moonslav59

I'll be the late-inning defensive replacement.

I'd like to hear what our scouts and personnel people say about the idea. It could solve a big problem for very little money.

He deserves at least 5 years like Ben got...ooops, well, almost.

I see it that way, too, and that's why I don't want to settle on someone like Hosmer or bringing Moreland back. If we go the FA route, I see only JD Martinez and Moustakas as legitimate and significant difference makers. I don't think Votto will okay a trade, so I think Stanton, Donaldson or Beltre are the top candidates for that route.

My bad.

Yes, slim pickings at clean up. I'm open to trade ideas, but I don't like the idea of creating 2 new holes to fill one canyon

Anyone can be number one in something that does not exist, but he did have some big hits.

Hey, Pedey said what Machado did was okay. Our beloved Pedey! What greater endorsement can anyone every get? (sarcasm alert) I'd sign Machado in a heart beat (sarcasm over). For those who believe in "clutch", and I believe Dewey is one, this guys is number one. He's an excellent fielder. He's an excellent hitter. He has power. He can slide spikes up vs the Yankees. What's not to like?

Yes, he just turned 29, so he should have 2-3 good years left and another 2-3 decent ones to follow. His OBP is too low for my liking (.314 in 2017 and .305 career), but we need power. Moose has been over .500 slugging two years in a row. He has 45 HRs in his last 711 PAs. JD turned 30 in August, so he's about 13 months older than Moose. He's a bad OF defender and may have to play there when we are in NL parks. 45 HRs in just 489 PAs this year is spectacular, and that's why I have him slighlty ahead of Moose on my FA wish list, but he's only played more than 123 games ONCE in his career! That is very very concerning. Moose improves the D. JD might worsen it. JD is a better hitter, when healthy. To me, these two are far ahead of the #3 non-pitching FAs on the market... maybe Upton, Santana and Hosmer are next. If we could sign Moustakas or JD Martinez plus a one-year deal from Duda, Morrison or Alonso, we could be all set. I'd also like to add Nunez or Howie Kendrick as insurance for Pedey, but I'm not sure how wide Henry's wallet will be opened. There are trade options, but that will open new holes or further empty our farm. Ideally, we could sign both JD and Moose. This would move Devers to 1b and squeeze HRam out of his 497 PAs. Devers could back up 3B, JD could back up the OF, and HRam could DH or play 1B when any of this happens or Devers or JD need some rest. 1. Bogey 2. Betts 3. Beni 4. JD 5. Moose 6. Devers 7. Pedey 8. JBJ 9. Vaz or 1. Betts 2. Beni 3. JD 4. Moose 5. Devers 6. Bogey 7. Pedey 8. JBJ 9. Vaz

Moustakas is much better than Hosmer. Although he's not a great fielding 1Bman, he's much better than Devers. I like JD first, but if he signs elsewhere, I see Moose as the next best clean-up hitter on the FA market. I'm not thrilled by moving a 20 year old off his position, but I'm scared about our IF defense next year. Moose helps us in two big high need areas: clean-up hitter left side IF defense I'm not a a big Moose fan. I just don't see many great clean-up hitters on the FA market, do you see someone I'm missing?

He's very up and down and is not a very good fielder. A four year deal locks Devers into 3B or DH. I'd punt by signing someone to a one year deal and see how Devers looks at 3B. 1Bmen available for 2019: Marwin Gonzalez Justin Smoak Matt Adams Joe Mauer plus anyone who signs a one-year deal this year. We may sign Machado next winter and move Devers to 1B for 2019.

1B wRC+ Since 2014 Selected players 161 Votto 139 Abreu 124 Duda (awesome vs RHPs and much cheaper) 120 Santana 117 A Lind 116 Hosmer 113 HRam 111 Alvarez 110 C Carter 109 Morrison 109 Valencia 107 T Shaw 107 Alonso If we platoon HRam at 1B vs LHPs, we can look at 1B numbers vs just RHPs since 2014 (Only players who are considered platoon-types are listed. For example, Votto is not going to be platooned): 135 Duda 129 Lind (129 Hosmer) 115 Morrison 112 Alonso 110 HRam 102 Moreland 2016-2017 only (vs RHPs) 135 Hosmer 134 Santana 123 Abreu 121 Duda 121 Morrison 115 Alonso 106 HRam 92 Moreland

If we're calling Hosmer "one of the top hitters on the market", it must be based on just 2017. If that's the criteria, then just sign Morrison to 1-2 years at half the cost.

DH and then hope and pray HRam and Travis can cover 1B adequately or sign Duda to platoon with HRam. He'd be much cheaper and shorter than the Hoze.

