Your 2015 Boston Red Sox
- Thread starter In my lifetime
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Well, the year to sign high-profile FAs is when you have a protected pick.
Does Cespedes to SF make any sense? They need a power-hitting LF and are in a win-now posture, so the need is clear from their side. Kyle Crick could be an attractive return, if we're moving some of our young pitchers in other deals.
Does Cespedes to SF make any sense? They need a power-hitting LF and are in a win-now posture, so the need is clear from their side. Kyle Crick could be an attractive return, if we're moving some of our young pitchers in other deals.
In my lifetime said:
I think you're actually underestimating the combined AAV cost of Ramirez/Sandoval/Lester by a combined $5M or so.
So yeah, it's hard to see them pulling this off without getting into $200M-plus territory for 2015 if they add Lester + another veteran SP.
I think it's doubtful that the Sox go get both Pablo and Hanley.
If they replace the panda guy with Ramirez, they Sox still need to get some LH hitting into their lineup.
Just for shits and giggles, who would be the best (likely) candidate? I have to assume it would be a replacement for the to-be-traded Cespedes.
1. Nava?
2. Cabrerra? (qualifying offer)
3. Hold on...Carl Crawford at a huge discount? (less than Cabrerra money for the remainder of his contract)
4. OK, stops blowing beer through your nose. What decent possible LHH's are out there in a position the Sox can use?
If they replace the panda guy with Ramirez, they Sox still need to get some LH hitting into their lineup.
Just for shits and giggles, who would be the best (likely) candidate? I have to assume it would be a replacement for the to-be-traded Cespedes.
1. Nava?
2. Cabrerra? (qualifying offer)
3. Hold on...Carl Crawford at a huge discount? (less than Cabrerra money for the remainder of his contract)
4. OK, stops blowing beer through your nose. What decent possible LHH's are out there in a position the Sox can use?
Brandon Moss might be available. The hip injury is worrisome and his defense isn't great but if you can get him at the right price, I think he can be the LHH this board has been searching for. Obviously depends on what lies in his medical records, but as with Latos, I'm willing to trust the FO if they think it's worth exploring.
If the hip surgery was successful (haven't heard anything about the recovery, though the acquisitions of Butler and Ike Davis suggest Beane might not be optimistic), maybe. He could definitely handle LF in Fenway. But his 2014 second half was Craig-level scary; .878 OPS with 21 HRs before the break, .584 with 4 HRs after (and that includes most of July, before the bottom really fell out).MakMan44 said:
He might just be getting too pricey for Beane, no clue. I read that he didn't have to undergo micro fracture surgery which is very, very good news. It's just a name to throw into the hat, and if Hanley really has signed it's doubtful Moss has any chance of coming here.
MIke Hazen way back in September: There’s two ways we’re going to plug those holes. We’re going to do it with money in the free agent market, and we’re going to be able to do it via trade, having good major league players, not just minor league players to trade. We may trade some minor league guys as well, but having those good, established major league hitters — a lot of these guys that have power, which is a commodity in the game, set us up fairly well in a strong position at least.
[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]So, money in the free agent market? Check.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]Trading established major league hitters with power? Come on down. Everyone's talking about Cespedes, and he fits the bill. But as much as Napoli's been a good trooper in contract dealings and a perfect fit in Boston, I don't know that BC turns down a deal with Nap for a pitcher (Seattle?). Maybe try Craig/Nava at first. Right now Ben is a ramblin', gamblin' man. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]So, money in the free agent market? Check.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]Trading established major league hitters with power? Come on down. Everyone's talking about Cespedes, and he fits the bill. But as much as Napoli's been a good trooper in contract dealings and a perfect fit in Boston, I don't know that BC turns down a deal with Nap for a pitcher (Seattle?). Maybe try Craig/Nava at first. Right now Ben is a ramblin', gamblin' man. [/SIZE]
Not really. It completely discounts fairly obvious trades they could make this year and the very low payroll projections from 2016 to 2020. I see no correlation to that situation.nattysez said:
https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/536748671346278400nattysez said:
link to tweet
It's a fair point.
I still refuse to compare any of Pablo/Hanley/Lester to Carl Crawford because none of them, as far as I know, are going to get 7/142. The closest will be Lester who is a known commodity in Boston.
