moonslav59

Yes, they have 4 executive VPs devising a plan on how to create a plan to get things done. The ball is now in motion.

When I post the line-up I want for 2025, I include Anthony and Campbell. If and when they do start playing, along with Mayer, our defense should improve by attrition. The only way it doesn't, if if Anthony takes away only Abreu's OF time, and Campbell and or Mayer take away Story's time at SS. I do feel like the Sox have often viewed LF and 1B as all bat and no glove slots, but 3B was different. I am pretty sure nothing changes at the corner IF positions, this year, but there has been talk of trading Casas, and at least some discussion about Devers being a defensive liability at 3B. Playing Yoshida in LF, at least until Anthony is called up would not be the end of the world, but it should be avoided, if possible. My point was that I'm okay with seeing him play there, more often, if it is a result of fixing the 3B defensive issue (Devers to 1B/DH, Casas to DH/1B and Yoshida-Refsnyder to a semi FT LF platoon. Duran FT CF. Abreu-Rafaela platoon RF. Again, there is less than a 1% chance this happens, but with a major improvement at 3B D and maybe some at 1B, it would more than outweigh the loss on D at LF. I'm hopeful we do something about fixing more than one of our remaining highest need areas, before opening day, but I'm thinking one might be all we can even hope for, and none is all we can expect. To me, we need these areas addressed, if possible, and without creating another equally high need somewhere else: 1. A lock down closer (Tanner Scott, maybe quick fix, one year guy like Helsley) 2. FT Catcher (Wong becomes the back-up and emergency 2B/1B depth) 3. RHB (Maybe Campbell could be that guy, but being safe and adding someone sounds better.) 4. 3B Defense (Bregman signing or a trade and Devers to 1B/DH share with Casas) 5. 1B Defense (Can Devers improve on Casas at 1B D?) 6. Finding a taker for Yoshida and as much of his contract as possible. Best case -not for the budget: sign Bregman & Scott. Move Devers to 1B/DH. Trade Abreu for Herera. 1. L Duran LF/CF 2. R Bregman 3B 3. L Casas 1B 4. L Devers 3B 5. R Campbell 2B 6. L Anthony RF 7. R Story SS 8. L Yoshida- R Refsnyder LF or Rafaela CF 9. Herrera C SP: Crochet, Houck, Bello, Buehler, Giolito RP: Scott, Hendriks, Chapman, Slaten, Whitlock, Winckowski, Crawford, Wilson I know- I know: not happening.

With everyone but Murphy & Sandoval healthy on opening day (Whitlock might need a few weeks more,) I see this 8 man pen on opening day: Hendriks, Chapman, Slaten, Whitlock, Winckowski, Crawford, Wilson & Weissert 5 in AAA on 40: Guerrero, Bernardino, Penrod, Kelly & Shugart When Sandoval & Murphy get placed on the 60 day IL, maybe we add Adams, Fulmer or ICampbell/Mata/Moran and then other non 40 depth, like Jose Adames, Hobie Haris, Noah Davis and Jap Stock. IT's debatable numbering these guys as depth, but I'd say 5 or 6 will almost surely get a look-see in '25. That gets us to 18 plus. Then, there are the SP'ers who could get pen time in MLB in '25: Criswell, Fitts, Priester, Dobbins and non roster guys like Gambrell, Drohan and maybe Sandlin or Early from AA. Pen guys from AA are a longshot: Hoppe & Troye. We used 25 pitchers in relief, last season, not counting DSmith & PReyes. I can see 25 from above getting a look, but a few from last year were added during the season.

We'd need some cash included, of make them take Yoshida + $5-8M x 3 years. The one year of Helsley cuts down on the value, a lot. Arendao greatly improves our defense, assuming he plays 3B not 1B, but we lose on O w him vs Casas. How do we get the O back up to even? Grichuk won't do it. Bregman at 3B, Arenado at 1B and Devers to DH? Way too costly! I think I'd insist on Yoshida plus some cash.

Helsley has one year of control, and Arenado's bat could be toast/ I like Herrara and an extended Helsley. I'm not sure we can trade them 2 Casases, but if they fall for it, great!

There is a lot of potential, and we have a large quantity of RP'ers with some various levels of promise. I think I counted 20, one time. There is a lot to say for having depth, but not having any proven closer is scary. The one that used to be closer have been hurt or in other roles, recently. Our lowest OPS Against Pitchers in Relief (170+ PAs) .575 Jansen .576 Slaten .677 Anderson .680 Martin .702 Booser .725 Weissert .750 Kelly How many of these guys will be in the opening day Sox pen? .770 Wink .775 Bernardino Our pen stunk to end the 2024 season, and the pitchers we added might outpitch the ones we lost, but they have to better than just break even.

There are still some really good players out there, but many don't fit the Sox needs or budget, too well. MLBTR Top 50 still left: 3. Bregman 7. Alonso 8. Flaherty 9. Santander 14. T Scott 16. Profar 22. Estevez 25. Heaney 28. Pivetta 31. Quintanna, 33. Scherzer, 41. Gibson 34. Minter 38. Yates 42. Kahnle 43. H-S Kim, 49. Bader, 50. Turnull 47. Robertson Honorable Mention: Grichuk Jansen, Martin, Sewald, Finnegan

The VTek case was an interesting one. He kinda got screwed in that last contract.

