Burgmeier In LF said:
WMB is 6'3" 220lbs. Doesn't seem like the most ideal 2B attributes, but then again how much would he play there anyways with Pedey playing 155-160 games?
I'd like to think that Sox fans of all baseball groups wouldn't let body type be a big deciding factor in what players can and can't do.
Rudy Pemberton said:
That assumes that someone is willing to assume all of Dempster's contract, which seems highly unlikely.
I'd say there are a lot more pitching openings than available ML level pitchers, and Dempster's contract is pretty friendly by those standards. I think the amount they pay would dictate the quality of the prospect, not be required to move him period.
glennhoffmania said:
I don't think you can look at it this way. First, deep pitching depth is more important than deep SS depth. Second, Drew wouldn't be replacing Herrera/Holt. He'd be replacing X, who would be replacing Middlebrooks, who would be replacing Herrera/Holt.
Ask the Cardinals if SS depth is easier to acquire than starting pitching. They couldn't move a starter for a SS all winter and settled on Peralta as a result.
Now I personally would agree that in a vacuum pitching depth is more important than SS depth, but we aren't talking the same levels of depth. We're talking about the #2 SS versus the #6 SP, and the change being someone like Drew v. Holt/Herrera as opposed to Dempster v. Webster/Workman/etc..
Also, Drew would be replacing about 100 ABs of X and WMB, but about 300-350 ABs of Herrera/Holt. That's critical upgrade.
Red(s)HawksFan said:
They let him play FOUR INNINGS at 2B. Both instances in blow-out games to give Pedroia a little bit of a break. Both instances also came in the short 10 days or so at the end of August that they decided having Bogaerts up was more important than a true utility infielder. That's hardly definitive proof that they trust Middlebrooks there for any significant length of time (or in a close/important game either).
They still let him do it in a live ML game during a highly competitive season. I'm not saying they currently love the idea of WMB: full time 2B or something, but it's pretty clear they're entertaining the idea of WMB as a backup 2B. Hence dabbling with it last season and now having him continue the experiment into the off-season.
There isn't a tacit denial of it as even remotely being an option like so many on here seem to think it is.
Rasputin said:
And you're going to have to do this because here's the bottom line that none of you seem to be addressing. XANDER BOGAERTS IS THE SHORTSTOP OF THE FUCKING FUTURE. HIS UPSIDE IS THAT OF THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE and while he isn't terribly likely to reach that upside, he is terribly likely to be an outstanding offensive player at the position at which it is the hardest to find offense. And, mind you, all of the scouts are saying that his defense is good enough to play the position.
And I see no reason to assume he can't reach that same potential spending ~60-70 games at SS and ~60-70 games at 3B in 2014 while he gets his feet wet, and the Red Sox use his versatility, WMB's potential versatility, and a dry market for Drew to eliminate the utility infielder black hole for 300-500 ABs a season most teams live with.
Do you really think that the evaluation of Bogaerts as a full time SS for the next 5-10 years is going to be massively handicapped by him playing 70 games at SS in 2014 instead of 130? I don't see it. His projection at SS long term hinges entirely on having the range to handle the position, and that will be readily apparent early on at the ML level (for the record, I believe he's got it and will do just fine there). The real question is what level of a hitter he's going to be, but he can develop in that regard as a SS or 3B equally.
Same with Middlebrooks. The questions for him are 1. if his back being healthy lets him be an average or better defender again (assuming his back is and stays healthy) and 2. if he can hit consistently enough to be a ML regular. #1 is binary and pretty much outside of everyone's control, #2 is the question mark. It doesn't matter where WMB is on the diamond, just that he sees regular ABs. Meanwhile he has Cecchini breathing down his neck and Bogaerts shifting over if he can't stick at SS hanging over his head. Bringing Drew back or not, WMB needs to develop positional versatility so that should Napoli, Pedroia, or Ortiz miss time the team can easily get Cecchini up without minimizing WMB's playing time. Cecchini is the best hitter in the minors right now, a big part of the 2014 roster construction should be focused on arranging depth to where he's the 26th man if possible over the Herrera/Holt types.
Look, I don't think it's likely. I'm assuming the Mets' combination of playing time and money will win out. But the Mets do occasionally do really stupid things, and if one of those really stupid things is an incredibly low ball offer to Drew I think there's a pretty clear positive gain for the Sox in picking him up. If the Sox still had Iglesias the math would be totally different. If Marrero had shown any ability to hit throughout the minors the math would probably be different. But as it stands now the middle infield options are pretty unappealing and so if Drew would take a team friendly deal in terms of money and accept a reduced/platoon role it would make a lot of sense.
It isn't likely, I'm looking forward to the extra sandwich pick, but the Sox have a good reason to keep in the conversation on Drew.
