notin

And only for one year while they figure out who gets to take over RF between Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh. No doubt Fowler's former manager Joe Maddon made this recommendation...

Not sure if they would have committed that much to him, but the Sox do have precedent in the Henry Era of paying players to be the among highest paid in the game. But with so many other commitments, not sure if Betts was possible on top of all that. At the very least, it is nice that Bogaerts was...

The one thing baseball does have going for it is by it's own nature, the game is very socially distanced. Only the catcher and batter are near each other. (Or runner and 1B if someone gets on.) All defensive players are far apart. And every time a ball is put in play, a new ball is brought in to replace it for the next hitter. The NFL and NBA cannot compete with baseball for in-game protections from viruses...

Yep. Freddie Patek only played a scant 14 years...

On the field he was great. To the tune of 37.2 fWAR. For some perspective, Betts achieved that total in 5 years. It took Hall of Famer Jim Rice 10 years to achieve that to total..

Yeah DAve really ruined those 1968-2000 drafts for the Sox

That first round wound up being one of the worst ever. The number one overall pick never pitched an inning in the majors. And four of the pitchers taken in the top 10 combined for less than 40 IP, all but one of those IP from Kohl Stewart...

So.... Eovaldi? Assuming he is not on the IL?

Exactly!!

Also there is this. "Hernández, who won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2020, will help fill the void the Red Sox have at second base. The Red Sox told Hernández that he will get the bulk of his reps at second base, but he could also see time in center field -- where Boston appears likely to lose Jackie Bradley Jr. in free agency -- and in the corner outfield spots while also spelling Xander Bogaerts here and there at shortstop." Enrique Hernández agrees to deal with Red Sox WWW.MLB.COM The Red Sox got their next Brock Holt in the form of Kiké Hernández, a super-utility player who plays every position but catcher. The Red Sox on Tuesday announced the signing, which was first reported on Jan. 22. A source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the deal is for two So while he will play some centerfield, he appears to be slated for 2B, probably with Arroyo taking over 2B when he plays CF...

A complete lack of buzz about it anywhere but this forum...

I think Schoop is unlikely, because I think EHern in CF is unlikely. But I also think it is a good idea. If I had to think of players the Sox most likely add, the list includes Moreland, Workman, Romo, Pillar, Miller, and Almora, and the next tier is players like Brian Goodwin, Tyler Naquin, Jake Lamb and maybe Ben Gamel. Obviously I do not expect all of them. 3 at most. But 4 would be ideal if two of them were Workman and Romo.

Oh I think Ozuna is unlikely, but he shouldn't be. Sure the defense will suffer, but so will opposing pitching. Schoop is an unexciting addition that makes sense, but only if the Sox do plan on moving Kike to CF. Now Puig is an exciting addition that makes sense and may cost about the same. But then, not all excitement is good excitement, as Yasiel has proven repeatedly. I've thrown Josh Reddick';s name out there, largele because 1) he does not suck and 2) no one seems to want him. I can't find a single rumor about him. Odd because he is a league average (maybe a tad below) hitter who plays above average defense in RF. and hits left-handed. Maybe the last two years of his reverse platoon splits have turned off anyone looking to platoon him. But then another guy who is younger, better in the OF, and hits LH, can play CF and is a slightly ABOVE league average hitter is Brian Goodwin. Goodwin hits LHP and RHP about the same, but still could make for a decent platoon with Renfroe in RF. As could Nick Markakis, who is clearly no longer a full time OF, but unfortunately is also more likely to retire than join Boston.

It makes me miss Ben Cherington. You didn't see him warm bodies after a last place finish. And he managed to improve the farm system at the same time. Not everyone BC signed worked out, but at least he did not only look in the basement...

If MLB wants to make their game more exciting, the universal DH is a no-brainer. There is absolutely nothing less exciting in baseball than watching a pitcher try to hit. In fact, it might be the least exciting routine activity in any sport. In other sports, players doing something outside of their normal activity can be exciting, like watching a kicker or punter attempt a pass. Or better yet, a tackle... the MLBPA wants it. The owners should want it. Not sure what the obstacle is here, other than one side or the other refusing to accept it as part of some negotiation ploy...

Go over it now. Sign Odorizzi and Ozuna and call it an off-season, barring any minor tweaks. Otherwise next year, we will be in the same position...

If the Sox signed Sergio Romo (4.34 ERA in 2020, but like Ottavino, the bulk of the runs came in 2 appearances) and, say Brian Goodwin for RF, that could possibly keep them under the tax limit with a little room to spare and increase the watch-ability of this team. My big problem is it puts this team in basically the same position after 2021...

The Cubs signed former Rockie closer Rex Brothers to a minor league deal. Who knew Brothers was even still pitching? Even Rex himself probably wondered if he was, since he has only thrown 37 IP since 2014...

MLB fans should never count on the draft to make a difference...

The Ottavino deal was not so much about Ottavino. And if they make Ottavino the closer, I am fine with that. Last year, his horrific ERA is basically from 2 of his 22 appearances. He allowed 1 ER or less in the other 20, including 17 appearances of 0 ER. But if they want to avoid costly relievers like Rosenthal or Melancon, they could still add much cheaper arms like Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Romo, Brandon Workman, or Keone Kela. The Hernandez to CF thing would be a surprise, but certaily it appears that it would be one with merit. Most of the 2B and OF options remaining have an OPS+ in the 93-98 range since 2018, including Schoop. Ozuna is the clear leader in that time frame with his 120. The only 3 players I have found above 100 outside of Ozuna are Yasiel Puig (108), Brian Goodwin (102) , Danny Santana (101) and Nick Markakis (106). Now, Puig did not play in 2020 and Goodwin and Santana both have limited time in starting roles. And Markakis is 37 already, and his his number is carried more so by his 2018 than the recent years, as his OPS has gone down in each of the past 2 seasons. So who is the best option? The Sox could sign either a 2B or an OF. Or go with Michael Chavis, whose OPS+ is 88 and therefore the worse than most that I looked at. (Unless you count Jake Marisnick and his OPS+ of 86.) But Chavis is also only 25...

That would be great if true. Bloom's goal should be to finish the outfield and do what it takes to push Brice and Valdez out of the opening day bullpen. This does mean DFAing Brice, but I am ok with that. As is everyone except maybe Austin Brice and his wife...

Oh I am far from thrilled with Bloom this offseason. While I am completely on board with building up the farm system and with not signing 30yo players for contracts longer than 4 years, at some point you have to put a watchable product on the field. In an offseason where more teams than usual are punting and cutting salary, now is the time to actual spend some cash, as the competition for free agents is lower than usual. And the whole notion that "this team cannot compete in 2021" is a fallacy. They certainly could with the right additions. But more important, if you do nothing, how will 2022 be different? It's not like this team has a slew of young minor leaguers ready to make a major impact on the team next year. The Sox are not one Bryan Mata and one Jarren Duran away from an elite roster. It's a good time to add some key pieces now that will still be there in 2022. The biggest consolation for Sox fans right now is that on February 4th, 12 of MLBTR's top 50 free agents (including 2 of their top 4) are still available. And several of them could easily improve this team in 2021 and potentially beyond...

At this point, I think the Sox might be done with pitching, beyond MiLB deals. If the soxprosects.com plan is right, the only MLB deals will go to a 4th outfielder and a LHH bench bat. Somehow I’m thinking Marcell Ozuna won’t be that 4th outfielder...

Colome to the Twins...

But Kike does not pitch or catch, and Bugs Bunny did both in "Baseball Bugs" against the Gashouse Gorillas (which is my most commonly used name in Fantasy Baseball)...