mvp 78

But I thought he was DESPERATE?

25M smackeroonies? No way.

Can always trade for a 4th OF during the season.

Peak age is only 29, so you'd get the second half of his prime I guess?

Just being realistic.

That first half of September was still brutal. Every player gets hot from time to time. He has to stay on the field and show that he can produce day in and day out. As I said before, he's a question mark.

Throw in Chavis too.

He's a question mark you guys should be moving on from.

The old boss would've done it. Sad.

or 1B?

2014 - 141 games for JBJ between PAW/BOS 2015 - 145 games for JBJ between PAW/BOS (season where he had the crazy 2nd half breakout) Uh, wut?

JT Realmuto has requested a trade out of Miami. He hit 17HR last year and was worth 3.6WAR. I wonder if the Yankees would be in on him as they don't have a catcher that can currently field the position.

Oh, is Hosmer only looking for a 1 year deal? If so, it's a good get!

I agree. Dombrowski should start putting out feelers to the other FA's and have them come by Fenway. JD doesn't want to lose out on his biggest payday. Right now, they are just hopping to get more bidders involved.

Reminder: If JD does get overpaid, it may not be Dombrowski's fault. Boras has gone above Dombrowski's head before. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-hot-stove-the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-boras-top-free-agent-clients/ General managers, the usually cool-headed decision makers who had historically made the call on how much to spend on talent, weren't necessarily going to back up the Brinks truck to land Fielder's services. So Boras simply went around those general managers. Instead, he sussed out the handful of team owners who could be persuaded to think with their hearts and not their heads. He further narrowed that list down, identifying Mike Ilitch as a prime target for his seductive pitch. The Tigers owner desperately wanted to win a World Series. He already employed two handsomely paid superstars in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. And he was 83 years old, keenly aware of his mortality and how tough it could be to win it all. Here was a man committed to winning who might be willing to spend far more than anyone else would, if only to raise those hopes for postseason glory. The result: Fielder inked a nine-year, $214 million megadeal that remains one of the 10 biggest ever signed by a baseball player. That number of years and dollars was shocking enough. What really made everyone's heads spin, though, was the timing. Fielder signed that contract on Jan. 26, 2012, six weeks after the Winter Meetings and long past the point at which free-agent bonanzas typically happen.

https://www.overthemonster.com/2017/12/18/16790094/red-sox-top-prospects-baseball-america The five-six pairing was the most surprising of the entire list to me as both are higher than I was expecting to see. Brannen rounds out the top five despite just being selected in the second round this past summer and putting up fine but unspectacular numbers in his first professional season. That being said, the tools are there and as BA points out he is the best chance the Red Sox have at having a top prospect at an up-the-middle position. Hernandez, meanwhile, was quietly very strong in his first full season in the minors. It’s all about the fastball for the southpaw, and BA points out that the dominance of that pitch may have hindered the development of his secondaries. There’s a chance he’s a long-term reliever, but BA at least is a believer in the potential for a mid-rotation arm. Finally, there is an interesting mix in the last four spots on this list. I’d expect to see Travis a couple spots higher on most lists this winter, though on my own personal list I probably wouldn’t even have him in the top ten. BA still believes there is some power to be tapped into, but acknowledges he is running out of time to show it. Shawaryn, meanwhile, is not someone they seem overly excited about though they do see some potential for an innings-eating number four starter. While not thrilling, that’s a valuable piece. Scherff, meanwhile, hasn’t pitched at all as a pro but has big-time potential and could be one of the biggest risers in the system. Finally, there is Hernandez, who I forgot was even still prospect-eligible. I’m a bigger Hernandez fan than most, though I agree with BA’s assessment that he’s either a second-division second baseman or a good utility man.

Other notes: Scouts see Groome as a teenage Jon Lester. "Inadequate offseason conditioning" was an issue with Groome's injury riddled year. Chavis is undersized at 1b, but looked good in AFL. Comparables to Chavis are Moustakas and Ron Cey. Houck has a floor of Joe Smith or Carson Smith, but is still intriguing as a starter if he can develop a third pitch. Mata is a young three pitch pitcher, but where does he project physically? Great command though. Brannen has a Brett Gardner starter kit of tools, but maybe too passive at the plate. Travis couldn't get on an offensive roll in 2017 due to rehab from injuries and being on the PAW/BOS shuttle. When will the power show? If Shawaryn develops a changeup, he could become a 4th starter. Scherff is just risky due to age, but has a high ceiling and has advanced FB command for his age. No professional pitches thrown yet. Marco is at worst a bench player, but could be an everyday 2b depending on how he bounces back from injury. Not much new there, but it's a good jumping off point for anyone who hasn't been paying much attention after the team gutted the system.

