Drew is walking through that door
- Thread starter jsinger121
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Drew has more power than WMB has shown, is a better fielder than X by a large margin, and X at third is not a downgrade.
Defense improves, hitting improves, and the players see the FO is serious about winning this year.
Win Win.
The Red Sox have plenty of money.
As Corsi said, Xander is very young.
Defense improves, hitting improves, and the players see the FO is serious about winning this year.
Win Win.
The Red Sox have plenty of money.
As Corsi said, Xander is very young.
I dont dislike the move, but we arent a Drew away from running away with the division. I personally would have rather had the sox called up Cecchini to play 3rd or maybe even try Betts at SS
Stupid move. Now Bogaerts has to be shuffled around again, losing SS development time. They can't make him a QO this offseason. And that's $10m they can't spend at the deadline if necessary. This won't make them a playoff team all of the sudden. I don't get it.
I interpret this as a short term solution to fix third base and nothing more. It's plenty defensible, if uncreative. Obviously that changes entirely if this is the end of Bogaerts at SS, but I can't see any reason to believe that. Between the organization and free agency, it's going to be much easier to fill the 3b spot than to replace Xander with a quality shortstop.
How can anyone posisbly say the Sox are giving up on Xander, given that:
A. it's a one year-contract; and,
B. There's a pretty good chance Xander will end up at third anyway.
While I understand the desire to have two young studs at third and short, it's looking less likely to be the case, particularly as it comes to third. It's not our money, it's a one-year deal, it will make the team better this year, and they sox weren't going to end up getting a pick for Drew anyway; what's not to like?
Unless someone else, possibly Betts (?), is seen as the shortstop of the future for this club, with Xander being a future corner infielder.
A. it's a one year-contract; and,
B. There's a pretty good chance Xander will end up at third anyway.
While I understand the desire to have two young studs at third and short, it's looking less likely to be the case, particularly as it comes to third. It's not our money, it's a one-year deal, it will make the team better this year, and they sox weren't going to end up getting a pick for Drew anyway; what's not to like?
Unless someone else, possibly Betts (?), is seen as the shortstop of the future for this club, with Xander being a future corner infielder.
They needed to solidify the left side of the infield. Jonathan Herrera and Brock Holt can't be trotted out there every day and expect anything other than below-replacement-level production. If the OF situation isn't going to get any better soon, they had to do something to improve the club. Like I said above, the notion they are giving up on X at SS is preposterous. He's going to be losing game reps and I hate that part, but the combo of Drew/X is better than anything they have now.glennhoffmania said:
Why does everyone want to force the SS position on Xander? I've always felt his value is in his bat and the best way to get the most out of him is to get him to 3rd where he can focus on building his body and his offense.
My obvious comp has always been Chipper Jones. It would be silly imo to force him at SS to delay the inevitable. Drew/Xander should have been our left side all along.....glad it is again.
My obvious comp has always been Chipper Jones. It would be silly imo to force him at SS to delay the inevitable. Drew/Xander should have been our left side all along.....glad it is again.
It won't happen all of a sudden or perhaps ever. What might happen is runs not scoring and (even more important) pitchers not tiring prematurely by having a sure-handed short-stop and a much better 3Bman. If anything changes, good or bad, it will be gradual. But it could have very postive effects on the pitching staff.glennhoffmania said:
3B has been a disaster. It's unfortunate that Xander has to move temporarily, but it makes the team better while only giving up money.
HomeRunBaker said:
And this has to be determined when he's 21 with a quarter of a season of games played at SS?
Since it became apparent that no team was going to sign Drew before the draft, I don't mind this. I'm sure the FO was really hoping someone would bite to get the compensation pick, but this isn't the worst outcome.
bobesox said:
There is no QO for Drew. In order to get a QO, a player has to be on the 40-man roster for the entire season.
Ed Hillel said:
Marrero could be the SS of the future. Plus defense and he is hitting well in AA.
