219 replies to this topic

[CoolPapaBellhorn]

Scott Lauber ‏@ScottLauber
Can confirm through industry source that #RedSox are closing in on 2-year deal with OF Jonny Gomes. @Sean_McAdam was first to report

https://twitter.com/...316335148019712

[bluefenderstrat]

.987 OPS away from Oakland in 2012, but that sure looks like a career year at age 31. Low risk/high reward type?

[Mugsys Jock]

Is this a sign that the Cody Ross negotiations aren't going well?

[Yaz4Ever]

I've always liked Gomes. So long as he's cheap, I think he'd be a decent flyer. Like bluefenderstrat said, "low risk/high reward".

[E5 Yaz]

Is this a sign that the Cody Ross negotiations aren't going well?

Gomes is likely to be a cheaper option, so quite possibly. It's difficult to imagine what an outfield with Ross and Gomes on the corners would be like defensively

[Sausage in Section 17]

Where's he gonna play, left or right? Given that his rep is poor D, I'm guessing mostly left.

[Savin Hillbilly]

Gomes is likely to be a cheaper option, so quite possibly. It's difficult to imagine what an outfield with Ross and Gomes on the corners would be like defensively

That's a little unfair to Ross, who is an average outfielder. But regardless, I suspect that if we're signing Gomes, we're not signing Ross, since Ross is kind of Gomes deluxe.

If we can do this for something like 2/12, I think we can hold our nose and accept the defense. I think Gomes is supposed to have a half-decent arm, which is important for playing left in Fenway, so that's something.

[The Gray Eagle]

Gomes got 1 year, $1 million last year. I don't like the idea of giving him 2 years at what will surely be too big a salary for him to be easily replaced if his 2014 looks like his 2011.

Looks like Sands and Mauro Gomez will be starting in AAA. They're both RH bats with no glove, just like Gomes, another reason I'd prefer to keep Gomes to a one-year deal.

Gomes should be a good RH hitter and can be okay in LF in Fenway, so he's useful. But he can't play RF and will be an adventure in LF on the road. I'm just not thrilled with the idea of giving him 2 years. The length of the contract is the big issue this year, not the salary IMO. Short contracts should be the goal, and it really doesn't matter much how big the salary is if it's a one-year deal.

[Rasputin]

Jonnny Gomes is precisely the kind of tepid role player the Sox should be signing.

So.

Yay.

[BosRedSox5]

It seems like, according to McAdam, the Sox want BOTH Gomes and Ross... Which I'm not stoked about. Two old corner guys who kill lefties. Who platoons with them?

[Red(s)HawksFan]

It seems like, according to McAdam, the Sox want BOTH Gomes and Ross... Which I'm not stoked about. Two old corner guys who kill lefties. Who platoons with them?

Kalish and Nava?

Not overwhelming, to be sure. I kinda hope they don't re-sign Ross if they're signing Gomes. I suggested a couple weeks back that Gomes might be a good 2013 Ross replacement at 2012 Ross dollars. I hope that's the case, even on a 2-year deal.

Small, back of the mind inkling with this signing is they might be targeting Hamilton after all. Hamilton in RF, Ellsbury in CF, and a Gomes/Kalish/Nava mish-mash in left could be solid. Only fear is that they're going to overpay big-time on Hamilton.

[pjr]

NESN has a story up saying the Red Sox are looking at Nick Swisher for 1stbase/right field .

http://nesn.com/2012...eld-first-base/

[geoduck no quahog]

_{According to his Bio, he offered to play 1B for the Rays in 2007. So we can add "mediocre 1st Baseman" to his other possiblities on the Sox.}

Edited by geoduck no quahog, 21 November 2012 - 02:02 PM.

[Sausage in Section 17]

Small, back of the mind inkling with this signing is they might be targeting Hamilton after all. Hamilton in RF, Ellsbury in CF, and a Gomes/Kalish/Nava mish-mash in left could be solid. Only fear is that they're going to overpay big-time on Hamilton.

I agree. I'm starting to think they will make a run at Hamilton. We've heard from Ben that they will be adding payroll to bring them back up toward the upper end of the market. Who else is there to spend it on? Just not over 5 years please. I'd say not over 4, but I don't think that is realistic.

[Rovin Romine]

Kalish and Nava?

Not overwhelming, to be sure.

But not all that bad either. Nava's 2012 numbers were a bit depressed due to his late season injury, but he had a .383 OBP against righties. Gomes had a .974 OPS against lefties in 164 ABs in 2012. Neither has, for various reasons, consistently put up those numbers in MLB, but if they had, their value would be perceived differently. If the Sox for some reason think Gomes very likely to put up the same numbers again, he's worth picking up.

