Orange Juiced

You're welcome. Enjoy!

To quench your Red Sox thirst now that they're done for the season. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1642939889?pf_rd_r=HZSENVVK0E0SZ2NJXZ31&pf_rd_p=8fe9b1d0-f378-4356-8bb8-cada7525eadd&pd_rd_r=69da3a57-93bd-432c-b38b-8519fa5bebc3&pd_rd_w=qduWX&pd_rd_wg=1gITT&ref_=pd_gw_unk

He has traded quite a few prospects for: - Chris Sale, one of the best SP in all of baseball, who is 27 years old and has 3 years left on a GREAT contract; - Craig Kimbrel, one of the best closers in this HISTORY of baseball, who is 28 years old; - Tyler Thornburg, one of the best 7th-8th inning guys in baseball last year, who is 28 years old; - Drew Pomeranz, an all-star starting pitcher last year. Yes they gave up a lot of prospect talent, and the Sox' system is no longer elite. But it still has some good players in it - Devers, Groome, Travis, Dalbec, and maybe Ball (who seems to be improving). So it's not totally gutted.

Last year the Red Sox' top two starting pitchers performed this way: (A) 22-4, 3.15 era, 145 era+ ( 17-9, 3.99 era, 114 era+ I just thought that (A) would be Price and ( would be Porcello. Ha! As for Pomeranz, he's been a very good major league pitcher for the past 3 seasons: 2014: 2.35 era, 1.12 whip, 8.3 k/9 2015: 3.66 era, 1.19 whip, 8.6 k/9 2016: 3.32 era, 1.18 whip, 9.8 k/9 It's just that 2014 and 2015 were out of the bullpen. I think he'll be fine, and will be one of the best 4th or 5th starters in all of baseball. I didn't like the Pomeranz deal when it happened, but he's a solid pitcher.

With the Sox picking up Rutledge, I think they are fairly set for position players, assuming a 12-man pitching staff. Catchers - Leon - Vazquez Infielders - Ramirez - Pedroia - Bogaerts - Sandoval - Rutledge - Moreland Outfielders - Benintendi - Bradley - Betts - Young - Holt Here's how I see it, assuming health... Vs. RHP C - Leon 1b - Moreland 2b - Pedroia 3b - Sandoval SS - Bogaerts LF - Benintendi CF - Bradley RF - Betts DH - Ramirez Lineup: 1. Pedroia 2. Benintendi 3. Betts 4. Ramirez 5. Moreland 6. Bogaerts 7. Bradley 8. Sandoval 9. Leon Vs. LHP C - Vazquez 1b - Ramirez 2b - Pedroia 3b - Sandoval SS - Bogaerts LF - Benintendi CF - Bradley RF - Betts DH - Young Lineup: 1. Pedroia 2. Benintendi 3. Betts 4. Ramirez 5. Bogaerts 6. Young 7. Bradley 8. Sandoval 9. Vazquez Notes: Obviously, Vazquez and Leon share duties at C. One may have "personal catcher" duties with a particular pitcher, regardless of who the opposing pitcher is, who knows. Rutledge spells any of the IF on any given day. Young can spell an OF or play DH against lefties. Holt can spell anybody, pretty much anywhere on the field. Moreland, if he's not starting, can be a defensive replacement for Hanley at 1b in the late innings. Good versatility on the bench, then, in Vazquez, Moreland, Young, Holt, and Rutledge. Not a ton of power there, but Moreland has some pop and Young has decent power, given limited at-bats. Good mix of lefty and righty bats there as well. That lineup lacks the one monster bat, but let's keep in mind that here was the biggest thumper in each of the 2016 playoff teams' lineups (I'm taking Papi out of the mix, for obvious reasons): Boston: Betts - 31 hr, 113 rbi, 131 ops+ Toronto: Donaldson - 37 hr, 99 rbi, 152 ops+ Baltimore: Machado - 37 hr, 96 rbi, 128 ops+ (could have gone with either Trumbo or Davis too) Cleveland: Santana - 34 hr, 87 rbi, 121 ops+ Texas: Beltre - 32 hr, 104 rbi, 128 ops+ Chicago: Bryant - 39 hr, 102 rbi, 149 ops+ Los Angeles: Seager - 26 hr, 72 rbi, 137 ops+ San Francisco: Belt - 17 hr, 82 rbi, 132 ops+ Washington: Murphy - 25 hr, 104 rbi, 157 ops+ NY Mets: Cespedes - 31 hr, 86 rbi, 133 ops+ The point is that Betts (and Hanley, also) is right there with most of these guys, and these teams mostly succeeded without having a David Ortiz 162 ops+ figure. A Sox lineup featuring Betts, Bradley, Bogaerts, Pedroia, Ramirez, and an emerging Benintendi is going to be pretty good. Maybe not the top scoring lineup in baseball, but it'll be pretty good.

