Eddy Ballgame

He supposedly had a higher offer from San Diego and the Giants were willing to match the Sox offer, but insisted on a weight clause. The Sox have outbid teams by quite a bit in the past when they've wanted a player, as have many other clubs, but it wasn't the case with Sandoval.

That was cool. Dempster was the perfect veteran mentor type to bring in after Beckett left. He was the polar opposite. The guy also left a guaranteed 13 million on the table to spend time with his family. He also probably knew it would help the team.

You should go back & look at Dempster's individual game logs for the 2013 season. I would gladly take those numbers out of a number 5 every single year. He was also a huge part of Ben Cherington's "We need to change the culture of the clubhouse" mission after the Valentine fiasco. Some players even cited his absence as a key part to their slow start in '14. Some players bring a lot more to the party than just numbers. Ryan Dempster is definitely one of them.

Any manager who can last for 8 years in Boston is doing a hell of a lot more right than wrong. Tito and Joe Cronin are the only two in Sox history to do so. Tito was completely burnt out in the end, but he has to be considered one of the best managers in the game right now.

Well said. They will have some decisions to make this winter. I do still think that Vasquez could be a viable MLB starting catcher some day, especially since he supposedly puts the work in, but it may be a while and it may be somewhere else. Swihart's lost season definitely impedes his development & his trade value takes a hit, but I'd be surprised if he wasn't catching full time again somewhere next year, most likely in AAA ball.

Rich Hill never demanded a rotation spot, but Oakland guaranteed him one. That was something the Sox wouldn't do.

If you really believe that there is even a remote chance that Moncada will DH and Swihart will be some sort of super sub at this stage of their development, can you at least name one player with their talent who actually did so in the history of baseball? I can't. You also mention "If Young platoons with Bentinendi." That would never happen either at this point. Benintendi either wins a full time job in spring training or he will in Pawtucket. I've never heard or seen an example of a top prospect starting a season as a platoon player. Not being a ball buster, I just can't figure out why you think any of these things would ever happen.

If he's not, then he'll be in Pawtucket. DH won't be an option. Again, the mindset it takes to DH is very different. Of course he could do it, but they won't take the risk, not with his talent.

Without question. Moncada is not tied to either of those two guys. He'll either win a starting position next spring, be in Pawtucket or be traded (extremely unlikely). No team would risk a kid with his potential's development by DHing him. It makes no sense to do that. It's the same with Swihart. He won't be some kind of C, LF, 1B, DH super sub next year, as I noticed you've posted. He came up and played left this year out of necessity. He'll either win a full time position next spring, catch full time in Pawtucket, or be traded. There's no way they'll turn him into a jack of all trades at this stage of his development. It's just not how it works with prospects with such high ceilings.

It all comes down to whether or not the Sox feel he is ready to be a starting positional player by the end of next spring. It won't have anything to do with whether or not he is better than Sandoval, Ramirez, Shaw, etc. defensively, because DH won't be an option. I understand you wanting to get his bat in the line-up and I'm not sure if you've ever played the game before, but it isn't as easy as most people think to be a DH. There is no way that the Sox are going to risk his offensive development by DHing him. It's unheard of for a player his age with his skill set. The Sox are also very careful not to put too much on a young player's plate, which is why Mike Hazen said they wanted him to play 2nd this year. They obviously feel that he is now ready to make the transition to 3rd, and it will be good to get his feet wet over there with a week or two left in the AA season.

They aren't going to wait until he "masters" a position to bring him up. If they think he's ready to be the player that they think he will be offensively, he'll play third. Unless he's a complete sieve, they'll let him take some lumps on the job. He's not tied to Shaw and whether or not he's a better fielder is irrelevant. This kid is special. He'll play a position in the field every day or he'll be in Pawtucket. They won't DH him. Again, Dhing isn't nearly as easy as fans think, and the Sox aren't going to risk screwing with this kid to get his bat in the line-up. I get your point about keeping a kid with his skillset down forever, but you find a position for him or you trade him, but making him a DH would never happen.