[Rudy Pemberton]

Seems like a case of buying high. He was available for almost nothing last year, now they'll probably give him multiple years at 5m+? Given his age and profile, I don't really get it, but you need people to play.

[Rasputin]

NESN has a story up saying the Red Sox are looking at Nick Swisher for 1stbase/right field .

http://nesn.com/2012...eld-first-base/

When's the last time the Sox had someone that douchy looking? Mike Benjamin? Lou Merloni?

[SMU_Sox]

Just a minor note. His LD/GB/FB rates didn't change much but his BABIP spiked at .348 last year, a career high for him. I haven't calculated his xBABIP yet but with only an 18.8% LD rate and a 31.3% GB rate it won't be anywhere near .348.

[E5 Yaz]

Why would Gomes sign with Boston if he were told he'd be platooned and only hit against lefties? Other teams were interested in him, offering potentially more at-bats.

I think we have to step back from the concept that Gomes (or Ross, for that matter) would be part of a strict platoon

[Rovin Romine]

When's the last time the Sox had someone that douchy looking? Mike Benjamin? Lou Merloni?

Edited by Rovin Romine, 21 November 2012 - 02:26 PM.

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

I mostly remember Gomes for his involvement in one of the better on-field brawls in recent memory (see it here via "RuTube"). I think a small leftfield like Fenway is actually a decent spot for him, but agree that he seems not to complement Ross, as he has the same problems being a full-time player.

Nice 140 OPS+ last year, but in only 333 PAs for an Oakland team that didn't exactly have huge offensive depth. .715 OPS against righties. If he gets 2/12, I'd be disappointed.

[941827]

On Gomes:

In 3,500 career innings in the outfield, he’s posted a UZR of -37, which translates out to -13 runs per full season. DRS rates him even worse, coming in at -50, as does Sean Smith‘s Total Zone. Gomes is basically as bad as an outfielder can possibly be while still being considered a passable part-time player at the position.

http://www.fangraphs...polar-opposite/

[drtooth]

I remember Gomes from his time in Tampa. He should really be DH. They may be able to hid him in LF, but could be ugly on the road. Coming of a career high OPS+ of 140 after years of 128,101 and 94 in the NL. Platoon at best

[Al Zarilla]

When's the last time the Sox had someone that douchy looking? Mike Benjamin? Lou Merloni?

Can't find a YouTube but Swisher's overwhelming last impression on me was his stumblebutt stumble/fall/dive in RF in the postseason. Do they really have to go after this guy? There is nobody else? I even kind of liked him in Oakland.

[C4CRVT]

While Carmine gently weeps...

[Corsi]

Heyman just tweeted that Gomes had been seeking $3-$4 mil per.

[Lose Remerswaal]

I guess Coco Crisp isn't returning then, if this happens

[gammoseditor]

Why would Gomes sign with Boston if he were told he'd be platooned and only hit against lefties? Other teams were interested in him, offering potentially more at-bats.

I think we have to step back from the concept that Gomes (or Ross, for that matter) would be part of a strict platoon

His defense is bad enough and the free agent OF crop is big enough that teams probably weren't that interested. If teams see him as a DH only he wasn't going to get an every day job. Over the last three years he's hit .296/.398/.506 against lefties. Seems like a useful guy as long as he's not going to play 150 games.

[E5 Yaz]

ESPNJoeyMac Joe McDonald
Source: Pending physical Red Sox are close to finalizing a two-year deal with Jonny Gomes.

[reggiecleveland]

at 2/6 he can platoon in LF, play a bit more vs RH at home. Dh vs a lefty once in a while. Fight people who throw at our hitters and be good value.

[FelixMantilla]

Well, at least Padilla won't be the ugliest guy on the team anymore.

[Frisbetarian]

A clubhouse with Gomes, a well known hothead, Padilla, and Aceves (if the pitchers stay here, which I realize is unlikely) could provide some interesting stories during the course of the season, especially if things don't go well.

[MikeM]

Why would Gomes sign with Boston if he were told he'd be platooned and only hit against lefties? Other teams were interested in him, offering potentially more at-bats.

I think we have to step back from the concept that Gomes (or Ross, for that matter) would be part of a strict platoon

This.

On the surface Gomes might not be that bad a signing imo, as far as realistically projected cash-only options go.

Really need to see the money/commitment involved though.

[Div School Sox Fan]

If Heyman's right that Gomes was only asking for $3-4M per, then I'm confident he knows he's a part-timer.

[SoxScout]

susanslusser
No one can change a clubhouse culture like Jonny Gomes, as #Rays and #Athletics can attest.

susanslusser
Number of contenders had expressed interest in Gomes, but #RedSox exec told me recently that Gomes' leadership ability a big plus for them.