Speier goes into more detail here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2017/12/18/what-left-red-sox-farm-system-here-are-top-prospects/zPy507YNIMZcgt19C15v4H/story.html Darwinzon: WHY HE’S RANKED HERE: Few in the Red Sox system can match the present stuff of Hernandez, who unleashes mid-90s fastballs (topping out at 97) from a low three-quarters arm slot. He’s leaned heavily on a curveball throughout his career, but in his final start of the year for Greenville, he finally committed to a slider that looked like an absolute wipeout offering PROJECTION: If everything clicks and he realizes how to employ a full three- to four-pitch mix (fastball, slider, curveball, changeup), Hernandez could be a starter in the mold of Francisco Liriano, albeit one who is likely capped as a mid-rotation starter by his limited command. At the least, he has the power stuff and aggressive attack plan – he hunts swings-and-misses with his fastball – to be a formidable back-end reliever. QUESTIONS: Will Hernandez continue the sort of control gains he made in 2017, when he dropped his walk rate from 6.7 per nine innings to 4.3 per nine? If not, can he ever assume the innings total necessary to be a starter? Will he make the necessary progress to realize how to sequence his pitches to thrive, or is he more of a let-it-fly guy who is suited for the late innings?

SYSTEM OVERVIEW Strengths: In a system thinned by trades and graduations, the Red Sox still have an interesting mix of pitching prospects, led by No. 1 Jay Groome and 2017 first-rounder Tanner Houck, though most are either far away or could wind up in the bullpen. Corner infield bats such as Michael Chavis, Josh Ockimey, Sam Travis and Danny Diaz provide some power potential. Weaknesses: The Red Sox lack for up-the-middle positions players. Boston might not have a future regular at catcher, second base, shortstop or center field in the system. Graduating Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers and trading premium prospects like Manuel Margot, Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Anderson Espinoza—as well as trades of lesser prospects—has thinned what was one of the deepest system in baseball a few years ago. BEST TOOLS Best Hitter for Average: Sam Travis. Best Power Hitter: Michael Chavis. Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Josh Ockimey. Fastest Baserunner: Cole Brannen. Best Athlete: Kervin Suarez. Best Fastball: Darwinzon Hernandez. Best Curveball: Jay Groome. Best Slider: Tanner Houck. Best Changeup: Ty Buttrey. Best Control: Bryan Mata. Best Defensive Catcher: Austin Rei. Best Defensive INF: Antoni Flores. Best INF Arm: Bobby Dalbec. Best Defensive OF: Tate Matheny. Best OF Arm: Yoan Aybar. TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE (Listed with 2017 organization) 2008: RHP Clay Buchholz (Phillies) | WAR: 15.5 2009: 1B Lars Anderson (Japan) | WAR: N/A 2010: OF Ryan Westmoreland (Did Not Play) | WAR: N/A 2011: SS Jose Iglesias (Tigers) | WAR: 7.0 2012: 3B Will Middlebrooks (Rangers) | WAR: 1.4 2013: SS Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) | WAR: 11.1 2014: SS Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) | WAR: ** 2015: C Blake Swihart (Red Sox) | WAR: 0.6 2016: 3B Yoan Moncada (White Sox) | WAR: 1.5 2017: OF Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox) | WAR: 3.1 TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE (Listed with 2017 organization) 2008: RHP Casey Kelly (Giants) | WAR: 1.5 2009: OF Reymond Fuentes (Diamondbacks) | WAR: 0.3 2010: 2B Kolbrin Vitek (Did Not Play) | WAR: N/A 2011: RHP Matt Barnes (Red Sox) | WAR: 0.8 2012: SS Deven Marrero (Red Sox) | WAR: 0.1 2013: LHP Trey Ball (Red Sox) | WAR: N/A 2014: SS Michael Chavis (Red Sox) | Top 10 2015: OF Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox) | WAR: 3.1 2016: LHP Jay Groome (Red Sox) | Top 10 2017: RHP Tanner Houck (Red Sox) | Top 10

Compared with SoxProspects list 1. Groome (1) 2. Chavis (2) 3. Houck (4) 4. Mata (3) 5. Brannen (7) 6. D Hernandez (14) 7. Travis (5) 8. Shawaryn (8) 9. Scherff (9) 10. M. Hernandez (NR graduated) No love for Ockimey or Beeks. They must really like Darwinzon's FB?

Baseball America's prospect rankings are out. Red Sox Top 10 Prospects 1. Jay Groome, LHP 2. Michael Chavis, 3B 3. Tanner Houck, RHP 4. Bryan Mata, RHP 5. Cole Brannen, OF 6. Darwinzon Hernandez, LHP 7. Sam Travis, 1B 8. Mike Shawaryn, RHP 9. Alex Scherff, RHP 10. Marco Hernandez, SS/2B

He did play less than half of the games from 2014 - 2016. That probably hurt his development, you think?

Plus it was before he revamped his swing.

Moving Benny to CF isn't really rearranging the OF since he played there off and on in 2017.