southpaw777

Youe comparing a 22yo in AA to a 18yo having a tough go in low A? Ok...

I undrstand we save $$, but at what cost? We lose our only legit SP depth...im not rolling the dice on Owens and Johnson for first call ups...Id rather have either Buch or Wright for the #6 spot...we have s*** for pitching depth and if anyone thinks we should go into the season with only 5 legit MLB stRters then I want some of what your smoking because apparently mine Isnt as good.

Has NOTHING to do with confidence. Its all about Depth! If you think we can get by with 5-6 legit starters for a whole season then your on an island all by your self...again, you have to wait to see how everything goes. What if Wright is still barking about his shoulder? What if ERod or another guy twists his knee? Theres only one legit guy that can jump right in...i mean, unless you like Owens and Johnson..maybe Haley? The right move is to wait it out for now...of course unless you have worked a deal for a Pomeranz type with the same $$. But then theres the fact that your not going to get much of a return at all for buch. Problem is hes more valuable to us right now with our current SP situation. EDIT: sorry, this post was supposed to be for Nick but I must have done something wrong..

Yeah but you cant find 300ba 25hr with solid D at SS everywhere... JBJ 100% goes before Xander in all scinarios....we have 2 players who can step right in and replace JBJ. Your not going to make up Xanders production at that position.

The Rays dont get Groome or Kopech right now. They are our only two pitchers that really still have a good chance of being better than good MLB pitchers... I think we could get him without letting those two go. We have plenty of prospects and I agree with trying the quantity route. There would obviously be one big centerpiece, but the rest can be a lot of prospect potential and control.

They are right about the same age. One year apart I believe. Great situation to have two defensive stud catchers under control.

Agreed. I don't see any prolonged slumps from Beni. I can certainly see him adjusting and maybe go into a mini slump of sorts, but I believe hes just too good of a hitter and has the mental makeup to avoid a long slump. When I watch him, he just lookes more polished than a lot of players his age. His defense is also better than some think here. I could see a GG or two in his career.

I think you treat each player and situation individually. Beni could easily experience some growing pains in his first full MLB season. I think its less likely he goes the route of Travis Shaw just because the hitting is very polished and hes a better player. He will def have to make some adjustments, but I just dont see any extended struggles for him.

The article basically said nothing. Pablo and Shaw unles theres a trade. Nothing new

Eating disorders, just like alcoholism, just like drug addiction, and just like anything else that is an addiction...its not a disease. I'm sorry if I offend some people but the word disease got put into addiction so that they could get money from insurance companies... A couple of wacky psychologists came up with that theory and the theory Was found to be ******** pretty quick, but they stayed with "disease" because they actually got money for it. And now it's used as an excuse by a lot of people instead of taking complete responsibility for their own actions... like I said I'm not trying to offend anybody...I grew up in a family full of addicts, so I really don't have time for that ******** that they have a disease....its a choice Edit: I don't mean to be insensitive. I'm really not. Actually I'll be the first person to give you the shirt off my back and do anything to help you. My whole concern is I don't think using any excuses for their behavior, that they need to change, helps them. So once again I stand by my Belief that addiction is not a disease. Im all for giving Pablo a fair shot again. I hope he can get a hold of his eating problem, and make better choices for his own health. I'm more in favor of a trade for various reasons other than those already dicussed. I thought he was a bad fit from the start. I wish nothing but success for him, whether here or somewhere else. I dont wish ill will on any person, even the ones who treat me badly...but I'm also not one for coddling anyone either...

We need pitching depth more...Buch makes only 6 starters. And no, Owens and zjohnson dont count because they have peoved nothing. Losing Buch would be worse than losing either of the other two IMHO To think no picture or reliever would get her is naïve at best. Someone's going down. You can count on it... probably more than one person

Oh, so your telling me that my opinion, along with some facts on him, and why I dont care for him is not right? Hmmmm Well, His results sucked due to being out of shape and then the shoulder, so his performance, or results, sucked...so tracing his performace back to his conditioning we see it was a direct result of not caring enough to get into baseball shape. Oh, and i was pissed before he even started the season when i saw how out of shape he was...but no worries, you just keep on thinking you know what im thinking and feeling...its a shame you're spending more time bashing Red Sox fans for things they haven't said or done yet and throwing us all under a blanket instead of creating those brilliant and witty posts you usually do... So for the record. I didn't like Pablo's attitude in his first spring training. I didn't like the way he looked and I didnt like is play that year...I directly connected it to his not caring and being out of shape. If the fat slob cared he would've been in shape his first spring training when he was making almost 20 f***ing million dollars....

Im with you. I predict Beni will be a star

The Sox will owe less than 100m in Xanders last year of arb. My guess is they will have plenty for him and Betts...who is a fA in 2021 along with Leon and JBJ. (Leon and JBj have 4 arb years) Vaz and Wright are also FA that eyar too, but obviously wouldnt cost nearly what the 3Bs would

I wouldnt count on Kopech in 2017. Unless of course he takes a huge step forward and can control and command his pitches, which he really cant yet. Hes got front line potential...right now MLB hitters will light him up. Lets see how he handles advanced hitting at the AA level first. Best bet is to take their time with him, and Groome. Their development will dictate their rise to the MLB. If Kopech makes enough noise this year they will have to listen. I Just wouldnt expect it this year...

