oldtimer

This morning DD indicated that the Sox are not sure about Pedey, but may know more in January. DD indicated there are no plans to go after any field players and if there is an issue at 2nd, that could be resolved at a later time. Meanwhile, Holt and Nunez could play if necessary. The only likely changes are with pitching and with the catching scenarios.

Me too and that's why the long term contract for him seemed inadvisable to me then and now. Sentiment sometimes gets in tthe way and most of us admire what Pedey has done for the Sox over the years, but the contract was for past performance and in a way looks like it could penalize the team going forward.

Swihart is probably gone and to have no real outfield depth on the 40 man doesn't make sense. Say Betts, JBJ or Beni got hurt. Is that the time to trade for another outfielder. I would rather have depth in the system. Hate to rely o JDM as a regular outfielder.

Maybe they would have won 120 games with 2 catchers on the roster? What I notice is we still have only 4 outfielders on the 40 man. Is that enough or do we feel that Lin, Holt and Swihart are adequate backup?

Miller is a risk from an injury point of view. I think we should look for a different candidate.

Our 40 man will probably not have Swihart, Kimbrel, Carson Smith, Drew Pomeranz, Kinsler, Phillips returning. Some of those are certain and others my projection. For various reasons, there are risk factors and reasons why some may not be on the team in 2019 or not be able to contribute and need to be replaced. My list of those include Pedroia, Wright,Workman, Johnson, Hernandez, Scott, Velazquez, Travis, Shepard, Poyner, Walden, Taylor and Reyes. Not many impact players in that list and not a lot of monetary commitment except Pedey. Some may be used as trade bait. Maybe we pick Kelly up off of free agency. I'm for it if we can find the money. I believe we will bring up a couple of pitchers from the minors to add to the 40 man and that will necessitate some from the 2nd list to be dealt.

I think he is interest in Ottavito (sp). We might also get a little help from Feltman.

How much will Ottavino cost and are we still a player?

I don't see anyone in our farm system that could replace him at this time and the FA market is unlikely to yield a better replacement. The real question is whether we can afford to keep him based on his contract needs versus our sense of his value. Is there a trade that would make any sense?

Good point. We still need an arm for the BP. It makes talk about catching a pipe dream. We may drop a player but who would it be? Thornburn? Not enough there to give us leeway and takes away from our main need.

I'm hearing the contract for Eovaldi may include 4 years at arounf 17 million. Pretty close to our expectations and reasonable based on his performance and value in the marketplace. Get that contract out of the way and then take care of the pen.

Durbin Feltman pitched at TCU and is 21 years old so is no high school kid. It was smart of the Sox to keep him in the minors in 2018. They let him get his feet wet there and he did well. He has the stuff to be a big league pitcher (probable rp) and I would expect they will attempt to ease him in in 2019. I don't recommend even talking about being a closer. We still will need to fill that position as Kimbrel is an unlikely sign at this point.

Willy Mays was 5'10" and 170 pounds. He lasted 22 years. Betts might well be of a similar ilk.

Some major trades coming down with Cano and Diaz to mets and now Segura to Phillies. Who is next? Machado? Harper? When will we jump in and get the guys we need?

What do you suppose the luxury tax ceiling will be in 11 years? Will there even continue to be a competitive balance tax?

Kind of sounds like Kimbrel

I think a 7 year deal would be reasonable for Mookie.

I have said before and continue to believe we should adhere to a policy where the length of contract is based on the age of the player and also the position he plays. Seven years maximum fpr a guy of 27 or below. Five years for a guy turning 30 and 3 years for a guy of 32. Beyond that age 1 or two years maximum. In the case of pitchers, the risk seems higher, therefore the contract length should reflect that. I didn't like Price's contract, not because of who he was, but the general idea of giving a really long term contract to a guy approaching 30 at the time. The general manager still has to fill the roster and one would hope do so with competitive players. I think most of us believe that if you take risks,some will pay off and some will be busts. We had the Thornburn and Smith experiences on the downside. The other consideration is you have to be competitive to fill the roster with good players. Being smart about it is helpful is well. In the case of Eovaldi, he has shown a lot of value, albeit for a short period. We will at least have to compete with Houston to sign him. Going beyond 3 years to 4 for contract length might be necessary to land him and it looks like he could be a good fit for us. I would go the 4 years but definitely not beyond that. Kimbrel wants 6 years as an arguing position and is probably willing to accept 5. Big bucks for a closer who may be past his prime with a 5 year term is tough to swallow. I would definitely look elsewhere for a closer if Kimbrel sits tight on those contract terms.

What article have you read?

The Thornburg signing tells me the coaches think there is hope for him going forward. We do have some minor league potential so maybe only one reliever would be adequate if we can get a starter like Eovaldi.

Is Buckner still alive?

You probably are! Sentimentality doesn't make for a good team.

The TV pundits are saying Kelly is almost certainly gone, although they offer no details. They also indicate there is a lot of interest in Eovaldi with the phillies possible and also the Yankees. At least some believe the Red Sox still have a good chance.

Totally agree. I think there is a difference in what is appropriate in length for young players, players just at their prime and players well past their prime. Clearly a longer term contract for Betts makes more sense then for Pedroia as a for instance.

Cano is 36 now and served a suspension for failing a drug policy test. Why in the world would the Sox want him?