mvp 78

Notes from the article above: Song eligible for early release in May. Jimenez weight on the instructs roster was 50 lbs heavier than last year. Just filled out and is still a plus plus runner (70 grade, was 80). Expects Bazardo to be in the relief pitching mix in BOS. Down on Yorke. Doesn't believe in his power and he put on weight. System Overview This system is not very good because it still lacks the top end prospects that drive the empirically-derived farm rankings here at the site. But it is about 10 prospects deeper than last year’s list as the Red Sox were 2020 sellers at the onset of a rebuild that was partly ownership-imposed and partly caused by the unsustainable way Dave Dombrowski ran the show. Boston’s 2020 was the rebuild equivalent of a sprinter made of molasses coming out of the blocks. Part of this is because the most talented part of the Betts trade, Alex Verdugo, is no longer a prospect, part of it is because Boston had no second rounder in 2020 because of their sign-stealing scandal, and part of it is because the young Latin American core of this system didn’t really have a chance to get a traditional year of development and evaluation. Some of it is also, at least at this website, because I didn’t like their draft. I watched film (some from last summer and some from the alt site), talked to pro scouts who saw Nick Yorke after the draft, and doubled back to some crosscheckers on the West Coast who saw him before it. Their opinions were enough to move my pre-draft evaluation of him pretty considerably, but their class still feels sub-par to me. I’m not keen on positionless hitters, and the Red Sox may have drafted two of them. The shortened draft also punished Boston and other teams with thin farm systems, and made it impossible to find late-round diamonds in the rough like Boston did with Blalock and Cellucci in 2019. They did sign more undrafted free agents than other clubs, which makes sense considering the state of this system, though it’s also confirmation that the org is aware it needs more talent. It’s fairly likely that whoever the Red Sox draft fourth overall in the 2021 Draft will immediately become their top prospect, and rumors of an Andrew Benintendi trade may yet cause this list to grow before the end of the offseason. It’d be smart if Boston flexed its financial might to take on some bad contracts (with prospects attached, of course) while other teams are especially desperate to get rid of them, but it doesn’t seem like ownership would allow that.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/top-45-prospects-boston-red-sox/ 1 Jeter Downs 22.5 AA 2B 2022 50 2 Triston Casas 21.0 A+ 1B 2023 50 3 Bryan Mata 21.7 AA MIRP 2021 45+ 4 Gilberto Jimenez 20.5 A- CF 2023 45+ 5 Noah Song 23.6 A- SP 2023 45 6 Tanner Houck 24.5 MLB MIRP 2021 45 7 Jarren Duran 24.4 AA CF 2022 45 8 Connor Seabold 25.0 AA SP 2021 45 9 Bobby Dalbec 25.5 MLB 3B 2021 45 10 Eduard Bazardo 25.4 AA SIRP 2021 40+ NOT EVEN ON SOXPROSPECTS TOP 20 11 Brayan Bello 21.7 A SIRP 2022 40+ 12 Jay Groome 22.4 A SP 2022 40+ 13 Thad Ward 24.0 A+ MIRP 2022 40+ 14 Aldo Ramirez 19.7 AAA SP 2023 40+ 15 Nick Yorke 18.8 R 2B 2025 40+ 16 Jeisson Rosario 21.2 A+ CF 2021 40+ 17 Brainer Bonaci 18.5 R 3B 2023 40 18 Hudson Potts 22.2 AA 3B 2021 40 19 Connor Wong 24.6 AA C 2021 40 20 Eduardo Lopez 18.7 R CF 2023 40 21 Blaze Jordan 18.1 R 1B 2025 40 22 Juan Chacon 18.1 R CF 2024 40 23 Cameron Cannon 23.2 A- 2B 2023 40 HAD AS 8 LAST YEAR?!? SOXPROSPECTS HAS AT 39. 24 Nick Decker 21.3 A- RF 2023 40 25 Jacob Wallace 22.4 A- SIRP 2023 40 26 Brendan Cellucci 22.5 A- SIRP 2022 40 27 Matthew Lugo 19.7 A- SS 2024 40 HAD AS 7TH LAST YEAR 28 Bryan Gonzalez 19.3 R RF 2024 40 29 Garrett Whitlock 24.6 AA MIRP 2021 40 30 Durbin Feltman 23.7 AA SIRP 2021 40 31 Chih-Jung Liu 21.8 R SIRP 2024 40 32 Jorge Rodriguez 20.4 A- LHP 2023 35+ 33 Christian Koss 23.0 R SS 2022 35+ 34 Eduardo Vaughan 19.0 R RF 2024 35+ 35 Andrew Politi 24.6 A+ SIRP 2022 35+ 36 Ryan Zeferjahn 22.9 A- SIRP 2022 35+ 37 Shane Drohan 22.0 R SP 2024 35+ 38 Bradley Blalock 20.0 R SP 2025 35+ 39 Naysbel Marcano 18.6 R C 2023 35+ 40 Marcus Wilson 24.4 AA CF 2021 35+ 41 Chris Murphy 22.6 A- MIRP 2023 35+ 42 Antoni Flores 20.2 A- 3B 2023 35+ 43 Luis Perales 17.7 R RHP 2025 35+ 44 Albert Feliz 18.7 R LF 2023 35+ 45 Jeremy Wu-Yelland 21.5 R SIRP 2024 35+