67WasBest said:
In the worst-case scenario, Panda's sensitivity makes him a bad fit for Boston and he never hits the way he did in SF (a la Crawford); Hanley's and Pedroia's injury issues continue and Hanley turns out to be a terrible LF; and Lester starts to decline after 30. None of the foregoing would be surprising and there are no "obvious trades" that would make those contracts go away if things go sideways. I'm all for expecting things to go well, but let's not pretend that there isn't serious risk of the team becoming hamstrung if they commit to 5-6 years at high dollars to three more players.
Realistically, how many players are we going to be trading or releasing, including minor leaguers? By my count we have at least 5-7 players who need to be moved.
67WasBest said:
Yeah, this.
If Ramirez is going to play left, though, it probably means an outfield of Ramirez, Castillo, Betts, or maybe switch Betts and Castillo. Vic would essentially back them all up. Craig and Nava would have to fight it out to back up left and first. Trade Cespedes and see if you can get Craig to AAA.
Luis Taint said:
I don't really see any reason to trade all of them, particularly Craig, Cecchini, and Victorino. You'd be selling low on Craig, Cecchini can be sent to AAA easily, and we're going to need an OFer that can back up center and right.
Bradley May hit for shit, but I'd much rather him out there, than Craig or the corpse of Victorino.
This spree, and its seeming contradictory nature to front office philosophy, just feels like a David Ortiz now-and-after brainstorm. Give the Big Father one more shot at a ring perhaps (although 2013 was truly a crowning run for him especially), but more so to use some financial muscle to lock up a successor. Now and later, that's really the most often repeated mission statement from the FO.
That may well be in time, but first he's going to have to show he can hit in ML, and Victorino is going to have to be dealt somewhere. Starting in 2016, I suspect Bradley will have a role on this team.Luis Taint said:
My outfield would be, in no order, Hanley, Betts, Castillo, JBJ, Holt. I'd rather carry an extra infielder, than outfielder.
Jake Wesley MLB @mlb_nl_al · 17m
17 minutes ago
Literally asked hundreds of times on Jon Lester with Sox. It's less likely now that he signs. Look for trade of Xander, etc. for starter
17 minutes ago
Literally asked hundreds of times on Jon Lester with Sox. It's less likely now that he signs. Look for trade of Xander, etc. for starter
If there is any shred of truth to that rumor, then Sale and Ramirez best be returning from Chicago.
I've believed since July the FO was going to eliminate as many risks as possible as they assemble the 2014 squad, while at the same time retaining all young talent not rendered excess. I've also been advocating the acquisition of cost effective pitchers on short term deals. Now that the investment in the lineup has been taken to the level it has, the pitchers have to provide some of the salary relief required in 2015 and the future. Here's a nice way to assemble the squad from today's rumors:
- Napoli for Iwakuma fits for both sides
- Cespedes and a prospect for Samardzija helps the offense starved A's
- Cecchini, Webster and a flier for Ross. Webster is ready to start and doing so in Petco will be great for his confidence, Cecchini would likely start in talent starved SD and his line drive stroke will fit perfect with the game they play in those NL West parks.
- Buchholz and Craig for Zimmerman - granted this is a stretch, but Buchholz does give them an experienced arm with an extra year of control which will make their other choices easier to manage. Craig gives them depth.in the OF and 1B
- Sign Miller because he fills the most glaring hole in the pen and mitigates many risks
- Sign LHC ($2), or just use in-house options until Swihart is ready
Zimmerman (16.5), Samardzija (11.5), Ross (3.5), Iwakuma (6) and Kelly (0.75) - Cost = $38.25M
Betts LF (0.5), Castillo CF (10.5), Pedroia 2B (13.85), Ortiz DH (16), Ramirez 1B (18), Sandoval 3B (20.5), Bogaerts SS (0.65), Victorino RF (13), Vazquez C (0.5), Holt (0.5), Nava (1), Brentz (0.5) (or Weeks), LHC (2) - Cost $97.5M
Uehara (9), Miller (8), Tazawa (2.5), Mujica (4.75), Layne (0.5), RDLR (0.75), Workman (0.5) - Cost = $26M
That's only $161.75M in payroll against the $156M Speier nominated as available funds.
