jacksonianmarch

There have been plenty of teams who went into a season without a designated closer and went deep into the postseason. But typically, by the time the postseason rolled around, someone distanced themselves and took over the closers role. You do not see many teams entering a postseason without a designated closer and win.

So we just dealt Kelley for a minor league reliever who needs TJS? What the hell are we doing? This guarantees that Warren stays in the pen

Scherzer absolutely improves our standing in the division. But with so many FAs in the pitching market next yr, and with so many promising but questionable options in our rotation this yr, we're better off passing. Also, our pick this yr is the highest we've had in 2 decades and I'd like to make it. I also forgot a huge question, probably #3 on the list above... How does Nova return from TJS? He's been a very effective pitcher for half his big league seasons. The funny thing is, he's missed time with "forearm strains" and elbow soreness. I bet he's had a shoddy UCL for years and last year it finally went. A fully healthy Nova was our #2 postseason pitcher against Detroit the yr we lost in the ALDS. If he comes back to that level, then he has that kind of impact on 2016. And 2016/2017 should be our overarching goal at this point.

Well, I wouldn't be surprised if we're done for the offseason, and to be honest, I think this team is appropriate for what we should have expected. With so much dead money on the roster, we had to try to get younger. Thing is, we couldn't get younger and more expensive, so we had to go with either unproven or underperforming guys with great tools. I'm okay with that. If we finish 2015 with answers to these questions, we'll be better served to fill out a roster for 2016 when a lot of dead money will be entering its final years... 1. Can Pineda and Tanaka stay healthy. The answer to this question is absolutely huge. If they stay healthy, then we've got a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that is unlike anything currently in the AL East. If not, then we're pretty certain to be signing an upper level starter for 2016. 2. Can Eovaldi take the next step? This will go a long way to determining if we also need to be in the market for a mid rotation starter. 3. Is CC done? If he is done, then the chains can be removed from the budget in 2016 as his contract is fully insured and he's due $30 mil in 2016. If he isn't done, how effective will he be? If he's healthy, he's on the roster for 2016, and if he can give us #4 starter production, then we won't need a third starter on the market 4. Can Refsnyder and Gregorius be an adequate up the middle tandem in their first full big league season? If so, then we've got cheap defense up the middle with some offensive promise (especially from Refsnyder). 5. Who bounces back? This one is the lead important as most of the guys who struggled are on unmovable contracts. But it will go a long way to determining who needs an adequate backup plan come 2016. This yr is a show me year. If all breaks right, we could be a title contender. If all breaks wrong, then we could be in last place. But answers to the above will be huge in determining our future

BSN, provided the Steins don't get involved, this is exactly the kind of offseason we needed. We don't need splashy, we need youth. Now, does that mean we're WS destined in 2015, heck no. But we've gotten better over the long haul without giving up picks or dealing from our farm. I like the moves we've made, they may not work out, but such is life. We need some money to come off before we start adding big money back in

Thanks a700. It's been quite a whirlwind

NS, looks like we can join the club, right?

Kuroda is returning to Japan. Bummer

Merry Christmas. Ours was pretty merry, adding to the family

UN, I don't ascribe to your deficiencies of the SS being covered by good guys around him. It isn't like Panda is gonna get to the balls Bogaerts cannot get to and it isn't as if he's gonna make the throws for him. SS is a critically important position defensively. If you have a minus SS defensively, you better get impressive offensive production to make up for it. Trust me dude, I have seen some pretty slick defenders alongside Jeter. It didn't help when the ball in the hole or up the middle should have been snagged and wasn't. The thing Jeter had over most of these guys is that he fielded nearly everything that was hit to him. And the .300+BA didn't hurt. Once Jeter couldn't hit anymore, he was an anchor dragging us way the f*** down. Bogaerts does have the chance to improve, but he has a big mans body and will likely fill in over time. That being said, if he fills out and hits like he was projected to, you wont care about his defensive inefficiencies

Dojji, you've grown up, lol. Not calling Henry Owens a 20 time all star is a good start. Your pen also lost quite possibly the best lefty reliever in baseball, so it's a bit weaker there. Your offense made some big moves and should be in the top 10 in offense this yr, but your rotation is a mess.

Joe Kelly is a swing man, imo. I think he profiles beat as a reliever. As for the sox needing a #1, I agree completely. You're also gonna need a #2. As much as the AL East isn't what it used to be, you still had the O's, Yanks, and Blue Jays over .500 and I'm pretty sure all 3 of them will be over .500 again. You're gonna need consistent pitching to do that. You've got innings out of Miley, but who knows how he'll perform. You've got questions abounding with Masterson and Buccholz, seeing if they can rebound from being the worst pitchers in the AL last yr. Porcello is your only proven pitcher, and he's been buried on a rotation where Verlander, Scherzer, Sanchez and Price overshadowed him. He's gonna be the guy in this rotation and he's moving from the friendly confines of Comerica to Fenway. He's less of a concern, but my guess is he's gonna have an adjustment period.

