moonslav59

ERA is a bad stat to use for closers as they often come in with 1 or 2 outs. While his WHIP has also risen, it maybe hasn't been at the same rate. 0.654 0.881 0.908 1.045 1.094 I am concerned.

I'm happy with the trades and our current roster, but man-o-man, we've gutted the farm... Sox prospects traded in the last year: Mid-season Baseball America Rankings: #1 Moncada #15 Espinosa #39 Margot #87 Guerra (52 to start the season/right after the trade) #93 Kopech Highest soxprospects.com ranking: 1. Moncada 3. Espinoza 3. Margot 3. Cecchini 5. Kopech 6. Guerra 7. Basabe 10. Dubon 12. T Shaw (not a prospect when traded) 12. Wendell Rijo 13. Logan Allen 13. Pat Light 14. Edwin Escobar (claimed off waivers) 18. Basabe (the other one) 20. Carlos Asuaje 21. Victor Diaz 21. Jonathan Aro 27. Josh Pennington 30. Aaron Wilkerson 40. Jose Almonte

We lose Buch and Young next winter and Kimbrel, Kelly and Ross the winter after. All of those can probably be dealt with, but when we come to the winter of Bogey (or before) some cash is going to have to start flying.

No, Cots Baseball Contracts has it at $32.5M/6, which includes the $1M buy-out. $31.5M + $1M. They do the same for every contract.

Some of his figures are wrong. Pedey's contract is $110M/8. That's $13.75M not $13.3M as he has it. Sale's contract is $32.5M/6. That's $6.5M not $6.77M as he has it. I guess they just about even out, and I think we'd only be about $180K more than he has us at. He also left out Workman, who is still on the 40 man roster. His estimated arb is $600K, which is more than a minor league contract. He's probably right on the minor league contracts. I counted all 21 pre-arb players as ML minimum salary. He has the 14 minor league players at $1.2M. Do they really all make less than $100K each? Wow, I thought it was more. His Benefits number is probably the updated one. If he's right, I guess we're at just about $193M not counting the call-ups. With no trades and counting the minor league call-ups and incentives, maybe we'll end up at about $198M. That's $3M over, and probably what we should assume our starting point is going forward. Trading Buch for a non-40 man roster or minor league contract would put us about $10M up.

Nope. Sale moves another starter to the pen. There's the two. We'll have this to hold us over until Carson Smith returns: Kimbrel Thornburg Kelly Buchholz Pomeranz Ross Barnes That's 7. Abad, Hembree and Elias are out of options Scott, Owens, Johnson, N ramirez and others are not

As much as Lars Anderson was a disappointment, we did end up getting Steven Wright for him.

We also added Kyle Martin and Luis Ysla to the 40 man roster. We now have 40.

The Red Sox have announced that they’ve designated lefty Williams Jerez for assignment. The move clears roster space for first baseman Mitch Moreland, whose one-year deal is now official. The Red Sox drafted Jerez in the second round in 2011. They added him to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season, in which he posted a 2.54 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 while pitching in the bullpen at three minor league levels, ending at Double-A Portland. But he didn’t fare as well in a return to Portland in 2016, with a 4.71 ERA, 9.0 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 across 65 innings.

We could have-should have beat $4.5M. I don't care, if it would have caused us to lose all of our out of options RP'ers: Hembree, Elias and Abad.

I agree, and the same could be said for Pom. He was doing great with SD, and then the injury ruined his second half.

or add Basabe and/or Travis

I want the big 3 getting 100 starts. Lower their innings by using the pen more. I think Pomeranz should be in the pen. He's been there before, including 58 out of 81 games prior to 2016. He was a straight starter on the farm, I might add, where as Wright did a lot of both. Wright has some pen work in the majors as well, but I think he's better utilized as a starter.

