mvp 78

The risk of re-signing Eovaldi AND Sale was that the injury concerns would make it likely that the contracts would end up not being worth it, plus it prevented us from re-signing Mookie. We are lucky that both of the contracts turned out to be duds and it was just the obvious Sale extension that looks horrible in retrospect.

I hope he's turned a corner in his career and can be healthy for a long time regardless if it's on the Sox.

I guess it's fine for just this year. I thought Piscotty had 2 more years to go on his deal.

Yes, he needs his pre-injury stuff to come back.

After his injury, Seabold put up good numbers, but his stuff was inconsistent and his velocity did not return. He sat 89-92 mph and topped out at 93, a grade below what he was before. His feel for his changeup was still inconsistent, to the point where scouts saw his slider as having replaced it as his primary secondary. Scouts still have confidence in his feel and command, but the decreased velocity and regressing changeup create a wider range of outcomes. Seabold still has major league potential, but he looks more like a number five starter or swing-man type rather than the potential number four starter he looked like before. In the AFL, I will be closely watching reports on his stuff to see if his velocity and changeup come back. If they do, his projection could return to what it was heading into the season, but if not, it adds another data point and further questions about whether his pre-injury stuff will ever come back and lead to more questions heading into 2022. His stuff did not come back during the AFL. His best pitch was his changeup, but now it's his third best pitch at best. All the talk about "wider range of outcomes" means bullpen arm and spot starter ceiling unless his stuff comes back IMO. From Fangraphs: He’s shown the ability to pair his four-seamer with his plus changeup, which he throws with significantly less velocity (in the low-80s) and late fade, often wreaking havoc on hitters’ timing. But when the velocities of those pitches dip, as was the case in 2021 (perhaps a result of the elbow issue that sidelined him earlier in the season), advanced hitters have been able to square them up. As a result, the aforementioned havoc was not wreaked when Seabold was called upon to make his big league debut after Chris Sale tested positive for COVID. Seabold lasted three innings and allowed three hits, including a Leury García two-run no-doubter on an 80 mph changeup he left over the heart of the plate. He also walked two and failed to issue a strikeout – a far cry from the 25.3% strikeout rate and 1.06 WHIP he’d posted at Triple-A. He was sent back down once the COVID cloud lifted and made three more starts in 2021, including one that saw him leave the game after just 2.1 innings and another during which he didn’t strike anyone out.

3 straight years below 100 WRC+. 101 vs LHP only. Not worth taking that contract on.

Is Kris Bryant worth 26 AAV? Seems a little high. Chris Taylor at 15 AAV? Seems about right. I would have taken that contract. Avisail Garcia at 13.25? No. Mark Canha at 13.25? No. McCutchen at 8.5? Too high. Want to say it's fine, but his defense is horrible even in LF now. Pham at 7.5? No. His 2021 2nd half stats scare me. Frazier at 1.5? Fine. I guess hope for a bounce back? Pillar at MiLB deal? Yes.

I'm not arguing that scouts specifically said he was horrible. I'm arguing that they said he wasn't the pitcher they thought he was and weren't seeing him as an MLB starter until his "stuff" came back. I inferred the "horribleness." We had high hopes that he'd help the rotation last year. Now we aren't certain if he can help the rotation this year. He's already 26 and is running out of time.

I saw a few of his starts but am not a trained scout. Sometimes you have to rely on the opinion of others as they may have more understanding than you do.

I wouldn't sign Pham for 7.5 either.

You said his healthy lifestyle was an indicator that he'd have continued health. I just said the better indicator is that he almost often misses significant time during the season. It has nothing to do with what FA will be available. However, FA's that may be a better bet than Eovaldi: DeGrom, Manaea, Nola, Quintana, Syndergaard.

Xander wasn't a top 100 prospect until he was 20.

So Bleis has no chance at reaching those levels? That's not what the scouts are saying.

Koss and Fitzgerald both have shots at getting cups of coffee in the next few years. I like Fitzgerald's skillset. He can play good defense all over the diamond and can hit a little. Could be the next Brock Holt type. Koss is a high floor/low ceiling guy. He's a MIF with some pop. We'll see what he can go at AA this year.

Were you watching him live or just the scoreboard? The scouts disagree with your assertion on him being good.

I think you hold onto him for the season no matter what. I just am not as sold on him being an MLB starter as I once was. The scouting reports on him from last year were not good, regardless of what the stats showed.

A better predictor is that since 2015, he's only had 1 season where he pitched a full year.

He didn't even pitch a full season in 2020 when it was only 60 games.

Also, Daniel Flores from the 17-18 class would be 22 today and would most likely be on the MLB roster if he didn't get cancer and die. Guys from 18 IFA like Paulino, Bonaci and Wikelman are all decent prospects but are still far away and two of those guys are still teenagers. You don't expect these guys to just show up in BOS 2 years after signing. The previous 2 years of signings are still high school kids.

And part of the reasons they "slipped" is that they got caught doing shenanigans and were restricted from signing IFA's for a while.

I'm not sure he'll ever be a good fit in RF at Fenway. I'd rather have him fake it in CF.

You going to comment on your boy Seabold or no? I thought he was great now?

Move Raffy to 1b!

I guess that's better than going into business with Jordan Belfort?

Also had 44 appearances over 3 seasons prior to 2021. Akil Baddoo? Or does he not count since he isn't a pitcher?