2016 numbers: Hanley: 30 hr, .286/.361/.505/.866, 124 ops+ Bautista: 22 hr, .234/.366/.452/.817, 117 ops+ Young: 9 hr (just 203 ab), .276/.352/.498/.850, 120 ops+ Vs. LHP Hanley: .346/.420/.677/1.097 Bautista: .220/.324/.429/.752 Young: .329/.410/.589/.999 Here's how they're currently constructed: Vs. RHP 1b Moreland DH Hanley Vs. LHP 1b Hanley DH Young Young's splits are better vs. LHP than Bautista's are. Bautista could only DH or play LF/RF, but they're set in the OF with Benintendi, Bradley, and Betts. Bautista wouldn't DH against righties because Hanley is, at present, a better hitter than Joey Bats is. So where, exactly, would the 36 year old and declining Bautista play? And for all that wondering, you'd have to pay $$ *and* give up a first-round pick for the privilege? Long story short, no, I don't think there's any way that DD goes after him.

If the Sox want to go this route, their rotation could be: 1. Chris Sale - last 4 years, top 5 CYA candidate; over the last 5 years, #1 in AL in ERA, IP, WHIP, Ks, 5-time all-star 2. David Price - former CYA winner, 3-time top 3 CYA finisher, 5-time all-star 3. Rick Porcello - reigning CYA winner 4. Drew Pomeranz - 2016 all-star 5. Stephen Wright - 2016 all-star That's 3 CYA caliber starters, plus two guys who were on this past year's all-star team. And that doesn't even factor in Eduardo Rodriguez or Clay Buchholz, of course. The optimist in me is....excited. (I'll not bother with the pessimist's perspective, because there's no doubt that someone else here will post that...)

The offense loses Ortiz, but it gains another full year (with experience) from Betts, Bradley, Bogaerts, and - most importantly - Benintendi. We shall see if that helps offset the loss of Papi. The pitching staff should be MUCH better. Sale, Price, and Porcello pitched 226, 230, and 223 innings, respectively, last year, and that will take an enormous strain off the bullpen.

Last year: - Needed a top-of-the-rotation starter. David Price - check - Needed a top-of-the-line closer. Craig Kimbrel - check This year: - Needed a really good 7th-8th inning reliever. Tyler Thornburg - check - Needed a useful lefty bat to help with 1b/DH. Mitch Moreland - check - Didn't exactly *need*, but sure could have used, an upgrade in the SP. Chris Sale - checkcheckcheck This isn't like the 80s Yankees, who kept trading away youth to add mid 30's veterans. Thornburg is 28. Sale is 27. Price was 30 when they signed him. Kimbrel is 28. They still have Benintendi (21), Bogaerts (23), Betts (23), Bradley (26), Leon (27), Vazquez (25), Swihart (24), Hernandez (23), Rodriguez (23), plus Devers, Groome, Travis, Johnson, Chavis, Longhi, and yes, even Trey Ball (AFL all star, baby!) on the farm. And of the veterans, it's not like the Sox are trotting out anyone "old". It's Pedroia (32), Hanley (32), Holt (28), Young (32), Pablo (29), Porcello (29), Pomeranz (27), etc. So this isn't just a play to "win now". It's a play to win now but also over the next X number of years too.

