harmony

An apparent Red Sox fan has posted consensus prospect rankings: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PyI0tyoCesi_jyQ1D8NIqDmrYSfrk0_gzINCP1Ip_rs/edit#gid=405455672 https://www.overthemonster.com/2019/1/29/18202603/top-100-prospects-consensus-rankings

For what it's worth, the Red Sox placed no prospects among the top 132 compiled by FanGraphs columnists Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2019-top-100-prospects/

FanGraphs columnist Jay Jaffe writes that relievers Ryan Madsen and Tony Sipp could "find homes" with the Red Sox: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-find-homes-for-a-few-more-unsigned-free-agents/

If Blake Swihart clears waivers the Red Sox can outright him to the minors without his consent because he lacks the three years of MLB service required to veto an outright to the minors. Alternatively, the Red Sox could release Swihart if his clears waivers. http://m.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/designate-for-assignment My questions are: Will the Red Sox still owe Swihart his 2019 salary of $910,000 and, if so, does that amount count against the luxury tax calculation? Can a team release an arbitration eligible player during Spring Training for a fraction of the player's agreed-upon salary? If not, after a release can another team sign Swihart for the league minimum with the Red Sox paying the balance of the salary? These scenarios offer the intersection of several complicated rules.

The Red Sox are shopping catchers and seeking rotation depth, according to this MLB Trade Rumors summary of a subscription-only report from Sean McAdams of the Boston Sports Journal: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/02/red-sox-still-shopping-catchers-seeking-rotation-depth.html

Steamer600, which assumes 450 plate appearances for each catcher, ranks Blake Swihart 203rd in its 2019 WAR projections for catchers: https://www.fangraphs.com/projections.aspx?pos=c&stats=bat&type=steamer600&team=0&lg=all&players=0&sort=27%2cd Steamer does not capture pitch-framing and game-calling skills but those measures might not help Swihart.

Last year the World Series champion Red Sox went 3-4 at Seattle and Oakland. According to Roster Resource's Mariner site, this year in Seattle the Red Sox will face Yusei Kikuchi, Mike Leake, Marco Gonzales and Felix Hernandez: https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-seattle-mariners/ ... avoiding feared:) Seattle lefthander Wade LeBlanc: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA201806160.shtml However, according to Roster Resource's Red Sox site, this year in Seattle the Sox will face Leake, Gonzales, Hernandez and LeBlanc: https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-boston-red-sox/

https://www.foul-territory.com/mlb/craig-kimbrel

Ivan the Great at the Atlanta Braves' site Talking Chop analyzes aging: https://www.talkingchop.com/2019/2/9/18202695/baseball-analysis-primer-aging Ivan the Great's analysis of surplus value could be helpful in assessing trade proposals: https://www.talkingchop.com/2019/2/10/18202698/baseball-analysis-primer-surplus-value

I suspect J.D. Martinez had other offers before accepting the Red Sox offer: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/02/what-other-teams-could-emerge-for-j-d-martinez.html :)

Robinson Cano has posted 20.7 fWAR, valued at $163.7 million, in the first five years of his 10-year, $240 million contract (that was reduced to $228 million with his 80-game suspension last year). Steamer and ZiPS project Cano with 2019 WAR of 3.4 and 2.5, respectively, which last year were valued at about $27 million and $20 million. The 36-year-old Cano would need a precipitous drop in production to fall short of his $228 million paycheck (although the $120 million balance of the contract may be underwater and the Mariners will be paying $20 million of that).

I saw Frank Robinson play in an exciting 1967 game that featured five future Hall of Famers (plus Tony Oliva, Boog Powell, Paul Blair and Davey Johnson): https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN196708310.shtml

Reliever Sergio Romo reportedly is close to signing a one-year deal with unidentified club:

:D:D I found myself nodding while reading dgalehouse's post.

You might enjoy Rob Neyer's latest book, Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game, which distinguishes the Astros and Cubs rebuilds from the blatant tanking in the NBA: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062853615/power-ball/

Good point. https://soxsphere.com/2019/01/31/red-sox-take-time-to-sign-a-closer/

The Red Sox failed to sign any of the 10 potential closers suggested in November by Boston Globe columnist Alex Speier: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/11/13/here-are-options-for-red-sox-possible-closers/MuAiKEtrWIwIhfutRLnisI/story.html

The Red Sox reportedly will sign righthanded reliever Brian Ellington to a minor league contract:

Erik Bedard had pitched more innings through his age 28 season than James Paxton has pitched through his age 29 season. I am a fan of James Paxton, who pitched a career high of 28 starts and 160.1 innings last year, but durability describes neither Bedard nor Paxton.

The Red Sox reportedly to sign lefty reliever Dan Runzler to a minor league contract:

This fan of the Seattle Mariners and James Paxton wishes the lefthander well in New York. However, I found this comp interesting (if not particularly meaningful): James Paxton and Erik Bedard are Canadian lefthanders who were involved in major Seattle Mariner trades, each with two years of team control remaining. The Baltimore Orioles traded a 29-year-old Bedard to the Mariners when the southpaw was coming off a 2007 season with this line: 182 IP, 28 GS, 13-5 W/L, 3.16 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.88 K/BB, 146 ERA+, 5.7 bWAR, 5.0 fWAR The Mariners traded a 30-year-old Paxton to the New York Yankees when the lefty was coming off a 2018 season with this line: 160.1 IP, 28 GS, 11-6 W/L, 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 4.95 K/BB, 108 ERA+, 2.9 bWAR, 3.8 fWAR Compare their career lines at the time of each trade: EB 658 IP, 114 G, 111 GS, 3.83 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 2.52 K/BB, 118 ERA+, 12.8 bWAR, 15.5 fWAR JP 582.1 IP, 102 G, 102 GS, 3.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3.67 K/BB, 117 ERA+, 10.9 bWAR, 14.1 fWAR The Orioles traded Bedard for outfielder Adam Jones (who had lost his prospect status with a lackluster MLB debut after being Baseball America's 28th-ranked prospect the previous spring), righthander Chris Tillman (BA's 67th-ranked prospect after the trade and 22nd-ranked prospect the following year), three years of lefty reliever George Sherrill (who made the All Star team in 2008 before fading), righthanded reliever Kam Mickolio (whose MLB career was limited to 29 games) and lefthander Tony Butler (who never pitched above Double A). The Mariners traded Paxton for lefthander Justus Sheffield (BA's 41st-ranked prospect a year ago and MLB Prospect Watch's 31st-ranked prospect this year), as well as two unranked prospects: righthander Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams. Again, interesting but not necessarily meaningful.

Can't get anything past notin.

Jenrry Mejia (28) has more career saves than Carson Smith (14) and Tyler Thornburg (13) combined. Mejia, Smith and Thornburg rank 1, 2 and 3 in career saves among pitchers currently in the Red Sox organization. Who ranks fourth with 12 career saves?

Trivia: Koji Uehara and current Arizona reliever Yoshihisa Hirano came over to the United States approaching their 34th birthdays. In their first MLB seasons, Uehara pitched 66.2 innings (in 12 starts) with an ERA+ 113 while Hirano pitched 66.1 innings (all in relief) with an ERA+ of 178. Each righthander had pitched 11 seasons in Japan's Pacific League. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Uehara had an ERA of 3.02 in 1,583.2 innings while the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Hirano had an ERA of 3.10 in 974.2 innings. Hirano is owed $3 million in 2019 and apparently remains under team control for an additional four seasons.

Brandon Maurer is off the board: