , although the stress reaction ( hairline crack) in the arm may have held him back.

3. A part of the decision to move Marcelo relates to his influence on Anthony.  There is enough smoke around the duo's off field time around Boston to speculate that Breslow wanted Mayer out of the picture when Anthony returns. 

3.5  There is a need for a LH reliever in the BP

Not concerned at this time about him being gone.

Arias is our future SS. We can always buy a 2B. And we did trading for Meade.

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

There is nothing that changed with his attitude or on the field output from '25 to '26. He's the same guy. It just seems like they were willing to ignore everything in the offseason when a very good player could have been had. IDK. Seems like a missed opportunity.

What didn’t change was his ability to stay on the field either. He had a golden opportunity when Story went down.

[mvp 78]

Just now, Old Red said:

What didn’t change was his ability to stay on the field either. He had a golden opportunity when Story went down.

He's been injured every season since he showed up. Were we expecting something different? 🤷‍♂️

I said to trade him two offseasons ago because of it. Sox just really mistimed the trade. 

[JoeBrady]

14 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

What is in Eyanson's resume that suggests they should trade him? Witherspoon? Azocar? 

My amateur guess is:

• Eyanson was a #87 pick.  His reputation has increased quite a bit, despite having only 68 minor league innings.  His A+ results were outstanding, but his 11.3/4.3 K/W in AA, were good, but not great.
• Witherspoon had a 9.3/4.1 in A+.
• Azocar had a 55/16 K/W in A+.

[JoeBrady]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox have been able to work on guys strike throwing. They can get their with Miller. No matter what, he's been a valuable arm. I'd rather have him out there than Weissert or the guys they've brought up from AAA. Is he in the Chappy/Whitlock/Slaten tier? Not yet. 

Miller has provided FIPs of 3.67, 3.97, and 3.34, despite the control issues.  I see no reason why he cannot supply that going forward.  Plus he is a GB pitcher which helps at Fenway.

[mvp 78]

3 minutes ago, JoeBrady said:

Miller has provided FIPs of 3.67, 3.97, and 3.34, despite the control issues.  I see no reason why he cannot supply that going forward.  Plus he is a GB pitcher which helps at Fenway.

He really increased is splitter usage this season. Maybe they continue to move away from his 4 seamer and changeup which seem to just be chase pitches that nobody chases? Miller has a live arm. He should be fun to watch.

[Old Red]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He's been injured every season since he showed up. Were we expecting something different? 🤷‍♂️

I said to trade him two offseasons ago because of it. Sox just really mistimed the trade. 

I think the Sox were holding on to hope he turned out to what they thought he would be when they drafted him.

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, Old Red said:

I think the Sox were holding on to hope he turned out to what they thought he would be when they drafted him.

He still could be Brandon Crawford. That's the comp everyone has been saying for the past few years. He's still on that track.

[drewski6]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Sox have been able to work on guys strike throwing. They can get their with Miller. No matter what, he's been a valuable arm. I'd rather have him out there than Weissert or the guys they've brought up from AAA. Is he in the Chappy/Whitlock/Slaten tier? Not yet. 

I dont consider lefty closers as lefty specialists because you are saving chapman for the ninth , not picking his matchup.  But what if like 2 great hitting lefties are coming up in the seventh and the starter is out of the game.....I would think we would go to Erik Miller there, so he does add.  Also, he also has team control left.  Also, great point someone made (Breslow), in the postseason - the games are more spaced out, so a lefty like Miller can get into game after game after game.  IF a rival team has 2 great lefty hitters near each other in the lineup, to be able to counter their at-bats third or fourth time through the lineup with a lefty specialist....That can help you and you can do that multiple times in a playoff series.  We've seen this. Sometimes in a playoff series you see the top 4-5 guys over and over and only the depth guys in blowouts....Because the games off allows you to use your best guys more often....Same thing with starters....You only need a 4 man rotation.

So I like the addition of Erik Miller.  But I do agree that it does feel weird to give up on Mayer when he's still 6'3, smooth glove, decent bat-ball skills in minors.....But this ERik Miller guy will likely help more in 2026 (and maybe even 2027) than Mayer would have.

Also, theyve been down (relatively) on Mayer for a while, and thats why they grabbed an expensive backup in IKF.

[notin]

4 hours ago, sk7326 said:

This was a pretty indefensible trade.  If you were going to just get a rando reliever who likely was not going to help this 2026 team - just keep him and see if you can extract some improvement or whatever.  

The Giants are getting basically a free look at a 23 year old.  Someone might have to teach him how to hande offspeed stuff or not shatter into a thousand pieces ... but even a 10% chance of him hitting was more than sufficient for the Giants to do this for that price. 

If we traded away Nick Madrigal 2.0, we did fine..  But if we traded Carlos Gonzalez 2.0, it does reflect poorly on this deal…

[notin]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He still could be Brandon Crawford. That's the comp everyone has been saying for the past few years. He's still on that track.

Nothing wrong with Crawford, but Mayer’s health issues made him more of a JJ Hardy (who was also pretty good).

Even if he was never a star, he at minimum could have been a starter.  

[Old Red]

45 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He still could be Brandon Crawford. That's the comp everyone has been saying for the past few years. He's still on that track.

Maybe a change of scenery will do him good.

[moonslav59]

5 hours ago, Old Red said:

I think more than anything Mayer had worn out his welcome both on, and off the field.

Agreed. 

They took the best offer and ran with it.

They failed to do the same with Duran, so that tells us a lot about how they felt about Mayer.

[Nick]

18 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Agreed. 

They took the best offer and ran with it.

They failed to do the same with Duran, so that tells us a lot about how they felt about Mayer.

This is why Rays method works well for them. Just think had we traded Duran after his All Star season. Now we won't get much if anything.

Whenever you are getting 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 return, ( ie premium prospects and/or major league ready player(s)), chances are good you will get something decent in return even if the player continues his success. If that's the case, Rays wouldn't been able to pay the guy anyway when FA comes around. 

[notin]

4 hours ago, sk7326 said:

The only thing with Eyanson was that the velocity uptick he showed has receded ... and that could change the outcome from  like a 4th starter sort to a #2.  That said, he looks like a big leaguer and minor leaguers aren't hitting his slider at all.  

But yeah - this was a definite overpay, especially with Rutschman's recent medical history.  

That said, Rutschman - despite only playing 67 games, is 5th in WAR among all catchers.  When healthy (big if), he's very good.

None of that matters until Breslow actually learns the procedure for getting players off the IL.  Right now he’s fumbling around on it like a chimpanzee trying to file a joint return on TurboTax…

[notin]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Agreed. 

They took the best offer and ran with it.

They failed to do the same with Duran, so that tells us a lot about how they felt about Mayer.

They also might have really liked Miller, who was once a fairly decent pitching prospect with the Phillies…

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

22 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Traded for a reliever. Ouch. No matter how good Miller is, that’s a steep drop in valuation from the Sox in about 6 months.

And a 5'9" prospect.

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

And a 5'9" prospect.

Red Sox had a good 5'9" RFer for a few years recently. 

[JoeBrady]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

He really increased is splitter usage this season. Maybe they continue to move away from his 4 seamer and changeup which seem to just be chase pitches that nobody chases? Miller has a live arm. He should be fun to watch.

It's funny, but some pitchers switch teams, and the new pitching coach has them drops pitches that were getting hammered.  And then I wonder why their previous pitching coach couldn't have done the same thing.