Pomeranz or Buchholz likely to be traded for a bat. Too much starting pitching now, with no guy having options, really. Sale, Price, Porcello, Rodriguez, Pomeranz, Clay, Wright. You can put Pomeranz in the bullpen, which might be helpful, but you gotta deal one of those starters. EDIT: Maybe they trade either of those guys for prospects. Need to restock, even though they still have some very good players in the system.

If the Yankees made this deal we'd all be complaining about it because we wouldn't care what prospects the Yankees gave up; we'd just see this CYA caliber starter they got on a wicked cheap contract.

Must wait and see who the other prospects are, but totally have mixed reactions to this. Of course, Sale is phenomenal. A rotation of Sale, Price, Porcello, Rodriguez, and... whomever (Pomeranz, Buchholz, Wright) is just sick. And add to that the nice bullpen pickup they got and they have tons of pitching. But losing both Moncada and Kopech...ugh. And if Devers is included too....then I'd hate the deal. Granted, none of those guys are on the MLB roster, but still. Moncada is going to be a great, great player, and Kopech has big-time potential. Huge deals like this always leave me feeling excited and worried.

Guys in the Sox' system that can play 1b or 3b: Hanley (3b) Holt (3b/1b) Panda (3b) Hernandez (3b) Devers (3b) Travis (1b) Moncada (3b) And rumors are that the Sox are looking to add Mitch Moreland (LHH, can play 1b/RF, hit 22 hr last year), hopefully for not a big price. Obviously Devers, Travis, and Moncada are not yet ready, but they're in the pipeline. I think a 1b/3b/DH situation of Hanley/Panda/Moreland, with Holt and Hernandez there to back it all up, with those three guys waiting in the wings, isn't the worst situation.

Because Joe Kelly the starter isn't very good, but Joe Kelly the reliever is pretty awesome. Career splits: - as starter: 4.13 era, 6.4 k/9, 1.44 whip - as reliever: 2.69 era, 9.0 k/9, 1.27 whip 2016 splits: - as starter: 8.46 era, 10.9 k/9, 2.24 whip - as reliever: 1.02 era, 10.7 k/9, 1.02 whip So it's not just "hope" that Kelly is good out of the bullpen. He's been really, really good out of the bullpen. Of course he might stink it up, but smart money is that he's pretty effective in 2017 in a bullpen role.

Mid 90s fastball and good movement on his curve. Absolutely lights out last year. Under control for 3 years, but history of elbow issues. So a mixed bag. If he holds up, and if Carson Smith comes back healthy, that's a dynamic four guys in Kimbrel, Smith, Thornburg, and Kelly. Lots of power there.

Alvarez and Napoli appear to be in the Sox' sights for the DH spot. Alvarez (bad defender but has experience at 3b and 1b; lefty bat) 2016: 22 hr, 49 rbi, .249/.322/.504/.826, 115 ops+ last 3 years slash: .241/.317/.457/.774, 110 ops+ Napoli (very good defender at 1b; righty bat; we all know him well) 2016: 34 hr, 101 rbi, .239/.335/.465/.800, 104 ops+ last 3 years slash: .237/.343/.435/.778, 106 ops+

Beltran for a year makes a ton of sense, even if the money is big. Last 3 years (so I'm being conservative and adding in his bad 2014 season): .271/.327/.468/.794, 114 ops+, 63 hr, 209 rbi That's a nice solid, veteran LH bat for one year.

Hanley to 3b is not going to happen (unless it's in a one-game, absolute emergency, kind of situation). Beltran would not be a bad DH to snag on a one-year deal. Fills the DH hole with a competent, veteran bat. Gives Moncada and Sam Travis another year to grow.

