Hugh2

Do you have a source that the Sox were waiting for 2023 to "make a splash"? They reset last year and with a much stronger FA class this year one would assume they plan on making a splash this year. The majority of high end talent is still out there. It's still November.

That's a massively inappropriate comparison. Sale is your #1 starting pitcher, Wacha is presumably #5 or possibly the swingman. You also gave up multiple top prospects for 1 year of control in him, one of which being the #1 prospect in all of baseball. Wacha......get 7 million dollars for one year. You're not signing him to be a front end starter. Investing hundreds of millions and top prospects demands a track record while taking a chance on a guy who your scouts think can turn it around for ONE year is apples and oranges. Hell, one isn't even a fruit, or food, it's like apples and rocks.

Someone really really really dislikes the Wacha signing. Haha.

Panties….bunched up.

Wacha led MLB last year with starts in which he went 5+ innings with 0 runs and 1 or 0 hits. When he’s on he’s on. This is why Bloom is better than us and why he makes championship teams with low payrolls. They could very well see something in him they believe they can fix and make him more consistent. They’re not reading the backs of baseball cards wanting to pay guys for the past like baseball fans. It’s 1 year, and they’re paying a 1 war pitcher about what 1 war is worth. Relax, let’s see how he does. If your cup is half empty go top yourself off and quite down; class is in session.

I think you have it reversed. The fact that Bloom can spend $7 million on 5th/6th/swing type pitcher alludes to the Sox not being afraid to go over the luxury tax in 2022, which has been reported before. Expect more moves.

It’s November, calm down.

“Wacha did finish the season strong & there could be something to build on there as it came w/a pitch mix change. He relied more on his FB/CH, ditched his cutter & started throwing his CB again. From 8/20 on: 39.1 innings, 3.20 era, 45 K:7 BB. Opponent slash line .193/.234/.331.” @iancundall

Actually, the Sox reluctance to protect a full 40 men from the rule 5 is direct evidence that they plan on adding more free agents.

I must say, when I heard the news of this signing I thought I just had to head over to the talksox forum to read all the negative nancies. Ya’ll deliver….without failure. I’ll admit this isn’t the sexiest move, but I trust Bloom knows more than we do. Wacha had a strong finish to a bad year, perhaps bloom sees something fixable. Regardless, this is a great depth move. Bloom took this team from awful to Championship contenders because he understands how good the 26th man on your roster is is very important. As fans, we obsess over the top of a roster but guys who know what they’re doing like bloom are thinking about all 40 men. Also, let’s remember that the Sox are not done, I suspect they’ll pick up another starter and a few relievers too.

I actually really liked the ideal of signing Matz if it was coupled with signing a good #2 guy as well. We will see what Bloom will do, he casts a wide net but this CBA situation could cause us to wait a while.

The one thing that has impressed me about Bloom is how he casts a wide net, he looks at so many different ways to improve a team. There are two dynamics at play with huge possible implications this winter. First is the CBA, which can change things, and the second is something Bloom has never had before....a bigger budget. I'm interested to see what he does with it.

Lets jump right back in. Kidding.

The Sox were two games away from a world series, so I think they plan on being competitive in 2022. They stayed under the luxury tax limit in 2021, now the new CBA could have huge implications but all things considered, this "reset" puts Bloom in a position where ownership is ok with him going over the luxury tax for the right guys. We have better organizational depth than we've had in years, some top hitters coming up in the pipeline, and a very deep FA class up the middle. We might see a big splash or two this offseason, but the odds are Bloom is going to pull off a bunch of smaller and mid-level moves that will ultimately improve this team but people will hate because it's not Carlos Correra. Bloom understands it's not just about your best player, but it's also about having a better 24th, 25th, and 26th player on your team than the competition. I expect a better product on the field than 2021.

agree, it won't be permanent, but I think it will be interesting this year.

I don't think A guy makes for a poster boy unless more follow. If one or two position players are selected from A ball this year that might be something but I wouldn't be calling him a poster boy for selecting A level position players unless it actually starts happening in droves. We will see, we're' going to find out relatively soon.

