Hugh2

If he's sincere, he sounds like a man on a mission.

Which Pablo are we talking about? he's come into camp a many different weights over his career? Lets also keep in mind that you can be big and slow but have a very quick step, good hands and a strong arm. I just haven't heard anything that makes me excited or think Travis can play third. I'm sure the Sox can put a glove on his hand and stick him there, but that doesn't mean he will be good there.

People make it sound like it's so easy to build a farm system. Like you go down to the store and buy prospects....let me see I'll take 5 top 100 prospects, lets make 2 of them top 25, three pitchers and two hitters. I get the argument that we are going for it, and I agree that there is a time to spend and make those moves but fans have every right to be concerned with the future. Of all the moves DD has made, I like this one the absolute 100% best when weighed out on a case by case basis, what has had me more concerned is the overall depletion of the farm. I know hindsight is 20/20 but I'd love to have the Pom/Espinoza deal back.

They are, very often it's one of the best teams but not necessarily the best team to win it all. It's all about getting hot. This is why I think the argument has merit that it might be better to try and build a competitive team every year than go all in and mortgage the future.

I could be wrong, I'll admit I'm not a pro scout and have only seen him once and never at 3B. But everything I've read about him in the scouting world has him pegged at 1B with specific reports on his athleticism not suitable for other positions. I get that he played 3B in college, but A LOT of players play positions in college they have zero business in playing at the pro level.

The ownership group also has 3 world series to 0.

The Sox could really use a RHH corner infielder. If only the had the RHH version of Shaw on this team. Even Holt/Hernandez are LHB, although Holt has been pretty decent against LHP as a lefty batter. You could always plug Hanley back at first and insert Young into the DH role against tough lefties but it would be nice to see another strong RHB off the bench.

Sam Travis would be pretty ugly at 3B. The photo of Pablo is not photo shopped. But I think Pablo isn't out of the woods yet, he could always relapse and eat 40 LB's back on.

He kind of reminds me of softlaw.

And by receivers I mean relievers.....keep in mind we are in football season.

The market for receivers is insane!!! What if Kelly and Barnes look really good in the pen with Thornburg and Kimbrel? and then on top of it all Carson Smith comes roaring back? You could probably trade one of those guys at the break to make room for Smith and help restock the system and be just as good. You might be able to save some money that way too.

This rotation has so much potential. As it stands it will be among the best in baseball with some good health. Now just imagine if Erod takes a step forward? if Wright wasn't a 1 year wonder? or if after one full year of starting Pomeranz is much more durable and looks like the #2 we traded for?

We don't know that, I would like to think this team with all it's financial might would allocate some money to bring in top scouts. Good scouting will go a long way picking low in the first round and having your bonus pools capped.

This team could really use a corner infielder with a right handed bat. You could always play Hanley at 1B against some lefties and rotate the DH position to give some guys a day off in the field. Would be a good opportunity to get Young some at bats vs. LHP.

I liked Ben, and I really like DD as a G.M. too. I thought they were the right GM's for the right time. I get that we are in our window now, and worrying about the team in 3-4 years when the championship window looks different is a great problem to have. I'm curious as to what people think this team would look like if DD came in 2-3 years earlier and gutted the team then? Personally I think he would have taken a different approach.

ahhh ok gotcha, that makes much more sense to me.

comparing different years top 10 lists can be very very misleading and is a poor exercise. Will Middlebrooks was our top prospect at one point, but if he was in the system at the end of last year he'd likely barely crack the top 10. We all know prospects bust, and there is a certain level of risk, but you have to have a little perspective. Would it be fair to compare the Sox 2010 draft to it's 2011 draft? Would you put Vitek/Brentz/Ranaudo/Workman/Cecchini on par with Swihart/Owens/JBJ/Betts/Barnes/Shaw???? Sure the 2011 had busts too. You have more busts than hits in the best of drafts but it's still unfair to compare just as it is to compare systems of different years with varying degrees of strength if the standard is how many of these guys will (or better yet should) succeed.