I wouldn't go after Chapman. I might spend $$ on Jansen, or, if my proposed deal actually worked out, I'd try to put together another closer situation. Maybe Edwards is the guy for the job. The Sox would have $$ freed up from losing Papi and (in this scenario) Kimbrel.

The question is: Where do they play him? They don't want him at C. They can't put him at 1b because they have Rizzo, who is better. They won't play him in the OF unless they move one of Soler, Fowler, or Heyward. Nobody is taking Heyward and that massive contract off their hands. There might be a taker for Fowler, then they move Heyward to CF. That's possible. Soler is a potential star in the making. And they have Zobrist as well. So they'd have to make another move to make room for Schwarber. Schwarber will net them the biggest package coming back. I'm not saying they WILL trade him. Just that if I'm DD, I inquire about him.

I'm sure there's been lots of talk around here about him, but one guy I want the Sox to inquire about is Schwarber. Here, cbssports speculates that the Cubs might consider moving him. Why? Well, it's really a matter of where he could play. The Cubs are loaded, but they don't have a DH spot so they only have 8 hitters. From the article: "The Cubs have a long-term solution at first base in Anthony Rizzo and might not want Schwarber behind the plate due to his knee injury. That leaves left field as the lone option. That's a problem too given the Cubs have Ben Zobrist and Jorge Soler hanging around. Maybe the solution is shifting Jason Heyward to center field on a permanent basis or using Javier Baez in a super-sub role. But the most practical solution -- or the one we'll all keep expecting to happen at some point -- is trading Schwarber to a team where he can slot in at first base or designated hitter. The Cubs have no reason to give Schwarber away, so if they do move him, expect it to be for a big-league player who can help their repeat chances in another capacity." The one place the Cubs are short-handed is at C. Ross is now gone. Montero is 33 and just isn't that good. Contreras is fine, but nothing special. The other place they could use some help is in the bullpen. Not sure they'll end up keeping Chapman, but even if they do, they didn't seem to trust many more relievers than him or Montgomery. I mean, look, the Cubs are loaded so it's hard to find holes. But Schwarber doesn't really have a position with this team right now, without having a DH. But the Red Sox have a gaping hole at DH. Schwarber would be an awesome, and cheap, option, and he fills the need for a LH hitter. He's not Papi - nobody is - but Papi is gone and the trick is filling the spot in the most effective way possible. I like the idea of rotating guys into that spot instead of having a full-time DH, but Schwarber at least is a capable 1b as well, and he'd be way, way cheaper than Encarnacion or Bautista. So how about Vazquez (or Leon, if they preferred him), Kimbrel, and a prospect (say, Dubon, who can play both IF and OF and might be a Zobrist replacement in a couple of years) for Schwarber and Edwards. They get needed catching help and a dynamic, proven closer to replace Chapman (or pair with him), plus a talented prospect who could fill a long-term need for them. The Sox get a lefty DH and a young reliever with a power arm, even if he doesn't have the experience of a Kimbrel. Or something along those lines, anyway.

To date (2016): Bradley ($547k salary): 93 pa, .274/.333/.476/.810, 120 ops+, 2 sb, 0 cs (net +2) Ellsbury ($21.1m salary): 98 pa, .247/.295/.371/.666, 88 ops+, 5 sb, 3 cs (net +2) Right now, it's a slam dunk, Bradly has been by far the better player in 2016, for about 1/40th the price.

The good news is that it really shouldn't take much for the Sox to have a significant improvement over last year's steaming pile of garbage.

Yeah this isn't good. Forearm injuries for pitchers almost never is a good thing, and usually it's really bad. Ugh.

I am not sure I've ever been more nervous than when Foulke faced Clark in the 9th of game 6. I just *KNEW* Clark would come up with a hit. I've never been happier to be wrong. :-)