How? because every single one of them were in the same exact boat. Taking a year off from baseball after playing in low A, and then reporting back in 2021 to play in high A against everyone else who also missed a year is a far reach from. Hey, lets jump 4 levels, sit on the bench for a year after a whole year of missing development for 2 missed years out of 3. There's a very stark difference between missing one year vs. missing two. That's a lot of developmental time lost

Defense seems to be the Achilles heal of Yorke. If this dude was a good defender he might be in #1 prospect of baseball territory, the man can hit.

That just seems very unlikely, you're effectively giving a player a lost year one year after having a lost year due to no minor league season. If anything, this is not the year you reach for a guy in A ball. Especially seeing how the lost year has created a boatload of older players in AA/AAA who could probably help other teams now.

How can someone who isn't playing turn into something? That's like saying I'm training for a muscleman competition by sitting on the couch and eating twinkies all year and hopefully I get bigger and lose weight. Even the example M oon gave, at least Baddoo played, a pitcher you can stash in the bullpen and have him throw bullpen sessions and still develop his stuff. A position player can't not develop on the bench. Which makes taking a prospect who is particularly toolsy, and NOT polished extremely unlikely from the low A level.

1.) What baseball people? You can have 20 different takes all taking root from the same source. Sometimes guys just look at a list and look at the ranking and say "oh he's a good prospect, they should protect him" without any real insight. 2.) Baddoo is 1, I'm still not convinced this is a regular occurrence. Also, there is low A and high A, a big difference. Are you telling me all the players taking in rule 5 from low A are position players? And if they were 100% doesn't tell me anything. It could be 100% of 1 player or 100% of 100 players. Big difference. 3.) Jimenez could be taken, there's a probability of that happening. How high is it? well, it's probably better than an asteroid striking our planet today but I'd say it's more probable than not he's NOT taken. There's a difference between something happening, and something happening all the time. The desert gets precipitation, but you won't see me arguing about how it MIGHT rain in the Sahara today. Yes, the extra roster spot makes things more intriguing, it changes things at the top, but it doesn't change players timelines and their development. I don't think we will see an increase of A ball players taken in Rule V drafts, and if we do.......my money is on more pitchers than position players being taken.

1.) What question are you talking about? I apologize but I just don't really care to scroll back, ask again and I promise I will answer. 2.) How many of those "single A" players are LOW A Position players? Why are we talking about Jiminez so much? could it be because of his prospect ranking? If this did happen to the Sox system with a lower level prospect my guess would be a team takes someone like Ceddanne Rafaela, who would add more value to a MLB team now because he can field his position great.

I already critiqued my position. Admittedly I was being hyperbolic, highly unlikely is more accurately. It certainly does not command this level of conversation. A singular example doesn’t move me, guys like Jimenez being taken every year does. Even if that was the case, this would not be the year for it. We’re still seeing the residual effects of COVID-19 and the lost year. There will be a plethora of talent with a closer proximity to the bigs than Jimenez. I would be shocked if he was picked, I will eat my socks if he’s picked and sticks.

The fact that something could happen, or that something seldom happens is weak. Think of it this way, you’re not going to pitch Raphael Devers a healthy diet of fastballs down the middle because sometimes he doesn’t hit them. Baseball is a game of the sum of all its parts, roster construction is no different. Is it plausible what you’re saying bears fruit, and I’m being a little extreme calling it impossible? Yes, but again, why pitch Devers down the middle. It’s extremely unlikely Gilberto doesn’t get selected, I would be more worried about losing guys closer to the majors. Let’s think about why the rule 5 draft exists, to prevent teams from stashing talent and ensuring mlb talent reaches the majors. That’s a two way street which is why teams have to keep a guy on their rosters. Let’s also consider not all players are created equal, and not everyone’s progression is linear and equal as well. One .750 a ball hitter is not equivalent to another .750 hitter. Some guys may be closer to the majors than others Gilberto is specifically considered a very raw prospect with more tools than production right now. He’s the type of prospect you dream on but who specifically needs lots of developmental time to develop. In the rare occasions that players get selected and make the jump they almost certainly do not fit Gilbertos profile.

It’s not happening Moon. It’s not one of your greatest takes, you don’t have to defend everyone.