Dojji

He has worse holes in his swing than Josh Reddick had and they couldn't get rid of reddick fast enough People need to get over the idea that power cures all ills. It doesn't. Not in this organization.

I don't normally play typo police but... the possibilities, oh the possibilities.

If those players are worth crap, having to beat Drew out to win their jobs will not "ruin" them.

I'd take him back gladly. Whatever you think of Bogaerts, he's a couple years away from unleashing his true potential and I'm fully convinced that Drew has more than he showed us last year.

I respect that, and mostly agree with it. Liking Cherington's CV doesn't forfeit me my right to think he needs to make a certain move.

Oh please. Even when a guy's won there's plenty of room to disagree with any single decision he made.

I'd take McD with the understanding that we're looking for a backup, rather than a platoon mate. Did well for himself in limited play last year. I'd rather bring in a guy that we can slot into the starting lineup for a week at a time without feeling the need to resort to prayer, of course.

Until there is an international draft, yes. Even the ones that aren't considered MLB-ready.

Product of our farm system, but yes, not a draftee.

I'm sure they thought that with Dejesus. He always had the talent to do more than he did. JBJ's game is going to be a lot like that of Dejesus. Hopefully a little better all around, but a similar type or style of play is what I expect. And let's not forget that at the top of his game Dejesus was a very solid CF.

Right. To reword that just because it can be a bit confusing: We had solid coverage with good main offerings at CF and RF last year and we still had to lean on a left fielder to start nearly 50 games in right. It exposed a weakness on the roster because we were forced to play a man in a position where he is defensively very shaky. The fact that we got away with it to a point does not change this. In fact, the fact that we now have a rookie in CF makes it all the more important that this team obtains, or finds a way to internally promote, a 3 position outfielder.

It's not about a platoon. JBJ doesn't have a noted platoon weakness. It's about not counting on any one player until you have a fair idea what you'll get out of him. It's about depth and making sure we're fielding the deepest team we can.

Frankly, a legitimate 30 HR guy has a place on this roster. I just trust Cecchini to live up to his true potential more than I trust Middlebrooks to do the same and once both are up, I'd prioritize playing time appropriately. True, it's a fair thing to point out, but if you look at the recent history of high OBP hitters in the minors and what they go on to do at the big league level, the odds are in his favor to become a productive big league 3B. Probably moreso than for high power low OBP guys. Especially because we just haven't seen a hitter hit as consistently as Cecchini in the minors in a very long time.

Bradley's plate appearances came over a longer spread of time. Again, not that worried about him in the long run, just a little nervous about the short term and willing to note that having a deep bench stacked to best cushion the team from any struggles from developing players is never a bad idea.

For my standpoint, I do think JBJ will, eventually, hit major league pitching. My position is, he's already had more time to figure it out on the job than Pedey needed. He'll get it eventually, but maybe not necessarily on our timetable, more like Lowrie. So it might be a great idea to have someone around who can cover for the kid in case the adjustment period takes longer than we hope it does. I'm fixated on Blanco as a solution for 2 reasons. First, he's likely to be available. The Giants are looking to do some shuffling in the outfield and I can't imagine them being particularly averse to dealing him for a fair price. Second, Blanco is in truth what we actually need backing up our rookie -- a guy who can get it done himself, but won't outshine the rookie when said rookie starts to produce. If JBJ doesn't produce, which I don't believe is the case, Blanco is a very good bottom of the order roster filler type who won't hurt you as a starting CF. He's not great, he's not an all star, but he is useful. If JBJ does produce, Blanco is the stuff championship benches are made of. I expect the team to be hoping to bring in, maybe not Blanco himself, but a player in that mold (~2 WAR 3 position OF who stacks his production towards OBP) if the deal is there and the price is right, because it's a move that would make our outfield more resilient than it is right now.

Well, it was his inability to compile stats despite his obvious talent, that killed his big league career in the end.