And the reason I believe this is because Hanigan is a good defensive catcher. This isn't a Posada and Girardi kind of veteran and kid relationship. You're gonna have two defensive minded players out there and the one with the best bat will play the lion's share until the sox either see they're in it or fall out of it completely. I know everyone wants to groom Vasquez, but the fan base wont support that if Hanigan is reaching base 35% of the time and Vasquez is puttering around the Mendoza line

I am just gonna throw this out there. Hanigan flourished in a hitters park in Cincy until 2013 when the wheels fell off the bus. Last yr, he was in TB where offense goes to die. I bet you he starts the year as a time share candidate with Vazquez. Once they figure out that they're gonna need more offense since their pitching staff sucks ass, they'll go with the hotter hitter, and that will be Hanigan. Also, Hanigan is on a one year deal. If the sox are middling or bad this yr and are looking to sell off parts, they won't be moving Vasquez, they'll move Hanigan. My guess is that Hanigan is moved before the July 31st waiver period and a AAAA guy will come up to caddy for Vasquez until the MiLB season is over. Then Swihart will come up

You kinda had to do the deal. WMB wasn't gonna get the chance to recoup his value and he wasn't really the kind of guy to shine when the lights were brightest. A year on the beaches in SD where the fans are too high to care will likely allow him to flourish. I bet you by this time next yr, SD is dangling him for some big fish after he has a 25+HR season

I said ace upside. He proved the upside. He hasn't proven to be an ace yet due to durability

After years of tumult, the Yankee rotation likely won't disappoint in terms of boom or bust capability in 2015. 5 years ago, we were coming off a world series title and a rotation anchored by three durable veterans in Sabathia, Pettitte, and Burnett. Well, Burnett moved on after an implosion, Pettitte retired and CC has disintegrated. Resurrecting the dead rotation last yr was a difficult task. We started off April with ace performance out of the guys who were supposed to be the #4 and #5 starters in the rotation. Tanaka was the mid season Cy Young leader while Pineda cheated then got hurt before returning to ace level status later in the year. Both are set to return, but only one enters the year totally healthy (Pineda). We got excellent performance out of a rookie in Greene, then promptly dealt him away for a kid SS. We go out and deal quite possibly the most versatile big league performer in baseball for another hard throwing kid. And then there's the spectre of an ace level addition in Scherzer or Shields or the reunion with an old stalwart in Kuroda. Currently, those balls are in the air. Regardless, Cashman and Levine have said they are out on the big fish and Kuroda hasn't decided if he wants to go fishing or start pitching. So let's look at what we have, shall we 1. Masahiro Tanaka- 26 yr old ace level pitcher who put up 3.3WAR in 20 starts during one of the most pitcher friendly big league seasons of all time. He has stuff that drips off the screen, a splitter that makes Goose Gossage blush and poise beyond belief. He also has a small tear in his UCL making his performance in the upcoming season decidedly problematic. There is a chance that this tear was so small that it was more a chronic process that shouldn't cause for such alarm. There is also the possibility that it's a bigger tear than they realize and he is going to see the business end of a scalpel in the near future. Nobody is going to question that if we get 30 starts out of him, we're probably looking at ace level performance. Durability is a concern, but if healthy, he's an unquestioned ace. 2. Michael Pineda- The soon to be 26 yr old did something almost as impressive. He put up 2.7WAR in 13 starts. He was returning after shoulder surgery and they babied the f*** out of him coming back from a lat strain. He returned Aug 13th and finished out the season on a tear. He has top of the rotation stuff and command that puts his command well above his years. As with Tanaka, should Pineda throw 30 times this yr, there aren't too many people who will deny he'd perform at an ace level. The problem has been durability. 3. Nathan Eovaldi- He's different than the above guys. Last yr, he toed the rubber 33 times and was 1/3 of an inning short of 200IP for the season. He also has stuff that jumps off the page, but he's a little too wild in the zone, which is why he allowed the most hits in baseball last yr. But there are a few things that really stand out. He has a devastating FB-slider combination, which limits the HR's he allows, something very important in Yankee Stadium. He also was working on a splitter, per Salty, and it was looking like a useful pitch in the future. Throw in Larry Rothschild, who has a thing for reclamation projects, and I would be willing to bet a small sum that this kid turns around in Yankee Stadium. He has the stuff, he has the durability, and he has the capability to avoid the walk. He just needs to miss some bats. 4. CC Sabathia- I have no f***ing clue what kind of production we can get out of him. He had a bad knee, which likely led to a lot of pitches being left up. The status of that knee is still in question. If healthy, he probably could be a nice #4 starter for us, giving us innings while also giving up a good amount of runs. We might be better off if his knees end up being career ending so we can collect the insurance money and pick up someone new. Without his velo, he isn't the same pitcher. It took Mike Mussina, one of the smartest baseball players ever to live, a good 3-4 years to transition to a finesse pitcher and he did that with solid health. CC doesn't have the health nor does he have the time to turn back into a productive pitcher. This spot here is as questionable as they come. 5. Chris Capuano- seriously, f***ing seriously, why is this guy on this team? He's a good 6th starter, a guy who can fill David Phelps job, a guy who can mop up and finish off a s***** start. He should not be in the Yankees starting rotation... The depth--- Ivan Nova should be back after the ASB. People seem to forget that Nova put up two 3.0+WAR seasons for us. They also seem to forget that he did that with a "flexor tendon strain" limiting his IP. That's another fancy term used when a pitcher really needs TJS. He has had it, and if he is with the majority, he should be a pretty solid player for us. Unfortunately, it likely wont be until 2016. Regardless, he fits with the depth train of thought. Adam Warren- Adam was a lynchpin in the pen showing mid 90s velo with a devastating curve. He also was a bulldog starter in the minors before converting to the pen last season. He is an option, although he was so important in the pen last yr that he likely would be left there unless we were in dire need. Manny Banuelos- the once prized prospect was f***ed around with and lost 2 seasons to TJS. He came back last yr, had some injury trouble and was babied back into the fold. He regained his velo as the season ended and is a prime candidate to regain his status as a top pitching prospect. Unless he takes spring training by the balls, he is likely ticketed back to AAA, but I would bet he isn't gonna be there long. He is the most likely of the guys mentioned so far to toe the slab as a starter this yr, and I think he has the most upside as well. Luis Severino- he is considered to be the top prospect in the Yankee system right now. He's drawing comparisons to Ventura from the Royals. Big arm, good command, great secondary stuff, just needs to work on the durability. He threw 113IP last yr and jumped from low A all the way to AA last yr, dominating each stop. He'll likely start in AA again, but should he dominate in the same manner and should our needs arise, he is as likely as any to end up in our rotation. In short, we have major potential and a majorly low floor on this rotation. We need a guy like Kuroda, although by the end of the season, we could be seeing a totally different top 5

