cp176

Can't disagree but I have to ask - Does it really make that big a difference that he might not be known? Most of the "known" ones who come with the "can't miss prospect status" either haven't done anything yet or maybe never will. I still tend to like the workers the guys who actually have done something. he seems to fit that profile.

If he is healthy and fully recovered, Sam Travis could surprise a lot of people - just not the ones who have seen him hit. He is a sleeper for sure but people shouldn't be confused because he doesn't come with all of the glamour and can't miss status. He is a flat out hitter.

I agree and I did not like seeing them move Espinoza either. The arguement being made about the trade not making sense though is ridiculous.

Really - you think that you might be the only person here that truly thinks that Swihart is highly valued? You normally are better than this. I think that it is safe to say that most people at talksox see great potential value in Swihart.

I'm not going out on any limb to suggest what number he might be in future rotations. What I will say is that my guess is as good as anyone elses. He is young. He is big. He is left handed. Works for me.

I'm thinking that DD might not see Pomeranz as a #4 going forward. He is still a young man. It is a little unfair I think to paint this guy as a back of the rotation guy at this stage of his career.

If I am still alive when (if) Espinoza reaches his potential, I will give you one helluva atta boy great call. Also your thinking that Espinoza, Moncada, and Swihart would have brought us an ace is a little too far out there for me. No one is going to give you a Sale for 3 maybe someday guys. I hope that they all become HOFamers but it is probably unlikely.

Common sense strikes again. No one really gives a s*** what we as individuals think of this trade right now. It made sense! Whether it seems like it makes sense in 2-3-4-5 years, remains to be seen. On to 2017!!!

That is my point.

This is what gets me though really. An 18 year old pitcher who really is just starting out. It isn't as though he has been particularly impressive. I know that this will encourage all sorts of negative lash back telling my how young he is, how inexperienced he is .... No need I get that. I will say though that for someone who has been projected as some type of future phenom, we are going to have to all wait a few years. Not seeing it just yet. We are just hearing about it. I would rather see it. Kind of like when we all got super excited about Kopech's one pitch (105). Other than the fact that he can throw hard, it doesn't say much.

I saw Pomeranz pitch this summer and very much liked what I saw. I still think that the potential for him to be a very solid contributor is right there.

Doji - has he dominated anyone yet?

I asked for your opinion here. I realize it is a bit slanted. I really hope the best for Espinoza but I would be much more upset if some young arm closer to actually pitching at them level - say a Kopech- was traded away. Saying that Pomeranz very well might be a solid 2/3 (although DD thinks he could be better) is a far better bet for me personally than saying an 18 year old is going to be a totr pitcher in five years. Too much can go wrong. I'm just not much of a gambler.

Moon - really - are you trying to be a little wise with me here?

Based on what tends to happen to highly proclaimed prospects often times, what do you think the odds are of Espinoza becoming that totr guy some are saying he might become?

And the good news is that you are certainly entitled to your opinion. i liked it because we were getting a young lefty who had already experienced success at the ml level. I am very excited to see what he can do in the future for us. Plus the fact I think that Dombrowski actually knows something about the importance of pitching.

Maybe we do nothing. Maybe we get the dh most of us want. We might have a GM who is confident enough in his decision making so that he feels no need to pacify the fan base. To date his moves have made some sense. Whether people like his moves or not is debatealbe. The big arguement seems to come from people that think he gave up too much young talent to get what he wanted in return. It is possible that he thought and still thinks that much of that talent is over rated. It is what we tend to do. I have just read recently that now many scouts seem to think that maybe the euphoria surrounding Moncada (I'm guilty here) is a bit over blown. Also, even though his youth still factors in, there are those that are now saying that maybe even Espinoza might now come with the "next Pedro" sticker firmly stuck to him. Having a solid farm is vital. Everybody knows that - even our GM (little sarcasm) knows that. Over rating young prospects is just something that we tend to see here. My bet is that we sign a dh. If we trade with anyone, I bet it will be because somebody really wants the player or players that we have and are willing to give us a great deal in return.

On the record - I did not dislike the Pomeranz trade!

Wait - What happened in the backseat? Brings back fond memories.

You know what - i agree with you based on what we have seen from him so far for sure. The arguements of the sample size being too small to date could certainly be said about Leon and for sure about Swihart. With respect to leon and Vazquez, it is Leon for sure. We really don't know much about Swihart just yet.

i truly think that good teams have to have very strong leadership. I'm not sure the people that you mentioned necessarily had bad attitudes. Things happen that can't be explained quite often when the heat rises. It is a long season and these guys have to be close. I'll bet that there all types of things that go on that we don't hear of. That's a good thing. We don't need to know everything. If a team is going to win, they have to perform much like a strong family. Families are going to have problems but the best ones find ways to keep plugging along. It is about the leadership. We will miss Ortiz for sure and that is why when I read what Porcello said I was very pleased. He makes a lot of money but it seems like he gets it. I'm pretty sure Price does also. We just need a little bit more going forward. I like what I have seen and read about Beltran. I think that he would fit very nicely in the middle of our lineup. Good character guys. I have seen so many kids over the years that had great talent but their attitudes got in the way of its development. More often than not they let themselves and their teammates down at some point as the pressure built.

i got your point first reading - how about that. the importance of the non-quantifiable piece we have argued for years here. I spent my life coaching so it really is a waste of time for me to defend the importance of attitude and mental approach as being more important than statistical driven data. In my world, it has always been much more important. I'll say again how pleased I am that the Red Sox seem to be paying very close attention to the types of people they bring on board.

I think that attitude is a very significant factor in winning or losing. Character counts greatly. More than most realize at any and all levels.

Congrats again go to Rick Porcello! He is an example of the importance of character. If you have a larger number of players with his approach with respect to team first, incidents like the beer and chicken fiasco don't really tend to occur. Our current team seems to be composed for the most part by players that have this type of attitude. Character counts for much more than people realize at any level and for the most part in any craft.

I agree with you. Once again though - I wish that the MVP was a team given award and the best player was a league award that was in fact given to the 'best player" each season. Not likely to change any time soon though.