I haven't turned on WMB. I'm just nervous about his ability to maintain a strong OBP number, which in my mind is just as important as raw power if not more so. We're talking about a kid here who has never had a minor league season or fraction of a season with an OBP of under .390. His season OBP last year between A_ and AA was .443. The AA portion of that was a mere .420. career .417. These are ridiculous numbers, well above anyone else we've seen come through in a very long time, including much lauded prospects like Pedey (.392 career OBP in the minors), Ellsbury (.390), Lowrie (.381) and JBJ (.404). Of those 4, 3 are already producing at high levels for their posiitions in the big leagues and we're banking very heavily on the fourth figuring it out -- not without reason. Guys with elite OBP numbers tend to be able to get on base at an above average level in the big leagues. It's not perfect, but it's a solid indicator of potential in the most important offensive area -- consistency. The only recent guy to beat Cecchini's minor league OBP numbers in our system? One Kevin Youkilis. Youk managed a jawdropping .442 career minor league OBP. Frankly except for Cecchini's obvious speed element, which shows up in triples and SB's Youk never achieved, the two are otherwise pretty comparable. And Youk spent 3 years as one of the best pure hitters in the entire majors before his body wore out on him. Given the choice between a lefthanded Youk type with average or better speed, and an all or nothing swinger with several holes in his plate approach, I'll go with the consistent producer, even if what he produces is usually singles and doubles rather than homers. From what I've read about him I think the power well come in, and even if it doesn't he'll have a place at the top of someone's batting order.

And the Sox have demonstrated they'll get early deals done with Boras. However, the most contentious negotiatons always seem to tend to be with Boras clients, so Soxsport isn't entirely wrong either. You pick Scott Boras as your agent because you don't mind turning a contract negotiation into a full declared war in order to get the most out of your deal in the end.

I could easily see Carp being moved in a deal to clear space and shore up an area of need, and Cecchini coming up to fill the same role, dependent on Cecchini doing to AAA what I expect him to do..

he replaces Carp on the roster, who fills a redundant role himself, and provides things Carp can't, like an extra backup in centerfield. Blanco wouldn't be the starter. He'd be a backup CF with a really decent on base ability and a touch of speed who was a 2 WAR player each of the last 2 seasons -- steady above replacement level production and very good for a rotating backup. He'd be the guy you could start in center for 2-3 weeks if JBJ sucked and vic was hurt, without losing any sleep over it. That guy can be incredibly valuable when things start to go wrong. Having those guys on the roster can turn a losing streak into a string of .500 ball when you're missing a key player, which WILL happen at some point over the course of a given season. That can make all the difference in making the postseason or not.

I think that's a pretty important granted. that stretch covers the period of time in which the league were still figuring him out. He's got to prove he can sustain that level before I'll take WMB seriously as more than an interesting prospect. I still think that if you make it a tossup over the next 2 years Cecchini is the guy who's going to come down with 3B in his teeth.

Our bench isn't hurting for bats. Moving Carp isn't my ideal move, but I think a player like Blanco, who can help us at 3 positions, is more useful than a third left fielder, even a good one. I like Carp, I was pumping him up as a potential starting 1B earlier in the offseason, this is not about doubting Carp. We simply don't need what Carp gives us as much as we need other things. Backing up at 1B isn't a huge issue either -- if Napoli gets hurt, you start Blanco or Gomes in left field and move Nava to first base, you have just as much depth either way because of the standing versatility of other players.

I wouldn't mind in the slightest replacing Carp with a 3 position 5th outfielder. I think it helps our depth and versatility to make that move. Carp to the Giants for Gregor Blanco and something relieverish would suit me fine. The Giants make the move because they need a lot more offense starting in left field than Blanco can provide on a regular basis. We make the move because Blanco is a prototype of exactly what we need, a 3 position guy who can generate enough offense to be serviceable, (in blanco's case, with speed and OBP) and play behind the starter. He's not fantastic, but Blanco is steady and plays well to what the team tries to do, having him in the wings to take over in center if JBJ can't get it done would make me breathe a little easier.

This is precisely the reason I am not the world's greatest Clay Buchholz fan. There is no virtue greater than making all your starts, and no vice as bad as typically failing to make 8 or more of them. I'll take a consistent 180+ innings guy over a guy with an ERA half a point to a point lower and call it a good trade.

If we get a good OBP out of him that ought to mean that the position of CF is covered adequately. All comparisons to either Ellsbury or choo need to wait until we have a better idea what we're actually going to get out of Bradley.