Absolutely. His slg is never high beause hes not a hr/power hitter. Base hits and doubles, although he will run into a few every year. Also taking some walks. His D and handling of the pitching staff/game has been his calling card throughout the minors. Although a SSS in MLB, he has had a lot of good things said about him by his pitchers and teammates. Im hoping he wins the starting job and doesnt give it up for the next decade.

I think a lot of people/fans, like me, are mostly pissed because he acted like he didnt really care and had this whatever attitude. He didnt even care enough to work harder on his diet and exercise after stealing 95m for the organization. I think if his attitude was better and fans thought he actually tried hard to change there would be more forgiving..

Swihart has plenty of value right now. Not enough to be a centerpiece for an Ace, but still good value. By saying he needs to increase his value is not saying he deosnt have any value or that his value is low... He just doesnt have enough now to be that centerpiece. Maybe after a great half season in AAA behind the dish as well as a solid bat that value could be closer to being that centerpiece... Depending on how his development goes and how Vaz and Leon do will depend on if hes here by the seasons end. Its another wait and see type thing for now.

I think Vaz, with regular play, will hit enough to be a starter. Is he going to hit 280? No, but i can see 250ish with regular ABs. No real power, but I can see gap to gap line drive hitter with a bunch of doubles...i see his Abs and I see good pitch recognition amd he also sees a lot of pitches. Guys like Vaz develop the offense later because theyre doing what they should be...gettimg the D solid first...he wont ever be a stud with the bat, but Give him the regular Abs and avoid injury and I see someone that could be a dominant force behind the plate along with a decent stick for the next decade...

Not sure he IS better than what we have there now. Why even consider moving your AS SS anyway? Seems counter productive, no? Even mentioning it as an option is not realistic because I hightly doubt hes even an option there right now.

Well written OP I agree that the MLB rotation is fine as is going into 2017. We will always do our signing of possible depth arms for the rotation and the bullpen and store them in AAA. Bullpens around MLb are interesting. After aeeing how quickly starters were getting the hook and just how the league is really leaning on 5-6 IP from starters now, I have a feeling salaries for late inning arms and especially closers are going to through the roof...Kimbrel may seem like a bargain as a closer in his final year here. I say we NEED to add another proven late inning hard throwing reliever. Out of some names Ive heard, Jansen and Holland seem like good fits. Chapman, although the best one, is going to cost waaaay too much and he will want to close, as will Kimbrel. Seems like they would be creating some drama. I heard Kopechs name and I dont think hes realistic in 2017. Not impossible, just improbable. He has a lot of control issues to work through and needs to command the 100+ MPh fb better first. Hes also just starting AA this year. Id pump the brakes on MK for now. Think 2018, with anything in 2017 being a complete bonus. As far as the starting position players go, I agree with most here. We have to see what Sandoval gives us before a move at 3b should be made. Unless we can move Sandy and have the $$ to replace him, Id pencil him in along with Shaw @3b. I like the idea of Beltran on a 1-2 year deal, but nothing more. If joey bats would do 2 years at a decent salary Im all about that as well...EE is not an option IMHO. If there isnt a profile that fits these guys for a DH/1b/corner OF on a short term deal then I guess we start rotating guys like Young, Sandy, Hanley, etc., @ DH throughout the year. Id rather replace Papi with one guy who will do the bulk of the DHing though. I think as it stamds now we are set at catcher. vaz and Leon make up one of the best defensive catching tandums in the league. The both are not offensive powers, but bith have good plate discipline and make good contact. Id rather a stud defender than a guy whos going to cost runs, but has a decent stick. Speaking of which, I still see Swihart as trade bait come july. He should be in AAA all year working on his D as a catcher so his value can increase some. He will never be as good as the other two defensively IMO and is still a valuable trade chip for us. I have no issue Trading one of Moncada or Devers, but not both. I would protect Kopech and Groome for now since they are our only power RHP prospects worth mentioning right now. Obviously that depends on who were being offered for them, but barring a BIg name they go nowhere with me. Some guys like Sam Travis who were hurt last year will be back at full health looking to pick up where they left off... All in all I like what we have going into 2017. Basiclaly a couple bullpen moves, some roster manipulation, and maybe another bat for DH....

He did just that. But it was obvious that 3b has much different reaction times. you cant teach everyone to have good quick twitch reflexes needed for the corners...that was the point. Not his attitude. They couldnt teach Hanley the Of but damn, he picked up 1b pretty good...Besides, im not so sure Xander has the arm for 3b. Hes no Machado with the arm...

Fully agree and I dont think there will be a big Splash move this winter anyway. He does need a full year at AAA and hes a safety net in case Vaz or Leon have issues. All bets are off come July though as He should get a rise in his stock by mid season. Ultimately I think he should, and will be used in a trade at some point.

If the Sox give up Sale they will want a MLB ready or near ready guy to take his spot..ERod seems the most logical. Good young controlled LHP who can hit 95+. We wouldnt need 4 LHP in our rotation either so it works out perfectly for both teams.

Im with you on this. I dont see much movement as well. Couple bp arms, maybe a short term deal like Beltran if hes not too expensive...other than that I dont see a big splash move this winter either.