jacksonianmarch

The Sox may have won without Kimbrel. But that’s impossible to say. Maybe another closer blows 10 saves instead of 5. Maybe another closer has a Price-Yankees complex and blows 5 games to NY. That’s enough to make the difference right there. Point is, you had a lights out closer sans the first two playoff rounds due to pitch tipping. You don’t know what his replacement may have done in the same workload. I have a feeling you’re about to find out

I think the plan is for Dee to return to 2b and for Cano to flip to 1B or 3B. Healy can DH for the time being

Harmony, I think the Rays fleeced the Mariners. DiPoto loves the slash and run type guys. He has two of them on the roster in Segura and Gordon. Smith is another, albeit a far better runner than either at this stage and a far better OF defender. I question if his hit tool will continue. In Zunino, the Rays got a good defensive catcher capable of popping 20 bombs in Seattle. He is a season removed from an .800OPS year. With the way the Rays have been in terms of deals, I expect this one to work out for them. I think the Rays have done an absolutely exceptional job remaking their roster. The Pirates deal was a steal. The Mariners deal previous was a good one to pick up a couple intriguing arms and dump Span's salary by dealing off Colome, who was overrated due to his save stat

I think Devers is a 1b long term. I think the sox think that too. I would be surprised to see him moved to 1b in 2019 with Moreland still under contract. But there is a very real chance the sox move Devers to 1b for 2020. By then, this stick should carry at that offense first position

No system is totally devoid of talent. All systems have a few players who will carve out good big league careers. The sox lack a can't miss talent. The talent they do have is thin with minimal depth. Some of the top 10 guys may hit, but right now, if none of them do, the 11-50 aren't charging hard to replace them

In an era of power pitchers, Betances is one of the top 5 in the game. He's not "just" a setup man. He is a relief ace. Last year, his K/9IP were up there with Hader. Actually, his peripherals were very similar to Hader's yet Hader was considered this whiz pen arm. The difference between Hader and Dellin was about 90 points of BABIP, that's it. I'd actually say the Dodgers package would be rather light. We sent 3 prospects, including our midseason top 5 prospect in Tate for 2 months of Britton, who had warts much larger than Dellin's. If the Yankees deal him, we will get a haul in return.

He is better, but he’s at an age where a decline for a power pitcher is expected and he will cost talent to acquire. I don’t want to pay an ace premium and get a #3 starter

If the Sox wanted to maximize his value, they’d have played him more over replacement level player Leon. It’s hard to ask for much when the offense is a pure minus.

Vasquez has next to no value right now.

Thats quote an overhaul for a team in need of tweaking. I don’t like Murphy. I know he’s been reasonable good with the bat, but he showed some serious signs of regression and is 36. No reason to force him into the lineup. Dealing Hicks for Carrasco doesn’t make sense for the Guardians. Why deal two years of Carrasco to get one year of Hicks. Green is also too important to let go with Dellin heading into his final season. I know you’re dealing Dellin in this scenario, but he’s been lights out sans a 2017 blip. I think what Cash did last year will continue. Rather than rely on the meat of our pen to develop from failed starters, I still think the meat of our pen will be tried and true relievers. I’d doubt significantly that we would gut our middle relief, the strength of our team, and deal off Green, Dellin and Holder while replacing them with big arms who haven’t produced much and with vets who are pretty old

Sanchez out three months with non throwing shoulder surgery

You can definitely build a farm and be a good team, but it requires you to hit on your players and supplement with spending, not trading. The Sox minor league system currently suffers from three issues. 1. The trades- yes the system was gutted, but the guys dealt off over the last three years would have either surfaced or flames out by now. IE, the only real “prospect” in the 2019 top 100 that the Sox dealt off is Logan Allen. Kopech was in the bigs. Moncada and Margot as well. Espinosa can’t get healthy, etc. the trades this season really didn’t subtract much aside from Buttrey and Beeks, both guys off the radar in terms of impact prospects. 2. The drafting. DD has not really found that diamond in the rough that most teams find. Look at the top 100 and roughly half of them weren’t $1.5+ mil INTL or first round picks. Scouting plays into this as does development. They’ve failed in both those areas. 3. Injury/bad luck. The Sox has two top 100 prospects. One had TJS, the other did roids. That’s part of the prospect game If you keep your talent in your system, draft/scout/develop well or avoid the big time injury bug or suspensions, you can build a farm from the back end of the draft. DD hasn’t been able to do either of the three

Yanks are “interested” in an Andrew Miller reunion

He’s a stud who’s at the age when pitchers start to fade. I do t want to deal for an ace and get #3 or 4 productivity out of them

I don’t want Kluber. Too old to throw big prospects at. Corbin just makes too much sense

I have said many times that I wanted to move on from CC. The only way I'd be ok with CC is as a 5th starter. On a 1 yr $8 mil deal, it isn't much to swallow if father time or the buffet finally catches up to him. But he cannot and should not be considered anything more than the #5. Right now, I look at the rotation as such 1. ?? 2. Tanaka 3. Severino 4. ?? 5. Sabathia

Seconded

See where a lot of people get hung up on is the term "valuable". Mookie Betts was the best player in baseball last year. Trout is a close second. But this is the Most Valuable Player award, not the best player award. Betts resurgence was insane. But JD Martinez transformed your lineup and was clearly the most valuable addition to your club since the sox got Ortiz. Now, nobody will ever vote a DH for the MVP award, but if you're going by the letter of the award, JD was the most valuable player. Heck, you went from one of the weakest offenses into the most powerful offense in baseball with only one offensive addition.

I was going on the initial tweet by Passan. It was clarified later by Divish and another reporter as "weighing" rather than planning

Add them to the list of teams blowing it up. Dipoto is said to be weighing a full on rebuild. This means dealing off guys like Paxton, Diaz, Segura, Haniger, etc. sign of the times I guess. An 89 win club decides to blow it up rather than get better

It won’t be entirely boring. You’ve got some important FAs to decide on. Even if they leave, it isn’t boring. It’s team turnover.

Meh is a great poster here, but that’d be a crazy overpay

Either way, Cashman said he is looking for “multiple” pitchers. He is also said to be wanting a reunion with CC. I’d only be ok with CC as a #5 starter. Anything more and I’m not ok. I’d rather we just cut bait on him, but so be it

How? How do you ask for a 4 WAR CFer, a top flight reliever, an up and coming top flight reliever and a top 100 prospect for a 32 yr old oft injured pitcher? That makes no sense

That’s a crazy amount for a 32 yr old injury prone right handed power pitcher