moonslav59

It will be hard for DD to know for sure what others are offering, and Jeter & Co. may master creating a bidding war that is nonexistent, but I really do not think the return will be as great as you project, even without taking on Prado's sunken cost. Plus, Prado probably can't even play 2B next year.

Pretty damn valuable!

Yeah, no major overhaul, but go after Trout.

He certainly out performed many other big free agent signees, but the signing was still had an overall negative impact.

Assuming JD Martinez signs for $150M/6, look at this comp (luxury tax dollars): Stanton Age 28 $25M Age 29 $25M Age 30 $25M Age 31 $25M JD $25M Age 32 $25M JD $25M Age 33 $25M JD $25M Age 34 $25M JD $25M Age 35 $25M JD $25M Age 36 $25M JD $25M Age 37 $25M (Note: JD starts next season at age 30 and turns 31 in August. Stanton does not turn 29 until next November.) I'll take the extra year at age 37 in exchange for the 3 years at ages 28-30.

Agreed. JBJ has always been one of my favorite Sox players.

We could trade for Stanton AND keep JBJ. Word is HRam can play 1B next year. Stanton can DH and be the 4th OF'er, when needed (12-20 games with no OF injuries). HRam can DH those 12-20 games, thereby giving him some rest. Use Travis or Swihart at 1B when HRam DHs or sign someone like Duda for a 1 year cheap deal.

We should ask ourselves why so many quality organizations always ask for JBJ.

I always expected VTek to end up with a significant role. He was such a student of the game.

I really do not think he will come close to that return, even without Prado and the Marlins paying $10M a year on GS's deal.

Not really for a 28 year stud.

, Year one, yes, once you reset, but the tax on Stanton's $25M luxury cost will be less over the length of the deal. My point was that if the Yanks can get Stanton and reset, I think they'll kick the tires.

A little bit deceiving. He was at 2.8 year 4, so the 4.0 average WAR for the first 4 years was front-loaded. 3 out of 8 years with a WAR over 2.9 is probably not what the Yankee FO hoped for. (He had 4 straight years over 3.5 before signing with the Yanks and only 2 out of 8 seasons over 3.4 with the Yanks.) I wouldn't call the signing a bust, but I am glad the Sox didn't win that bidding war.

Yes to Plan A JD Martinez and Plan B Santana. No to Kinsler or W Flores. Okay with Tyler Chatwood.

Nobody is giving them top talent AND paying for the whole contract. They are not getting Beni or Devers, even if they pay part of the deal.

Committing to 5 years for 1Bman of Hosmer's quality is asking for worse than HRam & Pablo. 1B should be a position of greater power and offense than Hosmer brings to the table.

ERod or Groome and take away Castillo, and Miami says yes.

That's almost as funny as my proposal!

Actually, he was against us using internal solutions at 2B while Pedey is out. However, he failed to say what he was for.

I thought the next thing he was going to say was he was against us breathing.

Yes, because he's a lefty hitter.

With Betts, Beni, JBJ and Devers all LH'd batters, and HRam's contract a year or two away from ending, should be value Stanton, JD Martinez and switch hitter Santana much more than normal? (Hosmer & Moustakas bat LH'd.)

Singing to the choir... (MLBTR) Why the Red Sox shouldn’t sign Eric Hosmer. Eric Hosmer is a good player that would make the Red Sox better. He’s an old-fashioned first baseman who hits the ball to all fields for a good average, hits doubles more than homers and fields the position reasonably well, depending on which defensive metric you trust most. But he’s an imperfect fit for this Red Sox lineup and organization, and as he is coming off a career season is liable to make more than he’s worth this winter, especially considering the draft-pick compensation tied to him with the qualifying offer. Boston’s biggest need in the lineup isn’t just for a power hitter; it’s for a right-handed power hitter. Hosmer fits neither of those designations. If we sketch out not just the 2018 Red Sox batting order but into 2019 and 2020 as well, Boston’s middle of the order is likely to involve Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi. That’s two lefties and one righty, so in an ideal world, you’re getting another righty to complement that group. Also, Fenway Park is easier for a righty to exploit for power. Hosmer’s 25 home runs this past season represent a career high. He’s likely to hit for less power than guys like Betts, Devers and Benintendi to begin with. He’s also the type of player whose power seems most tied to the composition of the baseball. Before baseball’s home run boom started at the 2015 All-Star break, Hosmer had never even hit 20 homers in a season; he had homered once every 40.9 plate appearances. Since then, he’s homered once every 25.4 plate appearances. If the ball is altered back to where it was a few years ago, his power is likely to regress. It’s tempting to attribute Hosmer’s low power numbers to Kauffman Stadium and suggest that he’d be due for more homers with 81 games at Fenway Park. However, he’s barely hit more homers on the road than at home in his career (67 to 60) and his slugging percentage has been higher in Kansas City despite a better batting average on the road. And Fenway isn’t exactly a bandbox to straightaway right and right-center. Signing Hosmer would lock the Red Sox into him at first base for the foreseeable future, closing off one of the simplest avenues to adding a legitimate power bat. It would also close off a possible move across the diamond for Devers, should Boston ever need to consider one. And it would limit the paths to the majors for Sam Travis and especially Michael Chavis. The presence of those prospects shouldn’t deter the Red Sox from making a big move, as it seemed to last year with Edwin Encarnacion. But it should be a factor in the decision-making. In general, Hosmer has some of the same warning signs to me that Pablo Sandoval had. He’s a nice player whose reputation exceeds his actual production because he’s been good on the postseason stage. He’s not the type of player who should hit in the middle of a good Boston order, nor one who should be given a long-term deal averaging close to $25 million per season.

Castillo, Hembree, Chavis, Ockimey & Swihart for Stanton

Some interesting ideas. If GS does not want to play in STL, maybe the Sox and Giants are the front runners.