- Napoli for Iwakuma fits for both sides
- Cespedes and a prospect for Samardzija helps the offense starved A's
- Cecchini, Webster and a flier for Ross. Webster is ready to start and doing so in Petco will be great for his confidence, Cecchini would likely start in talent starved SD and his line drive stroke will fit perfect with the game they play in those NL West parks.
- Buchholz and Craig for Zimmerman - granted this is a stretch, but Buchholz does give them an experienced arm with an extra year of control which will make their other choices easier to manage. Craig gives them depth.in the OF and 1B
- Sign Miller because he fills the most glaring hole in the pen and mitigates many risks
- Sign LHC ($2), or just use in-house options until Swihart is ready
Zimmerman (16.5), Samardzija (11.5), Ross (3.5), Iwakuma (6) and Kelly (0.75) - Cost = $38.25M
Betts LF (0.5), Castillo CF (10.5), Pedroia 2B (13.85), Ortiz DH (16), Ramirez 1B (18), Sandoval 3B (20.5), Bogaerts SS (0.65), Victorino RF (13), Vazquez C (0.5), Holt (0.5), Nava (1), Brentz (0.5) (or Weeks), LHC (2) - Cost $97.5M
Uehara (9), Miller (8), Tazawa (2.5), Mujica (4.75), Layne (0.5), RDLR (0.75), Workman (0.5) - Cost = $26M
That's only $161.75M in payroll against the $156M Speier nominated as available funds.
A thought on the possibility of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval both signing with Boston, assuming Cespedes is dealt.
Against tough LHP, Hanley Ramirez (.869 OPS vs LHP in 2014) could start at third and give Sandoval (.563 OPS vs LHP in 2014) a day off. Shane Victorino (.861 OPS vs LHP in 2013) starts in LF.
Against tough RHP, Hanley Ramirez (.801 OPS vs RHP in 2014) could start at short and give Bogaerts (.621 OPS vs RHP in 2014) a day off. Daniel Nava (.769 OPS vs RHP in 2014) starts in LF.
Against more neutral pitchers, Hanley Ramirez is your LF, Xander is the SS, and Sandoval is the 3B.
Against tough LHP, Hanley Ramirez (.869 OPS vs LHP in 2014) could start at third and give Sandoval (.563 OPS vs LHP in 2014) a day off. Shane Victorino (.861 OPS vs LHP in 2013) starts in LF.
Against tough RHP, Hanley Ramirez (.801 OPS vs RHP in 2014) could start at short and give Bogaerts (.621 OPS vs RHP in 2014) a day off. Daniel Nava (.769 OPS vs RHP in 2014) starts in LF.
Against more neutral pitchers, Hanley Ramirez is your LF, Xander is the SS, and Sandoval is the 3B.
Ok, I'm a bit nervous here. The team is about to spend $190-200M on Sandoval and Ramirez, but they still have huge holes in the rotation. I can't see us signing more than one pitcher on the market, hence I think a trade is brewing. Why I'm concerned is because the type of pitchers we'll be targeting will likely require one of Betts or Bogaerts in a deal. I believe in the hype for both players and would like to see them make it in a Boston uni. I'd like to believe that we'll sign Lester and then trade Cespedes and B-level prospects for pitching but I'm not 100% convinced.
EDIT: Okay, so I'm just reading the posts above which seem to answer my doubts. Still, I really hope we keep both players!
EDIT: Okay, so I'm just reading the posts above which seem to answer my doubts. Still, I really hope we keep both players!
No way you get Zimmerman for Buchholz and the rotting corpse of an overpaid Allen Craig, let's be real - they turned down the Cubs and will be asking for a LOT. Webster has barely any trade value and Cecchini + filler is no where near enough to get Tyson Ross. Not every team wants to give us their valuable pitchers for AAAA players and garbage.67WasBest said:
nattysez said:
No it's not. Like, at all.
Then, the Sox did not have this incredible pipeline of young, cheap players coming up. Then, the Sox spent insane dollars. None of these contracts will be what they did then. The biggest of which will be Lester, who (a) is a known, proven commodity in Boston, and (b) everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, wants re-signed here.
Apples and oranges, really.
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