Red Sox prospect Bradley Blalock was a 32nd round draft choice in 2019, but after adding 10 pounds and roughly six miles per hour to his fastball, the 20-year-old right-hander will enter 2021 as a player to watch, per Alex Speier of Baseball America. Blalock is more-or-less just beginning his professional career, having signed out of high school for $250K in July of 2019. The Georgia native made just four appearances in rookie ball, giving up five earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out four over 6 2/3 innings. Elsewhere in the system, the prospect gurus at MLB.com name Nick Yorke as a player who could rise quickly through Boston’s system, writing, “The California prep product has the sweet right-handed swing, bat speed, pitch recognition and discipline to potentially become a .300 hitter with 20 homers per season.” Yorke was the No. 17 overall selection of the 2020 draft.

I agree about Beni's trade value. They'd have to package him to get something of value. Maybe a bad contract and a prospect or two? I'd just prefer to keep him. If he sucks, he just goes away. Sign a stop gap for CF. There are still a few underwhelming options available. Then go sign Wong.

It was a make up move for not signing Abreu that offseason.

Skip to 1:30

So that's a no to Bauer.

While the Red Sox were among the teams that liked Sugano, they are “uninterested” in offering any pitcher a four-year deal this winter, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. They are, however, willing to offer two-year or three-year terms to certain hurlers. As Speier writes, that dovetails nicely with the team’s ongoing Jake Odorizzi pursuit. Arguably the second-best free agent starter remaining on the market, Odorizzi is expected to land a three-year deal in the $36MM — $42MM range.

San Diego Chicken finally got his revenge.

It makes Bauer's comments and approach to sticky substances last year all the more hilarious. He was just doing it to troll Gerrit.

I think the size of Henry's bank account gives us the flexibility. Now that they cleared the threshold last year, they can really do whatever they want. That's true payroll flexibility IMO.

How so? Sox were under the cap last year. They could legitimately spend as much as theoretically possible this offseason. This isn't a small market team trying to find spare change in their couch. If Henry told Bloom he wanted to win this year, they could sign Bauer, Springer and whoever else they wanted.

@alexspeier Tomoyuki Sugano has until 5pm to sign with an MLB team, but it won't be with the Red Sox, who appear out on the NPB star. Could Jake Odorizzi fit their plans?

RIP Filene's Basement in Downtown Crossing

If you go bargain bin shopping, you'll most likely look like it too.

Not when 27 other teams are waiting too.

@JonHeyman Two hours to go for the deadline for star RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, and unless someone makes a big push late, there’s a good chance he’ll return to pitch for the Yomiuri Giants, who offered 4 years with 3 opt-outs. Jays, others have been in mix but might not be the right year to move.

The only teams that seem to be all in this offseason is the Mets and Padres. The inefficiency is that when all the teams are waiting until the end of the period to sign people, you have the opportunity to be first in line and just get the guy you really want.

@RobertStock6 The Red Sox didn’t know it then, but in 1920 they were the first team to officially begin a “rebuild” when they traded Babe Ruth. This rebuild lasted 84 years (which is a bit longer than usual) but has widely been considered a successful ploy.

@OverTheMonster Yet another good time for a reminder that Moneyball wasn't about sabermetrics it was about taking advantage of market inefficiencies and right now the biggest market inefficiency in baseball is actually trying to improve your team. This. Agreed. 100%.

@IanCundall I’m a little surprised Cleveland couldn’t get a better main piece for Lindor, especially since they are also moving Carrasco. I’d take both Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs over anyone they are getting in the trade. @redsoxstats Sox got better main pieces and dumped a contract rather than including Carrasco. Betts is better than Lindor and the Dodgers paid accordingly.

We going to try this again?

Fine.

Lindor/Carrasco traded to the Mets, by the way.

Maybe? I'll have to think about it.