I think it may be more along the lines of the whole offense stinks right now. If they call up Casas, there’s a lot of pressure and focus on him hitting and helping right the ship right away.I guess they don't think Casas is ready, but frankly they have nothing to lose. We know what Franchy is right now, a guy who mashes in AAA and cannot hit at all in MLB.
This sounds about right, and I don't think they were ever going to throw the towel in on Cordero before giving him one more shot to see if he can adjust to ML pitching. All things considered, it seems like a pretty good time to do that, given that he's replacing a guy who literally brought absolutely nothing to the table this season.I think it may be more along the lines of the whole offense stinks right now. If they call up Casas, there’s a lot of pressure and focus on him hitting and helping right the ship right away.
The expectations for Franchy will be far lower, while still giving Casas some more time to hit at AAA and the rest of the team to start hitting.
I guess they don't think Casas is ready, but frankly they have nothing to lose. We know what Franchy is right now, a guy who mashes in AAA and cannot hit at all in MLB.
This sounds about right, and I don't think they were ever going to throw the towel in on Cordero before giving him one more shot to see if he can adjust to ML pitching. All things considered, it seems like a pretty good time to do that, given that he's replacing a guy who literally brought absolutely nothing to the table this season.
Casas isn't ready "YET" as he is currently in an 0-14 slump. Let him get himself out this funk and then call him upI can't understand at all the logic behind wasting time and at bats with players whose careers should have ended a couple of years ago, so I'm very glad to see Shaw gone. Who knows what we get out of Franchy, but he can't be much worse than what we've been throwing out there so far.
Yeah, I wasn't referencing calling up Franchy instead of Casas, just them getting rid of Shaw. With the season off to a terrible start, huge offensive problems and a pitching staff made of spare parts held together with duct tape, it doesn't seem like there's any need to rush our prospects to the big leagues before they're ready.Casas isn't ready "YET" as he is currently in an 0-14 slump. Let him get himself out this funk and then call him up
https://www.milb.com/player/triston-casas-671213?stats=gamelogs-r-hitting-mlb&year=2022
After moving their left-field wall back this offseason, Camden has some of the lowest park factors for offense so far this season. Remains to be seen if that stays that way, but based on data so far I wouldn't count on it.Here's to Camden Yards solving a lot of our offensive woes, at least for this weekend.
Both Xander and Devers hit better at higher levels at a younger age than Casas. And they didn't lose an entire year of minor league ball to Covid shutdowns.As I recall, both Xander and Devers were rather abruptly hustled up to the big leagues to fill a glaring need. In Xander's case, 2013 started in Portland, Pawtucket in June, then to Boston in August culminating in a World Series that October. I have always wondered whether too much time is spent in "development". Obviously some players can rise to the challenge.
Of course if Casas hadn't missed the entire year to a covid shutdown, he would have been at the same age/level as the other 2. Is that somehow his fault?Both Xander and Devers hit better at higher levels at a younger age than Casas. And they didn't lose an entire year of minor league ball to Covid shutdowns.
This.I think it may be more along the lines of the whole offense stinks right now. If they call up Casas, there’s a lot of pressure and focus on him hitting and helping right the ship right away.
The expectations for Franchy will be far lower, while still giving Casas some more time to hit at AAA and the rest of the team to start hitting.
It's not his fault, but it's a reason to give him extra time to show he can actually hit. He's had good minor league numbers so far, but nothing about them screams, "can't miss prospect."Of course if Casas hadn't missed the entire year to a covid shutdown, he would have been at the same age/level as the other 2. Is that somehow his fault?
The other 2 also didn't entirely skip over A+ like Casas.
edit: They also didn't get jerked around due to the olympics. Regardless, the sox have been fast tracking Casas for awhile.
