10 replies to this topic

[RedOctober3829]

The Boston Red Sox have expressed interest in acquiring right-handed starter Justin Masterson and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the Cleveland Indians, major-league sources said.
It’s not clear how advanced the talks are, but the fit is obvious: The Red Sox have the ability to take on payroll after unloading roughly $250 million in contracts three months ago, and the Indians are willing to listen to offers for virtually every player on their roster.

http://mlbbuzz.yardb...n_choo/12160756

[mabrowndog]

By most accounts Tito and Masterson had a great relationship, so I'm betting they're not nearly as eager to trade Justin.

FWIW, Masterson is 2nd-year arb eligible and made $3.825M last year. Choo is 3rd-year eligible and earned $5M. Choo also enjoyed a nice bounce-back year (.283/.373/.441/.815 w. 16 HR in 155 G after hitting .259/.344/.390/.733 w. 8 HR in just 85 G), so he's due for a substantial raise.

Edited by mabrowndog, 08 November 2012 - 01:15 PM.

[Savin Hillbilly]

What's with Choo's defensive numbers last year? Both DRS and UZR say he was an awful right fielder. Is that

A. a one-year anomaly,
B. a temporary injury-recovery artifact, or
C. a potentially disturbing long-term trend?

[LesterFan]

Choo career vs RHP: .307/.400/.514
Choo career vs LHP: .249/.338/.358

His numbers vs lefties were even worse in 2012. .199/.318/.286

[Rudy Pemberton]

The Indians currently have $13M in payroll commitments; why would they be looking to move Choo and Masterson? The fact that they hired Tito (and that he went there) makes me think they are trying to compete.

I'm sure they'll listen to offers, but it's going to take some real talent to make it worth their while.

[SoxScout]

What's with Choo's defensive numbers last year? Both DRS and UZR say he was an awful right fielder. Is that

A. a one-year anomaly,
B. a temporary injury-recovery artifact, or
C. a potentially disturbing long-term trend?

Tango's fan scouting report has him in the 3rd tier of RF along with Upton, Markakis, Revere, ect. Has him rated in the elite arms with Reddick and Cruz.

I like Choo and would take him in a heartbeat. If Masterson or Cabrera gets involved this would probably get too big for my liking. Not a big Masterson fan.

Edited by SoxScout, 08 November 2012 - 01:29 PM.

[IpswichSox]

Choo is represented by Boras and he's a free agent after 2013, so maybe that means his acquisition cost would be low -- why would teams give up a ton to get him for only one year? I'm fine with short-term contracts or inexpensive acquisitions to bridge us to the next great Red Sox team, as Ben has called it, but I wouldn't want to give up much for a guy like Choo who may only play here next year and then be gone before the next great Red Sox team arrives beginning (hopefully) in 2014.

[Edelpeddle]

Pass. Both Masterson and Choo have some pretty ugly lefty/righty splits. If we want players with warts, we should just stick to the free agent market and save the prospects.

[absintheofmalaise]

What's with Choo's defensive numbers last year? Both DRS and UZR say he was an awful right fielder. Is that

A. a one-year anomaly,
B. a temporary injury-recovery artifact, or
C. a potentially disturbing long-term trend?

D. A very small sample size and subjective defensive stats

[Savin Hillbilly]

D. A very small sample size and subjective defensive stats

Well, that's pretty much what I meant by "A. a one-year anomaly". I didn't mean that maybe he mysteriously went from a pretty good RF to a really shitty one for just one year, I meant that maybe he had a year where the shortcomings of those defensive metrics happened to bite him randomly in the ass.

[SeoulSoxFan]

CHOO CHOO CHOO



Seriously, Korean press has been reporting a series of minor injuries, lack of conditioning in the off-season, and so on. However, everyone's excited about the prospect of joining a "historical" team like the Sox.

I'll report back any notable news from back home.