It's a simple question, ut you don't have to answer. If he was a FA, now what do you think he'd be worth? How's this, would you be happy, sad of inbetween, if they signed him to an $20M x 5 year deal as a FA?

Good point, and he too was moved to the pen, at least once.

Why can't you answer? Of course the amount might change in 2 years, depending on how he does, but if he's worth $20M, now, I do not think it's absurd to offer him $20M starting 2 years from now and going forward.

Some was perception and how Covid brought the market down, but it does make it sting more, knowing we may not have been too far away from getting a yes.

I think another factor is how the Sox determine a player's value, and they seem very firm on whatever amount they come up with. We see it happen with some FAs, where our offer seems way lower, and there was no evidence we ever move beyond the initial offer on many. The Soto talks seemed different, but we are not even sure what sort of offers we made or increased. I think we feel like we know the precise value of our own players, and it often seems low. We don't seem to budge and often come across as stubborn and ungrateful. We have seen a lot of really good players walk as FAs, and to be honest, I think we have gotten more right than wrong, in terms of knowing when to "move on." We missed on a few, and some did well (Beltran, Lowe...), after leaving, but maybe was still not a mistake (Damon?) We have also traded some big names away, just in time: Nomar, Manny, while others were just last ditch efforts to get some value back (Lester, Lackey, A Miller) or tag ons to salary dumps (AGon and Beckett tied to Crawford.)

It matters if a player has had TJS, and it affected his limited IP up to 2024. That's all I'm saying. It affects what you might want to offer for a contract. I fully understand why arb guys make less. My suggestion on giving them a little more year 1 and 2 of an extension is designed as a carrot to get them to say year. I give them less in later years, as money up front is "worth more." The contract I suggested is based on speculation. I get that and have said it. Some players who sign during or before arb years often get more than what their projected arbs would bring them, in order to get them to give the team some added control years. Please answer what you think he'd get as a FA, right now. I know that is not the same as 2 years from now, but I'm curious.

Yes, indeed, and part of the reason he has a limited IP sample size was due to injuries. They can be and often are related. If Crochet was a FA, right now, you don't think he gets $20M a year, despite the lack of prolonged success as a SP'er?

Pivetta was our GS'd leader for a long time. Nobody was crying for his return, and he was better than Crawford. I'd put Crawford in the pen, even if we add Tanner Scott and push everyone else down a notch.

The language shifted a little on the moving Devers idea. I'm not sure that's a clue that something might be in the works, but I doubt we add a 3Bman, too. If we do, we may trade Casas, so it would take a few things to happen and not happen to force a situation where Yoshida and Ref end up platooning in LF. Right now, we very likely may platoon Ref in LF, with Duran playing CF when not in LF and Abreu sitting vs LHPs. If we add Grichuk, it would change the OF dynamic. An Anthony call-up and success story would, too. There is a very slim chance Yoshi gets forced into a meaningful role in LF.

So, just short of $300M was not considered near enough to "market value," which is understandable. After deferments, he essentially signed for $306M. (Covid likely brought down that contract, but still...)

Of course missing time "changed" how many innings he pitched. Bogey was almost always healthy. Crochet has has TJS. The injury concern is part of the extension consideration.

2024 OBP Leaders: .354 Devers .349 Yoshida .342 Duran .336 O'Neall .333 Wong .322 Abreu .274 Rafaela Ref was at .359 in 307 PAs/ Story .340 in 106/ Casas .337 in 243/ Romy .306 in 216/DHam .303 in 317 SLG: .516 Devers .511 O'Neal .492 Duran .459 Abreu .425 Wong .415 Yoshida (.471 Ref/ .462 Casas/ .417 Romy/.395 DHAm/.394 Story) .

His limited resume is largely due to missed time due to injury, so that was the ironman reference. He was also a RP'er before this past year, so that is a factor not related to being an ironman or not, correct.

If we add a 3Bman and don't trade Casas, Yoshida will play more LF than any of us want. Casas and Devers should play 155-162 games at 1B and DH, leaving maybe 10 games open for Yoshida or Ref to DH, barring injuries. It's not ideal, but as of now, our corner IF sucks, and without Ref in the OF, Abreu might have to start vs LHPs. No added 3BMan should mean 10 or less games for Yoshi in LF. Yes added 3BMan likely means Yoshida plays LF vs LHPs (Duran in CF & Rafaela in RF) and maybe some games vs RHPs (Duran in CF and Abreu in RF with rafaela on the bench.) Duran and Rafaela are close to even on D in CF, so there is no drop off, there. The drop off is in LF, going from Duran to Yoshida, but the upgrade at 3B should more than outweigh the loss in LF. Again, not ideal. Signing Grichuk would change this equation, but we have to look at the whole line-up and who Yoshida is playing instead of to get the net gain or loss on O and D

My paper, but steamers has our rotation #1 in the AL, but lower in their batting+defense combined metric than mine comes to.

Indeed, He was also almost an ironman.

Romy or Grissom, or Mayer on a crash course like Bogey had when he was called up (10 games at 3B in AAA.)