Tanaka also came with ace upside. He also proved the ace upside. Anyone who scouted him could see it. He has arguably the best splitter in the world and some of the best command I have ever seen in a 25 yr old. The red flags were there, but his stuff jumps off the screen. Porcello doesn't have near the upside.

Fred, you're right. If you're gonna be a playoff team, you're gonna need to bludgeon your opponents. Carrying a catcher who cannot hit his weight decreases that likelihood

Your starting catcher in September will be Swihart.

Porcello has typically underperformed based on his FIP and xFIP. He had his best season of his career last yr. If you pay him as if he should repeat his career season, you are likely to be overpaying. A contract extension for the young pitcher right now likely costs you 9 figures. If he pitches amazingly, then you got a bargain for a season and you have the inside track to re-sign him, plus you have the capability to recoup a draft pick. If he is back to his career norms, then you likely have him on a one year deal to recoup his value because nobody will want to lose a draft pick for him. If he sucks, you could try to get him on a pillow contract. Extending him now is a good way to be on the hook for maximal dollars while potentially getting minimal return. His value has never been higher, you don't buy a stock when it crests

I got them to say Boo Red Sox! Much to the chagrin of my wife

But they're really not. In the age of the defensive catcher, having a defense first catcher isn't exactly mold breaking. Maybe his defense and framing are a tick better than most, but how much is that worth when he's probably gonna hit .200 as a regular? The goal is to stand tall amongst the competition, not shrink down to them. I think Vazquez is a good backup, the kind of guy a single pitcher on your staff gets comfortable with and gets him every turn. Hanigan is gonna be your starting catcher this season.

Lester was a known commodity without draft pick compensation. It is mind boggling the sox didn't blow away the Cubs for his services. Shields is 2 years older, costs you a draft pick, shrinks in big games, and hasn't thrown 16 games a season in Fenway. Scherzer is gonna cost more and cost you a draft choice. Any of the guys available next yr will either not be available due to extensions or cost you a draft pick. The fact that they didn't go to the well for Lester makes me think theyre done in the pitching market unless they can get a bargain.

Yep, 1 and 2 were 15 months apart. Now, I have my boy coming any day now.