Nope. Bentintendi's not here to DH. He's playing a position they see him playing in the future, and make no mistake about it, this situation isn't ideal. He's here out of necessity. By the way, they learned a lesson with the Bogaerts to 3rd situation. You don't take young players with super star potential and stick them in a spot where they don't want to be. Sox GM Mike Hazen referenced Bogaerts specifically when he discussed Moncada.

Haha...Ok. The next time a team takes a young 5 tool player and makes him a DH because it's "a position of need" will be never. It's never happened before and never will.

He's not going to master a position by DHing. I think a lot of fans think that "any player" can DH, but the fact is, most players couldn't do it on a regular basis. It's not as easy as people think. Also, they are definitely not going to take a 5 tool kid like Moncada and risk his development by DHing him, just to get his bat in the line-up. It's just not going to happen. I don't think any team would ever consider it, but especially a team like Boston, who invests millions on players preparing them for the mental aspect of the game.

This is almost a lost season for Swihart. I think they put him in left out of necessity and they still plan to develop him as a catcher. My guess is he will be in Pawtucket to start the season. He needs to play every day. He's not going to be some kind of super sub at this stage of his development. Same with Moncada. If he doesn't win the starting job at 3rd, he'll also probably end up in Pawtucket. He will also play every day somewhere. I understand that you think he can get enough at bats doing some DHing, but I just can't see any situation where a team takes a young 5 tool player and uses him at DH. It's unheard of. The only way he is going to get better defensively is to play every day in the field. I'm certain he will.

Fred Lynn was my favorite Sox player of all time, so you'll get no argument here, which is why I initially said "arguably." I just remember Nomar created a hell of a buzz around New England that summer of "97.

Thanks, man. I thought I had it, too. Just making a point that 91-94 couldn't suck enough, while after '94, it was a lot more fun again. Scott Cooper was a back to back all star during those years simply because every team had to have a representative.

Nooe. I disagree that the "mid 90's were terrible for Sox fans." The '97 team didn't have s good record, but everyone was talking about Garciaparra. Just disagree that it was a "terrible" season to be a Sox fan.

Nope. Lived in Boston. You probably just "misremember" like your buddy Roger. Everyone was watching the Sox during Nomar's rookie year. Well...at least real fans who didn't jump on the bandwagon in '04.

1997 was Nomar's. I'll guess you weren't around for it, but he generated more excitement in Boston than any other player since arguably Ted Williams. It certainly wasn't a "terrible season."

More like 1991 to 1994. The Sox won the division title in '95 and soon after Nomar arrived.

Maybe it's just me, but when I watch Xander Bogaerts play the game, I want John Henry to hand him a blank check. When I watch Jose Iglesias play the game, I want someone to drill him the ass with a fast ball. Those feelings started when Iglesias played in Pawtucket, RI.

He's a utility infielder now who's played about the same amount of games at SS, 3B & 2B. I figured a guy like you who loves to break down statistics would be able to find that out. When I posted "a" Stephen Drew and "a" Jose Iglesias, the point was comparing any two shortstops, one who is considered "steady," one who is considered "flashy."

Exactly. That's who he is. My guess is that if you polled 100 pitchers, 95 of them would take a Stephen Drew, who supposedly sucks defensively based on the metrics, twice on Sunday over a Jose Iglesias.

Xander Bogaerts made it clear that he didn't feel comfortable at 3rd after the 2014 season. You don't take a player with star potential and put him somewhere he's not comfortable. It would be like making a phenomenal athlete like Moncada a designated hitter at the age of 21. Do you seriously think that Jose Iglesias, who is at best, cocky to a fault, would be happy as a back up SS at this point in his career, never getting a chance to be a starter? The answer is no. The Red Sox probably have one of the best medical staffs on the planet, so yes, they were concerned that he was an injury risk, especially with his shins. It was written about publicly. Google it if you don't believe me. Defensive metrics are certainly argumentative & the farthest thing from definitive, but I'm glad you found some that help him look good. He's definitely the first SS that I heard that Pedey wanted to strangle though. I really didn't want to crucify Iglesias, I just can't understand how a Red Sox fan could ever have an issue with that trade.