harmony

The MLB Red Sox website and Baseball Reference currently list Rafael Devers at 240 pounds: 40-Man Roster | Boston Red Sox WWW.MLB.COM The Official Site of Major League Baseball https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deverra01.shtml Under "Young Graduates," SoxProspects lists Devers at 235 pounds: https://soxprospects.com/players/devers-rafael.htm Wikipedia lists Devers at 195 and 210 pounds: https://www.google.com/search?q=rafael+devers+weight&rlz=1C1KGNW_enUS836US836&oq=rafael+devers+weight&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i457j0i22i30l2.15742j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 More on Devers' weight: https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2020/07/rafael-devers-makes-another-error-but-boston-red-soxs-ron-roenicke-not-worried-about-his-defense-or-shape-hes-in-compared-to-spring.html

FWIW Rafael Devers' current listed height and weight of 6-foot-0, 240 pounds, give him a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32.5, safely in the obese range: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm BMI is not always fair to athletes (and some non-athletes).

Elsewhere a poster wrote: "Devers is so much more talented then Panda is/was. Panda might have been pretty good, but Devers has MVP potential and has already proven that." In response: Rafael Devers has posted an OPS+ of 115 and 8.2 fWAR in 392 games as he approaches his 24th birthday this week: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/rafael-devers/17350/stats?position=3B Pablo Sandoval posted and OPS+ of 122 and 7.3 fWAR in his first 346 games over three regular seasons that ended less than two months after his 24th birthday: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/pablo-sandoval/5409/stats?position=3B Over the those periods Devers posted at a rate of 2.10 fWAR per 100 games and Sandoval 2.11 fWAR per 100 games. Devers posted 6.1 bWAR and Sandoval 6.9 bWAR. FWIW Devers finished 12th in the AL MVP voting in his age 22 season while Sandoval finished seventh in the NL MVP voting in his age 22 season. Each contributed to a World Series title at a young age. The career paths of Devers and Sandoval may diverge but they had similar production in their early MLB careers.

Good point.

Has lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez appeared in a recorded interview since being shut down in July? The media reports in the past month quote second-hand sources who apparently have spoken with Rodriguez. The most positive prognosis has come from the lefthander’s agent, who might not be the most objective source. The Red Sox have only 45 days to decide whether to tender a contract to Rodriguez, who is projected to earn $8.3 million as a 28-year-old in his final year of team control. The tender decision should depend on medical updates between now and December 2. A week ago the Boston Globe reported that Rodriguez "had more than two months of total inactivity leading up to his reexamination in Boston in late September. As of that time, the team anticipated that in a best-case scenario, it wouldn’t be until at least mid-October that he could start engaging in light exercise on a treadmill." https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/10/sports/closer-look-red-sox-pitcher-eduardo-rodriguezs-struggle-with-myocarditis/ We should all hope for a full recovery but we tend to accept the most positive health news regarding a person we care about. The public does not have access to Rodriguez's medical records (nor should we) but the apparent lack of direct information from Rodriguez is cause for some skepticism. The next six-plus weeks could be interesting.

And the Dodgers would add to their luxury tax calculation. The Dodgers, who gave out a 12-year, $365 million contract, probably have more luxury tax concerns than the Red Sox.

The Evan Longoria proposal perhaps has the most merit. Cot's Baseball Contracts reports that Tampa Bay is responsible for $7.33 million of the $43.33 million remaining on Longoria's contract: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mJmiNy5aP9WMJ-FrbiPZ8dR9ymXcRnA2AKLsIipeONg/edit#gid=1520401900

FWIW Baseball Reference lists Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts as identical 5-foot-9, 180 pounds: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beninan01.shtml https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bettsmo01.shtml

Contributors at Over the Monster discuss possible Red Sox extensions this offseason: https://www.overthemonster.com/2020/10/16/21519059/boston-red-sox-offseason-preview-extensions-bogaerts-verdugo-devers-benintendi The most interesting proposal may be for Andrew Benintendi, who has two remaining years of team control with a guaranteed 2021 salary of $6.6 million.

The reasons that some Talksox posters are down on Nathan Eovaldi are the same reasons potential trade partners are likely to be down on Eovaldi. The Eovaldi contract raised eyebrows at the time of signing and looks even more questionable today. The Red Sox should stick Eovaldi into the 2021 starting rotation and hope for the best.

The mention of Brandon Belt makes me sad. About eight years ago at Spring Training a friend and I were sitting on the berm at Goodyear Ballpark when a Brandon Belt homer landed on a bounce in my friend’s lap. My friend suffered a fatal heart attack last month.

From today's chat at MLB Trade Rumors: https://www.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-live-chat-10-15-20-9059.html

If Nathan Eovaldi is as flawed as you and I think, a trade partner may have little interest. Period. The Red Sox should treat Eovaldi as sunken cost and hope for the best.

That's the kindest phrase under the circumstances. Albatross, which is used and misused in baseball circles, should be avoided at all costs.

The Red Sox would need to find a trade partner looking to WEAKEN its pitching while assuming a cumbersome contract.

Regardless of whether the Red Sox hope to contend in 2021, the pitching-thin Sox need to keep Nathan Eovaldi instead of trading the righthander when his contract is under water.

Assuming Eduardo Rodriguez has been cleared to play baseball. Or to the broadcast booth or another line of work.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/10/sports/closer-look-red-sox-pitcher-eduardo-rodriguezs-struggle-with-myocarditis/ The Red Sox might need a more encouraging prognosis before tendering Rodriguez a contract less than seven weeks from now on December 2. Or not.

If the Red Sox tender Eduardo Rodriguez a 2021 contract.

MLB Trade Rumors has released its arbitration projections (using three formulas): https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/10/projected-arbitration-salaries-for-2021.html

Centerfielder Michael Taylor, a defensive whiz, is now available, according to MLB Trade Rumors: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/10/michael-a-taylor-clears-waivers-elects-free-agency.html

From the Seattle blog: https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2020/10/13/21512486/seattle-mariners-2021-free-agent-target-chris-archer

A Seattle blogger suggests the Mariners should target Chris Archer if the Pittsburgh Pirates decline the 2021 team option of $11 million on the righthander: https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2020/10/13/21512486/seattle-mariners-2021-free-agent-target-chris-archer If a free agent, would Archer be of interest to the Red Sox? If the Bucs exercise the team option, would Archer be a trade target for the Sox?

That limits the trade market for Nathan Eovaldi, who will likely return to the Red Sox next season.

ZiPS projects Bobby Dalbec with a 2021 WAR of 0.8 in 121 games and a 2022 WAR of 0.7 in 120 games: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/bobby-dalbec/19966/stats?position=1B#zips-3-year-projections ZiPS projects Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley, who is 21 months younger than Dalbec, with a 2021 WAR of 1.8 in 124 games and a 2022 WAR of 2.0 in 125 games: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/austin-riley/18360/stats?position=3B/OF#zips-3-year-projections Dalbec and Riley have similarly lukewarm defensive profiles at third base. https://www.soxprospects.com/players/dalbec-bobby.htm https://blogs.fangraphs.com/called-up-austin-riley/