I wouldn't sign Hosmer, even if there was no lost draft pick attached. I would not sign Hosmer to more than one year, which means, no chance. We may need to move Devers to 1B as early as mid 2018 or 2019.

When is the last time the Sox lost the first round of the playoffs two years in a row? Never. Couple this with finishing in last place the two prior years and us spending like maniacs every winter to improve the roster, and I think the firing was justified. Everyone but Vaz declining Lack of fundamentals and focus Poor communication Not even knowing the rules of the game Lack of leadership and enthusiasm

Slav, you know I like your posts, but this one is really Pollyana I didn't say all of these points would come true, but we won 93 games with none coming true and nobody but Vaz over-performing. If we add JD and have Nunez and Devers for full seasons and SOMR OF THESE COME TRUE, we could be a top contender in 2018... Quote Originally Posted by moonslav59 View Post In fairness to DD, we could get a lot better next year, if just some of these simple things come true... Price stays healthy He sure looked healthy in the playoffs, but nagging elbow pain usually has a structural reason. Price even said he had a "tear" in there. I anticipate there is significant trepidation and rightfully so, within the organization about his ability to contribute as a starter for a full season. I certainly realize having a healthy Price for 32 starts and a great playoff run is asking a lot, especially if the "tear" creates havoc. Porcello pitches right between 2016 and 2017 numbers. 2016 Rick Porcello doesn't exist. The guy you saw this year is effectively a park adjusted Detroit Porcello. He was a little unlucky this year (BABIP of .324) but he also was a homer factory with his 1.68HR/9IP. He might be slightly better than this year's numbers, but any rotation with him not your #5 is a disservice to your team I said a Porcello between 2016 and 2017 NOT like 2016. Even a career norm year from Porcello would beat the 2017 Porcello by a significant amount. Smith and Thornburg are healthy and in prior form. Smith is back and healthy. He will supplant Reed as the setup man and should be good. Thornburg needs to be considered a hope and a prayer. TOS is a tough one to recover from and the surgery usually requires significant rebuilding of the shoulder as the muscles atrophy. I wouldn't count on him at all in 2018. Thornburg is a stretch, I know, but we also have Ross returning plus full years by Maddox and others. Devers plays a full year in Boston- maybe at 1B. Devers is the goods offensively. I think he can be a middle of the order bat for you for a long time. Signing anyone long term at 1b for your team would be a mistake. This kid reminds me a lot of Miguel Cabrera in terms of body type at a similar age. He is a thick 20 year old with a really thick lower half. He won't be a 3b for long. Devers only has to do better than the Pablo-Rutledge-Hernandez-Marrero-Lin fiasco at 3B over the first 4 months of the season. Even if he does slightly worse than the 2 months of 2017, we should see a huge gain at 3B next year. Pedey stays healthy...or healthier. I think the days of Pedey being healthy on the regular are long gone. He has some "chronic damage" in his knee which to me sounds like arthritis. Pedey will need to be managed for the rest of his career and having someone who can fill in for 60 games a year is a necessity This was just one of many "hopes" that could come true, even if unlikely. When you put 10 unlikely projections together, there's a good chance 2-3 work out. I realize they could be offset by 2-3 unforeseen declines, but it's hard to imagine too many players declining for two years in a row as they near prime years. Wright returns to first half 2016 form. His first half of 2016 was super fluky. Maybe-maybe not, but he was a pretty good pitcher before 2016. I could see him being better than 2017 Fister. That's all we might need. Ross, perhaps our most consistent RP'er from 2014-2016 returns strong. He has an elbow issue and just had back surgery. I would put him on the roster bubble for 2018 Again, add one hope to a long list, in hopes a couple come through. Workman continue to grow stronger. He's an intriguing guy for your pen, especially as someone who can go multiple innings This is a guy who could have a great year. He could also be mediocre, but there's signs of great hope in that arm. The top 8 returning everyday players by PAs from 2016 stop the decline, and maybe even a few have career years as they come closer to prime. 2018: 1. Bogey SS 2. Betts RF 3. Beni LF 4. JD Martinez DH/OF 5. HRam 1B/DH 6. Devers 3B 7. Pedey-Nunez 2B 8. JBJ CF 9. Vaz C Bench: (Nunez), Leon, Hernandez, Travis-Lin-Marrero SP: Sale, Price, Pom, Porcello, ERod, (Wright) RP: Kimbrel, Smith, Kelly, Thornburg, Barnes, Ross, Workman-Maddox-Hembree-Scott--others We might need close to total health. Speaking of injuries, the Guardians have had a lot, too. That lineup is better, but you might need to add a couple bats. Not if 5-6 of the returning 8 declining players have significant upticks. Beni,Betts, Bogey and JBJ are all pre-prime or in prime. It's conceivable all 5 have significant upswings. Certainly 4 of 5 is not a bad bet, especially coming off down years. Subtract: 576 PAs of Moreland .769 276 PAs of Young .709 164 PAs of Holt .548 118 PAs of Rutledge .558 108 PAs of Pablo .622 38 PAs of R Davis .595 and maybe... 100 less PAS BY HRam .750 100 less by Marrero .593 100 less by Leon .644 (Over 1,500 PAs in total) then, add... 650 from JD Martinez 350 from Devers (to 590) 400 from Nunez (to 575) 100 from Vaz (to 450) It never works out as simply as this, but the scenario offers a lot more hope than I think you might want to admit.

