jacksonianmarch

I am not speaking about the WS. Once you get to the playoffs, the best team doesn't always win and a lot of luck plays into it for sure. But the Royals did have the best record in the AL last yr for good reason. Rotation that could hold on for 5 innings and a pen that would be absolutely lights out. Elite defense to bail out the pitching and elite offense that could score late for the win OR manufacture a run in the clutch should they need it. The Royals were such an interesting hybrid offensively. Made contact, stole bases, hit for average, hit for some power, had guys with huge OBP, etc.

Dojji, there are definitely candidates to take the #2 spot. One could definitely step up. Or all could return to last seasons performance and you'll have a shiny hot rod towing a pile of s*** for the rotation

The Royals had the benefit of an elite offense with only a hole in RF, elite defense, elite bullpen, and had a top 4 of Volquez, Ventura, Cueto and Young going into the playoffs. You guys should have a top 5 pen, the defense is gonna be middling or below, a good offense a better ace but a less effective 2-4 for now (maybe not, who knows). The Royals definitely flipped the script a bit, to your point

You need a 2. You have guys with stuff. Buchholz has performed like a #1 for long stretches of seasons before, but hasn't had a full season ever. E-Rod is probably the #2 in waiting, but you don't know how he develops and if he shakes the whole pitch tipping thing (he should). Kelly has the velocity, but not the command in the zone or the secondary stuff to run like a 2. Porcello has never been a 2 and probably does better than last yr, but not much. You've got 3 guys behind Price who have injury issues AND performance issues and then a half season phenom who might be the goods. You need another proven starter, and we all know Elias isn't it. I know everyone wants to crown the sox after the Price signing, and its definitely tempting, but your rotation lacks depth, health, and a track record. It might all come together. It has a good shot of being swiss cheese after Price. I know how DD works. He wont let this sit for the whole yr. It's the same s*** we see in NY. Lots of guys with the talent but without the health or track record. I seem to like our misfits better than yours, but I'll take your ace over ours to be sure.

Every single pitcher in Major League Baseball can look like an ace at times. I remember when Darrell Rasner was lights out for a month for NY a few yrs back. Top end talent is lights out for sustained periods. The guys after Price aren't top end talent

I think the snow has made people forget a little about how bad the sox rotation was. Price is a major get. Huge. But the only other consistent guy in that rotation is in Seattle. ERod was the next closest. Expecting anything out of Kelly or Buch is a fools errand. If it comes, great. But the likelihood of sustained success out of either is low

Kimmi, his giants teammates basically character assassinated him out the door saying he was all about him and he was a horrid teammate. Doesn't take much to infer when it's told by the guys in the locker room with him

I am saying that the Yankees don't hold spots for prospects. Cash has a plan and it is a good one. Listen, if Hicks comes out and breaks out, hitting 20HRs and wresting the job from Beltran in RF come season's end, then he deserves a shot at a starting spot the yr after. Judge isn't big league ready yet. He struggled in AAA. If he comes out and dominates AAA, then maybe he carves out a niche. Also, Hicks or Judge could be spun off for a big piece should both have a good season in 2016.

The interesting thing about Porcello is that he always underperformed him xFIP until what amounted to his contract yr in 2014. The funny thing is, his awful 2015 and his solid 2014 showed basically the same xFIP. He was unlucky in 2015 just as much as he was lucky (based on his career norms) in 2014. My guess is that he returns to his prior career norms, xFIP in the 3.5 range, ERA in the 4.3 range

We didn't deal Murphy to pick up a throwaway 4th OFer. There is a vision with Hicks. He just turned 26 and is a former top prospect. He finally had a good season and responded well when he got regular playing time after the ASB. He is an elite defender who can also steal bases. He has also shown improving power. You don't deal away basically a starting catcher talent with solid hitting skills to pick up a 4th OFer. I think Hicks is our starting RF after the ASB and the odds on favorite to start come 2017

I think Judge has a lot of tools, but he got a little exposed in AAA. I hope he rights that ship this season and becomes a viable big league option. Regardless, even if Judge hits his ceiling, and that is of a Dave Winfield type, he still wont be Harper. Love him or hate him, but Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are the closest thing to a young Mickey Mantle that we have seen in a long while. Harper will have just turned 26 when he becomes a FA. He had a 1.109OPS post steroid era. When he hits the market, he will get a contract like no other, and it will be from NYY. And if Judge comes up and dominates, he can move to LF. By that point, ARod, Tex, CC, Beltran, McCann, Gardner, Miller, etc will be off the books and we'll be in the final 2 seasons of Ellsbury and Tanaka. We should have money to burn at that point

Fan graphs tried to project teams as close to the median that they can say they predict most teams accurate down to 8-10 games or so. I cannot conceivably think that the sox are done or that the team as is is a good bet for 92 wins. I think DD has something else up his sleeve. He's still got a lot of prospects and a major hole at #2

Pedroia is an interesting conundrum. He played only 93 games with a bunch of nagging injuries. It wasn't one injury a la 2010 and the foot fracture. He's also a small framed player who plays balls out, which makes him a durability risk going forward. That being said, he hits his most homers since 2012 and does it after missing almost 70 games. If he can stay healthy, he is going to have a strong season.

