mvp 78

The Trade The Boston Red Sox received left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Boston Red Sox In need of starting pitching to bolster their high-scoring offense, the Red Sox cashed in Espinoza—the No. 21 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com—to grab Pomeranz, who was having a breakout, All-Star season with the Padres. The results haven't been great so far. Through three starts with Boston, Pomeranz is 0-2 with an unsightly 7.53 ERA. It's a small sample, obviously. And Pomeranz has intermittently flashed the stuff that made him successful in San Diego, as Red Sox skipper John Farrell pointed out. "Three starts in, I know the numbers can look out of sync or not strong," Farrell said, per ESPN.com's Scott Lauber. "But still, there's quality stuff being thrown. It's a matter of consistency." The 27-year-old Pomeranz won't become a free agent until 2019, so assuming he returns to form, this could still be a positive for the Red Sox. So far, however, it's a mixed bag at best considering what the Sox surrendered. Grade: C- San Diego Padres The Pads, who have shifted into full-blown rebuild mode, appear to have sold high on Pomeranz. And they acquired a heck of a building block in Espinoza, an 18-year-old who has struck out 141 hitters in 142 minor league innings. There's no such thing as a can't-miss teenage prospect, but San Diego may have turned a strong half-season from Pomeranz into a future front-line starter. And remember, the Padres acquired Pomeranz from the Oakland A's this winter for first baseman Yonder Alonso, who's hitting .247 with a .651 OPS. As SB Nation's Grant Brisbee put it, "The San Diego Padres turned Yonder Alonso into a golden arm using This One Weird Trick." When you frame it like that, it's tough not to love this move from the Friars' perspective. Grade: A

As you stated, they provided value to us as fans because they are good to talk about, hope about, dream about, etc.

The truck is southbound on 95. Pitchers and catcher are to report by the 15th. First full workout is the 20th, unless someone's third grandma passes away.

I think that would depend on the salary. If the salaries were equal, the 1 year of 6 fWAR is much more important as you are getting that from one position alone. Just earning an additional 1.5 fWAR over 3 years? I'm not sure there's enough meat on that bone to justify a bigger return. It's the difference between Xander and Profar.

So they aren't useless then, especially since their development can lead to them being traded for valuable pieces at the very least.

10-15 range seems fair enough IMO. It's where most of the rankings place them. Top half of the league with room for improvement if the current guys develop. Chaim needs another strong draft.

It depends on how desperate the GM is.

What could Bloom have done with QO picks if they weren't in the 4th round?

I think it's the combination of all three.

I disagree. Espinoza was a very good asset that could have been dealt for a better piece than Pomeranz. Maybe hold off on dealing him until the next offseason as part of a larger package?

Ben started off with Mookie, JBJ and Xander thanks to Theo. Hard to just to go by named GM. Ben was overrated for farm stuff IMO. Bloom seems better. I think this system top to bottom is the best it has been (if including Casas) since the initial 2014 rankings that included: Xander JBJ Owens Checchini Swihart Ranaudo Webster Barnes Workman Betts Vazquez Margot Devers

The Drew Pomeranz deal was an obvious bad idea from day one. Traded for a guy with injury concerns who had an unsustainable ERA that most of us noticed at the time (2.47 ERA, 3.61 xFIP). He was dealt for a top tier prospect and was barely replacement level with BOS. The Thornburg trade made sense in theory, but they vastly overpaid for him.

It's not "squandered" if you are using it on top tier players like Sale and Kimbrel. I can defend those moves. I can't defend the lesser moves that also took its toll.

Never really been the Sox' strongsuit. Theo did an ok job when Paplebon/Lester/Buchholz were pushed through.

When Dombrowski took over, he started his first offseason with: Moncada Devers Espinoza Margot Benintendi Kopech Some high end talent, but it really dropped off after that. #10 in the system was Deven Marrero. After '16/'17 promotions and the Sale trade, the system really didn't have much left to crow about that was ready to contribute in the near future. The system was best when run under Theo and hasn't really reached those heights since.

Everyone talks about Lou Whitaker needing to get in the HOF. Yes, hard agree! Grich first though.

Deals for high end talent like Sale and Kimbrel are fine to me. I don't think it's worthwhile to churn through your farm depth for Pomeranz, Thornburg and guys like that.

Right, when it's only MY opinions that should have the most merit around here.

Yes, that's how it works around here. Some people just want Bloom to be the fall guy. They are actively rooting against him. I just want the Sox to be good. I don't care if Bloom stays or goes. I want the Sox to commit to having a strong farm system and a playoff caliber MLB team that isn't draining the farm for nonsense.

Bloom said he's not dealing Mayer.

No, last year was just bad. This year could just be weird weird. They could get really hot, then really cold. They have a high ceiling and a very low floor. I think there are going to be some fun moments and not fun moments.

Law is a known Sox hater. It comes up every year when we discuss him. He was also the guy who brought up the issue of DD decimating the farm system. He's a real bastard.

Lugo played 3 games in POR last season. He's most likely not a SS going forward due to skill though, not due to roster crunch.

Right now, GM's really only want prospects that are MLB ready or very close to it (like Rafaela). The majority of the Sox' intriguing prospects were still below AA last season. GM's don't want that risk. Too many things can go wrong between A+ and MLB.

The farm system has a better outlook than the MLB club for this year IMO. 2023 could be a very weird year for the Sox.