Jump to content
Click here to check out our updated free agents rankings, now up to 150 players and sortable by position! ×
Talk Sox
  • Create Account

moonslav59

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    109,029

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    164

 Content Type 

Profiles

Boston Red Sox Videos

2026 Boston Red Sox Top Prospect Rankings

Boston Red Sox Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Boston Red Sox Fan Guides & Resources

2025 Boston Red Sox Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Boston Red Sox News, Rumors & Analysis

2026 Boston Red Sox Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by moonslav59

  1. moonslav59
    Of course, teams squander high draft picks, even multiple ones year-after-year, but most of the best farms are built with top picks or stockpiling comp picks (or both) plus finding a few good international FAs. Not many perennial winners have built top 6 farms through the draft. Some did it by having an occasional fire sale during an off year (but then they might not be called a perennial winner) or by spending big and being successful with international free agents. Now, that's not as easy as before either. Look at the Sox. We built a strong farm in the early 2000's with stock-piled comp picks and a few good international signings. We built a strong farm the same way with Ben at the helm, but he got a few higher draft picks as well and hit it good with Beni. (The jury is still out on Groome, but where would are farm be ranked now without him?) There certainly are teams that keep their farm pretty strong through winning years, but it's very hard to build to a top 6 level without losing or getting comp picks galore. The Yanks built their farm with comp picks, a few nice 25-35 slot picks (like Judge) and several trades of veterans for prospects.
  2. moonslav59
    I don't want to start that wholedebate again, but we had too many metal blunders (fielding & running) that had nothing to do with being aggressive or over aggressive.
  3. moonslav59
    I didn't see a lot of "fire" last year. Sure, after a walk-off hit, there was celebration, but I sensed a lack of desire. Also, the mental blunders were a sign of lacking focus, which can, at times, be attributed to not being fully "into it". I'm not big on the whole leadership bandwagon, but I did not see JF as the type of guy to light a fire under anybody. He was too laid back, and I think that rubbed off on the kids.
  4. moonslav59
    Every city in the country envies Boston.
  5. moonslav59
    How about Tommy Harper? (He's the reason I'm a Sox fan.) That wasn't the 60's either.
  6. moonslav59
    Jeter was not taken with a below 20 pick. Rivera and Williams were signed as an amateur FA. Yes, Clemens and others were acquired by trade not free agency, but their salaries were prohibitively high for most teams and outright salary dumps in other cases. I'm not arguing the Yankee farm did not help them win. I'm arguing they didn't build great farms with long stretches of picks below #20. The system is changed now. Let's see what winning GMs can do under these changed conditions.
  7. moonslav59
    I thought there was no current GM that has gone 7-8 straight years drafting lower than 20 every year. I guess the sample size is one. My bad. The initial statement was drafting 30th or lower. By the way, the Yanks went 7 straight years drafting below #20 (from 1997 to 2004. They also went 8 straight from 2006 (21st pick with Ian Kennedy) to 2014 with very low picks, but the farm was mostly built with fire sales and comp picks. The Yanks drafted 1st in '91, drafted Jeters 6th in '92 (not with a pick lower than 20). They drafted... 13th in '93 20th in '96 17th in '05 no first rd in 2014 16th in '15 18th in '16 Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Yanks lose a few first round picks due to signing type A or QO free agents? If so, I'm not sure one should use that as an excuse for having low picks due to winning too much.
  8. moonslav59
    Last year saw 2 of the top 3 record teams make the series, and the Cubs & Guardians were two of the best in 2016, but before that, one could argue "crap shoot" pretty strongly. While the Royals had the best AL record in 2015, nobody felt they'd win. Their rotation was one of the weakest ever to win a WS, and they played in a weak division. The Mets were total crap shoot. The two wildcard teams had 7-8 more wins than the Mets. In 2014, two wild card teams made it to the WS. The Sox won in 2013 with 3 last places sandwiched around it. In 2012, the Giants won despite having the worst record of the 3 NL division winners. They beat a Tigers team that had a worse record than a team that missed the wild card! (DET 88 wins & TBR 90). STL won the WS as a wild card in 2011, and on and on. .
  9. moonslav59