soxprospect.com on Sam Travis and his defense: Field: Lack of athleticism and foot speed best suited for first base. Soft hands. Confident picking balls out of the dirt. From mlb.com: Travis is built more like an outfielder than a first baseman. He could have a future in left field as well as being a corner infielder. Travis does not have the softest or quickest hands or the best range as an infielder. However, he has worked hard on his defense and it is beginning to pay dividends. He looks more agile and is getting in better fielding position than in his past. He's an average defender and can hold his own on defense. His self-confidence and improvement are obvious. SB Nation... His glove is limited to first base but it looks like he can play regularly at that position for many teams. Bleacher Report.... Lacks a true defensive home, as he’s seen time at both corner infield positions and the outfield at Indiana; lacks quickness and speed for long-term profile at the hot corner; shows a solid glove and good hands at first base; adept at digging balls out of the dirt. Decent arm strength could be a fit at third base or left field; better suited for a career at first base. Basball Prospectus... Glove 55 Can range in both directions at first base; average hands; stretches well; scoops in the dirt have improved over stretch of looks; at times rushes plays and is over-zealous in selection of what to go after; potential to put some more polish on the glove over the course of the next few seasons. Arm 50 Adequate throwing arm; shows good accuracy when cutting off throw and firing to base; at times a little awkward leading pitchers to bag with throws; would like to see if there is more arm here, but doesn't really have a chance to air it out.

We have a non great back-up now in Holt and Rutledge.

No. I think he has getting under the limit as a priority but not a must, and he's taking calls knowing someone will eventually offer what he wants, and the side effect will be getting under the luxury tax.

JBJ struggles with everybody,I'd let him do his struggling in Pawtucket until he gains at least a little consistency. I guess the bosses have forgotten how well Swihart hit and played LF last year before he was hurt. I guess you've forgotten how well JBJ did for most of the year and the end of last year. Projecting future performance based what you did the prior month or two is not a good strategy.

I'll miss them most, but the loss of Ziegler might hurt more than both of them.

Yeah, you're right. He got the sale part right. He got the totals wrong though. 2017 Red Sox Luxury Tax Budget 148.875M Signed (9): $31M Price, $22M Ramirez, $20.625M Porcello, $19M Sandoval, $13.75M Pedroia, $13.5M Buchholz, $10.5M Kimbrel, $6.5M Sale, $6.5M Young, $5.5M Moreland $25.9M Projected Arb (10): $5.7M Bogaerts, $4.7M Pomeranz, $3.3M Bradley, $2.6M Kelly, $2.2M Thornburg, $2.0M Abad, $1.8M Ross, $1.7M Holt, $1.3M Leon, $600K Workman $11.235M Others (21 x $535M minimum MLB salary): Betts, Benintendi, Rodriguez, Wright, Vazquez, Swihart, Smith, Barnes, Hernandez, Hembree, Owens, Johnson, Scott, Elias, Marrero, N Ramirez, Jerez, Brentz, ______, _______, _______ Total: $186.01M minus $250K frm Atlanta paying Kimbrel’s bonus= $185.76M Add $12.9M to player pension fund and the total is: $198.66M

He's wrong. He even got sale's salry count wrong. It's not $12M, it's $6.5M on the luxury budget. Maybe he's forgetting the player pension fund hit.

Agrred. I'd add Elias and.or Hembree to your #2. I don't think #3 is going to happen. We might need Swihart at C or use him in LF or (gasp) DH/1B.

Some points on Sale.... Sale has been in the top 6 Cy Young votes for 5 straight years. He's led the AL in HBP the last two years. He's never had an ERA over 3.41. Since 2012, among pitchers with 1000+ IP, Sale places... 2nd in ERA- at 74 behind only Kershaw (Scherzer 76, Price 78, Felix 79) 2nd in xFIP- at 75 4th in WHIP at 1.06 (just 0.01 behind Scherzer and Bumgarner) 3rd K-BB% at 22.3% (behind Kershaw & Scherzer) 4th in WAR at 26.2 (just behind Price at 26.4)

I hope so. One problem might be how does Sale handle the opening game of the playoffs? He's never been there.

I saw that. I guess that makes Hernandez our AAA depth. That's one way to rebuild the farm! (LOL)

A team "desperate" for starting pitching will call a team equally desperate to get under the luxury tax threshold. Apparently, DD is already getting plenty of phone calls asking about our pitching surplus. Wait it out, and I'm pretty sure someone will overpay.