Wiggy (of all people) makes a decent point. Will this take some of the defensive pressure off of Xander and allow him to loosen up a bit at the plate?
I'm Ok with the move and in the camp that is wondering about Middlebrook's injury. Drew at short and Bogaerts at third is defensively better than Bogaerts/Middlebrooks, yes? Pedroia, Drew and Bradley up the middle is better than Pedroia, Bogaerts and Bradley, yes? Perhaps this also takes a little pressure off Bogaerts defensively. Let him play 3rd where the expectations aren't tremendous and where he did a fairly decent job last season. Maybe he can just relax a bit if the talk about his defense at short goes away and MAYBE that benefits him at the plate.
If Bogaerts' ability to play at a high level long-term at shortstop is going to be that adversely affected by not playing the next four months there, he is not a long-term Major League shortstop to begin with.
Corsi said:
Has he really been "tight" at the plate? His struggles at the plate seem more to be about adjusting to big league pitching which has a far better book on him than any minor league pitching would. If his struggles at SS were affecting that, wouldn't adjusting to a brand new position do the same?
As for talk of Marrero as the SS of the future, that may be. But Chechini is closer to MLB-ready and he fits at 3B. The logical progression would be Bogaerts at SS and Chechini at 3B at least until Marrero is ready, then re-evaluate. Moving Bogaerts off SS now seems to throw that potential progression out the window.
This acquisition is NOT an indictment of Xander Bogaerts at SS. This is solving the 3B slot and upgrading the whole left side of the infield. Not sure how people don't grasp this.
Papelbon's Poutine said:
I think most recognize that leaving Xander at SS has value, it's just that it's not hard to argue that replacing Holt at 3B has even more value.
I'm guessing X will still see some SS this year. Drew will probably sit against some lefties, especially when WMB gets back, and he's going to get days off, injuries, etc.
gammoseditor said:
Agreed. This is a reasonable fix without trading for someone like Sandoval or Headley. Middlebrooks is injured and was having difficulty batting over .200. The front office has probably seen enough of Ryan Roberts, Herrera, and Brock Holt at 3b. It will probably shore up the defense on that side of the infield as well as improve the offense.
Ed Hillel said:
If Betts were the shortstop of the future, he would be playing shortstop in the present. He could (and should) shift to some other position but shortstop would not be it.
Horrible decision. It appears to me the signing is at the ownership level because it runs contrary Ben's "plan" as stated as recently as in today's Boston Herald.
Oh, and the offense is worse. Puzzling.
Oh, and the offense is worse. Puzzling.
Red(s)HawksFan said:
I'm with you. I don't think he's been tight, necessarily. I just wouldn't be surprised if we saw him go on a little tear with this move.
Do you like seeing Jonathan Herrera or Brock Holt at 3B every day? If you do, then you like below-replacement-level production from 3B.Red(s)HawksFan said:
Jnai said:
I see it the other way around. She can get her old job back when WMB ends up elsewhere
DrewDawg said:
Touche
And, now stepping back a little bit, I'm moving from being on the fence to liking this. The team did improve, only cost money, and the FO gets to keep all it's shinny prospects
BoSoxLady said:
Per Lauber, who wrote that article, Cherington said that two days ago--before the WMB DL move and before they realized there were no 3B out there to go get.
Scott Lauber@ScottLauber9m
Two days ago, Cherington said #RedSox not inclined to move Bogaerts from SS. But with trade market not evolved, Drew was only immediate move
BoSoxLady said:
Wouldnt it run against Ben's plan if he traded prospects for a slightly above average SS/3B? The plan is to build from within, and this does not hinder that at all
One question is whether Drew would agree to backup 2B on occassion. Then, when/if Middlebrooks returns, they could consider a 3-way rotation at SS and 3B, although I imagine they'll leave WMB down in Pawtucket for a good while to work things out after his injury heals.
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