This is the main problem. There seems to be little to no thought of the bench and of first and right field. Also being surprised that Chris Sale (again) is not going to pitch a full season.t's a pretty stinging indictment of the Sox that they opened the season with essentially just Shaw, Arroyo, and Plawecki on the bench to support a starting lineup that has JBJ and his lifetime 86 OPS+ (43 last year!) and Bobbly Dalbec and his 500 lifetime PAs in the MLB.
I thought Shaw appeared in noticeably better shape this spring but his bat was no more fit for filling out a lineup.I’m addition to the slow bat, Shaw looked overweight and out of shape. Liked the guy, but he is beyond toast at this point.
I'm all for not rushing Casas, but his 0-14 slump would fit in well in Fenway.Casas isn't ready "YET" as he is currently in an 0-14 slump. Let him get himself out this funk and then call him up
https://www.milb.com/player/triston-casas-671213?stats=gamelogs-r-hitting-mlb&year=2022
Well except for the whole part about him having to receive all the throws from the IF.Play Franchy over Dalbec, he can't possibly be any worse.
Because Dalbec was (is) a maybe, and Shaw, in 28 games for us last year, OPS'd .843 with 11 RBI. If not for Shaw and Iglesias, it's doubtful we'd have made the post-season.I can't understand at all the logic behind wasting time and at bats with players whose careers should have ended a couple of years ago, so I'm very glad to see Shaw gone. Who knows what we get out of Franchy, but he can't be much worse than what we've been throwing out there so far.
Seriously?Sorry it didn't work out in 2022, and please kinda-sorta-forgive the douchebaggery here.
Even homer Will Flemming said Shaw's bat looked slow yesterday, though Bradfo suggested the Sox would wait until they had to make the call at 45 days from opening day, when they would have had to commit to picking up his whole contract.
It's a pretty stinging indictment of the Sox that they opened the season with essentially just Shaw, Arroyo, and Plawecki on the bench to support a starting lineup that has JBJ and his lifetime 86 OPS+ (43 last year!) and Bobbly Dalbec and his 500 lifetime PAs in the MLB.
I liked the decision to sell high on Hunter Renfroe, and the early returns are good (he’s hitting 212/254/364 for the Brewers; Binelas has a 992 OPS through 17 games in Greenville). I assumed the plan was to move Verdugo to RF and sign a cheap LF/DH type, leaving JBJ as the 4th OF. Maybe I was wrong about that, or maybe they scrapped the plan when Trevor Story’s price fell further than they anticipated.This is the main problem. There seems to be little to no thought of the bench and of first and right field. Also being surprised that Chris Sale (again) is not going to pitch a full season.
That was the prevailing wisdom, right? And to a lesser extent, someone should have been signed as a contingency plan for Dalbec in case August was a mirage.I liked the decision to sell high on Hunter Renfroe, and the early returns are good (he’s hitting 212/254/364 for the Brewers; Binelas has a 992 OPS through 17 games in Greenville). I assumed the plan was to move Verdugo to RF and sign a cheap LF/DH type, leaving JBJ as the 4th OF. Maybe I was wrong about that, or maybe they scrapped the plan when Trevor Story’s price fell further than they anticipated.
Either way, they decided to carry a lineup hole in the outfield. With the payroll over the CBT threshold anyway, I’m a little surprised they couldn’t add a player better than Shaw or Cordero. But I’ll confess I can’t say who that player would have been — Jorge Soler was available late but ended up getting 3/36 from the Marlins, which wouldn’t make sense for us.
So because he OPSed .843 in 48 plate appearances for us last year, it was okay for us to ignore the .616 OPS in 202 plate appearances he put up for the Brewers in 2021, or the .717 he put up in 180 PAs in 2020, or the .551 in 270 PAs in 2019?Because Dalbec was (is) a maybe, and Shaw, in 28 games for us last year, OPS'd .843 with 11 RBI. If not for Shaw and Iglesias, it's doubtful we'd have made the post-season.
So it made sense to keep him on for his age 32 season.
Apparently, 2021 might have been the last he had in the tank, it seems, but I wish him well wherever he goes.
