sk7326
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Everything posted by sk7326
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None of the Top 4 guys were "bad" choices, though Cash winning is a little weird in that most of us thought the Rays would be good - and really the masterstroke was Wander Franco looking like an MVP. But exactly what makes a good "managing job" is so opaque that it is hard to get fired up here. I mean it ends up often being the team writers were most wrong about in the preseason. Montoyo is a little weird also in that the Blue Jays made the asterisk playoffs in 2020 - who didn't think they'd be some flavor of good?
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Possibly. That said, the infield defense was poor throughout - and certainly the team needs to self study how much value the team's defensive positioning algorithms are adding (or not adding).
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Well his first winter the team dealt Betts and then had a .400 win%. The second one he spent smartly because he wanted to build and wasn't sure the team was good anyway. This year there is evidence the team could/should actually be good. If you can fill the gap in with a good player at a position of need, you look at it. And I'm not advocating buying into a 33 year old or anything. Baez is a youngish free agent who can play up the middle and can be a plus shortstop if the team lands on that. And 29 is young enough to still project a little. He strikes out a lot - but in 2021 that is the least of sins. His walks are the big problem and can you increase that and the contact a little. Like, for all his warts he was still a 4-win player last season.
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Makes sense Baez can play 2B well too and is an 80 runner. The thing with him is whether the plate discipline can turn. If he is a .340 OBP player, then he is an MVP caliber package. If it is more like his normal .320 OBP, he is a good player but finite. He is young enough to think you can unlock the latter. Now, the Red Sox had a lineup of pretty good approach guys last season - how much of that can be taught is the question. He is the best fit of the top shelf dudes for sure - well besides Correa but let's set him aside.
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The walks are more of a bother than the strikeouts. But if he turned his .320 OBP to a .340 one, that is an MVP-level player.
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I look at his being an outstanding 2B ... with the infield, the defensive metrics are bad enough that the team should (and probably are) look hard at how defensive alignment and positioning is (not) working.
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Escobar is a good choice. Defensively he is better than Villar and on a short deal he makes sense. Baez is likely the middle infielder worth going big on (from a Red Sox perspective) but failing that, this is a good idea.
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Looking at the top of the FA class ... obviously they could use Carlos Correa, but so could everyone else, and they likely would want to trade one of Bogaerts/Devers to make it happen. Javier Baez is probably the other premium guy I'd give a superstar contract to because of his ability to defend in the middle of the field. If the team can work with him to improve his batting eye a LITTLE, there is an MVP level player there. Chris Taylor is super interesting for 2B as another Kike type who can play a bunch of positions reasonably well. Scherzer on a short deal would be great of course, though I think with what Bloom wants to do - making an upside/development play on Carlos Rodon might make more sense.
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I think this is likely. That said, it is a very strong FA class, so there are likely a couple of true impact signings which the team will look at. I am surprised but not shocked the Red Sox did not outbid the Tigers for Rodriguez. 5 years is risky with his health history. I'd have done 3 years, 50-60 million myself without much regret. While I thought Rodriguez might just take the QO and try to play his value up, that he ran to financial security makes a ton of sense.
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10/19 Astros @ SOX ALCS GAME 4 8:08PM
sk7326 replied to SPLENDIDSPLINTER's topic in Mike Grace Memorial Game Thread Forum
He looks like a guy who hasn't pitched in over a month. -
10/19 Astros @ SOX ALCS GAME 4 8:08PM
sk7326 replied to SPLENDIDSPLINTER's topic in Mike Grace Memorial Game Thread Forum
Hat tip to FOX for the choice of music there ... -
And still finishe 18 games behind the Dodgers. The playoffs are a crapshoot.
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When Carlos Correa said "you know what? That was pretty cool, and baseball should support that more." I liked HIM.
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Yeah - though it could also work the other way. The league en masse spends the least amount of its revenue on players of the Big American Sportsball Leagues and that's obviously going to be the big issue. The Sox have been not been miserly, but we'll see how it goes.
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The playoffs are a crapshoot.
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It is worth noting here that the new CBA is going to matter a lot.
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He is a really good prospect - though if he projects as a 1B/DH only, it DOES reduce the "indispensibleness". Like for my money, Mayer is the team's top prospect and it's not all that close though he is further from the show.
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I am not even sure HOF path helps all that much - this is one of the cases where stuff I can pull up on fangraphs or whatever doesn't really help all that much. Some guys never get hurt and some guys have that as their destiny (and we are still wrong about those dudes all the time) Like you look at Price's trajectory and watch his delivery - you had every expectation he'd be an innings eating machine in Boston. (cue sad trombone) Lester had no history of getting hurt and mechanics which looked awfully durable, and it turned out that he has indeed been largely indestructible. Sale had a history of durabiltiy despite a "hide your eyes" sort of delivery that screams bullpen. Le sigh. The hope when you sign a 30 year old is that you are getting at minimum Mark Buehrle or Jon Lester - where they are reliable innings eaters through the life of the deal. (along with quality of performance and so on)
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Devers. Remember, Tampa was EXTREMELY aggressive getting Longoria locked up well before his arbitration years. Even as a dirt poor/cheap team, they understood the principle. If you've got a blue chipper and can buy a couple of his UFA years - before arbitration, it is unlikely you will get ripped off. Like, I'd fully expect Tampa to try to get Wander Franco locked up for a long deal.
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Right - but he could also be going into a part of his aging curve where the future value is less than what Boston owes him, though another team (all it takes is one!) might disagree.
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The 5-days thing argument doesn't make sense to me given the outsized influence a pitcher has on the game compared to any specific regular. THAT SAID, the extreme variability in health outcomes for young pitchers compared to position players very much is a reason to be hesitant about this sort of deal. THAT SAID (again!), teams want quality arms in the system despite the high variance in medical outcomes.
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I think it used to be dreaded - but there is some value for both sides to have it. Like if Devers rakes but evolves into a pure 1B/DH guy - the Sox might not actually going to be all THAT interested in his 31-35 years.
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Espinoza's arm was starting to show concerns by the Sale point anyway. And this is as somebody who did not like the Kimbrel trade.
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That is possible - but Henry knew exactly who he was from the Florida days. And while Dombrowski made aggressive calls in his trades - they were almost always good (or at minimum pretty defensible) calls.
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Yeah - I could see that if Devers wants that sort of security (like Tatis signed for in SD). But I think more plausible is something like 5 or 6 years that gets him a shot at FA as a 29/30 year old.