    The Yanks won all those year, in large part, to outspending other teams by huge margins during a time when the system was rigged to help rich teams score great draft picks with later picks due to "signability" issues. The international market was also totally unregulated. Yes, they had some great in system infusion along the way for sure and couldn't have won without it, but they continuously filled holes with super costly free agents. It's only recently that the Yanks started reducing their budget and having fire sales to rebuild their farm.
  10. moonslav59
    You can be the best drafter in MLB and still have a very difficult time building a farm to top 6 or 8 while finishing with a top 6 or 8 record for 5 years in a row. The top international players are also harder to hoard.
  11. moonslav59
    Trending also has to do with how many good "far-away" prospects you have in the system and what their ceilings appear to be. Right now, the Sox farm is nearly all about "far away."
  12. moonslav59
    I caught a lot of grief for saying last year's team lacked "fire and desire". Now, it seems like many are saying the same thing using different words. I'm hopeful with Cora leading the clubhouse and dugout much better than JF did. Maybe a young player will begin to take some steps. Clearly, Pedey is not going to be that guy. HRam? Nope. Moreland or a pitcher who spends the game in the pen? I doubt it. Devers? Too young and focused on improving himself. Vaz? Meh. It's going to have to come from Cora and maybe Bogey, Betts or JBJ.
  13. moonslav59
    1) Price's arm has always been an big concern. 2) Pom's arm is not as much of a concern as it was last February. 3) I have never said we have great leadership. Getting a pitcher or clean-up hitter with leadership qualities would be helpful. If I had to choose one, I'd go with the clean-up hitter. I'd like to do both, and I'm almost always for adding a top starter, but our line-up will not improve enough by itself. Had we at least added Morrison, instead of Moreland, we'd be better off.
  14. moonslav59
    That's how I view it. Once you go all out, don't play it halfway.
  15. moonslav59
    It's obvious. No team in MLB ever goes 7+ years winning so much they never get a pick above #20 (let alone #30 as you claimed). Hence, there is no GM to meet your sample size criteria.
  16. moonslav59
    No GM goes 7-8 years straight drafting 20 or lower. Maybe even 10 or lower.
  17. moonslav59
    Well, last year we started the season with Wright in the rotation, 2 Tommy John candidates and Pom coming off an injury and a 4.59 ERA after joining the Sox. How'd that work out for us? While I'm always for adding to the rotation, especially from the top, our biggest weakness is still at the clean-up slot.
  18. moonslav59
    Well, it's encouraging he thinks we're "trending up" based on a draft with low picks and no comp picks and our most expensive international signing passing away.
  19. moonslav59
    Anyone who doesn't think our 4-5 slots were a serious weak link on last year's Sox team, wasn't paying attention. 4 slot: .745 5 slot: .667 Combined: 45 HRs and 164 RBIs Some teams get close to that from 1 guy! We placed 20th in clean-up HRs. We had the 7th worst clean-up OPS in MLB. We placed 29th in 5th slot HRs (and RBIs). We had the worst 5 slot OPS in MLB. If we sign JD AND can rely on Devers to improve on the 5 slot, we may be able to change our 4-5 slot weakness into a plus. (I'm still flabbergasted over the Moreland signing. Two years on top of it all!)
  20. moonslav59
    Recent Theo big signings: $184M/8 Heywood $155M/6 Lester $126M/6 Darvish
  21. moonslav59
    He ponied up big for Lester, too. Darvish gets an opt out "before 3 years". $126M/6 Where's the "collusion?"
  22. moonslav59
    Our biggest weakness last season was clean-up hitter. We don't really even have a decent 5 hitter (assuming some mix of Betts, Beni and Bogey bat 1-2-3). JD is a fit, despite having a $22M DH on the roster already. (We may see us sign JD and trade JBJ & Johnson for a solid 3-4 SP'er. That way HRam gets to play and we bolster our rotation.)
  23. moonslav59
    I think you are overvaluing Jacoby. I thought I was being generous saying $5-6M x 3.
  24. moonslav59
    I doubt anyone would sign Ellsbury to $5M x 3. He's owed almost $23M a year x 3 counting the $5M buyout. That means the Yanks would pay about $17-18M a year to see him play elsewhere, at best. If the $5-6M savings helps them sign Arrieta or JD, then maybe they do it, but some team would be a fool to pay more than $6M a year for JE. He's only going to get worse. He's had a combined 4.5 WAR over the last 3 years. That's a 1.5 average. I wouldn't expect 2.4.
  25. moonslav59
    I've always liked Cobb despite the injury issues. He also has good numbers in Yankee Stadium (.613 OPS against) and Fenway (.659). OPS Against with AL East .608 NYY .611 TOR .625 BAL .628 BOS While injury issues are a big concern, they will also make a very good pitcher more affordable.
×
×
  • Create New...