sk7326

Not many teams do

A ballpark where fly balls go to die

Beeks COULD be quite good for Tampa ... but his style of pitching is much more of a fit in Tampa than Boston.

Also the slide of Moreland is overrated - it was why Boston traded for Pearce. It's both a lefty masher and a solid hedge against Moreland just being Moreland. It's still an effective platoon.

Agreed - he has always been their highest ceiling catcher.

They needed a warm body to get them through the fall - Eovaldi qualifies. He can pitch in the postseason if necessary - although you are going to have a quick hook and use "all star rules" in his outings.

Swihart played 2B in high school ... I am surprised they have not given him some reps there yet.

He has the Joe Kelly thing - where his fastball is straight and does not get the results you would think from the radar gun.

Take the time? Players do not have infinite talent level. You make the best assessment you can. He did not miss bats in his big league trials - and he was outstanding in AAA. He might be a 4A sort of guy. Moreover - a guy like him (command guy, doesn't miss a lot of bats) will probably play up in Tampa.

Probably - but as Alex Speier noted who cares? The draft penalty for the Red Sox is very small. If Henry wants to pay the 62.5% marginal rate, who am I to stop him. The Red Sox - given their current "reloading" stage on the farm - can't get guys with prospects alone. Their ability to absorb money will have to come into play.

That is an All-Star level changeup - the command came and went but the stuff was ace level.

The way I look at it - the team needs another starter to get through the season healthy. I am not sure how much impact he will have in the playoffs - but we have to get there without destroying the bullpen. So this helps - for a pretty modest price.

Nate Eovaldi to the Sox for Jalen Beeks I understand the move. Beeks is a command guy, and might just be a 4A guy. I do think Beeks will do better going to Tampa's run prevention environment. Eovaldi is definitely a Dombrowski sort of pitcher. He gives the sox rotation some more certainty ... although he has a bit of that Joe Kelly disease, where his fastball does not get as much swing and miss as the radar gun says it should.

No. But if you don't have an actual answer - he is a good impersonator.

WAR is accurate directionally - magnitude is as precise as the inputs. Because measuring defense is hard - and because the idea of a replacement player is inherently tricky - there is some level of error. As I will note, RBIs are a made up stat too - with far less rigor.

I didn't watch - frankly it is too long, though from my memory of last year the clock helps. A more varied skills competition would be cool - but I am not sure what that would look like.

That is pretty fair

That is a fantastic season - and at that point, really the difference in WAR gets bogged down in noise and the squishier areas of quantification (read: defense, replacement level)

I think he has been a positive. In a sense we are arguing something unknowable. And - we are arguing something causal about last year's performance when injuries and youth explain it just as well. I am more comfortable arguing for Martinez tangible value (massive upgrade at DH/OF, especially in the specific way the team needed).

It is super interesting to be in the "players are human" camp - although being pro analytics certainly does not contradict that. (Cora is very much both!) Analytics are great to answer "what happened", "why it happened" (or more accurately the reverse - eliminating reasons why it happened), and a certain degree of "how it happened"). Where analytics fail - where the scouts, coaches, manager and players take the mantle - is how to fix it in the real world. How does the manager implement that? Well, clearly some of that is developing a plan with the org and with his coaches - and then there is the squishy stuff. Of course that stuff matters. And of course it is no guarantee what Cora is doing is built to last. It might be. (I think he was labeled to be really really good at this for a few years now) But Farrell established a different work environment which at times was also effective. There was a resourcefulness and intensity in the last two years - especially last year where the team fought through a lot of adversity to have a good season. (some of that adversity of their own making)

I have no doubt Martinez is positive in the clubhouse. I have doubts his powers are magical - and that this is much different than talented young players just acquiring more reps and being healthy. It's not like anyone started speaking in tongues and healing blindness.

I think they will chase hard for the most part. But I don't think you will see, say, the Red Sox change their "Sale preservation schedule" (to the degree they have one) to win the division. I think both teams will still be careful with guys they want to rest for medical reasons.

I did not give two shits about it anyway. I like the general idea of doing something radical like the NHL has. Not sure exactly what it would look like.

maybe maybe not - they will need more pitchers as they rotate their staff through. I mean right now, there is virtually no chance that EITHER the Sox or Yanks miss the playoffs. I am not sure how much either team will chase the division vs getting healthy for October.

Right. Cora has basically managed his starts like playoff games ... see if he can get through 18 batters and then pull the hook strategically. The Johnson-Vasquez tag team has been very useful as a #5.