That doesn't make sense because Moncada and Kopech are about on the up as anyone out there. Kopech especially. I'd be willing to bet his ranking significantly increases in the pre 2017 rankings. Kelly was a two way prospect further away, and Rizzo was a great prospect in hindsight but at the time he was nowhere near as valuable as Kopech is now. Also if we want to dream on the future, adding another pitcher who can reach 100 in Victor Diaz sweetens the pot too. Kopech/Moncada >>>>> Kelly/Rizzo. Fuentes is probably on par with Luis Alexander Basabe, although I could see an argument putting him higher but that might only be due to the 1st round draft pick shine. If anyone thinks the cost for a 1st baseman ends up being the same as arguably the best pitcher in the American league then the Red Sox just got the steal of the century. Perhaps we should look at this differently. Does Moncada/Kopech/Basabe/Diaz equal Kelly/Rizzo/Fuentes???? I'd say no. If people knew Rizzo was going to be now that makes this package look even better.

Ok I think I got it now! Yes injury is always a concern and it seems like we've always had bad luck trading for relievers that can stay healthy. Hopeful Thornburg breaks the mold, and I do have optimism that Smith can come back and be really good for the next few years.

That's a good point, but it shouldn't be the go to excuse to just trade as many prospects as it takes every time. Personally I like this deal, but I thought the Kimbrel trade was too much. And trying to maintain a strong farm and being competitive does not have to be mutually exclusive, that's my main point.

There system was already on the way back up before those trades as well. Before they brought in any talent they already had Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, Dustin Fowler. These guys were already in their system and they also had a lot of lower level guys in their system that are toolsy but too far away and without track records that people really like. They also drafted Blake Rutherford this year too. They were arguably a top 10 system before their trades and easily in the top half of baseball. Now after the trades they are a top 3 system and arguably the best.

FTR I think the step up in talent from Kimbrel/Pomeranz to Sale vs. the step up in talent to the prospects exchanged in those deals makes this his best one yet. I really do like this deal, I'm just stepping back and taking a macro view at the long term horizon.....which in the short term looks very very good.

I have no problem with the DD strategy and I am so so excited for this team over the next 3 years but I do remain a little nervous to what the drop off could be down the road. I don't buy into the whole "well more prospects will come argument" I think that fails to understand the process of how teams bring in talent and how that playing field has drastically changed over the past several years. So much of our talent came from one jackpot draft in 2011. This was the last draft where teams could spend freely without penalties and loss of draft picks and this allowed the Sox to draft high school talents and throw money at them like Swihart, Owens, Betts and others. New rules in the past CBA which still exist in the current one really takes away the financial advantage big market teams have in the draft to make up for picking lower. Also the landscape has drastically changed in the international market as well which will have an impact. There will be prospects to come, they will get lucky with a guy, but don't think for one second the Sox are as capable as ever as building the farm system that was stripped away. Perhaps this is a problem for another day, and we should just sit back and enjoy the next few years and largely I will. I just hope they find other ways to stay competitive down the road.

The farm exists to supplement the big league team. You do that two ways by either developing from within or trading to bring in guys to fill your mlb roster where it is weak. There always seems to be a fight between emptying the farm to buy a team or saving all the prospects and developing from within. I've always been a firm believer in timing, timing is everything and there is a time and a place for both strategies. Ben C. was the right G.M. at the right time, the cost for a Bogaerts, JBJ, or Betts now would be much more than their prospect value 3 years ago. You do the math! the reason why these moves will make the Sox better is because they already have a good team to build them around. Chris Sale couldn't do crap on a crappy team in Chicago what would he look like Boston this past year if we traded Bogaerts/Betts/Barnes/JBJ for him a couple years ago? I'll give credit where credit is due. DD has built a team that could be favored to win the WS next year. But he came into a team that had a stacked farm and a solid young core. It may end up being that he made the right moves at the right time that other G.M's wouldn't have the balls to make but lets not forget the patients it took to get us here.

All it takes is going under 1 year to reset.