sk7326

Did he have the mandate? We'll never know. Clearly Dombrowski does. Of course given the Cherington-esque approach won the World Series this past season - Henry's sea change the last year plus will always be interesting to me.

I guess if you wanted to carry a 13th position player like Hernandez fine. I could also see a scenario where the Red Sox tinker with Swihart trying out a corner as well as catching (in whatever capacity). It is a gap right now - but "part time corner infielder" is the one shopping list item, wonderful.

It's baseball. Hell, the Cubs were the best team in the league wire to wire and were taken to the brink in the World Series by a severe underdog. This should be the best team in the AL - assuming health.

C: Somebody 1B: Ramirez 2B: Pedroia SS: Bogaerts 3B: Sandoval LF: Benintendi CF: Bradley RF: Betts DH: Moreland Reserve C: Somebody Reserve IF: Holt Reserve OF: Young I'm not going to begin to guess on the catcher - Leon deserves the benefit of incumbency, but there is no real reason to have a ton of faith that he is "the starter"

Pablo is the bet. Now, obviously Holt can play it too. If you really get itchy, you can make a mistake for mistake deal with the ChiSox for Todd Frazier.

The question is not the approach to trade prospects - it is whether the team still has the folks in the scouting and development sides to keep delivering prospects. This particularly noteworthy with the new CBA essentially crushing the international FA market.

You take improvement from the other 8 slots in the roster and decent DH production - this offense should be fine. There could be a dropoff - but no guarantee it's a large one.

Yes and no - there are no more dynasties - but baseball is hard and the playoffs are weird. While there are no more dynasties - the Yankees made the playoffs every year between 1995 and 2007 and 2009 to 2012 and 2015. So 18 years in a 22 year stretch. Sustained contention is still very much possible. The Dombrowski approach in Detroit created a window as well, but a shorter one.

He's cheaper - neither are very good.

The moves are helpful - and if you are going all in, do it for a stud on a great contract in his prime. His delivery screams TJS, but his results don't - and so you have to give Sale the benefit here. Now the risk is obvious - you are prospect poorer and less equipped to handle some level of deus ex machina. Fortunately the core of the team is young and athletic - and so there should not be the same risks of growing old overnight that there have been in Detroit. It is also interesting that the Red Sox may have moved to a post-development machine era the same season where that approach saved the Cubs. Homegrown, cost controlled stuff is still the right way to build a core - and normally the preference is to keep the guys you think will be stars. (and to be fair to Dombrowski, identifying Devers as a superior option to Moncada is a completely reasonable assessment) Moreover - this will also be a test of how bad the brain drain at Yawkey has been. Are enough of the guys who have built this roster of young talent still around to Dombrowski still has currency to trade, and still has stars to promote. Hard to dislike the Sale trade even with the significant price. Like the Thornburg trade quite a bit also. The Moreland signing probably won't do much one way or the other.

having that many top 100 guys is a compliment in itself

It's baseball ... postseason is such a roll of the dice ... but barring health, would be very surprising for the Sox not to make it back to October

Right profile - starter with wipeout stuff who for whatever reason had trouble finding consistency in the rotation. (Miller's slider command is not good enough to start, but terrific if you don't have more than one look at it) Buchholz is better than your Miller or Wade Davis as a starter, but the idea is sound.

Rodriguez IS replenishing the system - the guy at the end of the season showed star potential

He's here - how he got here doesn't matter ... use him in the way that will help the most

I think they will look - but Buchholz could be immensely valuable as a swingman ... you hate paying 13M for it, but it would not be a ripoff either.

The White Sox did fine - less major league certainty than I expected, but they got a ton of upside.

I have no idea how the Red Sox pulled this off without trading Eduardo Rodriguez - you'd think the ChiSox would want some major league help coming back. Moncada could be that help - but it is an open question - though he is an excellent prospect.

Moncada fell behind Devers in the org ladder for 3B/COF ... and besides good players cost stuff. The Sox have too good a core not to aim high. Sox did this without giving up Groome, Devers or (most remarkably since I thought the White Sox would want major league help) Rodriguez.

This is a really strong deal for Boston - it is hard to cut it any other way.

I think if it were Devers, it would have made the "main story". But seriously ... Price-Porcello-Sale-Rodriguez shapes out to be a hell of a Top 4 with Pomeranz, Buchholz and Wright as very useful swing guys. I am a little surprised the Sox could do this without Rodriguez - who showed significant flashes of stardom last season.

Is he? Moncada gave some interesting indications but the range of outcomes is very wide.

my favorite tweet on the topic https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/status/806201886151938048

His sky high post Single A strikeout rate did ... but either way a tremendous get. I have a sense Devers might stay - I think the org might have chosen him over Moncada for 3B of the future.

Back up 1B - if that is the only need then who cares? Thornburg struck out 34% of hitters last year. You get his arb years without any real core upside being dealt. Knocks everybody down a peg to Kimbrel and allows them to ease in Carson Smith. Also gives a little flexibility with Uehara - who I'd still throw a 1 year deal at.