[Savin Hillbilly]

If Heyman's right that Gomes was only asking for $3-4M per, then I'm confident he knows he's a part-timer.

At that price, he's kind of a no-brainer. I thought there might be a bit more of a market for him, in which case we'd have to pay him as a full-time not-quite-league-average kind of guy.

[Harry Hooper]

I suspect Gomes wasn't getting many multiyear offers, so I'll predict the deal will be for 2 years at $6.3 million total.

[Sprowl]

Cody Ross signed for 2012 at 1 year for $3 million, and he is better than Gomes at, well, everything. I understand the attraction of buying low, but I don't think 2 years and $6 million for Gomes is buying low enough.

[E5 Yaz]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Jonny Gomes is good at what he goes if you need a cheap platoon OF/DH. Speaks to the OF market and #RedSox looking more to '14 it seems

[Clears Cleaver]

its probably 2-$10M

I sense the only way the Sox have a top-5 payroll this year is if they do a trade with Colorado for Tulo and Cargo. or something like that

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Jonny Gomes is good at what he goes if you need a cheap platoon OF/DH. Speaks to the OF market and #RedSox looking more to '14 it seems

Abraham is good at tapping sources and getting info, but he's a meathead when it comes to analysis of the team. How anyone can read into anything the team is doing the day before Thanksgiving and draw conclusions of their immediate and long-term aims is beyond me.

[Yaz4Ever]

its probably 2-$10M

I sense the only way the Sox have a top-5 payroll this year is if they do a trade with Colorado for Tulo and Cargo. or something like that

I was thinking 2/5 or 2/6 was reasonable. 2/10 seems exceptionally high.

As for the Tulo and Cargo thing, has that been seen as something realistic or are you just spitballing? If it's real, I'd be all over. As a spitball, it's no worse than my dream of trading for Rizzo and Starlin Castro.

[JimBoSox9]

When's the last time the Sox had someone that douchy looking? Mike Benjamin? Lou Merloni?

I'm sorry, the answer we were looking for was "Youkilis. "Kevin Youkilis".

[gammoseditor]

Cody Ross signed for 2012 at 1 year for $3 million, and he is better than Gomes at, well, everything. I understand the attraction of buying low, but I don't think 2 years and $6 million for Gomes is buying low enough.

Ross is the better defender, but they look like almost identical hitters to me, just looking at the last three years. Gomes has been slightly better against lefties, Ross slightly better against righties. If Gomes sees a similar bump from playing in fenway then I wouldn't be surprised if he's the better hitter next year.

While Ross is the better defender he may not have been willing to settle for a platoon role, and fits better in RF, where defense is much more important in Fenway than LF. With Gomes in LF the Sox can find a better solution in RF than Ross.

3 year splits
Ross:
LHP - .276/.352/.530
RHP - .254/.315/.402

Gomes:
LHP - .296/.398/.506
RHP - .220/.302/.390

Edited by gammoseditor, 21 November 2012 - 04:25 PM.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

If it's 2/6 it's a placeholder contract while they wait to see how Bradley shakes out and whether they can re-sign Ellsbury or replace him. Easy contract to swallow with some flexibility in the field for a rebuilding/retooling year or two.

[Cellar-Door]

Cody Ross signed for 2012 at 1 year for $3 million, and he is better than Gomes at, well, everything. I understand the attraction of buying low, but I don't think 2 years and $6 million for Gomes is buying low enough.

Sure Ross is probably a bit better than Gomes, but he also isn't available at 1 year 3M anymore, you can find a guy at that sometimes, it doesn't mean that there is always a guy like that there.

[Tangled Up In Red]

Whither Petaluma Sox Fan?

edit: whither (not whiter)

Edited by Tangled Up In Red, 21 November 2012 - 06:04 PM.

[god loves the sox]

I think I'm a bit more joyous with Theo's Turkey Day deal.

[C4CRVT]

Getting great value is... great. Maybe they're stocking the cupboard with value in advance of the Felix trade and Sanchez signing...

[Savin Hillbilly]

I'll admit my initial 2/12 guess was going overboard, but calling 2/10 "exceptionally high" seems a little too bearish on the value of the guy's offense.

As for the Ross comp, of course Ross is the better player--and he's going to get a better deal. Gomes 2012 compares to Ross 2012, not 2011. Ross 2011 was coming off a meh season, not cashing in on a successful contract year, which is what Gomes is doing.

In other news, would anybody agree that this signing at least marginally increases the likelihood that Sweeney gets tendered? Seems like his skill set just became more valuable relative to, say, Nava's.