The Red Sox Have to Add an Impact Power Bat This Offseason

Hoskins? Bellinger? Munetaka Murakami?

4 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Hoskins and Bellinger aren't FA's yet. 

Murakami hasn't been posted and I'd have no idea how to rank him. 

 

Technically none of them are free agents yet.  Bellinger has announced he plans to opt out of his deal.

Hoskins isn’t a free agent yet, but the Brewers have already (successfully) replaced him with 4’3” Andrew Vaughn, who, even through the arb process, will still be substantially cheaper than Hoskins’ option.

Murekami is likely just a name to pop into the occasional clickbait rumor.  Not sure whose radar he will be on or what he would cost.  Or if he will be any good…

13 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was just going through the FanGraphs tracker because there are just too many guys to remember at the start of the offseason. 

I think Hoskins would be a better fit than Alonso because of the price point. Would Sox be converting Bellinger to 1b? He's a very good fielder so it'd be a waste. He's also a LH dead pull hitter so not a great fit for Fenway. I'd have him below Schwarber for sure, maybe right above Ozuna. Murakami is apparently a big k% guy and needs to be 1b only. I'd have him below Ozuna just because of the bust potential. 

I think Alonso is possible if the Sox don’t spend or acquire significant money elsewhere.

Like Bellinger, Schwarber is also a lefty dead pull hitter.  But as he regularly tops 400 feet, the deeper parts of Fenway RF might not be so problematic.  But he also strikes me as a free agent likely to attract lots of interest.  Thankfully with Stanton still under contract, fitting him into the Yankee lineup isn’t easy.  Unlike Bellinger, Schwarber is an incompetent fielder.  He did not make it to MLB because of his glove.

Hoskins is the relatively economical smart choice.  At least thats how I see it. He does make sense if Bregman returns.

TO? Is that Tyler O’Neill?  Only played 54 games last year and struggled.  Also doesnt do much vs RHP.  In Boston, would he platoon at DH with Yoshida in your opinion?

I just don’t see the Red Sox going Large, and Long on anyone, so I think something like a Bregman type contract happening.

5 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

If I had to rank the options:

Alonso - but he's going to be prohibitively expensive

Suarez - only if they can move him to 1b or if they don't re-sign Breggie

Schwarber - he's not leaving Philly though

TO - could be a cheap DH option

Naylor - don't like his fit at Fenway TBH

Ozuna - down year, overall decline? 

Gary Sanchez - wild card add by me, if made into a DH at Fenway he'd hit 30 bombs

Muncy - don't think it'd work here

Tucker - like the player, but too much money and the Sox are set in the OF

O'Hearn/Yaz/Bichette - N/A, don't have the power profile needed

 

O'Hearn over Hoskins?

3 hours ago, Old Red said:

I just don’t see the Red Sox going Large, and Long on anyone, so I think something like a Bregman type contract happening.

E Suarez turns 35 in July. He may get a 2-3 year deal, which is not long, but will be large.

He could be a guy we look at other than Bregman. He's not a good defensive 3Bman, but he could be signed to play 1B and be the much needed back-up to Mayer at 3B.

It's been a very long time since the last large and long deal JH has approved. Of course, the Devers extension was one, but look how quickly that one lasted. It's easy to predict another one is not in the works, and I feel the same way.

Our last longest and largest deals- many were not terribly large and non were beyond 5 years, except for Story, since the Price signings so many years ago.

Since 2016

$217M/7 Price '16

$145M/5 Sale '20 extension

$140M/6 Story '22

$120M/3 Bregman w opt outs

$120M/6 Bogey '20 extension w opt out

$110M/5 JD '18

'90M/5 Yoshida '23

$83M/4 Porcello '16 extension

$68M/4 Nate '19

9 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Hoskins still has a mutual option and wasn't listed on the FanGraphs tracker. 

Schwarber and, when he officially opts out, Bellinger will carry QOs.  Ditto Tucker.

Alonso and Suarez cannot be offered one, as both have been tagged before…

20 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Just going with what FanGraphs has listed. 🫠

Do they list QOs?

These guys from Japan will likely be cheaper than the big boppers like Alonso and Schwarber- maybe even than Suarez. There is also more risk involved- see the Yoshida signing.

We know JH likes cheap, so maybe we go that route.

35 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

These guys from Japan will likely be cheaper than the big boppers like Alonso and Schwarber- maybe even than Suarez. There is also more risk involved- see the Yoshida signing.

We know JH likes cheap, so maybe we go that route.

The range for Japanese imports is only between two inhumans: Ichiro and Ohtani.

For maybe a better perspective: in Yoshida's last half decade in Japan, he was good for at least 20 homers, a .330 batting average and .900 OPS. He also walked more than he struck out.

In the big leagues, however, baseball-ref's Most Similar Batter is Pancho Herrera. So Masa is not a big dog in the majors, but a sidekick to the Cisco Kid. 

Yoshida's Most Similar Batter through age 30 is Les Fleming. Just be glad it isn't More Flailing.

4 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

The range for Japanese imports is only between two inhumans: Ichiro and Ohtani.

For maybe a better perspective: in Yoshida's last half decade in Japan, he was good for at least 20 homers, a .330 batting average and .900 OPS. He also walked more than he struck out.

In the big leagues, however, baseball-ref's Most Similar Batter is Pancho Herrera. So Masa is not a big dog in the majors, but a sidekick to the Cisco Kid. 

Yoshida's Most Similar Batter through age 30 is Les Fleming. Just be glad it isn't More Flailing.

Yoshida was 29 when we signed him, I believe. Some of these guys are younger.

IMO, we need 2 big bats, 1 big one if Breggie returns, and with a likely limited budget, we may need to think outside the box.

So who knew this?  And no one ever mentions him?

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/josh-bell-605137?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

He'd be at a price JH would love.