The sox have the ace. They have the best pitcher in the division. They also have probably the worst 2-5 in the division as well. They have a solid bullpen. They have an offense with potential to boom or bust. They are contenders. If I know Dombrowski, he isn't finished. This team has holes. They might fill themselves or they might start an avalanche

Didn't they also say the sox were the favorite coming into last yr? Really reliable

You filled the biggest hole at the top. The problem is, you dealt away the only other guy you could count on in Miley and have 2 guys in the rotation who likely won't make it to the ASB due to health or performance. There is another move afoot. I'm surprised they didn't go in on Chen, although keeping the pick would be beneficial. The only reason why the sox are contenders is because the division sucks. In any other division, this is a .500 team. In the suck of the AL east, they should do well enough to have meaningful Sept baseball

Not if he undergoes TJS. If he needs a surgical procedure, then he's gonna get DFA'd

David Price will come into Boston and struggle in the first 2 months. He will initially have trouble dealing with the expectations in Boston and the fact that LF is basically a HR waiting to happen. He settles down the final 4 months and posts an ERA just north of 3 on the year while throwing over 200IP like clockwork Porcello will not rebound to 2014, but he will rebound to a 4.3ish ERA and give you 180IP. Buchholz will come out next yr and be terrible from the start. He will be on the shelf for good by June and DFA'd by seasons end. He will finish the regular season on the operating room table ERod is impossible to read. Lights out stuff, intermittently solid command. Tips his pitches at times. When on, he is unhittable. He probably proves his high 3 ERA isn't a fluke, but he will continue to show some inconsistency Kelly ends up in the pen by the ASB The only 3 guys left in the rotation after the ASB will be Price, ERod and Porcello

So the lineup looks as follows. 1. Gardner LF 2. Castro 2B 3. Teixeira 1B 4. Rodriguez DH 5. McCann C 6. Beltran RF 7. Ellsbury CF 8. Headley 3B 9. Gregorius SS You have Ackley as the backup IF, Hicks as the backup OF, Sanchez as the backup C, Bird in the minors if ARod or Tex get hurt The lineup actually looks pretty good, not elite, but good. Castro eliminates the black hole of Drew at 2b. We have a viable, powerful backup for 1b and DH. We have a solid 4th OFer again replacing Young, and Hicks is a switch hitter. I know Hicks is going to get a LOT of playing time. My hope is he can continue to be a dominant defender while progressing as a left handed hitter. This isn't Chris Young. I think we got him with the intention of having him hold down RF long term until Harper is a FA after Beltran leaves. Sanchez allows us to have a powerful bat against lefties or when McCann needs time off. Ackley is a very viable backup IF/OF. I like our depth offensively. I just don't think the lineup, as is, will be elite, but should be better than last yr as we don't have the terrible outliers (Ryan and Drew) that we had play significant innings last yr

Think about it this way. You are talking about an 1/8th of a rotation of the wrist, a couple millimeters on the ball, and exact repetition of motion. If there is more to control, there is more that can go wrong. It makes sense from a physics perspective

I get the latest be for Bradley, but due to his history, I'd have shipped him out of here this winter. Keeping him is rolling the dice that his one good month is for real, rather than a few years of proof which points otherwise

Yet everyone was happy when the sox signed Lugo and didn't care that he beat his wife bloody a few years prior. No, we don't want spouse abusers and child abusers on our teams, but at the end of the day, we don't make that decision. You either decide to root for the laundry or you don't. Now that he's a Yankee, I hope he dominates

Plus, minus. I don't think they will get an offer they like. They want an offer for 3 WAR Nova, and not recovering from TJS Nova. Cashman would do well to retain Nova. Most starters take 18 months to recover. That time has passed now. He is also in a contract yr. Dealing him for s*** isn't worth it when you could cut him for nothing if he sucks or ride him like a horse if he regains his form. A fully healthy and effective Nova would be amazing for this club. Remember, he was the #2 in the playoffs not that long ago

I was wondering what we were doing with Warren because of his starting chops. He was replaceable as a reliever. I understood Wilson being moved, but didn't like the return

Could it also be because you are in a division where you stole the best pitcher from the #1 team, the #2 team could implode under their collective age, the #3 team isn't that good to begin with and will lose its best starter and hitter, and the #4 team seems intent on a rebuild? I think the sox are considered contenders because they are in a division of crapshoots, don't have to add much offensively, and just added the ace they've needed since dealing Lester and the closer they have needed since Koji remembered his birthdate. The sox were a collection of parts. Shiny parts at that. They were not a team. Dombrowski went out and retooled the pen due to their middling SP depth and strong prospect depth. He added a shutdown ace to the top due to their deep pockets. I can pick out a few teams that would do pretty damn well if you added Kimbrel, Smith, and Price to them. Kim, cut the crap. Ben is gone. He brought in a lot of talent that couldn't play well and demolished a rotation that won a world series and turned it into the laughing stock of baseball. His farm system build will be a huge boon to DD's time in Boston. But his 3 last place finishes surrounding a unicorn WS title cost him his job. Live with it. Get over it. Embrace DD. Move on