Thank you Travis Shaw! Sorry it didn't work out in 2022, and please kinda-sorta-forgive the douchebaggery here.
The problem is no one of note was available by the time the Story deal got done. Going through this list, Jed Lowrie is the only guy I see who (1) was available after Story signed, (2) got a one-year deal, and (3) would clearly have upgraded a spot on the 26-man roster.That was the prevailing wisdom, right? And to a lesser extent, someone should have been signed as a contingency plan for Dalbec in case August was a mirage.
You don't have to sign Freddie Freeman and Suzuki, but crossing your fingers and hoping that JBJ and Dalbec work out isn't much of a plan.
DFA'd after 7 games and 19 at bats, after a shortened spring training. If that's not kicking the tires, I don't know what is. Last year there were hundreds of at bats spent on maybes.So because he OPSed .843 in 48 plate appearances for us last year, it was okay for us to ignore the .616 OPS in 202 plate appearances he put up for the Brewers in 2021, or the .717 he put up in 180 PAs in 2020, or the .551 in 270 PAs in 2019?
That's the definition of wishful thinking.
I could live with a platoon partner for either Dalbec or JBJ, especially considering the free agent first base pickings were not great. But to have nothing in place in case both players turned out to be offensive holes? IDK, that's not smart roster building right there.The problem is no one of note was available by the time the Story deal got done. Going through this list, Jed Lowrie is the only guy I see who (1) was available after Story signed, (2) got a one-year deal, and (3) would clearly have upgraded a spot on the 26-man roster.
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2021-22-free-agents-by-position
Lowrie caught COVID and has only played in 7 games so far, but it would be nice to have him moving forward.
If the Sox didn’t sign Story, they likely could’ve shimmied under the CBT threshold. They weren’t going to jeopardize that by signing a random vet to a one-year deal as Dalbec/JBJ insurance. By the time they knew they were over anyway, options were limited. It would be nice to have Jed Lowrie about now, but I’m not going to ding the FO too badly for that — it’s not like anyone was screaming for them to sign Lowrie five weeks ago. And that’s because I think even the people who were bearish on Dalbec and Arroyo didn’t think they would be *this* bad. I mean, I certainly would’ve figured one of the two would be good for a 650 OPS while you figured out whether one of the prospects was ready or if you needed to swing a trade. That’s not optimal, but I’m not myopic enough to think the FO is going to blow through the CBT to upgrade that 650 to a 750.I could live with a platoon partner for either Dalbec or JBJ, especially considering the free agent first base pickings were not great. But to have nothing in place in case both players turned out to be offensive holes? IDK, that's not smart roster building right there.
And also we could have signed someone prior to Story, right?
I understand what you're saying and it's probably 100% correct. But isn't that a crappy way to look at building a roster? "We know that there's a very good chance that we have (at least) two holes in our lineup. However, we're not going to do anything about it because we might go over the CBT threshold."If the Sox didn’t sign Story, they likely could’ve shimmied under the CBT threshold. They weren’t going to jeopardize that by signing a random vet to a one-year deal as Dalbec/JBJ insurance.
They can be short but Travis Shaw has been a pro baseball player for 11 years, 8 of those in the Majors. Short maybe, but long by MLB standards.It's too bad the Sox never had Shaw at his most productive. It's too bad that homerun the other night wasn't called accurately due to poor replay angles, not that I think it would have changed the outcome. It's amazing how short an ML career can be.
As what? I mean is there any value to Shaw or the organization to be sitting the bench in WOOstah? Is he worth using a roster spot on?Is there a chance they stash him in AAA?
He'd have to clear waivers (not a big hurdle) then accept an assignment to Worcester. He'd only accept that assignment if he thinks he has no chance of hooking on somewhere else and he thinks Worcester is better than AAA or AA in some other organization. I'd guess there's about a 5% chance of that.Is there a chance they stash him in AAA?