These are not lists of our best players or our top keepers vs. our worst and most trade-able players. They are lists of my favorite players and least favorite players. I've always been very high on JBJ- perhaps to a fault. I'm a huge fan of up-the-middle defense, and JBJ makes it look easy. I like the way he looks at the plate, but his results have been more cold than hot. I'm hopeful he can have more hot stretches going forward or become more consistent, but he's at an age now where the doubt is getting to the tipping point. I realize he has already passed the point for many posters. I've seen the stats that show he's basically had 3 great months over his whole caree, and the rest have been between horrific and bad. I have great concern for his offensive future. That doesn't stop me from rooting for him and keeping him as one of my favorites, despite the frustration. The Machado-Pedey incident turned me cold towards Pedey. Add the yearly frustrations dealing with his never-ending injuries, and he made my bottom list. It's not a "hate list". It's just the list of players I'm not a big fan of. I'm a fan of every Sox fan, but these are my least favorites. I never hope they fail.

The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking moving Devers to 1B sooner rather than later makes sense. The problem is, signing Mostakas just makes us average on defense at 3B. While that's still a big improvement, I still feel it is lacking. Getting Machado or Beltre would be better, but at what cost. Donaldson is looking more and more avergae on defense as he ages. Signing JD really puts us in a poor fielding box. We could still move Devers to 1B with JD at DH, but who plays 3B? Where does our $22M wonder play? When we play in NL parks, JD plays the OF and weakens our defense even more. By the numbers, our defense was near the top despite our 3B defense. I'm not preaching the end of the world, if we don't improve our IF defense. I happen to think our lack of a clean-up hitter and overall power is a bigger need than improving our IF, but if we can find a way to improve our defense along a way, I say, let's go for it.

I liked Pedey before that incident. His constant injuries, though not his fault, have frustrated me to the point of not really fully enjoying his presence on the team.

My favorite players are ... 1) Betts 2) Sale 3) Devers 4) JBJ My least favorites (not that i hate them): 1) HRam 2) Price 3) Holt 4) Pedey I'm sure someone will think "WOW" to this.

Assuming 100% health, which is a stretch for Pedey, HRam, Hernandez, Thornburg, Ross and others, here' how I see our depth chart at each position- before any signings: SP: Sale Price Pom ERod Porcello Wright Velazquez Johnson-Beeks RP Kimbrel Smith Thornburg Kelly Barnes Maddox Workman Scott Hembree Taylor-Martin-Buttrey-Elias-Cozart C Vaz Leon Swihart-Romanski-Procyshen-Rei (Butler) 1B HRam Travis Holt 2B Pedey Hernandez Holt Lin-Marrero 3B Devers Hernandez Holt-Lin-Marrero SS Bogaerts Hernandez Lin-Marrero Holt LF Beni Holt Mars-Barfield (Brentz) CF JBJ (Betts-Beni) Holt Castillo RF Betts (JBJ-Beni) Holt Castillo-(Tavarez)

LOL! Hard to imagine a GM not knowing a player of his is going under the knife. (Not a fire-able offense.)

My Dad just turned 90. He was a tenured professor of American Literature- mostly American Southern writers. He started out as a seminary student at the University of Notre Dame but got interested in politics and teaching. My mom was born in Germany and taught German and French at the high school I attended. She just turned 80. I have 5 sisters who were all Art majors- 2 at Yale, 1 at Wesleyan, 1 who started at Boston College but graduated from Wisconsin- Madison and the youngest at Sarah Lawrence. (I'm a "domer".) 3 of my sisters are currently Art professors- 1 at Carnegie-Melon in Pittsburgh, 1 at UNC- Chapel Hill and one in Boston. The other sisters live in Brazil and New Zealand and own their own companies. I love teaching, but it can be stressful when teaching eco-dis kids who often have given up hope, have severe issues at home or have little motivation to begin with. Feeling like you can and do make a difference is its own reward.

I'll be ripping mad, if they sign Hosmer. I wouldn't sign him to one year.